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COMMEMORATIVE 


BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


OF- 


Central  Pennsylvania, 


INCLUDING  THE  COUNTIES  OF 


Centre,  Clinton,  Union  and  Snyder, 


CONTAINING 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    OF   PROMINENT    AND    REPRESENTATIVE 
CITIZENS,   AND   OF    MANY   OF  THE   EARLY   SETTLED   FAMILIES. 


ILLUSTR  AT  E  D 


CHICAGO; 
J.  II.  BEERS  &  CO, 

1898. 


PICMM  THE   PB1  V    111    MI'lIKi: 

i  <M    liTII   -  I    .   I  ....  \  -- 


■ 


i 


F^RE^^GEX 


THE  importance  of    placing    in  book  form    biographical  history  of   representative   citi- 
zens— both  for  its  immediate  worth  and  for  its  value  to  coming  generations — is  ad- 
mitted by  all    thinking  people;    and  within  the  past  decade   there  has  been  a  grow- 
ing interest  in    this  commendable  means  of    perpetuating    biography  and   family  genealogy. 

That  the  public  is  entitled  to  the  privileges  afforded  by  a  work  of  this  nature  needs 
no  assertion  at  our  hands;  for  one  of  our  greatest  Americans  has  said  that  the  history  of 
any  country  resolves  itself  into  the  biographies  of  its  stout,  earnest  and  representative  citi- 
zens. This  medium,  then,  serves  more  than  a  single  purpose;  while  it  perpetuates  biogra- 
phy and  family  genealogy,  it  records  history,  much  of  which  would  be  preserved  in  no 
other   way. 

In  presenting  the  Commemorative  Biographical  Record  to  its  patrons,  the  pub- 
lishers have  to  acknowledge,  with  gratitude,  the  encouragement  and  support  their  enter- 
prise has  received,  and  the  willing  assistance  rendered  in  enabling  them  to  surmount  the 
many  unforeseen  obstacles  to  be  met  with  in  the  production  of  a  work  of  this  character. 
In  nearly  every  instance  the  material  composing  the  sketches  was  gathered  from  those  im- 
mediately interested,  and  then  submitted  in  type-written  form  for  correction  and  revision. 
The  volume,  which  is  one  of  generous  amplitude,  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  public  with 
the  belief  that  it  will  be  found  a  valuable  addition  to  the  library,  as  well  as  an  invaluable 
contribution  to  the  historical  literature  of  Central  Pennsylvania. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


V 


imp 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


EAVER.  HON.  JAMES  AD- 
DAMS,  a  gallant  soldier,  states- 
man, jurist  and  Christian  citi- 
zen of  Bellefonte,  Centre  coun- 
ty, is  another  from  that  galaxy 
of  great  men  that  noble  Belle- 
fonte— the  proud  home  of  gov- 
ernors and  distinguished  men — 
has  produced,  their  names  and  deeds  casting  an 
illustrious  halo  o'er  a  finished  century. 

Although  born  near  Millerstown,  Perry  Co., 
Penn.,  it  remained  for  Gen.  Beaver  to  lay 
the  foundation  for  his  successes  in  life  in  Belle- 
fonte. He  has  descended  on  his  paternal  side 
from  one  of  the  most  forceful,  industrious  and 
successful  families  in  Pennsylvania.  A  distin- 
guished characteristic  of  the  Beaver  family 
through  generations  is  courage,  integrity,  thrift 
and  industry,  and  they  have  figured  gallantly  in 
all  the  wars  which  have  been  fought  in  this  con- 
tinent for  over  a  century  and  a  half.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  remarkable  traits  of  the  Beavers,  a 
gentleman  of  prominence  said  that  he  "was  well 
acquainted  with  the  uncles  of  ex-Gov.  Beaver, 
and  in  all  his  intercourse  with  men  he  found 
them  to  be  more  successful  and  having  a  better 
knowledge  of  business  than  any  men  he  knew." 
Hon.  Thomas  Beaver,  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  now  deceased,  and  who  resided  at 
Danville,  Penn.,  for  many  years  during  his  life, 
attained  a  position  among  the  most  prosperous 
merchants  and  iron  manufacturers  of  the  United 
States.  While  Gov.  Beaver  inherited  valuable 
traits  from  his  father's  side,  he  is  also  indebted 
for  much  of  his  force,  courage  and  industry  to 
his  mother.  She  was  one  of  God's  noble  women, 
wise,  generous,  industrious,  a  devout  Christian, 
and  was  loved  and  respected  by  every  one  that 
knew  her.  Those  who  knew  her  from  childhood 
regarded  her  as  a  most  remarkable  woman.     Her 


kind,  sweet  and  generous  disposition  won  the  af- 
fection and  confidence  of  every  one.  One  who 
for  several  years  resided  near  her  home  speaks  in 
the  highest  terms  of  the  respect,  confidence  and 
esteem  she  enjoyed  among  her  neighbors  and 
friends.  It  was  these  influences,  coupled  with 
his  activity,  energy  and  prominence,  that  have 
been  the  means  of  elevating  this  illustrious  gen- 
tleman to  the  position  of  high  honor  and  influ- 
ence he  occupies  to-day. 

George  Beaver,  the  original  founder  of  the 
family  in  this  country,  arrived  here  from  Ger- 
many about  the  year  1740.  Tradition  says  of  him 
that  "he  was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  marvel- 
ous endurance,  strong  mind  and  untiring  indus- 
try."  He  devoted  himself  with  characteristic 
energy  to  agricultural  pursuits.  His  eldest  son, 
George,  was  among  the  first  to  shoulder  a  mus- 
ket in  the  war  of  Independence,  serving  in  the 
4th  Pennsylvania  Battalion,  commanded  by  Col. 
Anthony  Wayne.  This  son,  after  the  close  of 
hostilities,  married  Catherine  Kieffer,  the  sister 
of  an  army  comrade,  and  from  this  union  came 
Peter  Beaver,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Penn.,  received  a  good  average  education  for  the 
time,  and  when  of  age  set  up  in  business  for  him- 
self as  a  tanner  in  Lebanon  county.  He  soon 
abandoned  this  occupation,  however,  and  al- 
though he  afterward  engaged  indifferent  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  seems  to  have  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  religious  work,  and  he  acquired  consider- 
able distinction  as  a  local  preacher  of  the  Meth- 
odist denomination.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Gilbert,  who  had  seen  some 
service  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  by  her 
had  a  large  family.  All  of  the  six  sons  were  at 
some  period  of  their  lives  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  in  Millerstown,  on  the  Juniata. 
Jacob  married  Ann  Eliza  Addams,  whose  father, 


YMEMORA  Tivr.    BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Abi  '  lams,  !  srry 

county  about  1811.     Tw  daugh- 

nd,  ol  these,  Jai 

third  child  and  fil    I 

Thi  I  the  widow  in  1 

II    Mel  >onald,  ol   Mil 
11,  and  1  with  him  and  ber  family 

unty       H 
.t   the  disti  .  but  m  I 

d   of  a  '  ion,    th 

■t  at  hoi 
ili'  ma- 

in |  tered  at 

tin    I  nd  in  a  remarkably 

:nli.  0  the  jun 

at    I  iurg,    I  which    he    was  the 

tnding  in  a  la 
afterward  the  Rev.  James  A 
Reid,  p  11  Church  ol 

Springfield,   III.,    in    a    historical    sketch   of    Ins 

,   bi  tter  known 

in  1  was  a  little  lut 

11  enthu  How,  full  of  fun  and  pun  and 

pluck  and  frolic,  who  never  did   anything  bad, 

but  always  looked  glad       |ami      has  been  grow- 

he   was  born. 
His  usi  sty  has  ;  I  him  from 

ing  me  anything  from  his  own  pen,  but  Ins  war 
reco  himself  and  so  well 

known  that  then  tting  at  the 

facts.  Gen.  Beaver  is  an  active  and  devoted 
member  of  the  Pr<  yto  in  l  I  urch,  and  as  en- 
thu raJ   in  the  Sabbath  school  v 

ii\  of   Ins  coun- 
try."  I  !•  re  we  may  add  that  in  1  Bea>  er 
b)  the  I                     i   Huntii 
lit  it  in  ti               nnial  m<                I  be  Gen- 

11  Church  of  the 
United  l  ppointed, 

by  the  r  ol  the  Assembly,  v  ice-  mud 

the  Assembly,  being  the  first   layman  in  the  his- 

( 'linn  h   whi  i-d  that   po- 

Aftl  d    111 

□te,  and  1    Hon. 

II    N    M   Allist 

I  while 
a  member  of   th  framed  tin- 

new  n   "I    Pennsylvania       II- 

himself  with  sin  tity  t"  his  studies,    that 

|anuarj  9,  when  he   had   bat  hed 

Ins  ma:  d  to  the 

tre   County      Hi^  industry  and  the  painstal 


care  he  e  i  in  all  his  work,  the  fact  that  he 

so  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  p«    iciples  of 

the   law,   so   read}    in   speech  and  ar,^  iment,  at 

le  an  in  n,  and  he  was  accounted 

re   than    ordinary   promise. 

His  1  nizing  his  merit,  and  having 

le  could  render  in  a 
id  important  practice,  took  him  into 
'iip.      Whili  ing   himself   for   the 

Bar    he   joined    the    I  Te   Fencibles,    under 

it.  Audi  n  to  become  famous 

as  "  Pennsylvania's  War  Governor."  Like  every 
task  he  undertook,  Heaver  put  his  entire  smil 
into  the  work,  was  so  attentive  and  obedient  that 
it. 1  mi  d  great  proficiency  in 
drill.  He  gave  much  attention  to  the  study  of 
tactics,.  occurring  he   was   made 

second  lieutenant  of  the  company.  Then  came 
the  war.  The  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  had  amused 
the  loyal  North,  but  in  no  instance  did  the  Pres- 
ident's call  for  75,000  volunteers  to  defend 
Washington  meet  with  a  more  prompt  response 
than  in  the  picturesque  little  Pennsylvania  town 
of  Bellefonte.  The  Fencibles,  indeed,  had  as- 
sembled, every  man  equipped  for  active  duty, 
before  the  echoes  of  firing  had  died  away.  Writ- 
ing to  his  mother  at  this  time,  we  find  Lieut. 
.er  saying:  "A  dispatch  from  Washington 
that  hostilities  have  actually  begun  The 
South  Carolinians  fired  upon  the  '  Star  of  the 
West,' which  contained  supplies  fm-  Major  An 
derson.  If  this  is  true,  which  God  forbid,  war 
has  actually  commenced.  Where  will  be  the 
nation  must  be  preserved.  And  who 
can  mistake  his  duty  in  this  emergency ?  I  have 
prayed  for  direction,  guidance,  and  clear  revela- 
tion of  duty,  and  I  cannot  now  doubt  where  the 
path  of  duty  lies.  It  required,  I  will  march  in 
it,  trusting  in  God  for  the  result.  There  are  few 
men  situated  as  I  am.     N  n  dependent  up- 

on me,  and  a  business  which  I  will  leave  in  able 
hands.  If  we  have  a  nationality,  it  must  be  con- 
tinued, supported,  upheld.  If  w e  are  oidered  to 
Washinf  here,   I  will  see   you   before 

God  bless  you,  my  mother."     "No  hesi- 
Burr,     his    biographer, 
"but  a  sword   leaping   from  its  scabbard   to  do 
battle  I  r  country;    a    noble, 

dy    patriotism,    which    saw    in    the    country's 
peril   tin  ing    duty.""     The 

Mint  of  militia,  who  took 
this  tnd  w  bill  jit  a  ting, 

not  yet  twenty-four  .  .  but  he  dis- 

played an  a;  d    the  situation,  a  fore- 

sight of  events,    and  a  realization  of   the    mighty 
nvolved  which  would  have  done  credit  to 
much  oldi 


COMMK.Vd/.'ATirE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  BelWonte  Fencibles  were  mustered  into 
service  as  C'npany  H,  2d  P.  V.  I.,  Col. 
Frederick  S.  Stumbaugh  commanding,  on  April 
21,  i86i,and  were  immediately  dispatched  by 
rail  to  Washington.  The  Confederates,  how- 
ever, by  the  burning  of  the  bridge  at  Cockeys- 
ville,  Md.,  prevented  further  progress,  and  the 
command  was  ordered  to  return  to  York.  His 
regiment  joined  the  column  which  operated  under 
the  command  of  Gen.  Patterson  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley,  being  present  at  the  skirmish  called 
the  battle  of  Falling  Waters.  In  July  the  term 
of  enlistment  expired,  and  the  men  were  duly 
mustered  out  at  Harrisburg,  on  the  26th  day  of 
that  month.  Lieut.  Beaver,  however,  had, 
previous  to  his  muster-out,  prepared  to  enter  the 
service  again;  but  this  time  he  determined  it 
would  be  "for  the  war."  Aided  by  Thomas 
Welsh,  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  2d  Regi- 
ment, of  Lancaster  county,  and  J.  M.  Kilbourne, 
of  Potter  county,  he  soon  organized  the  45th  P. 
V.  I.,  and  it  was  mustered  into  service  on  Octo- 
ber 18,  1861.  At  the  election  held  for  officers, 
Thomas  Welsh  was  elected  colonel,  Lieut.  Beaver 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  J.  M.  Kilbourne  major. 
On  October  21st  the  command  left  camp  for 
Washington,  and,  shortly  after  its  arrival  there, 
it  started  for  Fortress  Monroe,  whence,  on  De- 
cember 6,  it  sailed  for  Port  Royal,  S.  C.  Having 
received  orders  to  occupy  the  Sea  Islands,  Col. 
Welsh  divided  his  regiment,  giving  Lieut. -Col. 
Beaver  a  separate  command,  and  he  was  sent  to 
relieve  the  gallant  79th  New  York,  at  Fort 
Walker.  In  January,  1862,  he  relieved  the  55th 
P.  V.  I.  and  part  of  the  7th  Connecticut,  then 
stationed  at  Hilton  Head  Island.  Subsequently 
the  regiment  was  ordered  north  to  join  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  after  the  disastrous  Peninsular 
campaign,  and  after  a  short  sojourn  at  Newport 
News  it  was  assigned  to  guard  the  military  rail- 
road from  Acquia  Creek  to  Fredericksburg.  Col. 
Beaver  was  dispatched  with  the  remainder  of  the 
command  to  Brooks  Station. 

On  September  4,  Lieut. -Col.  Beaver,  at  the 
urgent  request  of  his  neighbors  at  home,  and  of 
Gov.  Curtin,  resigned  his  commission  in  the  45th 
to  accept  the  appointment  of  colonel  of  the  148th 
P.  V.  I.,  known  also  as  the  Centre  County  regi- 
ment, and,  with  his  new  command,  left  Harris- 
burg on  September  8.  His  regiment  was  posted 
along  the  Northern  Central  railroad  during  the 
Antietam  campaign,  and  remained  in  that  po- 
sition until  December  10,  when  it  was  transferred 
to  the  Rappahannock,  and  became  part  of  the 
1st  Brigade,  1st  Division,  2nd  Corps.  As  soon 
as  the  regiment  arrived  at  the  front,  Col.  Beaver 
rode  up  to  Gen.  Hancock's  headquarters  and  re- 


ported his  arrival.  "Gen.  Hancock, "he  said, 
"I  have  been  ordered  to  report  to  you,  sir,  for 
duty."  "What  is  your  regiment,  Colonel?" 
"  148th  P.  V.  I."  was  the  reply;  "and,  General, 
while  I  would  not  presume  so  much  as  to  sug- 
gest the  disposition  that  is  to  be  made  of  my 
regiment,  I  shall  be  glad  if  it  could  be  placed  in 
a  brigade  of  your  division,  where  the  men  can 
see  a  daily  exemplification  of  the  good  results  of 
the  soldiery  discipline  I  have  endeavored  to 
teach."  The  great  soldier  was,  of  course,  no 
less  surprised  than  pleased  at  the  enthusiasm 
displayed  by  the  young  colonel,  but  could  only 
reply:  "  I  regret  to  say  that  we  have  no  such 
brigade.  I  only  wish  we  had.  You  will  report 
for  duty,  sir,  to  the  commander  of  the  1st  Bri- 
gade of  this  division."  It  is  said  that  the  request 
which  the  young  officer  had  made  led  Gen.  Han- 
cock to  keep  a  careful  watch  upon  his  future 
course,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  observed 
that  in  camp  and  upon  parade  the  regiment 
which  he  commanded  was  a  model  for  all  of  the 
others  in  the  brigade.  Indeed,  so  conspicuous 
was  its  excellence  that  long  before  the  army  was 
again  prepared  for  battle,  Gen.  Joe  Hooker  had 
predicted  that  it  would  not  be  long  before  its 
colonel  would  be  a  major-general.  Gen.  Han- 
cock's estimate  of  him,  written  twenty  years 
after  the  incident  just  mentioned,  may  be  here 
quoted:  "Gen.  James  A.  Beaver  joined  the 
first  division  of  the  2nd  Army  Corps  (then  com- 
manded by  me)  with  his  regiment,  the  148th  P. 
V.  I.,  just  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg, 
December,  1862,  and  served  constantly  under 
my  command  in  the  2nd  Corps  (save  when  ab- 
sent from  wounds  received  in  battle)  until  the 
fall  of  1864.  During  that  period  he  was  en- 
gaged in  some  of  the  most  important  campaigns 
and  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
took  a  conspicuous  and  distinguished  part  in 
many  of  them.  I  consider  him  one  of  the  most 
intrepid,  intelligent,  and  efficient  young  officers 
in  our  service  during  the  war,  and  on  several  oc- 
casions mentioned  him  in  my  official  reports  foi 
valuable  service  and  distinguished  bravery.  He 
was  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  again  while  gal- 
lantly leading  his  fine  regiment  and  brigade  in  an 
assault  upon  the  enemy's  works  at  Petersburg,  Va. , 
June  16,  1864,  and  at  Ream's  Station,  August 
25.  1864.  On  this  latter  occasioi  he  had  just 
joined  his  regiment  on  the  battlefield,  and  taken 
command  of  the  brigade  to  which  it  belonged, 
after  an  absence  caused  by  former  wounds,  when 
he  was  struck  by  a  musket  ball  which  shattered  his 
thigh  and  disabled  him  for  life  by  the  loss  of  a  leg. " 
Col.  Beaver  and  his  regiment  were  soon  mov- 
ing forward  to  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and 


i/JtHMOUAT/V/;   lllniiliM'HICAl    RKCOBD. 


hardly  had  1 1 1 » ■  tiring  on  this  memorable  battle- 
field C*  mmenced  ere  he  fell,  hit  hard  below  the 
waistband.  It  seemed  to  all  about  him  that  the 
wound  must  eventually  prove  fatal,  but  he  de- 
clined the  services  of  those  who  sprang  to  his 
ce,  saying:     "Go  to  your  places;  it  will 

be  time  enough  to  bury  the  dead  when  the  hat- 
tie  is  over."  An  hour  later  he  ret  eived  the  W(  I- 
come  intelligence  from  the  army  surgeon  that  a 
gutta-percha  pencil,  which  had  been  smashed  to 
atoms,  had  turned  the  ball  from  its  course,  caus- 
ing it  to  plow  a  great  track  through  the  lleshy 
part  of  the  abdomen  only,  and  thus  saved  injury 
to  the  intestines.  He  was  removed  to  his  home 
.it  Bellefonte,  but  before  the  wound  was  entirely 
healed  he  took  command  of  Camp  Curtin,  by 
order  of  Gen.  ("ouch,  and  began  organizing  the 
troops  which  were  then  Hocking  by  the  thousands 
to  H.urisburg  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's 
call  for  120,000  men  for  the  purpose  of  defend- 
ing the'  State ol  Pennsylvania  against  I. re's  inva- 
sion.     The  satisfactory   manner  in  which   he 

COmplished     till  .lied     forth     till      following 

compliment  from  Maj.-Gen.  Couch,  which  was 
issued  in  special  order  No.  35,  July  15,  1 
"  The  Major-(  .eneral  commanding  tenders  thanks 
to  Col.  Beaver  for  the  important  service  rendered 
him  in  the  organization  of  the  troops  which  were 
hurried  to  tin  capital  ami  placed  under  Ins  com- 
mand at  Camp  Curtin,  Notwithstanding  he  was 
absent  on  leave  in  this  department,  on  account 
of  wounds  received  in  battle,  the  zeal  and  energy 
he  manifested  in  th<  cause  is  worthy  of  emula- 
tion." Many  years  after  this.  <  ..  11  Couch, 
speaking  of  Col.  Beaver's  devotion  to  duty  at  the 
time,  said:  "He  was  a  soldier  who  could  be 
trusted  morning,  noon  and  night."  Col.  Beaver 
now   made  to  be  allowed  to  rejoin  his 

regiment,  and,  his  request  having  been  granted, 
he  crossed  the  Potomac  with  it  and  participated 
in  Gen  Meade's  retrograde  movement  from  I 
peper  Court  House,  and  in  the  Mine  Run  cam- 
paign liming  the  autumn  of  1863.  l'art  of  the 
winter  and  following  spring  were  spent 
Stevensburg,  Va.  On  Mav  1;,  he  was  assigned 
to  the  command  ol  the  le,  1st  I  Hvision, 

id  Corps.      He  participated   in  all  the  battle 
the  Wilderness  campaign,  and  received  the  sur- 
render of  Gen,  Stnait  at  Spottsylvania.      In  the 

ult  of  Cold   Harbor  his  regiment   especially 
distinguished  itself  for  its  daring  and  successful 
actions,  and  at  Petersburg,  on   |une  16,  he  com 
manded  0  brigade,  but  w  rely  wounded  in 

the  firsl  assault  upon  the  works.      He  > 
home,  bm  returned  to  the  arm}  in  time  to  follow 

division,  and  reached  it  just  as  it  was 
ing  the  t>  11  .nit  of  the  enemy  at   R<  am's 


Station   on    August    2$.      By   direction   of    Gen. 

cock  he  immediately  assumed  command  of 
the  brigade,  and  had  scarcely  more  than  relieved 
the  officer  in  command  when  he  received  a  wound 
in  the  right  thigh,  in  consequence  of  which  it 
was  found  necessary  to  amputate  the  leg  at  the 
hip.  The  loss  of  his  leg,  of  course,  completely 
incapat  itated  him  for  active  service,  and  at  his 
own  request  he  was  honorably  mustered  out  of 
service  on  December  22,  1864,  on  account  <>i 
wounds  received  in  battle,  having  previously  de- 
clined a  detail  for  couit-martial  duty  at  Wash- 
ington. Previous  to  this,  however,  he  had  been 
brevetted  brigadier-general  "for  highly  merito- 
rious and  distinguished  conduct  throughout  the 
campaign,  particularly  for  valuable  services  at 
Cold   Harbor  while  commanding  a  brigade." 

General  Beaver  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  with  his  partner,  Hon.  H  N.  McAl- 
lister, who  had  conducted  the  business  during 
his  absence,  and  who  had  no  superior  at  the  bar 
in  central  Pennsylvania.  With  both  members 
of  the  linn  actively  and  devotedly  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  the  profession,  the  business  not 
only  increased  but  became  very  exacting  in  its 
demands.  He  did  not  on  this  account,  however, 
neglect  the  duties  which  devolve  upon  the  indi- 
vidual citizen.  Soon  after  his  return  he  was  in- 
duced, for  the  sake  of  securing  harmony  within 
the  Republican  ranks,  to  accept  the  nomination 
for  representative  in  the  State  Legislature.  Cen- 
tre county  at  that  time  gave  an  average  Demo- 
cratic majority  of  about  1,000.  There  was  no 
expectation  that  this  majority  could  be  overcome, 
and  no  special  effort  was  made  i.i  the  canva 
He  was  defeated  by  his  Democratic  competitor  l>v 
a  majority  of  less  than  150.  In  the  following  yi 
he   was  informally   tendered  the  nomination  for 

s  in  a  district  which  was  then  largely  R< 
publican,  the  conferees  of    three  of  the  counties 
(the  district   being  composed   of  five)  offering  t«  • 
support  him    for   the    nomination.      He   declined 
to  allow    the    use  of   his    name,  however,  on    the 

mid    that   the    representative    of  the    disti 
who  was  then  serving  in  Congress  had  a  right  to 
another    term.      He    also    refused    to    allow    his 
name  to  be  used   in   opposition   to  that  of  Gov 

ond    term    in  1869,  although 
fered  the  support  of  a  powerful  faction  in  Penn- 
SJ  lv  ania  polil 

In  1S7S  his  name  was  brought  forward  by  the 
county    convention    of    Centre   countv    as    their 

I  i 
not    re:;. ud    tln>  !!     for    his    services,   and 

thei  id  no  special  attention   to  it.  and  no 

it  was  made   to  upport    in  other  sec- 

tion-   ol    the     Mate        His     name     was    favorably 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


mentioned  in  the  Republican  convention  of  that 
year,  and  although  he  advised  his  friends  to  vote 
for  Gen.  Hoyt,  whose  nomination  had  been  de- 
termined upon,  he  received  a  number  of  votes. 
This  brought  his  name  prominently  before  the 
people  of  the  State,  and  in  the  campaign  which 
followed  he  rendered  efficient  service,  particu- 
larly in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  State,  where 
great  dissatisfaction  existed.  In  1880  he  was 
elected  as  a  district  delegate  to  the  Republican 
National  Convention  which  convened  at  Chicago 
in  that  year,  and  was  unanimously  elected  the 
chairman  of  the  Pennsylvania  delegation.  Not- 
withstanding the  division  of  the  delegation  into 
hostile  factions,  he  held  himself  so  fairly  in  re- 
gard to  both  of  them  that  the  vote  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania delegation  was  never  questioned  during 
the  entire  period  of  that  exciting  convention; 
and  after  the  nomination  of  Gen.  Garfield  he 
was  tendered  by  his  co-delegates  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  delegation  for  the  Vice-Presidency. 
Several  other  delegations,  North  and  South, 
made  a  like  tender,  and  it  was  believed  at  the 
time  that  he  would  have  been  nominated  upon 
the  ticket  with  Gen.  Garfield  if  he  had  not  per- 
emptorily declined  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used, 
giving  for  a  reason  therefor  that  it  was  neither 
good  politics  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  Vice- 
President  from  Pennsylvania,  nor  had  he  any  de- 
sire to  occupy  a  place  in  which  there  was  little 
opportunity  for  activity.  At  his  suggestion  the 
Pennsylvania  delegation  decided  to  support  any 
candidate  who  might  be  presented  by  the  ma- 
jority of  the  delegation  from  New  York.  Gen. 
Arthur  was  afterward  nominated,  and  the  result 
is  well  known. 

In  January,  1881,  a  successor  to  Hon.  Will- 
iam A.  Wallace  was  to  be  elected  by  the  Legisla- 
ture to  represent  Pennsylvania  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  Hon.  Henry  W.  Oliver  was  the 
choice  of  the  Republican  caucus.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Republicans,  however,  refused  to  support 
the  caucus  nominee,  and  a  dead-lock  ensued 
which  lasted  for  several  weeks.  Without  any 
consultation  with  him,  and  without  his  knowledge 
or  consent,  the  name  of  Gen.  Beaver  was  pre- 
sented by  a  representative  of  those  who  opposed 
the  caucus  nominee  as  a  compromise  candidate. 
He  was  named  by  what  was  known  as  the  regu- 
lar caucus,  but  owing  to  the  manner  in  which 
this  was  done  the  Independents  declined  to  sup- 
port him.  He  went  to  Harrisburg,  assisted  to 
provide  a  tribunal  which  should  name  a  candidate 
to  be  supported  by  both  elements  of  the  party, 
and  then  returned  home.  The  result  was  the 
nomination  of  the  Hon.  John  I.  Mitchell,  who 
was  elected.      By  these  means,  and  through  his 


active  participation  in  the  Presidential  campaign 
of  1880,  Gen.  Beaver  was  brought  prominently 
before  the  people  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the 
preliminary  campaign  which  preceded  the  nomi- 
nation for  governor  in  1882,  his  name  was  the 
only  one  prominently  mentioned  for  that  nomi- 
nation. No  opposition  to  his  nomination  was 
known  to  exist,  and  he  was  the  unanimous  choice 
of  the  convention  when  it  assembled.  Dissen- 
sions arose  afterward,  however,  growing  out  of 
alleged  abuses  of  internal  management  in  the 
Republican  party,  which  resulted  in  the  calling 
of  an  independent  convention,  the  nomination  of 
another  Republican  ticket,  and  the  consequent, 
and  inevitable  defeat  of  both.  The  entire  Dem- 
ocratic State  ticket  was  elected. 

In  1886  Gen.  Beaver  was  again  elected  the 
unanimous  choice  of  his  party  for  the  chief  mag- 
istracy of  the  State,  and  after  an  exciting  canvass, 
in  which  the  Prohibition  party  took  an  unusually 
active  part,  he  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  over 
40,000.  He  was  inaugurated  January  18,  1887, 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  no  man  ever  assumed 
office  with  a  greater  or  more  sacred  sense  of  the 
obligation  which  he  then  took  upon  himself.  He 
entered  upon  his  duties  with  a  fearless  determi- 
nation to  faithfully  execute  the  laws  for  the  whole 
people,  and  his  administration  certainly  proved 
that  no  pressure  or  crisis  ever  made  him  swerve 
from  his  resolve.  His  administration  was  char- 
acterized by  a  familiarity  with  the  conditions  of 
society,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  wants  of  the 
people,  which  were  acquired  by  an  active  partic- 
ipation in  their  every-day  life,  through  the  varied 
means  offered  him  for  such  a  purpose.  Provision 
for  industrial  education,  in  connection  with  the 
common-school  system  of  the  State,  was  strong- 
ly urged  in  his  inaugural  address,  and  throughout 
his  administration  this  subject  received  his  care- 
ful consideration,  and  was  insisted  upon  on  every 
proper  occasion.  During  his  term  of  office  a 
commission  to  consider  the  whole  question  of 
industrial  education  was,  at  his  suggestion,  ap- 
pointed, and  their  report  on  the  subject  forms 
one  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  contri- 
butions to  the  practical  solution  of  this  question 
which  has  yet  appeared.  In  his  first  message  to 
the  Legislature  he  called  special  attention  to  the 
necessity  for  improvement  in  the  roads  of  the 
State,  and,  as  essential  thereto,  a  reform  in  the 
road  laws.  The  subject  was  immediately  taken 
up  by  the  governors  of  many  other  States,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  foremost  questions  demanding  a 
practical  and  successful  solution. 

On  May  31,  1889,  there  occurred  in  the  Cone- 
maugh  Valley,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,    a  catastrophe  which  has  probably  no 


VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


>!ii  I.  by  which  some  3,000  livts  were  lost  by 

on  oi  extraordinary  heavy  rains,  and  the  giv- 
ing away  of  an  mm.  irvoir  in  the  mount- 
ains sustained  by  a  dam  originally  built  for 
supplying  the  canal  system  "I  the  Mate  with 
water,  and  which  had  more  lately  been  main- 
tained for  fishing  purposes  by  an  outing  club. 
In    response    t<                peals   made   for   the  be- 

ed  and  destit  ute  pei  »ple  1  if  this  1 
three  millioi  lars  poured  into  the  hand-  ol 

the  Executive,  which  were  distributed  through  a 
relief  commission   appointed   by   him.      He 

uned   th  isibility   of   borrowing  $400,- 

000,  which  provided,  through   tb 

i  Health,  fur  the  removal  of  the  debris 
in  the  valley,  winch,  owing  to  the  particular  cir- 
ciin  1  of  the  case,  seriously  1  ndangen  d  the 

health  (d  the  remainii  g  inhabitants.  This  work 
required  months  ol  unusual  labor  and  mosl  care- 
ful fore  i  in  plan  and  execution.  Subse- 
quent events  proved  that  the  emei  was 
wisely  and  1  1  illy  met  and  mastered.  <  i 
Beaver  was  deeply  interested,  during  his  official 
term,  in  the  project  to  connect  the  waters  of  Lake 
Erie  and  the  Ohio  river  by  a  ship-canal.  He  co- 
operated very  zealously  with  a  commission  which 
was  appointed  by  him  to  inquire  as  to  the  expe- 
diency ol  sin  h  a  highwaj ,  and  in  his  last  m<  ssage 
to  the  Legislature  gave  1  n  to  views  which, 
m  the  light  of  subsequent  developments  in  regard 
to  thi  Cana  I  nal  system,  show  his  grasp  of 
the  subject.  He  said  in  relation  to  the  subject: 
"  If  the  waters  of  Lake  Lrie  and  the  Ohio  were 
connected  by  a  canal  such  as  proposed  and 
shown  to  be  entirel)  feasible,  and  if  the  present 
■  inal  from  Albany  to  Buffalo  were  enlarged  so  as 
to  admit  \ e  links 
would  secure  a  chain  ol  inter-waterwa}  commu- 
nication between  New  York  and  New  Orle 
which  would  be  invaluable  for  commercial  pur- 
poses, and  in  time  of  war  would  furnish  an  en- 
tirely safe  means  of  communication  between 
these  important  termini  and  all  other  interior 
pomts.  It  would,  in  addition,  give  us  con 
defensive  purposes  ol  our  lake  front,  which  we 
do  not  now  have,  and  which  it  >tful 
whether  we  can  secure  in  any  other  way  und<  r 
present  treaty  stipulations. " 

His  was  a  practical  business  administration 
without  an)- effort  at  show,  but  with  an  earnest 
'  -.ults  calculated  to  advance 
the  welfare  of  the  people.  Rev.  Dr.  Keady,  of 
Alabama,  who  lost  an  arm  in  the  Confederate 
service,  and  who  is  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Beaver,  at  a  meeting  of  their  college  class 
in  1891,  thus  summed  up  his  administration, 
"in   the  words  of  one  who  watched  his  course 


closely:  'His  administration  was  high-toned, 
conscientious,  diligent,  and  clean,  without  even 
the  shadow  1  no!  scandal  or  of  sub- 

jection to  improper  influences.      He  was  consid- 
imate  interests,  scrupulous  in  his 
ippoiniment    to    office,    and    un- 
flinching in  Ins  exercise  of  the  veto  power  when- 

I,  even  in  the  case 

supported    by    his    best    personal 

friends.       lb  indeed  furnished  a   true 

ami  honorable  type  of  the  American  citizen   and 

pub'  i|.'" 

In   lie-   attempt   to   reorganize   the   militia   of 

tin  i    Pennsylvania  alter  the  war,   Gen. 

was  appointed  a   major-general   by  Gov. 

•s\  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  securing  by 
in  and  practical  effort  such  reorganiza- 
tion. It  required  great  labor  and  persistence. 
He  with  a  few  others,  however,  including  Gen. 
Hartranft.  who  was  afterward  elected  governor, 
and  other  general  officers,   gave  much   time   and 

:t.  and  finally  succeeded  in  organizing  the  Na- 
tional Guard  ol  Pennsylvania,  den.  Beaver  was 
continually  in  service  'Headier-general 

or  major-general,  until  the  election  of  1886, 
when  he  became  e.x-officio  commander-in-chief, 
and  appeared  at  the  head  of  the  Guard  at  the 
Constitutional  Centennial  Celebration  in  1887, 
in   Philadelphia,    and  at   the  celebration    of    the 

tennial  of  Washington's  Inauguration  in  1889 
in  New  York.  He  was  thus,  either  as  brigade 
or  division  commander  or  as  the  commander-in- 
chief,  connected  with  the  National  Guard  of 
Pennsylvania  for  over  twenty  years,  and  is  now 
on  the  honorably  retired  list,  with  the  rank  of 
ma)'  ral.      Upon  his  return  to  private  life 

he   again   resumed   the   practice  of  law   with   his 
formei  law  partners,   |    W.  Gephart  and  Jno.  M. 
Mr.    Gephart    retiring   from    the    firm    in 

,,  the  practice  was  continued   for  a   time  by 

vei  &  Dale,  until  the  Governor  retired  ti 
active  practice.  He  was  for  several  years  pi 
ident  of  the  Blubaker  Coal  Co.,  which  is  the 
owner  of  a  large  and  valuable  body  of  bituminous 
Coal  lands  in  Cambria  county,  Penn.,  and  which 
has  had  a  phenomenal  growth  and  development. 
He  i  I  of  hi-  State  and  her  history, 

and  is  an  earnest  and  efficient  advocate  of  an) 
and  all  improvements  tending  to  advance  her  in- 
terests and  the  welfare  of  her  people.  He  has 
for  many  years  i  at  interest  in  the  Penn- 

sylvania State  Co  1  member  of  its 

board  of  trustees  for  marls  twenty-five  years, 
and  is  chairman  of  th  immittee  which 

has  practical  direction  ol  its  affairs.  He  has  been 
largely  instrumental  in  aiding  in  the  wonderful 
development  of  this  institution,  which  ran 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ond  to  none  in  laying  broad  and  deep  founda- 
tions upon  which  a  great  industrial  university  is 
to  be  built.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Washington  and  Jefferson  College 
— his  alma  mater — and  of  Lincoln  University,  in 
Chester  county,  Penn.,  an  institution  for  the 
education  of  colored  young  men.  He  has  also 
been  president  of  the  Alumni  Association  of 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  college  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Beta  Theta  Pi  fraternity,  and  he  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society.  In  1889 
Dickinson  College,  of  Carlisle,  Penn.,  and  Han- 
over College,  of  Indiana,  both  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  literary  degree  of  LL.  D. 

The  General  possesses  a  large  and  valuable 
library,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  collecting 
books  and  data  of  all  kinds  relating  to  the  war. 
He  was  selected  to  act  as  grand  marshal  of  the 
ceremonies  at  Washington  in  connection  with 
the  inauguration  of  Gen.  Benjamin  Harrison  as 
President  of  the  United  States.  Like  most 
other  great  men  who  passed  through  the  war,  he 
is  strongly  in  favor  of  burying  all  sectional  ani- 
mosity connected  with  it,  and  in  his  address  of 
welcome  at  Gettysburg,  in  1888,  by  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  to  the  Confederate  soldiers,  said, 
among  other  patriotic  and  appropriate    remarks: 

I  have  often  busied  myself  in  thought  and  have  some- 
times spoken  on  some  phases  of  the  question,  "Do  the 
results  of  the  war  pay  for  its  cost?  "  It  is  difficult  for  us  to 
look  at  your  side  of  that  question.  It  was  a  great  price  that 
we  paid  on  both  sides  for  that  decision.  Think  of  the  blood; 
think  of  the  tears;  think  of  the  treasure;  think  of  the  prop- 
erty; look  at  the  graves  in  yonder  cemetery;  think  of  the 
scene  of  the  conflict.  Oh,  what  a  cost!  and  yet,  my  country- 
men, think  of  the  result.  Think  of  the  new  birth  of  freedom; 
think  of  the  new  hopes  and  the  new  aspirations  for  the  future; 
think  of  the  career  which  opens  up  before  us  as  we  face  the 
future;  think  of  the  generations  to  come;  think  of  the  herit- 
age we  are  preparing  for  them;  think  of  the  great  settlement 
of  great  questions  settled,  and  only  to  be  settled,  by  the 
sword;  think  of  the  saving  of  blood  and  of  tears,  and  of 
treasure,  because  we  took  up  the  sword,  and  did  not  leave  it 
for  other  generations  who  were  to  come  after  us,  when  feel- 
ing would  be  intensified,  when  greater  numbers  would  be 
involved,  and  when  the  conflict  would  have  been  more  pro- 
longed and  more  deadly.  The  finite  mind  loses  itself  in 
contemplation  of  these  questions.  We  can  bow  to  the  de- 
cision; and  I  think  we  are  learning  to  say  more  and  more, as 
the  days  go  by  that,  great  as  was  the  cost,  infinite  as  was  the 
price,  the  result  pays — pays  now  and  will  pay  much  more  in 
the  future.  I  cannot  particularize  as  to  the  questions  which 
we  face — the  great  questions  of  public  policy  which  we  must 
settle  in  this  generation.  I  see  a  grand  future  for  my  coun- 
try. Do  I  say  "  my  country?"  Your  country — our  country, 
North  and  South.  I  see  a  great  development  of  her  material 
resources;  I  see  a  grand  upbuilding  of  her  intellectual 
power;  I  see  a  broad  extension  of  her  influence  among  the 
nations  of  the  eat th;  I  see  her  glorious  flag  floating  at  the 
topmast  in  every  harbor  of  the  world;  I  see  the  principles 
upon  which  she  is  founded,  extending  and  deepening  and 
widening  for  the  benefit  of  mankind;  I  see  the  glorious  Chris- 
tianity which  underlies  and  characterizes  her  civilization,  car- 
ried by  human  lips  of  her  commissioning  throughout  the  world, 
for  the  healing  of  nations.  And,  as  this  vision  arises,  the  ques- 
tion is  not  "  What  of  the  past?  "  but  "  What  of  the  future?  " 


How  shall  we  meet  its  responsibilities?  How  shall  we  an- 
swer its  demands?  How  shall  we  rise  to  the  heights  of  its 
great  possibilities?  O,  my  countrymen  of  the  Gray  and  of 
the  Blue,  these  are  the  questions  about  which  we  should  be 
concerned.  And  because  the  consideration  of  these  ques- 
tions is  pressing  and  imminent,  we  who  wore  the  Blue  have 
invited  you  men  who  wore  the  Gray,  to  join  us  here  on  this 
historic  field.  We  welcome  you  because  we  need  you;  we 
welcome  you  because  you  need  us;  we  welcome  you  because 
we  together  must  enter  in  and  possess  this  future,  and  trans- 
mit this  heritage  to  the  oncoming  generations.  Are  we 
ready?     If  go,  "Let  the  dead  past  bury  its  dead." 

In  July,  1895,  Gov.  Beaver  was  appointed 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Pennsylvania, 
which  had  been  authorized  by  an  Act  of  the  Leg- 
islature then  lately  passed.  He  was  subsequently 
nominated  by  the  State  Republican  Convention 
for  the  full  term  of  ten  years  from  January,  1896, 
and  was  elected  at  the  general  election  in  No- 
vember which  followed.  Judge  Beaver  at  his 
home  is  looked  upon  as  a  most  exemplar)' citizen 
and  no  one  takes  a  deeper  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  home  town.  Some  five  years  ago  he  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority  at  the  borough 
election  as  one  of  the  councilmen  of  the  borough, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  active  workers  in  that 
body.  He  is  a  bright  example  for  any  young 
man.  He  is  the  embodiment  of  Christian  cour- 
age, of  all  that  goes  to  make  a  true  and  pure  life. 
His  time,  his  talents,  his  money,  have  been  sac- 
rificed for  the  good  of  his  country,  his  State  and 
his  home  community.  Still  in  the  strength  of  a 
noble  manhood,  with  a  will  to  work,  and  intelli- 
gence to  direct,  he  will  continue  to  fill  the  same 
position  of  usefulness  while  he  lives.  When  the 
true  worth  of  this  illustrious  citizen  is  fully  ap- 
preciated, no  citizen  in  the  history  of  this  Com- 
monwealth will  occupy  a  more  exalted  position 
in  the  annals  of  the  State  than  Ex-Governor  and 
General  and  Judge  James  A.  Beaver. 

On  December  26,  1865,  Judge  Beaver  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Allison  McAllis- 
ter, daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  H.  N.  McAllister, 
of  Bellefonte.  She  is  a  lady  of  fine  culture  and 
education,  and  an  air  of  refinement  and  taste 
surrounds  her  home.  An  enthusiastic  American, 
she  is  proud  of  her  soldier  husband  and  his  rec- 
ord, and  she  has  the  supreme  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  she  has  proved  herself  a  worthy 
helpmeet  to  him.  They  have  two  sons  living — 
Gilbert  Addams  and  Thomas,  both  bright  and 
talented  young  men,  who  give  promise  of  useful 
and  helpful  lives.  A  third  son,  Hugh  McAllister, 
died  August  2,  1897.  He  was  a  very  remarkable 
young  man,  and  although  only  in  his  twenty-fifth 
year  had  accomplished  more  in  influencing  others 
toward  right  living  than  often  falls  to  the  lot  of 
much  older  men.  His  untimely  death  was  uni- 
versally mourned  in  his  home  community,  where 
he  was  greatly  esteemed  and  beloved. 


s 


VOBATIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL   BBCOBD. 


SENATOR   HENRY    H    IK  I  KIN.    ol    Belle- 
Eonte,  Centre  county,  died  at  the  "Merchants 
Hotel"  in  Philadelphia,  November  8,   1849.     He 

was  the  lirst  white  child   born   in   Bellefonte,  in 
the  year  1798,  a    printer   !>\  ion,  and    for 

many  years  editi  I      lefonte  Patriot.     He 

was  a  member  "I  the   1  louse   in 

lator  in  1826  for   fudge   Burnside's  ui 
term,  and  Senator  in  1831    $5       He  was  Deputy 
Secretary  <>t   the  Commonwealth  (nun  1839  4-. 
and  fron  (.8.      At  the  close   of    his   life  he 

was  superintendent    oi    the   rub  Mini   the 

Inclined   Plane.      He  was   buried  at  Harrisburg, 
according  to  his  own  reqt 


HON    JollN  IK  ILDEN  I  IRVIS,  who  diedat 
his    home     in     I"  Noveinl 

of  the  town-  mosl  prominent 
and  distinguished  citizens.  He  was  descem 
from  Puritan  ancestry  upon  both  his  lather's  and 
In-  mother's  side,  the  original  ancestor  o(  the 
Orvis  family  being  among  the  emigrants  in  the 
second  vessel  thai  landed  on  the  shore- of  New 
England  in  1653.  The  family  subsequentlj  re- 
moved to  O  mnecticut. 

|'  se  Orvis  (1),  man}  years  befon  the  Re- 
volution, removed  fr Connecticut  to  the  state' 

oi  New  York  Several  of  his  sons  served  in  the 
armies  ol  the  United  States  in  the  Revolution. 
Jesse  Orvis  (2),  the  youi  >n,  born  in   1774, 

married    Susan    Holden,    and    removed    with    his 
family    to  Tioga   county.   Pennsylvania,  in  1806. 
Prior    to    this.  Jesse    Orvis    (3  .  their    third    son, 
was  born  April  4,  1  s<  >.)       [esse  •  (rvis  (3)  married 
Elizabeth    Rowley,    the    seventh   child    of    I>r 
Reuben  Rowley,  who  served   with  personal  and 
professional  credit  in   the  Revolutionary  armj 
a  surgeon.     The  Do<  tor  -  home  during  the  war, 
and  for  some  years  subsequently,  was  in  the  pi 
ent   State  oi  Vermont.      Having   married   Susan 
Campbell,  he  removed,   in  1803,  from  Vermont, 
to   the   vicinity    of  Albra,    Bradford   Co.,  Penn. 
I  >i     Rowley   died   July   6,    1834,  in   his   eighty- 
third  year;  and   his   wife   on  February  1  ^.   1840, 
m  her  eighty-  in  si  year. 

The  children  of  Jesse  Orvis  (3)  and  wife  were: 
Rev.  Edward  Everett  Orvis,  a  distinguished 
divine  in  the  Christian  Church;  Susan,  married 
to  Samuel  Gillette;  Lydia,  married  to  Francis 
Warner;  Irene,  married  to  Victor  Gillette;  John 
Holden,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Jesse  Kilburn; 
Augusta,  married  to  Nathan  McCloskej  ;  and  Sam- 
uel, who  died  in  childhood.  The  mother,  Eliza- 
beth, died  March  2,  1S42.  a  victim  of  an  epi- 
demic, and  Jesse  Orvis  (3),  in  1844,  married  El- 
mira  Austin       Prior  to  1850  he  lost  his  property 


in  Tioga  county  by  reason  of  some  defect  in  the 
original  title.      Impoverished  and  somewhat  dis- 

rtened  b\  this  event  he,  in  1853,  removed 
with  I  md  wife  and  their  children  to  Harris- 

ville,  Wis.,  where  he   resided    until    his  death  in 
when  he  was  aged  seventy-eight. 

John    Hidden    Orvis    was    born    in    Sullivan, 
Penn.      Owing    to   his   mother's   un- 
timely  death,  followed  by  the  financial  misfortunes 
of  his  father,  he  was  forced  at  an  early  age  to  be- 
gin his  own  support.      While  yet  a  boy  of  twelve 

rs,   he    came   to    reside    in    Howard,    Centre 

nty,  with  bis  half-brother,  Orrin  T.  Noble; 
attended  the  common  schools  and   at   the  early 

of  fifteen  years  became  a  school  teacher  in 
t  111  tin  township,  and  as  such  assisted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the   first    teachers'  institute  of  the 

nty,  at  Oak  Hall,  October  1,  1850.  In  1S51 
he  went  to  Baltimore,  and  there  learned  the  art 
of  printing  in  the  office  of  R.  J.  Thachett. 
From  thence  he  went  to  Chester  county,  Penn., 
when-  he  worked  at  his  trade  near  New  London, 
and  attended  a  term  at  the  New  London  Acad- 
emy Returning  to  Centre  county,  he  followed 
his  trade  of  printing,  also  teaching  school,  notably 

term,  1853  54,  at  Rock  Hill  school  house,  in 
Harris  township.  Just  before  this  he  took  charge 
of  an  engineer  corps  for  the  purpose  of  running 
.111  experimental  railroad  line  lor  the  P.  &  E.  K. 
K.  west  through  the  Brush  Valley  narrows  into 
Centre  county  past  the  villages  of  Rebersburg, 
Centre  Hall  and  Oak  Hall,  and  ending  near  the 
present  site  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College. 
This  he  did  to  the  sal  1  of  his  employers, 

but  the  line  was  never  adopted  It  is  said  that 
this  was  the  first  railroad  survey  in  Centre  county. 
In  public  schools  he  was  noted  for  his  infallibility 

1  speller,  and  was  the  wonder  of  his  school- 
mates in  mental  arithmetic.  In  his  academic 
course  of  one  month  at  a  little  academy  in  Ches- 
ter county,  he  began  algebra,  then  to  him  an 
unknown  science,  and  passing  rapidly  two  classes, 
finished  the  higher  algebra  with  the  graduating 
class  at  the  end  of  four  week-  About  the  same 
time  he  recited  the  nine  books  of  geometry  in 
nine  lessons,  concluding  in  so  incredibly  a  short 
period  of  time  tin  work  of  several  years  in  the 
ordinary  academic  training  of  boys.  He  always 
intended  to  make  the  law  his  profession,  and 
when  nineteen  years  old  arranged  to  read  under 
the  tutor-hip  of  Nathan  L.  Atwood,  of  Lock 
Haven.  He  was  born  a  lawyer.  Every  instinct 
of  his  nature  led  him  to  it;  during  his  preparation 
he  drank  deeplv  from  the  wall-springs  of  the  En- 
glish common  law;  Coke  was  an  especially  fav- 
orite, and  he  familiarized  himself  with  the  lead- 
ing cases   and    decisions  of  the  great  chancellors 


^V7^.  }C-  £W^/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  judges  of  the  English  courts.  He  also 
thoroughly  acquainted  himself  with  the  intrica- 
cies of  special  pleading  and  of  technical  practice, 
so  that  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
February,  1856,  then  just  of  age,  he  was  grounded 
in  all  the  general  principles  of  the  common  law. 
As  soon  as  admitted,  he  mapped  out  and  entered 
upon  a  wide  range  of  legal,  political,  historical 
and  forensic  literature.  His  memory  was  so  re- 
markable that  he  could  repeat  long  poems,  such 
as  "Lalla  Rookh",  or  the  "Lady  of  the  Lake". 
His  voluminous  reading  was  done  in  the  early 
years  of  his  married  life.  So  intense  was  his 
application  to  his  books  that  at  one  time  he  al- 
most lost  his  eyesight;  this  happened  particularly 
from  his  reading  aloud  to  his  young  wife  the  five 
volumes  of  Macaulay's  "England"  in  four  weeks 
time.  So  retentive  was  his  memory  that  what 
he  had  read  in  early  years  became  part  of  his 
mental  self,  and  he  retained  the  power  of  apt 
quotation  from  the  masters  of  English  literature, 
that,  while  rarely  indulged  in,  always  surprised 
his  audience. 

At  the  time  of  his  admission  the  Clinton 
County  Bar  was  composed  mostly  of  men  not  far 
advanced  in  life,  and  he  at  once  took  a  leading 
position  among  them.  He  read  deeply  and  care- 
fully the  laws  of  the  State,  for  the  purpose  of 
familiarizing  himself  with  the  lines  of  decisions 
in  the  Pennsylvania  courts.  In  this  he  was  so 
successful  that  in  later  years  no  leading  case  or 
general  principle  laid  down  in  Pennsylvania  could 
be  sprung  upon  him  as  a  surprise.  So  complete 
was  his  work  in  this  direction  that,  when  ques- 
tioned upon  it  by  a  brother  lawyer  within  a  year 
before  his  death,  he  stated  that  "he  believed  he 
could  truthfully  say,  and  without  egotism,  that 
he  was  acquainted  with  all  the  leading  legal 
principles  laid  down  and  reported  by  the  Supreme 
Courts  of  Pennsylvania  from  the  beginning  of  the 
Commonwealth  to  the  present  time."  Yet  he 
was  not  so  engrossed  in  the  law  but  that  he  did 
not  deeply  interest  himself  in.the  political  wel- 
fare of  his  country.  His  family  had  been  Dem- 
ocratic from  the  time  of  Jefferson.  He  there- 
fore naturally  identified  himself  with  the  great 
party,  and  just  as  naturally  took  a  prominent 
part  in  shaping  its  councils  in  the  county  of 
Clinton.  During  the  intense  agitation  preced- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  took  a  conserva- 
tive view  of  the  Calhoun  doctrine,  and  advocated 
the  rights  of  the  States  as  opposed  to  the  ex- 
treme views  of  the  opposite  party.  While  doing 
this,  he  did  not  sympathize  with  armed  rebellion. 
When,  in  1 86  r,  President  Lincoln  made  his  his- 
toric call  for  the  three-months'  men,  John  Hol- 
den    Orvis  at   once   responded,  leaving  his  prac- 


tice and  his  family,  and  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier  in  Capt.  Jarret's  company  raised  in  Lock 
Haven.  This  company  was  attached  to  the  nth 
P.  V.  I.,  and  at  once  went  to  the  front.  Mr. 
Orvis  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Falling  Wa- 
ters, the  first  of  the  bloody  drama  that  followed, 
and  by  his  side  was  killed  the  first  Union  soldier 
in  actual  fight.  As  his  company  was  held  in  re- 
serve a  few  miles  away  from  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  he  was  saved  from  sharing  in  the  doubtful 
honor  as  well  as  danger  of  that  great  defeat. 
He  was  a  good  soldier,  and  performed  good  serv- 
ice on  the  Potomac  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Mar- 
tinsburg,  Va.  Unfortunately,  from  exposure  to 
the  fierce  heat  of  the  early  summer,  he  received 
a  sun-stroke  that  for  a  time  rendered  him  unfit 
for  service.  He  returned  home  at  the  end  of  his 
service  in  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant,  and  held 
a  promotion  to  a  captaincy.  He  resumed  his 
practice  at  Lock  Haven,  and  in  December,  1862, 
removed  his  family  to  Bellelonte.  At  the  first 
court  in  December  he  took  charge  of  twenty-five 
cases  and  won  twenty-four,  losing  only  one. 
The  great  ability  with  which  he  conducted  the 
cases,  and  the  remarkable  success  that  crowned 
his  efforts,  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  Bar, 
where  he  had  but  one  rival,  the  late  Hon  H.  N. 
McAllister.  Mr.  Orvis  at  once  formed  a  part- 
nership with  the  Hon.  C.  T.  Alexander,  subse- 
quently State  senator  from  the  district — a  part- 
nership that  remained  undisturbed  until  the 
elevation  of  Mr.  Orvis  to  the  Bench.  Before 
the  law  firm  was  dissolved,  it  was  enlarged  by 
the  addition  of  Mr.  C.  M.  Bower. 

Being  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  finding  the 
county  in  the  hands  of  Republican  office  holders, 
he  earnestly  threw  himself  into  the  work  of  re- 
forming and  reviving  the  Democratic  party.  Be- 
tween the  terms  of  court  he  zealously  advocated 
the  principles  of  his  party  in  every  village  of  the 
county,  and  demonstrated  his  powers  as  a  polit- 
ical organizer  by  at  once  changing  the  Democratic 
minority  to  a  strong  and  unfailing  majority.  He 
was  the  author  of  the  rules  which  govern  the 
party  organization  to  the  present  time.  It  was 
his  leadership,  zeal  and  service  that,  more  than 
other  causes,  saved  the  county  to  his  party.  In 
1872  he  was  unanimously  nominated  by  his  party 
to  the  State  Legislature,  and  that  fall  was  elected 
by  a  flattering  and  decisive  majority;  this  election 
permanently  settled  the  numerical  supremacy  of 
his  party  in  Centre  county.  As  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  he  immediately  rose  to  the  front. 
His  party  instinctively  gave  him  the  leadership 
on  the  floor.  The  State  administration,  though 
of  opposite  party  affiliation,  consulted  with  him 
upon  all  proposed  important  legislation  of  a  non- 


Ill 


I  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOOBAPHIOAL  RECORD. 


partisan  character,  ami  in  fact  entrusted  him  with 
the  introduction  and  conduct  "f  most  important 
bills.  His  work  in  the  committee-room  and  on 
the  floor  becami  it  that  he  was  i  ompelled 

t<>  employ  a   privati  '   pay   him   ;i 

salary  equal  to  his  ow  n  •  that  he 

ved  th>   pei  pple  without  c pensation 

and  ;it  In--  i >wn  ifice 

immediate!-  led   the  adoption  of  the  new 

constitution,  that    has    I  0    much  0 

late.  1  ruption,  he  was  irily 

thrown   in   opposition   to  a  i  corrupt   and 

iiiic|intoiis  hills  mostly  of  a  private  nature,  now 
foi  I  ssible.      With  the  al 

a  lynx  hi  i  ry  job,  and  danger- 

ously corru]  r,"  and  with  the  boldness  of 

a  lion  opposed  and  them  in  the  Hoi 

In  the  midst  ol  unusual  legislative  corruption  he 
commanded   the    n 

came  out  ol   his  term  without  a  suspicion  on  the 
-  i    Ins  enemies.      In   1 873   he  was  re  nomi- 
nated and  re  elected  by  a  phenomenal  majority. 
He  rei  eived  the  compliment  of  his  party's  no 
nation  foi  the  speakership,  and  was  the  acknowl- 

ed  Demi  aderonall  partisan  questii  ins 

and  the  acknowledged  leader  ol   the  House  upon 

all  non-partisan  1 s.      During  this  session  he  was 

more  than  usually  active  in  attacking  and  pun- 
ishing bribery  in  the  ''lobby"  and  the  "hou 
exertions  which  lead  the  impeachment  and  expul- 
sion of  the  most  guilty. 

(  >n   the  creation  ol    th<  il   Addil  i 

Law  Judge  b)  Ai  t  ol  the  Legislature  "l  April  9, 
1S74,  m  the  district  composed  ol  the  counties  of 
Centre,  Clearfield  and  Clinton,  the  membei 
the  three  bars,  without  regard  to  politii 
ations,  unanimously  petitioned  the  Governor  to 
appoint  Mr.  Orvis.  In  obedience  to  this  demand, 
■nu\  in  grai  1  lul  rei  ognition  ol  his  merits  and  dis- 
tinguish 13  a  p  ilitical  opponent,  <  rov. 
Hartranft  appointed  him  to  the  judgeship.    Judge 

( )r\  is  accordingly  accepted  the  apj itment.and 

tendered  his  resignation  from  th<  I 
In  November  following  he  was  elected  by  the 
people  to  the  judgeship  foi  a  period  ol  ten  years, 
His  elevation  to  the  Bench  was  an  epoch  in  the 
criminal  history  ol  the  di  sti  ii  I  I  le  immedi 
reduced  the  number  of  drinking  places  in  the  dis- 
trict, cutting  down  those  in  Bellefonte  from  over 
twenty  to  three.      After   his  first  court   his  name 

r  to  evil-doers ;   the   pi  dice  v 
made  efficient;  the   public  were  notified  and 

SUred  that  criminals  would    he  punished,   and  un- 
der the  efficient  assistance  of  Col.  Spangler,  I 
district  attorney,    long   trains  of  criminals   w 
convicted  ol   mo  is  crimes  and  sentenced 

to  the  severest    penalties  of  the   State.     Judge 


Orvis  smote  crime  with    an   iron   hand.      He  did 
rushed  and  destroyed  it.      During  the 
1  years  oi  his  term,  the  criminal  weeks  under 
Ins  administration   ceased  to  become  features  of 
Ins  court,  while   terms  would    go  by  without  seri- 
0  that  the  office  ol    district   attorney 
actuall)  became  profitless.      Judge  Orvis  was  the 
igency  in  the  central   part  of 
Pennsylvania.      His  greatness  as  a   judge  mani- 
more  particularly  in  the  trial  of  civil 
B)   his   fairness  and    impartiality  he  at 
once  ii  himself  the  friendship  and  compan- 

ionship of  all  the  members  of  the  Bar.  He  was 
in   no   sen-.,-    a    1  lie  was   a  great 

judge,  because  while  giving  due  deference  to  the 
ms   ol   the   Supreme  Courts,    he 
mad'-  his  own  rulings  in  harmony  with  the  eternal 
prim  !   law  and  justice.      Before  his  eleva- 

tion to  the  ip  his  competitors  acknowl- 

1  him  to  be  a  good  lawyer,  on  the  Bench 
they  found  him  to  be  a  great  one.  As  Gov. 
Beaver  sai  1  of  him  in  the  memorial  service  held 
hv  tie   \  of  the  State:     "Judge  Orvis 

only  knew     the    law,   but    he    knew  what  the 
law  ought   to  be."     So   that  when  the  circum- 
anded  it,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  start 
out  in  new  lines  and  lay  down  general  principles 
mantwith  human  reason,  but  heretofore  un- 
announced  111   the   hooks.      For    this    reason   ap- 
5    from    his    decision    to   the    Supreme   Court 
have  established  an  unusual  number  of  leading 
principles      \<n  few  minds  could  reflect  better 
than  his  the  legal  thoughts  and    language  ol    the 
oldei  judges,  but  it  was  not  the  cold  reflection  of 
•    satellite;    his    mind    glowed 
with  its  ow  11  internal  heat  and  warmth,  and  shone 
with    self-created  and   luminous  knowledge.      It 
he  that  first  settled  the  principle  that  where 
lands  were  divided  by  a  county  line,  the  tax  sales 
ounty  would  convey  title  to  the  land  only 
within     its    boundaries        It    was    also    he    that 
checked   the  Supreme  Court   in  its  tendenc)  to 
destroy  the  old  common-law  principle  relative  to 
the   character  and    nature   of  negotiable   papei 
It  was  also  Judge  Orvis  thai  established  and  for- 
mulated many  of  the  leading  principles  of  land 
location  in  what  was   probably  the    most  compli- 
stem  of  land  law  in  the  world.      To  be  a 
I  land  lawyer  in  Pennsylvania  requires  extra- 
ordinary   intellectual    power   and    labor      When 
one  is  a  great  lawyer,  such   as    fudge  Orvis  was, 
he  is  necessarily  a   mental    1  enon.      The 

general  reader  ca  the  lorceo'f  this  un- 

less he   has  watched   the   ci  on      eject- 

ment in  the  county,  lasting  for  weeks  and  months, 
involving  knowledge  of  the  most  complicated 
and    artificial  system    of  trial    ever    invented    \<\ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


11 


man,  with  a  mastery  over  a  myriad  of  technical 
points  of  original  locations,  of  engineering,  sur- 
veying, woodcraft,  botany,  topography,  drafting, 
and  of  new  and  ancient  titles  marvelous  to  even 
the  most  initiated.  All  these  must  one  be  and 
have  to  be  a  great  land  lawyer.  When  Judge 
Orvis  died  he  was  the  greatest  land  lawyer  in  the 
State.  It  was  he  who  presided  over  the  cele- 
brated ejectment  brought  by  Burley  against  the 
Houtz  heirs,  which  involved  property  to  the 
value  of  millions  of  dollars,  and  it  was  his  charge 
in  that  celebrated  case  that  has  been  adopted  by 
the  profession  of  the  State  as  the  best  text-book 
of  land  law  in  existence.  In  obedience  to  the 
demand  for  it  from  every  section  of  the  State  he 
was  obliged  to  have  it  printed  in  pamphlet  form 
for  general  distribution. 

About  1873  Judge  Orvis  was  elected  a  trustee 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College.  The  fortunes 
of  this  institution  were  then  languishing.  It  had 
been  an  experiment  in  the  line  of  higher  educa- 
tion to  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  classes  in 
the  direction  of  their  particular  trades  and  occu- 
pations; the  experiment  up  to  that  time  had 
proved  a  failure.  The  idea  which  had  given 
birth  to  the  college  had  been  lost  sight  of,  and  it 
had  sunk  to  the  level  of  an  ordinary  preparatory 
school;  the  general  sentiment  was  that  the 
scheme  had  proved  a  failure,  and  that  the  insti- 
tution should  be  abnndoned.  In  addition  to 
these  discouraging  circumstances,  it  was  over- 
whelmed with  an  indebtedness  both  funded  and 
floating.  The  college  had,  however,  a  few  warm 
and  faithful  friends;  these  men — like  Gen. 
Beaver — pursuaded  Judge  Orvis  to 
self  in  the  fortunes  of  the  college, 
he  was  elected  a  trustee,  and  from 
his  death  he  gave  his  best  thoughts  and  purpose 
and  much  of  his  time  to  the  college.  Judge  Or- 
vis and  his  co-trustees  at  first  met  with  many 
obstacles,  yet  they  never  faltered.  Year  after 
year  without  compensation  they  worked;  slowly 
at  first,  but  step  by  step  they  reformed  the  pur- 
poses of  the  institution,  and  brought  it  back  to 
its  original  position.  Their  first  success  was  in 
inducing  the  Legislature  of  the  State  to  feel  some- 
thing of  its  responsibility  by  paying  off  the  heavy 
indebtedness  contracted  for  the  building  and 
plant  itself.  Conveniences  being  added,  and  its 
income  diverted  to  the  proper  channels  of  edu- 
cation instead  of  paying  interest,  more  and  abler 
professors  were  engaged,  and  the  scope  of  the 
institution  enlarged.  Nothing  permanent  could  be 
done  until  the  right  man  could  be  secured  for  the 
presidency  of  the  institution.  For  years  Judge 
Orvis  and  its  other  friends  felt  this,  and  hunted 
through  the  United   States   for  their   ideal  presi- 


interest  him- 
Accordingly 
that  time  to 


dent.  At  last  they  found  him  in  Dr.  George  W. 
Atherton.  After  some  delay  they  induced  this 
gentleman  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  this 
position,  and  devote  his  life  and  strength  to  this 
particular  work.  After  years  of  experiment  and 
trial,  the  trustees  have  the  same  confidence  in 
Dr.  Atherton  as  at  first.  Things  began  to  look 
brighter  for  the  college;  more  students  began  to 
come;  the  Legislature  manifested  increased  in- 
terest in  its  protege  by  erecting  handsome  build- 
ings and  finely-equipped  laboratories,  until  to-day 
the  institution  is  fast  becoming  the  pride  of  the 
great  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Judge  Orvis'  am- 
bition for  the  State  College  was  limitless.  His 
scheme  for  the  future  was  a  vast  industrial  uni- 
versity that  dazzles  the  imagination.  While  he 
did  not  live  to  see  the  realization  of  such  golden 
dreams,  he  did  live  to  see  the  success  of  his  favor- 
ite established  beyond  question,  and  doing  a 
great  and  acknowledged  work  in  the  line  of  in- 
dustrial education.  His  work  and  services  will 
never  be  forgotten  in  the  annals  of  this  great  and 
growing  institution  of  learning,  and  he  will  ever  be 
recognized  as  one  of  the  moulding  minds  and 
hands  of  its  career. 

During  the  great  railroad  strikes  in  1877  that 
paralyzed  the  industries  of  the  country  from 
ocean  to  ocean,  and  were  particularly  dangerous 
on  the  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  Company,  a 
spirit  of  anarchy  and  communism  penetrated  into 
every  town  and  county  in  the  State;  the  masses 
sympathized  with  the  rioters  and  strikers,  and 
those  who  did  not  were  cowed  into  silence. 
Bellefonte  was  not  exempt  from  this;  mobs  took 
possession  of  her  streets;  sensational  addresses 
were  made  to  excited  crowds,  and  prominent 
citizens  were  groaned  at  and  threatened.  In 
this  moment  of  danger  some  careless  expressions 
of  three  business  men  were  whispered  through 
the  streets  and  construed  by  the  rioters  into  dis- 
approval of  themselves.  Immediately  the  wrath 
of  an  irresponsible  mob  was  upon  them,  and  they 
were  hunted  down  like  wild  beasts;  stores  were 
broken  into,  violence  used,  and  it  was  only  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  the  men  by  the  aid  of 
active  friends  escaped  from  violence  and  fled 
from  the  town.  The  mayor  of  the  town  ha- 
rangued the  people  on  the  streets,  read  the  riot 
acts,  and  ordered  the  citizens  to  their  homes,  but 
to  no  purpose.  His  constabulary  was  powerless, 
or  in  active  sympathy  with  the  offenders.  Judge 
Orvis,  then  on  the  Bench,  took  prompt  and  ef- 
fective measures  to  meet  the  emergency  of  the 
hour.  He  summoned  the  sheriff,  explained  to 
him  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  and  instructed 
him  to  use  his  powers  and  do  his  duty.  Under 
his    instructions    the    sheriff    summoned    several 


12 


COMMEMtiUA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  resolute  and   law-abiding  citizens,  arm- 
ing and  emp  iwering  them  t  her- 
iffs,  and  had   tbem   patrol   tl  and 
daj       I                              irous   in 
ceased,  and  the  town  ;it  on                       into  its 
wonted  quiet       <  )a  tin-  trial  of  tin-  offenders  in  a 
subsequent  court,  two  «                       <l  and 
tenced  at  hard  work  in  the  penitentiary.     It  was 
said  at  the  time   that  Judge  <>r\i-  was  the 
judge  in  tip   State  that  thus  vindicated  tin-  out- 
I  majesty  of  the  law 

At  the  same  tune,  in  th  il  v  ol 

Altoona,  ;t  similar  spirit  manifested  its'-lf;  in  fact 
in  g  l  i  iwds  and  still  m  nt   and  il.m- 

m. ■thuds  Gov.  Hartranft  ordered  the 
militia  <>f  the  Mate  to  arms,  and  Maj.-Gen. 
■  I  to  take  command  in  the  city  Unfort- 
unately the  railroads  were  in  the  hand-  of  the 
rioters,  and  the  transportation  of  troop-  both  de- 
ficient and  dangerous.  Still  mo:  tunati  iv 
the  members  of  the  National  Guard  were  badly 
disciplined,  ami  too  much  in  sympathy  with  t  i 

nist  whom  they  had  been  called  to  arms.  It 
was  a  dangerous  eiisis;  tin-  alarm  of  citizens  was 
increasing,  tires  and  murders  beginning  to  occur, 
ami  no  one  could  forsee  when  and  where  would 
be  thi  ind  <  .•  n  Beaver  needed  intelligent  and 
patriotic  assistance.  Judge  Orvis.  1).  II  Hast- 
ings and  a  few  other  non-militant-  offered  them- 
selves as  volunteers,  and  were  grateful lj  accepted 
b)  the  perplexed  commander  fudge  Orvis  was 
placed  upon  Gen  Heaver's  staff,  finally  ai  tm 
judge  advocate.  As  a  staff  officer  and  in  tin- 
councils  at  headquarters,  no  one  showed  superior 
discretion  or  courage  Under  these  trying  cir- 
cum  he  displayed   the  same  qualities    of 

judgment,  coolness  and  bravery  that  distinguished 
him  as  a  jurist,  and  would  have  made  his  reputa- 
tion in  the  battles  of  his  country.  At  one  t 
it  became  necessary  to  take  ammunition  to  a  point 
some  fifty  miles  west  ol  the  city;  the  officer  in 
i  ommand  sent  secret  intelligence  of  his  wants  to 
Gen.  Heaver,  but  all  trains  were  in  the  hand-  of 
tin  rioters,  and  the  task  of  taking  ammunition  in 
person  was  one  of  such  imminent  danger  that  at 
first  all  shrank  from  it.  At  once  fudge  Orvis 
offered  himself,  and  Col.  J.  L.  Spangler  volun- 
teered to  be  his  companion.  To  be  successful 
meant  relief  to  troops  in  danger;  to  be  deb 
meant  exposure  to  personal  violence  if  not  death. 
During  the  night  the  two  men  prepared  them- 
selves, and  had  large  satchels  filled  with  cart- 
ridges. In  the  early  morning  gray  the  tun 
friends  walked  with  their  heavy  loads,  and  board- 
ed the  tram  m  the  midst  of  suspicion  and  angry 
faces.  It  took  nerve  to  do  this  in  a  moment  of 
such   intense    popular  excitement.      Fortunatel) 


both  men  had   it,    and   without   accident  reached 
in  safety  the  place  to  be  reliev 

In  [883  tie  the  State  erected 

the  counties  of  Centre  and  Huntingdon  into  the 
49th  fudicial  District,  and  made  Judge  Orvis  it- 
president  judge.  In  November  of  the  same  year 
voluntarily  tendered  his  resignation  of  the 
office  for  the  purposi  iming  his  practice  of 

the    law.       During    the    latter    part    of     1884    he 
fon,  rtnersbip  with  J.  Frank  Snyder,  un- 

the  firm  name  of  Orvis  &  Snyder,  for  Clear- 
field county,  and  January  1,  1885,  formed  a 
partnership  with  C.  M.  I  Sower  and  his  son,  Ellis 
I.  Orvis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Orvis,  Bower 
i\:    Urvis,    for   the    county    of    Centre.      Both    of 

■  law  firms  continued  unchanged  until  his 
in  the  time  of  his  resignation  until 
his  last  sickness,  his  practice  was  large,  and 
sinned  more  and  more  immense  proportions.  It 
led  him  into  almost  every  county  in  the  State, 
lb- tune  was   occupied  with  important  lej 

inents  for  every  day  for  months  ahead,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  short  vacations  in  the  sutn- 
mer,  his  life  was  one  of  continuous  legal  battle 
in  the  various  courts  of  Pennsylvania.  Those 
who  knew  him,  and  had  some  proper  conception 
of  the  stupendous  work  he  was  doing,  could 
believe  that  one  weak  man  could  stand  the 
strain  So  numerous  ware  his  engagements, 
that  in  spite  of  all  his  precaution,  his  presence 
would  be  required  at  the  same  time  in  widely 
different  courts;  the  perplexity  and  anxiety  aris- 
ing from  this  multiplicity  of  engagements  and  the 
clashing  calls  upon  his  time  would  alone  have 
broken  down  an  ordinary  man.  Hut  Judge  Orvis 
delighted  in  legal  strife.  He  loved  a  hard- 
foughl  legal  battle,  enjoyed  its  victories,  and 
found   comparative    pleasure  even    in   honorable 

it.  It  was  because  he  loved  his  profession 
and  enjoyed  the  society  of  his  professional  breth- 
ren, even  when  arrayed  againsl  him  at  the  coun- 

-e  all  lawyers  were  his 
friends  and  companions,  and  none  his  rivals;  it 
was  because  there  was  no  bitterness  to  him  in 
the  victory  of  others,  that   he   lived  so  long   and 

1  the  tremendous  strain  upon  his  vital  forces. 
What  really  killed  him  was  overwork — exhaus- 
tion of  the  vital  forces — whatever  other  name 
physician-  may  see  fit  to  give  it.  The  uniform- 
ity of  his  legal  success  is  astonishing,  considering 
tin-  extent  of  his  practice.  One  reason  of  this  is 
that  he  either  prepared  his  own  cases,  or  had 
them  prepared  by  others  whom  he  directed  how 
to  do  it.  Another  reason  is  that  he  would  not 
intentionally  undertake  a  case  he  believed  with- 
out merit.  Hut  the  main  cause  of  his  success  is 
that  he  entered  the  legal  arena   armed   at   every 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


13 


point,  encased  in  the  full  panoply  of  juridic 
armor,  and  that  he  never  failed  at  the  right  mo- 
ment to  use  the  weapon  that  would  pierce  his 
adversary,  if  that  adversary  were  assailable.  His 
mental  resources  were  almost  infinite,  and  he 
generally  took  the  enemy  unawares;  then,  again, 
it  was  his  habit  to  keep  strong  points  in  reserve 
for  an  emergency,  so  that  many  a  time  he  routed 
the  other  side,  and  convinced  the  judge  at  the 
very  moment  his  cause  seemed  weakest.  His 
last  argument  to  the  court,  his  last  reply  to  his 
opponents,  his  last  words  to  the  jury,  were  al- 
ways his  strongest  and  most  unanswerable.  His 
argument  was  always  strong  and  clear,  even 
from  the  start,  but  his  clearness  and  strength  in- 
variably made  a  crescendo.  His  power  came  from 
his  intense  self-reliance,  as  well  as  from  his  in- 
tense truthfulness.  He  never  misquoted  a  case 
or  consciously  misapplied  a  legal  principle. 
The  presiding  judge  as  well  as  his  opponents 
could  implicitly  trust  his  quotation  from  authori- 
ties, and  rely  upon  his  citation  of  cases.  He  was 
too  good  a  lawyer  and  too  great  a  man  to  ignore 
the  decisions  that  seemed  to  bear  against  him. 
With  extraordinary  candor  he  was  always  willing 
to  give  these  full  weight;  but  his  peculiar  power 
consisted  in  nice  discriminations  between  the  ap- 
plication of  principle  to  the  facts  in  the  cases 
cited  and  the  facts  in  question.  More  than  any 
other  lawyer  living,  was  he  able  to  turn  the 
weapons  of  his  opponents  against  themselves, 
and  use  the  case  most  relied  upon  by  them  as 
the  basis  of  an  argument  fatal  to  their  position. 
Many  of  his  most  brilliant  victories  were  gained 
because  of  his  ability  to  turn  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery against  themselves.  Though  some  few  of  his 
greatest  trials  were  on  the  calendars  of  the  crim- 
inal courts,  he  was  only  a  great  criminal  lawyer 
because  he  was  a  great  lawyer.  That  class  of 
cases  was  not  to  his  taste,  and  it  was  always 
with  reluctance  and  under  pressure  that  he  ac- 
cepted such;  the  great  bulk  of  his  practice  was  in 
the  trial  of  causes  in  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  Appellate  Court  of  the  State;  but  he  was  an 
all-around  lawyer. 

In  the  drawing  of  the  ordinary  legal  docu- 
ments, the  preparation  of  pleadings,  convey- 
ancing, in  the  practice  of  the  Orphans'  Court  and 
settlement  of  estates,  in  the  drawing  of  contracts 
between  business  men,  in  the  formation  and  con- 
duct of  corporations  and  partnerships,  in  the 
consultation  in  his  private  office,  in  the  courts  of 
equity — in  all  alike  he  excelled.  Though  he  was 
remarkably  successful  in  persuading  the  under- 
standing of  judges,  he  was  equally  so  in  reaching 
the  convictions  of  jurors.  His  arguments  upon 
facts  were  as  clear  and  limpid  as  the  magnificent 


spring  that  wells  up  in  the  town  of  his  adoption. 
Jurors  believed  him  because  he  never  deceived 
them.  He  had  a  reputation  for  telling  them  the 
truth.  He  did  not  conceal  or  disguise  facts  that 
were  stubborn  and  seemed  contrary  to  his  theory 
of  the  case.  'He  n'ever  twisted  or  distorted  such 
facts,  but  gave  them  their  due  weight,  and  cap- 
tured the  understanding  of  his  hearers  by  giving 
unexpected  but  translucent  explanation  of  their 
existence,  thereby  harmonizing  them  with  the 
structure  he  had  been  carefully  building  out  of 
the  evidence  and  obtaining  the  verdict  of  the 
jury. 

At  the  memorial  service  it  was  said  of  him 
that  he  was  a  master  builder,  that  he  laid  his 
foundations  deep,  building  his  walls  of  ponderous 
but  polished  granite.  His  work  was  beautiful 
and  admirable  because  strong  and  true  and  en- 
during forever.  He  did  not  delight  in  useless 
ornamentation,  yet  it  would  be  a  wrong  to  him 
to  say  that  in  his  mental  armory  there  lay  only 
the  weapons  of  logic.  He  could  shoot  the  sharp 
arrows  of  satire,  wit,  and  humor,  and  many  a 
fallacy  has  he  pierced,  and  many  a  foe  has  he 
abashed  with  his  truthful  wit  and  genuine  humor. 
Sometimes,  when  the  occasion  demanded,  he  did 
not  disdain  the  weapon  of  rhetoric,  and  when  he 
felt  strongly  the  wrongs  of  some  injured  client  he 
would  burst  forth  into  pathos  and  a  tremendous 
indignation  that  thrilled  the  crowded  court-room 
and  stormed  the  jury-box.  But  in  the  main  his 
triumphs  were  those  of  reason  and  a  great  legal 
and  judicial  mind,  that  forced  its  superiority  to 
be  acknowledged  by  all  his  associates  and  pro- 
fessional brethren.  To  the  world  at  large  he  was 
known  as  a  distinguished  lawyer,  a  stern  expo- 
nent of  justice,  and  the  logical  and  invincible 
speaker  in  the  courts.  But  in  the  home  and 
inner  circles  of  his  chosen  friends  he  was  a  differ- 
ent personality.  To  the  public  he  was  a  man  of 
iron;  at  home  he  was  the  tender,  loving  husbandi 
and  indulgent  father.  He  was  possessed  of  an 
exceedingly  delicate  organism;  he  could  not  en- 
dure the  sight  of  pain  or  suffering  in  others. 
Any  genuine  tale  of  woe  would  bring  tears  to  his 
eyes,  and  he  wept  with  those  that  suffered.  The 
news  of  the  Johnstown  horror  prostrated  him  for 
days  so  that  he  lost  his  appetite  and  could  not 
sleep.  No  one  that  had  the  slightest  claim  upon 
him  ever  failed  of  sympathy  or  came  to  him  for  aid 
and  went  away  refused.  He  was  generous  to 
the  detriment  of  his  own  fortune;  so  much  so 
that  he  could  keep  no  money  about  his  person, 
for  every  one  that  asked  received.  For  this  rea- 
son he  did  not  accumulate,  and  was  compelled  for 
the  protection  of  his  family  to  place  all  the  sur- 
plus of  his  earnings   in   life  insurance.      He  was 


11 


OOMMEMOHA  T1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL   HBCORD. 


remarkable  in  the  tena<  itj  of  his  friendsh 

ish  comp  mi 
though  many  times  ibis  favoi  was  sadly  abus 
I  lis  charitj   •  ded,  and 

his  alms  munificent,  though  never  kn 
its  recipients.      1 L  in'that   bore  m  i 

mities,  and  kept 

In  early  maul I  he  1" 

the    chun h    by   imi 
Fri 'in  that  hour  until  his 

liis  belief  in  the  cardinal  prii  hris- 

tian  religion       II  Christ  ief  from 

the    outstart    ol 

doubt  and  skepticism  never  <  .ist  a  shadow  on  his 
clear  intellect. 

Jud  ts  married    in    the    spin 

1856    to      M         Carolii        I  th     Atwo 

daughter  of  Origen   Atwbod,    an  iron  master  of 
near  Philadelphia.      Their  children  were:     Ellis 

•.is,   born    November   16,   1857;   William    At- 
wot  d,  In  in  in   I  lied    in  infai 

Jennie  Irene,  born  June  30,  1862,  now  the  wife 

Uberl    I  Id;  Anna,  born    Januar) 

l,  now  the  wife  of    Harry   Keller,  a  member 

"I  the  Bellefonte  Bar;  and  <  an. inn  Atw I,  born 

July  3,   i  -s7  1  ■      I"    his  family    Judge  I  »i 
generous  and  indulgent  to  a  1 
fathers.      His  home  life  was   a   peculiarly    happj 
one,  and  w  ned  with  the  love  and  ad- 

miration   of    his  wife    and    children.      The  only 
regret  in  the  home  life  w 

in  the  line  of  his  pro  1  work. 

When    at   home,  where  he  loved  to  be  with  his 
own  family,  he  welcomed  his  friends  and  neigh- 
There  li  I   qualities  and  1  onvi  1 
tional  p  to  their  best,  and   1 1 
he  showed  his   love   ■  >(   music,  flowers   and  chil- 
dren. 


ELLIs  L.  (  1RVIS,  son  of  the  late  Judge  John 
II.    <  Irvis,   and  junior   im  n  the    law 

firm  of  Orvis,  Bowi  1  &  <  >n  1-.  B  illefonte,  Centre 

'■ ity,  was  horn  at  Lock  Haven,  Penn  .  Novem- 

1"  1   16.   1857.      In  1  ime  with  the  family 

to  Bellefonte,  w  here  he  h  ded. 

Mr.  Orvis  prepared  fur  college  at  t' 
font'     \.  1    emy,  and   in  th'-   fall  "I    1 872  enti 
th>-  freshn  ai  "I   Pennsylvania  I  )ol- 

•-,    in   which   institution   he   took   I  ical 

course,  in   1  n  the  Kaini  tin- 

best  English  oration,  and  was 
1 1'-  sul  sequently  t'  ok  a  tor 

one  year  in  chemistry   and    modern   Ian 
L11..      r     ■  1   graduation 

■  I   in  survej  i  "11111-  .put.  ient 

surveyor,  and  while  lied  law. 


In  the  fall  ol    1  881  1  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of 

nty,  but  lie  still  continued  surveying 

until  the  winter  S4,  when   he  purchased 

an  r  mocrat,  and   became 

ted  with  the   late   S     I.  Shugert  as  junior 

after  his  connection 

with  that  journal    his   health    failed,  and    he    was 

tla-  in  wspaper  business. 

i   and  fall  of  1884  Mr.  Orvis  spent 

in   th.-    Rocky    Mountains  and    along   the    Pacific 

ling  as  far  north  as  British  Columbia. 

While  visitii  National   Park  he  had  a  nar- 

i'nii  falling  into  the  I 
of  highway  robbers.      The  people  in  the  carriage 
just  ahead  of  the  one  in  which  he  and  party  w 
traveling  wire  attacked  and  "held  up,"  and  had 
Mr.  (>i\is'  1  I    scattered  so  that  the  ban- 

dits could  not  surround  them,  they  would  un- 
doubtedly have  met  the  same  fate  that  befell 
t  them. 
'in  January  1.  1S.N5,  Mr.  Orvis  became  the 
junior  in.  mb  1  of  the  law  firm  of  Orvis,  Bower 
&  Orvis,  since  when  he  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged  in  tlu-  practice  of  law,  giving  his  entire 
time  t"  Ins  ]  -  11.     After  the  d.  ath  of  Judge 

Orvis,  which  occurred   in    November,    1893,  the 
iness  of  tin-  linn  was  continued  by  Mr.  E.   L. 
is  and    Mr.    Bower,  the  remaining  members, 
and  they  have  since  been   able  to  retain  the  ex- 
ive  practice  that  they  had  prior  to  the  death 
of  |udge  (  li 

Mr  Orvis  is  a  man  of  excellent  character,  of 
line  attainments,  and,  although  young  in  years, 
is  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  1-  strong  in  the  trial  of  cases  before  the  jury. 
and.  in  the  presentation  of  questions  of  law  to 
the  court,  has  no  equal  among  the  members  of 
tin  Bai  oi  his  county.  In  the  trial  of  a  case, 
1  in  presenting  questions  of  law  to  the  court, 
he  is  extremely  courteous,  but  forceful  and  con- 
vim 

lly   he  is  a   Democrat,  but  has  never 
1.       In    1SS3    he  was    unani- 
mously tendered  the   nomination  of   his  part)-  for 
tin  unty  Surveyor,  and  was   elected 

by  tin-  hand  1  joi  ity  of  over  nine  hundred. 

( >f  his  nomination  the  Watchman  said: 

Ellis  1  :.ir  county  1    is  the  only 

man  c.f  talent  and   edui  Btion, 

in  the  art  of  sui  avine  had 

ition  with  the 
1  le  understands  tl  theoreti 

iti 

refill  in  all  I  lis 

npliment  t"   I ami  lie  will  do  it 

111.  .. 

in,  in   1891,  he  v  by  a  nomina- 

11   by  a  decisive   majority   in  this 

Senatorial   1'i-tiict  as  a  delegate  to  the  proposed 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


15 


Constitutional    Convention.      In    both    instances 

these  nominations  came  to  him  unsolicited.      The 

following  complimentary  notices  appeared  at  the 

time  of  his  election  as  delegate: 

Ellis  L.  Orvis,  Esq.,  who  was  selected  as  the  choice  of 
the  county  for  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  is 
the  junior  member  of  the  law  firm  oi  Orvis,  Bower  &  Orvis, 
and  is  well  fitted  for  the  honorable  and  important  position. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  quite  studious  habits,  has  keen  discern- 
ment and  clear  ideas,  is  conservative  in  his  views  and  careful 
and  considerate  in  his  actions.  There  would  be  no  danger,  if 
men  like  Mr.  Orvis  are  elected  delegates,  of  rash  and  radical 
changes  in  the  Constitution  to  the  detriment  of  the  people  or 
injury  to  one's  business  interests  in  the  Commonwealth. — 
Watchman,  August  l},  1891. 

At  the  conference  at  Lock  Haven  last  week  Ellis  L. 
Orvis,  Esq.,  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  two  Democratic  nomi- 
nees of  this  district  as  delegate  to  the  [imposed  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  This  is  a  decided  compliment  to  our 
young  legal  friend  and  a  fitting  recognition  of  his  ability. 
Should  the  Convention  be  established,  Mr.  <  >rvis  would  serve 
in  that  august  body  with  distinction  and  credit  to  his  con- 
stituency. Though  the  Convention  may  receive  little  in- 
dorsement in  this  district,  we  predict  for  him  a  handsome 
vote.-   Centre  Democrat,  October  I.  1891. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1884,  Mr.  Orvis  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Lowrie  Lyon,  a  daughter  of 
S.  Stewart  Lyon  and  Ann  Valentine  Lyon,  of 
Bellefonte,  Perm.  Mrs.  Orvis  was  born  Septem- 
ber 19,  1863,  at  Hazelwood,  the  Lyon  home- 
stead, in  Spring  township,  Centre  county.  Two 
children  have  come  to  this  union:  Anne  Valen- 
tine Lyon,  born  February  5,  1886,  and  Caroline 
Elizabeth,  born  March  24,  1890.  Mr.  Orvis  is 
identified  with  the  Christian  Church,  Mrs.  Orvis 
with  the  Presbyterian  denomination. 

Mrs.  Orvis'  grandparents  on  both  sides  have 
been  extensively  engaged  in  developing  the  early 
iron  interests  of  Centre  county.  John  Lyon, 
her  grandfather,  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  well-known  iron  firm  of  Lyon.  Shorb 
&  Co. 

Mr.  Orvis  is  of  a  literary  turn,  and  has  an  ex- 
treme fondness  for  books.  His  residence,  situ- 
ated on  East  Linn  street,  is  filled  with  a  well- 
selected  and  magnificent  library.  Much  of  his 
time  is  spent  among  his  books,  and  he  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  informed  and  most  cult- 
ured men  of  Bellefonte. 


HON.  ANDREW  G.  CURTIN,  late  of  Belle- 
fonte.    Centre   county,    lawyer,    governor, 

diplomat,  member  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion and  member  of  Congress,  was  born  at  Belle- 
fonte, April  22,   18 19. 

Roland  Curtin,  his  father,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  and  was  educated  in  Paris.  His  mother 
was  Jane  (Gregg)  Curtin,  the  latter  the  daughter 
of  Hon.  Andrew  Gregg.  Roland  Curtin,  while 
a  resident  of  Paris,  narrowly   escaped  the  guillo- 


tine during  the  Reign  of  Terror.  He  came  first 
to  Philipsburg,  now  in  Centre  county,  then  start- 
ed a  store  at  Milesburg  as  early  as  March,  1797, 
and  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  keeping  store  in 
1800.  He  was  coroner  of  the  county  in  1803; 
sheriff  in  1806,  and  soon  after  became  extensive- 
ly engaged  in  iron  works,  and  became  prominent- 
ly identified  with  all  public  improvements  made 
within  the  county.  His  death  occurred  in  1850, 
and  that  of  the  mother  of  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  in 
1854. 

Andrew  G.  Curtin  completed  an  academic 
course  of  education  at  the  academy  of  Rev. 
David  Kirkpatrick,  D.  D.,  in  Mdton,  studied  law 
under  Hon.  W.  W.  Potter,  in  Bellefonte,  com- 
pleting a  course  of  legal  study  under  Judge  John 
Reed,  in  the  Law  Department  of  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, at  Carlisle.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at 
the  April  term  of  1837.  In  [840  he  took  an  act- 
ive part  in  politics,  in  what  was  known  as  the  Har- 
rison campaign,  and  in  1844  canvassed  the  State 
for  Henry  Clay  for  President.  In  1848  and  1852 
he  was  on  the  State  ticket  for  Presidential  elec- 
tor. On  January  7,  1855,  he  was  commissioned, 
by  Gov.  James  Pollock,  secretary  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, which  position  also  included  that  of 
superintendent  of  the  public  schools.  Progress- 
ive in  every  station  he  reached,  his  superintend- 
ence of  State  education  has  as  one  of  its  land- 
marks the  institution  of  the  system  of  normal 
schools,  his  recommendations  and  his  annual 
reports  culminating  in  the  passage  of  the  act  of 
May  20,  1857,  "  To  provide  for  the  training  of 
teachers  for  the  common   schools  of  the  State." 

In  i860,  Mr.  Curtin  was  nominated  by  the 
Republican  party  as  their  candidate  for  Govern- 
or, and  elected  over  Henry  D.  Foster  by  a  ma- 
jority of  32, 107  votes.  His  administration  of  the 
gubernatorial  office  during  the  dark  days  of  the 
Republic  made  an  imperishable  name  for  his 
family,  and  added  historic  grandeur  to  the  annals 
of  the  Commonwealth.  The  foresight  which  im- 
pelled him  to  refuse  to  disband  the  overflowing- 
volunteer  regiments  which  the  patriotism  of 
Pennsylvania  contributed  on  the  call  of  the  Pres- 
ident, and  his  prompt  application  to  the  Legis- 
lature for  authority  to  organize  them  into  a 
corps,  afterward  the  famous  "  Pennsylvania  Re- 
serves," saved  the  National  Government,  im- 
periled by  the  disaster  of  Bull  Run.  The  ad- 
dresses he  made,  when  presenting  flags  to  the 
Pennsylvania  regiments  as  they  went  forth  to 
fight  for  the  Union,  will  only  be  forgotten  when 
the  last  volley  is  fired  over  the  last  Pennsylvania 
veteran  of  the  war.  Those  2 1 5  battle-flags, 
bearing  the  asgis  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania, came  back  blood-stained,  tattered,  and 


if. 


COMMhMi'HA  TlYK  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


torn,  1  > 1 1 1  never   disgraced    upon    any  battle- fi 
of  the  Republic. 

Gov.  Curtin's  ever-enduring  memorial,  how- 
ever, in  connection  with  the  war,  is  the  Orphan 
School,  for  the  children  ol  those  who  gave  their 
lives  that  tin-  Union  might  live.  Recurring 
his  promise  to  thesoldiers,  as  thousands  of  nun 
him  tor  tin-  last  time,  that  Pennsyl- 
vania would  never  forget  or  neglect  them  or 
theirs,  and  that  their  children  should  he  tin-  chil- 
dren of  the  Mate,  he  clung  to  that  purpose  with 
a  tenai  its  worthy  of  such  a  grand  and  noble 
cause.      Amid  his  ci  liers 

on  the  field  and  in  the  hospital,  he  never  forj,'"t 
those  who  W(  r<  l<  tt  at  home  by  the  gallant  fel- 
lows who  had  gone  forward,  It  was  the  Krar|d 
undertone  of  his  magnificent  speech  in  the  A 
emy  of  Music,  at  Philadelphia,  r '  let  the  widow 
and  lur  dependent  offspring  in  fact  and  in  truth 
be  the  children  of  the  State,  and  let  the  mighty 
people  of  the  great  (  ommonwealth  nurture  and 
maintain  them."  In  January,  1864,  in  his  an- 
nual message,  he  brought  the  subject  to  the 
attention  ol  the  Legislature  in  the  memorable 
H  1  'ids:       "I  con  in  lend  to  the  prompt   attention  of 

the   I  the  subjecf   "I   the  relief   ol   the 

poor  orphans  of  our  soldiers  w  ho  have  given  or 
shall  give  then  livi  s  foi  us  during  this  crisis.  In 
my  opinion  thi  ir  maintenance  and  education 
should  be  provided  for  bj  the  State.  Failing 
other  natural  friends  of  ability,  they  should  be 
honorably  received  and  fostered  as  the  children 
of  the  Commonwealth." 

Failing  in  getting  through  the  Legislature  a 
proper  bill,  which  had  been  matured  with  greal 
care,  the  Governor  started  with  the  noble  dona- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  of 
$50,000,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  Soldiers' 
Orphan  Schools,  a  work  of  beneficence,  right- 
eousness and  justice  which  will  keep  Gov.  Cur- 
tin's memory  fragrant  for  ayes  to  come,  the  good 
results  of  which,  felt  all  through  tune,  the  Judg- 
ment Day  wul  only  fully  reveal.  His  health  was 
much  broken  l>v  arduous  service  during  his  first 
term,  and  President  Lincoln  tendered  him  a  for- 
eign mission,  which  it  was  his  intention  to  accept, 
but  having  been  renominated  for  governor,  and 

the  people  ol  the  Stale  being  unwilling  to  part 
with  their  war  governor,  he  filled  out  a  second 
term  of  the  gubernatorial  office.  In  1869  he 
was  appointed,  bj  President  Grant,  minister  to 
Russia,  returned  to  this  country  in  the  fall  of 
1 S 7 2 ,  and  took  part  in  the  liberal  Republii 
movement  which  nominated  Hoiace  Greeley. 
He  was  very  prominently  spoken  of  for  the  sec- 
ond place  on  that  ticket,  and  was  the  choice  of 
the  Pennsylvania  delegation   in  the  Greeley  con- 


vention for  President.  His  connection  with  the 
liberal  Republican  movement,  and  tile  fact  that 
his  power  and  influence  in  the  Republican  party 
which  were  eminent  while  he  remained  in  the 
country,  but  which  had  been  broken  by  his  ab- 
sence, carried  him  into  the  Democratic  party 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con 
vention  of  [872  3,  and  for  a  few  years  after  had 
little  to  do  with  politics.  When  he  wearied  of 
the  quiet  of  business  life,  and  longed  for  politics, 
Gov.  Curtin  found  a  place  in  the  Democratic 
party,  and  was  nominated  for  Congress  in  1878, 
when  he  was  defeated  by  the  Greenbackers.  He 
was  nominated  again,  in  1880,  by  the  Demo- 
crats of  his  Congressional  District,  and  was 
elected  for  two  terms,  retiring  in  1887  near  the 
close  of  his  seventy-first  year.  In  Congress 
Go>  (  urtin  was  a  faithful  public  servant,  and 
attracted  much  public  attention.  Atone  time  he 
was  chairman  of  the  House  Foreign  Affairs  Com- 
mittee. 

Alter  leaving  Congress  Gov.  Curtin  pursued  a 
<|iiiet  life  at  his  mountain  home  in  Bellefonte, 
respected  and  esteemed  by  people  of  al!  classes. 
His  familiar  figure  was  an  everyday  sight  on  the 
streets  of  his  native  town.  Tall,  and  erect  as  a 
youth,  he  would  walk  about  for  his  daily  exer- 
I'ntil  within  a  short  time  previous  to  his 
death  he  kept  up  a  livery  interest  in  the  politics 
of  the  county,  and  it  was  his  influence  that  made 
his  friend,  Dr.  J.  H.  Dobbins,  the  postmaster 
here  under  the  former  Cleveland  administration, 
and  not  until  he  had  given  evidence  that  it  would 
prove  satisfactory  would  the  department  recom- 
mend the  appointment  of  the  present  official. 
His  time  was  occupied  in  looking  after  his  business 
here  and  dispensing  charities.  No  more  ph 
ant  hour  could  be  spent  than  in  a  talk  with  the 
ex-Governor;  he  always  loved  young  people,  and 
gave  them  friendly  counsel  whenever  an  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself,  and  those  who  enjoyed 
his  intimacy  will  cherish  his  charming  personality 
as  Ion-  as  memory  lasts.  His  death  occurred 
■her  7,  [894.  He  left  to  survive  him  his 
wife,  a  lady  ol    a  charming  personality,  a  daugh- 

■f    Dr.  William    I.  Wilson,   three  daughti 
all  residents  of  Bellefonte,  and  one  son,  William 
Wilson  Curtin.  of    Philadelphia. 


HON.  HUGH  N.  MCALLISTER,  who  was 
listinguished  citizen  <>f  I'.ellefonte,  Centre 
county,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  lawj 
of  this  part  of  the  State,  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Hon.  William  McAllister  and  Sarah  (Thompson), 
and  was  born  on  the   farm   owned    by  his  father 


^4^UAl^_ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


17 


and  grandfather   in    Lost    Creek    Valley,  Juniata 
Co.,  Penn.,  June  28,   1809. 

His  great-grandfather  emigrated  from  Ireland 
to  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  about  the  year  1730. 
Major  Hugh  McAllister,  grandfather  of  HughN., 
was  born  in  Little  Britain  township,  Lancaster 
county,  in  1736.  He  served  in  the  Indian  war 
of  1763,  and  also  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
At  the  close  of  the  latter  he  retired  to  his  farm 
in  Lost  Creek  Valley,  in  Juniata  county.  He 
married  Sarah  Nelson,  and  reared  a  large  family. 
A  son,  Hon.  William  McAllister,  was  born  on 
the  farm  in  Lost  Creek  Valley  in  August,  1774. 
He  married  Sarah  Thompson.  He  served  in  the 
war  of  1 8 1 2,  and  was  for  a  long  time  one  of  the 
associate  judges  of  Juniata  count)'. 

Hon..  Hugh  N.  McAllister  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  living  at  home  and  working  on  the 
farm  during  his  minority,  and  receiving  such 
elementary  education  as  the  neighborhood  schools 
afforded.  He  obtained  the  rudiments  of  the 
classics  from  Rev.  John  Hutchinson.  In  1830 
he  entered  the  freshman  class  at  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, Canonsburg,  and  stood  so  high  before  the 
end  of  the  year  as  to  be  chosen  by  his  society  as 
one  of  its  debators,  which  honor,  however,  his 
modesty  and  timidity  induced  him  to  decline.  He 
graduated,  in  1833,  high  in  a  class  in  which  were 
many  more  since  distinguished  in  the  Church 
and  State.  As  soon  as  he  graduated  Mr.  Mc- 
Allister commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  W.  W.  Potter,  at  Bellefonte.  After 
completing  the  ordinary  course  of  studies  pursued 
by  students  in  an  office,  he  attended  a  law  school 
then  conducted  at  Carlisle  by  Hon.  John  Reed, 
president  judge  of  the  district,  and  author  of 
"Pennsylvania  Blackstone."  On  November  25, 
1835,  on  motion  of  W.  W.  Potter,  Mr.  McAllis- 
ter was  admitted  to  practice  in  several  courts 
of  Centre  county.  He  was  at  once  taken  into 
full  partnership  by  Mr.  Potter,  and  the  election 
of  the  latter  to  Congress  soon  after  threw  the 
whole  labor  and  responsibility  of  an  extensive 
law  practice  upon  the  younger  partner.  As  in 
every  subsequent  situation  in  life,  Mr.  McAllister 
brought  so  much  ability,  earnestness,  zeal  and 
indomitable  perseverance  to  bear  as  to  overcome 
all  obstacles,  and  to  successfully  meet  all  re- 
sponsibilities resting  upon  him.  The  early  death 
of  Mr.  Potter,  while  in  Congress,  left  Mr.  Mc- 
Allister alone  in  the  practice  to  compete  with 
one  of  the  ablest  Bars  in  the  State.  He  remained 
without  a  partner  until  Gen.  James  A.  Beaver 
was  called  to  the  Bar  in  1859.  From  that  time 
the  law  practice  was  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  McAllister  &  Beaver.  During  the  long 
professional   career  of  nearly    thirty-eight  years 


he  had  an  extensive,  laborious  and  lucrative 
practice.  Up  to  the  lasteight  or  ten  years  of  his 
life  he  regularly  attended  the  courts  of  Clinton 
and  Huntingdon  counties,  and,  at  times,  courts 
of  other  counties.  As  a  counselor  he  was  al- 
ways discreet,  careful  and  safe;  as  an  attorney 
he  was  faithful,  honest  and  industrious;  as  an 
advocate,  he  was  earnest,  zealous,  and,  at  times, 
impressively  eloquent.  He  would  embark  in  no 
man's  cause  unless  thoroughly  impressed  with  its 
justice,  and  then  he  battled,  as  only  a  man  of 
his  temperament  could  battle,  for  the  right.  In 
the  preparation  of  causes  he  was  most  thorough, 
and  frequently  performed  an  amount  of  labor 
which  seemed  beyond  human  endurance.  His 
arguments  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State, 
of  which  the  books  of  reports  are  full,  were  al- 
ways strong,  clear  and  exhaustive. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  McAllister  was  one 
of  the  most  earnest  and  zealous  supporters  of  the 
Administration.  He  was  ever  foremost  in  con- 
tributing means,  and  performing  work  to  secure 
volunteers,  and  in  supporting  the  families  of 
those  who  were  in  the  service.  He  did  more 
than  any  other  one  man  to  raise  and  organize  the 
many  companies  which  left  Centre  county,  and 
finally,  almost  by  his  unaided  exertions,  raised  a 
full  company,  of  which  he  was  elected  captain, 
and  upon  its  arrival  at  Camp  Curtin,  in  Harris- 
burg,  was  assigned  as  Company  F  to  the  232d 
Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Militia,  commanded 
by  Col.  George  B.  Weistling.  Although  far  be- 
yond the  age  when  men  are  relieved  from  military 
duty,  and  being  unfit  by  education,  habits  and 
the  state  of  his  health  for  the  hardships  of  a 
campaign,  he  accepted  the  responsibility,  went 
with  his  company  to  the  field,  and  served  faith- 
fully until  his  place  could  be  filled  by  a  younger 
man. 

Mr.  McAllister  never  held  many  public  offices. 
Gov.  Bigler,  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the 
Fourth  Judicial  District,  desired  to  appoint  him 
to  the  presidency  of  the  Common  Pleas,  and 
asked  his  friends  to  induce  him  to  grant  the  use 
of  his  name,  and  Gov.  Curtin  twice  formally 
offered  him  commissions  as  president  judge, 
which  he  declined. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  Governor  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to 
investigate,  settle  and  adjust  the  claims  of  citi- 
zens of  the  border  counties,  for  losses  sustained 
by  the  war.  This  arduous  and  responsible  duty 
he  performed  in  a  manner  highly  satisfactory  to 
the  State  officials,  as  well  as  to  the  people  im- 
mediately interested.  He  was  elected  one  of  the 
delegates  at  large  to  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1873,  and  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  im- 


1- 


OOMMBMOBA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  BECORD. 


portant  committee  on  "Suffrage  Election  and 
Representation,"  and  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee  on    "Railroads  and    Canals."     He  entered 

upon  his  work  with  the   energy   and   zeal    wh 
ever  characterized  him.      Unfortunately   he   did 
not  limit  bis  labor  by  bis    physical 
endure  it,  but  by  his  desire  for  the  permanent 

1  of  his  native  Stale.     Toward  I 
winter  his  strength  gave  way  und 
and  he  was  compelled  by  Ins  physician  to  return 

home  for  rest.      He  remained   at  h ■  foui 

five  week-,  during  which  time  he  improved  in 
strength.  Three  weeks  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Philadelphia,  May  15,  1873,  and  ac- 
tuated  bj   an  inten  to  take  part  in  the 

important  discussions  then  going  on  in  the  con- 
vention, and  being  in  improved  health,  he  went 
back  to  Philadelphia,  and  at  once  engaged  ardu- 
ously in  the  labor  of  the  convention.  lie  made 
several  important  speeches  upon  questions  pend- 
ing before  that  body.  He  had  over-estimated 
his  strength,  for  his  intense  labor  brought  on 
disease,  which  in  a  few  days  terminated  his 
earthly  career.  Literally  he  offered  himself  a 
sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  his  Commonwealth. 
He  sacrificed  his  life  in  his  effort  to  protect  the 
people  from  the  corruptions  oi  the  times,  and  the 
evils  of  misgovernment.  Referring  to  him  in 
this  connection,  his  biographer  said:  "The 
delegates  at  large,  elected  upon  the  ticket  with 
him,  will  select  a  successor,  but  they  cannot  till 
his  place." 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  McAllister  was  always  enter- 
prising, public-spirited  and  patriotic.  lie  took 
the  lead  in  evi  i\   1  ntnpuse  i  to  promote 

the  public  good.  He  labored  hard  and  contrib- 
uted liberally  for  all  such  purposes.  This  he  did 
not  in  a  spirit  of  speculation   to  promote  his  own 

d,  but  to  benefit  the  people. 

He  was  one  of  the  projectors,  the  constant 
friend  and  liberal  supporter  of  what  is  now  the 
Pennsylvania  State  College.  He  kept  the  Agri- 
cultural Society  in  existence  for  years  almost  un- 
aided. He  was  tin-  friend  and  supporter  of  the 
common  schools,  academies  and  seminaries,  as 
well  as  Sunday-schools,  For  man}  years  he  was 
the  recognized  head  of  the  organizations  in  the 
county  for  the   promotion    0!  ti  ri  As   a 

neighbor  he  was  ever  considerate,  kind,  obliging 
and  liberal.  As  a  man  he  was  just,  upright  and 
inflexibly  honest.  He  was  not  honest  from  pol- 
icy, but  from  an  innate  love  of  right  and  an  inti 
hatred  of  everything  wrong.  Asa  husband  and 
father,  he  was  most  kind,  gentle  and  affectionate. 
As  a  Christian,  he  was  sincere,  faithful  and  most 
exemplary.  For  a  long  time  he  was  not  onlj  a 
member  but  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 


fonte,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  la- 
bors of  "ins,    Presbyteries,   Synods  and 
ral  Assemblies.      It  would  take  a  volume  to 
contain  an  enumeration  of  his  virtues  and  his  la- 
and  in  this  brie  I  notii  e  we  will  attempt  no 
further  to  detail  what  all  who   had  the  benefit  of 
hi-  acquaintance  knew  so  well.      He  was  a   man 
of  11                and  as  few  of  the  imperfections  in- 
:it  to  human  nature   as   is   ever   found  in   our 
race. 

Mr.  McAllister  was  twice  married— first  to 
Henrietta  Ashman  Orbison,  of  Huntingdon,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  and  one,  Ellen  E.,  a  lovely  daughter, 
died  in  [866  at  the  age  of  twenty.  Two  daugh- 
ters, Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Gen.  James  A.  Heav- 
er, and  Sarah  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  Thomas  R.  Hays, 
both  of  Bellefonte,  survived  their  father.  The 
Mrs.  McAllister  died  April  12,  1857,  and  on 
September  12,  1859,  Mr.  McAllister  married 
Margaret  Hamilton,  of  Harrisburg,  who  died 
April  27,  1876,  aged  fifty- three  years.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Hugh  Hamilton,  an  editor  of 
note,  and  granddaughter  of  ('apt.  John  Hamil- 
ton, under  whom  her  husband's  grandfather 
served  in  tin-  Revolution. 

On  the-  death  of  Mr.  McAllister  the  Constitu- 
tional ( Convention  passed  ap;>r<  ipriate  resolutions, 
and,  out  of  respect  for  his  memory  and  great  pub- 
lic services,  adjourned.  Extracts  Irom  these  and 
from  addresses  delivered  in  the  Convention,  to- 
ller with  those  from  a  similar  meeting  of  the 
members  of  the  Bar  of  Huntingdon.  Clearfield, 
Clinton  and  (  entre  counties  held  in  the  court- 
house at  his  home  in   Bellefonte,  follow: 

That  Ins  death  deprives  the  convention  of  one 

of  its  nieesi  enlightened  and  industrious  members,  the  Com- 

iwealth  ei(  eerie'  of  tier  nieist   public-spirited  and   useful 

immunity  in  which  In-  lived  of  a  man  whose 

indomitable  energy,   inflexible  integrity  and  spotless  moral 

character  attracted  te>   him   the  nil  affection  of 

all  who  kcirw   linn,  and   hi-,   family   of   a  kind   and  devoted 

ind  and  father. 

lint  in  no  other  work  <if  lu-  life  'lid  the-  great  chara 

H.  N.  McAllistei    1  1  much  advantage  as 

in  the- di-  his  Christian  duties.     As  an  chirr  in  the 

hurch,  representing  Ins  congregation  in  Pres- 
bytery,  he  was  uniformly  in  the-  lead  of  the  .  lergy  in  every- 
thing  with  which  it  was  proper  for  him  to  deal;  he  was  full 
■ion.  ot   work  ami  devotion;  so  in-  appeared   in 
the  Synod,  in  1  Vssembly,  anil  SO  also  at  the-  urcat 

ii.it  united  the-  old  and  new  school  of  tin-  Presby 
oming  chairman  of  the  sustension  com- 
mittee of  the-  Presbytery  ol   Huntingdon,  he  found  opened 
In-fore-  him  .1  in  l<l  tor  unselfish  labor  and  1  harity  commen- 
surate, and  only  commensurate,  with  his  enlarged  desire  to 
carry  forward  tin-  work  of  the  Lord.    The  clergy  of  his  de- 
n  throughout  tin-  State-  bear  willing  testimony  to 
the  wisdom  ami  high  ability  he  displayed  in  tin-  management 
of  that  work.     He  had  unequaled  ability  to  induce  others  to 
give  ci|i  their  means  to  the-  work  of   the  c  hurl  h,  anil  he  pos- 
d  mane:  -ion  to  give  abund- 

antly himself.     I   shall  excite  criticism  from  no  one  in  this 
section  when  I  say  lh.it  the-  priv  ale-  c  harities  he-  has  bestowed 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  HECORD. 


19 


upon  the  needy,  in  number  and  in  the  aggregate  sum,  far 
exceed  those  of  any  other  man  in  the  interior  of  the  State. 
What  a  character!  Always  excitable,  at  times  passionate, 
imperious  and  relentless,  and  yet  generous,  benevolent,  com- 
passionate and  affectionate.  As  neighbor,  husband  and 
father,  I  believe  his  life  was  faultless.— Mr.  BlGLER. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1841— thirty-two  years  ago— that 
I  was  sent  to  preside  in  the  courts  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania,  consisting  then  of  the  counties  of  Mif- 
flin, Huntingdon,  Centre,  Clearfield  and  Clinton,  and  there  I 
hist  met  Mr.  McAllister.  He  resided  at  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  but  was  growing  into  a  large  and  lucrative  practice 
in  several  counties  of  the  district.  lror  ten  years  he  prac- 
ticed law  before  me  with  great  ability  and  success.  I  have 
never  seen  so  laborious  and  painstaking  a  lawyer.  His  great 
forte  lay  in  the  preparation  of  his  causes.  He  never  came 
into  court  unfurnished  with  evidence,  if  evidence  could,  with 
any  amount  of  research  and  industry,  be  obtained  to  estab- 
lish the  facts  of  the  case.  Many  ejectments  upon  original 
titles  were  tried  in  those  ten  years,  and  1  have  known  Mr. 
McAllister  to  give  fifty  or  sixty  warrants  and  surveys  in  evi- 
dence, to  fix  the  location  of  the  one  tract  in  suit.  He  would 
sweep  over  a  whole  district  of  country  and  examine  survey- 
ors as  to  every  mark  in  miles  of  lines  to  verify  the  conclu- 
sions he  wished  to  establish  in  the  cause  upon  trial.  In  all 
lawsuits,  but  especially  in  ejectments  upon  original  titles,  the 
law  arises  upon  the  facts  in  evidence,  and  he  is  the  most 
philosophical  and  successful  lawyer  who  arranges  his  facts 
most  fully,  and  places  them  before  the  court  and  jury  in  that 
orderly  sequence  which  is  most  natural  and  logical  Per- 
haps I  have  known  lawyers  of  more  subtle  reasoning  facul- 
ties than  Mr.  McAllister  possessed,  but  I  never  knew  one 
who  could  prepare  a  cause  so  well.  -HON.  G.  \V.  Wood- 
ward. 

Resolved:  That  we  have  learned  with  feelings  of  pro- 
found sorrow  of  the  death  of  Hon.  H.  N.  McAllister,  who 
for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years  stood  in  the  front  rank 
of  the  legal  profession,  not  only  in  this  and  the  neighbor- 
ing districts,  but  who,  by  his  learning,  his  industry  and 
integrity,  has  acquired  throughout  the  entire  State  a  high 
and  enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer  of  eminent  ability;  and 
who,  by  his  liberality,  his  enterprising  spirit,  his  devoted 
patriotism,  his  steady  and  earnest  desire  to  be  foremost 
in  every  good  work,  whether  pertaining  to  religion,  mor- 
ality, education  or  patriotism,  by  his  open-hearted  benev- 
olence and  his  unswerving  devotion  to  duty,  and  to  the 
advancement  and  promotion  of  whatever  he  regarded  as 
right,  has  won  the  unbounded  esteem,  admiration  and 
confidence  of  the  entire  community;  and  who,  by  reason  of 
intense  anxiety  to  perform  his  whole  duty  as  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  regardless  of  the  decline  of 
his  physical  strength,  fell  at  his  post  a  martyr  to  that  high 
sense  of  duty  which  has  been  the  guiding  star  of  his  life. 

One  by  one  they  have  gone.  And  now  another  is  added 
to  this  list  of  the  dead,  and  our  memories  are  charged  with 
sorrow  at  the  departure  of  one  more  bright  and  shining  light 
of  this  Bar.  More  than  all  that — more  than  an  admiration 
of  the  legal  learning,  or  the  strifes  and  antagonisms  which 
follow  the  professional  life,  we  hold  in  our  memories  their 
character  as  citizens  of  the  community,  and  we  measure 
to  them  our  gratitude  by  the  good  they  did  during  their  lives. 

I  know  full  well  that  Mr.  McAllister  never  had  those 
attractive,  magnetic  qualities  which  make  a  man  what  is 
termed  popular.  He  never  did;  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to 
condescend  to  the  arts  by  which'  men  too  often  attain  to  high 
■  official  position,  or  who  become  popular  in  the  political  ac- 
ceptation of  the  term;  and  yet  I  doubt  much  whether  we 
could  have  stood  at  the  grave  of  one  citizen  of  Centre  county 
who  would  be  so  universally  mourned  and  whose  loss  would 
be  more  severely  felt.  It  is  not  the  Bar  alone  that  sustains 
this  loss.  The  society  in  which  the  man  moved;  the  people 
to  whom  he  gave  an  example  of  integrity  and  virtue;  the 
community  which  surrounded  him,  has  received  a  wound 
that  is  bleeding  to-day,  and  throughout  all  this  region  of 
Pennsylvania  there  will  be  sincere  mourning,  because  a  use- 
ful citizen  and  a  good  man  has  died.— Ex-Governor  An- 
drew G.  Curtin.  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention. 


ON.  ANDREW  GREGG,  who  in  his  life- 
time was  a  citizen  of  distinction  of  Belle- 
fonte, Centre  county,  having  served  in  both 
Houses  of  the  United  States  Congress,  was  born 
June  IO,  1755,  about  two  miles  northwesterly  of 
Carlisle,  Penn.,  on  a  farm,  adjoining  the  meeting 
house  farm,  in  Middleton  township. 

Andrew  Gregg,  his  father,  came  from  Lon- 
donderry, Ireland,  and  his  grandfather's  name 
was  John.  The  family  had  emigrated  from  Scot- 
land to  Ireland,  and  an  old-fashioned  sword  and 
espontoon,  long  in  the  garret  of  the  old  house 
on  the  Conodoguinet,  were  arms  of  the  ancestor 
in  the  army  of  King  William  at  the  battle  of  the 
Boyne,  July  1,  1690.  Of  Mr.  Gregg's  grand- 
father's family,  John  remained  in  Ireland;  David, 
Andrew,  and  their  sister  Rachel,  who  was  mar- 
ried to  Solomon  Walker,  came  to  America: 
David  settled  in  New  Hampshire,  and  raised  a 
large  family  there.  The  Gregg  families  of  Salem, 
Mass.,  Elmira,  N.  Y. ,  and  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  are 
descendants  of  David.  Andrew  and  Mrs.  Wal- 
ker settled  on  Christiana  creek,  near  Newark, 
Del.,  in  1732,  where  his  first  wife  died,  and  An- 
drew married  Jane  Scott,  daughter  of  Matthew" 
Scott,  who  had  emigrated  from  Armagh,  Ireland, 
to  Chestnut  Level.  Andrew  Gregg,  the  elder, 
removed  to  the  farm  near  Carlisle,  in  1750, 
where  he  died  November  18,  1789.  Among  his 
children  were  Matthew,  who  was  a  wagon  master 
in  the  army  from  January  9,  1779.  to  August  14, 
1790;  James  and  John,  who  were  also  connected 
with  the  army.  John  Gregg  was  the  father  of 
Elizabeth  (wife  of  George  McKee),  who  died  in 
Bellefonte.  October  II,  1801,  and  of  the  first 
Mrs.   Roland  Curtin,  Sr. 

Hon.  Andrew  Gregg  received  his  early  educa- 
tion at  Rev.  John  Steel's  Latin  school,  in  Car- 
lisle, and  was  then  sent  to  Newark,  DA.,  to 
complete  his  education.  While  thus  engaged  he 
turned  out  upon  several  occasions  in  the  militia. 
On  the  march  of  the  British  from  Turkey  Point 
to  Philadelphia,  the  academy  at  Newark  was 
broken  up,  and  Mr.  Gregg  returned  to  Carlisle 
to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm,  his  other  brothers 
being  in  the  army.  In  1779  he  went  to  Phila- 
delphia, with  the  intention  of  going  to  France 
for  his  health,  which  had  been  in  a  declining 
state  for  some  time;  but  changing  his  intention, 
he  accepted  the  appointment  of  tutor  in  the  col- 
lege (now  university)  there,  and  continued  there 
under  Dr.  Smith's  and  Dr.  Ewin,''s  adm  nistra- 
tions  until  1783,  when  he  removed  to  Middleton, 
Penn.,  where  he  resided  four  years,  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business.  On  January  29,  1787, 
Mr.  Gregg  was  married  to  Martha,  daughter  of 
Maj.-Gen.  James  Potter,  at  the  latter's  old  resi- 


<UMM/:Moi;A  TIVE  BIOGltArilir.ll    RECORD. 


dence  in  Huffalo  Valley,  now  Union  county.  He 
then  removed  to  Lewistown,  then  being  laid  out 
by  Gen.  Pottei  and  Maj.  Montgomery,  where  his 
daughter  Mary,  afterward  Mrs.  McLanahan,  of 
Greencastle,  Penn. ,  was  born,  November  2,  1788. 
In  1789  he  removed  to  Peon's  Valley,  two  miles 
east  of  the  Old  Fort.  His  public  services  com- 
menced  Novembei  8,  1791,  as  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  continued  in  the  House  by  successive 
elections  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  and  in 
1807  he  was  chosen  United  States  senator,  which 
position  he  occupied  until  March  3,  1813.  He 
was  twice  elect,  d  president  of  the  Senate,  the 
highest  distinction  in  the  councils  of  the  nation 
any  Pennsylvanian  had  then  attained.  In  1814 
he  removed  from  Penn's  Valle)  to  Bellefonte  for 
the  purpose  of  better  educating  his  family.  Hi 
was  the  first  president  of  the  Centre  Hank,  which 
was  organized  under  articles  of  association  or 
partnership  in  1813,  and  was  re-elected  in  1814. 
On  the  10th  of  December,  [820,  he  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  b)  Cm\ 
I  luster,  which  office  he  held  when  Dominated  by 
a  convention  that  met  at  Lewistown  May  15, 
1K23,  for  governor  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Shult*/, 
who  had  been  nominated  by  what  was  called  a 
Legislative  Convention  at  Harrisburg  on  the  5th 
of  March.  After  Mr.  Gregg  retired  from  the  of- 
fice of  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth, he  resided 
in  Bellefonte  until  lus  death,  which  occurred  May 
20,  1835.  H°  had  strong  party  predilections, 
but  was  remarkable  for  his  independence  of  char- 
acter, always  acting  according  to  the  con- 
victions of  his  own  mind,  though  they  sometimes 
differed  from  those  of  political  friends.  He  was 
while  in  office,  in  fact  what  he  was  elected 
to  be,  the  representative  of  the  interests  of  his 
constituents.  He  was  always  scrupulously  ten- 
acious of  his  oath  to  subserve  the  public  good 
according  to  the  best  of  his  judgment  and  abil- 
ity, never  yielding  his  duty  to  the  prejudices  of 
party  spirit  or  the  vi<  ws  •  >!  interested  politicians. 
Mr.  Gregg's  children,  ten  in  number,  v 
1  Mrs.  Mary  McLanahan,  of  Greencastle, 
mother  of   Andrew,    James,    Isabella    and     Mary. 

fane,  mother  ol  Roland  Curtin,  Sr.,  fathi 
ex-Gov.  A.  G.  Curtin.    . ;-,)  Martha,  who  married 
Dr.    Constans   Curtin,    and    died    December    11, 
1  829.      1. 1 1  [ulia  Ann,  who  married  t  len.    |. 
Irvin.   and  .lied  July  4.    [856      (5     Eli        Mitchell, 
wulow  ol  David  Mu.  bell,  ,.|  Bellefonte,  now  de- 
llon.  Andrew  Gregg,  who  died  Ma) 
1  5,   1  869,  father  ol  <  ..n.  John   1.   ( Iregg,   lat . 
the  United  States  army,  ol  Andrew  Gregg,  county 
commissionei    in    1!  |   James    P,    Gn 

married  Kli.-.i  Wilson,  and  died  111  Virginia,  Sep- 


tember 8,  1  s 4 5  (8  M.ittluw  D.,  married  Ellen 
McMurtrie,  who  also  died  in  Virginia,  July  26, 
[845,  the  father  of  Gen.  David  McMurtrie  Gregg, 
now      !•  Reading,    Penn.,   a  distinguished 

cavalry  officer  of  the  United  States  army  during 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  (9)  Sarah,  who  married 
Henry  Kinney,  and  died  March  28,  1836.  (101 
Mrs.  Margery  Tucker,  of  Uewishurg,  Penn.. 
widow  of  Rev.  Charles  Tucker,  of  the  Baptist 
(  burch. 


mz 


ON.  WILLIAM    F.  PACKER,  another  son 


Centre  counts  who  became  Governor  of 
the  Commonwealth,  and  a  distinguished  states- 
man, was  born  near  Howard,  April  2,  1807. 
When  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age  Ins  father 
died,  leaving  a  widow  and  five  small  children- 
the  eldest  under  ten  \  ears  of  age.  Bereft  of 
parental  care,  the  sons,  Hezekiah  B. ,  afterward 
judge  Packer,  of  Williamsport,  William  F.,  and 
[ohn  P.,  afterward  a  merchant  at  Flemington. 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  as  they  arrived  at  a  sufficient 

applied  themselves  to  the  task  of  assisting  their 
mother  in  maintaining  the  family,  and  cheerfully 
sustained  whatever  hardships  their  situation  im- 
posed, receiving  at  the  same  time  such  education 
as  the  limited  facilities  of  the  country  schools  ol 
that  time  afforded.  Directed  by  their  mother, 
and  relying  upon  their  own  resources  for  their 
success,  it  is  no  marvel  that  these  young  men  be- 
came distinguished,  each  in  bis  proper  sphere  in 
after  life. 

In  1820,  William  F.  Packer,  then  in  his  thir- 
teenth year,  obtained  a  place  in  the  office  of  the 
Public  Inquirer,  published  in  Sunbury,  with 
Samuel  F.  Packer,  a  kinsman,  afterward  a 
State  senator  from  the  Northumberland  District, 
who  was  publishing  this  paper  at  that  time. 
When  young  William  became  assured  of  his  po- 
sition he  tin  on  foot  a  distance  of  eight) 
miles,  and  engaged  himself  as  an  appreni 
After  about  one  year  had  elapsed  the  paper  was 

mtinued  and  he  returned  to  Centre  county, 
where  be  completed  hisapprenticeship  in  the  offici 
ol  the  Bellefonte  Patriot, then  under  the  control  of 
Henry  Petrikin,  who  subsequently  became  a  dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  State  Legislature,  and 
was  deputy  secretary  of  the  Commonwealth 
under  Governor  Shunk.  After  the  expiration  of 
bis   appn  up  in   1825,  he  obtained  a  clerk- 

in   the  1  recorder  in 

I  yci  ming  county,  butat  the  commencement  ol 
tb.  Legislature,  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
be  w .  nt  to  Harrisburg  and  engaged  1  ji  mrney- 
man  printer   in   the  1    the    Pennsylvania 

Intelligencer,    published    b)     Simon     Cameron, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


21 


since  then  United  States  senator,  and  David 
Krause,  afterward  president  judge  of  the  Bucks 
County  District.  He  worked  in  this  office  for 
two  years,  and  then  went  to  Williamsport  and 
entered  his  name  as  a  student  at  law  in  the  office 
of  Joseph  B.  Anthony,  who  afterward  served  as  a 
State  senator,  member  of  Congress  and  president 
judge  of  the  Lycoming  District.  He  never  ap- 
plied for  admission  to  the  Bar,  yet  the  knowledge 
thus  acquired  of  the  rudiments  of  the  profession 
was  of  inestimable  value  to  him  in  the  public 
stations  which  he  afterward  filled.  In  the  fall  of 
1827,  he  purchased  the  Lycoming Gazette,  which, 
in  connection  with  John  Brandon,  he  published 
until  the  spring  of  1836.  On  December  24, 
1829,  he  was  married  to  Mary  W.,  daughter  of 
Peter  W.  Vanderbelt,  a  most  estimable  lady, 
who  still  survives  him.  Mr.  Packer  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  the  agitation  in  constructing  the  West 
Branch  canal  in  1831.  He  was  the  author  of 
the  address  to  the  people  of  Philadelphia,  whose 
members  in  the  Legislature  opposed  the  appro- 
priations for  the  building  of  this  canal,  and  to 
his  efforts,  as  much  as  to  those  of  any  individual, 
are  the  people  of  that  section  of  the  State  in- 
debted for  preserving  and  completing  this  great 
improvement,  whose  influence  was  of  incalcul- 
able benefit  to  the  vicinity  in  which  Mr.  Packer 
was  raised.  Mr.  Packer  was  appointed  as 
superintendent  of  that  division  June,  1835.  He 
took  a  leading  and  active  part  in  favor  of  the  re- 
nomination  and  re-election  of  Gov.  George  Wolf 
in  1835.  In  i836,'with  O.  Barrett  and  Benja- 
min Parke,  he  established  The  Keystone  at  Har- 
risburg,  a  paper  which  at  once  commanded  the 
confidence  and  support  of  the  Democratic  party 
of  the  State.  In  February,  1839,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  board  of  Canal  Com- 
missioners, in  which  position  he  achieved  great 
success. 

In  1842  he  was  appointed  auditor-general  of 
the  Commonwealth,  and  he  continued  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  that  office  for  a  period  of 
three  years,  with  great  distinction.  Mr.  Packer 
served  two  terms  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
from  the  district  composed  of  Lycoming,  Clinton 
and  Potter  counties,  and  also  served  as  speaker 
of  the  House  for  two  successive  terms.  He  was 
a  lifelong  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  forcible  advocates  and 
leaders.  He  was  elected  State  senator  in  1849, 
over  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  who  afterward  succeeded 
him  in  the  executive  chair.  On  all  questions 
relating  to  improvements  in  the  Susquehanna 
Valley,  he  especially  distinguished  himself.  In 
185  1  he  introduced  a  bill  to  incorporate  the  Sus- 
quehanna Railroad  Co.      This  was  the  means  of 


the  building  eventually  of  a  network  of  railroads 
through  this  Valley,  and  the  development  of  one 
of  the  richest  and  most  valuable  sections  of  the 
State.  In  the  organization  of  the  Susquehanna 
Railroad  Co.,  in  June,  1852,  Mr.  Packer  was 
made  its  first  president.  He  was  nominated  for 
governor  in  1857,  and  was  triumphantly  elected 
by  a  majority  of  fourteen  thousand  votes.  His 
administration  of  this  office  was  accomplished 
with  great  ability,  and  although  many  compli- 
cated questions  involving  great  and  important 
decisions,  were  required,  yet  he  met  and  dis- 
posed of  all  these  with  great  credit  and  wisdom. 
Gov.  Packer  relinquished  the  office  of  State  ex- 
ecutive in  i860,  to  Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin,  another  of 
Centre  county's  noble  sons.  Springing  from  the 
people,  he  was  an  active  and  creditable  expon- 
ent of  their  rights,  and  opposed  with  unflinching 
firmness  every  form  of  intolerance,  whether  po- 
litical or  religious.  His  name  will  ever  be  on 
record  as  one  of  Pennsylvania's  most  capable 
and   illustrious  statesmen. 


HON.     JOHN     MITCHELL,   who    was    for 
years  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Bellefonte, 

Centre  county,  was  a  son  of  Gen.  David  Mitchell, 
of  Cumberland  county  (now  Perry),  who  was  for 
some  twenty-two  years  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature. 

John  Mitchell  was  born  about  two  miles  from 
Newport,  Perry  county,  March  8,  1791.  When 
quite  a  boy  he  went  with  his  father  on  his  jour- 
ney to  the  meetings  of  the  Legislature  to  bring 
the  horses  home,  and  returned  for  him  in  the 
spring.  He  had  little  schooling,  but  a  great  ca- 
pacity for  mathematics.  One  of  the  members 
gave  him  a  book,  and  told  him  he  must  run  lines 
all  over  the  farm  before  his  return  in  the  spring, 
which  he  did,  being  only  about  fourteen  years  of 
age.  He  came  to  Centre  county  in  1800,  and 
engaged  with  John  Dunlop  as  a  clerk  in  the  iron 
works.  In  May,  18 14,  he  was  married  to  the 
widow  of  Col.  W.  W.  Miles  {nee  Annie  Boggs), 
and  then  entered  into  the  mercantile  business 
with  his  brother  David,  in  Bellefonte.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1 8 18,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  as  such  became  the  executioner  of  Munks. 
Mr.  Mitchell's  ability  as  a  surveyor  and  engineer 
was  so  universally  recognized  that  he  became 
constantly  employed  in  such  services.  In  1821 
he  laid  out  the  Centre  and  Kishacoquillas  turn- 
pike and  superintended  its  construction,  and  sub- 
sequently as  engineer  located  many  of  the  turn- 
pikes, in  the  middle  and  northern  portions  of  the 
State.  In  the  fall  of  1822  he  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly,  and  re-elected  in  1823.    When  elected 


22 


Mon.XTlVR  BIOGRAPHIOAL  RECORD. 


the  first  tin  .  in  the 

mountains  sun  nd    returned  the  second 

da)  after  thi  a       1 1>   had  been  gi  me  i  h 

weeks,  and  James    M    Peti  ikin  v  at   start- 

ing "nt  to  hunt  him  upand  inform  tiim  of  it.     In 

•  iber,   i  ■■>-•".  when    he    ran    tl. 
tli  re  was  but  one  vote  against  him  in  the  B< 
fonte  box.      This  was  attributed   to  Mr.  Norris, 
brother-in-law  of  John   Brown, 

ing  candidates.     He,  hi  m  v>  r,  denied  the  im- 
chment.      In  the  summer  of   1827,  under  the 
din  made  a 

ind  examination   "I    the  proposed  canal 
routes  between  the  Susquehanna  and  Potom 
commencing  at  the  month  of  the  Conedocwinet, 
above   Harrisburg,  and   running  west   as  fai 
Green   village,  in   Franklin  county;  then 
tinned  to  Gettysburg,  etc.      In  1S57  he   t 
point  d  1  ngineer  on  the  Eri<  m,  conn 

with  the  Beavei  division  above  New!  istle, 
I  running  to  Erie,  superintending  the  con- 
struction ol  the  French  Creek  feeder,  which  was 
the  firs!  part  ol  the  work.  In  1829  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Legislatui  1  the  1  anal  i 
nn-  oted  b)  ( lov.  Wolf  in  1S30, 
and  continued  in  office  until  the  adven: 
Ritnei  -  administration  It  was  in  this  office  that 
the  peculiat  talents  ,  ,|  \|r,  \i,t,  hell  most 
coi 

an  intuitive  sagacity,  and  a  complete  kn 
ol  mankind,   lie    milted  with  these  qualitii 
coolness   and  disi  retion.  an    indefatig 
vei  pported  bj  an  iron  constitution.     Ac- 

tomed    from    early  lite    to    endure    privatii 
often  \oluntarilv    un  neither   the    storms 

Ol  winter  nor  the  heat  o|  siiiiiin  1  iiitei!  led  with 
lli'  Ol    Ins  dut)  .       Ill-  habit 

in  the  morning, 
and  do   .1    large    amount    ol    brain-work    bel 
bn  1 1'    was    Presidential   elector  on  the 

'    and    Johnston  ticket   in    1835,    and 

aftei  hi  -  re val  b)  Gov.  Ritner  in  1  837  he  « 

into  the  iron  business,  the  firm  ol  |ohn  Mitchell 
&  Co.  owning  and  managing  Hecla  and  Mill 
Hall    I    11  n. 1.  es.      I  le    failed   in   that   business  in 

"d  m  [839  was  ap] in  d  superintendent 

"I  the  Beavei  I  the  Pennsylvania  canal, 

and    in    1842    removed    Iron,  Centre   count) 
Brid  nty. 

In    18  |.|.  h  hen    1  R    Shunk,  who  had 

I  under  Mr    Mitchell, 
wa  ernor,  he  promised  Mr    Mitchell 

the  office  ol   surveyor-general;   but   there   b 
ions  in  the  Demoi  ratii   party,  and  Mr.  Mitch- 
standing  with  ex-Gov.    Porter,   Go\     Shunk 
d    bitterly   that   he   could    not    keep    his 
word,  saying  he  could  not  help  it,  and  was  forced 


by    circumstances.       On    January    1,    [845,    the 

I  th  Bi  aver  division  to  the  Erie 
t  lanaK  -  pany  reappointed  Mr.  Mitch- 

ell, and  in  the  performance  ol   the  duties  of  the 

the  remainder  of  his  days.  The 
last  days  of  his  life  were  clouded  by  the  death  of 
his  son  David,  who  was  wounded  in  battle  in 
Mexico,  an!  died  at  Perote.  Mr.  Mitchell  died 
.11  Bridgewater,  August  3,  1 849,  of  cholera.  His 
two  children,  Mrs.  Martha  Kephart,  of  Union- 
ville,  (  entre  county,  and  Mrs.  N  H.  Dickson, 
wife  "i  Dr.  [oseph  Dickson,  at  I'ittsburg,  are 
both  dead. 


H 


WON.    WILLIAM    W.    POTTER,   a    distin- 
guished lawyerand  statesman  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county,  and   a   grandson    of  Gen.  James 
Potter,  ol   the   Revolutionary   war,  was   born  at 
I'otters  Mills,  Centre  county,  December  |S.  1792. 
In   August,   1809,   young   Potter  commenced 
attending    the    Latin    school     of    Rev.    Thomas 
Hood,    near    Lewisburg,     from    which     he    was 
transferred    to    Dickinson     College    at    Carlisle. 
After    he    graduated,    he    read   law    with    Hon. 
Charles   Huston,  of   Bellefonte,  and  was  admit- 
Bar  in  April,  1S14,  of  which  for  twen- 
ty-five  \e,irs   he  was  an   honored   member.      Af- 
fable, courteous  and  kind  to  the  junior  members 
of  the  Bar,  he  was   looked    up  to   by  them  as  a 
father.     He  was  an  able  and  judicious  counselor, 
industrious  and  successful  practitioner  of 
the  law,  and    his  profession  was  his  pride.      Left 
with  an  ample  patrimony,  no  child  of  penury  and 
want  was  more  indefatigable  and   industrious  in 
■1  pursuits,  and   at    his  death  he  had  no  supe- 
111  his  di  landing  and  acquire- 
ments.     In   1833  the  grand  jury  of  Union  county 
petitioned   the  governor  for  the   appointment  as 
president    judge  ol    that  district.       In  18 —  he  re- 
ed thi-  imam is  nomination   in  the  district 

it    in   C  ind  was  elected  by  the 

largest  majorit)  en  in  the  district,  and  in 

1838,  which  was  a  fieri  e  and  bittei  political  con- 

1  tl  office       1  >  1 11  iiif^ 

the  h  nted  this  district'  in  Con- 

5,  b)    In-    talents,  1  lear    and    discriminating 

mind,  his  eloquence, and  with  a  mild  and  j^entle- 

manly  demeanor,  he  gained   foi   himself  a  high 

reputation,  and  s( 1  at   tin  I   the  Demo- 

cratic  delegation  from  Pennsylvania.  Congress 
was  convened  in  extra  session  on  the  4th  of  Sep- 
tember, m  consequence  of  the  financial  condi- 
tion of  the  country,  by  President  Van  Dunn, 
and  on  the  27th  of  September  Mr.  Potter  made 
his  maiden  speech    in   (  the  bill  to 

ipone   the   fourth  installment  of  deposit  with 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


23 


the  States,  which  placed  him  in  the  front  rank  of 
sagacious  counselors  upon  our  financial  policy. 
His  next  speech,  January  4,  1838,  in  reply  to  Mr. 
Cushing  upon  the  Hayes  resolution  in  relation  to 
the  United  States  Bank,  was  a  masterly  consti- 
tutional argument.  On  the  12th  of  April  he  de- 
livered a  remarkably  eloquent  speech,  exhibiting 
extensive  historical  research,  upon  the  resolution 
relative  to  the  Wyoming  flag.  The  people  of 
Wyoming  Valley  had  asked  for  the  flag  their  fa- 
thers had  fought  under,  believing  the  one  cap- 
tured in  Canada  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  the 
State  Department,  was  it;  but  it  turned  out  to  be 
the  one  the  British  had  fought  under  during  the 
battle  of  Wyoming.  On  June  13,  1838,  he  de- 
livered a  very  able  and  exhaustive  speech  on  the 
independent  treasury  bill,  which  acquired  for 
him  great  notoriety  and  popularity.  We  shall 
allude  to  one  other  speech  of  Mr.  Potter,  that 
which  was  delivered  February  28,  1839,  on  issu- 
ing treasury  notes  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
government,  as  a  brief,  unanswerable,  logical 
argument.  He  died  at  a  comparatively  early 
age,  in  his  forty-eighth  year,  in  the  midst  of  his 
professional  usefulness,  and  when  rising  into  na- 
tional fame.  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  the 
family  burying-ground  at  Potters  Mills  on  the 
morning  of  October  1,  attended  by  the  judges  of 
the  court  and  the  members  of  the  Bar  in  a  body. 
He  left  no  children.  His  widow,  Lucy  (Winters) 
Potter,  died  May  30,  1875,  in  Bellefonte,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  They  were 
married  March  20,  1815.  She  was  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Judge  Huston  and  Mrs.  Burnside. 


MON.  CHARLES  HUSTON  (deceased),  who 
was  one  among  the  honored  and  distin- 
guished citizens  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  born  in  Plumstead  town- 
ship, Bucks  county,  Penn.,  January  16,  1771. 
He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas  and  Jane 
(Walker)  Huston.  His  grandfather  was  one  of 
the  early  immigrants  to  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

A  mere  lad  during  the  Revolution,  many  of 
its  incidents  were  indelibly  impressed  upon  his 
memory.  His  education  was  received  at  Dick- 
inson College,  Carlisle,  Penn.,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1789. with  the  honors  of  his 
class.  During  the  year  1790-91  he  taught  a 
select  school  at  Carlisle,  meanwhile  studying  law 
with  Thomas  Duncan,  with  whom  he  was  after- 
ward associated  on  the  Bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1792-93  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  trustees  of  the  college  as  tutor  of 
the    languages.       Among    his    pupils   was    Chief 


Justice  R.  B.  Taney,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States.  In  his  autobiography  the 
Chief  Justice  says  of  him:  "  I  need  not  speak  of 
his  character  and  capacity,  for  he  afterward  be- 
came one  of  the  first  jurists  of  the  country.  He 
was  an  accomplished  Latin  and  Greek  scholar, 
and  happy  in  his  mode  of  instruction.  And  when 
he  saw  that  a  boy  was  disposed  to  study,  his 
manner  to  him  was  that  of  a  companion  and 
friend,  aiding  him  in  his  difficulties.  The  whole 
school  under  his  care  was  much  attached  to 
him."  In  October,  1794,  Gen.  Washington 
went  through  Carlisle  on  his  way  to  quell  the 
Whiskey  Insurrection.  Mr.  Huston  joined  the 
expedition,  and  his  vivid  description  of  its  vari- 
ous incidents  will  long  be  remembered  by  the 
many  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  number  him 
among  their  acquaintances. 

In  those  days  lawyers  traveled  the  circuits  on 
horseback,  and  there  remains  a  description  of 
Mr.  Huston's  costume:  slouched  hat,  drab  three- 
caped  overcoat, green  flannel  leggings  tied  around 
the  legs  with  black  tape,  homespun  dress  coat. 
Thus  attired,  with  boots  and  leggings  covered 
with  mud,  for  want  of  time  to  change  his  dress, 
he  was  compelled  to  enter  the  Supreme  Court 
sitting  in  Philadelphia,  where  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  Bar,  he  delivered  one  of  the  ablest 
arguments  they  had  ever  listened  to.  In  the 
spring  of  1807  he  removed  to  Bellefonte,  attend- 
ing faithfully  to  an  enormous  practice  until  his 
appointment  by  Gov.  Findlay  to  the  presidency 
of  the  courts  of  this  district.  He  was  a  powerful 
advocate  before  a  jury,  and  the  memory  of  the 
remarkable  speech  he  madi  in  the  Barber  &  Kel- 
ley  case  in  court  at  Bellefonte  still  lingers,  a 
traditionary  witness  of  his  forensic  ability. 
He  presided  over  the  Fourth  District  for 
eight  years  with  distinguished  ability.  Such 
was  his  influence  with  the  jury,  that  in  the  course 
of  these  whole  eight  years  he  granted  but  two 
new  trials.  In  1826  he  was  appointed,  by  Gov. 
Shultz,  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  arduous  and  responsible 
duties  of  which  he  continued  until  the  expiration 
of  his  commission  in  1845.  How  ably  he  dis- 
charged these  duties  will  be  best  learned  from 
his  numerous  opinions  in  full  thirty-five  volumes 
of  reports.  The  last  four  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  the  compilation  of  his  work  entitled 
"  An  Essay  on  the  History  and  Nature  of  Original 
Titles  to  Land  in  the  Province  and  State  of 
Pennsylvania. " 

Judge  Huston's  wife,  his  only  son  and  two 
daughters  he  had  followed  to  the  grave,  and  these 
afflictions  weaned  his  thoughts  from  this  world, 
and  he  looked  for  a  better.      He  was  a  commun- 


24 


COMMKMiiUATIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL  RE(  ORD. 


at  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  died  as  he 
had  lived,  a  firm  believer  in  tin-  trutl  ris- 

tianity.      II  10, 

:  i.  he  being  in  the  eightieth 
He  left  to  survive  him  two  d  the 

w  ife  of  the  Hon     Jami  s  T.  Hal  mte, 

the  otherthewil  W.  Sturdevant, 

ol  Wilkes  ce  decea 


P<  iRAV  MEEK, 
tre  county,  and   at   present   Sui  the 

I    rt  at  Philadelphia,  has  from   a 

line  of  -.  who   v  uous    in  the 

early  histor)  of  our  country  and   of  the  Stat 
Pennsylvania. 

ancestral  hi  our  subject  ap] 

in   the  sketch  of  Reuben    11.    Meek,  his   lather. 

I  i  n<  arlj    forty  years   P.  G  lited 
and  published  the  Watchman  at   Bellefonte,  and 

•i  prominently  identified  w  it  It  the  public  affairs 
of  the  Commonwealth.      II  n  in  Patton 

township    Centre  county,  Penn.,   July  [2,   1^4-. 

I I  -  education  was  limited  to  that  afforded  l>v  the 
common  schools,  and  he  began  life  as  a  sch 
teacher  at  Lumber  City,  Clearfield  county,  in  the 
winter  of  1  The  next  year  he  was  a 
clerk,  then  worked  on  a  farm,  and  followed  what 
he  could  find  to  do  that  would  permit  an  honest 
living,  until  May,  1861  He  then,  though  but  a 
boy,  bee, Hue  junior  editor  of  the  Democratic 
Watchman,  then  a  four  ;  six  columns 
to  the  page,  with  a  circulation  of  less  than  five 
hundred,  The  paper  had  practically  been  aban- 
doned by  its  owin  rs  on  account  of  the  bitter  t 
ing  that  existed  against  Democratic  journals,  and 
young  Meek  found  1  task  in  satisfying  his 
readers  and  keeping  out  of  the  clutches  of  the 
provost  marshal-  His  first  articles  attracted  at- 
tention, and  it  was  but  a  couple  ol  months  until 
the  owners  thought  him  too  out-spoken  and  rad- 
ical, and  he  was  requested  to  resign  his  position. 
rfe  then  returned  to  his  father's  farm,  when 
worked  until  July,  1862,  when  he  managed  to 
purchase  a  half  interest  in  the  paper,  and  assumed 
editorial  control  of  it.  The  paper  itself,  small 
and  with  .1  limited  patronage;  the  most  influen- 
tial men  of  the  party  den  radical 
and  out-spoken;  the  merchants  of  the  place  re- 
fusing to  give  it  their  pati  its  youthful 
editor  experienced  the  fact  that  he  was  on  the 
unpopular  side  of  public  opinion,  but  believing 
himself  right  refused  to  allow  these  conditions  to 
Stifle  his  convictions,  or  change  its  policy,  and 
gained  a  reputation  for  consistency  and  plainness 
of  speech  which  eventually  secured  for  his  paper 
that    success    which    has    since   attended    it,  and 


made  his  reputation  as  an  editor.  Mr.  Meek  was 
not  only  a  sententious  but  courageous  writer,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  the  feeling  toward  him  by 
holding  opposite  views  was  exceedingly  bit- 
ter and  extreme,  as  was  shown  by  the  many  ar- 
il to.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  arrested  and  taken  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace  in  nte,    charged  with    "high  trea- 

son:" shortly  after  this  a  county  grand  jury  pre- 
sented him  for  publishing  "improper  political 
matter;"  following  these  he  was  arrested  on  oath 
of  provost  marshals  three  different  limes,  and 
taken  before  the  United  States  Court  at  Pitts- 
burg, for  his  out-spoken  denunciation  of  the 
policy  of  the  Republican  administration.  In  all 
these  cases,  except  the  first,  which  was  never 
heard  of  after  being  placed  on  the  justice's  docket, 
nolle  prosses  were  entered  by  the  courts.  In 
March.  1865,  he  was  taken  from  his  office,  with- 
out notice  and  without  any  preferred  charge,  by 
ompany  of  United  States  soldiers  and  incar- 
cerated in  the  military  prison  at  Harrisburg,  from 
which  hi  latter  taking  an  oath  to  re- 

turn   for    trial    when    demanded,  a    requirement 
that  was  never  enforc 

H;~  constituents  never  lost  confidence  in  him, 
and  in  1867,  1 868,  1870.  1871,  they  elected  him 
toth'  II  ise  of  Representatives  by  large  major- 
ities While  in  the  11  iuse  he  was  instrumental 
in  having  an  act  requiring  railroads  to  fence  their 
lines  in  Centre  county,  or  pay  for  the  stock 
killed  (known  as  the  railroad  fence  law)  and  the 
lumberman's  lein  act  passed,  which  added  to  his 
p  |>ularity  with  those  classes  of  his  section,  as 
both  of  these  measures  have  proven  of  material 
benefit  to  laboring  men  and  farmers.  In  1872 
he  was  secretary  of  the  Democratic  State  Com- 
mittee, and  in  1873,  1875  and  1S76,  he  had  the 
indorsement  of  the  county  convention  for  State 
He  was  defeated  by  ex-Gov.  Curtin 
for  the  nomination  for  Congress  in  1878  in  Centre 
county,  by  two  votes  in  the  convention.  In 
2  he  accepted  the  position  of  editorial  secre- 
tary of  the  Democratic  State  Committee,  and 
prepared  th<  r   part  of  the   documents  for 

the  campaign  of  1882;  and  served  as  one  of  its 
secretaries,  during  the  campaigns  of  1883  and 
;  He  was  elected  chief  clerk  of  the  House 
in  January.  1883,  and  filled 
that  position  during  the  memorable  regular  and 
special  sessions  of  that  year.  As  showing  the 
manner  in  which  he  performed  the  duties  of  this 
position,  we  give,  out  of  many  of  the  same  char- 
acter, this  single  extract  from  one  of  the  leading 
journals  of  the  State:  "On  Saturday  last  Mr 
P.  Gray  Meek,  chief  clerk  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, completed  the  settlement  of  his  ac- 


i^^w  h^uU 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


25 


counts,  turned  over  to  the  Governor  the  remnant 
of  the  State's  property  in  his  charge,  and  left  for 
his  home.  In  his  departure  he  carried  with  him 
not  only  the  consciousness  of  having  discharged 
his  duty  with  fidelity,  but  the  respect  alike  of  the 
members  and  citizens  with  whom  his  official 
duties  brought  him  in  contact.  During  the  pro- 
tracted sessions  in  which  Mr.  Meek  presided  at 
the  clerk's  desk,  covering  a  period  of  eleven 
months,  he  has  been  an  intelligent  and  zealous 
champion  of  economy  and  reform.  He  has  been 
faithful  to  every  obligation  which  the  arduous 
duties  of  the  office  imposed.  " 

In  1890  Mr.  Meek  was  elected  to  the  Senate 
by  a  majority  approximating  5,000.  He  was 
made  a  member  of  the  committee  on  Appropria- 
tions, Banks,  Insurance  and  Congressional  Ap- 
portionment, and  prepared  the  Congressional  and 
Senatorial  Apportionment  bills  presented  and  ad- 
vocated by  the  Democrats.  His  principal  effort 
during  this  session  was  put  forth  to  secure  legis- 
lation taxing  un-naturalized  persons  for  poor  pur- 
poses. At  the  session  of  1893  he  served  on  com- 
mittees on  Banks,  Congressional  Apportionment, 
Insurance,  Legislative  Apportionment,  Public 
Printing  and  other  committees,  and  again  pre- 
pared the  several  Apportionment  bills  that  his 
party  presented  and  supported.  Before  his  term 
as  senator  expired  he  was  (in  February,  1894) 
appointed  Surveyor  of  the  Port  at  Philadelphia 
by  President  Cleveland,  which  position  he  con- 
tinues to  hold.  The  following  extracts  from  the 
press  speak  for  themselves: 

The  well-rounded  periods  in  the  life  of  P.  Gray  Meek, 
the  fighting  editor  of  the  Bellefonte  Democratic  Watchman, 
would  fill  a  book  and  provide  a  good  start  for  another  one. 
As  legislator,  senator  and  proprietor  of  the  best  known  and 
thoroughly  successful  country  weekly  paper,  his  career  has 
been  one  alternating  storms  and  sunshine,  for  he  is  nothing 
if  not  aggressive,  and  his  type  of  Democracy  is  founded  on 
the  ultra-Jacksonian  standard,  with  a  mixture  of  the  Jeffer- 
sonian  article.  To  know  Editor  Meek  is  to  know  a  clever 
and  genial  editor  with  an  opinion  and  of  sterling  ability  to 
back  it  up.  He  has  literally  cut  out  his  career  from  sur- 
roundings severely  hostile  in  character,  and  whether  in  the 
right  or  wrong  he  has  always  had  the  courage  of  his  con- 
victions. 

The  Watchman,  under  the  capable  management  of 
Senator  Meek,  has  been  a  very  creditable  journal.  Its  pro- 
prietor is  a  natural-born  newspaper  man,  and  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has 
been  largely  instrumental,  in  his  career  as  a  journalist,  in 
keeping  the  party  solid  in  party  ranks.  His  paper  is  re- 
garded by  the  State  newspaper  fraternity  as  one  of  the  best 
edited  and  finest  printed  weeklies  in  the  Commonwealth.  It 
enjoys  a  large  circulation  throughout  many  of  the  different 
States  of  this  country.  One  of  the  finest  and  best-equipped 
job  offices  in  Pennsylvania  is  connected  with  it,  and  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  entire  plant  is  run  by  the  water  power  from 
the  springs,  whose  waters  flow  by  the  building.  Mr.  Meek 
is  assisted  in  the  editorial  work  by  his  son,  George  R.  Meek, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  Pennsylvania  State  College,  and  a  very 
able  and  forcible  writer. 

In  January,    1862,  Mr.  Meek  was  married  to 


Miss  Susan  M.,  only  daughter  of  George  W. 
Meek,  of  Ferguson  township, Centre  county,  and 
to  them  were  born  six  children:  Rachel  L. , 
Mary  Gray,  Elizabeth  Breckinridge,  George  R. , 
Eloise  and  Winifred  Barron.  The  eldest  daugh- 
ter is  associated  with  her  father  and  brother  in 
the  conduct  of  the  paper.  Elizabeth  and  Eloise 
are  both  graduates  of  the  Bellefonte  High  School 
and  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  as  is  also 
George  R.,  the  latter  from  the  High  School  in 
1886  and  from  the  State  College  in  1890,  and 
since  1893  he  has  been  the  managing  editor  of 
the  Democratic  Watchman.  The  family  adheres 
to  the  religious  faith  of  their  ancestors,  that  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


JUDGE  THOMAS  BURNSIDE  (deceased), 
who  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  was  born  near  Newton  Stewart,  in 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  July  28,  1782.  He 
came  with  his  father's  (William  Burnside)  family 
in  1792  to  Montgomery  county,  his  father  locat- 
ing near  Fairview,  in  Lower  Providence,  in  that 
county.  In  November,  1800,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  law  under  Hon.  Robert  Porter,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  February 
13,  1804,  and  in  March  removed  to  and  settled  in 
Bellefonte,  Centre  county. 

In  181 1  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate, 
and  was  an  active  supporter  of  Gov.  Simon  Sny- 
der in  all  the  war  measures  of  1S12.  In  1815, 
he  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  served  during 
the  memorable  session  of  1816.  In  the  summer 
of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Sny- 
der president  judge  of  the  Luzerne  District.  He 
resigned  that  position  in  1818,  and  resumed  prac- 
tice at  Bellefonte.  In  1823.  he  was  again  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  of  which  body  he  was  chosen 
speaker.  In  1826,  before  his  senatorial  term  had 
expired,  he  was  appointed  president  judge  of  the 
Fourth  Judicial  District,  which  office  he  held  until 
1 841,  when  he  was  appointed  president  judge  of 
the  Seventh  Judicial  District.  On  January  1, 
1854,  he  was  commissioned  one  of  the  justices  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  an  office 
which  he  filled  with  honor  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death. 

Gov.  Curtin  once  said:  "Judge  Burnside 
was  a  man  of  indomitable  will,  and  had  that  in- 
tensity of  purpose  which  baffled  want,  poverty, 
and  ill-fortune.  He  came  to  this  county  when 
it  was  comparatively  a  wilderness,  without  means 
or  friends,  and  supplied  the  want  of  early  educa- 
tional training  by  his  energy  and  perseverance. 
His  goodness  of  heart,  and  open-handed  hospi- 
tality soon  surrounded  him  with  a  circle  of  stead- 


OOMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  BBOORD. 


fast  personal  friends,  and  his  large  and  liberal 
views  of  progress,  w  it h  his  lofty  State  pride, 
made  him  a  captain  of  men  and  a  ruling  spirit.'' 

As  a  judge  he  posst  ssed   a   kei  n  and  discrim- 
inating sense  of  justice,  and  extensive  knowli 
of  law  and  moral  courag  ts  mandates 

into  execution  As  remarked  by  Hon.  J;u 
MacManus,  one  of  his  students,  his  great  strength 
of  mind,  common  sense  and  quickness  of  appre- 
hension enabled  him  tn  grasp  the  main  points  of 
a  case,  and  with  a  vigorous  step  and  a  stately 
march  he  would  clear  away  the  rubbish  of  techni- 
cality, caring  only  for  the  justice  of  the  cause  be- 
fore him.  Mr.  MacManus  relates  that  upon  the 
occasion  of  some  eminent  visitor  arriving  at  the 
judge's  house  in  Belief  on  te,  Mrs.  Burnside  sent 
Mr.  MacManus  fi  >r  the  Judge,  who  was  holding 
court  at  Lewi-town.  It  was  late  in  the  week, 
and  a  canal  case  to  try.  but  the  Judge  asked  the 
lawyers  to  continue  the  case  to  oblige  him.  They 
replied  that  the  case  was  important,  and  the  wit- 
nesses from  a  distance.  "Well  then,  goon;  I 
will  try  it  for  you, "  said  Judge  Burnside.  Taking 
a  little  time  to  t^et  the  facts  accurately,  he  drove 
the  case  through  and  charged  the  jury,  and  was 
ready  by  the  time  lie  had  tixed  upon  to  go  home, 
and,  what  was  remarkable,  his  opinion  was  the 
only  one  sustained  of  sevei  a!  whii  li  went  up  fr<  >m 
different  districts  the  canal  pas  ed  through,  in- 
volving precisi  1\   similar  <]iirsi  ii  mis  of  law. 

judge  Burnside  took  a  di  p  oil  livel)  inter- 
est in  all  public  enterprises  of  the  day — turn- 
pikes, canals,  railroads  anil  there  are  few  pub- 
lic improvements,  whether  in  his  own  immediate 
neighborhood,  or  in  more  remote  portions  of  the 

State,   which  d t  owe  much  of  their  success  to 

his  exertions  and  influence,  ff  ever  he  was  biased 
on  the  Bench,  it  was  b)  delaj  caused  by  i 
or  tumults  obstructing  their  progress  even  tem- 
porarily. The  late  Judge  A  S,  Wi  I  to 
relate  an  anecdote  in  point  :  "  I  was  concerned, 
when  at  the  Bar,  for  a  poor  Irishman,  who  with 
others  had  been  Convicted  of  a  not  on  the  canal 
near  Lewistown;  to  my  utter  surprise  he  was 
called  up  with  the  rest  for  sentence.  'Why'  I 
remonstrated  with  the  Court,  'the  evidence 
shows  clearly  my  client  was  on  the  other  side  o) 
the  river  when  the  riot  took  place.'  '  It  don't 
matter,'  said  fudge  Burnside,  'if  he  could  hi 
gotten  out  he  would  have  been  in  it.-' 

In  person,  the  judge  was  of  medium  height, 
had  prominent  nose  and  eyes,  dark  complexion, 
and  was  rather  noted  for  want  of  comeliness  of 
features.  His  kindness  and  blunt  honesty  m 
ample  amends  (or  his  lack  ol  personal  beauty. 
In  the  language  of  Mr  MacManus,  the  "  judicial 
ermine  was  as  unspotted  when  he  laid  it  aside  for 


the  habiliments  of  the  grave  as  when  he  first  put 
it  on."  judge  Burnside  died  at  the  residence  of 
his  son-in-law,  Mr.  E.  Morris,  in  Germantown, 
March  25,  1857,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his 
age.  Hi-  hist  wife,  Mary  Fleming),  died  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1  Si  3,  at  the  early  a^e  of  twenty-eight. 
II,  1    children    were:       Mrs.     Harvey    Mann,    of 

in.;  Spring;  Mrs.  Mary  Morris,  and  the  late 
Hon.  |ames  Burnside.  By  his  second  wife, 
Ellen  (Winters),  he  also   had  children  now  resid- 

11  Bellefonte:  Miss  Lucy  Burnside,  Thomas 
Burnside  and  Mrs.  Frances  Boal.  Mrs.  Ellen 
W.  Burnside  died  in  Bellefonte,  June  3,  1859, 
aged  seventy-three  years,  eight  months  and 
seventeen  days. 


HON  [AMES  T.  HALE  (deceased),  formerly 
of  Bellefonte,  was  one  of  Centre  county's 
able  men.  He  was  a  native  of  Bradford  county, 
Penn  .  born  October  14,  1S10,  and  lived  with  his 
parents  on  a  farm,  working  thereon,  and  at  inter- 
vals attending  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood, 
until  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  his 
father  died,  and,  he  being  the  eldest  son,  the 
support  of  the  family  was  chiefly  thrown  upon 
him.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  be<  him  the  clerk  in  the  prothonotary's  office 
at  Towanda.  He  then  entered  upon  the  study 
of  the  law  under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  Elias 
W  Hale,  of  Lewistown,  l'enn..  and  on  February 
28,  1832,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  that  place. 
In  1835  he  removed  to  Bellefonte,  whereon  May 
6  of  that  \ear.  he  married  Miss  Jane  W.  Huston, 
daughter  of  Hon  (  holes  Huston,  associate  jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
continued  Ins  practice  in  the  courts  of  Mifflin 
county,  and  also  attended  the  courts  in  the  coun- 
t it  s  of  Clearfield  and  Clinton.  He  was  en- 
gaged  in  the  trial  of  all  the  principal  causes  tried 
in  the  several  courts  for  many  years,  until  April 
10,  1851,  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  what  aft- 
erward became  the  Twenty-fifth  Judicial  District, 
whereof  he  was  appointed  pn  iident  judge  by 
Gov.  Johnston.  He  presided  in  the  several  courts 
of  the  district  until  December  1,  1851,  when  his 
commission  expired,  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
the  Hon.  Alexander  Jordan.  He  occupied  the 
h  hut  a  short  time,  but  during  that  brief 
period  d  luous  duties  of  president 

judge  with  such  promptness,  dispatch,  ability, 
and  impartiality,  that  he  achieved  such  popularity 
and  renown  as  a  clear-headed  and  excellent  jud 

I    by    men    who    occupy   the 
Bench  for  longer  terms.      After  retiring  from  the 
-umed  his  profession,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  about  1856,  when  he  had  become  so 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


27 


largely  engaged  in  other  enterprises  that  he  was, 
to  a  great  extent,  obliged  to  abandon  the  active 
duties  of  the  profession.  Having  become  inter- 
ested as  part  owner  in  a  large  body  of  ti  mber  and 
coal  lands  in  the  counties  of  Cambria,  Centre 
and  Clearfield,  known  as  the  Philips  estate,  whose 
value,  development  and  availability  depended 
chiefly  upon  railroad  communication,  he  embarked 
his  means,  industry,  energy  and  financial  skill  in 
the  building  of  the  Tyrone  &  Clearfield  railroad. 
In  1856,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  com- 
pany, and  continued  in  that  position  until  i860. 
During  that  period,  notwithstanding  the  financial 
crisis  of  1857,  through  his  indomitable  energy 
and  enterprise,  industry  and  financial  ability,  and 
the  application  of  his  own  means,  the  road  was, 
through  much  difficulty  and  many  embarrass- 
ments, graded  and  so  far  advanced  toward 
completion  that  it  was  in  a  year  or  two  afterward 
finished  and  equipped  and  put  in  running  order; 
and  that  important  branch  and  feeder  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Central  railroad  opened  up  and  made 
available  the  rich  timber  and  mineral  wealth  of 
parts  of  Cambria,  Centre  and  Clearfield  counties. 

In  politics  Judge  Hale  was  an  ardent  Whig 
and  high-tariff  man.  When  the  Whig  party 
passed  out  of  existence  he  united  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  in  1858  was  elected  to  the 
XXXVIth  Congress  from  the  Eighteenth  District, 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Mifflin,  Centre,  Clin- 
ton, Lycoming,  Potter  and  Tioga.  He  was  re- 
elected in  i860,  from  the  same  district,  to  the 
XXXVIIth  Congress.  In  1862  he  ran  as  an  in- 
dependent candidate,  and  was  again  elected  over 
his  competitor,  the  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Armstrong, 
the  regular  Republican  nominee.  At  the  close 
of  the  session  on  March  4,  1865,  he  took  his  family 
to  Philadelphia,  where,  after  attending  to  some 
private  business,  he  left  them,  and  returned  to 
Belief onte,  and  at  once  engaged  in  piofessional 
work,  tried  several  cases  at  a  special  court  held 
by  his  honor.  Judge  Pearson,  and,  though  not 
being  well,  he  argued  a  cause  with  great  force 
and  ability  on  March  31.  The  day  following  he 
was  quite  sick,  and  continued  growing  worse 
until  the  following  Thursday  evening,  April  6, 
1865,  when  he  died. 

Judge  Hale  was  an  upright  man,  kind  friend 
and  generous  neighbor.  From  his  first  entry 
into  Centre  county,  he  was  a  consistent  friend  of 
the  temperance  cause,  and  the  first  to  advocate 
publicly  the  passage  of  laws  to  prohibit  the  man- 
ufacture and  sale  of  liquor  as  a  beverage.  He 
possessed  a  bright  intellect,  a  remarkably  tena- 
cious memory  (never  forgot  a  legal  principle  or 
a  reported  case  he  had  read),  and  an  intuitive 
knowledge  of  the  law,  was  quick  in  his  percep- 


tive power,  always  ready,  and  as  it  has  been 
said  of  him,  "was  a  lawyer  without  a  book  or 
an  office. "  In  the  trial  of  causes  he  was  cool 
and  calm,  amiable  and  scarcely  ever  ruffled  in 
temper,  or  disconcerted  by  any  turn  the  case 
might  take,  and  by  his  commanding  presence, 
pleasing  address,  persuasive  manner,  simple  but 
forcible  diction,  and,  withal,  sound  argument,  he 
was  sure  to  carry  the  court  and  jury  with  him. 
He  was  a  member  and  vestryman  and  prominent 
in  the  councils  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  His 
wife  and  five  children  survive  him.  The  widow 
and  three  sons,  Capt.  Charles  Huston,  James 
T.,  Jr.,  and  George  Natt  have  all  since  died. 
His  daughter  Lucy,  intermarried  with  Rev. 
George  G.  Field,  and  Ellen,  intermarried  with 
N.  H.  Stone,  still  survive  and  reside  at  Coats- 
ville,  in  Chester  county. 


MON.  JAMES  BURNSIDE  (deceased)  was  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  born  in  Bellefonte, 
Penn.,  February  22,  1807.  He  was  the  eldest 
son  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Burnside.  In  1824  he 
was  a  stude'nt  at  the  Bellefonte  Academy,  and  in 
1828  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  at  Dick- 
inson College.  His  study  of  law  was  prosecuted 
in  his  father's  office.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  November,  1830,  by  the  court  over  which 
his  father  presided,  and  at  once  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  under  the  same  stern 
and  impartial  regime.  In  October,  1844,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Lower'  House  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature,  and  re-elected  in  1845. 
While  in  that  position  he  gave  proof  of  great 
ability.  His  speech,  February  3,  1846,  upon  an 
amendment  which  he  proposed  to  the  State  Con- 
stitution in  favor  of  biennial  sessions  of  the  Leg- 
islature, was  a  particularly  able  effort.  When  the 
Twenty-fifth  Judicial  District  was  formed,  Gov- 
ernor Bigler  commissioned  him  its  judge,  April 
20,  1853,  and  in  October  he  was  elected  without 
opposition  to  the  same  office.  He  was  eminently 
distinguished  on  the  Bench  for  his  calm  impar- 
tiality, yet  off  of  it  he  was  a  lenient  citizen  and 
indulgent  friend.  In  his  private  relations  he  dis- 
played many  qualities  of  head  and  heart  which 
endeared  him  to  his  friends  and  the  people. 
Had  he  lived,  higher  honors  were  apparently  in 
store  for  him;  but,  with  only  half  of  his  years  of 
usefulness  expended,  he  was  called  suddenly 
away.  He  was  instantly  killed  by  being  thrown 
from  a  buggy  July  1,  1859,  leaving  a  widow 
(since  deceased),  a  daughter  and  two  sons — S. 
Cameron  and  Thomas.  His  wife  was  Rachel 
(daughter  of  Hon.  Simon  Cameron),  whom  he 
married  June  2,  1846. 


28 


COMVI  U<U:.\T1VE  BIOORAPniCAL  RECORD. 


WILLIAM    P.   Ill  MKS  has  descended  from 
a  family  that  has  been  identified  with  the 
interest  "I   Centre   count}  foi    almost  .1  century. 

Hamilton  II  bis  grandfather,  was  born 

in  Lancaster  county.  Penn.,  January  7,  1784,  and 
removed  to  Bellefonte  in  the  spring  of  1810.  On 
April  i,  1  s  1 9,  he  succeeded  R  T.  Stewart 
postmaster  at  Bellefonte,  receiving  his  appoint- 
ment from  Return  |  Meigs,  postmaster-general 
under  President  Monroe,  ami  held  that  office 
until  January,  1833,  under  General  Jackson, 
when  lie  met  the  fate  of  Jackson's  opponents  in 
removal  from  office.  His  physical  and  mental 
organization  eminently  qualified  him  to  be< 
a  useful  and  enterpri  Me  established 

a  large  mercantile  business,  built  mills,  and 
among  other  pursuits  was  that  of  the  manufact- 
ure of  paper  at  Bellefonte,  on  which  the  Centre 
Democrat  was   printed    I  His  attention 

to   business,  his  skill,  and   his  fidelity  to   his  en- 

ements  secured  public  confidence.  He  was  a 
great  friend  and  patron  of  young  men;  kind  to 
the  indigent  and  unfortunate;  thej  never  called 
upon  his  benevolence  in  vain.  He  connected 
himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  an  early 
age,  gave  liberally  to  its  support,  and  served  ac- 
ceptably as  an  elder  for  many  years  before  Ins 
death,  which  occurred  I  bruary  28,  1859.  He 
was  a  mosl  devoted  friend  of  his  pastor,  Rev. 
James  Linn,  who  preached  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  for  over  fifty  years,  and  both  families 
were  intimately  connected.  He  married  Ann 
Elmira  Bailey,  who  was  a  most  excellent  Chris- 
tian lady,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Penn., 
born  September  28,  1784,  and  died  in  Belle- 
fonte, March  31,  1862.  Their  children  were: 
James  Humes,  who  died  in  infancy;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth McClure,  of  Lewisburg;  Mrs  Rachel 
Humes,  of  Jersey  Shore;  W  11  Humes,  of 
Bellefonte;  Miss  <  .iroline  Humes,  of  Bellefonte; 
and  Edward  <  Humes  (fathei  oi  our  subject), 
who  died  March  28,  1895,  and  who  survived  all 
the  othei  children.  Hamilton  Humes  and  his 
wde  were  related  to  and  connet  ted  with  Lancas- 
tei  county's # mosl  prominent  families,  with  only 
a  few  of  their  descendants  still  living. 

Edward  C.  Hi  mes  had  been  connected  with 
the  business  interests  <>f  (  entre  county  from  the 
very  beginning  of  the  century  He  was  one  of 
Bellefonte's  most  prominent  business  men,  and 
in  business  he  was  eminently  successful  His 
birth  occurred  at  Bellefonte,  August  23,  1810 
He  received  his  education  at  the  Bellefonte 
Academy,  then  under  the  principalship  of  Alfred 
Armstrong,  and  latei  at  Dickinson  (  ollege,  Car- 
li  le,  Penn.,  and  when  the   lattei  was  still  under 


control  of  the  Presbyterian   Church,  from  which 

itution  he  was  graduated  in  1829.  After 
clerking  for  a  short  time  for  his  father,  the  two 
became  associated  under  the  firm  name  of  H. 
Humes  &  Son,  and  afterward  (with  John  Ton- 
ner),  E.  C.  Humes&Co.,  and  later  on  (with  Will- 
iam H.  Humi  Humes  &  Brother.  In  1846, 
in  connection  with  the  late  Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin, 
Hon.  H.  X.  McAllister  and  Hon.  James  T.  Hale, 
E.  C.  Humes  established  the  banking  house  of 
Humes,  McAllister,  Hale  lN:  Co..  to  which  he 
gave  all  of  his  attention,  and  which  soon  ob- 
tained a  first-class  credit  in  the  State.  On  June 
S,  1864,  this  institution  was  merged  into  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Bellefonte,  of  which  Mr. 
Humes  became  president,  and  so  remained  for 
many  years,  or  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  is  said  to  have  been  the 
oldest  National  Bank  president  in  the  United 
States.  Under  his  able  management,  this  latter 
institution  was  also  most  successful,  and  on  ac- 
count of  the  prominence  of  Mr.  Humes,  as  well  as 
ol  the  se\  eral  gentlemen  referred  to  (associated 
with  him),  the  bank  always  sustained  a  high  rep- 
utation, both  at  home  and  abroad.  Besides  his 
interests  and  connection  with  this  bank,  of  which 
he  was  from  its  beginning  also  a  director  and 
,t  stockholder,  he  was  a  director  and  stock- 
In  ilder  of  the  Centre  County  Banking  Co.,  at 
Bellefonte,  as  well  as  having  other  large    busi- 

-  connections  through  the  State.  He  was 
generally  acknowledged,  in  business  circles,  to 
be  a  most  safe  counselor  and  adviser,  and  those 
having  large  means,  as  well  as  those  in  moderate 
circumstances  frequently  confided  in  him,  and  to 
them  he  was  always  ready  and  willing  to  give 
his  best  judgment  and  experience.  He  was  par- 
ticularly kind  and  thoughtful  in  his  home  life, 
and  what  was  to  the  happiness  of  his  family  was 
the  oftener  adding  to  his  own  pleasure.  (  M  Mr 
II nines'  life  nothing  discreditable  has  ever  been 
He  wasa  man  whose  close  attention  to  busi- 
ness made  him  almost  a  stranger  in  political  ami 
social  spheres,  but  his  home  was  always  the  most 
hospitable,  and   where   his  many  friends  alwi 

ived  a  most  cordial  welcome.  Although  a 
Republican,  he  had  kind  feelings  toward  those 
of  anj  other  political  party,  and  particularly  so 
when  feeling  and  knowing  the  sincerity  "f  their 
convictions.  He  was  connected  with  tin;  Presby- 
terian Church,  "I  which  he  was  a  lifelong  mem- 
ber, an  honored  ruling  elder  for  main  years,  and 
was  a  laree  giver  I"  its  support,       He  was   recog- 

d  as  a  in. in  ol  probity  and  earnestness. 

He  w.i,  nevei    given   t<>    self-laudation,    and    his 

i     intimate    acquaintances    never    knew    "t 


T/feA>ri£J 


;^?4^w4^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


29 


his  many  kindnesses  to  those  in  need  of  his  helping 
hand.  He  has  been  sadly  missed  in  Bellefonte 
by  the  many  beneficiaries  of  his  bounty,  and  the 
simple  perfectness  of  his  straightforward  life  will 
keep  his  memory  bright  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  knew  him. 

On  December  7,  1843,  Edward  C.  Humes 
was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Alexander  (born  August 
4,  181 1),  a  niece  of  Mrs.  William  W.  Potter,  and 
three  children  were  born  to  this  union,  two  of 
whom  are  living:  William  P.  and  Miss  Miley; 
Hamilton,  the  younger,  died  March  21.  1892. 
Mrs.  Humes  died  February  18,  1886,  aged  sixty- 
nine  years.  She  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  most  gentle-hearted, 
generous  and  in  every  way  excellent  Christian 
lady.  In  her  death  the  Church  was  deprived  of 
a  stanch  friend  and  supporter.  Mrs.  Humes  was 
connected  with  some  very  prominent  families. 
Her  maternal  grandfather,  William  Winters, 
came  from  Berks  county  in  1778,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  now  within  the  city  limits  of  Williams- 
port,  this  State.  He  was  twice  married;  his  first 
wife  was  Ann  Boone,  a  sister  of  Col.  Daniel 
Boone  of  Kentucky.  The  eldest  daughter,  Han- 
nah, by  his  first  wife  married  Thomas  Lincoln, 
the  grandfather  of  President  Lincoln,  and  shortly 
before  his  death,  Lincoln  (who  was  killed  by  the 
Indians)  visited  William  Winters  at  his  home, 
now  Williamsport,  and  John  Winters,  his  brother- 
in-law,  returned  to  Kentucky  with  him,  whither 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  removed,  after  his  marriage, 
from  Virginia,  John  being  deputed  to  look  after 
some  lands  taken  up  by  Col.  Boone  and  his 
father.  The  second  wife  of  William  Winters  was 
Ellen  Campbell,  whom  he  married  in  1774. 
Mr.  Winters  died  in  1794,  and  his  widow  resided 
where  Williamsport  now  is,  where  she  remained 
and  reared  her  children  as  follows:  Mary  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  Huston,  who  adorned 
the  Bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania. 
Ellen  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Burnside,  a 
member  of  Congress,  judge  of  common  pleas, 
and  a  justice  of  the  supreme  court.  Sarah  be- 
came the  wife  of  Benjamin  Harris,  of  Williams- 
port. Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Alexander,  of  Williamsport.  Lucy  became  the 
wife  of  Hon.  William  W.  Potter,  a  leading  pol- 
itician of  Centre  county,  who  died  a  member  of 
Congress;  he  was  the  son  of  Gen.  James  Potter, 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Centre  county. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Potter  in  1838,  the 
widow  resided  at  Bellefonte.  and  after  the  mar- 
riage of  her  niece  to  Edward  C.  Humes,  made 
her  home  with  them  the  rest  of  her  lifetime. 
She  was  married  in  18 16,  and  died  May  30, 
1875,  at   the   ripe   old   age  of  nearly  eighty-five 


years.  Her  character  was  a  very  decided  one, 
perceiving  the  right  course  to  pursue  and  never 
swerving  therefrom.  A  consistent  Christian,  and 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  more 
than  half  a  century.  She  had  no  children  of  her 
own,  and  so  fixed  upon  herself  the  affections  of 
the  children  of  her  niece,  to  which  during  her 
life  she  was  an  always  present,  ready  and  willing 
friend  and  ally. 

William  P.  Humes,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Bellefonte  September  21, 
1  844.  He  received  his  education  in  the  academy 
at  Bellefonte  and  at  Pennsylvania  State  College, 
returning  from  the  latter  to  Bellefonte  the  first 
year  of  the  Civil  war,  where,  after  assisting  in 
closing  up  the  business  of  E.  C.  Humes  &  Bro.. 
he  became  connected  with  what  was  more  gen- 
erally known  as  Humes,  McAllister,  Hale  &  Co.. 
private  bankers,  composed  of  E.  C.  Humes,  H.  N. 
McAllister,  James  T.  Hale  and  A.  G.  Curtin, 
which  bank  later  became  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Bellefonte  (our  subject's  father  being  the  hon- 
ored president),  with  which  institution  William 
P.  Humes  has  through  all  the  intervening  years 
been  associated.  He  is  a  director  in  the  bank 
and  also  a  large  stockholder.  Enterprising  and 
progressive  in  business  lines,  Mr.  Humes  sustains 
the  reputation  secured  by  his  father  and  grand- 
father in  the  community  in  which  they  so  long  fig- 
ured in  business  affairs,  and  in  which  they  so  long 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  all.  He  is  of  a  diffident, 
unassuming  and  retiring  disposition,  very  gener- 
ous and  most  kind  to  those  in  need;  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  is  one  of  its  ablest 
supporters;  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican;  socially, 
a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  Phila- 
delphia, as  well  as  of  several  other  organizations. 

On  December  27,  1877,  Mr.  Humes  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eliza  D. ,  daughter  of  James  D.  and 
M.  A.  Harris,  and  to  this  union  was  born  a  daugh- 
ter, Lucy  Hamilton,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
months.  Mrs.  Humes  died  July  1,  1881,  in  the 
forty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  She,  too,  was  a 
most  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  devotedly  attached  to  its  welfare; 
was  most  charitable  and  kind  to  all,  and  her  sud- 
den death,  which  brought  such  a  shock  and  so 
much  sorrow  to  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  her, 
caused  a  gloom  over  the  whole  community.  She 
was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  deceased:  James,  who  died  quite 
young,  with  Mrs.  T.  M.  Potter  and  Mrs.  Eliza  D. 
Humes;  those  living  are:  Mrs.  Nancy  D.  Orbi- 
son,  Mrs.  Jane  H.  Sommerville,  and  Mrs.  Louisa 
H.  Hoy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris,  father  and  mother  of 
Mrs.  Humes,  were   among   the  early   settlers  of 


BO 


(  OMMBMOHATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ly  identified  with 
and    connected   with    it^    most    prominent 
families.      They  were  both  most  worthy  members 
"I    tii'     Presbyterian    (  hurch,    Mr.     Harris    also 
having  served  as  a   mo  I  I    ruling  elder  in 

this  (  hurch.      Mr  Han  -  li  d  I   sbruary  26,  1842, 
almi  Mrs     Harris,    wh 

<le. nh  occurred  February  1.   1  > I5  1 . 


*OV.    DANIEL    II.    HAM  [NGS.      The  life 
T   histor}    ol    I  )aniel  I  lartman   I  [astings, 
ernoroi  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvai 
oof  be  '  ply  impressed   upon  tbo  minds  of 

the-  aspirin-    youth    "I    to-day.       It  would    be    dif- 

ficult  to  imagine  a  less  promising  environment 
than  that  in  which  were  spenl  the  early  years  of 
this  distinguished  orator,  lawyer,  soldier,  finan- 
cier and  statesman. 

William  Hastings,  bis  father,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, and,  1  after  marriage  with  a  native 
of  Scotland,  left  bis  home  in  Counts-  Deny,  lie- 
land,  to  come  to  1!  e  New  World,  settling  in  [832 
in  what  is  now  Clinton  county,  near  Ins  father, 
who  bad  preceded  him  to  America.  The  Penn- 
sylvania canal  was  then  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, and  Georj  I  tings,  tbe  grandlather  of 
the  sub j eel  of  this  notice,  having  obtained  a  con- 
tract  for  the  construction  of  a  section  of  it,  his 
father  worked  upon  it  as  a  laborer  foi  some  tune, 
but  afterward  found  employment  as  a  (arm  h 
Neithei  parent  bad  been  given  educational  ad- 
vantages even  of  a  rudimentary  sort — and  their 
logcabin,  two  miles  from  Salona,  could  be  sup- 
plied with  but  bunted  COmfurtS  on  their  meagre 
income  of  fifty  cents  a  day.  Nine  children 
shared  its  shelter  and  tbe  1  parents'  love,  and 
/ernor  Hastings,  who  first  saw  tbe  light  there 
Februarj  J'..  1849,  doubtless  owes  much  of  bis 
pra<  tical   1  ommi  m   s<  nse   to  the   lessons  learni  d 

amid  the  1  lose  1 mi<  s  and  stei  n  realities 

poor    man's    home.      He    was    named    for    Rev. 
Daniel  1 1, Htm. in,  a  vi  nerable    minister  of  tbe  M 
E.  Church,  to  whom  tie  ; ol  bis  namesake 

w.<>  a  source  ol  joy  and  pride.  The  public 
schools  ol  thai  day  and  locality  were  not  of  the 
best,  but  tbe  in  [uired  to  place  tbe  bright 

bo\     under    more    suitable   ti  ould    not    be 

spared    from    tbe    slendei    |  tbe   pan 

Mr.  George  Hopson,  of  Farrandsville,  however, 
nerously  made  provision  for  his  attendance  at 
a  select  school  taught  by  Miss  Mary  A.  Crosby. 
Through  her  cue  and  influence  he  acquired  a 
fair  knowledge  ol  tbe  English  branches,  but  at 
an  early  age  In-  was  obliged  to  leave  school  in 
oid.  1  to  assist  in  thi  [gaining a  livelihood. 

When  the  Civil  wai  broke  out  bis  elder  brothers 


took  up  arm  ;   nion,  and  young 

as  be  was  tbe  future  governor  showed  his  mar- 
tial spirit  by  running  away  repeatedly  from  bis 
home  with  int.  nt  to  enlist  in  some  fighting  regi- 
ment. On  bis  first  attempt  he  succeeded  in 
Lock  Haven,  and  on  the  second  he 
made  Ins  way  to  Williamsp  ort ;  but  each  time  he 
was  captured  and  taken  home.  The  third  time 
be  reached  Carlisle,  had  actually  donned  the  un- 
iform  of  a  private  soldier,  and  was  rejoicing  in 
tbe  attainment  of  bis  wish  when  his  father  again 
appeared,  and  the  boy  s.  >rrow  lulls  returned  to  tbe 
Nittany  Valley  farm,  and  resumed  lbs  distasteful 
tod  with  the  hoe  an. I  the  plow. 

In  tbe  winter  of  1863,  a  school  in  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  became  vacant  through 
the  appointment  of  its  teacher,  Col.  W.  W.  S. 
Snodely,  as  county  superintendent.  Although 
but  fourteen  years  old  tbe  future  governor  de- 
termined to  apply  for  the  place  and,  borrowings 
dollar,  he  trudged  eighteen  miles  through  the 
snow  on  a  wintry  day,  and  secured  a  promise  of 
appointment  should  he  pass  tbe  examination. 
He  walk  back  to  Lock  Haven  on  the  same  day, 
gained  the  required  certificate,  and  the  next 
morning  walked  to  the  school  in  time  to  open 
the  day's  session.  His  dollar  had  been  spent, 
however,  and  during  this  first  trying  day  in  his 
new  sphere  he  had  nothing  to  eat.  His  success 
in  tbe  school  made  further  employment  easy  to 
obtain,  and  for  some  years  his  winters  were 
-p-nt  in  teaching,  while  in  the  vacation  he  as- 
sisted  his  father  as  before.  His  evenings  were 
devoti  .1  to  study,  and  -  1  rapidly  did  he  progress 
in  learning  and  in  professional  skill  that  in  1867 
be  was  elected  principal  of  the  Bellefonte  Acad- 
emy, and  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
ol  Bellefonte,  his  duties  including  the  oversight 
of  all  the  schools  in  the  borough.  While  then 
he  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  Latin  and  Greek 
with  Prof.  W.  II.  Murray,  of  the  Kpiscopa! 
School,  as  a  tutor.  From  1867  to  1875  Gov. 
Hastings  ti  I  led  the  position  of  principal  with 
marked  success,  and  during  two  years  of  this 
period  he  displayed  conspicuous  ability  in  jour- 
nalism as  assistant  editor  of  the  Bellefonte  Re- 
publican. B)  some  means  known  only  to  him- 
self he  also  found  time  to  read  law,  and  on  April 
1S75,  was  admitti   I  t  1  the  Bar.      Hebecame 

nee  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bush,  Yocum  \ 
Hastings,  which  continued  until  tbe  withdrawal 
ol  Mr  Bush  in  1X77,  when  the  firm  name  of 
Yocum  &  Hastings  wasadopted.  In  1878,  when 
Mi.  Yocum  was  elected  to  Congress,  anew  part- 
1  ei  was  taken,  and  the  business  continued  under 
the  name  of  Hastings  &  Reeder. 

In  tbe  meantime  our  subject  bad  married  (in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


31 


1877)  Miss  Jane  Armstrong  Rankin,  daughter  of 
James  H.  Rankin,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  the  senior  member  of  the  Centre  County 
Bar.  His  success  in  his  profession  and  his  grow- 
ing reputation  as  an  orator  brought  him  into 
prominence  in  public  life,  and  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  then  burgess  of 
Bellefonte,  trustee  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
trustee  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  of 
Dickinson  College  at  Carlisle,  and  of  other  edu- 
cational institutions.  In  July,  1877,  the  Penn- 
sylvania National  Guard  was  called  out  to  sup- 
press the  well-remembered  riots,  and  at  Gen. 
Beaver's  request  our  subject  accompanied  the 
command  to  Altoona  as  an  aid  on  the  General's 
staff.  His  long-suppressed  inclination  for  mili- 
tary life  made  this  opportunity  a  welcome  one, 
and  his  energy  and  ability  quickly  attracted  at- 
tention. In  July,  1877,  he  was  appointed  a  cap- 
tain in  the  5th  Regiment;  in  March,  1878,  he 
was  elected  and  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  5th.  In  June,  1883,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  adjutant-general  of  the  2d  Brigade, 
and  in  March,  1884,  he  was  elected  colonel  of 
the  5th  Regiment,  which  in  the  annual  inspec- 
tion of  1886  achieved  the  highest  standing  of  any 
in  the  State. 

So  capable  did  he  prove  himself  in  military 
affairs,  that  he  was  offered  the  appointment  of 
adjutant-general  of  the  State,  and  in  January, 
1887,  he  resigned  the  colonelcy  to  take  this 
wider  sphere  of  responsibility,  in  which  he  won 
new  laurels.  At  the  time  of  the  division  en- 
campment at  Mt.  Gretna,  in  18S7,  when  Gen. 
Sheridan  reviewed  the  eight  thousand  guardsmen, 
the  sight  of  the  long  ranks  of  infantry  in  perfect 
alignment,  each  soldier  equipped  as  for  actual 
warlare  with  uniform  and  accoutrements  com- 
plete, and  the  cavalry  and  batteries  following  in 
like  perfection  of  detail,  the  hero  of  Winchester 
was  heard  to  say,  "that  looks  more  like  business 
than  anything  I  have  seen  in  this  country  since 
the  disbandment  of  the  army  at  Washington  in 
1865."  To  the  united  energies  and  vigilance  of 
Gens.  Hartranft  and  Hastings  this  success  was 
attributed,  and  the  National  Guard  had  cause  on 
this  and  other  occasions  to  note  Gen.  Hastings' 
zeal  and  efficiency.  He  was  appointed  with 
Gen.  Hartranft  and  others  upon  a  commission  to 
revise  the  military  code,  and  rendered  excellent 
service  in  the  preparation  of  the  bill  under  which 
the  militia  has  since  been  given  increased  strength 
and  effectiveness. 

An  ardent  Republican  from  his  youth  up, 
Gov.  Hastings  has  always  taken  deep  interest  in 
politics,  and,  fitted  as  he  was  by  nature  and 
training  for  usefulness  in  that  field,  it  is  not  sur- 


prising that  he  was  early  called  to  take  an  active 
place  in  the  front  rank  of  workers.  His  first 
triumph  was  as  a  manager  of  the  Congressional 
campaign  of  1878,  when  his  partner,  Seth  H. 
Yocum,  was  a  candidate.  The  task  was  no  light 
one,  as  the  Democratic  majority  usually  reached 
3,000;  but  through  shrewd  and  tactful  manage- 
ment Mr.  Yocum  was  elected,  defeating  ex-Gov- 
ernor Andrew  G.  Curtin.  In  1882,  during  Gen. 
Beaver's  campaign  for  the  office  of  governor, 
Gen.  Hastings,  as  a  personal  friend  and  political 
sympathizer,  supported  him  with  untiring  energy. 
In  no  wise  disheartened  by  the  defeat  of  that 
year,  he  presented  Gen.  Beaver's  name  to  the 
State  Convention  of  1S86  for  renomination,  and 
succeeded  in  having  justice  done  to  a  brave  and 
generous  man  against  whom  misrepresentation 
and  prejudice  had  temporarily  prevailed.  In 
18S7  Gov.  Hastings  was  chairman  of  the  State 
Convention  which  nominated  Henry  W.  Williams 
for  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  William  B. 
Hart  for  State  Treasurer.  In  Pennsylvania  his 
power  as  an  orator  had  long  been  known,  but  it 
was  not  until  the  Republican  National  Convention 
of  1888  that  the  country  learned  of  his  ability. 
Hon.  John  Sherman  was  Pennsylvania's  choice 
for  President,  and  Gov.  Hastings,  who  was  pres- 
ent as  a  delegate-at-large,  was  elected  to  bring 
the  name  of  that  candidate  before  the  conven- 
tion. It  was  a  time,  a  place,  a  theme,  to  arouse 
our  spokesman  to  do  his  best,  and  in  his  half- 
hour  address  he  gained  a  national  reputation, 
and  the  newspapers  throughout  the  land  paid 
tribute  to  his  brilliancy  and  charm  as  an  orator. 
"Gath  "  telegraphed  to  the  Chicago  Tribune  that 
day:  "  Sherman  was  best  put  in  the  field.  The 
Pennsylvania  man  who  lives  in  the  little  mount- 
ain town  of  Bellefonte  made  the  best  speech 
which  has  been  heard  at  this  display.  It  was 
worthy  of  being  the  party  platform.  Hastings, 
who  made  it,  they  say  will  some  day  be  heard 
in  the  Senate  or  run  for  governor." 

Murat  Halstead,  of  the  Cincinnati  Commer- 
cial-Gazette, wrote  in  his  paper:  "As  to  the 
reception  of  the  presentation  of  nomination  there 
was  no  marked  preference  shown  for  any  candi- 
date until  the  splendid  oration  of  Gen.  Hastings, 
of  Pennsylvania,  nominating  Sherman.  Then 
things  took  a  more  decided  shape.  Gen.  Hast- 
ings has  a  magnificent  appearance  and  delivery, 
and  his  superb  ringing  sentences  fell  one  after 
another,  bright  as  new  coin,  each  word  clear  as 
a  bugle  note;  the  mighty  multitude  felt  the  magic 
of  oratory,  of  a  man  speaking  worthily  on  a  great 
occasion.  There  never  was  a  finer  speech  made 
on  such  an  occasion,  and  I  remember  Ingersoll's 
nomination  of  Blaine  at  Cincinnati.      Gen.  Hast- 


VMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mgs  walks  up  at  once  to  a  place  among  the  few 
ol  our  public  speaker-;.'  His  success  made  so 
deep  an  impression  that  he  was  called  upon  by 
the  presiding  officer  to  take  the  chair  for  the  day, 
.iik)  was  also  invited  to  second  the  nomination  of 
Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton  for  the  Vice- Presidency. 
As  may  be   supposed   be  was  il  popular 

orator  of  the  campaign  of  that  year,  and  he  did 
noble  service  in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Penn- 
sylvania, Indiana,  Ohio  and  Michigan,  contribut- 
ing greatly  to  the  success  of  the  cause.  The  in- 
fluence thus  gained  lias  been  strengthened  and 
widened  in  succeeding  campaigns,  and  in  the 
memorable  struggle  of  1896  his  rare  gifts  were 
■  It  voted  with  supreme  energy  to  the  task  of  up- 
holding his  country's  honor  and  integrity. 

These  and  similar  triumphs  won  admiration. 
It  remains  to  mention  a  time  when  Gov.  Hastings 
won  also  the  love  of  every  kindly  heart.  The 
story  of  the  Johnstown  disaster  followed,  as  the 
weeks  passed,  by  the  story  of  rescue  and  rest 
tion  under  the  guidance  of  the  clear  brain,  1 

and  sympathetic  heart  of  the  man  who  took 
rge  of  that  scene  of  desolation.  On  the  fate- 
ful day  of  May  31,  [889,  Gen.  Hastings  was  at 
Hastings,  a  flourishing  town  in  Cambria  county, 
named  in  his  honor,  looking  after  the  extensive 
coal- mining  operal -  there  in  which  he  is  inter- 
ested in  partnership  with  <.  >.  Beaver,  Robert 
Coleman  and  ("ol.  J.  L.  Spangler.  During  the 
mght  news  came  of  the  frightful  devastation  in 
the  valley  of  the  Conemaugh,  and  with  the  break 
of  day  Gen.  Hastings  started  with  Col.  Spangler 
to  drive  over  flooded  roads  and  'broken  brid 
to  Johnstown,  where  they  arrived  at  4  P.  M.  He 
lost  no  time  in  telegraphing  to  Gov.  Beaver  for 
supplies,  and  then  he  took  off  his  coat  and  bent 
his  energies  to  the  work  of  relief.  His  executive 
ability  and  forceful  character,  no  less  than  his 
official  rank,  indicated  the  man  for  the  hour,  and 
by  general  consent  he  assumed  tb    |  al  imm- 

inent of  affairs,  and  as  has  been  said  won  "by 
his  uniform  kindness  and  33  mpathetic  actions  the 
gratitude   of  his   fellow   citizens   throughout   the 
State."     The  surviving  inhabitants  of  the  stricken 
city  gave  a  public   recognition   of  his  great  work 
on  the  evening  of  July   1  3,  [889,  when  the  Gov- 
ernor took  his  leave  ol  the  place,  and  the  sold 
o|    the  G.  A.  R.  manifested  the   appreciation  of 
his  soldierly  qualities   bj    presenting  a  badgi 
their  order  beautifully  set  with   diamonds,  claim 
ing  thai  by  his  gallant  and  faithful  service  011  thai 
field  of  death   and   living   agony  he  had   proven 
himself  a  worth]  le. 

Pennsj  Kan  irned   to  look  to  this 

tion  foi    In  st  1  [ass  gubernatorial  timber,  and  the 
supply  furnished  in  the  past   has  abundant!) 


tified  that  confidence.  What  more  natural  than 
that  this  distinguished  son  should  be  called  upon 
to  administer  to  the  affairs  of  the  State!  The 
story  of  his  election  in  1894  by  the  largest  ma- 
jority ever  given  in  Pennsylvania  to  the  head  of 
the  State  ticket  need  not  be  retold  here.  Since 
January  15,  1895,  Gov.  Hastings  has  rilled  his 
high  office  in  a  manner  to  disarm  criticism,  and 
his  steadily  increasing  fame  points  to  yet  more  ad- 
vanced posts  of  duty. 

In  the  words  of  one  who  knows  him  well: 
"As  a  citizen  he  is  clever,  generous  and  univer- 
sally popular,  and  in  thorough  and  complete  sym- 
pathy with  the  people.  No  one  hesitates  to  ask 
him  a  favor,  for  his  disposition  is  gentle  and  oblig- 
ing. Entertaining  and  agreeable  in  conversation, 
he  is  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth,  and  exemplary 
in  the  discharge  of  all  his  social  duties.  His 
practical  acquaintance  and  thorough  sympathy 
with  all  that  concerns  the  public  welfare,  his 
readiness  to  respond  to  every  just  call  upon  him 
as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man  at  whatever  sacrifice, 
have  had  a  thorough  public  test,  and  the  whole 
career  of  his  life  affords  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation.  Nothing  but  the  louder  cry  of  his 
country  ever  came  in  conflict  with  his  duty  to  his 
nts,  as  a  teacher  he  was  painstaking,  con- 
siderate and  successful;  as  a  lawyer  he  brings  to 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  honesty  and  earnest- 
ness of  purpose,  commendable  zeal  and  energy, 
good  judgment,  strong  convictions  of  duty  and 
great  knowledge  of  the  law.  In  official  position 
he  has  been  equal  to  every  emergency  that  arose, 
and  in  all  cases  brought  great  credit  to  the  offices 
he  has  thus  far  been  intrusted  with. 


GEORGE  W.  ATHERTON,  LL.  I>  .  Presi 
dent  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  -'as 
born  in  Boxford,  Essex  Co.,  Mass.,  June  20, 
[837.  The  Atherton  family  came  to  New  Mug- 
land  between  [620  and  1630.  The  name  was 
one  of  the  most  honorable  in  the  early  history  of 
Massachusetts,  one  of  its  members,  Maj.-Gen. 
Humphrey  Atherton,  being  to  the  Massachusetts 
ay  what  Miles  Standish  was  to  the  Plymouth 
Colony.  This  family  was  a  branch  of  the  old 
1.  whose  seat  is  still  at  Leigh,  neai 
Manchester,  England. 

At  tin  age  of  twelve  years,  the  subject  ol  this 
sketch  was  left,  by  the  loss  of  his  father,  to  earn 
his  own  living,  and  to  contribute  in  part  to  the 
support  of  a   mother  and  two  sisters.     Circum- 

ices  thus  early  developed  the  indomitable  will 
and  tenacity  of  purpose  which  have  been  his 
leading  chara  3  in  later   life.      By  work  in 

a  cottfln-mill.  on  a  farm,  and,  later,  by  teaching, 


' 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


33 


he  made  his  way  through  Phillips  Exeter  Acad- 
emy, and  in  the  fall  of  i860  entered  the  sopho- 
more class  of  Yale  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1863.  Meantime  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  had  temporarily  diverted  him  from  his 
single  and  absorbing  purpose  of  obtaining  a  col- 
legiate education.  On  the  recommendation  of 
President  Woolsey  and  other  friends,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  first  lieutenancy  in  the  10th  Con- 
necticut Volunteers,  which  formed  a  part  of  the 
Burnside  expedition  against  North  Carolina.  He 
was  constantly  on  duty  in  all  the  preliminary  op- 
erations of  the  expedition,  and  was  in  command 
of  his  company  through  the  battles  of  Roanoke 
Island  and  Newbern,  his  captain  having  been 
wounded  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  former  en- 
gagement. After  the  battle  of  Newbern,  he  was 
promoted  to  a  captaincy,  was  engaged  for  some 
months  in  camp  and  outpost  duty  at  Newbern, 
afterward  took  part  in  the  movement  under  Du- 
Pont  and  Hunter  from  Hilton  Head,  South  Caro- 
lina (to  which  his  regiment  had  been  transferred), 
against  Charleston.  The  part  assigned  to  the 
land  forces  in  the  movement  was  to  take  posses- 
sion of  Seabrook's  Island,  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  the  mouth  of  the  Edisto  river  as  a  ren- 
dezvous for  the  ironclads.  The  immediate  land- 
ing was  effected  without  resistance.  The  confi- 
dence of  his  superior  officers  was  shown  at  this 
time  by  the  fact  that  Capt.  Atherton  with  his 
company  was  detached  from  the  main  body  and 
ordered  to  make  an  independent  reconnoissance 
up  the  western  side  of  the  Island,  without  guides, 
in  a  strange  country  known  to  be  occupied  by 
the  enemy,  with  instructions  to  rejoin  the  main 
body  at  the  upper  end.  This  duty  he  performed 
in  a  way  that  secured  the  warm  approval  of  his 
superior  officers.  The  next  four  or  five  months 
were  passed  in  camp  and  out-post  duty  in  the 
constant  presence  of  the  enemy,  but  with  no  par- 
ticular incident  except  occasional  reconnoissance 
and  skirmishes.  He  was  repeatedly  detailed  as 
judge  advocate  of  regimental  and  brigade  courts- 
martial.  Meanwhile  Capt.  Atherton  had  passed 
through  one  period  of  protracted,  and  nearly 
fatal,  illness,  and  found  his  health  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  so  much  impaired  that  this  consid- 
eration, coupled  with  the  apparent  prospect  of  a 
long  period  of  useless  inactivity,  led  him  to  offer 
his  resignation.  The  step  was  taken  with  the 
greatest  reluctance,  and  only  after  consultation 
with  his  colonel  and  chaplain  and  other  trusted 
friends  in  the  regiment,  and  notwithstanding  the 
assured  prospect  of  early  promotion. 

After   several    months    of    recuperation,    our 
subject  was  appointed  to  a  professorship  in  the 

Albany   Boys'  Academy,    one  of   the  best  fitting 
3 


schools  in  the  country,  in  which  he  had  taught 
before  entering  college.  During  the  succeeding 
years,  while  continuing  his  teaching,  he  com- 
pleted the  branches  of  study  which  he  had 
omitted  during  his  absence  in  the  army.  In 
June,  1864,  he  returned  to  New  Haven,  passed 
examination  in  those  subjects,  and,  as  a  special 
recognition  of  his  standing  in  college  and  the  oc- 
casion of  his  absence,  received  his  degree  (B.  A.) 
to  date  back  with  his  own  class  of  1863.  Dur- 
ing the  next  three  years  he  continued  teaching  in 
Albany,  and  then  accepted  a  professorship  in  St. 
John's  College,  Annapolis,  Md.,  where  he  also 
acted  as  principal  nearly  the  entire  year,  in  the 
absence  of  Dr.  Henry  Barnard.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  he  left  Annapolis,  and  became  a  member 
of  the  first  Faculty  of  the  Illinois  State  University, 
which  was  opened  for  students  in  1868,  with  the 
Hon.  John  M.  Gregory  as  regent.  Here  his 
work  and  relations  were  of  the  most  congenial 
kind;  but  before  the  close  of  his  first  year  of 
service  he  accepted  a  very  Mattering  and  urgently 
repeated  offer  of  the  newly-established  chair  of 
History,  Political  Economy  and  Constitutional 
Law  in  Rutgers  College,  New  Brunswick,  N.  |. 
He  occupied  this  chair  nearly  fourteen  years. 
During  these  fourteen  years  he  not  only  vigor- 
ously maintained  the  professional  work  of  the 
class-room,  but  was  active  in  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  general  work  and  interests  of  the  in- 
stitution, as  well  as  in  a  great  variety  of  other 
and  more  public  duties,  such  as  lectures,  ad- 
dresses, newspaper  work,  etc.  In  1873.  he  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  visitors  to  the  United 
States  Naval  Academy.  In  1875,  he  was  ap- 
pointed, by  President  Grant,  a  member  of  the 
Commission  to  investigate  charges  of  mismanage- 
ment and  fraud  at  the  Red  Cloud  Indian  Agency. 
The  charges  were,  at  the  time,  a  matter  of  great 
public  notoriety,  but  the  work  of  investigation 
was  so  thoroughly  done,  and  the  report  submitted 
to  the  President  so  conclusive,  that  the  House  of 
Representatives,  which  during  the  succeeding 
winter  made  a  point  of  investigating  every  branch 
of  the  government  service,  made  no  attempt  to 
traverse  the  conclusions  of  this  Commission. 

In  1876,  greatly  against  his  wishes,  but  in 
obedience  to  what  seemed  a  call  of  duty  from 
many  who  were  interested  in  promoting  purer 
politics,  he  accepted  the  Republican  nomination 
for  Congress,  in  a  district  having  a  very  large 
majority  for  the  opposite  party.  His  defeat  fol- 
lowed as  a  matter  of  course,  though  he  ran  ahead 
of  the  Presidential  ticket  at  almost  every  polling 
place,  and  his  vigorous  canvass  of  the  district 
elicited  the  highest  praise  on  account  of  his  un- 
compromising    advocacy    of     honest    money     as 


34 


00MM1  VORATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


against  the  green-back    folly  then   prevalent 
civil  service  reform  tem, 

and  of  the  purity  <>f  the  ballot  a  rup- 

tion  in  the  North,  and   fraud  and  vi  i  the 

South.      In  1878,  hi  'Mis- 

sion, compo!  ■   I   'i   i;\  ■   1   '  inted  1>> 

Governor  of  N  .  to  prepare  and 

to  the  l  1  "l   the 

State   system   of   taxation.      During   tin 
the   nature  of   his  |  mal    studies,   and    his 

widening  interest  in  public  q  l<-d   him  to 

take  up  the  study  ol  lav  He  was  admitted  to 
the  New  |ersey  Bar,  me  time 

as  consulting  attorney,  but  without  relinquishing 
his  Coll  p.      All    '  :  ied  act- 

ivities he  regarded  as  subsidiary  to  his  principal 
work  as  a  teach  tide  of  young  men.    Him- 

self an  ardent  believ<  t  in  one  school  of  political 
opinion,  he  scrupulously  avoided  everything  like 
partisanship  in  the  teachings  of  the  lecture- room, 
endca\onng  only  to  instil  a  high  sense  of  the  re- 
sponsibilities and  privileges  of  citizenship,  and 
especially  of  the  public  duties  of  educated  men; 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  his  prac- 
tical experience  of  affairs  which  gave  that  l 
and  effectiveness  to  his  influence  in  the  class- 
room, o|  which  his  students  speak  with  warmth 
and  gratitude.  The  scientific  department  of 
Rul  •  had  received   from   the   I  egisla- 

ture  of  New  Jersej  the  benefits  of  the  United 
Stat  ;  Land  Grant  Act,  of  1862,  and  his  connec- 
tion with  the  institution  naturally  led  him  to  an 
examination  of  the  provisions  and  the  underlying 
principles  of  that  legislation  He  became  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  it  was  not  onlj  a  measure 
of  far-reaching  wisdom  as  a  provision  for  higher 
public  education,  but  that  it  was  peculiarly  in 
keeping  with  the  genius  of  our  system  of  institu- 
tions. 

An  unsuccessful  effort  made  in  Congress  in 
the  winter  of  1872  73,  by  Senator  Morrill,  of 
Vermont,  the  author  of  the  original  measure,  to 
increase  the  endowment   ol   the  coll  tab- 

lished  under  that  Act,  led  Prof.  Atherton  to 
make  a  careful  study  of  the  results  already  ac- 
mplished  by  it.  These  results  he  presented  in 
a  paper  read  In-fore  the  National  Education  As- 
sociation at  its  meeting  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  in  the 
summer  ol  1873.  There  had  been  no  previous 
attempt  to  make  So  systematic  an  inquiry,  and 
the  array  of  facts  showing  what  the  colleges  had 
already  accomplished  in  the  short  time  since 
their  establishment  was  a  surprise  to  friends  and 
opponents  alike.  It  was  shown  that  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  I  tnd  <  .rant  had  on  the  whole  been 
wisely  managed,  and  that  the  spirit  of  thi 
Congress  had  been  promptly  met    by  the    action 


towns,  and  private  individu- 
al  which  nearly   live  millions   of 

.irs  had  been  already  received  in  grants  and 
gifts,   for  the  purpose  of  supplementing  the  funds 

apart    by    the    United    States.      This  address 
>f    an   active    interest   in    the 
subject  of  government  support  for  higher  educa- 
tion which  has  given   direction   to   all    his  subse- 

nt  work,  and  there  has  since  been  no  Con- 
il  legislation  in  the  shaping  and  securing 
of  which  he  has  not  taken  an  active  and  influen- 
tial part.  The  well-known  Act  of  1887,  provid- 
ing for  the  establishment  of  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Stations  in  connection  with  the  Land  Giant 
Colleges  in  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  under 
which  fifty  principal  and  several  subordinate  sta- 
tions are  now  in  operation,  is  probably  more 
largelv  indebted  to  him  for  its  passage  than  to 
any  other  single  individual  outside  of  Congress. 
While  he  would  be  the  last  to  detract  from  the 
credit  due  to  the  efforts  of  others,  it  is  the  sim- 
ple truth  to  say  that,  in  the  midst  of  the  numer- 
ous and  widespread  agencies  which  were  set  in 
operation  in  behalf  of  that  important  measure, 
his  leadership  was  freely  recognized  by  all  who 
had  part  in  securing  it.  The  passage  of  this  Act 
was  followed  by  the  organization  of  an  Associa- 
tion, including  in  its  membership  all  these  Col- 
leges and  Experiment  Stations,  which  at  once 
took  rank  as  one  of  the  most  influential  bodies  of 
educational  and  scientific  workers  in  the  United 
States.  This  Association,  known  as  "The 
American  Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges 
and  Experiment  Stations."  chose  Dr.  Atherton 
as  its  first  president.  In  1890,  Congress  passed 
a  third  Act  intended  to  strengthen  the  educa- 
tional work  of  the  Land  Grant  Colleges,  in  dis- 
tinction   from    the    work   of  experiment    and    re- 

rch  which  has  been  especially  provided  for  by 
the  Act  of  1887.  In  promoting  the  passage  of 
this  measure,  also,  Dr.  Atherton  rendered  im- 
portant service. 

Meantime,  in  the  summer  of  1882,  he  re- 
ceived  and  finally  accepted  a  call  to  the  Presi- 
deuev  oi  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  one  of 
the  Land  Grant  Institutions.  After  having  re- 
ceived the  income  of  the  Land  Grant  Act  for  fif- 
teen years,  the  institution  had  less  than  one  hun- 
dred students,  a  meagre  equipment,  with  a  pub- 

sentiment  either  hostile  or  indifferent,  and 
tins,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  its  Faculty  and 

rd  of  Trustees  had  in  ver  been  without  strong 
and  able  men.  The  task  of  building  it  up  and 
making  it  worthy  of  so  rich  and  powerful  a  Com- 
monwealth as  Pennsylvania  seemed  almost  a 
hopeless  one,  but  to  tins  task  Dr.  Atherton  de- 
vote!   himself    with    a    courage    and  enthusiasm 


COMMEMORATIVE  BWG  UAPIIKA  I.   RECORD. 


35 


which  astonished  even  his  friends,  and  the  spirit 
of  which  was  in  itself  an  inspiration  to  others. 
At  the  end  of  ten  years  the  results  have  been 
greater  than  the  most  sanguine  friends  of  the 
College  had  dared  to  anticipate.  A  total  change 
in  public  sentiment  has  shown  itself  in  a  steady 
increase  in  the  number  of  students,  and  the  ap- 
propriation of  nearly  four  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars by  the  Legislature  has  given  the  College  a 
substantial  equipment  of  the  buildings  and  ap- 
paratus required  for  its  work.  The  foundations 
of  future  growth  have  been  laid  on  so  broad  and 
comprehensive  lines  that  it  is  rapidly  taking  a 
place  among  the  leading  technical  institutions  of 
the  country.  In  1883,  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall College.  In  1887,  he  was  appointed,  by 
the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  chairman  of  a 
Commission  created  by  authority  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  State  to  make  inquiry  and  report 
upon  the  practicability  of  introducing  manual 
training  into  the  public-school  system.  The  re- 
port of  this  commission  has  been  widely  recog- 
nized in  this  country  and  in  Europe  as  the  most 
complete  single  presentation  of  the  subject  pub- 
lished up  to  that  date.  At  sixty  years  of  age, 
after  a  life  filled  to  an  unusual  degree  with  exact- 
ing labors,  it  may  still  be  said  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  as  Cecil  said  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
"he  can  toil  terribly,"  and,  like  Raleigh,  he  pos- 
sesses the  extraordinary  mental  grasp  and  breadth 
of  intellectual  interests  and  sympathies  which 
render  him  an  equally  congenial  companion  to 
men  of  letters  and  men  of  affairs. 


T^HE  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE 
is,  as  its  name  implies,  a  State  and  not  a 
denominational  institution.  It  is  situated  in  the 
small  village  of  State  College,  in  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  healthful  localities  of  central 
Pennsylvania.  Practically  surrounded  by  mount- 
ains, with  Nittany  on  the  east,  Tussey  on  the 
south,  and  Muncy  on  the  north,  it  is,  as  the  poet 
says  of  Lake  Constance,  ' '  girt  round  with  rugged 
mountains,"  yet  the  rugged  mountainous  view  is 
relieved  by  the  more  restful  and  peaceful  beauty 
of  the  foot-hills  and  lowlands,  forming  a  well- 
contrasted  panorama  of  natural  scenery.  The 
college  campus  of  sixty  acres,  containing  the 
numerous  college  buildings  and  professors'  resi- 
dences, is  artistically  laid  out  with  drives,  ave- 
nues and  walks,  with  here  and  there  a  secluded 
bower  or  romantic  walk,  and  well  merits  the  title 
of  the  ideal  college  campus  so  often  bestowed. 

The  College  is  one  of  the  so-called  land  grant 
colleges,  established  under  the  Act  of  Congress  of 


July,  1862.  The  section  of  the  Act  relating 
directly  to  the  character  of  the  work  to  be  pur- 
sued by  the  institution  reads:  "The  leading 
object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific 
and  classical  studies,  and  including  military  tac- 
tics, to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are 
related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  in 
such  a  manner  as  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
may  prescribe,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal 
and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  class  in 
the  several  pursuits  and  professions  of  life." 
The  State  Legislature  accepted  this  Act  of  Con- 
gress, and  further  "  pledged  the  faith  of  the  State 
to  carry  it  into  effect."  The  College  was  opened 
in  1859  as  a  school  for  instruction  in  practical 
agriculture.  An  active  movement  in  this  direc- 
tion had  begun  several  years  earlier,  and  had  en- 
listed the  enthusiastic  support  of  some  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
State,  among  them  Hon.  Frederick  Watts,  of 
Carlisle,  and  Hon.  Hugh  N.  McAllister,  of  Belle- 
fonte.  After  prolonged  consideration  of  the  vari- 
ous plans  presented,  a  charter  was  secured  in 
1855,  superseding  one  granted  the  previous 
year,  and  two  officers  of  the  State  and  twelve 
other  gentlemen  were  constituted  a  Board  of 
Trustees.  There  was  thought  to  be  at  that  time 
a  considerable  prejudice  among  farmers  against 
the  word  "  College,"  and,  for  that  reason,  as 
subsequently  explained,  the  institution  was  called 
The  Farmer's  High  School  of  Pennsylvania. 
Donations  of  land  as  a  site  for  the  institution 
were  offered  in  several  parts  of  the  State  and, 
after  a  very  careful  examination,  the  Board  ac- 
cepted the  gift  of  200  acres  in  Centre  county 
from  Gen.  James  Irvin,  to  which  they  soon  after- 
ward added,  by  purchase,  200  acres  more.  For 
the  purpose  of  providing  the  necessary  funds  for 
erecting  and  equipping  buildings,  the  State  Agri- 
cultural Society  gave  $10,000,  the  trustees  raised 
$25,000  by  subscription,  and  the  Legislature  in 
1857  appropriated  $25,000,  absolutely,  and  $25,- 
000  more  on  condition  that  a  similar  amount 
should  be  raised  by  private  subscription,  which 
was  done.  In  1861,  the  Legislature  made  an 
additional  appropriation  of  $49,900,  for  the  com- 
pletion of  buildings,  though  the  institution  had 
been  opened  February  20,  1859,  with  such  ac- 
commodations as  were  then  available. 

The  first  president  of  the  school  was  Dr. 
Evan  Pugh,  who  had  become  deeply  imbued  with 
the  fundamental  conceptions  underlying  modern 
methods  of  teaching  the  applied  sciences.  He 
had  studied  in  Germany  at  a  time  when  very  few 
American  students  went  abroad  for  that  purpose, 
and  had  spent  several  months  at  Rothamstead. 
England,  working  under  the  direction  of  Messrs. 


86 


OOMMEMORA  11  VE  BI0QRAPHICA1    RECORD. 


Lawes  and  Gilbert.      He  entered   upon  this  work 
here  with  great  energ}    and  enthusiasm,  and  1 
scheme  of  instruction  was  put  upon  a  college  ba- 
sis from  the  beginning.      Dr.  Pugh  stated  in  i 
that  "  the  school,  on  being  d,  adopted  a 

course  of  instructions  in  mathematics  and  the  nat- 
ural sciences  more  extensive  than  that  in  any 
agricultural  college-  in  Eun  pe,  required  corres- 
pondingly longer  time  for  graduation,  and  that 
the  trustees  only  awaited  the  time  in  which  they 
would  be  able  to  complete  its  buildings  to  change 
its  name."  Accordingly  in  1862  the  name  was 
changed  to  ' '  The  Agricultural  College  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." From  1855  to  [867  the  sum  of  $99,900 
was  the  total  amount  given  to  the  institution  by 
th.  Legislature,  and  the  entire  amount  was  ex- 
pended in  the  erection  of  the  original  building; 
hut.  owing  to  the  great  advance  in  the  cost  of 
building  material,  occasioned  by  the  war  which 
broke  out  in  1861,  the  resources  at  the  disposal 
of  the  trustees  proved  inadequate  to  complete  tin 
one  main  building,  and  the  I  legislature,  bv  an  act 
approved  April  11,  1866,  authorized  them  to 
borrow  $So.OOO  and  secure  the  same  by  a  mort- 
gage. The  institution  had  no  endowment  and  no 
source  of  revenue  except  the  fees  of  students. 
and  the  attempt  to  make  such  an  institution  self- 
supporting  failed  as  it  has  everywhere  and  always 
failed       Since   [873  it  has   ri  m  income  of 

$30,000  annually   from  the    1  nited   States  fund. 
In  1878  tin    I  egislature  provided  for  the  payment 
of  the  debt  of  the  $So,000,   which    it   had  authoi- 
I  twelve  years  before,  and   that  sum  is  the  total 

amount  given  by  the  State  t, ,  the  College  betw 
1867  and  1  887,  exci  pi  an  appropriation  of  $3,000 
made  for  the  erection  of  a  bain  on  one  of  the  ex- 
perimental farms.  From  1857  to  1887,  a  period 
of  thirty  years,  the  State  appropriated  a  total 
amount  of  $179,900  for  the  erection  of  the  mam 
building  and  $3,000  for  the  erection  of  a  barn. 
It  is  doubtless  true  that  the  institution  during  that 
period  largi  ly  failed  to  satisfythe  public  expecta- 
tion. It  is  also  true  that  from  the  passage  of  the 
Act  of  [867  until  iSS;  the  Legislature  of  the  Stat. 
was    din  ponsible   for   its    administration, 

bin  I  and  tiit.rt  nplaints 

from  time  to   time,   it    took    no    step    I  tain 

an. I     supply     the     needs    Ol     the     institution,    and 

to   feel    no  responsibility  for  the  proper 

execution  of  the  trust  which  it  had  assumed.      In 

1874,  in  recognition  of  the  fact   that  the  Law  of 

igress  in  ■    widened    th.-   scope    "l   its 

work,  tl  -    th.'    institution    was    again 

I,   and    it    has   since   been     known    as    The 

nsylvania  State  College.      In    1887  the  State 

n  a  new  era   in   its   dealings  with  the 

College.       \11  the  work  ol  the  institution  was  then 


carried  on.  as  it  had  been  from  the  first,  in  the 
one  original  building,  except  that  a  small  frame 
building  for  mechanical  work  had  been  erected 
three  years  before  All  the  lecture  rooms,  labora- 
tories, dormitories,  society  halls,  boarding  club, 
armory,  chapel,  library,  and  everything  else  re- 
quired for  the  work  of  the  institution,  besides  five 
families  of  professors,  were  crowded  together  1111- 
dei  that  single  roof.  In  the  meantime  other 
States  had  taken  active  and  continuous  steps,  and 
made  large  appropriations  for  carrying  out  the 
Congressional  Act,  and  leading  men,  in  our  Leg- 
islature and  elsewhere  throughout  the  Common- 
wealth, felt  that  Pennsylvania  had  too  long  disre- 
garded her  own  interests  as  well  as  the  obliga- 
tions she  had  assumed  toward  the  United  States. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  recall  the  long  and  not  very 
agreeable  record  from  1867  to  1887,  during  which 
tin  College  maintained  a  difficult  struggle  for  ex- 
istence. It  is  easy  now  to  see  that  a  different 
policy  on  the  part  of  the  State  might  have  brought 
about  different  results  during  that  period;  but 
that  ha>  become  a  part  of  ancient  history  In 
1887  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  was  called 
to  the  situation,  and  the  sentiment  became  gen 
that  if  Pennsylvania  was  to  maintain  a  Stat, 
institution,  it  should  be  kept  up  at  least  to  the 
standard  of  her  penal  and  reformatory  and  charita- 
ble institutions;  and,  after  a  careful  and  detailed 
examination,  $112,000  was  appropriated  with  a 
view  to  beginning  the  work  of  reconstruction  and 
placing  the  institution  on  a  footing  that  would  be 

litable  to  Pennsylvania,  and  in  keeping  with 
what  other  progressive  States  were  doing  for 
their  institutions  which  had  been  established  in 
ol  in.,  with  the  same  Act  of  Congress.  The 
total  amount  then  and  since  appropriated  up  to 
1895  inclusive  was:  Buildings  $303,  500;  repairs. 
improvements  and  insurance,  $36,220;  equip- 
ment, $102,200;  maintenance.  $38,300;  making 
$480,220.  For  these  recent  expenditures  the 
College  has  buildings  to  show  which  are  worth 
every  dollai  they  cost.  Theyare:  an  armory,  a 
botanical  building,  with  conservatory  and  gri 
houses,  a  chemical  and  physical  building,  with 
lecture  rooms  and  laboratories,  an  experiment 
station   building,  with  offices,    laboratories,  etc., 

ittage  for  the  ladies'  department,  a  residence 
for  the  United  States  military  detail,  a  residence 
for  the  director  of  the  experiment  station,  four 
professor,'  houses,  and  an  engineering  building, 
arranged  for  the  departments  of  civil,  mechanical 
and  mining  engineering,  which  is  believed  to  be 
:  its  purpose  in  the  United  States, 
these,  the  bams  and  outbuildings  on  the 
two  farms  have  been  greatly  enlarged  (one  of  the 
bams    being   entirely   new),  and  a   central    boiler 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOUP. 


37 


house  and  steam  plant  erected  for  heating  all  the 
public  College  buildings,  while  a  smaller  plant 
serves  the  same  purpose  for  all  the  experiment 
station  buildings. 

In  1 88 1,  a  very  important  rearrangement  and 
enlargement  of  courses  of  study  was  made  by  the 
Faculty  and  approved  by  the  Trustees,  which 
may  be  said  to  mark  a  distinct  epoch  in  the  educa- 
tional organization  of  the  College,  and  one  from 
which  may  be  dated  a  new  era  in  its  growth. 
The  substance  of  the  new  scheme  was  specializa- 
tion, in  technical  lines.  A  classical  course  and  a 
general  educational  course,  called  the  "General 
Science  Course"  were  substituted  for  the  three 
previously  maintained  ("Agricultural,"  "Classic- 
al" and  "Scientific")  and  four  Technical  Courses 
added,  viz: — Agriculture,  Chemistry  and  Physics, 
Civil  Engineering,  and  Natural  History.  These 
courses  began  with  the  Junior  year,  all  alike 
being  based  on  the  general  training  given  in  the 
Freshman  and  Sophomore  years.  The  number 
of  full  four-years'  courses  now  organized  is  thir- 
teen, as   follows: 

I.  Classical  Course.  II.  General  Courses: 
A  General  Science  course;  a  Latin  Scientific 
course;  a  course  in  Philosophy.  III.  Technical 
Courses:  A  course  in  Agriculture;  a  course  in 
Biology;  a  course  in  Chemistry;  a  course  in  Civil 
Engineering;  a  course  in  Electrical  Engineering; 
a  course  in  Mathematics;  a  course  in  Mechanical 
Engineering;  a  course  in  Mining  Engineering;  a 
course  in  Physics.  Besides  these  regular  courses, 
there  are  eight  short  courses — four  in  Agriculture, 
one  in  Chemistry,  two  in  Mining,  and  anelement- 
ary  course  in  Mechanics.  The  scheme  was 
necessarily  incomplete,  but,  while  it  has  since 
been  modified  and  enlarged  in  nearly  every  de- 
tail, the  fundamental  principle  of  differentiated 
(rather  than  elective  specialties),  based  on  a 
common  foundation  of  training,  has  been  ever 
since  substantially  maintained,  and  the  growth  of 
the  College  has  followed  along  the  main  lines  of 
the  plan  thus  sketched  out.  In  addition  to  these 
courses  there  exists  the  military  drill  and  disci- 
pline which  furnishes,  as  it  were,  the  brawn  for  the 
healthful  growth  of  the  brain.  The  military  or- 
ganization consists  of  the  entire  student  body  as 
a  battalion,  divided  into  companies,  with  their 
respective  cadet  captains.  All  the  necessary 
territory  for  the  various  military  manoeuvres  is 
readily  afforded  by  the  large  campus,  and  in  win- 
ter the  spacious  armory  is  utilized  as  a  drill  hall. 
The  National  Government  has  furnished  the 
College  with  two  field  pieces  of  modern  pattern, 
and  a  large  number  of  cadet  rifles  similar  to 
those  used  at  West  Point.  By  a  recent  law  of 
the  State,  commissioned  officers  of  the  battalion 


are  eligible    to     appointment    as   brevet   second 
lieutenants  in  the  National  Guard. 

Based  upon  this  broadened  foundation,  the 
special  work  of  the  State  College  is  the  training 
of  youth  in  those  branches  of  learning  which  lie 
at  the  foundation  of  modern  industrial  pursuits. 
In  accordance  with  the  purposes  of  its  founders 
and  the  terms  of  its  original  charter,  it  aims  to 
give  special  and  prominent  attention  to  agricult- 
ure, both  theoretical  and  experimental;  but  it 
also  provides  "a  liberal  and  practical  education" 
in  the  leading  branches  of  mathematical,  natural 
and  physical  science,  in  order  to  prepare  youth 
for  "  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  of  life." 
In  other  words,  while  the  College  is  no  longer 
exclusively  agricultural,  it  is  doing  more  in  the 
direction  of  progressive  and  scientific  agriculture 
than  when  that  was  its  principal  object;  and  at 
the  same  time  it  has  increased  its  subjects  and 
courses  of  study,  and  its  teaching  and  illustrative 
equipment,  to  such  an  extent  that  now,  "with- 
out excluding  classical  studies,"  its  leading  ob- 
ject is  to  teach  the  various  sciences  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  show  their  applications  in  the  more 
important  industries — to  combine  with  every 
branch  of  instruction  such  an  amount  of  actual 
practice  in  the  shop,  the  field  and  the  laboratory 
as  will  serve  to  illustrate  and  apply  the  theory, 
but  without  subordinating  it. 

Dr.  Evan  Pugh  served  as  president  of  the 
college  from  1859  to  1864,  his  death  occurring 
April  29  of  the  latter  year.  He  was  a  profound 
scholar  and  a  man  of  wonderful  intellectual  pow- 
ers. He  spent  six  years  abroad;  he  was  three  or 
four  years  in  Europe  at  the  Universities  of  Leip- 
sic,  Gottingen,  Heidelberg  and,  as  stated  above, 
in  the  laboratories  of  Lawes  and  Gilbert.  Dr. 
Pugh  by  his  scientific  investigations  while  in 
Europe  settled  several  important  scientific  ques- 
tions, and  gained  for  himself  a  world-wide  repu- 
ation  as  a  scholar  and  investigator.  Dr.  Pugh 
was  succeeded  by  William  H.  Allen,  LL.  D.,  of 
Girard  College,  who  served  two  years,  and  re- 
signed to  accept  his  old  position  as  president  of 
Girard  College.  On  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Allen, 
Gen.  John  Frazer,  A.  M.,  professor  of  mathe- 
matics and  astronomy  and  lecturer  on  astron- 
omy, was  elected  president.  President  Frazer 
was  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  to  the  Col- 
lege part  of  the  National  land  grant.  He  re- 
signed his  position  in  1868,  and  was  afterward 
president  of  the  University  of  Kansas,  and  also 
State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  that 
State.  Thomas  H.  Burrows,  LL.  D.,  became 
president  in  December,  186S,  and  died  in  office 
in  1 87 1.  Of  Dr.  Burrows,  J.  P.  McCaskey,  ed- 
itor of  the  Pennsylvania  School  Journal,  said : 


I  0MMRMORAT1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


No    other   man    in    fhe    history    i 
touched  ourcommon-sch  fully, 

or  throughout  us  whole  range  to  such  a  •  Dr.  Bur- 

rowes.     He  put  the  to  working  force  in  lKtt-8;  he 

.  ,|     //,,     /'.  1852,  and 

was  the  fii 
the  Pennsylvania  State  ["i  lation,  and  the  first 

president  ol  the  Lai  inty  Teai  hers"  Institute,*  ailed 

to  both  po  •  the  unanimous  choice  ;i<  the  leading 

it  among  thi  advocati  onbytheState 

and  nl  an  im|  wrote  the 

Pennsylvania   State    Book,  which  we  recall  as  a  readei 

;n    1847,   befon    we  knew   anything  ol  us 
author;  he  wrote  the  Pennsylvania  litecture.which, 

being  supplied  to  all  th<  scl I  sti  cts,  did  much  to  im- 
prove the  plans  ol  school  buildings  and  their  surroundings 
in  1856  and  thereafter;  he  wrote  the  Normal  School  Law  at 
the  request  ol  Hon.  H.  C.  Hickok.whoti  ere  in  the 

present   issue  hool  Journal  the  inl  story 

of  the  origin  of  that  law  of  vital  importance  to  our  educa- 
tional progress;  be  was  called  by  Gov,  Curtin  who  origi- 
u.iii  d  th. 1 1  must  worthy  public  charity  to  organizi 
tern  nf  Soldiers' Orphan  Schools,  which  was  done  with  his 
customary  energy  and  strong  practical  sense;  and  he  died, 
after  thirty  five  % <  arsol  almost  continuous  effort  in  behalf  of 

eral  i  ducation,  at  the  bead  of  the  si  hool  that,  we  believe, 
is  di  ognized  as  the  ial  feature 

which  rounds  out  into  satisfactory  completeness  "ur  Penn- 
sylvania system  ol  public  instruction 

In  March,  1871,  Dr.  (alder,  the  president  of 
Hillsdale  College,  Mich.,  was  chosen  president, 
and  during  his  administration  ladies  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  privileges  ol  the  institution.  Dr. 
I'.ilili-r  resigned  in  1SS0,  and  was  succeeded  by 
President  Shortlidge,  and  the  latter  in  1882  by 
Dr.  George  W.  Atherton,  the  present  executive. 
A  writer  in  referring  to  the  College  in  1894  said: 

I  be  rapid  growth  ol  the  institution  into  a  position  of  na- 
tional prominence  has  taken  place  within  the  last   decade, 
and  lias  been  the  result  of  the  policy  adopted  by  the  present 
executive,  Dr.  George  W.  Atberton.     Previous  to  his  inaugu- 
ration thi  bad  gained  scarcely    a   local   reputation, 
was  1  in  thi  a  retn  igra  ment.     He  im- 
liately  outlined  the  present  courses  ol   ti  work, 
the   degree    ol    success   which  they   have  attained  is 
suit  11 11  nt  evidence  ol  theii  practicability,  and  thedi 
the  times  for  instruction  ol  such  character. 

Referring  to  a   visit  to   the   college   in    1 

tor  J     P.     Mc(  askey   said: 

dent,  Dr.  Atherton,  was  absent  in   attendance 
upon  a  meeting  of  the  A:  >l  lege  Presidents  and 

Professors  then  in  session  al   Swarthmore,  where  he  h 
paper  upon  the  relations  ol  thi  High  -s'  hools  ol  the  State  to 
the  <  utions.     It  was  a  disappointment  not  to 

Bui  what  was  better  still,  we  saw  everywhere  evi- 
dence nl  in-  dr\  otion  to  thi    interests  of  the  < 
where  the  master  hand  in  the  work  thai  has  been  done  and 
is  doing  under  his  administration.    \\  e  heard  also  on  1 
hand  ad]  I    plan,  e 

tive  ability,  tireless  1  nd  unlimited  ca  work. 

Dr.  Alia  Hon,  we  may  add,  is  a  Soldier  a  1    si  holar, 

neof  the  I  lals  awarded  by  Ai  t  of  1 

dun:  illantry  in 

In  an  address  delivered  in  1894,  Wm  Pep- 
per,   M     I).,  LI..  D.,  said: 

I  feel  that  it  is  impossible  to  l<  t  sui  b  a  day  as  this  pass 
without  some  word  ol  tribute,  sin  h  as  I  as  an  outsider  might 
fitly  speak,  of  what  1   Atberton   has  done   foi    this 

place,  and   for  the   I  I  ma.      [*welve   j 

•  had  thirty  four  students  in  thi 
es,  one  building  on  this  campus,  and  a  very    un- 
savory reputation,     fo-day,  after  twelve  short  yeai 


-  administration,  we  see  this  fine  group  of  buildings,  we 

know  there  are  three  hundred  students  in  attendance,  that 

the  curriculum  has  been  enlarged,  and  the  standard  greatly 

i,  and  that   all  over   the   State    thoughtful   men   and 

11  are  turning  their  eyes  to  th  me  where 

is  are  secured. 

Faculty  and  Instructors  in  1897-98  are: 
George  W.  Atherton.  LL.D.,  president,  profes- 
sor  of   political   and  social  science;   William  A. 

khout,  M.  S.,  professor  of  botany  and  horti- 
culture: I.  Thornton  Osmond,  M    S.,  M.  A.,  pro- 

ir  of  physics;  Harriet  A.  McElwain,  M.  A.. 
lady  principal,  professor  of  history;  Louis  E. 
Reber,  M  S.,  professor  of  mechanics  and  me- 
chanical engineering;  William  Frear,  Ph.  D., 
professor  of  agricultural  chemistry;  George  Gil- 
bert Pond,  M.  A.,  Ph.  1).,  professor  of  chemis- 
try; Henry  P.  Armsby,  Ph.  1).,  lecturer  on  stock 
feeding;  Henry  T.  Fernald,  M.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  pro- 
fess" ology;   Benjamin  Gill,  M.  A.,  profes- 

of  Greek  and  Latin;  Magnus  C.  Ihlseng,  E. 
M  ,  (*.  E. ,  Ph.  I).,  professor  of  mining  engi- 
neering and  geology;  John  Price  Jackson,  B.  S.. 
M.  E.,  professor  of  electrical  engineering;  Fred 
E.  Foss,  P>.  S. .  M.  A.,  professor  of  civil  engi- 
neering; Joseph  M.  Willard,  B.  A.,  professor  of 
mathematics;  Fred  Lewis  Pattee,  M.  A.,  profes- 
sor of  English  and  rhetoric;  George  C.  Watson, 
B.  Agr.,    M.  S..  ir  of   agriculture;  Law- 

rence M.  Colfelt,  D  I)  ,  preacher  to  the  College, 
professor  of  ethics;  Martin  G.  Benedict,  M.  A., 
Ph.  I).,  professor  of  pedagogics,  in  charge  of  sub- 
freshman  class;  Daniel  C.  Pearson.  Captain  2d 
Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.,  professor  of  military  science 
and  tactics;  George  C.  Butz,  M.  S.,  assistant 
professor  of  horticulture;  Harry  H.  Stoek,  B.  S., 
E.  M.,  assistant  profess  >r  of  mining  engineering 
and  metallurgy;  Madison  M,  Garver,  B.  S.,  as- 
sistant professor  of  physics;  Franklin  E.  Tuttle, 
M  A ..  I'n  I'  .  i-istant  professor  of  chemistry; 
William  Mas. in  Towle,  B  S  .  issistant  professor 
of  practical  mechanics;  Erwin  W.  Runkle,  M. 
A  .  I'll.  IX,  assistant  professor  of  psychology  and 
ethics;  Joseph  H.  Tudor,  C.  E.,  M  S..  assistant 
professor  of  mathematics;  Thomas  C.  Hopkins, 
M  S.,  M.  A.,  assistant  professor  of  geology;  Carl 
l>    l'elii.  M     \  ■    1  rol    ssor  of   German; 

Harry    K.   Monroe,   M.   A.,  assistant    professor  of 

li-di;  T.  Raymond  Beyer,  B.  S. ,  C.  E.,  as- 
sistant pi  of  civil  engineering;  Charles  1 

mi.  1',.  S.,  assistant  professor  of  machine  de- 
sign; Silvanus  P>.  Newton,  A.  B.,  M.  I).,  director 
of  physical  education;  Anna  E.  Redifer,  instructor 
in  industrial  art  and  design;  Herbert  E.  Dunkle, 
B.  S.,  M.  1.  .  instructor  in  mechanical  drawing; 
John  A.  Hunter,  Jr..  B.  S.,  M  E.,  instructor  in 
ng;  Henr)  A  Lardner,  B.  S., 
1      I       instructoi   •<'  I  engineering;  Harry 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


39 


Hayward,  B.  S. ,  instructor  in  dairy  husbandry; 
John  H.  Leete,  B.A.,  instructor  in  mathematics; 
Irving  L.  Foster,  M.  A. ,  instructor  in  the  romance 
languages;  Francis  J.  Pond,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D.,  in- 
structor in  assaying;  Walter  J.  Keith,  M.  A.,  Ph. 
D..  instructor  in  chemistry;  Paul    B.  Breneman, 

B.  S.,  instructor  in  civil  engineering;  Thomas  H. 
Taliaferro,  C.  E.,  Ph.  D.,  instructor  in  mathe- 
matics; F.  H.  Greenwood,  B.  S.,  instructor  in 
practical  mechanics;  Budd  Frankinfield,  B.  S., 
E.  E. ,  instructor  in  electrical  engineering;  Lloyd 

A.  Reed,  B.  S. ,  assistant  in  the  electrical  labor- 
atories; Warren  P.  Smiley,  B.  S.,  assistant  in  the 
chemical  laboratories. 

Other  Officers — Helen  M.  Bradley,  libra- 
rian; Clara  Dayton  Wyman,  in  charge  of  music; 
Anna  Adams  McDonald,  assistant  librarian. 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. — Of- 
ficers and  Assistants.  The  President  of  the 
College;  Henry  Prentiss  Armsby,  Ph.  U.,  direct- 
or; William  Frear,  Ph.  D.,  vice-director  and 
chemist;  William  A.  Buckhout,  M.  S. ,  botanist; 
George  C.    Butz,    M.  S.,    horticulturist;    George 

C.  Watson,  M.  S.,  agriculturist;  William  C.  Pat- 
terson, superintendent  of  farm;  Miss  Julia  C. 
Gray,  secretary;  William  S.  Sweetser,  B.  S.,  J. 
August  Fries,  Milton  E.  McDonnell,  M.  S., 
Charles  Albert  Browne,  Jr.,  M.  A.,  and  Cassius 
W.  Norris,  assistant  chemists;   Harry   Hayward, 

B.  S.,  instructor  in  dairy  husbandry;  Enos  H. 
Hess,  assistant  to  the  director;  Miss  Minnie 
Edith  Gray,  stenographer. 


J  [JUDGE  ADAM  HOY  (deceased),  late  a  dis- 
j  tinguished  citizen  of  Bellefonte,  and  member 
of  the  Centre  County  Bar,  was  a  native  of 
the  county,  born  in  Spring  township,  September 
6,   1827. 

George  Hoy,  the  grandfather  of  the  Judge, 
came  into  what  is  now  Centre  county,  near  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  a  brother,  Charles,  purchased  (jointly) 
400  acres  of  land,  dividing  it  equally.  His  birth 
occurred  September  10,  1773,  and  his  death  on 
April  16,  1863.  Of  his  twelve  children,  Albt  rt, 
who  married  Magdala  Weckerly,  was  the  father 
of  our  subject.  When  but  four  years  of  age,  the 
latter  was  sent  to  school,  his  first  teacher  being 
George  Padget,  a  noted  teacher  of  sixty  years' 
experience  in  Buffalo  and  Penn's  Valleys,  and 
who  then  held  school  in  Swartz'  school  house, 
on  the  Eckenrode  place,  in  Spring  township. 
In  1 85  1-52  he  attended  the  Mifflinburg  Academy, 
and  from  there  went  to  Airy  View,  near  Perry- 
ville,  to  the  academy  kept  by  David  Wilson.  In 
the  fall  of    1854  he  entered  the  sophomore  class 


in  Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg,  and  was 
graduated  in  1856.  He  read  law  with  the  late 
Hon.  H.  N.  McAllister,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  April  27,  1858.  Upon  the  invitation  of  the 
late  Judge  J.  T.  Hale,  Mr.  Hoy  occupied  a  room 
in  his  law  office,  and  became  more  or  less  asso- 
ciated with  the  Judge  in  his  extensive  business 
up  to  the  death  of  the  latter.  He  was  appointed 
president  judge  of  the  district  in  1883,  by  Gov. 
Puttison,  which  position  he  held  with  great  credit 
until  January,  1885,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Judge  Furst. 

During  the  Civil  war  Judge  Hoy  acted  with 
the  Republican  party,  but  shortly  after  its  ter- 
mination he  joined  the  Democratic  party,  and  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  an  active  and  in- 
fluential member  of  that  party.  In  1873,  and 
again  in  1876,  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Senate, 
but  failed  to  procure  the  nomination.  In  1884 
he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  president 
judge,  but  was  defeated  in  consequence  of  local 
dissensions  and  political  complications  in  the 
Congressional  District.  He  bore  his  defeat  man- 
fully, and  the  faithful  and  earnest  manner  in 
which  he  fulfilled  the  duties  of  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  County  Committee,  to  which  he  was 
elected  the  year  following  his  defeat,  proved  how 
devoted  he  was  to  the  principles  he  espoused, 
and  how  true  to  the  cause  he  advocated.  His 
death  occurred  August  23,  1887.  "Asa  lawyer, 
Judge  Hoy  had  few,  if  any,  superiors  at  the  Bar; 
as  a  judge,  he  was  cool,  fair,  and  fearless,  and 
won  the  respect  of  all  by  the  conscientious,  able 
and  impartial  manner  in  which  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  position;  as  a  citizen,  he  was 
large-hearted,  liberal  and  progressive,  and  as  a 
neighbor,  he  was  kind  and  obliging  to  a  fault. 
He  was  a  consistent  and  active  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  trusty,  good  man; 
one  whose  work  and  actions  in  life  would  make  a 
worthy  example  for  others  to  follow." 

On  December  26th,  1865,  Judge  Hoy  was 
married  to  Miss  Louisa  M.,  daughter  of  the  late 
James  D.  Harris.  He  left,  surviving  him,  his 
widow  and  seven  children,  namely:  Anna  H., 
Mary,  Albert,  Louise,  J.  Harris,  Edward  L.  and 
Randolph  Hale. 


w 


ON.  FREDERICK  KURTZ  was  born  in 
York,  Penn.,  December  28,  1833,  and 
came  from  there  to  Aaronsburg  in  the  fall  of 
1846.  After  conducting  the  Centre  BericJiter  for 
upward  of  ten  years,  he  removed  to  Centre  Hall. 
H>  re  he  established  the  Centre  Reporter  on  the 
1st  of  April,  1868.  From  the  start  Mr.  Kurtz 
conducted  the  business  of    his  office  in  business 


10 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  REt  ORD. 


style,  editing  its  columns  with  \  igor  and  to  the 

i   Ins  part) .  and  diversifying  his 

-matter  with  riginal  matter  than  is 

tained  in  the  majority  ol  inland  journals. 

Success  lias  crowned  his  efforts,  and  the 
Reporter  is  now  one  of  the  I  unty 

and  i-  a  dominant    factor  in  count)  poli- 
Mr.     Kurt/    has   at    all     times    stimulated 
public   enterprise,  and    is  the  embodiment  of  a 
go  ahead  man.       He  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  i  rGen.  James  A    Beaver,  and  re- 
bj  a  largel)    ini  reased  majority, 

1  the  highest  vote  upon  the  Democratic  ticket 
II  lator  was   unsullied,    and 

rendered  him  still  more  popular  among  his  con- 
stituents Among  other  indications  of  this  is  the 
fact  that  at  a  publii    meeting   "I   tin-  citizens  of 

count)  .  irre  party,  held  at  Belle- 

fonte  in  the  winter  of  [8l  rse    in   op] 

sitiontoth  I   monopol)  was  heartily  in- 

dorsed   by    Hon.    H.    N.    McAllister   and    other 
leading  citizens.      It  is  to  the  credit,  too,  ol    Mr 
Kurt/  that  he  was  one  of  the  hardest  and  a 

nest  workers  for  railroad    fa<  ilities  for  Fenn's 
Valley,  devoting  days  and  weeks  canvas 
subscriptions,  and  giving  the  enterprise  continued 
editorial  support,  while  he  was  also  one  of  the 
most  liberal  subscribers  foi  the  stuck 

Mr  Kurt/ always  has  taken  high  ground  in 
support  of  educational  interests,  especiall)  advo- 
cating the  establishment  of  teachers'  institutes, 
and  speaking  on  that  behalf  at  various  points  in 
the  Valley  He  served  some  twelve  years  as  a 
sch'  toi       For  oy  he  was 

president  of  the  joint  cuunc.il  of  the  Lutheran 
charge;  for  about  sixteen  consecutive  years  he- 
has  been  elected  presidi  nl  ol  the  Farmers' Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Co.,  ol  Centre  county,  for  so 
twenty-six  years  has  been  president  of  the  Centre 
Hall  Water  Co. ;  was  chairman  of  the  building 
committee  in  the  erection  of  the  handsome  Lu th- 
in church  building  at  Centre  Hall,  and  for 
nearly  ten  years  has  been  an  elder  in  that 
Soi  iet)  all  of  which  positions  he  has  tilled  with 
< -hai  tic  zeal  and  efficiency.       Centre   Hall 

is  also  indebted  t  o  hi  in  for  the  reconstruction  of 
its  water-works,  and  change  of  the  wooden 
pipes  to  iron  pipes  of  the  1"  Si  modern  style,  and 
he  has  added  to  the   improvement   of   the   town 

II  a  large  roller  flouring-mill  and  five  dwel- 
lings. Moreover,  the  beautiful  little  town  owes 
much  of  its  reputation  abroad  to  the  columns  of 
the  Reporter,  through  which  its  exceedingly 
healthful  location  has  become  far  famed. 

On  January  26,  1861,  Mr.  Kurtz  married  Miss 
Anne  Harter,  who  was  born  September  6,  183S1 
daughter  of  William  Harter,  of  near  Aaronsburg, 


and  children  as  follows  were  born  to  them:  Will- 
iam 1.,  April  12,  1862;  Charles  R. ,  October 
31,   [864,   John   1".  May   23,   1 868;  George  W  . 

h  21,   1874. 


J 


I  DGE  DANIEL  RHOADS  On  one  of  the 
ated  points  adjacent  to  the  mountain 
town  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  the  lit- 
tle burying  ground  of  the  Society  ol  Friends,  in 
which  rest  the  remains  of  "one  of  the  grandest 
characters  that  ever  lived  anywhere,"  those  of 
1 1  iinel  Rhoads,  whose  grave  is  marked  by  a  plain 
granite  slab,  on  which  is  the  simple  inscription: 
■■  Daniel  Rhoads,  born  9th  nth,  25th.  1821, 

Died   3d  month,   I  1  til,   1893." 
ircling  the  inscription  and  climbing  about 
the  stone   are  sprigs  of   ivy,  while  the  family  lot 
is  a  plain  -ward   under  the  shadow  of  one 

of  N  randest  forest  trees;  the  picture  pre- 

sented, suggested,  as  we  stood  by  the  grave,  the 
thought  of  how  like  the  life  and  taste  of  him  who 
1  1  i  a  re 
The  Rhoads  family  is  a  most  historical  and 
interesting  one  in  both  this  and  the  Mother  coun- 
try. For  upward  of  two  hundred  years  the  fam- 
ily have  lived  in  Philadelphia,  the  old  homestead 
now  at  Haddington,  in  the  28th  ward,  being  still 
in  the  possession  ol  the  family,  occupied  by  the 
eighth  generation.  The  progenitor  of  the  family 
here  in  America  was  John  Rhoads  1  ).  who  came 
overborn  Derbyshire,  England,  in  1687.  How- 
previous  to  this  two  of  his  sons — John  (2) 
and  Adam-  had  preceded  him  a  number  of  years, 
being  contemporaries  with  William  Penn.  John 
i)  was  thi  -'11  "t  Sir  Fran<  is  Rodes  II.  whose 
grandfather,  the  tirst  Sir  Francis,  built,  in  1583, 
Barlborough  Hall,  in  Derbyshire,  England,  the 
palatial,  castle-like  home  ol  the  family  Barl- 
borough Hall  is  situated  in  the  parish  of  the 
same  name  in  Derbyshire.  The  village  of  Barl- 
borough  is  on  the  estate  which  is  on  the  verge  of 
the  counts-  southeast  of  Sheffield  ami  northeast 
hesterfield.  James  F.  Pilkington,  in  "Pres- 
ent State  of  Derbyshire,"  1789,  writes: 

Barlborough  II. ill  is  a  handsome  mansion  ol  the  age  ol 
ibeth;  the  inside  h.is  been  modernized,  but  the  prin 
front  retains  its  original  appearance  |siill  the  same  in  I 
having   projecting  bows  terminating  in  octagon  embattled 
turret-,  and  large  transom  windows  with  very  small  pane  - 
in  lead.     In  the  space  between  the  Mr-t  and  second  stories  in 
the   fronts  ol  tl  .ire  busts  of  Sir  Francis 

Rodes  and  Ins  wife  in 

Anna  V.  Bailey,  a  cousin  ol  Daniel  Rhoads, who 
visited  Barlborough  Hall  in  1884,  thus  alluded  to 

the  pi 

'rounds  are  very  picturesque,  noble  trees  scattered 
indgroves  in  the  distance  The  house  is  approached 
■v  beautiful  avenues  "I  limes  <>r  lindens,  a  quarter  of  mile  in 
length,  very  ancient  and  grand-looking  trees.    TheDeRodes 


,': 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


41 


arms  are  over  the  great  front  door,  and  the  forearm  with  the 
oak  branch  and  clusters  of  acorns  beautifully  carved  in  sev- 
eral places  around  the  house.  The  drawing  room,  a  very 
spacious  square  room,  filled  with  paintings,  busts,  portraits, 
etc.,  contains  a  very  magnificent  stone  chimney-piece,  origi- 
nally in  "the  great  chamber;"  it  is  enriched  with  fluted  Doric 
pillars  supporting  statues  of  Justice  and  Religion,  and  coats 
of  arms  and  various  articles  in  bas-relief.  In  this  room  is 
an  immense  stained-glass  window,  very  rich  in  color  and 
design,  divided  in  small,  octagonal  panes,  each  pane  con- 
taining the  name  and  crest  of  the  different  families  with 
whom  the  Rodes  had  intermarried.  There  are  hundreds  of 
old  miniatures  done  on  ivory,  very  antique,  a  magnificent  col- 
lection of  old  china,  said  to  be  the  finest  in  Derbyshire,  con- 
tained in  beautifully  inlaid  antique  cabinets,  also  very  richly 
inlaid  tables.  The  furniture  of  this  room  is  covered  with 
very  old  Gobelin  tapestry,  of  mythological  subjects,  and  the 
curtains  are  of  rich,  wine-colored  velvet,  with  strips  of  tapes- 
try down  the  fronts.  The  buff  coat  and  sword  of  Sir  Francis 
Rodes,  worn  in  the  time  of  Charles  I,  are  preserved  in  this 
house.  They  are  engraved  in  Groses'  Ancient  Armor,  Plate 
XXX  IX,  as  are  also  the  armor,  breast-plates,  helmets,  gaunt- 
lets, sword-proof  coats  of  heavy  chamois  skin,  lances,  spears, 
swords,  etc.,  contained  in  the  great  hall. 

Washington  Irving  writes: 

1  had  been  passing  a  merry  Christmas  in  the  good  old 
style  at  Barlboro'  Hall,  a  venerable  family  mansion  in  Derby- 
shire, and  set  off  to  finish  the  holidays  with  the  hospitable 
proprietor  of  Newstead  Abbey.  A  drive  of  seventeen  miles 
through  a  pleasant  country,  part  of  it  the  storied  region  of 
Sherwood  Forest,  brought  me  to  the  gate  of  Newstead  Park. 
During  my  recent  sojourn  at  Barlboro'  Hall,  on  the  skirts  of 
Derbyshire  and  Yorkshire,  I  had  witnessed  many  of  the  rus- 
tic festivites  peculiar  to  that  joyous  season,  which  have  rashly 
been  pronounced  obsolete  by  those  who  draw  their  experi- 
ence merely  from  city  life.  I  had  seen  the  great  Yule  log 
put  on  the  fire  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  wassail  bowl  sent 
round  brimming  with  its  spicy  beverage.  I  had  heard  carols 
beneath  my  window  by  the  choristers  of  the  neighboring  vil- 
lage, who  went  their  rounds  about  the  ancient  hall  at  mid- 
night, according  to  immemorial  custom.  We  had  mummers 
and  mimers,  too,  with  the  story  of  St.  George  and  the  Dragon, 
and  other  ballads  and  traditional  dialogues,  together  with  the 
famous  old  interlude  of  the  Hobby  Horse,  all  represented 
in  the  ante-chamber  and  servants'  hall  by  rustics  who  inher- 
ited the  custom  and  the  poetry  from  preceding  generations. 

Sir  Francis  Rodes,  the  builder  of  the  Hall, 

was  of  the  eleventh  generation  from  Gerard  De- 

Kodes,  who  lived  during  the  reigns  of   Henry  II, 

Richard  I,  John,  and  Henry  III,  from  all  of  whom 

he  received  great  favors.      Gerard   DeRodes  was 

one  of  the   greater    barons,  the    capital    seat  of 

whose  barony  was   Horn  Castle  in  Lincolnshire. 

It  would  appear  from  the  following  quotation  from 

old  ballads   that  this  family  had    at   one  time  a 

seat  either  in  Scotland,  or  nearer  the  border  than 

Horn  Castle,  Lincolnshire — "The  House  of  the 

Rodes  on  the  Hill :" 

"The  Gordon  then  his  bugle  blew, 
And  said,  'Awa,  awa,' 
This  house  of  the  Rodes  is  a'  in  a  flame; 
1  haud  it's  time  to  g'a." 

Gerard  DeRodes  would  have  been  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Magna  Charta  but  for  his  absence 
as  an  ambassador  to  foreign  ports,  whither  he 
had  been  sent  by  King  John,  March  29,  in  the 
ninth  year  of  his  reign,  1208.  Burke  says  Ger- 
ard DeRodes  was  one  of  the  noble  Armagnac 
family    of    the    ancient    French    nobility.      The 


family  at  Bellefonte  have  a  record  of  their  lineal 
descent  from  generation  to  generation  from  Ger- 
ard DeRodes  along  the  line  of  which  are  inter- 
esting and  historical  characters  prominent  for 
their  ability  and  interesting  from  their  nearness 
to  royalty.  Pictures  of  Barlborough  Hall,  of  the 
old  Philadelphia  homestead,  with  those  of  some 
of  their  occupants,  together  with  family  treasures 
of  "  ve  olden  times"  grace  their  home.  The  or- 
thography of  the  name  has  undergone  a  number 
of  changes. 

One  Samuel  Rhoads  of  the  family  was  mayor 
of  Philadelphia  about  the  year  1765,  and  pre- 
sided as  vice-president  over  the  deliberations  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society  during  the 
absence  of  the  president,  Benjamin  Franklin,  at 
the  court  of  France.  Another  ancestor  of  whom 
1  Daniel  Rhoads  was  a  lineal  descendant  was  John 
Blunston,  a  minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
who  came  frem  Derbyshire,  England,  in  1682, 
and  settled  at  Darby,  near  Philadelphia,  he  being 
"An  Original  Purchaser"  of  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  land,  comprising  several  tracts  of  various 
sizes  situated  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  Delaware  county,  Penn. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Provincial  Assem- 
bly of  Pennsylvania,  and  one  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  receive  William  Penn  on  January 
12,  1683.  He  was  several  times  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly,  being  a  member  for  thirteen  years. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  justices  of  the  Court,  and 
in  1690  a  member  of  the  Council  of  State.  He 
frequently  acted  as  attorney  for  persons  residing 
in  England  who  held  lands  in  this  country.  For 
the  years  I70i-'02-'o3-'o4  and  '05,  he  was  again 
a  member  of  the  Governor's  Council.  William 
H.  Egle,  in  his  "History  of  Pennsylvania,"  in 
speaking  of  him  says:  "he  was  regarded  as  a 
person  of  great  ability  and  probity." 

The  father  of  Daniel  Rhoads  was  Joseph 
Rhoads,  who  was  the  son  of  Adam  and  Sarah 
(Jeanes)  Rhoads.  Joseph  Rhoads  was  born  at 
"the  old  homestead  "  5th  Mo.  2,  1779.  On  1st 
mo.  16,  1806,  at  Friends  Meeting  House,  Rad- 
nor, Penn.,  he  married  Naomi  Thomas,  daughter 
of  Abel  and  Zillah  (Walker)  Thomas.  Joseph 
Rhoads  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  was  active  in  the  anti-slavery 
cause,  being  president  of  the  Delaware  County 
Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  was  always  willing  to 
give  work  and  shelter  to  any  who  appealed  to 
him  as  having  escaped  from  bondage.  His  home 
was  a  station  on  the  "underground  railway." 
His  son,  Daniel,  in  his  younger  days,  frequently 
conducted  fugitive  slaves  to  the  next  station, 
twenty-five  miles  farther  north.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  earliest  in  the  temperance  movement, 


42 


I Ml  VORATIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  a  pioneer  in  abolishing  whiskey  from  Ihe 
harvest  fields.  He  died  August  28,  i  s 5 2 .  and 
his  wife,  Naomi,  died  August  9,  1842.  Both  are 
interred  in  the  Friends  grave)  ard,  at  I  tarby, 
which  piece  of  ground  was  given  to  the  Soi  iety 
by  the  John   I'.lunston    mentioned  above,  great- 

it-grandfather  of  [oseph  Rhoads.  Naomi 
Thomas,  the  mother  of  Daniel  Rhoads,  was  born 
10U1  mo.  2\,  1783.  She  was  of  ancient  Welsh 
and  English  ancestry,  the  progenitors  of  the  vari- 
ous branches  ol  her  family,  being  Friends,  v. 
among  the  fust  settlers  ol  1  hester  Valley  and  ol 
Radnor,  which  were  of  the  earliest  of  Pennsyl- 
vania settlements.  They  came  from  Wales  and 
England  in  the  years    [683  84    ami    1687.      Her 

at-grandfath<  r,  tsa  ic  Walker,  owned  tin 
historic  Valley  Forge  property,  which  included 
the  ground  on  whi<  h  Washington's  1  leadquarters 
now  stand,  and  considerable  of  the  encampment 
site.  <.eii  \iiili.iii\  Wayne  was  a  kinsman  of 
hers.  Both  he  and  Gen.  LaFayette  were  fre- 
quent visitors  to  her  grandfather's  house,  and  it 

aid  thai  her  aunt.  "  The  Little  Naomi,"  . 
little  girl  was  a  special  favorite  of  the  gallant 
young  Frenchman.  Naomi  (Thomas)  Rhoads, 
like  her  husband,  was  an  active  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Friends  Society.  She  was  a  de- 
voted wife  and  mother  and  one  of  the  most  ex- 
emplary of  women,  possessed  of  great  strength 
ol  character  and  rare  intelligence,  and  of  the 
sweetest  disposit  ion. 

The  family  ol  Rhoads  have  tot  generations 
been  stanch  adherents  to  the  principles  ol  the 
Societ)  "I  Friends.  A  numbei  of  the  name  suf- 
fered  repeated  persecutions  in  the   Mother  coun- 

tTJ    for  Conscience'  soke,   and  it   was  doubtless   the 

hope  of  enjoying  religious  liberty  which  led  John 
Rhoads  and   his  sons  to   leave  their   Derbj 
homes  and  seek  the  wilderness  of  Pennsylvania. 

I  >amel  Kin  iads  earl)  in  life  w  as  si  nt  ; 
Friends  boarding  school  at  Burlington,  N.  J. 
Later  he  attended  the  schools  at  Philadelphia,  re- 
fing  a  liberal  education.  At  the  time  of  his 
birth,  which  happened  in  the  old  homestead  re- 
ferred to,  the  latter  was  -out  in  the  counh 
the  Judge  used  to  remark  that:  "I  was  born 
and  raised  in  Philadelphia,  although  no  one  knew 
it  at  the  tune,  nor  was  it  dreamed  of  then  that 
the  old  <_>uak<T  city  would   111   tin.  h  io  the 

extent  it   is  to-day."     In    [850  John  K    Smith. 

le  of  the  wile  of  Daniel   Rhoads,  of  Trenton, 

N  J  ,  bought  in  the  neighborhood  of  ten  thou- 
sand ai  res  of  the  Levy  lands,  a\^\  on  Milt  s  run, 
some  three  miles  south  of  tin-  rivei  in  Burn 
township,  Centre  counts-,  Penn.,  built  a  large 
sawmill  of  the  capai  it}  ol  si\  million  feet  yearly, 
equipped  with  two  circulai  saws;  the  linn  operat- 


ing here  in  1853  was  Smith,  Taylor  &  Smith. 
That  year  Mr.  Rhoads  came  from  Philadelphia 
;e  in  the  lumbering  business  with  them, 
buying  the  interest  ol  Mr.  Taylor,  the  firm  be- 
ing Smith,  Rhoads  &  Smith,  with  Mr  Rhoads 
as  it  I'lie  business  was  one  of  considera- 

ble  scope,  and  employed  many  men  in  cutting 
timber,  and  in  sawing  and  shipping  timber.  For 
four  or  five  years  the  firm  was  most  successful  in 
tin  extensive  operations,  cutting  and  shipping 
million  feet  annually,  until  in  1S58, 
when  their  mill — the  "  Sterling  " — was  destroyed 
by  lire.  In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Rhoads  returned 
to  his  native  city  to  take  charge  of  the  Market 
street  horse-car  line.  In  1  S60  he  accepted  the 
superintendency  of  the  Bellefonte  &  Snow  Shoe 
railroad,  a  position  he  held  with  honor  and  credit 
for  twenty-oni  years  until  the  road  was  sold  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Company  on  March  17.  1881. 
In  the  meantime  the  firm  continued  to  operate  at 
Burnside,  and  until  1876  manufactured  considera- 
ble square  timber  and  sawed  lumber,  later  the 
business  being  confined  to  nothing  but  square 
timber.  After  retiring  from  the  railroad  office 
Mr.  Rhoads,  with  Richard  Downing,  Wistar  Mor- 
ris and  other  Philadelphia  stockholders,  formed  a 
company  known  as  the  Dunkirk  Ore  Association, 
purchased  the  James  Love  farm  at  Loveville, 
Centre  county,  and  went  into  the  business  (Mi 
Rhoads  being  engaged  at  the  same  time  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  that  point)  of  mining  and  ship- 
ping ore.  In  addition  to  his  own  large  busin 
interests  he  had  shared  for  twenty-six  years  the 
responsibility  and  care  of  the  William  A.  Thomas 
estate,  of  which  he  was  sole  trustee  after  the 
th  of  Mr.  John  Irwin,  and  so  well  was  the 
trust   kept   that    the    property   more    than  tripled 

On    the    death    of    A  [udge    Smith    ol 

Centre  count)-,  in  the  spring  of  1887,  Mr.  Rhoads 
was  appointed  by  Gov.  Reaver  to  fill  out  the  un- 
it <l  term.  In  this  capacity  he  showed  such 
I  judgment  and  honest  purpose  that  in  the 
same  fall  he  was  nominated,  much  against  his 
own  wishes,  and  elected  to  the  Bench  by  a  large 
majority,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
county  was  strong])  Democratic,  and  he  was  an 
ardent  Republic, in  lb-  loved  his  party  and  be- 
lieved in  its  principles,  but  he  was  a  Republican 
from  hoi  ivictions  and  not  for  expediency's 

s.ike,  tor  he  never  sought  an  office,  and  was  very 
h'ath  to  accept  the  one  that  sought  him.  As  a 
judgi  neral  satisfaction,  and  was  often 

appealed  to  for  advice  bv  tin  president  judge, 
who  had  the  greatest  1    for  his  sound  judg 

ment.  Editor  Meek,  of  the  Democratic  Watch- 
man, said: 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


43 


Of  all  the  eulogies  uttered  this  week  in  his  praise,  he 
would  undoubtedly  value  most  highly  that  spoken  by  his 
friend,  Rev.  Dr.  Monroe,  at  the  simple  funeral  services 
Tuesday  morning:  ''He  was  a  good  man."  Judge  Rhoads 
was  a  good  man— good  without  the  narrowness  of  an  over- 
zealous  fanatic;  but  good  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term — 
in  his  love  for  God  and  his  fellow-men,  in  his  devotion  to 
truth,  in  his  sense  of  honor,  in  the  purity  and  nobility  of  his 
life,  in  the  fine  courtesy  of  his  manner,  and  the  unfailing 
kindness  of  his  heart.  Although  towering  away  above  the 
average  man  mentally  and  physically,  and  of  an  independ- 
ent temperament,  he  was  so  gentle,  so  kind,  and  so  unassum- 
ing, that  the  inspiration  of  his  example  will  live  and  his 
name  remain  honored  as  one  of  our  best  and  noblest  citizens 
long  after  the  records  of  the  many  more  ambitious  and  con- 
spicuous have  faded  from  the  memory  of  men. 

Another  of  the  home  papers  referred  to  him: 

Judge  Rhoads  as  an  employer  of  labor,  while  superin- 
tendent of  the  Snow  Shoe  railroad,  became  well  acquainted 
with  the  laboring  men  in  that  section  of  the  country,  and  of 
him  they  always  spoke  in  the  highest  terms.  Kind,  generous 
to  his  men,  he  was  always  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his 
fellowmen.  Among  the  poor  he  will  be  greatly  missed,  his 
missions  of  charity  were  more  numerous  and  of  larger  extent 
than  the  public  ever  knew;  more  than  one  humble  home  has 
been  warmed  and  cheered,  and  the  hungry  mouths  of  little 
ones  made  to  rejoice  by  his  timely  gifts  of  fuel  and  food, 
from  purely  charitable  motives.  Tender-hearted  as  a  child, 
he  was  still  as  firm  as  a  rock  when  grave  situations  arose 
and  principles  of  right  were  involved.  Judge  Rhoads  was 
an  ideal  man  in  many  respects,  and  while  the  vital  spark 
has  flown,  we  can  still  study  with  instruction  the  record  of 
that  noble  life  just  closed. 

The  Public  Ledger  of  Philadelphia  said: 

Judge  Rhoads  was  held  in  high  esteem  not  only  on  ac- 
count of  his  well-known  character  for  integrity  and  trust- 
worthiness, but  also  by  reason  of  the  sweetness  and  gentle- 
ness of  his  disposition,  combined  with  great  firmness  and 
strength. 

On  April  25,  1861,  Mr.  Rhoads  was  married 
to  Miss  Maria  Dick  Smith,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death  he  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte. 
Their  children  are:  Edward  Keasbey,  Joseph 
James,  Francis  Sinnickson  and  Rebecca  Naomi. 
The  eldest  child,  Samuel  Jeanes,  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Rhoads  is  of  an  historic  family,  of  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  and  of  an  ancestry  that  formed  a 
part  of  the  Colonies  upward  of  200  years  ago. 
Her  paternal  ancestor  Smith  acquired  from  King 
Charles  II,  of  England,  a  grant  of  land  at  Salem, 
N.  J.,  in  1662,  and  about  that  year  came  over 
from  England  and  located  thereon.  The  original 
parchment  on  which  this  grant  was  written  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Rhoads.  Her 
grandfather,  John  Smith,  was  a  captain  in  com- 
mand of  a  New  jersey  troop  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  her  grandfather  on  her  mother's 
side,  Andrew  Sinnickson,  served  as  colonel  of  a 
New  Jersey  regiment  in  that  war.  The  Sinnick- 
sons  were  of  Swedish  descent,  being  among  the 
first  settlers  of  New  Jersey.  Many  of  Mrs. 
Rhoads'  ancestors  held  positions  of  responsibility 
and  trust  during  the  Colonial  period.  Her  father, 
Edward  Smith,  was  a  native  of  Salem,  N.  J., 
born  in  1797;  he  was  liberally  educated,  and  by 
profession  was  a  civil   engineer.      In  early  man- 


hood he  represented  the  people  of  his  locality  in 
the  General  Assembly  of  New  Jersey. 

In  1833  he  removed  to  the  West,  locating  at 
Mt.  Carmel,  111.  Such  were  his  attainments  and 
popularity  that  his  services  were  sought  by  the 
citizens  of  his  adopted  State,  and  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  had  the  honor 
of  serving  in  that  body  with  the  afterward  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  He  soon  rose  in  the  ranks  of  his 
profession,  and  at  his  death  in  1839  was  chief 
engineer  in  charge  of  all  internal  public  improve- 
ments of  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  force  of  character  and  ability,  but  died  be- 
fore attaining  the  prominence  his  ability  would 
have  commanded  had  his  life  been  spared.  Mrs. 
Rhoads  was  born   at    Mt.  Carmel,  III.,  in    1839. 

The  Rhoads  homestead  at  Bellefonte  is  just 
such  a  one  as  the  reader  of  the  family  history 
would  picture.  The  house  and  surroundings 
suggest  the  poetical;  sitting  on  an  eminent  point 
well  studded  with  trees  and  bowers,  it  reaches 
out  to  a  commanding  view  of  the  picturesque 
countrv  of  the  beautiful  "  mountain  town." 


C\OL.  JAMES  GILLILAND,  whose  death  oc- 
__Ji  curred  at  Linden,  near  Washington,  D.  C. , 
on  April  1,  1889,  when  he  was  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-five  years,  belonged  to  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  Centre  county,  in  which  he 
was  an  official  and  well-known  business  man  up- 
ward of  fifty  years  ago. 

Joseph  Gilliland,  his  father,  in  1796  removed 
from  near  Downingtown,  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  to 
White  Deer  township,  in  what  is  now  Union 
county,  and  in  1805  moved  to  Spring  Mills,  Cen- 
tre county.  In  1814  he  moved  up  to  the  end  of 
Egg  Hill  in  George's  Valley,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1S40.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  elected  an 
elder  of  Sinking  Creek  Church  in  181  5.  He  ad- 
hered to  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian  training, 
and  the  Colonel  often  remarked  that  he  did  not 
think  that  as  long  as  he  remained  at  home,  a 
Sabbath  ever  passed  without  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism being  repeated  by  himself  and  his  broth- 
ers and  sisters.  The  wife  of  Mr.  Gilliland  was 
Catharine  Cowden,  and  their  children  were:  Ann, 
Allen,  Joseph  A.,  Jennet  and  Julia  (twins),  Rob- 
ert, jennet,  James,  John,  David,  William,  Speer 
and  Samuel.  The  death  of  the  wife  and  mother 
occurred  July  18,   1830. 

Col.  James  Gilliland  was  born  in  Buffalo  Val- 
ley, Penn.,  January  27,  1804,  and  his  early  days 
were  spent  at  Spring  Mills,  where  his  father  kept 
a  hotel.  Young  Gilliland  wasa  keen  observer  of 
events,  had  a  retentive  memory,  and  his  father's 


II 


(  OMMSMORATIVE  BI0ORAPMCA1    KBCORD. 


being  with  Judge  Potter,  Andrew 
Gregg  and  the  prominent  residents  of  Penn's 
Yallrv.  the  eai Is  in<  ttlements  of 

n's  Valley  wen-  derived  from  listening  to  the 
conversation  of  his  father's  friends,  and   to  ( 
Gilliland.  the  local  historian  at    Bellefonte  is  in- 
debted  for  many  important  occurreni  I   in- 

teresting tales  thai  otherwise  would  havi 
into    oblivion.      While   yet    a    young    man,    Mr. 
Gilliland  was  engaged  bj    Hon.   fsaai    M<  Kii 

i  clerk  in  his  store   neat   Jacksonville,  w  i 
he    received  good    business  training.       In    i 
|udge  Mc.Kinney  built  Hecla  Furnace,  and  while 
with   the    [udge  he    assisted   in    taking    "arks" 
down  Bald  Eagle  and  then  West  Branch  to  I *< -it 
I  >i ■;  I  Baltimore,  and  on  one  of  these  oc- 

ons  the  |udge  insisted  on  his  visiting  Wash- 
ington city.  Ihs  business  connections  with  j i  ■ 
McKinne)  made-  him  well  acquainted  through 
Centre  county,  and  he  soon  became  influential 
in  politics,  and  when  William  L.  Smith,  the 
j .  died  in  office,  March  1 1,  1831,  Mr 
Gilliland  was  appointed  his  si  He  served 

as  such  until  January  ij,    [836. 

After  retiring  from  this  office    hi  I   the 

tin.    stone    residence    on     Alleghanj     street,    in 

efonte,  later  owned  by  Mrs.  Pifer,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  therein  In 
1837  he  was  one  of  a  committee,  with  John  Irvin 
and  John  Hall,  which  erected  the  Presbyterian 
church  edifice  that  preceded  the  present  Imild- 
ing.  He  was  engaged  several  years  in  settling 
the  estat.  of  Gen.  Philip Benner.  In  the  spring 
of  1847  he  purchased  from  the  Gratzes  t! 
tracts  ol  land  in  Snow  shoe  township,  and  in 
partnership  with  Henry  Van  Dyke  and  John  Mc- 
rmick  immediate]}  built  a  first-class  sawmill, 
established  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  completed  an 
elegant  Rouring-mill  on  the  purchase.  In  1849 
Messrs.  Gilliland  and  Van  Dyke  laid  out  the  town 
of    Moshannon,    and   in    1851    the    Presbyterian 

church     there    was    built    on     ground    donated    by 

then  1  Mr.  Gilliland  was  chosen  one  ol  the  elders 
and  became  clerk  of  the  Session.  On  the  break- 
ing OUt  of  the  war.  he  was  made  captain  ot  .1 
com  pan)  raised  at  Snow  Shoe,  but  on  going  to 
Harrisburg,  owing  to  his  advanced  age,  he  was 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  quartermaster-general's 
office  under  Gen.  Hale,  where  he  served  some 
time,  when  Gov.  Curtin  appointed  him  commis- 
sary and  quartermastei  ol  the  rst  Regiment  of 
Pennsylvania  Veterans,  from  which  position  he 
was  transferred  to  Washington  city  as  assistant 
agenl  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  to  look  aftei 
the  interests  of  the  soldiers  of  that  State;  this 
office  he  filled  during  the  war,  according  to  the 
test im on )  of  Gov,  Curtin.  "  admirably  and   with 


gr<  at  fidelity."  This  is  also  the  unanimous  testi- 
mony of  the  soldiers  from  Pennsylvania.  On  the 
close  of  the  war  he  moved  some  seven  or  eight 
miles  out  of  Washington,  where  he  resided  the 
rest  of  his  life. 

Gilliland  was  twice  married,  the  first  time 
to  Eliza,  daughter  of  John  Rankin,  of  Bellefonte, 
who  died  in  1  s 54.  While  on  their  wedding  trip 
they  stopped  at  Washington  city  and  called  on 
President  [ackson.       Th  received    in  the 

11,  and  the   President  honored  the  bride 
by  taking  a  seat  on  the  sola,  between  her  and  the 
bridesmaid.      He  entertained    the  party    for   an 
hour.      His  second  wife  was  Mary  Hampshire 
whom  he  was  married  December  30,  1857. 

Gilliland  was  a  genial,  pleasant  man, 
had  great  conversational  powers,  was  a  reads- 
writer,  and  was  all  his  life  a  great  advocate  of 
temperance  and  religion.  He  went  down  to  his 
grave  with  the  respi  ct  ol  all  who  knew  him  inti- 
mately, for  his  promptness  and  diligence  in 
forming  his  official  duties,  and  deeply  re- 
gretted by  his  friends  and  kindred  for  the  kind- 
ntleness  and  affection  he  always  showed 
them.  Two  sons,  Capt.  John  R.,  late  of  the  51st 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  and  James  C,  and  three 
daughters,  Mrs.  Isabella  Wright  (wife  of  Rev. 
\\  O.  Wright,  of  Milesburg),  Henrietta  and 
Catherine,  survived  him. 


GEORGE  TOMB  BUSH.  Beginning  his  ca- 
reer with  the  prestige  of  a  well-known  name, 
with  health,  and  seemingly  all  the  good  gifts  that 
a  reasonable  mind  could  ask  at  Fortune's  hand. 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  made  such  use  of 
his  advantages  as  to  have  already  attained  dis- 
tinction in  his  chosen  lines  of  effort.  A  son  of  the 
late  Daniel  G.  Bush,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  coun- 
ty, he  was  born  in  that  city  September  24,  1867. 
At  six  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  school  in  Bucks 
county,  l'enn.,  and  prepared  for  a  course  at  col- 
lege. Hi-  went  to  Swarthmore  College,  near 
Philadelphia,  where  he  spent  four  years.  He 
then  entered  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  and 
remained  until  1SS7,  taking  a  complete  course  in 
chemistry.  At  his  father's  death  he  was  called 
home,  .md  has  since  remained  there,  assisting  his 
mother  in  the  settlement  and  handling  of  the 
estate-,  and  later  engaging  in   busin 

Real  estate  and  insurance  (principally  life) 
occupied  his  attention  for  a  time,  and  in  1890  he 
purchased  his  present  store  where  he  carries  a 
large  and  well-selected  stock  of  stationery  and 
sporting  goods,  but  still  keeping  up  his  work  in 
life  insurance,  of  which  he  has  made  a  thorough 
study,  and  is  considered    a    well-posted   man  on 


-  -  A 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


45 


that  subject.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  Bellefonte,  and  often  partici- 
pates earnestly  in  the  various  discussions  that 
arise. 

An  enthusiastic  Democrat,  Mr.  Bush  takes  an 
active  share  in  political  work,  and  enjoys  a  large 
acquaintance  among  the  party  leaders.  For 
several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil of  Bellefonte,  and  in  1894  he  was  made  a 
delegate  to  the  Democratic  County  Convention, 
serving  as  secretary  of  that  body;  was  also 
chosen  as  delegate  to  the  State  Convention  of 
that  year,  and  has  served  in  like  capacities  several 
times  since. 

Mr.  Bush  possesses  a  remarkable  physique, 
and  is  noted  for  his  achievements  as  an  athlete. 
His  interest  in  cycling  dates  back  to  1890  when 
he  became  prominent  in  the  League  of  America. 
He  was  first  elected  to  the  State  Board  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  that  organization,  and  soon  after 
elected  a  member  of  the  National  Assembly  of 
that  body,  and  his  legislative  abilities  have  been 
so  well  recognized  that  he  has  been  continued  a 
member  of  those  bodies  ever  since,  and  he  is  now 
one  of  the  most  active  workers  in  the  League 
and  its  work  for  good  roads.  As  a  referee  in 
bicycle  races  he  has  a  reputation  for  accuracy 
and  impartiality,  and  is  called  to  attend  many  of 
the  noted  contests  in  this  and  other  States  in 
that  capacity.  Early  in  life,  while  at  college,  he 
took  great  interest  in  football,  and  in  this  line  he 
has  also  been  active  for  many  years,  managing  a 
team  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1892.  Of  late  his 
energies  in  that  line  have  gone  from  the  player 
to  officiating  as  referee  at  games,  his  accustomed 
impartiality  and  good  judgment  standing  him  in 
good  stead. 

With  all  his  other  gifts  Mr.  Bush  wields  the 
pen  of  a  ready  writer,  and  for  many  years  he  has 
been  a  general  correspondent  for  leading  dailies. 
His  pet  hobby  is  philately,  and  his  collection  of 
stamps,  comprising  about  eight  thousand  varieties, 
is  the  envy  of  most  other  devotees  in  that  line. 
He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  the  American 
Philatelic  Association,  the  leading  society  of 
philatelists  in  the  world.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Bellefonte  Lodge  of  Free  Masons, 
the  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  and  Constans  Com- 
mandery  No.  33,  Knights  Templar,  all  of  Belle- 
fonte, and  takes  great  interest  in  these  organiza- 
tions, holding  many  minor  offices,  and  is  at 
present  captain-general  of  the  Commandery. 

Mr.  Bush  inherits  much  of  his  father's  fore- 
sight and  quickness  of  decision  and  thought,  as 
well  as  administrative  ability,  and  his  word  is  his 
bond,  as  his  father's  was  before  him.  His  good 
judgment  and  impartiality  in    all  matters  is  well 


known,  he  many  times  being  called  in  as  arbi- 
trator in  business  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Society  Sons  of  the  Revolution, 
and  also  of  the  Nittany  Rod  and  Gun  Club,  a 
hunting  and  fishing  organization  which  has  for 
its  home  the  old  Gregg  mansion  at  Hecla  Furnace, 
Centre  county,  Pennsylvania. 


D' 


AN1EL  GRIFFEN  BUSH,  the  father  of 
George  T.  Bush,  was  a  man  of  remarkable 
foresight,  ability,  and  energy,  and  played  a  lead- 
ing part  in  the  development  of  Bellefonte  and 
vicinity.  He  was  a  self-made  man,  and  his  his- 
tory shows  a  marvelous  degree  of  pluck  and  am- 
bition. He  was  born  in  Granville  township, 
Bradford  Co.,  Penn.,  March  28,  1826,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  an  ancestry  which  was  distin- 
guished in  the  early  history  of  this  country.  On 
the  paternal  side  his  great-grandfather,  John 
Bush,  was  a  captain  in  the  French  and  fndian 
war,  and  was  with  Gen.  Braddock,  at  Fort  Du- 
Quesne,  July  g,  1755,  at  the  memorable  defeat. 
Daniel  Bush,  the  son  of  Capt.  John  Bush,  and 
the  grandfather  of  Daniel  G.  Bush,  was  an  able 
man  of  much  more  than  ordinary  education,  and 
although  crippled  through  the  improper  setting 
of  a  broken  leg,  he  was  one  of  the  leading  sur- 
veyors of  his  time.  He  surveyed  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Auburn,  and  was  employed  by 
the  Spanish  Government  in  1798  to  make  sur- 
veys in  Louisiana.  In  1807  he  established  his 
home  in  Litchfield,  Bradford  Co.,  Penn.  His 
son,  Joseph  Bush,  the  father  of  D.  G.  Bush, 
was  a  millwright  by  trade,  and  married  Lucretia 
Putnam,  a  relative  of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam,  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Putnam,  who  came  from  Great  Barrington. 
Mass.,  in  18  18.  and  made  his  home  in  Granville, 
Penn.  John  Putnam  served  three  years  as  a 
soldier  in  Washington's  forces,  having  entered 
the  service  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen  years, 
and  throughout  his  life  gave  evidence  of  the  pos- 
session of  the  honesty,  firmness,  and  persistence 
that  characterized  his  illustrious  kinsman.  Jo- 
seph Bush  was  unfortunate  in  his  financial  affairs, 
unprofitable  investments  and  losses  through  giv- 
ing security  for  neighbors  exhausting  his  estate. 
He  died  when  his  son  Daniel  was  a  lad  of  six- 
teen, and,  the  family  being  separated,  the  boy 
was  sent  to  work  upon  a  farm  at  six  dollars  per 
month  for  nine  months  of  the  year  with  the 
privilege  of  attending  school  in  the  winter. 
These  meagre  advantages  did  not  satisfy  his 
eager  longing  for  knowledge,  and  many  an  even- 
ing he  spent  in  study  by  the  light  of  the  fire. 
Reading,  writing,  spelling  and  arithmetic  were 
the  only  studies  included  in  the  curriculum  of  the 


46 


00MM1  VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


distrii  t  scho  .   and   one   who  had 

Tf.a  hed  the  "  rule  ^l   three      «  pbn 

i  prodigy,      <  Ira  mm  .1  phy  were  al- 

most  an  unknown  field  to  the  pupils,  and  pn 
bly  to  th<-  1  Under  these  circumstan 

Mr.  Hush  made  his  way  until  he  was  himsell 
qualified  to  assume  the  duties  of  a  teacher,  his 
firsl  being  at  New  Albanj  ,  Br  idford  ( 

I'liiii.,    where    in    1  ived  $10.00  per 

month  and  '  I  round."     In  the  same  year 

id)  1  I  law,  and  was  enr< tiled 
student  in  I  Mi  rcur,   of    l 

wanda,  Penn.,  afterward  a  judge  "I  tin-  supi 

irt  of  this  Stati        I  of  Ins  first  term 

as  a  teacher  found  Mr.  Bush  more  desirous  than 
ever  ol   sei  ui  ing  a  I  1   education,    and   he 

determined  I  Whitestown  Academy,  1 

Utica,  N.  Y.  The  paj  for  his  first  term  of  scl 
was  not  forthcoming,  however,  as  the  treasury 
was  empty,  and  he  was  told  that  he  would  have 
to  wait  until  the  m< >n c-^-  was  collected  at  some 
tune  in  the  future,  perhaps  three  months,  per- 
haps  a  year.  Six  dollars  represented  Ins  entire 
available  funds,  bul  in  spite  of  this  fact  and  of 
the  opposition  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Bush  packed 
his  in  an  old  valise,  and  swinging  it  over 

his  shoulder  he  started,  staff  in  hand,  t<>  walk 
to  Whitestown,  a  distance  of  200  miles.  On  his 
arrival,  about  the  1st  of  April,  [847,  he  found 
that  the  rooms  of  th  >1  were  only  partially 

furnished,  and  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  buj  .1 
bed  As  he  had  but  three  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
left,  this  news  had  .1  discouraging  effect,  and  for 
a  time  he  felt  inclined  to  join  a  regiment  which 
M.i|  1  Si  hofield,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
hotel  where  he  was  stopping,  was  recruiting  for 
the  Mexican  war.  On  hearing  his  story  the  Ma- 
jor, who  was  delighted  with  the  young  man's 
pluck,  told  him  by  all  means  to  continue  his 
studies,  and  settled  the  difficulty  about  the  bed 
b)  advising  him  to  buy  a  bedtick  and  fill  it  with 
straw,  and  promised  to  lend  him  a  pillow  and 
othei  necessaries.  To  tins  good  friend  Mr. 
Bush  owed  much,  not  only  for  this  kindly  turn 
but  for  practical  advice  on  various  points.  The 
payment  ol  his  bill  at  the  hotel  left  Mr.  Bush 
only  fifty  cents,  The  mornings  were  cold,  and 
half  this  amount  was  paid  for  five  large  sticks  of 
wood,  with  which  he  managed  to  get  through  the 
term.  Candles  were  an  unattainable  luxury, 
and  Ik  was  obliged  to  visit  the  rooms  of  other 
students  in  oi,;,i  to  study  at  night,  making  the 
excuse  ol   lone  1  imeness. 

He  had  heard  nothing  from  home  for  some 
time,  but  finally  the  postmaster  informed  him 
that  there  were  three  letters  For  him  on  which 
fifteen  cents  postage  must  be  paid.      In  after  days 


Mr.  Bush  must  have  often  thought  of  the  time 
when  tie  i  this  trifling  sum  meant  so  much 

to  him.      Telling  the  postma  I   he  had  no 

money,  he  said  he  wi  me  lor  the  letters  the 

I  day;  but  credit  was  offered  and  accepted, 
and  with  many  bright  hopes  Mr.  Iiush  took  the 
mis  I  rushed  to  his  room  to  open  them.    But 

alas!  instead  of  1  I  remittance  he  found 

oiii.  -  and  cciisiiie  for  his  folly  in  pursuing 

h  an  unprofitable  !         ;  -appointment 

was  keen,  and  s 1  Mr.  Bush  realized  that  he  had 

the  new  difficulty  on  hand  of  raising,  before  the 
next  da)  should  end,  the  imn  um  of  fift 

;  w    no    one    from  whom   he  could 

hut  fortune  favored  him,  and  learning 
that  Mr.  Williams  needed  help  in  his  garden  near 
the  school,  In-  went  to  him  and  offered  to  work 
during  the  four  hours  which  were  allowed  for  ex- 
Six  and  one-fourth  cents  per  hour  was 
the    (on  in,    and,    by    working    two    houi> 

that  night  and  two  next  morning,  the  debt  was 
paid.  This  employment  continued  until  the  gar- 
den was  planted,  and  Mr.  liush  also  found  work 
for  his  Saturdays,  at  fifty  cents  a  day,  with  some 
farmers  in  the  neighborhood;  but  notwithstand- 
ing these  efforts  he  found  himself  in  debt  for 
hoard  and  tuition  at  the  close  of  the  first  term. 
vacation  wa  in  work  at  twenty  dollars 

a  month,  to  which  his  employer  voluntarily 
ad  led  five  dollars,  saying  that  he  richly  deserved 
it  for  his  unusual  efficiency.  Two  weeks  in  the 
harvest  field  followed,  and  then  came  the  open- 
ing of  the  second  term.  Board  was  furnished  at 
the  rate  of  one  dollar  per  week;  but  he  decided 
that    he   could   not   afford    this,    and    purchasing 

ie  corn,  meat  and  molasses  he  began  boarding 
himself,  and  finding  that  he  could  accomplish 
this  for  about  thirty-one  cents  per  week  he  con- 
tinued the  plan  as  long  as  he  remained  in  school. 

The  following  winter  he  spent  in  teaching 
near  Owego,  N.  Y.,  and  in  the  spring  of  1 
he  went  to  White  Deer  Valley,  Lycoming  Co. , 
Penn.,  and  taught  one  year.  Here  he  became 
acquainted  with  Pelton's  outline  maps  for  teach- 
in;,'  geography,  and  he  decided  to  go  to  Philadel- 
phia and,  if  possible,  secure  the  agency,  which  he 
irdingly  did.  Mr.  Pelton  being  so  impressed 
with  his  abilities  that  he  made  him  general  agent 
for  this  Stat'-.  I  le  held  this  position  until  1856, 
when   In        ttled   at   Bel  1  omplete  his 

preparation  for  the  Bar.  His  first  practical  knowl- 
edge of  legal  procedure  was  connected  with  an 
unfortunate  experience.  He  had  saved  about 
$3,000,  which  lie  had  placed  in  the  hands  of  a 
cousin,  I).  1'..  Colton,  of  Athens.  Penn.,  with 
whom  he  formed  a  partnership  in  certain  real-es- 
tate investments  in   that  city.     The  firm  failed 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


47 


under  Colton's  management,  and  Mr.  Bush's 
earnings  of  eight  years  were  irretrievably  lost,  and 
a  debt  of  $200  against  the  firm  took  the  place  of 
the  expected  profits.  Thus  Mr.  Bush  found  him- 
self again  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  His  un- 
daunted energy  did  not  fail  him,  however,  at  this 
crisis,  and  after  his  admission  to  the  Bar  April 
29,  1857,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  with  a  zeal  and  ability  which  com- 
manded success.  He  had  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  local  work  of  the  Democratic  party  in  1856, 
and  his  abilities  being  noted  by  the  county  lead- 
ers he  received  an  appointment  as  mercantile  ap- 
praiser, in  1857.  As  time  progressed,  he  became 
interested  in  real-estate  business,  and  turned  his 
legal  practice  into  the  hands  of  a  partner,  the 
late  George  M.  Yocum,  with  whom  he  became 
associated  in  1862.  The  present  Gov.  D.  H. 
Hastings  was  taken  in  as  student-at-law  by  Mr. 
Bush,  and  was  afterward  taken  into  partnership 
with  him,  and  Gov.  Hastings  owes  to  his  pre- 
ceptor much  of  his  later  energy  and  push  that  he 
has  since  exhibited. 

Naturally  Mr.  Bush  became  a  power  in  the 
political  affairs,  being  an  eloquent  and  fluent 
stump  speaker,  but  although  he  was  an  ardent 
and  tireless  worker  in  emergencies,  he  seemed 
indifferent  to  reward.  In  1868  his  county  pre- 
sented his  name  as  a  candidate  for  Congress,  but 
at  Mr.  Bush's  own  request  it  was  withdrawn  in 
favor  of  the  Clinton  county  candidate,  Hon.  L. 
A.  Mackey,  and  when  in  1876  the  Democracy  of 
Centre  county  again  urged  his  candidacy,  Mr. 
Bush  again  declined  to  oppose  Mr.  Mackey's  no- 
mination. In  later  years  ill  health  prevented  his 
active  participation  in  political  affairs. 

As  may  be  inferred  from  the  incidents  of  his 
life,  Mr.  Bush  has  been  altogether  the  artificer 
of  his  own  fortune  and  reputation.  He  has  been 
an  intensely  busy  man  all  his  life,  and  has  de- 
monstrated in  the  improvements  he  has  made  in 
Bellefonte  his  capacity  for  business  upon  a  large 
scale.  He  may  be  characterized  as  a  man  of 
great  administrative  ability,  quick  to  think  and 
to  decide,  pushing  with  energy  to  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes.  In  1867  he  erected  his 
own  magnificient  residence  on  Spring  street,  in 
Bellefonte,  and  the  large  business  block  known 
as  the  "Bush  Arcade,"  which  was  burned  in 
1887,  but  was  rebuilt  by  the  estate.  In  1868  he 
erected  the  "  Bush  House  "  and  several  dwellings, 
and  in  1869  he  erected  a  block  of  three  brick 
dwellings  on  Spring  street  .above  the  Centre 
County  Bank,  and  the  brick  block  opposite  the 
"Bush  House"  known  as  the  "  McClain  Block," 
besides  erecting  at  many  different  times  upward 
of  sixty  frame  houses. 


Mr.  Bush's  activity  in  the  development  of 
Bellefonte  was  not  confined  to  Bellefonte  alone, 
as  he  was  prominently  identified  with  railroad  in- 
terests, being  the  chief  promoter  and  the  first 
president  of  the  road  from  Norfolk,  Va. ,  to  Eliza- 
beth City,  N.  C.  (now  known  as  the  Norfolk 
Southern),  where  he  owned  large  tracts  of  land 
and  made  many  improvements. 

In  addition  to  all  the  building  enterprises  in 
Bellefonte  to  which  Mr.  Bush  did  not  confine 
himself,  he  was  also  the  leader  in  every  industry 
that  was  founded  in  that  time.  In  1868  he  went 
to  Pittsburg  and  obtained  the  best  method  of 
building  a  glass  furnace,  with  minute  details  as 
to  cost  of  building  and  running  the  same,  came 
home,  raised  a  company,  and  built  the  works, 
subscribing  considerable  stock  himself. 

The  car  works  was  started  in  1873,  Mr.  Bush 
contributing  the  use  of  the  valuable  water  power, 
and  subscribed  $10,000  stock,  he  being  elected 
the  first  president  of  the  company. 

He  was  also  chiefly  interested  in  getting  the 
nail  works  here.  Mr.  Achenbach  having»come  to 
town  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  raise  a  com- 
pany, but  without  success,  Mr.  Bush  met  him  at 
Lock  Haven  after  he  had  left,  brought  him  back, 
and  immediately  called  together  a  few  of  the  in- 
fluential citizens,  and  a  company  was  formed 
headed  by  Gen.  Beaver,  and  the  nail  works 
built. 

In  order  to  show  their  appreciation  of  Mr. 
Bush's  public  spirit,  all  the  leading  citizens  of 
Bellefonte,  on  the  fourth  of  May,  1869,  joined  in 
a  letter  of  thanks  to  him,  and  the  tender  of  a 
public  dinner  at  the  "Bush  House,"  which  Mr. 
Bush  accepted,  designating  June  1st  for  the  occa- 
sion, which  passed  with  great  eclat. 

Constans  Commandery  No.  33,  Knights  Tem- 
plar, was  chartered  June  10,  1868,  Mr.  Bush 
being  one  of  the  first  signers  for  the  charter,  but 
yielded  the  right  of  eminent  commander  to  the 
Hon.  S.  T.  Shugert,  he  being  the  next  elected 
eminent  commander.  He  was  a  charter  appli- 
cant and  the  first  high  priest  of  the  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  Chapter  No.  241,  which  was  chartered 
in  1872;  he  also  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
lodge  of  Free  Masons,  and  was  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason  of  the  Scottish  Rite  Consistory. 

Mr.  Bush  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Tomb, 
a  daughter  of  George  Tomb,  of  Jersey  Shore, 
whose  ancestors  settled  at  Sunbury  about  1750, 
on  the  14th  day  of  December,  1858,  and  settled 
permanently  in  Bellefonte.  Their  issue  was  three 
daughters  and  two  sons,  two  of  the  daughters 
dying  in  infancy;  Elizabeth  married  Chas.  L. 
Calloway,  of  Baltimore;  George  T. ,  at  home,  is 
the   subject  of  another  sketch;   and  Harry  is  at 


1- 


COMM h:\loU.\TIVI-:  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


present  the  general  manager  for  a  lumber  com- 
pany at  Carthagena,  Columbian  Republic,  South 
America.  Mr.  Bush  died  on  the  morning  of 
September  23,  1886.  The  following  notice,  ap- 
pearing in  the  Democratic  Watchman  the  next 
day,  would  best  indicate  the  feeling  of  the  com- 
munity at  such  a  bereavment: 

"Bellefonte's  Benefactor  Gone.  The 
deatb  oi  D  G  Bush  Esq.,  which  occurred  at 
his   residence    in  this   place    yesterday  morning, 

'>f  a  complication  of  diseases  which  have  kepi 
him  in  poor  health  for  several  years,  removes 
from  our  midst  one  of  tb  hearted,  liberal- 

minded  and  enterprising  citizens  this  section  of 
the  State  has  ever  had.  In  his  death  Bellefonte 
loses  one  who  has  done  more  to  build  up  the 
town,  to  enlarge  its  business  facilities,  to  add  to 
its  real  wealth,  and  to  improve  it  in  every  way, 
than  all  its  other  capitalists  combined.  It  loses 
a  citizen  whom  every  one  respected;  a  neighbor 
who  was  loved  by  all;  a  man  who  needed  no  seals 
or  written  contracts  to  require  him  to  keep  his 
word;  whose  integrity  was  above  suspicion  and 
whose  liberality  in  public  enterprises  others  might 
feel  proud  to  emulate." 

The  remains  of  Mr.  Bush  were  committed  to 
the  grave  at  three  o'clock  on  the  Saturday  after- 
noon (September  25)  following  his  death,  in  the 
Union  Cemetery.  During  the  funeral  services  and 
burial  all  plat  es  "I  business  were  closed,  and  the 
people  of  the  town,  irrespective  01  age  or  sex, 
mournfully  did  honor  to  him  who  had  done  so 
much  for  the  town.  The  Commandery  01  Knights 
Templar  from  Lock  Haven,  together  with  the 
Bellefonte  Commandery,  performed  the  last  im- 
pressive services  of  that  order.  The  Bai  Asso- 
ciation attended  in  a  body,  he  having  been  one 
whose  counsel  was  often  sought  by  both  older 
and  younger  members.  The  ministers  of  all  the 
Churches  in  Bellefonte  delivered  addresses,  and 
the  attendance  upon  this  solemn  occasion  was 
the  largest  ever  witnessed  in  Bellefonte,  asever) 
one  felt  it  to  be  a  duty  to  pay  their  last  respects 
to  him  who  had  done  so  much  (or  his  fellowinen. 
In  the  evening  the  court  house  was  crowded  to 
participate  in  the  memorial  services  of  the  Bai 
Association,  and  many  feeling  addresses  were  de- 
livered by  Hon.  A  <■  I  urtin.  Hon.  Judges Furst 
and  Hoy.  Col  |.  L.  Spangler,  Hon.  John  G, 
Love,  Wilbur  F.  Reeder,  E.  C.  Humes  and 
others. 

COL.    J.   P.  f  <  >BURN,  president    ol    the   I 
National    Bank  of   Bellefonte,  is   one   of  tin- 
leading  citizens  of  Centre   county,  and   in  fact  is 
well-known    throughout     cistern     Pennsylvania. 
For  forty  years  he  has   been    identilied    with  al- 


most ever  \  important  enterprise  in  his  locality, 
and  his  influence  has  been  helpfully  exerted  in 
all  the  varied  activities  of  social,  religious,  busi- 
ness and  political  life.  His  title  was  gained 
through  service  upon  Gen.  George  Buchanan's 
staff,  and  he  was  also  a  member  of  Gov.  A.  (.. 
Curtin's  staff  with  the  same  rank.  The  peer  of 
the  best,  he  enjoys  a  wide  acquaintance  among 
prominent  men,  and  was  a  personal  friend  of 
James  G.  Blaine  for  many  years. 

The  family  name  was  originally  Cockburn,  and 
the  Colonel's  ancestors  came  from  England  about 
i,  settling  in  Connecticut.  Col.  R.  Coburn, 
our  subject's  great-uncle,  did  gallant  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  army,  and  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Saratoga.  The  branch  of  the  family 
in  which  our  interest  is  especially  centered  came 
from  Connecticut  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  and  bought  lands  in  Bradford  county. 
I'enn.,  where  they  located.  These  estates  w 
later  taken  from  them  by  the  decision  in  the  con- 
tent over  the  adverse  titles  granted  by  Penn  and 
the  English  Crown. 

Dr.  Charles  Coburn,  the  Colonel's  father. 
was  born  in  Woodstock,  Windham  Co.,  Conn., 
October  30.  1785.  Having  prepared  for  his 
profession  during  his  early  years,  he  located  .it 
Aaronsburg  in  1814,  where  he  continued  to  prac- 
tice successfully  for  many  years.  He  was  a  man 
ol  line  intellect,  and  advanced  ideas,  a  thorough 
"Yankee,"  jovial,  good-natured,  outspoken  yet 
dignified,  and  was  rarely  gifted  as  an  agreeable  and 
entertaining  conversationalist.  Politically,  he  was 
an  active,  earnest  and  influential  Whig,  after- 
ward a  Republican.  His  nature  was  deeply  and 
sincerely  religious;  from  his  youth  he  was  a  sincere 
and  earnest  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  during  his  early  life,  when  the  locality  in 
Which  he  resided  was  comparatively  a  wilderness, 
he  carried  with  him  and  distributed  the  Bible  while 
making  professional  calls  among  his  people  with- 
out cost  to  those  unable  or  too  poor  to  pay. 
He  organized  the  first  Sunday-school  in  Aarons 
burj,'.  where  he  resided,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental with  others  in  founding  the  Presbyterian 
Church  there,  and  at  Spring  Mills,  seven  miles 
west  ol  his  home,  in  Penn's  Valley,  in  which  he 
held  the  office  of  elder  for  many   years  until  his 

death. 

<  Mi  January  15,   1824,   Dr.  Coburn  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Peggj  C    Potter,  daughter 

I  Gen.  James  Potter,  of   Potter  township,  (  - 
tie    county,    of   Revolutio  me       She  died 

leaving  no  issue,  and  on  June  24,  1830,  Dr.  Co- 
burn  married  Miss  Margaret  Huston,  also  of  Pot- 
ter township,  who  was  born  September  18,  1800, 
the   daughter    of   James   and   Catherine   (Ewing) 


r^Qgr&^rrt^p 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


49 


Huston,  a  family  noted  among  the  people  of 
Penn's  Valley  for  their  modest,  unostentatious 
generosity,  and  sterling  integrity.  Her  father's 
early  home  was  in  the  Cumberland  Valley,  but 
he  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  and  owned  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  farms  in  that  locality,  his  systematic  meth- 
ods of  cultivation  being  an  important  factor  in 
his  successful  management.  Mrs.  Catherine 
Ewing  Huston  was  during  her  childhood  cap- 
tured by  the  Indians  in  a  corn  field  on  her  | 
father's  home  farm  near  Spruce  creek,  Hunting- 
don Co.,  Perm.,  and  made  to  tramp  barefooted 
to  Niagara  Falls  and  Montreal,  where  she  spent 
two  years  or  more  wandering  about  with  the  sav- 
ages. From  constantly  hearing  and  using  their 
language,  she  had  almost  forgotten  her  native 
tongue,  when  she  was  finally  exchanged  and  sent 
back  in  safety  to  her  home.  Dr.  Coburn's  long 
and  eminently  useful  life  ended  April  25,  1858, 
and  his  wife  did  not  long  survive  him,  her  death 
occurring  August  21,  1861.  Of  their  five  chil- 
dren, only  two  lived  to  adult  age — our  subject 
and  his  sister  Margaret,  who  married  Morgan  F. 
Medlar,  a  banker  and  broker  at  Allentown,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Col.  Coburn  was  born  July  11,  1831,  at 
Aaronsburg,  and  the  common  schools  of  that 
town  afforded  him  an  entrance  to  the  path  of 
knowledge.  Our  subject  spent  three  years  in 
school  at  Owego,  N.  Y.,  two  at  Harrisburg 
Academy,  and  then  entered  the  "Old  Tenant 
School,"  at  Hartsville,  Bucks  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
he  prepared  for  Yale  College.  He  did  not  take 
a  collegiate  course,  however,  as  both  his  parents 
had  become  invalids,  and  for  their  sake  he  re- 
turned to  Aaronsburg  and  tenderly  cared  for 
them  until  they  passed  away,  his  filial  love 
making  this  sacrifice  a  pleasure.  For  seven 
years  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business  as 
clerk  and  proprietor,  and  in  the  meantime  he 
read  law  in  the  office  .of  Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin  and 
Edmund  Blanchard,  at  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  and  in 
i860  was  admitted  to  practice,  His  business 
ability  has  made  him  a  valued  adviser  and  helper 
in  important  ventures.  For  thirty  years  he  la- 
bored unceasingly  to  secure  the  assistance  and 
aid  of  capitalists  and  others  in  the  construction 
of  the  Lewisburg  &  Tyrone  railroad,  of  which  he 
is  a  director,  and  which  was  finally  built  at  a 
cost  of  $2,500,000,  and  is  now  in  successful  oper- 
ation via  Coburn,  Lemont  and  Bellefonte. 
Although  he  was  acquainted  for  many  years  with 
tlje  route  which  the  road  must  eventually  take, 
and  had  the  best  of  opportunities  to  enrich  him- 
self by  purchasing  land  along  the  line,  he  re- 
frained from  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity, 
4 


out  of  a  high  sense  of  personal  honor  and  a  loyal 
consideration  of  the  rights  of  the  community. 
He  has  served  as  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Bellefonte,  with  acceptability,  and  July 
1 ,  1  896,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  president. 
This  bank  is  known  as  one  of  the  oldest,  most 
reliable  and  successful  banking  institutions  in  this 
part  of  Pennsylvania.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact 
that  no  paper  of  his  was  ever  discounted  or  dis- 
honored, notwithstanding  the  .extensive  business 
operations  in  which  he  has  engaged.  He  was 
married  October  17,  i860,  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Hus- 
ton, daughter  of  Thomas  Huston,  late  a  well- 
known  and  prominent  resident  of  Nittany  Valley, 
Centre  county. 

Kind  and  considerate  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  the  Colonel  cherishes  enmity  toward  none. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  never 
sought  office  although  frequently  offered  to  him, 
and  no  man  takes  a  keener  interest  in  the  success 
of  his  party,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
than  he,  and  his  counsel  is  valued  by  those  who 
know  him,  while  his  influence  is  felt  by  both 
friend  and  opponent. 


HON.  JOHN  BLAIR  LINN,  of  Bellefonte, 
is  one  of  Centre  county's  many  men  who 
have  been  called  to  positions  of  honor  and  trust 
in  the  public  affairs  of  the  State,  which,  to- 
gether with  his  connection  with  works  on  local 
history  and  genealogy  of  Pennsylvania  families, 
has  given  him  a  large  acquaintance  and  a  repu- 
tation not  confined  to  the  State. 

William  Linn,  his  great-great-grandfather, 
emigrated  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  in  1732, 
and  settled  in  Chester  county,  Penn.  Accord- 
ing to  family  tradition,  'his  wife  died  in  Ireland, 
and  he  brought  with  him  an  only  son,  William. 
They  remained  in  Chester  county  but  a  few  years, 
when,  following  the  tide  of  emigration,  they  set- 
tled upon  the  frontier  of  the  Purchase  of  Octo- 
ber, 1736,  near  what  is  now  known  as  Roxbury, 
in  Franklin  county.  The  names  of  William 
Linn,  Sr. ,  and  William  Linn-,  Jr.,  appear  on  the 
assessment  list  of  Lurgan  township,  Cumberland 
county,  for  the  year  175 1,  one  year  after  the 
erection  of  Cumberland  county  (1750),  Here 
the  ancestor  died,  having  nearly  reached  the  one 
hundredth  year  of  his  age.  His  father  fought 
on  the  side  of  "the  Orange"  at  Boyne,  July  1, 
1690,  and  was  said  to  have  been  in  Capt.  Hugh 
Wilson's  company,  the  first  Irish  officer  who 
crossed  the  river.  William  Linn,  Jr.,  born  in 
1722  in  Ireland,  was  an  officer  in  Middle  Spring 
Church.  In  June,  1755,  he  was  in  Philadelphia 
with  his  wagon,  and  with  his  team  was  pressed 


(  omiEMORATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


into  ill'  haul   su|  .  I  Irad- 

doi  k's  army,  and  w 

Hi    died    \('iil    16,  <n\   is   buried  in 

I  Spring   Church. 

He  was   twice   married;  Ins    first    wife,  the    one 

from  who ur  sub  inna 

Trimble,    who    died  ling    to    tradition,    in 

Shipper  — .  when 

sequence  of  an  Indian  raid  the  frontier  inhabit- 
ants had  gathered  I  In  children  by  this  union 
wen-  William  and  John. 

The  foi  mi  i .  William  |  j  i  was  bi  >rn  in  Lui 
township,  I  '7.  I752;graduated  at  Prin 

ton,  N  [.,  class  <>(  177-.  studied  theolog}  tiu- 
der    Re\      Ri  >bei  t     Cooper,     1 '     I '  nted 

I  haplain  of  5th  and  6th  Penn  b  tttalions  Feb- 
ruary 1  -  pastor  al  ;  11  ings  1  now 
Newville),  Cumberland  county,  until  1784;  presi- 
dent of  \\  Md.,  1784  1785; 
pastor  of  Co  N.  Y.,  1; 

lain  of  the  I !  Repre- 

sentatives, U    S.,  M.i\    1,  1789.      His  published 
works  are  "  s>  rmons,  Historii  al  and  <  haracter- 
istical, '     N.  Y.,  1791 ;     "  Signs   of    the   I 
N.  Y. .  1 7'.>4 ;    "  A  Funeral  Ei  Gi       Wash- 

ington, delivered   Februarj  the 

New  York  Soi  ietj  -  'l   *  incinnati;      "Sermon 
tin    Death  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  "etc.      Shortly 

eath  Di     Linn 
"l    Union   Colli  tady,  but   was   m 

tugurated       II'   di  d   in   Albany,  X.  Y.,   [anu- 

II  y   8,   180J       Di     1 .11111   married  1  fh  si    January 
10,   1  774,  Rebei  1  a  I  llaii .  daughtei  "I    Ri  v     | 
Blair,  ^  Jer- 
sey, at  Princeton,   176 

John  Linn,  the    othi  1  I  William    Linn 

!.\    thi     In  -t    mai  1  iagi  .  w  .1      horn    in    I  .in 
ti  iwnship,  April  2,  1754       II  I  .urgan 

to  Buffalo  Valle)  (now  Union  1  ounty  .  Penn.,  in 
1775;  mi    N  1    7.    ij8o,  I"'    ma  \nn 

Fleming,  born   September  6,    1761,  daughtei 
John  and  Ann   Fleming,  nt) 

Their  children  were:     Susanna   married  William 
ompson;   Ann  married  Andrew   M    Bi  th;  Will- 
iam married  [ane   Morrow;   |ohn    married    Mary 
F,  Chambei  lin;   Margarel    marrii   I     [oseph    Mi 

monl .    (ames  F.  .   and    [emima  (died  unn 
The  parents  ol  these   children   died,  the 
father  on   March    18,   1809,  and  the-    mothei 
Septi  mbei    1,   1  84  1 

James  I      I  inn,  nexl 
[ohn   Linn,  was   born    December    6,    1802.      He 

i.i-il  mi  the  farm  at   his   n 
I  ,ater  he  atti  hoi  >l  at  Milton,  and  in  1 

in  reading  law  nndei    the  din 
Men  iil       1  le   •■■■  >     idm  il 
and  began  the  pi  n  at  Lew  is- 


burg,  which  place  he  made  his  residence  thrm 

life       Beside  the  profession  of  law,  he  was  a 

fond   ol    it,   which 
went  well  with  his  I  ion  in  mattei 

ements  nd    in  the  land  law  trials. 

II  made  copies  of  all  surveys,  and  preserved  a 
cop;  ade;  the  d  ipies  were  in  a 

1 k,  and  tl  ill   tiled  awaj    separ- 

ately into  townships  and  counties,  and  all  were 
indexed  in  a  1    tranger  could 

turn  to  them   and   undi  rstand.      Th< 
six  hundred,  and  thi  nplete  history  "I 

the  early  tra  and  many  titles  would  be  in- 

ile  without  them.      I  fe  served  a 

is    transaction    in 
which  hi  1        rhe  little  slips  of  papei . 

■  in  which  the  calculations  and  memorandums  of 
the  tra;  happened    in  In-  made,  were  all 

gathered  up  and  put  away  with  the  case  He 
kepi  nmon    picas  docket,  1  opied   ]  1 

motary's  docket,  in  which  tl 
was  no  entry  except  what  was  to  be  found  there, 

Jlection   docket,  a   brief  hook,  issue    lists;   in 
line  from    [826  to  tin-  day  he  did  his  last,  tl 

history  "I  his  busibess.      1  le  was 

fnl  lawyer.       He  was  learned 

in  his  pi  id  withal,  in  the  early  part  ol 

Ins  with  it  his  reading  of  poetry  and 

historj     in  I  much  de\  oti  d  to  the- 

\        lie  was  a  Democrat,  along  with  the  old 

I  '  1  nil  and  Martin 
Van  Bui  ame  an  Abolitionist,  voted  lor 
Birney,  and  livi                 the  day  win  n  his  fai 

["emperani  1    and  Abolition  ol  Sla\  - 
•  i\      were  triumphant.      He  was  a   Scotch-Irish 
1,  and  with  all  his  dignity  and  app 
1  \  friendly  to  all  the  amusemi 
of    life.      Hi-    death  1.    d  October    8,    1  S69. 

Mi  1. 11111  married  July  20,  1S26,  Margaret  I. 
Wil  Jit.  r  of  1  [ugh  Wilson  14    .md  Cath- 

erine   Irvine,  and    their  children  were:      Marx    I 
married  Rev    Elenr)   Harbaugh,  D.  D. ;  Wilson  1 
married  1  I  ii  Brown;  [ohn  Blair  is  our  sub- 

jei  t ,  J    M.i  rill  n  !      Billmeyi  1     1 

ver  1>  died  young;  Anne  (".  married  Dr.  John  S. 
Ang  -     ;  3    was  tin-  first   wife  of   I  >i     [ohn 

S     Vngle. 

Hugh  Wilson  141  was  the  great-grandson  of 

II  ias  Wilson,  and  was  a  native  ol  Northamp- 
ton county,  Penn.,  1  her   21,    1  ~ * >  1  ;  died 

on  his  I  Penn. ,  I  October  9, 

1845,      He  served   a  nui  tours  during  the 

l\'">  olution  .in,  under  Col.  Nicholas 

Kern,  ami  remo\  iffalo  Valle}  mow  Union 

Penn  .    and    kept    store    at    Lewisbu 

lie      III. lined      I  17.      I79O, 

mber  16,   1  -;>'..  died 


COMMEMORA  Tl  VE  BIOGRAPHIOA  I.  RE(  ORD. 


August  21,  1835,  '  daughter  of  Capt.  William 
Irvine,  of  the  Revolution.  Thomas  Wilson, 
from  whom  Hugh  is  the  fourth  generation,  was 
an  officer  in  King  William's  army,  among  the 
first  to  cross  the  river  Boyne,  on  horseback  on 
the  morning  of  July  1,  1690.  He  was  specially 
rewarded,  for  his  bravery,  with  a  grant  of  land. 
He  resided  in  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  having  an 
extensive  bleach-green  within  a  mile  of  Coote 
Hill,  not  far  from  the  county  town.  His  an- 
cestors had  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  Ireland. 
Thomas  had  one  son  Hugh,  born  in  1689,  in 
County  Cavan,  Ireland;  married  Sarah  Craig,  in 
Ireland;  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  the 
"Irish  Settlement"  as  early  as  1736.  His  home  lay 
northwest  of  what  is  now  known  as  Howertown, 
in  Allen  township,  Northampton  Co.,  Penn.  His 
land  comprises  730  acres.  He  erected  a  flour- 
ing-rnill  which  was  torn  down  as  late  as  the 
spring  of  1857.  Upon  the  erection  of  North- 
ampton county,  in  1752,  he  was  commissioned 
one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  for  the  county. 
His  last  commission  as  justice  was  issued  March 

15,  1766.  His  death  occurred  in  the  autumn  of 
1773,  and  his  remains  rest  in  the  old  graveyard 
at  the  settlement. 

John  Blair  Linn  was  born  at  Lewisburg, 
Penn.,  October  15,  1 83  1 ,  and  inherited  his  incli- 
nation to  genealogy  and  local  history  from  his 
father,  James  F.  Linn,  whose  memorandums 
and  newspaper  files  were  the  sources  from  which 
much  of  whatever  is  valuable  in  the  "  Annals  of 
Buffalo  Valley"  was  derived.  He  was  prepared 
for  college  at  the  Lewisburg  Academy,  under 
John  Robinson,  Esq.,  late  ot  the  Philadelphia 
Bar;  entered  Marshall  College  at  Mercersburg, 
Penn.,  in  May,  1846  (sophomore  class),  half  ad- 
vanced, where  he  graduated  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen in  the  same  class  with  the  Hon.  Charles  A. 
Mayer,  some  years  ago  president  judge  of  Clinton 
and  Centre  counties.  He  read  law  in  his  father's 
office,  and  was  admitted  to    the   Bar  September 

16,  1 85  1 .  The  years  1852  and  1853  he  spent  in 
Sullivan  county,  which  had  just  been  opened  out, 
where  he  was  elected  district  attorney.  He  re- 
turned to  Union  county  in  1854,  where  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  until  his  removal  to  Belle- 
fonte,  in  April,  187 1.  On  April  10,  1873,  he 
was  appointed  deputy  secretary  of  the  Common- 
wealth by  the  Hon.  M.  S.  Qua}',  and  May  15, 
1878,  upon  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Quay,  he  was 
commissioned  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth, 
in  which  incumbency  he  remained  until  after 
Gov.  Hoyt  was  inaugurated,  and  then  returned 
to  Bellefonte.  Mr.  Linn  and  Dr.  Egle  were 
made  editors  of  the  Second  Series  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Archives,  the  publication  of  which  was  rec- 


ommended by  Gov.  Hartranft  in  his  annual 
message,  January  7,  1874,  and  they  were  is- 
sued in  twelve  volumes,  under  Mr.  Quay's  su- 
pervision. In  1879  Mr.  Linn  published  the 
"Annals  of  Buffalo  Valley, "  a  local  work  em- 
bracing the  history  of  Union  county  principally. 
It  is  a  book  of  620  pages,  replete  with  interest, 
though  largely  local,  and  involved  an  immense 
amount,  of  painstaking  labor.  While  he  was 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  there  was  pub- 
lished under  his  direction  "  Duke  of  York's  laws, 
1676-82,  and  Laws  of  the  Province,  1682-1700." 
In  1882  he  edited  a  "  History  of  Centre  and  Clin- 
ton counties"  in  a  handsome  volume  of  nearly 
700  pages,  which  has  preserved  all  that  is  of 
value  of  "  Men  and  things  in  these  counties  "  in 
a  readable  and  entertaining  shape.  Mr.  Linn 
has  not  only  inherited  from  his  father  his  incli- 
nation to  genealogy  and  local  history,  but  also 
that  same  methodical  and  systematic  manner  of 
looking  after  his  business  affairs,  and  that  same 
sense  of  right,  justice  and  honor  and  Christian 
manhood — characteristic  of  his  father — is  pos- 
sessed by  him.  He  is  an  exemplary  citizen, 
known  and  beloved  by  all.  His  work  in  the  line 
of  history  and  genealogy  has  been  one  of  labor 
and  love — he  being  fond  of  research  and  inves- 
tigation. He  possesses  that  love  of  books,  and 
a  literary  taste  that  has  been  characteristic  of  a 
distinguished  ancestry.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he 
was  a  patriot,  and  served  his  country. 

Mr.  Linn  was  twice  tnarried;  (first)  October 
22,  1857,  to  Julia  J.  Pollock,  borr  February  2, 
1 83 1,  daughter  of  F.  W.  Pollock,  of  Milton, 
Penn.,  and  their  children  were:  Sarah  P.  G., 
born  April  9,  1859;  and  Bessie  W.,  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  i860.  Was  married  (second)  to 
Mary  E.  D.  Wilson,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hunter 
and  Mary  Benner  Wilson,  and  their  children  are: 
Mary  H.,  born  July  26,  1869,  and  Henry  Sage, 
born  January  18,  1873,  at  Bellefonte,  Penn. 
The  latter  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Cincin- 
nati. He  is  associated  in  the  office  with  his  fa- 
ther under  whom  he  is  preparing  himself  for  the 
profession  of  the  law.  A  well-educated,  bright, 
genial  and  affable  young  man,  he  surely  has  be- 
fore him  a  promising  future. 


JUDGE  AUSTIN  O.  FURST.  Every  profes- 
sion has  its  prominent  men;  some  made  such 
by  long  membership,  and  others  by  their  pro- 
ficiency in  their  calling.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  made  conspicuous  among  the  jurists  of 
Centre  county  both  by  the  length  of  time  he  has 


52 


COMMKM<>U.\  Tl  VB  BIOQRAPHU  .1  /    RBI  <>HD. 


devoted  to  the  pursuit,  and  by  the  eminent  suc- 
cess he  has  made  of  it.  He  is  one  of  those  men 
who  may  be  said  to  have  chosen  well  in  the  se- 
lection of  a  profession.  Possessed  of  a  keen 
sense  of  discrimination,  mature  judgment  and  a 
natural  taste  for  the  various  branches  of  legal 
business,  he  has  by  years  of  stud)'  and  practice 
placed  himself  among  the  foremost  members  of 
the  learned  liar  of  the  great  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Judge  Furst  has  descended  from  honored  fore- 
fathers who  came  to  America  from  Holland  after 
the  Reformation,  his  paternal  ancestors  being 
followers  o(  Martin  Luther.  John  George  Furst, 
the  grandfather  of  Judge  Furst,  purchased  from 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Nittany  Valley, 
which  he  laid  out  into  farms  for  Ins  lour  sons — 
George,  John,  Samuel  and  Thomas  and  daugh- 
ter—  Catherine  These  sons  and  daughter  were 
reared  in  the  Valley  referred  to,  married  there, 
and  settled  on  that  tract  of  lain!  George,  how- 
ever, afterward  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Free- 
port.  Ill,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  Ids  days. 
Two  of  the  sons,  Samuel  and  Thomas,  were 
noted  hunters  of  this  section  of  the  country,  in 
which  they  were  reared.  The  five  children  above 
named  were  strongly  attached  to  the  Church  of 
their  forefathers.  John  George  Furst  died  in 
Clinton  county  (formerly  Centre)  in  iSj  i ,  and  his 
wife,  Agnes,  in    1 8 1  3. 

John  Furst,  the  second  son  of  John  George 
Furst,  and  the  father  of  Judge  hurst,  was  horn 
in  the  Susquehanna  Valley,  August  r8,  1785,  and 
was  given  one  of  the  farms  referred  to,  on  which 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
14,   i859>  when  he  «  I)  sevent)  four  years 

old.       He  was  a  man    of  ordinary  education,    but 
I  good  common  sense;  a   man  of  practi- 
cal ideas  which    made    him   a    useful    citizen,  and 
he  was  a   lifelon  culturist.      He  was   inter- 

id,  and  took  an  active  part,  in  the  local  af- 
fair-. .  !  tin  county;  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat, 
and  in  his  religious  views  was  a  Lutheran  His 
wife,  Ba  .  was  ad  of  J<  ihn 

and  Catherine  Shuman,  of  Mi  Hers  town,  Perry 
county,  this  Stat.-.  John  Shuman  died  March 
7.  1807,  aged  fort)  five  years,  Ins  wife,  Cather- 
ine, passing  away  in  1826,  at  the  sixty 
years.  In  religious  faith  the  Shumans  w 
Methodists.  To  the  marriage  of  [ohn  Furst  and 
i  Shuman  were  horn  eleven  children, 
Judge  l'ur.-t  beii  the  youngest.  The 
mother,  who  was  a  woman  ol  of 
character,  lived  to  the  hty- 
being  remarkably  wi  >  ed 
bi  'Hi   ph)  sit  all)    and   mentally,      I  ler   death 


curred  September  y,  1878.  One  of  her  sons, 
John  S.,  was  a  very  successful  merchant,  and  one 
of  the  most  influential  men  of  Clinton  county, 
an  ardent  Republican,  and  an  elder  of  the  Pres- 
bj  terian  Church. 

Judge  Austin  ().  Furst,  the  subject  proper  of 
this  sketch,  is  a  native  of  the  State,  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county, 
in  the  east  end  of  Nittany  Valley.  In  the  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  he  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion, after  which  he  went  to  the  academy  in  Sa- 
lona,  conducted  by  Prof.  McGuire  and  Prof.  Car- 
rier, respectively.  Later  he  entered  Dickinson 
Seminary,  at  Williamsport,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1853,  with  the  honors  of  the  class. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  the  junior  class 
of  Dickinson  College.  Carlisle,  Penn.,  but  after 
a  brief  period  sickness  caused  him  to  leave.  Re- 
turning home,  he  in  1858  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  his  brother,  Cline  G.  Furst,  Lsq. , 
at  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  and  he  was  admitted 
t"  the  Bar  of  Clinton  County  at  the  September 
term,  i860.  \  short  time  afterward  he  located 
at  l'.ellefonte,  and  at  the  January  term  of  Court 
in  1861,  he  was  on  motion  made  by  the  late  Hon. 
H.  N.  McAllister,  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Centre 
County,  and  has  ever  since  followed  the  profes- 
sion of   law. 

Prior  to  the  session  of  the  State  Legislature 
of  [882-83,  Centre  county  was  a  part  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Judicial    District.      At   that   session 

tre  and  Huntingdon  counties  were  united,  and 
constituted  the  Forty-ninth  Judicial  District, 
fudge  Mayer  continued  as  president-judge  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  1  district,  composed  of  the  counties  1  il 
Clinton,  F.Ik  and  Cameron,  and  Judge  Orvis, 
who  was  the  additional  law  judge  of  the  old 
Twenty-fifth,  became  president-judge  of  the 
Forty-ninth.  In  the  fall  of  [883  he  resigned, 
and  Judge  Ho)  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Pattison 
He  continued  is  president- judge  of  the  Forty- 
ninth  District  until  the  first  Monday  of  January, 
1885.  At  the  general  election  of  [884  Austin  (  >. 
Furst  was  elected  president- judge,  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  tin  Brsl    Monday 

fanuary,  1885,  and  continued  in  service  (or  a 
period  ol  ten  \<  ars,  his  term  of  office  expiring  on 
the  first  M  mday  of  January,  1895,  since  which 
time  he  has  in   the  practice  of  his  pro- 

:i  He  has  an  office  in  l'.ellefonte,  one  in 
Huntingdon,  and  one  in  Philadelphia,  the  last 
being   in    connection    with    hi  1,  William    S 

Fursl  nor  coun 

I'M"!  t>>  the  Jul  -n  to  the  Bench, 

he  w  .  iged  m  many  important  suits  both  in 

equity  and  law.  as  well  as  in  the  criminal  courts, 
ami  was  often  pitted  againstthefi  lawyers 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


53 


of  this  section  of  the  State,  and  has  been  con- 
stantly associated  in  cases  with  them.  The  dis- 
trict was  a  very  large  and  important  one,  com- 
prising a  population  of  80,000  people,  and  during 
his  judicial  term  a  great  many  corporation  cases 
were  tried. in  court,  besides  an  unusual  number 
of  homicide  cases.  The  most  interesting  of  the 
latter  class  was  that  of  Alfred  Andrews,  a  young 
Englishman,  who  was  tried  at  Bellefonte,  at  the 
January  session,  1890,  which  case  lasted  for  six 
days,  and  which  was  closely  listened  to  by  a 
crowded  court-room  daily,  ft  resulted  in  a  ver- 
dict of  murder  in  the  first  degree.  The  Judge's 
pathetic  and  touching  address  to  the  prisoner  be- 
fore pronouncing  sentence  was  highly  commended 
and  considered  by  the  profession  as  an  expression 
of  high  order  of  thought  and  language.  Address- 
ing the  prisoner,  the  Judge  said: 

It  is  seldom,  and  hitherto  unknown  in  this  county,  that 
one  so  young  as  you  has  committed  a  crime  so  revolting  in 
its  details.  Lying  in  wait  for  your  victim,  and  with  the 
frenzy  of  lust  in  your  heart,  without  a  moment's  warning, 
you  made  your  assault,  and  to  cover  your  shame,  you  added 
to  your  attempt  at  rape  the  foul  crime  of  murder.  No  won- 
der that  this  community  stood  aghast  at  your  crime.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  the  officers  of  the  law  were  vigilant  in 
seeking  you  out  and  bringing  you  here  to  answer  for  that 
crime.  It  is  sad,  indeed,  to  think  of  the  deed  you  have  com- 
mitted. Without  pity  or  mercy  you  made  a  criminal  assault 
upon  Clara  Price,  and  failing  in  your  brutal  attempt,  you 
took  her  life  to  suppress  the  evidence  of  your  guilt.  She 
was  a  beautiful  young  lady,  just  ripening  into  womanhood — 
pure  and  virtuous—and  happy  in  the  bright  prospects  of  life 
before  her.  Alone  and  unprotected  in  a  lonely  place,  you 
made  your  assault  upon  her.  She  sacrificed  her  young  life 
to  save  her  virtue.  Her  noble  efforts  to  protect  her  honor 
and  purity  ought  to  be  written  in  granite  above  her  grave. 
The  law,  in  mercy,  hitherto,  has  extended  to  you  every 
means  to  prove  your  defense;  it  has  thrown  around  you  the 
presumption  of  innocence.  It  has  given  you  a  jury  of  your 
own  selection;  it  has  required  the  Commonwealth  to  prove 
you  guilty  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt.  You  have  had  the 
benefit  of  able  counsel  and  the  process  of  the  law  to  compel 
the  attendance  of  your  witnesses;  the  county  has  furnished 
means  for  your  defense;  you  have  had  a  patient,  fair  and  im- 
partial trial  before  a  jury  of  your  peers — the  jury  has  found 
you  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree;  no  other  verdict 
could  have  justly  been  rendered  under  the  evidence.  The 
truth  of  the  verdict  has  been  made  manifest  by  your  own 
confession  since  the  language  of  the  law  has  been  changed. 
It  now  demands  that  satisfaction  shall  be  done.  You  have 
forfeited  your  life  to  the  law,  and  justice  requires  that  forfeit 
shall  be  paid.  While  you  cannot  restore  the  innocent  life 
you  have  taken,  the  law  requires  that  society  shall  be  pro- 
tected from  the  assassin  and  murderer,  and  that  your  igno- 
minious death  upon  the  scaffold  shall  be  a  warning  and  a 
terror  to  the  evildoer.  You  need  not  expect  or  hope  for  a 
change  in  the  verdict,  by  an  appeal  to  any  earthly  tribunal. 
No  constituted  authority  in  the  land  can  read  the  record  of 
your  trial  without  pronouncing  your  guilt.  There  is  no  ap- 
peal left  for  you,  but  to  your  God.  To  Him  and  Him  alone, 
may  your  appeal  for  mercy  be  made.  That  mercy,  which 
you  denied  your  helpless  victim,  may  yet  through  sincere 
repentance  and  faith  in  Christ  be  accorded  to  you.  We 
earnestly  commend  you  to  a  merciful  God,  who,  in  his  infin- 
ite love  granted  pardon  to  the  thief  upon  the  cross,  and  who 
is  able  to  save  the  penitent,  however  wicked  he  may  have 
been.  We  have  no  desire  to  review  the  facts  in  connection 
with  your  crime,  The  confession  you  have  made  relieves 
the  court  from  further  delay  in  your  case.  It  now  remains 
only  to  pronounce  the  death  sentence  according  to  law.    The 


sentence  of  the  law  is  that  you,  Alfred  Andrews,  the  pris- 
oner at  the  bar,  be  taken  hence  to  the  jail  of  Centre  county, 
whence  you  came,  and  from  thence  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, designed  by  law,  and  that  you  there  be  hanged  by  the 
neck  until  you  are  dead,  and  may  God  have,  mercy  upon 
your  soul. 

The  following  quotations  from  the  press,  and 
from  his  fellow-townsmen,  who  have  known 
Judge  Furst  for  years,  are  evidence  of  his  rank  as 
a  lawyer  and  judge,  of  his  high  Christian  char- 
acter as  a  man,  and  faithful  performance  of  his 
duty  as  a  citizen,  and  of  his  scholarly  attain- 
ments: "We  congratulate  the  Republicans  on 
their  excellent  nomination.  Mr.  Furst  is  a  gen- 
tleman whose  learning  and  legal  ability,  integ- 
rity and  faultless  Christian  life  have  placed  him 
above  the  reach  of  slander.  Should  he  be  elected 
to  the  high  office  to  which  he  aspires,  he  will  dis- 
charge his  duty  fearlessly  and  well,  and  as  be- 
comes an  upright  judge  and  arbiter.  He  is  a 
clear  and  forcible  writer,  using  his  brilliant 
rhetoric  and  his  admirable  gift  of  humor  only 
when  they  are  aids  to  the  enforcement  of  his 
argument.  He  is  entitled  to  be  called,  without 
any  exaggeration,  an  accomplished  orator". 
"Judge  Furst  is  firm,  honest,  positive  and  inde- 
pendent". 

Judge  Furst  is  an  ardent  Republican.  Of 
him  the  Democratic  press  says:  "  He  has  always 
been  an  uncompromising  Republican,  but  always 
a  fair  fighter. "  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  since  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years,  and  a  ruling  elder  of  the  Church  at  Belle- 
fonte since  1863.  He  has  been  for  years  presi- 
dent of  the  Dickinson  Alumni  Association,  which 
includes  in  its  membership  some  of  the  brightest 
and  cleverest  lawyers,  ministers,  and  professional 
men  of  the  State.  He  possesses  a  keen  mother 
wit,  which  serves  him  well  in  that  capacity,  and 
his  well-put  sallies  provoke  unlimited  merriment 
at  these  famous  gatherings.  He  is  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  Law  School  of  Dickinson 
College  at  Carlisle.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Bellefonte  nine  years.  He  is  a 
home  man,  and  his  beautiful  residence  is  an  ideal 
one.  His  taste  for  agriculture  is  pronounced,  as 
is  his  liking  for  the  sport  of  Izaak  Walton. 

The  Judge  has  been  twice  married,  first  to 
Miss  Frances  M.,  daughter  of  William  C.  Sander- 
son, of  Clinton  county,  a  lady  of  rare  beauty, 
both  in  character  and  in  Christian  virtue,  and  by 
this  union  there  are  two  sons:  William  S.,  born 
June  12,  1868,  and  John  S.,  born  April  19,  1871. 
William  S.  graduated  with  honor  in  his  class  at 
Princeton  in  1890;  then  spent  the  summer  abroad, 
and  in  the  fall  entered  the  Law  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  at  Philadelphia, 
and  in  three  years  was    graduated  and  admitted 


:.» 


CUMMEMOH  \TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to   the   Bar   in   Philadelphia;  al   :e   he    began 

practice  in  that  city,  and  ha  !«'d 

there,  [ohn  S.  also  wenl  to  Prii 
f erring  a  business  life  he  i  ntered  the  Williamsport 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  is  now  assistant 
cashier.  The  Judge's  s  cond  wife  was  Miss 
Caroline  \\  ,  daughter  oi  Moses  and  Jane  Wat- 
:  i  hambi  1 1  tin,  oi  Milton,  and  i he \  have  three 
children:  Jane  \Y  Watson,  horn  October  9, 
1879;  lame--  C.,  horn  December  1,  1882,  and 
Waltei  B.,  born  May  2,   1887. 


JACKSON  LEVI  SPANGLER,  oi  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county.  Achievements  more  than 
words,  things  done  rather  than  things  said, 
have  constituted  the  contribution  of  the  German 
element  of  our  population  to  the  great  political 
and  industrial  fabric  which  has  been  reared  upon 
the  foundations  laid  by  William  Penn  for  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  more  than  two 
hundred  years  ago. 

Johannes  Spangler,  who  came  to  the  port  oi 
Philadelphia  August  17,  1731,  from  the  Palati- 
nate, in  the  ship  "Samuel,''  Hugh  Piercy master, 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  He  and  his  de- 
scendants have  had    their  full    share  oi    the  solid, 

i\  da}  wank  in  making  the  Commonwealth 
w  hat  it  is. 

Col.  (ackson  Levi  Spangler,  the  sixth  genera- 
tion from  Johannes,  the  elder,  is  the  eldest  son 
of  John  Spanglei  and  Annie  Berger,  and  was 
born  in  Adamsburg,  Snyder  (  1  .  1'.  nn  .  Septem- 
ber 27,  1849.  His  early  life  was  without  special 
incident.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of 
sn\  inty   until    i860,  when   Ins   lather   re- 

moved to  Centre  county,  and  has  resided  at  Cen- 
tre Hall,  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  valleys  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  that  tune  until  this,  except 
during    his    official    term    as    sheriff    of    Centre 

inty,  to  whii  li  office  he  wa  ed  in  the  year 

1S77.      Col.    Spangler    attended    the    common 
schools  in  Centre  county,  ami  was  there  fitted  fot 
Dickinson  Seminar)  at  Williamsport,  from  which 
institution    he   graduated    with    honors  in     1 
1S71.      H  is  1  i  with  the  seminary  have  1 

very  cordial  ev<  1  sinci  ,      He  delights  in  attending 
its  commencements,  and  at   tin    last   commence- 
ment was  the  alumni   orator,  and  entertain 
lai .  nee  by   h  tC    and    vivid  desi  rip 

tion  oi  the  development  of  this  portionol  Penn- 
sj  Ivania.      1  le  entered  the  1  &   Alex- 

ander m  the  lattei  pari  oi  1871,  pursued  the 
studv  oi    the  1  iw  diligently  and  with  .  and 

was  admitted  to  the  Bar  ol  (  entn   Count}  in  Jan- 
uary, 1874.      He  at  onci  took  his  rank  in  the  1 
and  hi>  abilities  wei ,•  so  quickly  r< 


ni/e.l  that  in  the  sum:  me  year  he  was 

nominated   for   1 1  District    Attorney  oi 

tre  counts',  and  wa  edbya    irge  majority 

in  the  fall  ol  the  year.     He  filled  the  office  ably  and 
acceptably  to  the  people  for  the  full  term  of  thi 
years,  and  would  have  undoubtedly  been  renomi- 
nated and  re-elected  in  1877  but  for  the  fact  that 
he  declined  a  renomination,  apparently  for  then 

that  his  lather  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  in 
that  year.  Col.  Spangler  continued  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  after  his  official  term  ceased. 
for  a  number  of  years  alone,  and,  subsequently, 
as  the  senior  member  oi  the  firm  oi  Spangler  & 
Hewes.  He  had  high  standing  at  the  Bar,  and 
was  an  especially  persuasive  advocate,  his  genial 
disposition  and  temper  making  him  an  especial 
favorite  with  the  jury.  During  bis  professional 
life  he  was  also  interested  in  local  politics,  in 
reference  to  which  he  was  always  an  influential 
adviser  in  his  party.  He  was  the  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  County  Committee  during  the 
celebrated  campaign  of  iS.So,  when  Gen.  Han- 
cock received  a  majority  of  996 — an  unusual  one 
in  Centre  county,  and  larger  than  that  of  any 
other  Presidential  nominee  since.  In  I.S90  be 
was  the  cordial  choice  of  his  county  for  the  nomi- 
nation of  Congress  in  the  Twenty-eighth  District, 
and  would  have  undoubtedly  been  nominated  at 
the  conference  of  the  representatives  of  the  se\ 

I  counties,  but  the  fact  that  his  nice  sense  of 
honor  forbade  his  making  an  arrangement  which 
he  thought  was  not  in  accordance  with  an  implied 
promise  he  had  made.  His  mental  equipment 
and  education  would    have    fitted    him    admirably 

as   a    - issful    1  indidate  oi    his   party,  and.  ii 

nominated,    he    would    undoubtedly   have    !>■ 

ted,  and  those  who  knew  him  best  are  satis- 
fied thai  the  district  would  have  been  worthily 
represented,  in  case  of  his  election. 

Col.    Sp.mglei  s    services    in    the    National 

ol  oi  Pennsylvania  have  been  valuable  and 
almost  unique.  In  1S77,  at  the  time  of  the  great 
railroad  riots-  which  convulsed  the  country,  he 
accompanied  Gen.  Beaver,  then  commanding  the 
;th  Division  of  the  \  itional  Guard,   as  a   volun- 

■    aide,   when  the   Division  was  called    into 
tion       The     headquarters     were    established  at 
Altoona,  where  there  was  great  unrest  and  much 
dissatisfaction  on  the  part  oi  the  employees  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad      V  careful  invi  m  ol 

the  situation  revealed  the  fact  that  the  ferment  was 

largely    maintained    hv     the    demagogical    app 

1  man  who  had  1  ne  into  the  commun- 

ity,  and  was  little  known,    but    who    had    exerted 

influence  by  In  ddn 

'ol>    wh.  mbled   to  hear  him 

The  civil  powei  d  to  li,-  paralyzed,   and 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


55 


neither  major  nor  sheriff  would  undertake  to  ar- 
rest the  disturber  of  the  peace.  At  the  request 
of  Gen.  Beaver,  Col.  Spangler  (then  without 
military  rank)  and  Major  M'Farlane  were  sworn 
in  by  the  mayor  as  deputy  policemen.  The  second 
day  after  their  arrival  at  Altoona,  they  located 
this  man  in  a  saloon,  had  a  carriage  driven  to  the 
door,  arrested  him,  hurried  him  to  the  carriage 
and  drove  to  Hollidaysburg,  the  county  seat  of 
Blair  county,  before  the  fact  of  his  arrest  became 
known.  From  that  day  the  spirit  of  unrest  at 
Altoona  decreased,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
complete  order  was  restored.  In  recognition  of 
his  services.  Gen.  Beaver  recommended  him  for 
aide  upon  his  staff,  with  the  rank  of  major,  which 
was  promptly  confirmed  by  Gen.  Hartranft,  then 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Immediately  after  the  unprecedented  disaster 
caused  by  the  flood  at  Johnstown  in  the  latter 
part  of  May,  1889,  Col.  Spangler,  who  was  in 
that  part  of  Cambria  county,  hurriedly  repaired 
to  Johnstown  in  company  with  Gen.  Hastings, 
and  was  so  overwhelmed  with  the  necessity  for 
prompt  action  on  the  part  of  all  who  could 
render  service  to  the  afflicted  people  there,  that 
he  remained  upon  the  ground  and  volunteered  to 
render  such  service  as  he  might,  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  provisions  to  those  who  were  in  need. 
He  organized  the  Commissary  Department,  and 
was  so  efficient  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  con- 
nected therewith  that,  in  recognition  of  his  serv- 
ices, he  was  appointed  by  Gen.  Beaver,  then 
Governor  of  the  State,  assistant  commissary-gen- 
eral, with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  Most 
men  discharge  their  duties  in  National  Guard  serv- 
ice because  of  rank  previously  bestowed;  in 
Col.  Spangler's  case,  however,  the  services  were 
rendered,  and  the  rank  followed  in  recognition 
of  them.  So  much  impressed  were  the  officers 
and  men  who  were  on  duty  in  connection  with 
the  Commissary  Department  at  Johnstown,  that 
at  the  conclusion  of  their  term  of  service  they 
presented  Col.  Spangler  with  a  handsome  sword 
as  a  recognition  of  their  appreciation  of  the  abil- 
ity with  which  he  had  met  all  the  requirements 
of  the  position. 

In  the  fall  of  1887,  Col.  Spangler  became  ac- 
quainted (through  several  gentlemen  who  had  the 
cpntrol  of  a  number  of  options  upon  coal  lands 
in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Cambria  county) 
with  the  marvelous  mineral  wealth  of  this  region. 
He  visited  this  locality,  and  was  impressed  with 
its  extent  and  value.  As  a  result  of  it,  he  en- 
listed the  interests  of  others  in  such  a  way  as  to 
induce  an  effort  to  secure  control  of  a  large  body 
of  coal  in  this  neighborhood.  As  a  result,  the 
Blubaker  Coal  Co.  was  formed,  of  which  he  may 


be  said  to  be  the  original  founder.  Others  united 
with  him,  and  the  business  was  followed  so  intel- 
ligently and  persistently  that  the  company  be- 
came the  owner  of  some  12,000  acres  of  the  best 
coal  land  in  this  region.  Col.  Spangler  has  con- 
tinued as  a  director  of  the  Blubaker  Coal  Co. 
since  its  organization,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent 
stockholders.  As  a  result  of  this  business  con- 
nection, he  became  interested  in  the  Sterling 
Coal  Co.,  and,  when  the  business  interests  of 
the  latter  company  increased  in  the  region  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  demand  active  and  energetic 
supervision,  Col.  Spangler  was  appointed  general 
manager,  and  has  resided  in  Hastings,  acting  inthat 
capacity  for  several  years.  He  had  considerable 
experience  at  Bellefonte  in  the  development  of 
real  estate,  and  became  interested  in  this  region 
in  the  Hastings  Improvement  Co.,  and  was  one 
of  the  original  and  energetic  movers  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Spangler  Improvement  Co.  In 
recognition  of  the  services  rendered  by  him  as 
treasurer  and  trustee  of  the  latter  company,  the 
village  on  the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna, 
which  is  destined  to  be  the  center  of  a  larger 
number  of  coal  operations  than  any  locality  out- 
side of  Houtzdale  basin,  was  named  "Spangler." 
On  March  24,  1890,  Col.  Spangler  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Eliza  Wagner  Holliday,  and  enjoys 
the  domestic  comfort  to  which  he  is  entitled  in 
his  elegant  and  hospitable  home  at  Bellefonte. 
Although  so  largely  interested  in  this  locality, 
and  spending  most  of  his  time  either  at  Hastings 
or  Spangler,  he  maintains  his  residence  in  Belle- 
fonte. We  are  persuaded  that  to  no  one  man 
does  northern  Cambria  county  owe  more  of  its 
recent  development  than  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 


E\DWARD  T.  TUTEN.  The  influence  of  a 
'I  journalist,  though  silent,  is  all-pervasive, 
and  in  the  United  States,  where  the  newspaper 
is  the  universal  medium  of  information,  not  only 
on  the  events  of  the  time  but  upon  the  principles 
and  policies  which  move  our  vast  social  or- 
ganism, it  has  more  than  once  proved  itself  a 
mighty  power.  In  this  work  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  as  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Bellefonte 
Republican,  hns  borne  a  worthy  part,  and  the 
following  brief  biography  will  interest  a  wide 
circle  with  whom  his  name  is  a  household  word. 
The  Tuten  family  originated  in  France,  but 
migrated  to  Holland,  whence  in  the  times  of  King 
William  our  subject's  ancestors  moved  to  Ire- 
land, settling  at  Belfast.  The  first  to  come  to 
America  was  John  Tuten,  our  subject's  grand- 
father, who  followed  the  sea,  and  was  mate  of  a 


COM  VEMORA  Tl  YE  UIOUHAI'UICAL  UECOliD. 


m:1.       He    was   married    m    Boston    to 
Sarah  Partridge,  a  lady   of   English  descent,  and 
teroi  Sir  Robert  Partridge,  of  Boston.    John 
Tuten    established    Ins    home    in    Boston   about 
i  Si .. ,,  l>n  t    while  on  one  of   his  hewas 

drowned  at  Archanp-I,  Russia,  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years.  He  left  one  son,  Robert  P.  Tuten, 
and  two  daughters,  one  of  whom  married  Henry 
C.  Smith,  and  lived  and  dud  at  Nashua,  N.  II  . 
while  the  other  man  I  David  Wilson  Putney, 
and  passed   hei  irs  .it    East   i 

Mass.      The  widowed  mother  subsequently  w 
ded  James  Luke,    of   Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  her 
remaining  years  were  spent  at  that  place.    There 
was  a  large  family  of  children  by  this  union. 

Robert    1'    Tuten,    our  subjei  t's   father,  was 
born  F<  bruarj  6,  [806,  and  grew  to  manhood  in 
Massachusetts        He   learned    the    glass-cutter's 
trade,    and  at   his  death  September  7,   1851,  he 
was  foreman  ol  the  cutting   shop  in  the  work 
the  New  England  Glass  '  0       In    polities  he  was 
an  Old-line  Whig,  and  he  was   a  member  ol   the 
Universalist  Church       His  third    wife-.  Nancj  s 
Smith,  our  subject's  mother,  was  horn  at  l> 
in;,\  N.   11.,  in  1819,  and  died  in  [883.     She  had 

seven  children,  one  of  whom   died    in  childh I. 

and   ol   the    others      Edward    T.  is    the    eldest; 

11  v  M  married  Vlonzo  S  Bruce,  and  resides 
at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  II.,  Susan  R.  is  a  resident 
o|  Ayer,  Mass  .  Robert  P.  lues  at  Iron  Mount- 
ain, Mich.,  and  is  editor  of  the  Iron  Mountain 
Range;  Sarah  T.  is  treasurer  of  the  Ayei  Sav- 
ings Hank,  at  Ayer,  Mass  .  Esther  P.  resides  in 
New  York  City. 

Mr.  Tuten  (our  subject]  was  horn  Septembei 
1,  1S4J,  at  Cambridge,  Mas,.,  and  his  youth  was 
spint  at  that  place  and  in  Mount  Vernon,  N.  II. 
He  attended  an  excellent  si  hool,  and  was  fitted 
for  college;  but  at  this  point  his  student  life 
closed.  For  some  time  he  worked  in  the  same 
glass  wmks  in  which  his  lather  had  been  em- 
ployed, and  then  he  engaged  in  agriculture  at 
Bedford,  Mass.;  but  in  1873  he  moved  to  Helle- 
fonte  and  purchased  the  Republican,  which  he 
has  ever  since  edited  with  marked  ability.  Its 
columns  have  always  reflected  his  own  sturdy 
Republican  principles,  and  for  years  it  was  the 
only  papei  ol  thai  political  faith  in  the  locality. 
Although  Mr.  Tuten  h  verj  quiet  in  manner,  he 
is  firm  and  decisive  in  business  dealings,  and  as 
a  '  itizen  and  a  journalist  he  is  ever  responsive  to 

to  the  best  interests  of  the  place  which  he  has 
I  hi  ISen   for   a    In  mie. 

Iii  February,  [870,  Mr.  Tuten  was  married 
at  Brookline,  Mass.,  to  Mrs.  Man. 1  1'  Gray,  nit 
Fifield,  who  was  horn  in  1834  She  passed  to 
her  eternal   rest   in    May,    1894,  leaving  one  son, 


.  ( '..  born  December  4.  1S70.  now  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Bellefonte  Daily  News.  He 
is  not  married,  and  resides  with  our  subject. 
Mi  1'uii  mi  is.i  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church, 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  Centre 
holding  the  rank  of  Past  Grand. 


CI  >1.    D  Will.  SCHNECK  KELLER,  late  of 
Belle!  litre   county,    closed   an    hon- 

ored   career  as    citizen,    soldier  and    lawyer,    on 
August  1  J,   1894. 

The  Kellers  have  lived  in  Centre  county  for 
nearly  a  hundred  years      Jacob   Keller  ( 1 ).  the 

it-grandfather  of  Col.  Keller,  who  was  born 
in  1753,  came  to  Potter  township,  Centre  coun- 
ty,  in  1806,  hailing  from  Dauphin  county,  of  this 
State  lie  purchased  what  was  known  as  the 
Red  Mill  property  He  was  a  patriot  of  the 
Revolution,  having  served  in  ('apt.  Daniel  Old- 
enbrutfh's  company  of  militia  in  1777.  Hewas 
m  elder  in  the  Reformed  Church,  and  did  much 
to  advance  the  work  of  that  Church  in  Centre 
countv  (  'ii''  ol  the  sons  of  facob  Keller  1  1  :  was 
named  Jacob,  and,  of  his  seven  children, 
Henry  Keller,  later  of  Boalsburg,  was  the  father 
of  our  subject.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged  in 
the  foundry  and  mercantile  business,  and  later 
in  farming.  His  wife  was  Margaret  Schneck, 
whose  brother,  Re\  Benjamin  S.  Schneck,  D. 
D.,  was  a  distinguished  divine  in  the  Reformed 
Church. 

I  hi  hi  I  -'I  Kellei  was  born  at  Oak  Hall, 
in  Harris  township,  September  5.  1844;  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  township, 
and  Boalsburg  Academy,  where  he  prepared  for 
the  Freshman  class  of  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  and  was  expecting  to  enter  in  Septem- 
ber, 1862;  but  before  this  time  the  long-sup- 
pressed antagonism  between  the  North  and  the 
South  broke  out  into  open  warfare,  and  being 
too  patriotic  to  remain  a  mere  spectator  he  joined 
in  the  contest,  enlisting,  in  1862,  in  Company 
<..  148th  Regiment,  1'.  V  I.  He  was  made  a 
corporal;  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  May 
3,  1863,  he  was  shot  in  the  shoulder,  and  the 
wound  proving  serious,  a  tedious  period  in  hospital 
followed.  On  February  15.  1 S64,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  ujth  Company,  2d  Battalion, 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  remained  in  the 
ice  until  peace  was  established,  being  dis- 
charged by  general  order  August  pi.  1865.  Dur- 
ing his  term  ol  service  he  was  detailed  for  spe- 
cial duty  in  the  office  of  the  < Juartermaster-gen- 
eral  of  the  army  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
later  developed  such  facility  and  accuracy  in  his 
work    that    he  was    retained    in    that    office,    and 


£^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


57 


subsequently  in  the  Census  Bureau,  where  he 
was  chief  of  a  division  until  1873.  In  the  mean- 
time he  was  pursuing  a  course  in  the  Columbia 
Law  School,  and  by  night  study  prepared  him- 
self for  the  practice  of  his  profession;  having 
completed  a  full  course  in  that  institution,  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 
In  1873  he  resigned  his  position  in  the  Bureau, 
and  returning  to  his  native  county  settled  in  the 
charming  little  city  of  Bellefonte. 

On  April  29,  1873,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  of  Centre  County,  and  began  an  independent 
practice  in  which  hesucceeded  remarkably,  build- 
ing up  a  large  business  in  connection  with  the 
Orphans'  Court.  He  continued  his  professional 
work  until  about  two  years  before  his  death, 
which  ended  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  a  life 
that  seemed  destined  to  reap  higher  honors.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican 
party  in  this  State,  though  never  anxious  for 
official  position.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
Gregg  Post,  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  hold- 
ing rank  in  the  latter  as  past  master  of  the  lodge, 
and  past  high  priest  of  the  Chapter.  He  acquired 
his  military  title  as  assistant  adjutant-general  of 
the  5th  Division  of  the  National  Guard  of  Penn- 
sylvania, with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  He 
served  in  this  capacity,  and  subsequently  as  as- 
sistant adjutant-general  of  the  4th  and  2nd 
Brigades  of  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania, 
almost  continuously  from  1873  to  1887,  upon 
Gen.  Beaver's  staff.  In  these  relations,  as  in  all 
others  he  sustained  in  life,  he  was  faithful,  dili- 
gent and  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  every 
duty. 

"As  a  member  of  the  Bar  his  strength  was  in 
his  conscience,  and  in  his  ability,  by  close  and 
searching  analysis,  to  reach  the  foundation  prin- 
ciples of  the  subject,  and  when  he  reached  a  con- 
clusion, he  was  irresistible  in  following  to  the 
legitimate  results  what  he  believed  to  be  right. 
He  devoted  himself  without  stint  to  the  interests 
of  his  clients.  It  can  be  said  without  reserve 
that  in  all  his  relations,  personal  and  professional, 
he  was  absolutely  honest. 

"As  a  citizen  he  was  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty.  He  followed  his  convictions  as  he 
followed  the  flag  of  his  country,  without  waver- 
ing, and  with  an  eye  single  to  what  he  felt  to  be 
duty.  His  chairmanship  of  the  committe,  who 
had  in  charge  the  conduct  of  the  campaign  at 
the  time  of  the  submission  of  the  constitutional 
amendment  prohibiting  the  manufacturing  and 
sale  of  intoxicating  liquors,  is  an  illustration  of 
the  manner  in  which  he  followed  his  convictions, 
and  of  the  faith  in  which  he  met  and  discharged 
every    duty.      As    the  result  of  that    campaign, 


which  was  due  very  largely  to  his  leadership, 
and  to  the  active  work  of  his  associates  on  the 
committee,  the  county  gave  a  majority  of  2,000 
in  favor  of  the  prohibitory  amendment." 

Col.  Keller  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  was  sound  in  faith,  and  believed 
that  the  cause  of  temperance  and  sobriety  was 
one  of  God's  laws.  He  had  been  a  Sabbath- 
school  superintendent,  deacon  and  elder  in  his 
Church.  He  always  had  the  welfare  of  Belle- 
fonte at  heart — was  one  who  always  did  his  part 
toward  its  prosperity. 

In  May,  1866,  Col.  Keller  married  his  first 
wife,  Miss  Martha  E.  Huestis,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, who  was  born  January  5,  1842,  and  died 
March  17,  1876.  A  second  matrimonial  union 
was  formed,  in  1878,  with  Miss  Martha  E.  R. 
Schroeder,  of  Reading,  Penn.,  who  survives  him. 
By  the  first  marriage  there  were  four  children, 
of  whom  Harry  is  the  eldest.  (2)  William  H.  is 
now  a  successful  attorney  at  Lancaster,  Penn. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  Col- 
lege, where  he  took  the  highest  honors  of  his 
class,  and  of  Columbia  Law  School.  His  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Anna  Dickey,  is  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  Oliver  J.  Dickey,  who  for  many  years 
served  as  Congressman  from  the  Lancaster  Dis- 
trict, and  was  at  one  time  a  law  partner  of  Thad- 
deus  Stevens.  William  Keller  has  two  children 
— Daniel  S.  and  Elizabeth.  (3)  Martha  E.  died 
in  1892,  at  the  age  of  twenty.  (4)  Ellen  Mar- 
garetta  died  in  infancy.  There  were  three  chil- 
dren by  the  second  marriage:  Daniel  S.,  Jr., 
Rose  Louise  and  John  S.,  all  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

Harry  Keller  is  a  native  of  Washington, 
D.  C. ,  where  he  was  born  December  22,  1866. 
He  was  carefully  educated,  his  course  in  the 
public  schools  being  supplemented  by  further 
study  in  a  private  school.  Making  early  choice 
of  the  legal  profession  under  his  father's  guidance, 
he  began  his  preparation;  but  his  course  was  par- 
tially interrupted  from  1887  to  1890  by  a  term 
as  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  adjutant-general  at 
Harrisburg.  Returning  home,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar,  April  16,  1891,  and  at  once  began  to 
practice  with  his  father.  Since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  has  continued  alone,  and  while  making 
a  specialty  of  practice  in  the  Orphans'  Court  he 
has  also  a  large  general  practice.  He  is  a  stead- 
fast Republican  in  politics.  Socially  he  is  prom- 
inent, and  belongs  to  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  R.  A. 
and  the  K.  T.  On  May  7,  1891,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Orvis,  daughter  of  Judge  John  H. 
Orvis,  of  Bellefonte.  Four  children  have  blessed 
this  union — John  Orvis,  Martha  (who  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months),  Henry,  Jr.,  and   Ellis  Orvis. 


\fOSATIVB  BJOORAPEJCAl    RECORD. 


BERNARD   I   U   III  d    in- 

ventor of  note,  and  for  a  period  one  ol  (  en- 
tre  county's  most  successful  mm  manufacturers. 
He  was  a  genius  in  the  mechanical  line,  and  his 
inventions  crowned  him  with  glor)  and  pecuniar) 
success.      He  was  a  broa  I   publii 

business  man,  who  spent  several  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  in  improvements  to  develop  the  iron 
interests  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Lauth  was  Lineal!)  descended  from  Dr. 
William  Laud,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who 
was  bi  headi  d  in  1645  by  an  arbitrary  decree  of 
Parliament  during  the  troublous  times  in  the  lat- 
ter years  of  the  reign  of  Charles   1.      Archbishop 

Land's     widow,    with    eleven    sons,     migrated 

Alsace,  and  tin-  nai I  the   family,  through  the 

idiom  of  the  German  language,  changed  lo  that 
of  Lauth.  litre  in  this  province,  August  23, 
1820,  our  subject  was  born.  He  came  with  his 
parents  and  grandparents  to  America,  arriving  at 
Pittsburg,  Penn.,  in  the  spring  of  1S31.  The 
worldly  possessions  of  the  famil)  at  tins  tune  did 
not  exceed  ten  dollars.  'The  lather  went  to  work 
at  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  Bernard,  not  yet  having 
completed  his  eleventh  year,  went  to  work  in  Dr. 
Peter  Shoenberger's  iron  works  at  one  dollar  per 
week.  He  commenced  at  the  lowest  round  in 
the  business  ladder,  pulling  up  tin  furnace  door, 
he  passed  tie  i  i\  stage  until  he  became  a 

boss  roller,  ami  1  bled  to  1  high  as 

twenty-eight  dollars  per  day. 

At  the-.-  worl  5  lie  remained  seven  years,  and 

was  then  employed  as  boss  roller  at  the  works  of 

Hoke  &  Hartman  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
with  which  concern  he  remained  until  1  S44.  In 
1847  he  commenced  business  for  himself  at  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  m  company  with  others  built  a 
rolling-mill.  He  was  at  Zanesville  some  five 
ire,  when  he  removed  to  East  Birmingham, 
Pittsburg,  and  in  connection  with  his  brother 
bmlt  a  rolling-mill;  this  enterprise  developed  into 
tin'  immense  "American  Ion  Works  "  of  Lauth 
&  Jones,  until  the  I tei  retired  and  the  linn  be- 
came Jones  &  Locklin.  While  thus  engaged  in 
1857  Mr.  Lauth  made  his  invention  for  themanu- 

fai  1  d    shafting.        The  one-half  of 

the  ihafting  used  in  the  great  Centennial  building 
at    Philadelphia,  in    1876,    was    rolled    at    these 

works.  Mr.  Lauth  sold  his  right  to  [ones  & 
Laughlins  for  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
then  went  to  l.i  gland.  W'liile  th.  re  he  mad< 
second  important  invention,  which  la-  patent;  d 
in  the  United  States — for  rolling  plates— Lauth's 
three  high -plate  rolls,  lie  had  Ins  family  with 
him  in  Europe  for  four  years,  in  older  to  give  his 
chikiren   go  <]   educations.       Mr.    Lauth's    third 

invention  was  a  continuous    null   for  rolling  band 


iron  of   1  scription,  for  hoops,  bands,  etc. 

value  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  he 
sold  a  half-interest  in    it   to  the    Bethlehem  Iron 

ipany  for  seventy- five  thousand  dollars  and  a 
royalty  of  fifty  cents  per  1 

Mr.  Lauth  made  his  fourth  invention  in  1866; 
it  was  for  straightening  and  angling  beam  iron 
mostly  cold.  <  >n  his  return  from  Lurope  he  be- 
came engaged  in  business  at  Reading,  Penn., 
where  he  built  a  sheet-mill  for  rolling  sheets  and 
plates,  which  was  finished  just  as  the  war  closed 
In  [871  he  removed  from  Reading  to  Howard, 
and  took  hold  of  the  iron  works  there  which  were 
in  a  dilapidated  condition.  He  remodeled  and 
renewed  them  almost  entirely,  built  new  and 
handsome  dwelling  houses,  erected  a  beautiful 
Catholic  chapel,  and,  with  a  new  rolling-mill 
erected  in  1882,  had  one  of  the  best  iron  works  in 
Centre  county.  They  consisted  then  of  rolling- 
mills,  two  charcoal  blast  furnaces  and  forge,  pud- 
dling furnace,  etc.,  and  in  the  premises  known 
as  the  Howard  Iron  Works  there  were  612  acres 
of  land,  and  528  acres  of  oie  land  appurtenant. 
Upward  ol  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  ex- 
pended in  improvements,  and  the  works  gave 
employment  to  over  two  hundred  men.  He  was 
a  most  active  and  energetic  business  man,  and 
kept  pace  with  the  advancing  world  in  winch  he 
moved.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  politics, 
but  took  no  active  part,  never  having  any  desire 
to  hold  public  position.  He  was  a  Republican 
His  death  occurred  at  his  country  home  near 
Howard  Juni  25,  1894;  for  several  years  he  had 
been  failing  111  health,  and  when  the  end  came  it 
came  pi  ai  1  fully,  for  he  died  in  his  chair  and  as 
though  just  (ailing  into  asleep.  He  possessed  a 
tender  heart,  was  ever  willing  and  ready  to  do 
anything  that  would  help  his  neighbor.  By  faith 
lie  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  was  consistent  in 
his  belie)  He  was  one  of  eight  children,  the 
others  being:  John  X.,  Catherine,  Magdalene, 
Barbara,  Josephine,  Mary  and  Caroline,  all  of 
whom  are  now  dead  excepting  the  last  named. 

I"     1840,     Mr.     Lauth    was    married    to    Miss 
ibeth    Wilhelm,    and    their   children    are:      1) 
1    .  born   Se]  >er  21,   1 840,  married 

Magdalene  Berg,  of  Pittsburg.  2)  John  N  , 
bom    Di  14,    1842,  married     first)   a  Mrs. 

Smith,  of  Pittsburg,  and  second  a  Mrs.  Dr. 
Knoor.  (3)  Mrs.  M.  L  Comerford,  who  makes 
her  home  with  her  mother,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren     Mar)    Louise,  Arthur   A.    and    Bernard    I. 

Mis.  Caroline  Com.  rford,  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burg, who  lias  three  children  —  William  B., 
Elizabeth  and  Caroline.      (5     Mis.  Elizabeth  C. 

th,   oi    Reading,    Penn  .    the   mother  of  five 
ne   daughtei — Charles    \;      Bernard, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


59 


Philip,  Harrold,  Robert,  and  Louise  (who  died 
at  four  years  of  age).  (6)  Mrs.  Josephine  Wil- 
helm,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  whose  children  are  — 
Grace,  Walter,  Louis,  Paul  and  Elizabeth.  (7) 
Mrs.  Cameron  Burnside,  of  Philadelphia,  who 
has  one  daughter — Rachel. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Wilhelm)  Lauth  is  a  native 
of  the  village  of  Roeschwoog,  near  the  river 
Rhine,  Alsace,  then  a  province  of  France,  born 
September  30,  1821;  she  is  the  daughter  of 
Mathias  and  Magdalene  (Huck)  Wilhelm.  When 
she  was  six  years  of  age  her  parents,  with  their 
family,  came  to  America,  being  forty-seven  days 
on  the  ocean  en  route.  They  located  at  Pitts- 
burg, Penn.,  where  the  father  for  many  years 
was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  keeping  a 
tavern  first  on  Third  street,  called  the  "Sun," 
and  subsequently  one  on  Penn  Ave.,  where  he 
died.  His  children  were:  Mathias,  Elizabeth, 
Magdalene,  Francis,  Catherine  (1),  Mary,  Caro- 
line, Catherine  (2),  Josephine  and  Jacob.  All 
are  now  dead  excepting  Elizabeth,  Francis, 
Catherine  (2)  and  Josephine.  Mrs.  Lauth  is 
now  passing  the  evening  of  her  life  in  her  com- 
modious and  comfortable  home  near  Howard, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well-spent  life. 


C\ALVIN  M.  BOWER,  a  prominent  lawyer 
_J  and  citizen  of  Bellefonte,was  born  in  Haines 
township,  Centre  county,  Penn.,  April  20,  1849 
a  son  of  Jacob  Bower,  who  was  a  prosperous  and 
well-to-do  farmer  living  near  the  village  of 
Woodward.  The  mother  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Motz,  of  Woodward;  both  parents  being 
members  of  two  of  the  oldest  and  most  prom- 
inent families  of  that  section  of  the  county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  early 
days  as  a  farmer's  boy,  working  on  his  father's 
farm  during  the  summers  and  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools  during  the  winter  months.  In  No- 
vember, 1866,  he  entered  the  Aaronsburg  Acad- 
emy to  prepare  for  college.  In  the  following 
spring  he  went  back  to  his  father's  farm,  and  re- 
mained there  until  the  fall  of  1867,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  academy  and  spent  the  winter  at 
his  studies.  In  the  spi/ng  of  1863  he  again 
returned  to  the  farm,  and  remained  at  work  (ex- 
cept for  five  months  spent  in  teaching  a  term  of 
school  in  the  neighborhood)  until  August,  1870, 
when  he  entered  Central  Pennsylvania  College, 
at  New  Berlin,  Penn.  During  the  time  spent  on 
the  farm  he  was  a  faithful  student,  making  use 
of  his  spare  time  in  finishing  his  preparations  for 
college.  He  remained  at  college  until  October, 
1871,  whenTie  came  to  Bellefonte  to  begin  the 
study  of  law.      He  entered  the  law  office  of  Orvis 


&  Alexander,  then  one  of  the  most  noted  law 
firms  in  central  Pennsylvania.  There  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  the  same  zeal  that  charac- 
terized his  school  work,  and  in  December,  1873. 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Centre  county. 

Immediately  upon  his  admission  to  the  Bar  he 
was  offered  and  accepted  an  interest  in  the  law 
firm  with  whom  he  had  been  a  student,  and  in 
January,  1874,  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Orvis,  Alexander  &  Bower.  When  Judge  Or- 
vis, the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  appointed 
to  the  Bench,  the  remaining  members  of  the  firm 
continued  the  practice  under  the  firm  name  of 
Alexander  &  Bower.  This  partnership  continued 
for  a  period  of  eleven  years,  during  which  time 
they  were  engaged  in  most  of  the  important  cases 
tried  in  Centre  county.  Mr.  Bower  was  soon  rec- 
ognized as  a  careful  and  conscientious  lawyer, 
and  soon  attained  an  influential  position  at  the 
Bar.  He  early  acquired  a  large  practice  at  the 
Orphans'  Court,  and  was  looked  upon  especially 
strong  in  this  class  of  cases.  The  firm  during 
its  existence  had  a  large  practice,  and  taking  an 
active  part  in  the  work  soon  became  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  county.  One  of  the 
strongest  evidences  of  Mr.  Bower's  ability  as  a 
lawyer  is  the  fact  that  when  Judge  Orvis  retired 
from  the  Bench  he  chose  him  as  his  law  partner. 
The  law  firm  of  Orvis,  Bower  &  Orvis,  consisting 
of  Judge  Orvis,  Mr.  Bower,  and  Ellis  L.  Orvis, 
was  organized  January  1,  1885.  This  partner- 
ship at  once  came  into  prominence,  and  was  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  Bower  has  always  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  their  practice,  and  his 
success  has  placed  him  prominently  among  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  State.  For  many  years 
he  was  concerned  in  the  trial  of  many  of  the  im- 
portant ejectment  cases  tried  in  Centre  county, 
and  he  is  recognized  as  a  well-equipped  lawyer 
in  this  important  branch  of  the  law.  The  rec- 
ords of  the  court  in  the  central  part  of  the  State 
show  the  extent  of  his  practice,  and  the  supreme 
court  reports,  for  years,  attest  his  prominence  at 
the  Bar,  showing  that  he  frequently  appeared  be- 
fore that  tribunal  in  the  leading  cases  from  the 
the  courts  to  which-his  practice  extended. 

Mr.  Bower  has  always  been  an  uncompro- 
mising Democrat,  faithfully  devoted  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  party.  These  principles,as  laid  down 
by  Jefferson,  Jackson  and  Tilden,  have  always 
found  in  him  an  earnest  and  faithful  supporter. 
As  early  as  1875  he  was  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic County  Committee,  and  by  his  untiring 
work  succeeded  in  effecting  an  organization  that 
brought  out  a  full  party  vote,  resulting  in  a  ma- 
jority of  1,500  in  the  county  for  the   Democratic 


60 


'  VBMORA  TIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


nominee  for  governor.  He  has  frequently  been 
.1  delegate  to  State  Conventions,  and  in  1880 
In-  was  honored  with  a  place  on  the  Electoral 
ticket.  In  1 S94  he  was  unanimously  Dominated 
by  his  party  for  President  Judge  of  the  49th  J 11- 
diri.tl  District,  then  comprised  o(  the  counties  of 
tn   and  Huntingdon.      In  the  dis  .im- 

paign  of  that  year  he  was  defeated  with  the  1 

of  the  Democratic  candidates,  but  lie  ran  1,529 
votes  ahead  of  his  ticket  in  the  district.  When 
Mr.  Bowei  was  nominated,  one  of  the  Demo- 
cratic papers  in  the  district  said:  "The  nomi- 
nation conies  to  him  without  a  contest  His 
eminenl  position  at  the  Bai  in  tl.  in  "f  the 

State  makes  him  the  natural  candidate  of  his 
party,   and  he  led   b)     Democrats  and 

Republicans  alike  to  be  the  strongest  Democratic 
nominee  to  be  found  in  the  district. "  In  the 
following  year  the  I  lemocratic  County  (  ommil 
instructed  the  delegates  from  Centre  count)  to 
present  Mr.  Bower's  name  before  the  State  Con- 
\  cut  1011  for  the  nomination  of  Justice  of  the 
Superior  Court,  and  pas  solution  instruct- 

ing the  delegates  to  use  all   honorable  means   to 

ire  his  nomination.  Huntingdon  and  other 
counties  took  similar  action,  and  it  soon  became 
dent  that  there  was  a  strong  sentiment  in 
his  favor  in  various  sections  of  the  State  His 
friends  made  a  strong  fight  for  his  nomination, 
and  he  was  only  defeated  by  an  unfortunate 
ruling  of  the  chairman  of  the  Convention,  which 
gave  the  nomination  to  Incite  Magee,  ol  I'itts- 
burg,  by  twenty-eight  majority. 

Mr.  Bower  is  a  prominent  and  .111  active 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church  Frequently 
he  has  been  a  delegate  to  Classis  and  Synods, 
and  has  tilled  various  Other  positions  with  credit 
to  himself  and  honor  to  the  Church  While  he 
is  thoroughly  devoted  to  his  Church,  he  is  inter- 
I  m  the  cause  of  religion  without  regard  to 
denominational  lines.  lb-  has  also  been  active 
m  Sunda  I  work,  and  is  at  present  district 

and  county  chairman  of  the  State  Sabbath-school 
Association.  He  has  also  been  an  active  worker 
m  the  cause  ol  education.  For  vears  he  has 
bet  n  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Frank- 
lin and  Marshall  College,  at  Lancaster,  Penn., 
and  as  a  mark  ol  appreciation  of  his  work  forthe 
colle. ■.  Hid  Ins  literary  attainments,  that  insti- 
tution   some-  years  ago  conferred  upon  him   the 

ree  ol  Master  of  Arts  He  owns  one  of  the 
finest  libraries  in  Bellefonte,  and  by  earnest  and 
(areful  study  he  has  become-  as  prominent  in  lit- 
erary circles  as  he  has  in  bis  profession.  Judge 
Orvis,  when  on  the  Bench,  fittingly  recognized 
Mr.  Bower's  legal  and  literary  attainments  by 
appointing  him  a  member  of  the  examining  com- 


mittee; and  he  is  in  point  of  service  the  oldest 
member  of  that  committee,  having  been  reap- 
pointed by  [udges  Hoy,  b'urst  and  Love,  and 
is  the  President  of  the  Board. 

Mrs  Bower  is  a  daughter  of  John  Meyer,  of 
near  Rebersburg,  and  a  lady  of  culture  and  re- 
finement. She  is  particularly  noted  for  her  love 
of  plants  and  flowers,  and  the  home  of  the  fam- 
ily on  the-  extreme  eastern  end  of  Linn  street  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  Bellefonte.  The  grounds 
surrounding  the  house  are  one  mass  of  vines  and 
flowers,  all  under  the  immediate  care  of  Mis 
Bower.  The  only  child,  John  Jacob  Bower,  isa 
student  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  a 
member  of  the  class  of   [898. 

ially,  Mr.  Bower  isof  a  retiring  disposition. 
1  bed  m  his  books  and  his  profession;  yet  he 
has  acquired  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  and 
formed  strong  friendships.  He  is  a  representa- 
ti\  e  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Centre  counts . 
and  his  ancestors  on  both  sides  were  some  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  eastern  end  of  Penn's 
Vallej  Manyof  theBowersand  Motzes still  re- 
side- in  that  section  of  the  county,  and  some  of 
thein  own  and  occupy  the  lands  where  their  an- 
cestors settled  about  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  the  title  thereto  not  having  passed 
out  of  the  family  name  in  which  it  was  originally 
acquired. 

[ai  ob  Bower,  the  great-grandfather  of  Calvin 
\I  .  and  the  son  of  John  and  Catherine-  Bower. 
came  into  what  is  now  Haines  township  from 
Hanover  township.  York  county,  in  1776.  He 
married  Christena  Nease,  daughter  of  Philip 
John  Mot/,  the  great-grandfather  of  Mr. 
Bower  on  his  mother's  side,  came  to  the  site  of 
Woodward  from  Penn  township,  in  what  is  now 
Snyder  county,  in  1786.  He  bought  land  under 
date  ol  \pnl  ."j.  17S5,  and  is  credited  with  being 
the  first  settler  on  the  town  site  named.  Shortly 
alter  locating,  he  built  a  mill,  and  in  a  small  scale 
manufactured  soda.  He  was  highly  educated. 
a  sculptor  by  profession,  and  had  to  leave  the 
I  thi  1  land  in  consequence  of  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  liberty.  At  his  death  he  left  quite  a 
valuable  collection  of  books  on  Church  history. 
astronomy,  etc.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Whitmer. 


DAVID  I      FORTNEY,  postmaster  .at  Belle- 
fonte, and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Cen- 
tre (  oimtv  Bar. 

At  the  time-  ol  the  birth  of  David  Fortney 
(father  of  David  p.,  the  subject  of  this  review), 
February  \2.  1807,  his  father,  whose  name,  too, 
was    David,     resided    at    Cornwall,    in    Lebanon 


X. 


{^c^-t^f 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


61 


county,  this  State.  When  a  young  man  of 
twenty-two  or  twenty-three  years  of  age,  David 
(2)  came  to  Centre  county,  and,  as  was  the  cus- 
tom in  those  days,  became  an  apprentice  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  under  John  Kim- 
port,  a  brother-in-law.  After  he  had  learned  the 
trade,  he  for  many  years  followed  the  business  of 
a  carpenter,  and  very  many  of  the  large  bank- 
barns  and  dwelling  houses  in  Penn's  Valley,  built 
from  1840  to  1856,  were  constructed  by  him  or 
by  his  assistance  and  with  his  labor.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  energy,  an  excellent  mechanic,  a 
good  citizen,  large  hearted,  honest,  kind  and  of 
the  most  tender  disposition.  He  was  a  great 
hand  to  take  care  of  and  look  a*ter  the  sick,  and 
was  very  frequently  called  upon  by  neighbors  in 
times  of  sickness  and  distress,  to  help  to  care  for 
their  sick.  He  married  Susan  Sellers,  a  native 
of  York  county,  Penn. ,  who  was  born  February 
17,  18 1 2,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Sel- 
lers. Daniel  Sellers,  her  father,  soon  after  her 
birth,  entered  the  army  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and 
died  in  the  service,  whether  from  wounds  or  dis- 
ease contracted  in  the  service  is  not  now  certainly 
known.  To  this  marriage  were  born  six  children: 
(i)  Mary,  who  married  William  Stover,  died 
April  23,  1877.  (2)  John  H.,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  D,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  entering  the 
service  of  the  United  States  in  August,  1862, 
along  with  his  brother,  David  F. ,  and  serving 
throughout  the  war;  his  death  occurred  April  3, 
1887,  from  disease  contracted  in  the  army.  (3) 
James  G.  is  a  successful  and  prosperous  farmer 
near  Pine  Grove  Mills,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  (4) 
David  F. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  (5)  George 
William,  a  faithful  and  devout  minister  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  Luthern  Church.  (6)  Sarah  Ellen, 
a  lovely  girl  of  fifteen,  the  first  of  the  family  called 
upon  to  pass  over  the  dark  river,  dying  April  1, 
1863.  This  date  also  recorded  the  death  of  the- 
father,  David  Fortney,  Sr. ,  who  died  just  eleven 
hours  after  the  daughter,  both  dying  from  what 
was  then  called  "spotted  fever".  They  were 
buried  on  the  same  day,  April  3,  1863,  in  one 
grave.  The  wife  and  mother  died  at  the  home 
of  her  son  James  in  Ferguson  township,  July  19, 
1883,  full  of  years  and  good  deeds.  She  had 
been  early  consecrated  to  God  by  her  parents  in 
the  sacred  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  at  the  time  of 
her  death  had  been  a  consistent  Christian  and 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  for  fifty  years. 
After  her  husband's  death,  she  generally  passed 
the  winters  at  the  home  of  her  son,  David  F.,  in 
Bellefonte,  and  the  summers  at  the  old  farm  with 
her  son  James.  She  was  a  sincere  woman,  kind- 
hearted,  generous  and  thoughtful,  exemplary  in 
life,  she  became  endeared  to  all  who  knew  her. 


Her  influence  for  good  was  remarkable,  and  she 
filled  a  place  in  the  family  and  Church  from  which 
she  has  long  been  missed.  Her  son  in  an  obit- 
uary notice  thus  speaks  tenderly  and  beautifully 
of  "Mother"- 

The  early  training  of  the  family  devolved  almost  entirely 
upon  her.  For  weeks  at  a  time,  and  almost  continually, 
father  was  from  home,  of  necessity,  following  his  trade.  She 
met  the  duties  and  responsibilities  thrown  upon  her  with  un- 
faltering courage  and  firm  faith  that,  if  she  did  well  her  part, 
the  end  would  also  be  well.  She  left  nothing  undone  that 
would  add  to  the  interest,  happiness  or  welfare  of  her  chil- 
dren. To  say  that  she  was  a  good  mother,  a  royal  woman, 
and  give  the  words  all  the  force  the  language  will  imply,  is 
but  to  feebly  express  her  crowning  glories. 

David  F.  Fortney,  practically  speaking,  was 
reared  among  agricultural  pursuits.  His  early 
education  was  such  as  the  neighboring  schools  of 
the  township  afforded.  He  was  in  attendance 
at  the  academy  at  Pine  Grove  Mills,  during  which 
time  he  walked  over  three  miles  each  way  every 
day  in  the  week,  and  was  never  tardy.  While 
at  the  academy  in  August,  1862,  young  Fortney, 
with  others,  the  principal  included,  enlisted  for 
the  war  in  Company  D,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  James  A.  Beaver,  afterward 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  now  judge  of  the 
Superior  Court.  In  less  than  a  year,  however, 
the  young  man  Fortney  was  discharged  from  the 
service  for  disability  arising  from  fever  contracted 
while  therein.  He  then  returned  to  Pine  Grove 
Academy  for  some  months,  and  later  taught  a 
five-months  term  of  school  at  White  Hall  school 
house,  in  Ferguson  township,  receiving  $20  per 
month  for  his  services.  From  April  20,  1864,  to 
the  last  o(  September,  1866,  he  attended  what 
was  known  as  Vermillion  Institute,  at  Hayesville, 
Ohio,  which  was  in  charge  of  Rev.  S.  Dieffen- 
dorf,  and  was  an  excellent  school,  where  he  re- 
ceived quite  a  liberal  education  in  higher  mathe- 
matics, sciences,  and  in  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages.  On  returning  from  Hayesville,  he 
taught  one  term  of  school  in  Decatur  township, 
Clearfield  county.  Early  in  life  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  a  lawyer,  and  with  this  end  in  view, 
he  attended  school,  and  taught  probably  longer 
than  he  otherwise  would  have  done.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon. 
John  H.  Orvis,  of  Bellefonte,  and  while  reading 
law  did,  for  his  board,  whatever  work  was  to  be 
done  on  his  preceptor's  place  of  some  three  acres, 
which  comprised  an  orchard  and  garden.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  April  30,  1869,  having 
practically  worked  his  own  way  through  school. 
and  maintained  himself  by  working  part  of  the 
time  while  studing  law. 

From  the  very  first  he  took  high  rank  as  a 
lawyer,  and  gained  and  held  the  respect  of  his 
colleagues,    and    had    acquired   a    fine    practice. 


■/-.//.'.  1  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL    HISCURD. 


when  hi  While 

tins  111  no  waj  injures  his  abi 

uli  him 

lit     him    from  in 

trials  in  <  oui  t.      As   an  his  ability  ■. 

gnizi  d  b  '.'lie.  and  he  was 

frequent!  \-  i 

ability  in  this  line.      But  for  this  misfortune,  th 

mis  would  not  I 

ii  willing  him,  and  w  hich  he  wi  mid 

havi  1  fe   wa  -  chairman  of  the 

Den 

in  i  i  m  i  877  was  elected  disti 

■  if  the-  count)  fi ir  a   t   1  m   of   tin 
largest    majority,    winch    up  to  that    lime,  in    a 
tween    tun   candidates,   had 
been  given   for   many  years.      He   h 
quently  impi  to   be   .1   candidate    for  the 

Legislature,  and  just  as  often  refused.  Iff  is 
widely  known  as  the  Demoi  ratic  "  War-h 

ntre  county.      For  many  years  he  has  taken  an 
active  part  m  State  and  county  campaigns.      He 
is  always  in  demand  as  a  campaign  orator,  and 
ite  with  the  peop  nty. 

"  No  man  in  the  county  has  .it  an)  time  done 
mon  01  better  work  for  the  continued  success  of 
tile  party,  m  both  county  and  State,  than  has 
Mr.  Fortney,  and  no  man  m  the  party  has  more 
loyal  and  devoted  friends  than  he."  The  Jeff er- 
sonian  of  West  (luster,  in  1872,  paid  him  the 
following  tribute: 

Of  thi  ded  in  the  lati  1  none 

did  tli.ui  I  ).i\  id  !■ .  1  ortney, 

I  sq.,  "i  Bellefonte.     M  r.  F  on  ibust,  em  1 

>i  si  man,  who  went  ii  mined  to  do  Ins 

full  duty,  and  most  admirablj  did  he  perform  it.     Mr 

-I peiu  two  weeks  with  us,  and  spoke  inalmos)  everj 
tion  of  the  county,  and  Ins  praises  are  sounded  by  .ill  who 
.  inin. 

From  January,   1882,  to   January,   1888,  Mr. 
Mil  orfney  w  a  1  of  the  county,  and  fi 

January,    1891,  to  the  present  tin  I  he  has 

held  the  same  office,  and  in  examining  accounts 
that  pass  through  the  commissioner's  office  he 
has  been  no  >ns  in  loppin; 

11111  ■     in    cutting    down   bills. 

The  public  will  never  fully  know  the  actual 
ice  he  has  been  to  them   m  this  Dur- 

ing   his  first   term   (January,    [882,   to   January, 

8)  through  h  -  there  was  collected  and 

paid  over  t"   the  treasury  ol    the   count) 

'.OOO.       The     fund     ai  m     a     lot    of     old 

■us   which   the    count)    hi 

townships  111  and    outside  of    the  cm:  .ery 

member  of  the  I  I  him,  but 

ling  sure  he  was  right,  he  pushed   the  claims, 

and  .it  the  ibout  thi  is'  litigation, 

nty  was 


licit  to  the  line,  and  many  irregul  art - 

»rown   up  in   the  transaction  of 
the    public  were    V  pped    off    and   de- 

iunty  have   been 
many    J  me  will  con- 

tinue his  work,  energ)  and 

abib' 

Mr.   i  nized  abilit)  . 

and  is    pen    h 

d  and  favorably  spoken  of.      In 

April.    1894,    he    was    a|  stmaster    at 

worthy  of    note    that    in  the 

backed  by  the  entire 

Bar  and  the  largest  and  best  business  interests  of 

n  ,1  business- 
like manner  on  business  prim  ong  par- 
tisan as  he  is,  p  ilitics  no  not  enter  into  the  dis- 
charge of  hi  As  a  citizen  he 
Is  high  amo  nergetic  and  progressive 
men  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  and 
uch  for  tl;  g  iod  of  the  pub- 
lic and  its  advan  f  the  prominent 
men  among  whom  he  lives.  Since  June,  1882, 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of 
and  since  1XS4  lie  has  been  continu- 
ously  president  of  the  board.  During  this  time 
the  have  made  great  progress.  Under 
his  watchful  I  the  enthusiasm  of  his  na- 
ture, the  schools  have  been  transformed  from 
machines  into  living  moving  things  in  which  to 
educate  boys  and  girls.  He  takes  more  pride  for 
what  he  has  done  in  this  line,  for  the  good  of  the 
children  of  the  community,  than  anything  else  in 
the  course  of  his  life.  Through  his  influence  a 
very  line  school  library  has  been  started,  stocked 
with  the  best  of  books  for  the  young  people. 
Through  his  efforts  alone,  a  number  of  pri 
have  been  offered  by  wealthy  citizens  of  the  town, 
(or  various  excellence  ill  Studies  and  conduct  to 
be:  competed  for  by  the  pupils  of  the  High 
Much  good  has  come  from  this;  the  prizes 
•  hey  were  a  great 
help.  lie  spares  no  effort  to  do  gi iod  and  add  to 
the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  many  young 
pie  in  the  schools.  He  is  a  leader  in  educa- 
tional lines,   and  Ins  reputation  is  not  confined  to 

ul  into  the  State. 
I     1     many    years    Mr.     Fortn  j    bus  been    a 
member  ol  the  board    ol   trustees  of  the  Presby- 
terian  Church,    of    which   he    is    also  a  member 
I  lis  whole  life    and    influ  n   on  tin- 

side  ol  right. 

In  1879,  when  the  Amendment    to  the  I 

tition  of  I  .  pi  ihibiting  the  manul 

ure  ng  liquors  in  the  State. 

>n,  he  went  inti  1 
the  n   for  the  Amendment   with  all  his 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


m 


well-known  energy  and  enthusiasm,  and  for  a 
period  extending  over  two  months  he  made 
speeches  in  every  part  of  the  count)',  and  did 
much  to  aid  in  securing  for  the  Amendment  the 
very  large  majority  that  was  given  it  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Centre  county.  He  has  a  commanding 
personality,  tall  and  well-built;  with  a  face  force- 
ful and  expressive  of  human  feelings,  he  meets 
his  associates  and  even  strangers  with  frankness, 
both  socially  and  officially.  On  September  19, 
1876,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  E.  Hue)7,  a  na- 
tive of  Harris  township,  Centre  Co.,  Penn. ,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children  (twins): 
David  Paul,  the  fourth  in  line  to  be  called  David; 
a;id  Katy  H.,  a  lovely  child  who  died  August  15, 
1886,  in  her  tenth  year.  Her  death  was  keenly 
felt  by  her  parents,  who  took  great  delight  and 
pride  in  their  children.  David  Paul  is  now  a 
student  at  the  State  College. 

Robert  Huey  and  Katy  Glenn  Huey,  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  Fortney,  were  natives  of  Centre 
county,  Penn.  Adam  Huey,  the  father  of 
Robert,  came  to  America  in  1798  or  1799  to 
escape  punishment  for  engaging  in  the  rebellion 
led  by  Robert  Emmet  against  the  English  Gov- 
ernment. One  son  of  Robert,  William  C. ,  served 
in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  C, 
148th  P.  V.  I.,  and  was  severely  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville. 


T  MOM  AS  B.  POTTER,  M.  D.,  and  his  son, 
Wiiliam  M.  Potter,  are  prominent  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  Philipsburg,  Centre 
county,  and  worthily  represent  a  family  which 
has  been  held  in  high  esteem  in  this  section  from 
pioneer  times. 

James  Potter,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Thomas 
B.  Potter,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Penn's 
Valley,  and  his  son,  John  Potter,  the  Doctor's 
father,  who  was  born  at  Potters  Mills  in  1S00,  be- 
came a  leading  business  man  there,  operating 
woolen-mills  and  gristmills,  and  owning  several 
farms.  He  died  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  in  1886, 
while  on  business  connected  with  his  lumber  inter- 
ests there.  His  wife,  Amelia  (Burnside),  a  na- 
tive of  Centre  county,  lived  to  the  age  of  sev- 
enty. Only  three  of  their  children  attained  adult 
age:  James  G.  (deceased)  was  formerly  a  book- 
keeper at  Fond  du  Lac;  Thomas  B.  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  William  W. ,  is  a  dentist 
in  Marinette,  Wisconsin. 

Dr.  T.  B.  Potter  was  born  at  Potters  Mills 
November  21,  1829,  and  his  early  years  were 
spent  in  that  vicinity.  After  the  local  educa- 
tional resources  were  exhausted  he  attended 
school  at  Lewistown,  and  later  studied  at  Prince- 


ton College.  His  medical  studies  were  begun 
under  the  supervision  of  Dr.  George  L.  Potter, 
of  Bellelonte,  and  finished  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated April  6,  1 85  1.  Locating  at  Stormstown, 
Half  Moon  township,  Centre  county,  he  practiced 
there  five  years,  and  then  removed  to  Philips- 
burg and  became  the  leading  practitioner  there. 
After  forty  years  of  successful  practice  he  with- 
drew to  private  life.  He  has  acquired  wealth, 
and  owns  one  of  tin-  must  valuable  brick  blocks 
in  Philipsburg,  the  "Potter  House,"  the  princi- 
pal hostelry  of  that  city  being  a  part  of  it.  His 
residence  is  in  the  Centre  county  portion  of  the 
city. 

Dr.  Potter  was  married,  in  1858,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Myers,  a  native  of  Stormstown,  who 
died  in  1869,  leaving  two  sons:  William  M., 
who  is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  and  Dudley, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  In  1880 
Dr.  Potter  formed  a  second  matrimonial  union, 
this  time  with  Miss  Ellen  McMullen.  They  have 
no  children. 

When  Dr.  Thomas  B.  Potter  came  to  Philips- 
burg it  was  but  a  small  village,  with  grass  grow- 
ing in  the  streets,  and  he  has  lived  to  see  great 
improvements  and  solid  growth,  in  the  bringing 
about  of  which  he  himself  was  among  the  fore- 
most. During  the  first  five  years  of  his  residence 
in  the  then  village,  he  was  the  only  physician  in 
the  place.  In  1869  he  built  the  block  where  he 
now  resides;  in  1871  he  erected  the  Arcade, 
and  in  1879  the  "Potter  House,"  all  adjoin- 
ing one  another.  In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a 
stanch  Republican ;  he  was  the  second  burgess 
elected  in  the  borough;  was  member  of  the  first 
council,  and  was  president  of  the  school  board 
some  six  years.  Socially,  he  is  a  Master  Mason, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Centre  County  Medi- 
cal Society.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
he  served  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  77th  P. 
V.  I.,  from  October,  1862,  to  May,  1863,  serv- 
ing in  the  Western  army,  in  Tennessee  and 
Georgia,  and  was  present  at  the  engagements 
at  Pittsburg  Landing,  but  had  to  resign  on  account 
of  impaired  health. 

William  M.  Potter  was  born  in  Philips- 
burg, March  27,  1863,  and  obtained  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  the  public  schools.  He  at- 
tended State  college  for  two  years  and  a  half, 
and  then  took  a  course  in  bookkeeping  at  Lewis- 
burg  Academy.  Thus  equipped  for  business  life, 
he  returned  home,  and  for  some  time  was  em- 
ployed in  the  office  of  Hoover,  Hughes  &  Co., 
also  working  for  W.  P.  Duncan,  in  his  mine  and 
coal  office,  and  then  spent  four  years  as  clerk  in 
the    Moshannon    Bank.      During    the    next    two 


64 


cn.v.VKMOUA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  liECORI). 


years  lit:  visited  various  points  in  the  West,  and 
on  his  return  he  remained  two  years  with  the 
Pardee  Mine  Co.,  as  check  weighman;  then, 
after  a  short  time  in  I.  V.  Gray's  store  as  book- 
keeper, he  took  a  position  as  paymaster  for  K.  B. 
Wiglan  &  Sons,  remaining  with  them  six  years. 
For  two  years  past  he  has  been  secretary  for  the 
Philipsburg  Electric  Light  Co.,  and  the  Philips- 
burg  Water  Co.,  being  a  stockholder  in  both. 

In  May,  [888,  Mr.  Potter  was  married  to 
Miss  Rachel  M.  Steiner,  who  was  horn  in  Ches- 
ter Hill.  His  residence  is  in  that  portion  of  the 
city  which  lies  in  Clearfield  county,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  leading  workers  in  the  Republican 
party  there.  As  candidate  for  county  treasurer 
he  greatly  reduced  the  normal  Democratic  ma- 
jority. 


COL.  WILBUR  F.  REEDER,  junior  mem- 
'  ber  of  the  law  firm  of  Hastings  cV  Keeder,  of 
Bellefonte,  who  has  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  industrious  and  studious  members  of 
the  Centre  County  Bar,  in  which  he  has  taken 
high  rank,  is  in  direct  line  of  descent  from  one 
John  Reeder,  who  came  from  Norfolk,  England, 
in  1656,  and  settled  at  Newtown,  L.  I.,  the  Col- 
onel representing  the  sixth  generation  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America. 

Charles  Reeder,  one  of  the  sons  of  |ohn  (\), 
was  born  in  1713,  married  in  1736,  to  Eleanora 
Mi  nick,  and  died  in  [803.  John  Reeder  (2)  was 
a  pioneer  of  what  is  now  Northumberland  county, 
Penn.,  coming  probably  from  New  fersey  prior 
to  the  Revolutionary  war.  and  locating  near  the 
present  town  of  Elyshurg.  He  was  driven  out 
by  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  general  exodus, 
and  remained  away  about  seven  years.  Subse- 
quently  he  returned  and  married  Elizabeth 
Fisher,  who  was  born  in  Sussex  county,  N.  J  , 
in  1774,  and  died  in  Northumberland  county, 
Penn.,  in  18411.  Some  few  years  after  1799  the} 
removed  to  Allegheny,  Penn.,  where  lie  was  1  on- 
nected  with  the  iron  industry  of  that  vicinity,  and 
there  died  in  1  S 1  3 .  Elizabeth  Fisher  wis  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  Mini  gerFi  iher, 
the  former  the  |  r  of  the  Fisher  family  in 

America,  bom  in  Saxony  in  1734,  ami  with 
Im.  nds  and  ;i  si  tei  Elizabeth,  immigrated  to  this 
country  about  1747,  locating  in  West  Jersey,  a 
f.erman  colony  at  that  time.  In  1788  he  lo- 
cated   in  Northumbi  1  iunty,   Penn.,  where 

tin-  remaining  years  ol  his  lib-  were  passed.  He 
was  a  patriot,  and  served  his  country  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  His  wile  was  bom  in  Holland  in 
1746.      One    of    the    sons    of   John     Rei 

ph  Reeder,  was  born  at  Bear  dap.  Northum- 


berland county,  in  1799.  married  Catherine 
Mutcheler,  who  was  born  in  1792  and  died  in 
1S52.  Not  long  after  the  father's  death  the  fam- 
ily <>f  John  Reeder  (2)  removed  from  Allegheny 
county  back  to  their  old  farm.  Joseph  Reeder, 
after  his  marriage,  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Elys- 
lung.  Penn.,  where  they  lived  until  1853,  own- 
ing an  extensive  and  valuable  plantation.  From 
that  time  until  1859  he  was  a  merchant  at  Pax- 
inos,  Penn.,  again  a  farmer  in  Northumberland 
county  until  1870.  then  lived  retired  at  Elys- 
burg  where  his  death  occurred  in  t88l.  He  mar- 
ried the  second  time.  He  and  his  wife  Catherine 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Catherine  Mutcheler  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  Fisher  Mutcheler,  the  father  from 
what  is  now  Warren  county,  N.  J.,  and  the 
mother,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Fisher  above  re- 
ferred to,  were  married  in  1788,  and  in  1791  lo- 
cated on  a  tract  of  undeveloped  land  in  Colum- 
bia county,  Penn.,  on  Little  Roaring  creek  where 
they  subsequently  resided;  she  was  born  in  1769; 
both  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church; 
in  after  years  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  weav- 
ing in  flannels  and  woolen  fabrics. 

HlRAM  J.  REEDER,  one  of  the  sons  of  Joseph 
Reeder,  the  father  of  Col.  Wibur  F.  Reeder,  was 
born  in  Rush  township,  Northumberland  county, 
March  5,  1826,  married,  in  1849,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  foseph  and  Sarah  Tietsworth  Yocum, 
born  in   1  S30.      After  marriage  they  removed  to  a 

fan ai   1  atawissa,  Penn.,  where  they  resided 

until  1870  when  they  moved  to  Catawissa,  where 
they  continue  to  reside  From  1863  until  1870 
Mi  Reeder  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
has  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  local  affairs, 
having  tilled  various  local  offices;  was  elected 
one  of  the  counts-  commissioners  in  1N70  for  a 
term  ol  three  years;  in  1873  he  was  again  elected 
a  justice  ol  the  peace  lor  five  years  He  is  a  prom- 
inent Mason.  lb-  has  been  an  active  workei 
in  the  M.  E.  Church  all  his  life,  ot  which  Church 
he  and  his  wife  are  members.  Their  children 
are:  [oseph  !'>.,  born  in  1851,  died  in  1869; 
George  C  .  born  in  1853,  died  in  [863;  and 
Wilbur  F. 

Wn  1  1  1  b".  Ri  1  i'i  R  was  born  mar  Catawissa, 
Penn.,  on  Januarj  ;,  1855.  He  entered  Dickin- 
son Seminary,  at  Williamsport,  Penn.,  in  1872, 
and  in  1875  was  graduated,  receiving  a  degree  ot 
1!.  A.  and  taking  the  first  honors  of  his  class.  In 
tin'  tall  o|  1875  he  came  to  Bellefonte,  and  com- 
mend <i  reading  law  with  the  firm  ol  Bush,  Yocum 
&  Hastings,  and  in  May.  1877,  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  after  passing  a  rigid  examination,  ol 
which  circumstance  the  Democratic  Watchman 
tins  comment 


!- 


{jdUAAW-   wl  Ov^i^U^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


65 


Mr.  Wilbur  Reeder,  late  a  law  student  with  Bush,  Yocum 
&  Hastings,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  a  couple  of  weeks  ago 
after  standing  one  of  the  best  examinatii  >ns  ever  gone  through 
with  by  any  young  lawyer  in  this  county.  The  examination 
was  an  exceedingly  strict  and  thorough  one,  the  committee 
putting  in  some  twenty-five  hours  hard  work.  But  they 
found  Mr.  Reeder  booked  on  all  points  and  in  all  phases  of 
the  law,  showing  the  most  ample  preparation  and  an  ex- 
haustive course  of  reading.  The  young  gentleman  was 
highly  complimented  by  his  examiners  and  the  lawyers  gen- 
erally. He  is  now  a  full-fledged  attorney.  We  wish  him 
success,  hoping  that  he  may  go  up  until  he  reaches  the  top- 
most round  in  the  ladder  of  legal  fame  and  honor. 

He  at  once  commenced  the  practice  of  law, 
and  in  1881  formed  a  partnership  with  D.  H.  Hast- 
ings, since  adjutant-general  and  now  Governor  of 
the  Commonwealth.  In  the  study  of  law  Mr. 
Reeder  applied  himself  closely,  which  was  a  dis- 
tinct characteristic  of  the  man,  and  which  has  so 
remained,  and  to  which  his  success  thus  far  in  his 
practice  is  attributed.  Early  in  his  career  he  be- 
came recognized  as  a  safe  counselor  and  reliable 
attorney,  which  resulted  in  procuring  for  the  firm 
a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  During  Gen.  Hast- 
ings' four-years' term  of  service  as  adjutant-general 
of  the  State  Mr.  Reeder  most  successfully  man- 
aged their  large  business;  this  he  is  continuing  to 
do  while  Mr.  Hastings  is  serving  his  gubernatorial 
term.  In  January,  1889,  he  was  concerned  for 
the  defense  in  a  murder  case,  the  first  one  after 
his  admission  to  the  Bar,  and  succeeded  in  pro- 
curing a  verdict  of  acquittal  after  a  vigorous  and 
most  bitter  fight.  Again,  in  November,  1889,  he 
was  retained  for  the  accused  in  a  murder  case, 
when  the  press  at  this  time  remarked : 

The  defense  was  represented  by  W.  F.  Reeder,  Esq., 
singly  and  alone.  Mr.  Reeder  had  already  made  a  reputa- 
tion for  himself  as  a  criminal  lawyer,  but  his  effort  in  behalf 
of  the  man  charged  with  the  murder  of  his  wife  and  mother- 
in-law  have  added  a  new  lustre  of  unusual  brilliancy  to  his 
professional  reputation.  Under  the  circumstances  connn  ted 
with  the  case,  which  were  so  clear,  it  seemed  almost  an  ab- 
surdity to  set  up  any  defense,  and  any  man  who  sat  in  the 
court  house  on  Wednesday  afternoon  and  heard  the  case 
Mr.  Reeder  presented  to  establish  the  plea  of  emotional  in- 
sanity could  easily  recognize  in  it  the  work  of  a  great  lawyer. 
And  anyone  who  sat  in  the  court  house  on  Thursday  after- 
noon, and  listened  to  his  eloquent  appeal  in  behalf  of  his 
client,  will  readily  coincide  with  us  that  the  star  in  the  pro- 
fessional firmament  of  Mr.  Reeder  now  shines  with  unusual 
brilliancy,  and  that  he  is  destined  ere  long  to  stand  in  the 
first  ranks  of  the  most  noted  criminal  lawyers  of  the  land. 

Outside  of  his  professional   life  he  has  taken 

an  active  part  in  politics,  and   has  several  times 

served   as    chairman   of  the   Republican  County 

Committee,  and    of  his  services  in  this  line   the 

press  on  January  18,   1895,  observed: 

W.  F.  Reeder,  Esq.,  who  has  been  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican committee  of  Centre  county  for  the  last  three  years, 
has  resigned  and  laid  down  the  scepter  for  another  leader  to 
take  it  up.  Wilbur  F.  Reeder  has  made  a  noble  leader, 
and  is  the  man  who  led  the  Republican  party  to  victory  in 
Centre  county.  He  is  possessed  of  an  indomitable  will 
power  and  sound  judgment,  so  that  where  he  would  lead  his 
party  was  not  afraid  to  follow.  In  the  year  1887  he  was 
chairman,  and  through  his  devotion  and  loyalty  to  the  cause 
a  full  board  of  county  officers  was  elected,  something  that 


had  not  happened  for  thirty  years.  His  party  recognized  in 
him  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  ability,  and  in  the  year  1  S'j-J 
la  was  called  again  to  take  up  arms  and  wage  a  battle 
against  the  principles  of  Democracy.  He  made  a  good 
fight  and  finished  his  course  that  year  by  again  winning  old 
Centre  county  into  the  line  of  Republicans  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority.  His  shots  were  well-aimed  and  the  enemj 
fell  back.  The  resignation  of  Mr.  Reeder  ma \  be  thou 
a  loss  to  the  party,  but  in  time  of  war  he  will  be  found  a  vol- 
unteer in  the  front  rank.  The  cause  of  his  laying  off  the 
official  uniform  was  the  large  and  increasing  law  prai  tii  e  de- 
manding his  close  attention. 

In  1 891  Mr.  Reeder  was  elected  mayor  of 
Bellefonte.  "  His  nomination  and  election  is  but  a 
slight  recognition  of  his  many  excellent  qualities, 
and  the  judicial  bench  of  Centre  county  might  feel 
perfectly  safe  and  justly  proud  of  such  a  thor- 
oughly qualified  jurist  and  legal  practitioner.  In 
W.  F.  Reeder  the  people  of  Bellefonte  will  have 
an  able  and  dignified  mayor.  He  will  make  one 
of  the  best  officials  the    borough   has  ever  had." 

Mr.  Reeder  has  proven  himself  a  force  in 
everything  hehasundertaken;  his  name  was  prom- 
inently mentioned  at  one  time  in  connection 
with  the  judgeship.  His  ability  and  general 
make-up  is  such  as  will  qualify  him  to  fill  high 
positions  with  honor  and  credit.  As  a  citizen  he. 
is  progressive,  and  commands  the  utmost  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of 
his  acquaintance.  He  has  been  identified  with 
the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania  since  18S0, 
his  record  being  as  follows:  a  private  of  Com- 
pany B,  5th  Regiment;  corporal,  July,  1880;  dis- 
charged, February,  1882;  first  lieutenant,  Com- 
pany B,  July  22,  1889;  re-enlisted  July  23,  1S94; 
appointed  assistant  adjutant-general  on  the  staff 
of  the  commander-in-chief  January  25,  1895, 
which  position  he  now  holds  Col.  Reeder  per- 
formed active  duty  at  Homestead,  Penn.,  in 
July,  1892,  and  at  Punxsutawney,  Penn.,  in 
June  and  July,  1894.  As  a  member  of  the  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania  he  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  that  organi- 
zation. With  his  ability,  industry  and  perse- 
verance Col.  Reeder  hascertainlya  brilliant  future 
before  him.  In  1896  he  received  the  indorse- 
ment of  the  County  Convention  for  Congress. 

On  September  11,  1897,  Col.  Reeder  was 
appointed  Deputy  Attorney-General  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  once  assumed  the  duties 
of  his  office.  This  appointment  was  r?  '-rded 
by  the  press  of  the  State  as  being  merited  on  the 
one  side  and  worthily  bestowed  on  the  other. 

Col.  Reeder  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
of  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  of  other  patriotic  and 
social  organizations.  He  is  also  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  where  he  has  attained  to  the 
thirty-second  degree.  On  December  19,  1878, 
he  was  married  to  Lillie  S.  Gotwalt,  and  they 
have  one  son,  John  Wallace,  born  December  26, 


w 


VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1879.  Mrs.  Reeder  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
and  Mary  J.  Gotwalt,  and  a  lineal  <iescendant  of 
Gov.  Schultz. 

MIA.  JAMES  P.  HUGHES.  Bellefonte 
may  well  take  pride  in  her  excellent  acad- 
emy in  which  so  many  nun  who  have  attained 
distinction  in  business,  professional  and  political 
life  have  been  equipped  for  their  work.  Its 
widely  recognized  value  as  a  factor  in  the  pi 
ress.'l  the  community  does  honor  to  its  efficient 
corps  of  instructors,  and  especially  to  the  able 
principal,  Rev.  J.  P.  Hughes,  who  has  directed 
it  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Who 
can  estimate  the  influences  f<  >r  good  which  in  that 
tune  have  been  set  in  motion  under  his  watchful 
guardianship?  In  home  and  business  office,  in 
pulpit  and  in  legislative  halls,  the  silent,  un- 
noticed, but  all-potent  force  of  his  teachings  may 
mold  ;  1  ii*1  shapi  of  which  he  had  no 
thought,  and  which  will  in  their  turn  bring  into 
operation  new  centers  of  helpful  inspiration. 

The  personal  history  of  Prof.  Hughes  will  be 
read  with  interest,  as  revealing  in  striking  man- 
ner the  direct,  consistent  and  unwavering  pur- 
suit of  a  high  purpose.  Born  in  New  Jersey  De- 
cember 15,  [827,  he  left  home  in  boyhood  and 
was  prepared  for  college  at  Lewistown,  Penn. 
In  1847  he  entered  Princeton  College,  in  his  na- 
tive State,  and  after  completing  the  literary 
course  he  spent  three  years  in  the  Theological 
Seminary,  his  graduation  being  soon  followed  by 
his  ordination  to  the  ministry.  He  is  a  born 
educator,  and  his  ability  in  this  direction  was 
soon  discovered,  and  after  a  short  period  of 
teaching  in  Wyoming  Valley  he  was  called  to  be- 

ci -  one  ol  the  principalsof  the  Edgehill  school, 

Princeton,  N.  J.,  where  he  taught  mathemat 
for  seven  years.  For  the  three  years  next  fol- 
lowing he  was  principal  of  the  academj  at  I 
gansport,  hid  .  and  in  [868  he  came  to  Belle- 
fonte, and  has  now  been  the  presiding  genius  of  the 
academy  here  for  thirt)  years  He  has  five  assist- 
ants, while  he  himself  1- 1  1  instantly  ai  tive  in  class- 
room work,  and  the  curriculum  embraces  classi- 
cal, mathematical,  s<  ientific  and  literary  couftes. 
On  June  27,  1  Soi,  Prof.  Hughes  married 
Miss  Emily  W.  Roberts,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  September  6,  1840,  and  passed  from 
earth  in  June,  18S9,  leaving  the  memory  of  a 
di  voti  d  life  as  wife,  mother  and  friend.  Of  this 
happy  union  eight  children  were  born:  ( 1)  James, 
Decembi  [864,    a    graduate    of    Princeton 

College,  is  a  teacher  in  the  classical  department 
and  associate  principal  of  Bellefonte  Academy; 

Emma,     March     [3,     1863,     married    A      B. 

ander,   of    New    York  City;    (3)  Elizabeth, 


March  13,  1N6?.  married  A.  B.  Connor,  of  Chi- 
cago, 111.;  141  Charles,  April  2,  1870,  resides  in 
Baltimore,  Md. ;  (5)  Marian,  November  16,  1S72, 
married  Frank  Basset,  and  has  two  children — 
Emily  and  Eugene;  (6)  Edward,  February  25, 
1876;  (7)  Luther.  March  16,  1878;  and  (8)  Otti- 
lie,  March  9,  r88i.  All  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  with  which  the  Hughes 
family  has  been  identified  for  many  years. 

Prof.  Hughes  is  naturally  interested  in  all  the 
tions  of  the  day,   and  while  not    an  active 
worker  in  politics  is  an   influential  supporter  of 
the  principles  of   the  Republican  party. 

Tlie  old  homestead  of  the  Hughes  family  is 
Mtuated  on  Cap.  May,  and  the  Professor's  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Jacob  Hughes,  was  born 
there.  He  married  Ann  Lawrence  (daughter  of 
Rev,  Daniel  Lawrence),  a  lady  of  English  de- 
scent. Their  son,  James  R.  Hughes  (our  sub- 
ject 1,  was  born  in  New  fersey,  and  spent 
his  life  at  the  old  home  on  l  api  May,  where, 
having  been  carefully  educated  at  Bridgeton, 
N.  ].,  he  followed  teaching  in  connection  with 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  and  his  wife,  Eliza 
Eldridge,  had  twelve  children,  as  follows:  (1) 
Jeremiah,  a  merchant  (now  deceased);  (2)  Ann 

Mrs    Downs  Foster),  who  d  Capi     May; 

5)  Daniel  L. ,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Cape 
May;  (4)  Joseph  E.,  a  merchant  at  Cape  May 
and  associate  of  the  court  there;   (5)  Will- 

iam, who  died  in  infancy;  (6)  Harriet,  wife  of 
Re\  Mr.  Oakley,  a  Presbyterian  minister;  (7) 
James  P.,  our  subject;  8)  Hannah,  Mrs.  Will- 
iam McMin  (deceased),  formerly  of  Altoona, 
Penn.:  (9)  Mary  (Mrs.  A.  Fletcher);  (10)  Emma, 
wife  of  Rev.  John  Roberts,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Pn    byterian  Church;  (11    Amelia,  who  married 

Rev.    John    Kershaw,    a     Pn  inister; 

and  (12)  Jacob,  who  is  also  a  well-known  preacher 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


ELLEFONTE  ACADEMY.  Among  the 
JJ  first  settlers  of  what  is  now  Centre  county, 
were  many  persons  oi   intelligence  and  culture, 

who  full)    appn  I  lated    tl  of  I  ■  In.  .1  - 

tion,  and  desin  d  to  establish  some  plan  by  which 
the  youth  of  the  vicinity  —those  ol  their  own  day 
and  after  generations  -would  be  insured  a  liberal 
course  of  instruction 

None  were  more  desirous  to  accomplish  this 
1  nd  than  James  Dunlop  and    [ames    Harris,  pro- 


U at ni'H  town 


John  K 

'.111  <of  P.m. .11 

SprliiK    tnwnahlpl.-WUllani    McKwrn.    Tl... 

-J.'ini  K.urou.  Matlhov 

lOW  n»Ulp). 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


67 


prietors  of  the  town  and  the  owners  at  that  time 
(i  800)  of  the  land  on  which  Bellefonte  is  located. 
When  Centre  county  was  organized  by  Act  of 
February  13,  1800,  these  gentlemen  granted  to 
Andrew  Gregg,  William  Swanzy  and  Robert 
Boggs,  as  trustees  of  the  new  county,  certain 
"  lots  and  lands  in  and  adjoining  the  town  of 
Bellefonte,"  one-fourth  of  the  proceeds  of  which 
was  to  be  used  for  the  erection  andsupport  of  an 
academy  or  public  school  in  said  county. 

By  the  Act  incorporating  "  Bellefonte  Acad- 
emy," approved  January  8,  1805,  the  lands  de- 
signed especially  for  educational  purposes  were 
transferred  to  the  control  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  that  institution.  In  accordance  with  the  re- 
quirements of  the  Act  of  incorporation,  the  trus- 
tees held  their  first  meeting  at  the  house  of  Ben- 
jamin Patton,  in  Bellefonte,  on  the  first  Monday 
of  May,  1805.  By  Act  of  January  9,  1806,  two 
thousand  dollars  were  granted  to  the  Academy 
out  of  the  State  treasury  for  the  erection  of  a 
building,  one  provision  of  said  Act  being  that  "a 
number  of  poor  children,  not  exceeding  six,  were 
to  be  educated  gratis,  but  no  such  child  should 
be  taught  longer  than  two  years." 

The  first  principal  of  the  Academy  was  Rev. 
Henry  R.  Wilson.  He  remained  in  charge  till 
October,  1809,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Presbytery  of  Carlisle.  He  was  succeeded  as 
principal  by  the  Rev.  James  Linn  (a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume),  who 
was  installed  pastor  at  Bellefonte,  April,  18 10, 
and  about  the  same  time  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  principal.  During  all  his  active  years. in  Belle- 
fonte he  exercised  a  watchful  care  over  the  school 
and  labored  continually  to  promote  its  interests. 
For  many  years  he  was  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  After  Dr.  Linn,  as  a  regular  principal, 
came  Chamberlain,  who  is  spoken  of,  by  one 
who  knew  him  well,  as  a  fine  scholar  and  an 
estimable  man.  After  him  came  Robert  Baird, 
who  taught  from  the  summer  of  1818  to  the  fall 
of  1819,  when  he  entered  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary.  Another  of  the  early  principals  was 
Rev.  J.  B.  McCarrel.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church.  Most  of  the  teach- 
ers of  the  Academy  were  of  the  Presbyterian 
faith,  though  the  institution  was  not,  as  some 
suppose,  under  the  especial  control  of  that  denom- 
ination. It  always  was,  and  still  is,  free  from 
so  called  sectarianism,  and  open  to  all  religions. 
The  reason  assigned  for  the  Presbyterian  com- 
plexion of  the  institution  is,  that  the  leading  and 
most  active  educational  spirits  of  the  early  times 
in  Centre  county  were  of  that  belief. 

The  title  to  the  land  on  which  the  Academy 
is  situated  was  not  vested  in  the  trustees  till  June 


12,  1823,  when  by  deed  of  James  Harris,  the 
surviving  proprietor  of  the  town,  and  Nancy  his 
wife,  the  title  to  the  property  was  formally 
vested  in  the  Academy  corporation.  Col.  James 
Dunlop,  the  other  proprietor,  interested  in  this 
educational  project,  had  died  on  September  15, 
1 82  1.  A  full  settlement  for  proceeds  from  sale 
of  lots  had  previously  been  made  by  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  town  with  Jos.  B.  Shugert  and  John 
Benner,  then  commissioners  of  the  county,  on 
the  27th  of  April,  18 16;  there  having  then  been 
paid  to  the  commissioners  the  final  balance  of 
$2,716.38,  a  copy  of  which  receipt  is  still  "in 
hand."  This  project,  represented  in  this  settle- 
ment, was  thus  finally  completed  by  this  convey- 
ance of  the  property. 

In  October,  1824,  Prof.  Alfred  Armstrong,  a 
graduate  of  Dickinson  College,  became  principal. 
At  the  time  he  assumed  control  there  were  but 
twelve  pupils  in  attendance.  The  trustees  at  the 
beginning  of  Prof.  Armstrong's  principalship 
were  Rev.  James  Linn,  John  Lowrey,  Andrew 
Gregg,  Sr..  Thomas  Burnside,  Charles  Huston, 
Hamilton  Humes,  John  Morris,  William  Potter, 
John  Blanchard  and  Franklin  Smith,  none  of 
whom  are  now  living.  The  next  in  order  as  prin- 
cipal seems  to  have  been  William  E.  Hamilton, 
but,  as  was  the  case  with  a  number  of  Prof. 
Armstrong's  successors,  he  occupied  the  position 
but  a  short  time.  John  Livingston,  perhaps, 
taught  longer  than  any  other.  Like  two  at  least 
of  his  predecessors,  he  was  a  graduate  of  Dickin- 
son College.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
principal  in  1837,  and  continued  to  faithfully  dis- 
charge them  till  1845,  when,  owing  to  ill-health 
he  was  compelled  to  sever  his  connection  with 
the  institution,  and  not  long  after  died.  On 
September  28,  1846,  John  Philips  was  employed 
as  principal.  He  was  probably  also  a  graduate 
of  Dickinson  College,  as  he  was  recommended  to 
the  board  of  trustees  by  Prof.  William  H.  Allen 
of  that  institution.  Philips  resigned  September 
4,  1847,  when  an  invitation  was  extended  to  the 
former  principal.  Prof.  Alfred  Armstrong,  to 
again  take  charge  of  the  Academy,  which  he  did, 
continuing  several  years.  Rev.  Mr.  Pratt  also 
acted  as  principal  for  several  years. 

During  the  early  history  of  the  Academy  it 
appears  to  have  been  attended  only  by  boys — 
there  being  no  female  department,  and  the  co- 
education of  the  sexes  seems  not  to  have  been 
adopted.  There  were  times,  however,  during 
a  temporary  suspension  of  the  Academy  proper, 
when  classes  of  young  ladies  were  taught  in  the 
building  by  various  teachers,  among  them  Dr. 
Linn.  About  1840  or  '45  an  additional  building 
was  erected  adjoining  the  original  structure,  and 


IIS 


COMMEMORATIVE  I; /<>t; /.' AI'IIICAL  RECORD. 


occupied  for  a  number  "(  \ears  as  a  "Female 
Seminary,"  under  the  control  of  a  distinct  and 
separate  board  "I  trustees. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  the  Academy, 
held  in  1852,  Samnel  Linn,  [ami  -  T.  Hale  and 
James  Armor  were  appointed  a  committee  "to 
take  into  consideration  the  propriety  and  expedi- 
ency of  uniting  the  two  boards  of  the  Academy 
and  Female  Seminary,  and  of  using  the  budding 
as  a  high  school  in  connection  with  the  public 
schools  of  this  borough,  and  that  they  be  instrui  ted 
to  correspond  with  such  persons  as  they  may 
choose  in  Carlisle  and  Philadelphia  for  the  pur- 
poseof  becoming  acquainted  with  the  high-school 
system  adopted  in  those  places."  At  a  subse- 
quent meeting  this  committee  reported  as  follows: 
"That  they  have  conferred  with  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Female  Seminary,  and  they  express 
a  willingness  to  surrender  their  rights,  on  condi- 
tion that  the  Acadeim  board  pay  the  outstanding 
indebtedness  of  the  Seminary;  and  thereupon  re- 
solved that  the  said  committee  be  authorized  and 
instructed  to  accept  the  proposition  made  by  the 
Seminary  board,  provided  the  said  indebtedness 
be  specified  by  the  trustees  of  the  Female  S '■mili- 
ary, and  does  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars."  It  seems  that  the  above  terms  proved 
to  be  satisfactory,  for  in  a  short  time  the  Acad- 
emy trustees  had  possession  of  the  Seminary 
building,  and  thereafter  conducted  a  co-educa- 
tional school  within  its  walls.  For  a  number  of 
years  after  1854  the  Academy,  as  a  classical  in- 
stitution, was  not  in  operation,  the  buildings  be- 
ing used  for  public  and  select  school  purposes. 
In  1868  the  trustees  of  the  Academy  'gain  took 
possession  of  the  buildings,  and  at  a  meeting  held 
March  23d  of  that  year  elected  the  Rev  J.  P. 
Hughes  principal. 

Besides  the  principals  already  mentioned  as 
having  had  charge  of  the  Academy  at  different 
times,  there  were  quite  a  number  of  others  who 

'■d  in  that  capacity  but  short  periods,  or 
merely  conducted  English  schools  when  the  Acad- 
emy was  not  in  1  'pir.it ion. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  1874,  a  reunion  of 
the  pupils  of  the  Academy  was  held  in  Bellefonte, 
it  being  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  institution. 
In  an  address  delivered  by  Prof.  Armstrong  on 
that  occasion,  he  gave  the  following  description 
of  the  school  room  as  it  was  when  he  took  charge 
of  it  iii  1S24:  "  A  room  of  moderate  dimensions, 
with  four  windows,  two  facing  the  town  on  the 
east  and  two  on  the  west  toward  the  spring. 
I  he  furniture      a  few  pine  benches  and  two  In    i\  \ 

oaken   tabli  ientl)  large   for    eight   or  ten 

boys  to  sit  ai  ound  1  a<  h.  These  old  fa  >hii  med 
school  desks  bore  the   marks   of   sharp  knives  if 


not   the  sharp  wits  of  preceding  generations  of 

youth.  They  were  fearfully  hacked  from  end  to 
end,  but  the  hardness  of  the  material  and  thick- 
ness of  the  planks  resisted  the  desolations  of  the 
knives  and  the  ravages  of  years.  There  they 
stood  through  my  time  and  perhaps  long  after. 
*  *  *  A  heavy  old  six-plated  stove  standing 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  a  hickory  broom 
in  the  corner,  completed  the  accommodations  of 
this  classic  apartment."  In  regard  to  the  branches 
taught  at  that  time,  Mr.  Armstrong  said:  ■■  For 
three  \ears  or  more,  nothing  was  taught  in  the 
Academy,  save  sometimes  a  little  mathematics, 
but  the  classic  authors.  It  was  Latin  in  the 
morning,  and  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  afternoon; 
it  was  Latin  and  Creek  on  Monday,  and  Creek 
and  Latin  on  Tuesday.  Wednesday  brought  the 
same  studies  and  Thursday  the  same.  And  Fri- 
day, what  a  blessed  "  repetition  day,"  as  it  was 
called — a  review  of  the  whole  week's  previous 
study. 

The  present  principal  is  Rev.  J.  P.  Hughes, 
who  assumed  the  principalship  in  1868  with  fif- 
teen pupils  in  attendance.  The  thoroughness  of 
the  work  done  immediately  attracted  many  stu- 
dents to  the  school,  necessitating  improvements 
for  their  accommodation.  In  1872  the  facilities 
were  further  increased  by  the  erection  of  a  large 
brick  dormitory.  In  1892  the  increasing  interest 
in  the  institution  demanded  a  thorough  renova 
tion  of  the  school  rooms,  and  the  erection  of  a 
private  residence  for  the  Principal  and  his  family, 
to  which  demand  the  trustees  responded  most 
cheerfully  and  fittingly.  In  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1897  the  trustees  again  were  called  upon 
to  afford  larger  accommodations,  the  application 
for  rooms  coining  from  students  from  far  and 
near.  And  again,  equal  to  the  occasion  as  tin  \ 
always  had  been,  they  fitted  up  several  more 
rooms  in  an  unused  section  of  the  main  school 
building,  furnishing  every  convenience  of  steam 
heat,  etc.,  for  every  room,  and  making  the  Acad 
emy  in  every  particular  one  of  the  most  attract 
ive  and  comfortable  institutions  to  be  found 
anywhere. 

The  buildings,  rooms  and  furniture  of  Belle- 
fonte Academy  of  to-day,  as  compared  with  the 
small  buildings,  single  room,  and  "accommoda- 
tions, of  fifty  years  ago,  present  a  most  striking 
and  pleasing  contrast.  As  Latin  and  Greek  con- 
stituted the  principal  studies  of  Prof.  Armstrong's 
pupils,  so  thej  are  yet,  under  Mr.  Hughes,  daily 
pursued,  together  with  the  Friday's  reviews,  to 
which  have  been  added  other  branches,  both 
useful  and  ornamental.  Until  September.  1876, 
the  sexes  were  educated  together  under  Mr. 
Hughes;  at  that  time    thej    were  placed  in  sepa- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


69 


rate  apartments  with  a  lady  principal  in  charge  of 
the  female  department. 

During  Mr.  Hughes'  principalship  the  school 
has  grown  from  the  small  class  of  fifteen  to  about 
one  hundred  scholars,  about  equally  divided  be- 
tween the  sexes,  and  a  corps  of  five  assistants. 
Many  of  the  pupils  prepared  by  Mr.  Hughes  are 
taking  high  rank  in  some  of  the  leading  colleges 
of  the  country.  In  the  year  1895  James  R. 
Hughes,  a  graduate  of  Princeton  College,  be- 
came associate  principal  of  the  institution. 

The  location  of  the  academy  is  most  beauti- 
ful, and  the  wisdom  of  those  who  placed  it  there 
cannot  be  too  highly  commended.  Affording,  as 
it  does,  a  fine  view  of  the  entire  town,  and  a  large 
scope  of  the  surrounding  country,  it  is  essentially 
attractive  and  desirable.  The  view  to  be  had 
from  the  Academy  is  beautifully  varied — the 
town  lying  below  and  encircling  the  eminence  on 
which  it  is  built,  verdure-covered  mountains  in 
the  distance,  hills  and  valleys,  cleared  fields  and 
blocks  of  woodland,  winding  streams,  snow-white 
cottages,  all  spread  in  panoramic  loveliness  be- 
fore the  eye.  Such  a  scene,  combined  with  the 
healthfulness  of  the  climate,  the  morality  and  in- 
telligence of  the  community  in  which  it  is  located, 
the  course  of  training,  both  intellectual  and 
moral,  pursued  at  Bellefonte  Academy,  render  it 
a  most  desirable  place  for  the  education  of  youth. 


¥ALENTINE.  The  Valentines  of  Bellefonte 
and  their  connections  have  descended  from 
early  and  historic  families  of  the  State.  The 
Valentine  family  is  in  direct  line  of  descent  from 
Robert  Valentine  (1),  who  died  in  1651.  His 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Warren,  a  native  of  Lambs- 
town,  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  whose  death 
occurred  in  Ballynocassick  in  1695.  Their  son, 
George,  of  Bally  Brummel,  County  Carlow,  Ire- 
land, had  a  son  Thomas,  who  in  17 15  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Hooper) 
Parke,  of  Battytean,  County  Carlow,  and  be- 
came the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  America. 
He  was  born  in  1693,  and  about  1720  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Chester  county,  Penn.  Later 
he  moved  into  what  became  Montgomery  county 
of  the  same  State,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1747.  Thomas  Parke  appears  to  have  been  a 
farmer  in  Ireland,  owning  in  1720  land  in  Balli- 
leau,  Ballaghmore  and  Coolissnactah.  In  1724 
he  came  to  America  bringing  with  him  his  family, 
and  located  in  the  great  valley  on  the  west  side 
of  what  is  now  Downington,  where  he  had  pur- 
chased 500  acres  of  land.  He  died  January  3r, 
1738,  and  his  widow  on  June  21,  1749.      He  was 


an    elder    in    Cain    Meeting,    and    esteemed    by 
Friends. 

Thomas  Valentine  and  family  were  Friends, 
and  identified  with  the  Kilconnor  Monthly  Meeting 
in  Ireland.  Of  their  children,  Robert,  a  native  of 
Bally  Brummel,  Ireland,  married,  in  1747,  Rachel 
Edge,  of  Providence,  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  and  his 
son  Robert,  born  in  1752,  married,  in  1773,  Ann 
Bond.  Robert,  the  son  of  the  emigrant,  became 
a  recommended  minister  in  1764,  and  traveled 
considerably  in  that  capacity,  including  a  visit  to 
Great  Britain  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  John  Edge,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Rachel  Edge,  came  to  the  country  from  St.  An- 
drews, Holborn,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex, 
England,  and  settled  in  Nether  Providence  about 
the  year  1685.  He  was  an  earnest  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  He  had  been  subjected 
to  heavy  fines  and  imprisonment  in  his  native 
county  for  refusing  to  act  contrary  to  his  con- 
scientious scruples,  and  on  one  occasion  had  to 
stand  public  trial. 

From  Robert  Valentine  and  Ann  Bond  came 
descendants  of  the  name  in  Centre  county. 
Their  children  were:  Robert  married  Elizabeth 
Downing;  George  married  Mary  Downing;  Sam- 
uel and  Jacob  D.  died  unmarried;  Reuben  B. 
married  Sarah  Downing;  Abraham  S.  married 
Clarissa  Miles;  Bond  married  Lydia  Fairlamb; 
Thomazine  married  Reuben  Miller;  and  Rachael 
married  Maj.  Jonathan  Kersley,  of  Detroit,  Mich. 
Ann  Bond  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Thomazine  (Downing)  Bond,  of  West  White- 
land,  Chester  county,  and  the  granddaughter  of 
Joseph  Bond,  who  settled  at  Bristol,  in  Bucks 
county,  Penn.,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century;  he  was  a  large  land  owner,  and  was 
one  of  the  petitioners  for  the  incorporation  of 
the  borough,  which  was  incorporated  by  letters 
patent  from  the  Crown,  November  14,  1720.  Jo- 
seph Bond  and  John  Hall  were  the  first  Bur- 
gesses of  the  town.  The  former  represented  his 
county  in  the  Colonial  Legislature. 

In  181  5,  Samuel,  Jacob  D. ,  George,  Reuben 
B.,  Abram  S.,  and  Bond  Valentine,  sons  of 
Robert  and  Ann  Bond,  came  from  Chester 
county  to  Centre  county,  accompanied  by  Jacob 
Thomas,  and  leased  the  old  Dunlop  iron  furnace 
erected  by  John  Dunlop  in  1802,  and  in  1821 
purchased  it.  Mr.  Thomas  withdrew  in  181 7, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  William  A. 
Thomas.  They  were  all  iron-masters,  and  for 
years  were  largely  identified  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  iron  interests  of  Centre  county. 
They  built  additional  forges  and  in  1824  built  the 
first  rolling-mill  in  Centre  county.  In  1842  they 
abandoned    the  old    furnace,  and  built    one   just 


70 


i  i,S!\ll   MdUATIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


outside  of  the  borough  ol  Bellefonte.  Mirny  of 
the  sons  of  these  men  succeeded  them  to  the 
business,  and  some  are  still  connected  with  it. 
Referring  to  these  men  who  built  the  first  Friends 
Meeting  House  at  Bellefonte,  and  who  by  birth 
were  members  of  the  Society,  a  writer  says: 
"The  rise  of  the  Friends  Meeting  in  Bellefonte 
seems  worthy  of  some  notice.  It  was  established 
by  four  or  five  men,  who,  making  no  especial 
profession  of  religion,  yet  yielded  to  a  simple  ap- 
prehension of  duty,  and  built  a  house  for  the 
worship  of  God.  All  of  them  became  faithful 
humble  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  ami  to  one  of 
them  was  committed  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  Friends  Meeting  is  still  regularly 
held  in  Bellefonte,  and  is  largely  composed  of  the 
descendants  of  those  who  established  it." 

Of  the  Valentine  brothers  who  came  to  Cen- 
tre county.  George,  born  in  Bast  Cain,  Septem- 
ber I,  1788,  died  in  Bellefonte,  July  13,  1857, 
married  Mary  Downing,  born  in  Philadelphia, 
January  22.  1792,  died  January  27,  1879,  issue: 
(1)  Jacob  Downing,  born  at  Bellefonte  October 
4,  1823,  died  September  r6,  1896,  in  the  house 
in  which  he  was  born,  it  being  one  of  the  first 
houses  built  in  Bellefonte.  He  was  an  iron-mas- 
ter, "upright  and  honest,  and  lived  in  accord- 
ance with  the  (Juaker  faith."  He  married  De- 
borah Downing,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Sarah  G.  (Mount)  Downing,  issue:  George, 
Jacob,  Louise,  Ellen  and  Robert.  (2)  Sarah 
married  Dr.  George  Fox.  (3)  Eliza  married 
Thomas  S.  Downing.  (4)  Reuben  B.,  born  in 
Bellefonte  in  1 829,  where  he  died  in  1871,  was 
an  iron-master,  and  one  of  the  most  successful 
managers  of  the  Valentine  Iron  Works.  He  was 
also  engaged  extensively  in  fanning,  and  was  a 
conscientious  and  upright  member  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends.  In  1857  he  man  nil  Mary  B. 
Jacobs,  who  was  b  >rn  at  East  Whiteland,  Ches- 
ter Co.,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Ann 
Bowen)    Jacobs,    issue:      Mary    and    Emily 

ed);    \niia   [. ;    [ulia  (deceasedi;  and  Caroline 
\l     (5)  Caroline  married  Thompson  Millikin.    (6) 
George  married   Emily  Jacobs   (a  sister  ol    Mary 
B.Jacobs),  1      i'     1  .in-   II..   Mary   D.,  Sarah  \V 
and  Emily  J. 

Taking  up  the  history  i>l  the  Downing  fam- 
ily Mary  Downing  (who  married  1  Val- 
entine) was  the  direi  lant  of  Thomas 
Downing,  who  was  born  in  Bradninch,  in  Dev- 
onshire, England,  in  1691,  and  who,  as  earl) 
1718,  resided  m  Chestei  county,  Penn.,  and 
from  whom  descended  the  numerous  families  of 
Downings  in  that  county.  I  01  g<  m  rations  the 
Downings  were  farmers  and  millers.  Richard 
Downing,  a  son  ol  Thomas,  married  Mary  Edge, 


and,  of  their  children,  Jacob  Downing  married 
.!)  Drinker,  of  Philadelphia,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  Mary  (Downing)  Valentine.  A 
son  of  Richard,  also  named  Richard,  married 
Sarah  G.  Mount,  and  their  daughter  Deborah 
became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Valentine.  Elizabeth 
Drinker,  the  grandmother  of  Mary  (Downing) 
Valentine,  kept  a  diary  from  1759  to  1807,  which 
was  published  in  book  form  in  1889.  She  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  Philip  Drinker  (i),  who  was 
born  in  1597  and  died  in  1647;  came  in  1635 
from  Exeter,  England,  and  settled  at  Charles- 
town,  Mass.  Henry  Drinker,  the  great-great- 
great-grandson  of  Philip,  the  grandfather  of  Mary- 
Downing,  married  Elizabeth  Sandwith.  The 
latter  descended  from  John  Jervis,  of  Roscoe, 
Kings  county,  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in 
1688,  with  a  son  Martyn,  and  purchased  large 
tracts  of  land  in  New  Jersey  now  called  Jervis 
Sound.  John  Jervis  was  appointed  a  justice  of 
the  peace  of  New  Jersey;  Charles,  anotherson, 
was  court  painter  to  King  George  II,  a  corre- 
spondent of  the  poet  Pope,  and  translator  of 
"Don  Quixote."  Henry  Drinker  was  an  iron- 
master and  ship  owner  of  Philadelphia;  was  ar- 
ie-,ted  in  1777  and  sent  to  Virginia  under  pre- 
tense of  hostility  to  the  American  cause;  he  was 
a  member  of  the  common  council  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  a  large  land  owner;  he  was  born  in 
1734,  and  'lied  in  [809.  The  mother  of  Deb- 
orah (Downing)  Valentine,  Sarah  G.  Mount,  was 
the  daughter  of  James  Mount,  whose  father  was 
Ezekial,  the  son  of  Thomas  Mount,  who  came 
from  England  and  was  the  owner  of  the  land 
on  which  the  city  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  was  built. 
He  had  mans  slaves,  and  was  a  man  of  wealth. 
Referring  to  the  history  of  the  Jacobs  family, 
Mary  1'..  and  Emily  (Jacobs)  Valentine  are  in  di- 
rect line  of  descent  h «  in  John  Jacobs  (1 )  (the  first 
of  the  family  in  America),  who  in  1700  settled  on 
1  portion  of  the  Vanbibber  tract  of  land  in  Prov- 
idence, Philadelphia  county,  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1730.  His  grandson,  fohn  Jacobs  (3), 
was  the  Speaker  of  the  firsl  General  Assembh,  of 

the     Comi iwealth     ol      Pennsylvania,        His 

brother,  Israel,  was  a  member  of  Congress  in 
and  another  brother,  Jesse,  held  a  cap- 
tain's commission  an. I  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  participating  in  a  number  of  important 
battles  Ann  Bowen,  mother  of  Mary  B.  and 
Emily  (Jacobs  Valentine,  was  in  direct  line  of 
tit  from  fohn  Bowen  .1  ,  "1  Whiteland. 
Chester  county,  who  died  in  1715.  The  pa- 
ternal grandmother  of  Mary  B.  and  Emily  (la- 
cobs)  Valentine  was  Mar}  Brinton,  of  Thorn- 
burg,  Delaware  Co.,  Penn.,  who  was  in  line 
from  William  Brinton  (1 ),    "f   Staffordshire.  En- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


71 


gland,  who  settled  in  Concord,  Birmingham 
township,  Delaware  Co.,  Penn.,  in  1684,  and 
was  among  the  earliest  converts  of  George  Fox. 
He  bought  large  tracts  of  land  in  Chester  county. 
He  was  born  in  1630,  and  died  in  1700.  His 
son,  William,  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly  in  1666,  and  died  in  1 75  1 .  Joseph,  of 
Thornbury,  Delaware  Co.,  Penn.,  the  son  of 
William  (2),  was  an  associate  judge  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly. 

Reuben  B.  Valentine,  of  the  Valentine  broth- 
ers coming  to  Centre  county  in  18 15,  was  born 
in  1793,  and  died  in  1841 ;  married  Sarah  Down- 
ing (a  sister  of  Mary  Downing,  the  wife  of  his 
brother  George),  born  June  17,  1797,  died  No- 
vember 30,  1843,  and  their  children  were:  (1) 
Mary  married  Dr.  Elias  W.  Hale,  a  wealthy 
gentleman  of  influence,  of  Lewistown,  born  June 
6,  1824,  and  died  February  20,  1892;  issue: 
Sarah,  died  young,  and  Ellen,  the  wife  of  G. 
Murray  Andrews.  (2)  George  was  killed  in  a 
rolling-mill  at  the  age  of  five  years.  (3)  Will- 
iam Valentine  died  unmarried. 

Abraham  S.  Valentine,  another  of  the  origi- 
nal brothers  locating  in  Centre  county,  died  Au- 
nust  29,  1862,  aged  sixty-eight  years;  married 
Clarissa  Miles,  who  died  March  3,  1857,  aged 
forty-nine  years;  was  a  member  of  the  original 
firm  and  the  inventor  of  the  ore-washing  machine 
since  in  general  use,  the  adoption  of  which 
effected  a  revolution  in  the  ore  mining  of  this 
region.  He  was  possessed  of  great  business 
ability  and  foresight  (being  "  a  man  far  ahead  of 
his  time"),  and  it  was  due  largely  to  his  inven- 
tions and  improvements  that  the  Valentine  char- 
coal iron  achieved  its  wide-spread  reputation.  At 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  was 
one  of  the  liberal  contributors  to  a  subscription 
for  the  support  of  the  soldiers'  families.  Two  of 
his  sons,  Abram  and  Bond,  were  in  the  service 
for  a  time.  Clarissa  Miles,  wife  of  Abram  S.,  was 
a  daughter  of  Evan  Miles,  who  died  May  10, 
1838,  in  his  sixty-ninth  year,  and  of  Rebecca 
George  (of  the  family  of  George's  Hill,  Phila- 
delphia), who  died  July  28,  1845,  in  her  seventy- 
sixth  year;  both  are  buried  in  the  graveyard  at 
Milesburg.  Evan  Miles  was  the  son  of  Richard 
Miles,  and  the  nephew  of  Col.  Samuel  Miles,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  The  latter  served  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  expedition  to  Fort  Duquesne; 
was  wounded  at  Ligonia  in  an  attack  made  by 
the  French  and  Indians;  commanded  a  regiment 
in  1760,  and  at  the  end  of  the  campaign  was  left 
in  command  of  the  forces  at  Presque  Isle  (now 
Erie),  Penn.  He  commanded  a  regiment  in  the 
Revolutionary     war    under     Gen.     Washington. 


While  leading  his  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  August  27,  1776,  he  was  captured,  and 
while  a  prisoner  was  made  a  brigadier-general 
for  distinguished  service.  He  was  no  less  dis- 
tinguished in  civil  life  after  the  war,  holding 
many  responsible  positions,  among  them  that  of 
mayor  of  Philadelphia.  Richard  Miles  married 
Mary  Pugh,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  in  1792  they  located  at  Milesburg, 
Centre  county,  where  both  are  buried.  He  was 
a  captain  of  militia  in  the  Revolution.  His  death 
occurred  December  16,  1823,  in.  the  eighty-fifth 
year  of  his  age,  and  that  of  his  wife,  December 
20,  1794,  aged  forty-four  years.  Richard  Miles 
was  the  grandson  of  Richard,  one  of  the  brothers 
who  came  from  South  Wales  in  1682  or  1683, 
and  settled  at  Radnor,  Pennsylvania. 

The  children  of  Abraham  S.  Valentine  and 
Clarissa  (Miles)  were:  (1)  Anna  married  S. 
Stewart  Lyon,  and  their  issue  are — John;  Anna; 
Clara,  the  wife  of  William  Jasper  Nicholas;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Ellis  L.  Orvis;  and  Rebecca.  (2) 
Rebecca  M.  married  Evan  Pugh,  Ph.  D.,  who 
lived  only  a  few  months  after  marriage,  and  left 
no  issue;  he  was  a  scholarly  gentleman  and  dis- 
tinguished educator,  and  was  the  first  president 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College.  (3)  Bond, 
born  March  22,  1834,  died  April  19,  1889,  mar- 
ried Mattie  Kenney,  who  died  August  25,  1882, 
in  her  forty-sixth  year;  their  children  are — Evan 
and  Jane  (died  in  infancy);  Bond;  and  Edward 
K.  The  father  of  these  was  for  years  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Shortlidge  &  Co.,  of  Bellefonte, 
dealers  in  grain  and  coal,  and  latterly  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business.  "He  was 
closely  attached  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
was  very  devoted  to  their  teachings.  He  was  a 
man  possessing  a  pure  Christian  character,  whom 
everyone  honored.  His  friends  were  numbered 
by  the  hundreds,  who  looked  upon  him  as  a  man 
worthy  of  imitation,  because  he  followed  as  near 
as  he  could  in  the  paths  of  divine  teaching.  He 
was  courteous,  genial,  and  enjoyed  being  genial 
whether  in  social  or  business  lite ."  (4)  Abram 
S. ,  who  resides  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  married 
Eliza  U.  Natt,  of  Philadelphia,  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  and  Anne  Natt,  of  England,  and  their 
children  are  —  Charles,  Arthur  and  Edward. 
Abram  S.  is  connected  with  the  Valentine  Iron 
Works  at  Bellefonte,  and  for  years  took  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  business  interests  of  Bellefonte 
and  vicinity.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
he  was  for  a  time  in  the  service,  and  contributed 
largely  toward  the  support  of  the  soldiers  and 
their  families.  (5)  Evan  M.,  who  resides  in 
Philadelphia,  married  Mary  J.  Taylor,  of  Doyles- 
town,  who  died.   Their  children  are  Harry  S.  and 


7J 


(  OMMEMOKATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Abrarn  S.  (6)  Samuel  and  (7)  Blanchard  died  in 
infancy.  (8)  and  (9)  Clara  and  Mary,  respect- 
ive 1\.  unmarried.  (10)  Henry  C. ,  now  con- 
nected with  the  Valentine  [roil  Works,  married 
Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Thomas,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Judge  Thomas  Burnside,  and  t li>  ir 
children  are  Stanley,  Helen,  Rebecca  and 
Henrj  Henry  C.  is  a  member  of  the  borough 
council. 

Bond  Valentine,  the  youngest  ol  the  original 
Valentine  brothers,  did  liol  remain  in  the  iron 
business  long,  but  early  turned  Ins  attention  to 
the  law.  His  birth  occurred  in  [798.  His  early 
paternal  training  was  such  as  to  instill  in  his 
mind  those  principles  of  morality  which  were  the 
guiding  and  controlling  influence^  of  his  after  life. 
He  became  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and  served  111 
the  General  Assembly,  1830-3.?,  from  Centre 
county.  In  1842,  influenced  by  conscientious 
1  onvictions,  he  abandoned  the  law  that  he  might 
devote  his  life  to  the  public  ministry  in  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends.  The  Friends  Review,  in  an 
obituary  notice,  said:  "His  sterling  integrity 
and  the  well  known  simplicity  of  his  character, 
averse  to  mere  forms,  won  for  him  the  increased 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  community,  and 
his  addresses  have  been  marked  by  impassioned 
earnestness.  In  social  circles  our  friend  was  very 
attractive,  without  reserve,  original,  genial  and 
simple. 

I<|  his  first  wife,  Lydia.  daughter  of  John 
and  Susannah  (Ashbridge)  Fair] and,  (arming  peo- 
ple of  near  West  Chester,  Penn.,  and  of  English 
descent,  two  children  were  born,  the  elder  of 
whom  died  in  infancy;  the  other  is  Robert  Valen- 
tine, who  has  long  been  at  the  head  of  the  firm 
of  Valentine  &  Co.,  of  Hellefonte.  Robert  Val- 
entine is  one  of  the  prominent  and  wealthy  citi- 
zens of  Bellefonte.  His  second  wife,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1861,  was  Mary  Xatt,  daughter 
of  Thomas  J.  and  Anne  Natt,  born  in  England, 
and  their  children  are:  Emily  and  Julia,  the 
latter  being  the  wife  of   I>r.   Bond,  of    Baltimore. 

I  be  homes  of  Robert  Valentine  and  family, 
and  the  family  of  Keuben  H.  Valentine,  are  par- 
ticularly striking,  and  are  of  the  several  imposing 

and    beautiful    places   of    the   1 intain   town  of 

Bellefonti  The  former,  a  modem  built,  native 
stone  structure,  commodious  and  substantial, 
stands  on  one  of  the  highest  points  of  the  town, 
and  is  very  commanding  in  point  of  view.  While 
the  other  is  located  a  short  distance  from  the 
town  on  a  beautifully  situated  farm,  ' '  Burnham,  " 
this  suburban  country  seat  is  surrounded  by  spa- 
cious grounds,  and  the  old  grey  limestone  house, 
built  by  Reuben  B.  Valentine  in  1856,  is  of  the 
Colonial  style 


PHILIP  B.  CRIDER.  The  lumbering  in- 
terests of  central  Pennsylvania  is  one  of  the 
great  industries  which  have  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  development  of  that  section,  and 
one  of  the  chief  sources  of  its  great  wealth.  For 
nearly  fifty  years  few  men  have  played  a  more 
conspicuous  part  in  this  development  than  the 
venerable  gentleman  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  and 
who,  though  nearing  his  four-score  years,  is  yet 
"in  harness,"  hale  and  hearty,  bidding  fair 
for  an  unusually  vigorous  old 

I  r  probably  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  the  Crider  family  have  resided  in  this 
Commonwealth.  Upward  of  one  hundred  years 
ago,  the  ancestors  of  our  subject  came  from 
from  Lancaster  county,  and  located  on  Chatham 
run,  some  five  miles  below  the  present  borough 
of  Lock  Haven,  then  in  Northumberland  county, 
where  William  Crider  1  1  and  William  Crider  (2), 
the  grandfather  and  father  respectively  of  Philip 
B  ,  figured  as  wood-workers  and  millwrights, 
and  where  now  reside  a  number  of  their  descend- 
ants William  Crider  (2)  was  married  to  Mary 
Walker,  and  among  their  children  were:  Gabrial, 
Elizabeth,  William.  Catherine.  Philip  B.  (our 
subject),  Mary  Ann,  Susan,  Jacob,  Washington, 
Joseph,  Emily,  Ruth  and  Enoch.  William,  the 
father  of  these  children,  and  his  wife  were  plain 
everyday  people,  industrious,  good  citizens,  and 
kind  neighbors  whose  remains  now  rest,  as  do 
those  of  some  of  the  older  generation,  in  the  old 
Plum  Creek  graveyard  in  the  Crider  neighbor- 
hood above  located.  William  died  May  15, 
1SS0,  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Philip  B.,  at  Snow 
Shoe,  Penn.,  aged  ninety-four  years,  and  his 
wife  died  at  the  old  homestead  in  Gallagher 
township,  Clinton   Co.,   Pennsylvania. 

I).  S.  Maynard,  in  his  ••  Historical  Views  of 
Clinton  County,"  thus  alludes  to  Mr.  Crider 
under  the  head  of  Gallagher  township: 

In  1845,  Mr.  William  1  ridei  moved  from  Pine  Creek 
and  settled  near  the  Irish  settlement,  not  fai  from  one  of  the 
brani  hes  ol  Queens  run.  lie-  is  still  living  there  at  the  ad- 
vanci  eight]  seven  years,  having  raised  to  manhood 

and  womanhood  .1  large  family  ol  1  hildren,  among  them  be- 
ing  P  B  Crider,  ol  Lock  Haven.  Though  having  lived 
some  years  beyond  the  time  allotted  man,  Nl  r.  Coder  is  still 

I  health,  with  faculties  unimpaired,  and  takes  pleas- 
ure 111  talking  of  Ins  pioneer  experience  in  Gallagher  town- 
ship.     \s  w.ts  the  1  .isr  with  most  of  the  <-.irlv  settlers,  he  was 

ad  marksman,  and  delighted  in  the  1  has.-.  The  first 
year  he  lived  in  the  township  he  killed  fivi  bears,  and  the 
next  v.-.ir  six,  to  say  nothing  of  the  deer,  and  other  smaller 
game. 

Philip  B.  Crider  was  bom  at  the  mouth  of 
Young  Woman's  creek,  January  9.  1822,  then  in 
I  ycoming  county,  now  in  Clinton  county.  Penn. 
That  country  being  then  new,  and  his  parents 
poor,  he  had  very  meager  school   privileges,  and 


Ucgife.  ^  <U7YO^?* 


Z^£U2^^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


73 


early  in  life  started  to  be  self-supporting.  He 
learned  the  business  of  manufacturing  woolen 
goods  in  the  employ  of  John  Rich  and  John  Hill- 
ard,  at  their  factory  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town  of  Pine  Creek,  Clinton  county,  and  re- 
mained with  these  gentlemen  some  thirteen 
years.  He  then  purchased  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  farmed  for  several  years,  when  he  became 
identified  with  the  lumbering  interests  of  Centre 
county,  operating  first  between  the  Moshannon 
creeks, where  he  was  engaged  with  Samuel  Crist, 
of  Lock  Haven,  then  the  most  extensive  lumber 
operator  in  the  county,  owning  upward  of  four- 
teen thousand  acres  of  good  pine  timber  lands. 
He  was  so  occupied  several  years,  whei>  he  began 
manufacturing  lumber  for  the  Snow  Shoe  Rail- 
road Company.  Following  this,  Mr.  Crist  and 
himself  purchased  the  plant  and  stock  of  the  firm 
of  Holmes  &  Wigton.and  the  new  firm  carried  on 
extensive  operations  in  the  same  line  for  a  period 
of  years.  Mr.  Crider  was  next  associated  with 
Gen.  Beaver,  Edward  Humes  and  others  of  Belle- 
fonte,  who  had  formed  a  company  and  controlled 
several  thousand  acres  of  timber  land  in  Clear- 
field county,  where  he  met  with  a  severe  acci- 
dent, receiving  a  bad  cut  in  one  of  his  limbs  by 
an  awkward  workman,  from  which  he  was  dis- 
abled for  two  or  three  years.  This  led  him  to 
make  a  change  in  his  business  affairs,  resulting  in 
an  exchange  of  business  interests  between  him  and 
Mr.  Crist,  which  subsequently  took  him  to  Snow 
Shoe,  where  for  many  years  himself  and  son,  F. 
W.  Crider,  were  extensive  lumber  operators,  also 
having  mills  and  yards  in  other  localities.  Some 
seventeen  years  ago  they  made  the  borough  of 
Bellefonte  their  headquarters  and  principal  point 
of  operations.  Their  plant,  which  is  located  at 
the  corner  of  Race  and  Lamb  streets,  together 
with  mills  in  the  woods,  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  equipped  in  this  section  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  planing  mills,  lumber  shedding,  and  other 
necessary  buildings  in  all  cover  an  area  of  five 
acres,  while  in  the  various  departments  of  the 
business  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  hands  are  em- 
ployed, and  the  proprietors  have  with  character- 
istic enterprise  availed  themselves  of  every  late 
and  meritorious  device  in  the  way  of  machinery 
and  appliances  calculated  to  insure  rapid  and 
perfect  production.  The  firm  manufacture  and 
deal  largely  in  white  pine,  yellow  pine,  hard 
wood  and  hemlock  lumber,  lath,  pailing  and 
and  shingles,  window  and  door  frames,  sash, 
doors,  blinds,  mouldings,  stair  work,  and  every 
description  of  mill  work  and  building  material  as 
well  as  butchers'  skewers.  As  foreshadowed 
above,  the  firm  of  P.  B.  Crider  &  Son  operate 
mills  and  have  large   lumber  interests  in  a  num- 


ber of  the  neighboring  counties,  which  places 
them  in  the  front  rank  of  the  manufacturers  of 
lumber  in  this  section,  contributing  to  the  com- 
mercial importance  of  these  various  places. 
Owing  to  the  extent  of  their  operations,  the  large 
capital  invested,  and  many  hands  employed, 
they  distribute  large  sums  of  money,  and  they 
are  leading  factors  in  the  success  of  those  com- 
munities. 

Our  subject  has  been  a  most  successful  busi- 
ness man.  Possessed  of  good  common  sense, 
accompanied  with  business  tact,  and  that  energy 
which  is  characteristic  of  his  German  lineage,  he 
has  overcome  obstacles  and  gradually  forged 
steadily  to  the  front  until  he  occupies  an  envious 
position  in  business  circles.  His  entire  business 
career  has  been  one  of  uprightness.  Fair  in  all 
of  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  and  of  the 
strictest  integrity,  he  now  enjoys  that  satisfac- 
tion which  such  a  life  gives.  He  is  an  esteemed 
citizen  of  Bellefonte,  and  a  man  of  considerable 
means,  and  of  retiring  disposition,  modest  and 
unassuming. 

In  1844,  our  subject  was  married  to  Catherine 
Miller,  a  daughter  of  John  Miller,  of  Clinton 
county,  Penn.,  a  lady  of  uncompromising  integ- 
rity, from  the  Crider  neighborhood  on  Chatham 
run.  To  this  union  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  Fountain  W. ,  a  sketch  of  whom  fol- 
lows; Isaac  S.,  born  August  31,  1847,  wno  was 
a  successful  farmer  on  Beech  creek,  Clinton 
county,  where  his  death  occurred  November  17, 
1877,  as  the  result  of  an  accident  while  out  hunt- 
ing; and  Josephine  H.,  who  was  born  August  22, 
1850,  and  died  May  4,  1870.  The  mother  of 
these  was  born  at  Milton,  Penn. ,  August  1  5,  1829, 
and  died  September  26,  1885.  Their  remains 
rest  in  the  beautiful  Cedar  Hill  Cemetery  at 
Lock  Haven. 


F 


OUNTAIN  W.  CRIDER.  Foremost  among 
the  business  men  of  the  Bellefonte  of  to- 
day, whose  enterprising  handiwork  in  the  city's 
progress  and  beauty,  is  conspicuously  noticed  in 
the  several  imposing  business  blocks — the  pride 
of  its  citizens  and  the  admiration  of  strangers — 
which  stand  as  monuments  to  his  enterprise, 
taste  and  thrift,  is  our  fellow  townsman — Foun- 
tain W.  Crider.  Though  yet  a  young  man,  Mr. 
Crider  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  busi- 
ness circles  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  is  an  ex- 
ample of  what  may  be  accomplished  in  a  few 
years,  comparatively  speaking,  by  industry,  econ- 
omy and  a  fixed  purpose  with  a  determination  to 
succeed. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  Clinton  county,  this 


74 


COMMEMORATIVE  MOD liAPIW'Al.    RECOUP. 


State,    horn    near    Lock    Haven,    September    ~, 

1845-  His  ancestors  and  the  family  are  noticed 
in  the  sketch  of  his  father.  Philip  B.  Crider, 
which  precedes  this,  as  is  also  there  Riven,  in 
main,  the  history  of  the  large  manufacturing 
plant  of  P.  B.  Crider  &  Son.  His  early  1 
hood  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen  years  was  passed 
on  the  farm,  not  unlike  that  of  general  farmer 
lads,  receiving  the  benefit  of  the  neighboring 
schools  at  the  Plum  Creek  School  House.  In 
1859,  then  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  John  F.  Rich  &  Son,  then  operat- 
ing a  woolen-mill  on  Chatham  run  below  Lock 
Haven.  He  had,  in  object,  the  learning  the 
business  of  manufacturing  woolen  goods,  and  ac- 
complished his  purpose,  remaining  in  the  mill 
some  three  years,  excepting  a  period  of  three 
months  each  year,  which  were  reserved  for  at- 
tending school  at  Lock  Haven.  At  eighteen  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  business  portion  of  his 
education,  and  began  clerking  in  the  store  of  J. 
J.  Bisel  &  Co.,  of  Lock  Haven,  and  after  serv- 
ing for  a  period  as  salesman  he  became  book- 
keeper, and  remained  with  them  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  made  his  first  venture  in 
the  line  of  speculation,  investing  bis  savings  in 
oil,  which  he  lost.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years 
he  entered  the  Eastman  Business  College,  at 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y  .  and  was  graduated  there- 
from in  1SO5.  While  young  Crider  was  deprived 
of  much  of  his  boyhood,  he  was  practically 
schooled  in  business,  and  before  reaching  his 
majority  was  well  equipped  for  the  battle  of  life, 
and  entered  the  business  world  not  without  some 
knowledge  of  the  roughness  ol  the  road  he  was 
to  travel.  But  fully  prepared  and  eager  for  the 
fray,  he  launched  out,  and  though  he  has  by  no 
means  ever  Sailed  under  a  cloudless  sky,  he  has 
stood  nobly  at  the  helm,  and  so  wisely  directed 
the  barque  that  he  has  weathered  the  storms  en- 
countered, and  to-day  sails  under  a  triumphant 
banner  upon  a  smooth    sea. 

On  January  1.  1866,  young  (  nder  joined  his 
father  at  Snow  Shoe  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber, and  formed  the  firm  of  1'.  B  (  ridei  .\  Son, 
which  still  exists,  and  is  one  of  the  great  manu- 
facturing industries  of  central  Pennsylvania. 
Their  business  has  constantly  grown  until  it  has 
extended  into  the  neighboring  counties  of  War- 
ren, Jefferson,  Huntingdon,  Clinton  and  Mifflin, 
having  mills  at  various  points  in  this  territory 
with  general  headquarters  at  Bellefonte.  The 
new  hie  given  to  the  business  in  the  addition  of 
young  Crider,  who  took  hold  with  that  en. 
that  youth  possesses,  and  which  was  so  char- 
acteristic of  his  make-up,  was  marked,  and  it  was 
not   long  until    the   extensions    referred    to    w 


made,  and  the  firm  was  in  possession  of  large 
tracts  of  timber  land,  which  were  so  judiciously 
handled  as  to  result  in  great  profits  to  the  firm — 
some  of  the  tracts  involving  upward  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  These  men  became  en- 
gaged  in  great  interest  outside  of  their  lumber 
deals  and  the  special  business  of  manufacturing; 
they  were  large  manufacturers  of  charcoal  also. 
In  the  sale  of  timber  lands,  they  reserved  the 
oil,  gas  and  mining  rights,  and  are  now  possessed 
of  these  privileges  in  Jefferson  county;  merchan- 
dising and  farming  have  been  no  small  part  of 
the  business  of  P.  B.  Crider  &  Son,  and  they  are 
now  cultivating  in  the  neighborhood  of  1,500 
acres.  The  annual  output  of  lumber  at  their 
several  mills  amounts  to  millions  of  feet.  In 
their  varied  extensive  interests  they  have  for 
years  given  employment  to  many  men,  and  kept 
in  circulation  great  sums  of  money,  which  have 
been  of  great  benefit  to  this  section  of  the  State. 

Our  subject  is  a  most  capable  and  broad- 
minded  business  man,  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive. In  1888  after  the  great  fire  which  destroyed 
some  of  the  best  business  buildings  in  Bellefonte, 
he  purchased  the  site  of  the  present  "  Crider's 
Exchange,"  and  erected  that  most  imposing 
business  block  which  would  be  a  credit  and  an 
ornament  to  a  much  more  pretentious  city.  It  is 
the  finest  business  block  in  Bellefonte,  and  is  a 
structure  of  modern  scientific  architectural  beau- 
ty; built  of  brick  and  stone  and  occupying  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  corners  of  the  borough. 
His  palatial  residence,  which  crowns  one  of  the 
lulls  of   the  mountain-town-  -one  of  elegance  and 

e — is  but  another  evidence  of  his  enterprising 
spirit  and  love  to  see  the  place  of  his  adoption 
the  ideal    "  Home  of  the  Oovernors." 

Mr.  Crider's    life   has    been    one   of   great 
tivitv      a    busy   one;  and    like    most    men    whose 
lives  are  absorbed  in    great    business  interests  lie 
has  given  little  time  to   politics,  and    has  evinced 

lesire  for  public  office.      He   is  in  no  sense  a 

politician,  though  betakes  an  interest  in  all  pub- 
lic questions  affecting  the  good  of  mankind  and 
the  ele\  Since  early   boyhood 

is   been    identified   with    the  M.   E.  Chui 
giving  liberally  of  his  means  to  its  support.      lb 
has  served  in  the  borough  council,  and   made  a 

t  efficient  record.  As  may  be  inferred,  Mr. 
(rider  is  a  man  of  wealth,  and  of  influence, 
which  is  not  confined  to  Uellefonte  alone,  but 
extends  throughout  the  State  where  his  connec- 
tion with  great  business  interests  have  given  him 
a  wide  acquaintance.  Mr.  Crider,  ton.  is  a  self- 
made  man  a  man  that  has  risen  from  the  poor 
country  boy  to  the  head  of  a  great  industry,  and 
to  the  presidency  of  the  great   banking  company 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


75 


of  Jackson,  Crider  &  Hastings;  a  man  of  wealth 
and  influence,  which,  however,  has  in  no  way 
affected  his  manhood — his  feelings  and  sympathy 
for  mankind — these  are  the  same  as  when  he 
himself  walked  the  paths  of  doubt  amid  the  early 
struggles,  and  he  is  easily  approached,  greeting 
one  with  a  smile  and  extending  one  that  hearty 
welcome  which  makes  the  timid  one  feel  at  ease. 
Commanding  in  appearance,  fine  looking,  with 
an  intelligent  face,  his  personality  is  striking,  and 
but  to  know  him  is  to  account  for  his  popularity. 
He  is  a  great  home  man,  and  outside  of  business 
hours  may  be  found  with  his  family.  Individually, 
he  owns  considerable  property  in  Bellefonte  and 
Centre  county,  other  than  the  block  referred  to. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

OnJuly2i,  1868,  Mr.  Crider  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Adeline  Sullivan,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Ann  (Henderson)  Sullivan,  of  White 
Deer  Mills,  Union  Co.,  Penn.  Her  parents  died 
when  she  was  young,  and  she  was  reared  by  her 
grandparents,  Samuel  and (Barber)  Hender- 
son, of  Union  county,  the  grandfather  being  a 
substantial  farmer  and  a  citizen  of  some  promi- 
nence there.  The  wedding  occurred  at  Elmwood, 
111.,  where  Miss  Sullivan  was  visiting  an  aunt, 
Mrs.  Rynearson.  Mrs.  Crider  was  a  woman 
of  education  and  refinement,  and  a  very  interest- 
ing lady,  possessed  of  the  virtues  that  won  her  a 
host  of  friends.  Her  birth  occurred  in  Union 
county,  Penn.,  May  25,  1845,  and  her  death  at 
Bellefonte,  April  6,  1879.  "She  was  a  very 
earnest  Christian  lady,  and  died  in  the  full  hope 
of  a  glorious  immortality."  The  children  born 
to  this  marriage  were:  (1)  Burns  H.,  born  Au- 
gust 2,  1869,  now  a  photographer  at  Easton, 
Penrt.,  of  the  firm  of  Kreidler  &  Crider.  (2) 
Carrol  Low,  born  August  20,  1872,  died  August 
30,  1891.  In  January,  1891,  Carrol  had  entered 
the  Freshman  class,  Dickinson  College,  at  Car- 
lisle, Penn.,  with  many  bright  hopes  and  a  prom- 
ising future,  but  his  young  life  was  cut  short  and 
the  hopes  of  his  father  blasted,  for  in  less  than  a 
year  he  was  summoned  higher,  having  contracted 
a  fatal  disease  at  college.  His  life  had  been  one 
of  purity  and  simplentss,  and  in  his  last  breath 
he  exclaimed:  "  I  am  the  child  of  a  King;  I  am 
not  dying  but  am  only  going  home  to  see  Jesus." 
(3)  May  S.,  born  August  28,  1877,  is  now  in 
school  at  Bryn   Mawr,  Pennsylvania. 

On  December  14,  1882,  our  subject  was  again 
married,  this  time  to  Rebecca  Jane  North,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Hugh  North,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1883,  and  Mary  Isabel!,  born  March 
28,  1886,  both  attending  the  Bellefonte  Academy. 
The  mother  of  these  is  a  native  of  Juniata  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  born  June  9,    18.50,  daughter  of   Hon. 


James  and  Susana  Matilda  (Strouse)  North,  of 
Juniata  county.  She  is  a  lady  of  refinement  and 
culture,  and  presides  with  dignity  and  grace  at 
their  elegant  home,  which  is  often  the  scene  of 
social  gatherings. 

Hon.  James  North,  father  of  Mrs.  Crider, 
though  now  nearly  four-score  years  of  age,  is 
quite  active  in  the  business  affairs  of  Juniata 
county,  where  he  has  long  been  a  resident  of 
prominence  in  public  affairs  and  in  business  cir- 
cles. He  has  represented  that  county  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State,  and  has  been 
conspicuously  connected  with  the  railroad  inter- 
ests of  the  Commonwealth;  prominent,  too,  as  a 
merchant  and  banker.  His  wife  died  on  Novem- 
ber 21,  1896.  Their  children  were  six  in  number, 
namely:  Nathaniel  died  in  infancy;  Caleb  is  in 
the  Columbian  National  Bank  at  Washington,  D. 
C. ;  Washington  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company,  as  ticket  and  freight 
agent  (also  a  dealer  in  coal  and  lumber)  at  Mifflin, 
Penn.;  Rebecca  Jane  (Mrs.  Crider);  Hon.  Her- 
man H.,  a  lawyer  at  Bradford,  Penn.,  who  has 
served  three  times  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  State;  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Jacobs,  widow  of 
George  Jacobs,  formerly  a  lawyer  at  Mifflin, 
Pennsylvania. 


C CHARLES  R.  KURTZ,  of  Bellefonte.  The 
Jl  ability  to  meet  the  emergencies  of  an  exact- 
ing profession  in  a  quiet,  yet  prompt  and  effi- 
cient manner,  is  a  test  of  a  well-disciplined  mind; 
and  a  visit  to  the  sanctum  sanctorum  of  the  gifted 
editor  of  The  Centre  Democrat,  one  of  the  leading 
Democratic  papers  of  Centre  county,  impresses 
one  with  the  value  of  this  rare  acquirement, 
the  large  and  rapidly  developing  business  of  the 
establishment  being  managed  with  apparent  ease. 
Mr.  Kurtz,  the  editor  and  publisher  of  The  Cen- 
tre Democrat,  has  had  unusual  advantages  in  the 
way  of  preparation  for  journalism,  having  been 
practically  trained  to  it  from  boyhood  in  the  office 
of  The  Centre  Hall  Reporter,  of  which  his  father, 
Hon.  Frederick  Kurtz,  is  editor.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  arduous  labors  which  have  brought  the 
Democrat  to  its  present  prosperity,  Mr.  Kurtz 
has  also  found  time  to  share  in  the  various  pro- 
gressive movements  of  his  locality,  and  is  es- 
pecially prominent  in  political  work.  Gifted  as 
an  orator,  his  services  in  that  line  are  frequently 
in  demand,  which  shows  growing  appreciation, 
and  points  to  a  brilliant  future. 

Mr.  Kurtz  has  been  identified  with  Centre 
county  from  his  birth,  which  occurred  at  Aarons- 
burg,  October  31,  1864.  His  academic  educa- 
tion was  mainly  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Cen- 


76 


OOMMl  MORATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tic  Hall,  where  he  attended  until  the  age 
of  seventeen.  He  th(  red  the  Univer- 
sity <>f  Lewisburg  (now  Bucknell  University), 
pleted  a  scientific  course,  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1886.  Returning  home,  he  took  ch 
of  Ik,  Centre  Hull  Reporter  .for  two  years. 
and  in  [888  went  to  Bellefonte  to  conduct 
/'//(■  Centre  Democrat,  At  that  time,  and  for 
many  years  previous,  the  paper  was  financially 
involved,  and  bad  proven  a  bail  venture  from  its 
inception.  It  then  had  a  verj  small  circulation, 
but  little  advertising  and  little  or  no  patronage. 
Under  the  able  management  of  Mr.  Kurt/,  it 
soon  showed  marked  improvement  in  both  re- 
spects. The  subscription  list  has  grown  from 
seven  hundred  to  almost  two  thousand  substan- 
tial nanus,  and  its  columns  are  patronized  by 
the  leading  business  men  of  the  vicinity.  In  July, 
1895,  Mr.  Kurt/  purchased  the  entile  busini 
which  had  previously  been  owned  by  a  stock 
company,  The  Centre  Democrat  Co.,  and  has 
equipped  it  throughout  with  late  and  improved 
type,  fast  presses,  folder  and  engine.  When  Mr. 
Kurtz  took  charge  of  the  plant  it  had  a  small 
circulation.  Now  it  boastsof  having  the  largest 
number  of  readers  of  an\  Democratic  paper  in 
<  Cntre  county. 

With  the  past  as  a  basis  for  judgment,  we 
may  safely  predict  for  this  elevci  and  energetic 
worker  an  enviable  success,  and  many  friends 
whom  his  gentlemanly  bearing  has  won  for  him 
will  rejoice  to  see  the  realization  of  his  plans  and 
hopes. 


C^L.  WILLIAM  POTTER  WILSON,  who 
J  in  his  lifetime  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte, 
where  his  death  occurred  August  3,  1878,  de- 
scended from  ancestors  of  prominence  and  dis- 
tinction in  the  history  of  the  State.  His  parents 
were  Samuel  Hunter  and  Mary  (Benner)  Wilson, 
the  father  being  a  son  of  ('apt.  William  Wilson, 
and  the   mother  a   daughter  of   Gen.   Philip  Ben- 

Capt.    William  Wilson    was    an    officer  of    the 

First  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Continental  Line, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati, 

his  certificate  Of  membership  being  dated  at 
Mount  Vernon  October  31,  17S5,  and  signed  by 
Gen.  Washington,  as  President  of  the  Society, 
and  by  Gen.  Henry  Knox,  as  Secretary.  Gen. 
Benner  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his 
father,  an  active  Whig  during  the  war,  was  cap- 
tured and  imprisoned,  Aftei  the  close  of  the 
struggle  in  1792,  he  purchased  what  was  called 
Rock  Forge  lands,  and  removed  to  Spring 
(reek  to  engage  in    the    iron    business,   and  from 


that  time  on  until  his  death,  in  1832,  he  was 
prominently  identified  with  that  business  and  the 
interests  of  Centre  county.  He  was  an 
earnest  Democrat,  and  was  twice  Presidential 
elector,  notably  on  the  Jackson  and  Calhoun 
ticket  in  1824 

William  Potter  Wilson  was  born  at  Rock 
Forge,  Centre  county,  Penn.,  December  5,  1825. 
His  preparatory  studies  were  received  at  Belle- 
font  my,  and  his  college  course  at  Dart- 
mouth College,  where  he  graduated  in  June, 
[847.  His  legal  studies  were  pursued  at  Mc- 
Cartney's Law  School,  at  Easton,  and  in  the 
office  and  under  the  direction  of  the  late  Hon. 
James  Burnside,  before  he  occupied  the  Bench. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  the  August  term 
of  [849,  and  continuously  practiced  his  profes- 
sion with  great  fidelity  to  the  interests  intrusted 
to  his  care  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
an  entire  stranger  to  the  tricks  of  the  profession, 
and  heartily  despised  them;  was  the  soul  of  honor 
in  his  professional  intercourse  with  his  brothers 
of  the  liar,  and  left  a  record  of  honorable  prac- 
tice which  will  be  remembered  by  all  who  were 
associated  with  him  as  colleagues,  or  engaged 
against  him  as  adversaries.  He  was  appointed 
an  aide  upon  the  military  staff  of  Gov.  Bigler 
during  his  administration,  which  entitled  him  to 
the  rank  and  gave  him  the  title  of  "Colonel." 
He  was  a  candidate  for  district  attorney  of 
his  countv  in  1856,  and  for  the  State  Senate  in 
the-  double  district  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Blair,  Centre,  Huntingdon,  Mifflin,  Juniata  and 
Perry  in  1870.  He  was  appointed  chairman  of 
the  Republican  State  Central  Committee,  and 
conducted  the  campaign  of  1877,  and  it  may  be 
truthfully  said  that  the  earnest  efforts  to  dis- 
;e  faithfully  the  duties  of  his  honorable  po- 
sition tended  largely  to  hasten  the  end  of  his 
earthly  career,  having  been  undertaken  at  a  time 
when  an  enfeebled  constitution  required  quiet 
and  rest  rather  than  excitement  and  efforts  of  a 
political  campaign.  He  was  decided  in  his  po- 
litical convictions,  but  never  offensive  in  their  ut- 
terance or  enforcement.  As  a  citizen  his  place 
was  worthily  tilled.  He  exercised  a  great  in- 
fluence in  municipal  affairs,  having  occupied  a 
seat  for  many  years,  and  the  place  of  presiding 
officer,  in  the  borough  council  and  school  board, 
business  man  outside  the  walks  of  his  pro- 
fession, he  was  successful  in  an  unusual  degree. 
The  railroad,  turnpike  and  other  semi-public  in- 
terests of  this  region  have  contributed  in  a  large 
part  to  this  success,  and  have  in  turn  been  made 
to  feel  in  their  management,  the  influence  of  his 
judicious  and  conservative  business  views.  He 
was  at  the  tune-  of  his  death  st  Cretan  and  treas- 


y2Z 


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COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   HE  CORD. 


77 


urer  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  treasurer  and  almost  sole  manager  of 
the  Centre  and  Kishocoquillas  Turnpike  Road 
Company. 

The  personal  and  relative  duties  of  life  were 
faithfully  discharged  by  him  in  his  sphere,  and 
whilst  we  would  not  invade  the  sanctity  of  home 
and  family,  it  is  proper  to  say  that  where  the 
duties  which  those  relations  involve  were  per- 
formed his  death  will  be  keenly  felt.  Of  great 
kindness  of  heart,  his  affections  embraced  and 
led  him  to  cherish  and  maintain  those  who  were 
strangers  to  his  blood  but  brought  within  his 
sphere  of  home  life.  He  was  a  Christian  man; 
quietly  and  unobtrusively  he  discharged  his 
Christian  duties  and  came  down  to  the  end  of 
his  life  ' '  unstained  and  soothed  by  an  unfalter- 
ing trust. "  One  of  his  great  anxieties  of  his  last 
year  on  earth  was  the  welfare  of  the  Church  with 
which  he  was  connected,  and  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee. 

On  October  21,  1856,  Mr.  Wilson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Margaret  H.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
James  and  Isabella  (Henderson)  Linn,  of  Belle- 
fonte, where  Mrs.  Wilson  was  born.  They  had 
no  children  of  their  own,  but  raised  as  their 
daughter  Blanche  Moran  Hays,  a  cousin  of  Mrs. 
Wilson's.  Both  Mrs.  Wilson  and  Miss  Hays  re- 
side in  a  beautiful  and  comfortable  home  at 
Bellefonte.  They  are  identified  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  are  active  in  its  auxiliary 
societies.  Mrs.  Wilson's  name  has  for  years 
been  associated  with  much  good  work  done  by 
the  women  of  Bellefonte  in  charitable  directions, 
and  for  the  elevation  of  the  morals  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Rev.  James  Linn,  D.  D.,  who  died  at  Belle- 
fonte, February  23,  1868,  was  a  remarkable 
man,  and  enjoyed  the  rare  distinction  of  having 
served  the  pastorate  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
there  the  unusually  long  period  of  fifty-eight 
years.  He  was  born  in  Sherman's  Valley 
(now  Perry  county),  Penn.,  September  4,   1783. 

His  grandfather  came  over  from  Scotland  in 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  was 
of  solid  Presbyterian  stock.  His  father,  John 
Linn,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Penn.,  in  1749, 
was  graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1773; 
studied  theology  with  Rev.  Robert  Cooper,  and 
during  his  entire  ministerial  life,  including  a  term 
of  nearly  forty-four  years,  was  settled  as  the  pas- 
tor of  Centre  Church,  Sherman's  Valley.  He 
died  in  1820  in  his  seventy-first  year.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Gettys,  daughter  of  the  founder 
of  Gettysburg. 

Dr.  James  Linn  was  graduated  at  Dickinson 
College  in  1805,  and  studied  theology  with   Rev. 


Joseph  Williams  at  Newville.  He  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  Gospel  September  27,  1808,  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle.  He  himself  consid- 
ered it  an  honor  of  no  small  measure  to  have 
been  licensed  by  such  a  body  of  ministers  as  then 
composed  that  Presbytery:  "A  noble  band  of 
venerable  men,  and  men  of  talents."  In  the 
spring  of  1809  he  visited  the  congregations  of 
Spruce  Creek  and  Sinking  Valley,  since  in  the 
bounds  of  Huntingdon  Presbytery,  and  from 
there  he  shortly  after  came  to  Bellefonte.  The 
Presbyterian  Church  here  had  just  been  left  va- 
cant by  the  removal  of  Rev.  Henry  R.  Wilson,  to 
Carlisle.  His  preaching  here  and  at  Lick  Run  for 
a  few  Sabbaths  resulted  in  unanimous  calls  from 
both  Churches,  each  for  one-half  of  his  time. 
On  April  17,  18 10,  he  was  installed  pasto|  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Bellefonte,  the  in- 
stallation taking  place  in  the  court  house,  which 
was  then  used  as  the  place  of  worship.  His 
time  was  divided  between  charges  at  Lick  Run 
and  Bellefonte.  In  1839  the  Bellefonte  Church 
received  his  undivided  labors,  and  as  the  pastor 
of  this  Church  he  remained  until  his  death.  His 
labors  among  the  people  were  greatly  blessed. 
He  took  an  active  interest  in  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion, in  the  early  years  of  his  ministry  taught 
the  Bellefonte  Academy,  and  was  for  many  years 
president  of  the  board  of  trustees.  His  labors 
in  the  temperance  cause  and  in  the  interests  of 
the  Bible  Society  and  Sabbath-schools  were  in- 
cessant all  through  the  long  years  of  his  active 
life.  He  was  eminently  hospitable,  and  his  gen- 
erosity spontaneous  and  unpretending.  There  is 
a  sublime  eloquence  in  the  career  of  such  a  man, 
and  the  reputation  he  won  he  bequeathed  to 
enhance  the  dignity,  honor  and  usefulness  of  his 
fellow  laborers  in  the  ministry.  His  strong  indi- 
viduality, clear  mind,  and  sound  judgment  com- 
manded the  respect  of  men  of  character,  while 
his  large-hearted  hospitality,  his  genial  humor, 
and  his  kind  and  cheerful  disposition  won  upon 
all  classes  of  the  community,  and  made  him  a 
man  of  the  largest  influence.  Yet,  though  gen- 
tle, yielding  and  forgiving  in  his  temper  almost 
to  an  extreme,  his  decision  was  uncompromising 
in  all  questions  of  principle.  His  preaching  was 
characterized  by  the  pointed  and  impressive  pres- 
entation of  truth,  and  was  doctrinal  and  practi- 
cal rather  than  rhetorical.  With  a  full,  round 
voice,  and  a  commanding  presence,  his  personal 
advantages  were  more  than  ordinary.  His  man- 
uscript sermons  show  thoroughness  and  accuracy 
in  preparation  for  the  pulpit. 

Dr.  Linn  was  twice  married:  First  to  Jane" 
Harris,  February  28,  181 1,  and  their  children 
were:    Claudius    B.,    James   H.,    Hon.    Samuel, 


K 


I  OMMBMORA  77  YE  BIOQRA  fill'  A  1.  BB(  ORD. 


Anna  and  Jane.  This  wife  died  AuguSt  14,  1K22, 
and  on  April  15,  1829,  he  married  Isabella  Hen- 
derson,  and  a  daughter,  Margaret  II  .  was  born 
to  them. 

Col.  Philip  Benner   Wilson,  a  brothi 
Col.  William    Potter    Wilson,  and  a   resident 
Bellefonte,  where  he  died  March  2.  1878,  served 
with  distinction  in  the   Civil  war.      He  was  horn 
at    Chillisquaque    Mills,    Northumberland    < 
I'.  mi..  December  8,   1822,  and  received  his  edu- 

111  at  Milton.  He  entered  the  army  in  1 
at  Harnsburg,  Penn.,  as  captain  of  Company  F, 
2nd  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  was  later  pro- 
moted to  the  majorship  of  the  regiment.  At  tin- 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Bellefonte  and 
entered  the  hardware  business  with  John  Irwin, 
|r.,  the  firm  soon  establishing  a  large  trade  and 

cting  a  beautiful  building.  Later  Mr.  Irwin 
retired,  and  Col.  Wilson  associated  with  him  in 
ihc  business  Thomas  Hicks,  the  firm  becoming 
Wilson  &  Hicks.  The  Colonel  finally  retired 
from  the  firm,  and  in  connection  with  Col.  Mc- 
l-arlane  established  another  hardware  store  in 
the  Humes  block.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  the  colonel  of  the  5th  Regiment  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania. 


ELIAS  W.  HALE,  M.  I).,  late  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county,  was  bprn  in  Lewistown, 
Penn.,  in  June,  1824.  being  in  direct  line  of  de- 
scent  from  Samuel  Hale,  the  first  of  the  family 
known  111  this  country,  who  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1637.  He  served 
in  the  Pequot  war.  for  which  service  he  received 
a  grant  of  land.  He  was  deputy  for  Norwalk. 
He  died  at  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  in  1693.  His 
son  was  Capt.  Samuel  (2  1,  who  was  a  deputy, 
and  married  a  granddaughter  of  Thomas  Welles, 
third  governoi  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut. 
The  latter's  son  was  I'.enjamin.  Benjamin's  son 
was   Gideon,    and    the   g]  1   ol    Gideon    was 

Elias    \\       Hale,     father  of    the    subject   of   this 
sketch. 

is  W.  Hale  1  1  was  born  in  Glastonbury, 
Conn.,  April  18,  1775.  'lL'  was  graduated  from 
Yale  College  in  1704.  and  soon  thereafter  began 
the  study  of  law  with  Chatles  Hall  at  Sunbury, 
Penn.  After  completing  his  law  studies  he  lo- 
cated in  Lewistown,  Penn.,  where  he  followed 
his  profession  ai  d  be<  mie  one  of  the  ablest  law- 
seism  that  section.  He  married  Jean  Mulhol- 
lan,  an  estimable  lady,  who  survived  him  man}' 
sears.  His  death  occurred  Februar}  5,  1832. 
One  of  his  daughters  was  the  wife  of  the  Hon 
Gideon  Welles.  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in 
President  Lincoln. 


Dr.  Elias  W.  Hale,  the  fourth  child  and  last 
survivor  of  six  children,  read  medicine  under  the 
direction  of  J.  B.  Ard,  M.  I).,  graduated  from 
j  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  a  num- 
3  practiced  the  profession  at  Lewis- 
town,  then  removed  to  Reedsville,  Penn.,  where 
he  pursued  the  >ame  calling.      In   the   spring  of 

(  he  located  in  Bellefonte,  at  which  place  his 
practice  was  somewhat  limited.  In  1 S74,  in 
nection  with  William  P.  Duncan  &  Co.,  he 
bought  the  old  mill,  and  went  into  the  milling 
business  under  the  linn  name  <>|  Duncan,  Hale  & 
Co.  Mr.  Duncan  retired  in  18.S2.  and  the  linn 
was  changed  to  Gerberich,  Hale  &  Co.,  Mr 
Gerberich  managing  the  business.  Dr.  Hale  was 
prominently  connected  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
int\,  and  lie  was  well  up  in  agricultural  circles  in 
the  counts  and  Slate.  He  always  took  a  decided 
interest  in  agrii  ulture,  and  invariably  lent  a  hand 
to  its  advancement.  He  was  one  of  Bellefonte's 
shrewdest  business  men,  and  was  an  influential 
citizen  from  1 864  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
ll<  ssms  probably  one  of  the  largest  property 
ossners  in  Bellefonte,  possessing,  in  addition  to 
his  real  estate  in  the  town,  a  number  of  fine 
farms  in  Centre  and  adjoining  counties,  and  his 
wealth  would  foot  up  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars.  He  was  ia  partner  in  the  Moshannon 
Banking  Co. ,  of  Philipsburg,  Penn.  His  death 
occurred  in  Mentone.  Southern  France,  February 
20,  1892,  whither  himself  and  family  had  gone  the 
October  before  for  his  health. 

Dr.  Hale  was  tsvice  married,  his  first  wife  be- 
in^  Miss  Ellen  Louise  Steely,  of  the  Kishaco- 
quillas  Valley,  in  Mifflin  county,  this  State,  by 
whom  he  had  a  son,  Harry.  His  second  wife, 
to  whom  he  was  married  April  29.  1857,  was 
Mary,  daughter  of  Reuben  B.  and  Sarah  (Down- 
ing) Valentine,  and  their  issue  were:  Sarah,  who 
dud  in  infancy,  and  Ellen,  who  is  the  wife  of  G. 
Murray  Andrews.  The  widow  of  Dr.  Hale  has 
descended  on  both  sides  from  Quaker  families, 
who  for  nearly  two  hundred  years  have  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  the 
the  State.  She  is  of  the  fifth  generation 
from  Thoma-  Valentine,  who  in  about  1720 
came  t"  America  from  Ireland,  and  with  his 
family  settled  in  Chester  counts',  Penn.  He  was 
born  in  County  Catherlough  (How  Carlow),  Ire- 
land. 9th  month,  lS,  [693,  and  died  in  1747. 
lb  1  father,    Reuben   I'..  Valentine,  was  an  iron- 

ter,  and  in  1815  with  several   brothers  came 

•  ntre  counts-,  where  all  were  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  development  "f  the  iron  industries 
of  the  county,  ami  their  sons  after  them  Reuben 
B.'s  death  occurred  at  Bellefonte,  March  27. 
1 84 1.      His   wife,    Sarah    Downing,    was    of   the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


79 


fourth  generation  from  Thomas  Downing,  who 
was  born  12th  month,  14,  1691,  at  Bradninch, 
in  Devonshire,  England,  and  who  in  17 18  was  a 
resident  of  Concord  township,  Chester  county, 
Penn.  Later  he  resided  at  Sadsbury,  and  still 
later  at  Downington,  in  the  same  county.  Many 
of  the  name  were  farmers  and  millers. 


LIEUT. -COL.    HARRY  S.   HALE,  the  only 
1  son  of  the  late  Dr.  EliasW.  Hale,  of  Bellefonte, 

Centre  county,  was  born  at  Lewistown,  Penn., 
August  12,  1852.  In  early  boyhood  he  attended 
school  at  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  and  in  1864 
came  with  his  father  to  Bellefonte,  where  he 
continued  his  studies  under  the  tuition  of  the 
Rev.  J.  C.  Laverty,  an  Episcopal  minister,  and 
at  the  academy  under  the  presidency  of  Prof. 
Murray.  In  1869-70,  he  was  in  attendance  at 
Phillips  Academy,  in  Exeter,  N.  H.  He  next 
was  one  year  at  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  of 
New  Haven,  Conn.  Afterward  he  spent  two 
years  at  Lehigh  University,  at  Bethlehem,  Penn. 
At  this  time  he  was  in  poor  health,  and  he  passed 
a  year  or  more  in  the  lumber  regions  of  Minne- 
sota. He  returned  East  and  spent  a  year  on 
his  father's  farm  at  Mill  Creek,  in  Huntingdon 
Co.,  Penn.  In  1874  he  took  an  interest  in  the 
flouring-mill  of  Gerberich,  Hale  &  Co.,  of  Belle- 
fonte, and  remained  actively  engaged  in  that 
business  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Perhaps  the  military  history  of  Harry  Hale 
was  the  most  notable  part  of  his  life,  and  by 
these  relations  he  became  widely  known  among 
some  of  the  most  prominent  military  officers  in 
the  State.  In  June,  1880,  largely  through  his 
efforts,  Company  B,of  Bellefonte,  was  organized, 
he  being  one  of  the  signers  of  the  application. 
He  was  at  that  time  elected  second  lieutenant  of 
the  company,  in  all  the  affairs  of  which  he  took  a 
prominent  part.  This  company  became  Com- 
pany B,  of  the  5th  Regiment  of  the  N.  G.  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  soon  appointed  adjutant 
of  the  regiment,  and  in  1887  he  was  elected 
lieutenant-colonel,  which  relation  he  sustained 
to  the  5th  Regiment  until  shortly  before  his 
death,  filling  the  position  with  credit  to  himself, 
and  to  those  he  represented;  but  in  April,  1889, 
he  was  compelled  to  resign  the  office  on  account 
of  failing  health.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  in  1886  the  party  nominated  and  elected 
him,  over  a  strong  opposition,  chief  burgess  of 
Bellefonte.  During  this  time  he  gained  the 
confidence  of  the  people,  and  was  re-elected 
for  a  second  term.  While  serving  in  this  ca- 
pacity, he  was  always  kind  and  affable  to 
many   who  at   times   did    not   deserve   his    sym- 


pathy. He  was  obliging,  and  at  all  times  ready 
to  bestow  a  favor.  Brave  and  courageous, 
standing  up  for  the  right,  whether  politically  or 
in  pursuance  of  his  duty  as  a  public  officer,  Col. 
Hale  was  a  young  man  possessing  these  qualities, 
which  claimed  the  admiration  of  all,  and  made 
him  a  man  of  great  promise.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man of  commanding  appaarance,  being  six  feet 
in  height,  and  otherwise  magnificently  propor- 
tioned. When  appearing  in  rank  he  was  a 
very  conspicuous  figure.  He  was  kind,  honest 
and  true,  having  a  large  heart,  not  only  for  the 
rich,  but  for  the  poorer  class  of  people,  aiding 
them  by  deeds  of  generosity.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  Masonic  circles,  having  been  for  ten 
years  or  more  a  member  of  the  fraternity,  be- 
longing to  both  the  Commandery  and  Chapter. 
He  took  a  great  interest  in  all  of  their  proceedings. 
The  death  of  Col.  Hale  occurred  at  Bellefonte 
on  May  24,  1889,  and  he  was  given  one  of  the 
most  imposing  and  impressive  funerals.  His  re- 
mains were  interred  at  Lewistown,  Penn.,  whither 
they  were  accompanied  by  Company  B,  with 
the  field  and  staff  officers  of  the  5th  Regiment, 
and  a  body  of  Masons  from  Bellefonte.  Col. 
Hale  was  unmarried. 


JOHN   CURTIN,    one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
highly  esteemed  residents  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 

county,  was  born  in  that  beautiful  mountain 
town,  September  24,  18 10,  and  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  development  of  his  sec- 
tion throughout  his  active  business  life. 

Roland  Curtin,  father  of  our  subject,  a  native 
of  County  Clare,  Ireland,  came  to  Centre  county 
when  a  young  man,  and  after  a  short  period 
spent  in  mercantile  pursuits  engaged  in  the  iron 
business,  building  a  furnace  which  he  operated 
for  many  years.  By  his  first  wife,  Margery 
(Gregg),  he  had  four  sons  who  lived  to  adult  age: 
Austin  (who  was  in  the  iron  business),  James, 
Roland  and  John.  His  second  wife,  Jane  (Gregg), 
daughter  of  Hon.  Andrew  Gregg,  was  the  mother 
of  the  following  children:  Constance,  Andrew 
(Pennsylvania's  famous  War  Governor),  Martha 
(who  married  Dr.  W.  Irwin,  and  both  are  now 
deceased),  Norah  (who  married  President  Allen, 
of  Girard  College);  Margery  (Mrs.  Thomas  Rey- 
nolds); Nancy  (the  wife  of  Dr.  Clark,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Penn.),  and  Julia  (who  is  not  married, 
and  resides  in  Philadelphia). 

Mr.  Curtin  attended  school  in  his  youth  at 
Bellefonte,  Harrisburg  and  Milton,  Penn.,  re- 
ceiving excellent  preparation  for  his  future  career. 
His  business  opportunities  were  most  fortunate 
and,  engaging  in  the  iron  industry  with  his  father, 


SI  I 


COMMh\/(i/i.\  TTFB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  continued  in  active  work  until  1874,  when  he 
retired,  being  at  the  time  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  R.  C.  &  J.  Curtin.     Since  his  retirement  From 

business,  his  time  has  I"  en  mainly  spent  in  his 
pleasant  home  at  Bellefonte. 

In  1837  Mr.  Curtin  was  married  to  Missjulia 
Ann  Barnhart,  who  was  born  March  14,  l8ll, 
in  Bald  Eagle  Valley.  ('I  the  seven  children  of 
this  happy  union  two  dud  in  infancy;  the  others 
are:  (  1  1  Margery  I.  married  Irvin  Curtin,  and  has 
two  children-  Roland  I.  and  Gregg,  i^j  James, 
who  was  a  cavalryman  during  the  ("nil  w 
married  Miss  Jam-  Holder,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren- Latimer,  Fred  and  Harrj  (3)  Sarah  C, 
wife  of  Dr.  J.  F.  Larimer,  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  has 
three  children — John  C,  Robert  (i  and  Fred 
W.  (4)  Henry  Roland,  who  is  at  present  in 
charge  of  the  iron  works,  married  Miss  l.ydia 
McMinn.  and  lias  four  children — J.  Mack.  John. 
Laird  H.  and  Catherine.  (5)  John  (i.  is  in  the  oil 
business,  and  resides  in  Philadelphia;  he  married 
Miss  Lstella  Louden,  and  has  four  children — 
Lou  la,  Julia,  Allen  and  Walton. 

Mr.  Curtin  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in  the 
stirring  campaign  of  1896  supported  McKinley 
with  an  enthusiasm  and  patriotic  fervor  which 
bridged  the  years,  and  recalled  for  him  the  days 
of  his  youth.  Always  a  thoughtful  student  of 
current  questions,  local  and  national,  he  has 
given  throughout  his  life  loyal  assistance  toevery 
movement  which  promised  to  benefit  the  public. 


C\OL.  WILLIAM  SHORTLIDGE  The  per- 
'  sonal  history  of  the  men  who  lead  in  the  de- 
velopment of  any  section  always  holds  an  unus- 
ual interest,  not  only  for  those  who,  as  members 
■  (  the  community,  share  in  the  results  of  its  prog- 
ress, but  for  all  students  of  human  nature.  The 
generalship,  the  faith,  the  determined  will,  which 
distinguish  these  pioneer  workers  in  any  line,  il- 
lustrate some  of  the  best  phases  of  our  manifold 
life,  and  these  qualities  are  none  the  less  des. 
ing  of  honor  when  directed  to  the  peaceful  arts 
which  feed  and  sustain  our  civilization  rather 
than  to  deeds  of  daring  on  the  field  of  battle.  • 
The  lime  industry  at  Bellefonte,  of  which 
Col.  Shortlidge  is  the  pioneer,  so  far  as  its  mod- 
ern aspects  are  concerned,  has  for  man)  years 
Keen  .1  constant  source  ol  wealth  to  that  locality. 
It  is  probable  that  the  men  employed  in  it  have, 
during  the  past  twenty  years,  more  steads  work 
al   better  wages    than    any  other    industry  ill   this 

section  has  supplied,  and  in  periods  of  business 
depression  they  have  had  special  reason  to  con- 
gratulate themselves  upon  the  constant  demand 
for  their  labor.    In  1 861 ,  when  Col.  Shortlidge  first 


entered  this  business,  the  production  of  lime  in 
the  vicinity  of  Bellefonte  was  estimated  at  thirty- 
rive  bushels  per  day,  and  at  the  present  writing  it 
has  increased  to  3,500  bushels  per  day,  owing 
mainly  to  the  foresight  and  energy  of  Col.  Short 
lidge,  who  brought  the  superior  quality  of  the 
product  to  wider  notice.  After  the  completion 
of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad,  he  shipped  the 
first  carload  of  lime  ever  sent  from  that  locality 
to  a  point  outside  of  Centre  county.  For  man- 
ufacturing purposes  the  Bellefonte  lime  is  consid- 

I  better  than  others,  and  it  finds  a  ready 
market  in  all  parts  of  the  Union.  The  limestone 
from  which  it  is  obtained  contains  as  high  as 
ninety-eight  per  cent  of  carbonate  of  lime,  and 
the  product  is  noted  for  its  whiteness  as  well  as 
for  its  purity.  Under  the  improved  methods  of 
burning  adopted  by  Col.  Shortlidge  the  causticity 
and  plasticity  are  retained,  and  the  superiority  of 
this  lime  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  one  bushel  of 
it  makes  as  much  mortar  as  one  and  two-thirds 
of  other  kinds,  while  the  adhesive  quality  is 
greater.  Of  late  years  other  manufacturers  of 
lime  have  located  at  Bellefonte,  but  the  strata  of 
stone  which  they  use  extends  over  twenty  miles 
east  and  west,  and  there  is  no  fear  that  the  sup- 
ply may  be  exhausted.  As  there  is  a  stead ni 
market  for  the  lime  for  manufacturing  purposes 
than  for  any  other,  greater  attention  is  paid  to 
meeting  that  demand,  but  agricultural  and  build- 
ing interests  are  also  supplied,  and  the  McCal- 
mont  &  Co.  Sunny  Side  Lime  Kilns,  established 
in  1 86 1  by  Col.  Shortlidge  and  others,  produce 
limes  which  under  careful  tests  are  declared  to  be 
eminently  suited  to  these  purposes.  McCalmont 
&  Company  are  also  extensive  dealers  in  coal, 
agricultural  impli  ments,  seeds  and  fertilizers,  and 
they  control  the  agency  for  the  celebrated  Geisee 
saw  mills,  traction  engines  and  separators,  the 
American  Road  Machine  Company's  Champion 
Rock  (rusher  and  Road  Machine,  and  the  Conk- 
lin  wagons  and  carriages.  They  are  large  deal- 
ers in  farm  products,  never  losing  an  opportunity 
to  buy  grain,  for  which  they  pay  the  highest 
market  price,  their  invariable  rule  in  their  trans- 

'ii-  being  to  make  the  farmers'  interests  their 
own  Their  business  requires  a  correspondence 
which  is  second   in  volume    to    but   one  othei    as 

pared  with  all  the  other  interests  at  Belle- 
fonte. Col.  Shortlidge  and  Robert  McCalmont 
are  the  managers  of  the  firm,  and  others  con- 
nected with  it  are  Isaac  Underwood,  John  S. 
Walker.  J  W  Barnhart,  Robert  W.  McCalmont, 
John  II,  Woomer  and  Wentworth  II.  Shortlidge 

The   pei  al    and   ancestral    history   of    Col. 

Shortlidge  will  be  of  general  interest.     The  name 
was  formerly  Shortridge  and  is  of  English  origin. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


81 


and  the  family  has  been  identified  with  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends  from  a  very  early  period.  Our 
subject's  direct  ancestors  were  pioneers  of  Ches- 
ter county,  Penn.,  and  his  grandfather,  Swithin 
Shortlidge,  was  born  in  New  Garden  township, 
and  became  a  farmer  in  the  same  locality.  He 
and  iwo  of  his  sons  died  within  two  weeks,  dur- 
ing an  epidemic  of  dysentery.  His  wife,  Hannah 
Gawthrop,  also  a  native  of  Chester  county,  and 
of  Quaker  origin,  survived  him  many  years. 
They  had  a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom 
five  grew  to  adult  age:  (i)  George,  our  subject's 
father;  (2)  Jane,  who  married  Isaac  Tussey,  of 
Pocopson.  Chester  county,  and  died  in  March, 
1892,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years;  (3)  Phoebe, 
who  married  Jacob  Shortlidge  (a  cousin),  and 
died  in  early  womanhood;  (4)  Joel,  who  married 
Sarah  Ann  Boyer,  and  died  in  Chester  county, 
and  (5)  Evan,  who  married  Sarah  Holand,  the 
former  dying  in  Chester  county  at  an  advanced 
age.  Hannah  G.  Darlington  and  Catharine  T. 
Michener,  daughters  of  Isaac  and  Jane  Tussey, 
are  highly  esteemed  relatives,  as  well  as  Phoebe 
S.   Hobson  and  Isabel  G.  Shortlidge. 

Hannah  Gawthrop  Shortlidge  had  three  sis- 
ters and  four  brothers,  viz. :  Elizabeth,  Jane, 
Isabella,  Thomas,  James,  George  and  William. 
All  but  William  settled  in  Chester  county,  and 
he  made  his  home  in  Baltimore,  Md.  One  of  his 
grandsons,  William  G.  Huey,  is  at  the  head  of 
the  firm  of  William  G.  Huey  &  Co.,  bankers  of 
Philadelphia.  Elizabeth  married  Nicholas  Tay- 
lor, an  extraordinary  business  man  of  Baltimore, 
Md. ;  Jane  married  Daniel  Thompson,  and  reared 
a  family;  Isabella  did  not  marry;  all  the  brothers 
married,  and  left  descendants. 

George  Shortlidge,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  New  Garden  township,  Chester 
county,  in  1800,  and  passed  his  life  there  as  a 
farmer,  his  death  occurring  in  1875.  Like  all  of 
the  family  in  religion,  he  was  a  Quaker.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  at  first  a  Democrat,  but  he  took  a 
decided  stand  against  slavery,  and  in  1856  he 
voted  the  Republican  ticket,  and  from  that  time 
he  adhered  to  that  party.  He  married  Martha 
Hutton,  who  was  born  in  the  same  locality  in 
1 802,  and  died  in  1 887.  Her  father,  Hiatt  Hutton, 
a  native  of  Chester  county,  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  her  mother,  Sarah  Pugh,  was  a  member  of 
an  old  Chester  county  family.  The  Huttons 
and  the  Pughs  were  all  of  Quaker  faith.  Our 
subject  was  the  eldest  of  six  children:  (2)  Jo- 
seph, a  successful  teacher,  conducts  an  academy 
at  Concordville,  Del. ;  (3)  Anna  P.  married  W. 
H.  Walker,  of  Hockessin,  Del. ;  (4)  Lydia  H. , 
widow  of  Augustus  A.  Norris,  resides  at  Woods- 
town,  N.  J.;    (5)  Swithin  C. ,  a  well-known  edu- 


cator, is  at  present  in  London,  Eng. ,  for  his 
health;  (6)  Evan  G. ,  a  prominent  physician  of 
Wilmington,  Del.,  where  he  located  in  1870,  is  a 
man  of  marked  ability  and  influence,  and  has 
been  mayor  of  that  city.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  in  the  1  5th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  for 
some  time,  and  after  he  completed  his  medicat 
studies  he  was  appointed,  at  the  instance  of  the 
Friends,  a  surgeon  to  an  Indian  agency. 

Col.  Shortlidge  was  born  February  20,  1 83 1 , 
and  his  childhood  was  spent  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  New  Garden  township,  Chester  county. 
After  attending  the  local  schools  for  a  time,  he 
was  sent  to  the  Green woodell  Academy,  Marshall- 
town,  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  of  which  Jonathan 
Gans  was  then  principal.  Two  years  were  spent 
there  in  diligent  study,  and  then  our  subject  be- 
gan teaching,  following  that  occupation  in  his 
native  county  and  in  the  State  of  Delaware.  In 
the  fall  of  1853  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Howard  Iron  Works,  in  Centre  county  as  an  ap- 
prentice to  learn  the  business,  and  was  employed 
there  as  bookkeeper  and  manager  until  the  busi- 
ness was  suspended  in  1857,  when  he  resumed 
the  work  of  teaching.  On  May  25,  1857,  he 
married  MissRosanna  G.  McCalmont,  a  native  of 
Marion  township,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  born  March 
16,  1833,  and  this  happy  event  did  much  to 
shape  his  future  course.  For  a  time  he  contin- 
ued teaching,  and  August  25,  1858,  he  took  charge 
of  a  school  in  Bellefonte.  In  the  following 
spring  he  made  an  engagement  with  Valentines 
&  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  Bellefonte  Furnace  and 
Forge,  to  manage  their  office  for  two  weeks 
during  the  absence  of  the  members  of  the  firm. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  requested  to  re- 
main longer,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months 
the  firm  decided  that  they  could  not  dispense 
with  his  services,  for  which  a  liberal  salary  was 
offered  and  accepted,  and  Col.  Shortlidge  spent 
the  next  six  years  in  their  employ.  As  has  been 
stated,  he, in  1861,  engaged  in  the  lime  business, 
with  which  he  had  become  somewhat  familiar  dur- 
ing boyhood  in  Chester  county.  His  extensive 
business  interests  have  never  prevented  him  from 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  general  progress  of 
the  community.  He  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M. ;  also  of  the  borough 
council,  now  in  the  tenth  year  of  service  in  that 
body.  He  is  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Col.  and  Mrs.  Shortlidge  have  a  most  pleas- 
ant home,  and  of  their  six  children  two  are  living: 
Martha  Elizabeth  married  John  S.  Walker,  and 
has  one  son,  Robert.  Anna  W.  is  at  home. 
Jennie  McCalmont,  a  daughter,  and  a  y6ung  lady 


82 


I  '0  MMKMOHA  Tl  VK  Bloc, /;.!/•// V  .!  /.   /.'/••'  OA'/A 


of  much  intelligence,  who  assisted  her  father  as 
Stenographer  and  typewriter,  died  February  16, 
1 890,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  from  "la grippe." 
Gi  orge  and  William  died  in  infancy,  and  James 
McCalmont,  their  eldest  son,  lived  to  the  ape  of 
only  six  months. 


Fll  VAN  VALZAH,  M.  I).,  of  Spring  Mills, 
Centre  county,  one  of  the  most  successful 
physicians  in  that  region,  comes  of  a  family 
which  has  for  thi  ms  been  prominent- 

ly identified  with  the  medical  profession.  His 
ancestors  were  originally  from  Holland,  but  set- 
tled in  New  York  long  before  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Dr.  Robert  Van  Valzah,  Sr.,  his  great- 
grandfather, was  bom  April  17,  [764,  near  the 
Croton  river,  in  New  York,  and  was  the  only  son 
of  his  parents  to  leave  descendants,  ft  is  a  re- 
markable fact  that  there  is  no  other  family  of  the 
name  in  this  country,  but,  as  will  be  seen,  the 
line  is  not  likely  to  die  out.  The  father  of  Dr. 
Robert  Van  Valzah,  Sr.,  died,  and  the  mother 
married  a  wealthy  man  who  gave  his  clever  step- 
son an  excellent  education.  Tradition  has  it 
that  about  the  time  that  Dr.  Robert  Van  Valzah 
graduated  and  began  his  professional  career,  he 
was  paying  devoted  attention  to  a  young  lady, 
when  he  discovered  that  she  had  been  making  in- 
quiries as  to  Ins  chances  for  inheriting  his  step- 
father's property.  Angered  at  this,  andbelieving 
her  tn  be  wholly  mercenary,  he  left  the  neighbor- 
hood and,  in  [786,  came  to  Pennsylvania,  his 
earthly  possessions  consisting  only  of  a  horse,  sad- 
dle and  bridle.  On  his  arrival  in  Northumber- 
land e, nmty  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  man 
named  Beatty,  who  took  a  strong  liking  to  him, 
and  knowing  him  to  be  a  poor  but  ambitious 
"M.  D."  in  search  of  a  location,  advised  him  to 
go  to  Dry  Valley,  when-  an  epidemic  was  causing 
much  suffering  at  the  time.  This  advice  was  fol- 
lowed with  satisfactory  results.  Dr.  Van  \  il^ah 
practicing  there  successfully  until  his  removal  to 
Buffalo  Cross  Roads,  Penn.,  where  he  continued 
his  professional  work  during  his  remaining  v< 
his  death  occurring  April  18,  1850,  when  he  was 
aged  eighty-six  years 

Of  his  numerous  descendants  seventeen  have 
entered  the  medical  profession  a  record  which 
few,  if  any.  families  can  equal.  lie  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  our  subject's  grandfather  was 
the  eldest.  (2)  rhomas  w  1-  1  ph\  1.  ian  at  Lewis- 
town,  Penn  .  for  many  years,   and   was  notably 

successful.      He  had  f sons,    and   three    pi 

tired  medicine,  Robert,  at  Freeport,  III.,  How- 
ard, at  Lewistown,  IVmi.,  and  |ohn,  at  Free- 
port,    III  J '  dm    was   a    wealthy   farmer  and 


miller  at  Buffalo  Cross  Roads.  (4)  William  also 
led  at  the  old  home,  and  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  had  four  sons,  two  of 
whom  became  physicians,  Robert  T.  locating  at 
Ashland.  Penn.  (now  deceased),  and  William  in 
New  York  City.  A  daughter  oi  Dr.  Van  Valzah, 
Sr.,  married  Peter  Wilson,  and  of  her  three  sons, 
one.  Dr.  Robert  Wilson,  who  practiced  at  Clear- 
field, Penn.,  and  another,  Rev.  James  I)  Wil- 
son, of  New  York  City,  are  both  deceased. 

Dr  Robert  Van  Valzah,  Jr.,  our  subject's 
grandfather,  was  carefully  educated  for  his  pro- 
fession, and  located  at  Miftlinburg,  where  he 
practiced  successfully  until  his  death,  which  oc- , 
curred  when  he  was  between  sixty  and  seventy 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  regarded  as  a 
substantial  and  well-to-do  citizen.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Nancy  Montgomery,  a  descendant  of  a 
leading  family  of  Northumberland  county,  which 
is  still  numerously  represented  in  that  locality. 
They  had  eight  children:  Robert  F.  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below;  Thomas  was  a  well- 
known  physician  at  Boalsburg.  Penn.,  where  he 
dud;  John  H.  studied  medicine,  but  never  prac- 
ticed, and  his  death  occurred  in  the  Far  West; 
Samuel  B.  is  a  successful  practitioner  at  Durand, 
111.;  S.  L.  (deceased)  was  a  physician  at  Mifflin- 
burg  and  later  at  Milton;  Mary  J.  married  J.  W. 
Pennington,  and  died  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.  ; 
Ellen  resides  at  Mifflinburg;  Ada  married  Col. 
Churchill,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

Dr.  Robert  F.  Van  Valzah,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Mifflinburg,  January  10, 
1  8  1  - ,  and  attended  the  schools  of  that  place  some 
years.  As  the  need  of  better  opportunities  be- 
came apparent,  he  was  sent  to  Milton,  where  he 
studied  under  that  noted  instructor,  Prof.  Kirk- 
patrick.  His  progress  was  rapid,  and  he  began 
the  preparation  for  his  profession  at  an  early  age, 
and  at  twenty-one  held  a  diploma  from  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia.  He  located  for 
a  tune  it  Rebel  sburg,  taking  charge  of  the  prac- 
tice of  Dr  Strohecker,  who  had  been  elected  to 
the  Legi  lature,  but  later  he  settled  at  Millheim, 
where  he  practiced  independently  ten  years,  gain- 
ing a  reputation  as  the  leading  physician  there. 
He  removed  to  Aaronsburg  in  1852,  and  re- 
mained until  the  tall  oi  [860,  when  he  located 
permanently  at  Spun-  Mills.  In  1  842  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  W.  Forster,  who  was  born  in 
1819.  the  daughter  of  ("apt.  John  Forster,  a 
wealth)  merchant  and  prominent  citizen  of  Mif- 
tlinburg. She  died  in  November,  1871,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  1874,  the  remains  of  both  be- 
ing laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Spring  Mills. 
He  was    a    large  man,  about   six    feet   in  height, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


83 


weighing  usually  190  pounds,  and  was  never  sick 
until  he  was  taken  with  the  brief  illness  which 
suddenly  cut  short  his  life.  He  was  very  unas- 
suming in  manner,  and  was  never  known  to 
boast  of  his  successes.  His  attention  was  de- 
voted entirely  to  his  professional  work,  and  had 
he  given  half  as  much  thought  to  his  accounts  as 
to  the  scientific  and  humanitarian  side,  he  would 
have  accumulated  much  property.  However,  he 
had  a  comfortable  competence  and  always  lived 
well.  He  spent  more  than  $10,000  in  the  edu- 
cation of  his  sons,  of  whose  talents  and  charac- 
ter he  was  justly  proud.  He  built  the  commo- 
dious residence  where  our  subject  now  lives,  and 
which  as  lately  remodeled  is  among  the  best  in 
Spring  Mills.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat  un- 
til the  nomination  of  Gen.  Irvin,  a  personal 
friend,  for  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  He  then 
became  a  Whig  and  in  later  years  was  a  Repub- 
lican, but  while  he  was  a  regular  voter,  and  took 
much  interest  in  the  success  of  his  principles,  he 
was  not  a  politician.  In  religious  faith  he  was  a 
Presbyterian,  but  he  did  not  attend  church  regu- 
larly on  account  of  his  professional  duties.  This 
negligence  was,  however,  more  than  made  good 
by  his  wife,  who  was  very  devout,  and  whose 
kindly  nature  showed  the  consistent  follower  of 
Christ.  Their  children  were:  John  F. ,  a  pros- 
perous merchant  and  banker,  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  firm  of  Van  Valzah  &  Wilson, 
of  Tyrone,  and  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Ty- 
rone, Penn. ,  where  he  died  March  28,  1891;  F. 
H.,  our  subject;  Henry  B. ,  who  died  June  8, 
1 89 1,  at  Clearfield,  Penn.,  after  a  successful 
career  as  a  physician,  being  known  as  one  of  the 
leaders  of  his  profession  in  that  county;  and  Rob- 
ert W.,  a  dentist  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana. 

With  such  an  ancestry  it  is  not  strange  that 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  easily  established  him- 
self in  the  front  rank  among  the  medical  frater- 
nity of  his  locality.  He  was  born  at  Millheim 
February  18,  1847,  but  as  his  parents  removed 
to  Aaronsburg  during  his  childhood  his  education 
was  begun  there,  his  first  teacher  being  ex-County 
Superintendent  D.  M.  Wolf,  D.  D.  When  he 
was  thirteen  the  family  settled  at  Spring  Mills, 
and  as  the  schools  there  did  not  offer  an  ad- 
vanced course  he  was  later  sent  to  Tuscarora 
Academy,  in  Juniata  county.  While  there  he 
enlisted,  on  July  6,  1864,  at  a  call  for  one-hun- 
dred-day men,  in  Company  H,  195th  Penn.  V.  I., 
and  served  about  four  months,  doing  guard  duty 
on  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R.  west  of  Harper's  Ferry, 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  being  spent  at  Mar- 
tinsburg,  W.  Va.  In  1865  he  entered  Dickinson 
Seminary,  at  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  in  the 
spring  of  the   following   year   he  began   his  pro- 


fessional duties  under  his  father's  guidance.  He 
graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Phila- 
delphia, Penn.,  in  March,  1870,  and  a  few 
months  later  began  practicing  at  Loganton, 
Penn. ,  where  he  spent  eighteen  months.  He  then 
located  at  Potters'  Bank,  Centre  county,  but  in 
November,  1874,  he  moved  to  Spring  Mills  to 
take  the  practice  left  vacant  by  his  father's  death. 
While  he  is  thoroughly  progressive  in  his  ideas 
he  is  notably  cautious  and  conservative  in  prac- 
tice, and  he  has  met  with  signal  success.  Finan- 
cially, he  ranks  among  the  leading  capitalists  of 
Penn's  Valley. 

On  June  23,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Jane  R.  Van  Valzah,  daughter  of  John 
A.  Van  Valzah,  of  Buffalo  Cross  Roads.  Three 
children  brighten  their  home:  Robert,  born  No- 
vember 1,  1882;  Sarah,  born  November  2,  1884, 
and  James  W. ,  born  June  6,  1889.  Mrs.  Van- 
Valzah  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  is  prominently  identified  with  the  various 
lines  of  social  and  philanthropic  work.  The 
Doctor  is  a  Republican,  and  although  he  is  a 
stanch  defender  of  the  doctrines  of  the  G.  O.  P., 
he  is  not  an  office  seeker.  Socially,  he  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Centre  Hall,  and  to 
Samuel  Shannon  Post  No.  282,  G.  A.  R.,  at  the 
same  town.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  and  the  Centre  County  Medical 
Societies. 


HON.  HARRY  R.  CURTIN  is  the  present 
representative  from  Centre  county  in  the 
State  Legislature,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens,  not  only  of  his  locality,  but  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  and  hon- 
ored families  of  the  State,  whose  members  have 
been  prominent  in  public  affairs,  and  as  promo- 
ters of  leading  commercial  industries.  The  name 
is  indissolubly  linked  with  the  history  of  Centre 
county,  and  the  gentleman  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  article  has  added  new  luster  to  the  ex- 
cellent record  of  the  family  by  his  course  in  both 
public  and  private  life. 

Roland  Curtin,  Sr. ,  the  grandfather,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  during  the  war  of  the 
French  Revolution  he  was  attending  school  in 
France.  He,  with  other  students,  escaped  and 
came  to  this  country.  He  first  located  in  Phil- 
ipsburg,  Centre  county,  where  for  a  short  time 
he  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  the  iron  industry  in  connection 
with  a  Mr.  Boggs.  In  18 10  he  erected  the  Eagle 
Iron  Works,  and  operated  the  same  until  1842 
when  the  business  was  turned  over  to  his  sons. 
This  became  one  of  the  most   important   factors 


M 


COMMEMORATIVE  niOGRM'IIIcM    RECORD. 


in  the  development  of  the  locality,  and  Roland 
Curtin  took  a  most  active  interest  in  the  work  of 
progress  and  upbuilding  in  Centre  county.  He 
also  located  a  large  tract  of  land,  upon  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  living.  After 
his  arrival  in  Pennsylvania,  he  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet Gregg,  a  native  of  this  State.  One  of  their 
sons,  Andrew  G.,  was  Pennsylvania's  governor 
during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war.  For  two 
terms  he  held  that  office,  being  re-elected  in 
1863,  and  for  two  terms  he  also  represented  his 
district  in  Congress. 

John  Curtin,  father  of  Harry  R.,  was  born  in 
Bellefonte,  Penn.,  in  September,  1810,  the 
youngest  son  of  Roland  and  Margaret  Curtin. 
On  tlie  retirement  of  his  father  from  business  he 
joined  his  brother,  Constance,  in  the  operation 
1  if  the  extensive  iron  works,  which  they  con- 
ducted until  1864,  when  they  were  joined  by  an- 
other brother,  Roland,  Jr.,  under  the  firm  name 
of  R.,  C.  &  J.  Curtin.  This  connection  was  con- 
tinued until  (874,  when  Roland  and  John  sold 
their  interests  to  their  sons,  and  John  Curtin  re- 
tired to  private  life.  He  is  now  residing  in 
Bellefonte,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well-merited 
rest.  He  married  Julia  A.  Barnhart,  and  they 
became  parents  of  seven  children — three  sons 
and  four  daughters — namely:  Margery  B.,  wife 
of  Gen.  John  I.  Curtin,  of  Bellefonte;  James  B., 
deceased;  Sarah  ('.,  wife  of  J.  F.  Larimer,  a 
physician  of  Omaha.  Neb.;  Harry  R. ;  JohnG., 
who  is  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in  Philadel- 
phia;  Francis  and  Nancy,  who  died  in  childhood. 

Harry  R.  Curtin  was  born  at  his  present 
home,  January  i-,  1850,  and  has  here  spent  his 
entire  life.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
1865,  when  he  entered  the  Pennsylvania  State 
College,  pursuing  his  studies  there  for  two  and 
one-half  years.  I  [e  afterward  continued  his  edu- 
cation in  Dickinson  Seminary,  at  Williamsport, 
Penn.,  when-  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
when  he  returned  home  and  entered  upon  his 
business  career,  putting  to  a  test  in  the  practical 
affairs  of  life  the  knowledge  that  he  had  gained 
in  the  school  room.      He  accepted  a  position  as 

sman  in  a  general  mercantile  store  in  Curtin, 
where  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a  half,  then  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of 
K  ,  C.  &  J.  Curtin,  serving  in  that  capacity  un- 
til 1874.  In  that  year  he  and  his  brother  James 
boughl  nut  the  interest  ol  their  father,  and  An- 
drew and  Austin  Curtin  succeeded  to  the  interest 
of  their  father,  Roland  Curtin,  thus  leaving  the 
business  in  the  hands  ol  the  four  cousins  and  their 
uncle,  Const  rtin,  .it  which  time  the  firm 

nami  ol  <  Curtin  &  Co,  was  assumed.  Busi- 
ness was  thus  conducted   until    1877,  when   tin- 


uncle  retired,  and  the  partnership  between  James 
B  .  Harry  R. ,  Andrew  G.  and  Austin  was  con- 
tinued under  the  name  of  Curtin  &  Curtin.  They 
operated  the  factories  until  1890,  when  opera- 
tions were  suspended,  due  to  the  increased  facili- 
ties for  manufacturing  steel  and  taking  the 
market  for  charcoal  iron.  When  Harry  R.  Cur- 
tin first  became  a  partner  in  the  business  he  as- 
sumed the  active  management  of  the  forge  and 
furnace  work,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  sus- 
pension of  the  business  in  1890.  He  was  then 
appointed  special  agent,  under  Robert  P.  Porter, 
for  gathering  statistics  concerning  iron  and  steel. 
A  year  later  he  was  appointed  administrator  of 
the  Constance  Curtin  estate,  and  now  has  in 
charge  the  business  interests  connected  with  that 
property,  which  includes  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land.  Upon  this  has  been  built  the  little  village 
of  Curtin.  which  contains  a  railroad  station,  grist- 
mill and  post  office,  and  has  a  population  of 
about  two  hundred.  Mr.  Curtin  has  also  been 
engaged  in  the  sawmill  business  for  the  past  three 
years,  and  is  one  of  the  successful  lumber  mer- 
chants in  this  section  of  Centre  county. 

On  June  9,  1875,  Harry  R.  Curtin  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lydia  G.  McMeen,  who  was  born  in 
Milesburg,  November  6,  1852.  Her  parents,  Dr. 
William  and  Nancy  J.  (Lipton)  McMeen,  were 
also  natives  of  that  place;  the  father  died  in 
Milesburg  in  1854;  the  mother,  who  was  born  in 
1S29,  is  now  living  with  Mrs.  Curtin,  her  only 
daughter.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtin 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children,  namely: 
Joseph  McMeen;  Curtin  John;  Hugh  L.  and 
Catherine.  Mrs.  Curtin  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  is  a  most  estimable  lady, 
regarded  as  a  leader  in  the  social  circles  in  which 
they  move. 

Mr.  Curtin  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
on  that  ticket  was  elected  to  the  State  Legisla- 
ture in  the  fall  of  1894  by  over  500  majority, 
although  the  county  had  always  been  a  Demo- 
cratic stronghold.  His  election  is  certain))  a 
tribute  to  his  personal  worth,  and  indicates  tin 
confidence  and  high  regard  which  his  fellow  citi- 
zens entertain  for  him.  He  has  also  held  a 
number  of  township  offices.  His  course  in  the 
General  Assembly  has  been  most  commendable 
He  has  ever  labored  for  the  best  interests  of 
counts-  and  State,  placing  country  before  part) 
and  the  public  good  before  self-aggrandizement. 
He  is  again  his  party's  nominee  for  the  same 
office,  and  will  probably  for  a  second  time  be 
en  to  represent  his  District  in  the  House. 
In  business  be  is  honorable,  straightforward  and 

-  getic,  carrying  t-  ■  I  ul  completion  what- 

ever he  undertakes,  and  his  life  is  characterized! 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


85 


by  the  genuine  worth  which  everywhere  com- 
mands respect.  On  January  i,  1897,  he  was 
appointed,  by  Gov.  Hastings,  one  of  the  food 
commissioners  of  the  State. 


GEORGE  ASHBRIDGE  FAIRLAMB,  M.  D., 
of  Bellfefonte,  Centre  county,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  highly  esteemed  medical  prac- 
titioners of  that  section,  was  born  June  24,  1826, 
in  Chester  county,  Penn.,  where  his  ancestors 
in  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  lines  were 
early  settlers. 

The  Doctor  is  of  sixth  generation  in  descent 
from  Nicholas  Fairlamb,  of  Durham,  England, 
who  brought  to  the  Society  of  Friends  at  Phila- 
delphia a  certificate  of  membership  from  the 
Durham  Monthly  Meeting,  dated  June  13,  1700. 
This  Nicholas  Fairlamb  purchased  a  farm  at 
Middletown,  Chester  county,  and  settled  there 
in  1704.  He  was  sheriff  of  the  county  1717- 
1719;  associate  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  1715,  and  member  of  the  Colonial  Assem- 
bly 1 704-5-1 1-12-13.  In  1703  he  was  married 
to  Catherine  Crosby,  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Eleanor  Crosby.  John  Fairlamb,  a  son  of  Nich- 
olas, was  born  in  Chester  county,  and  passed  his 
life  there,  attaining  an  honorable  place  in  the 
history  of  his  time.  He  was  sheriff  of  the  county 
in  1755-56,  justice  of  the  common  pleas  court  in 
1 76 1  and  1764,  and  member  of  the  Colonial  As- 
sembly in  1764-65,  his  death  occurring  in  1766. 
He  was  married  November  13,  1742,  to  Susanna 
Engle. 

John  Fairlamb  (2),  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  1759,  and  resided  upon  a 
farm  near  Westchester,  Penn.,  where  he  died  at 
a  comparatively  early  age.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Susan  Ashbridge.  Their  son,  George 
A.  Fairlamb,  M.  D. ,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  1787,  and  died  in  1829.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  be- 
came a  successful  physician  at  Downingtown, 
Chester  county.  His  first  wife  was  Thomasine 
Whelen.  His  second  wife  (our  subject's  mother) 
was  Annette  Miller,  a  descendant  of  a  well-known 
family  of  Chester  county,  the  first  of  the  line 
coming  from  Cornwall,  England,  in  1702.  Her 
father,  Joseph  John  Miller,  a  merchant  in  Phila- 
delphia, died  at  Lyons,  France,  while  collecting 
a  claim  against  the  French  government  for  gun- 
powder furnished  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

Dr.  G.  A.  Fairlamb  came  to  Bellefonte  at 
the  age  of  ten  years,  and  he  has  ever  since  made 
that  his  home.  After  completing  a  course  in  the 
Bellefonte  Academy  he  entered  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1848  received  his  degree  in 


medicine  from  that  noted  institution.  Returning 
home,  he  engaged  in  practice;  but  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit  led  him  to 
join  in  the  defense  of  the  old  flag.  He  raised 
Company  H,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  and  entering  as 
captain  was  promoted  later  to  the  rank  of  major, 
and  after  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  became  a 
lieutenant- colonel.  He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and  twice  at  Spottsyl- 
vania  in  the  charge  made  in  the  early  morning  of 
the  1 2th  by  the  Second  Corps,  his  right  elbow 
being  shattered  by  a  ball,  necessitating  a  re- 
section of  the  joint.  He  did  not  escape  that 
worst  of  the  fortunes  of  war,  captivity,  for  the 
summer  of  1864  he  spent  amid  the  horrors  of 
Libby  Prison.  He  was  paroled  September  12, 
1864,  at  Annapolis,  Md. ,  and  February  24,  1865, 
he  was  discharged  from  service  on  a  surgeon's 
certificate  of  disability  from  wounds  received  in 
battle.  No  one  can  estimate  the  amount  of 
strength  and  vigor  which  the  sufferings  and  pri- 
vations of  those  brief  years  consumed  for  each 
man  who  passed  through  them,  and  the  heart  of 
the  nation  beats  warmly  for  those  who  made  the 
sacrifice  of  energies  which  should  have  sufficed 
for  years  of  ordinary  effort.  After  the  war  was 
over  Col.  Fairlamb  was  surgeon  at  the  Lazaretto 
below  Philadelphia  for  two  years,  being  ap- 
pointed by  Gov.  A.  G.  Curtin. 


HON.  JOHN  HARBISON  HOLT.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  biography,  one  of  the  honored 
sons  of  Centre  county,  is  a  most  distinguished 
resident  of  Snow  Shoe.  He  is  a  man  of  pro- 
gressive ideas,  fine  attainments,  high  minded, 
who  has  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities  in 
life,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  and 
representative  citizens  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Holt  was  born  September  28,  1828,  in 
the  village  which  is  still  his  home,  a  son  of  Squire 
John  and  Mary  (Harbison)  Holt,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  lifelong  farmer.  He  was  the  first 
child  to  whom  the  ordinance  of  baptism  was  ad- 
ministered in  that  place.  His  education  was 
acquired  mainly  in  the  local  schools,  his  early 
teachers  being  Samuel  Baker,  Miss  Woodward, 
Jesse  Comley,  Daniel  Irvin  and  R.  Ephraim  Will- 
iams. He  learned  rapidly,  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
began  hearing  classes  in  different  studies,  and 
three  years  later  was  given  a  teacher's  certificate. 
For  some  time  he  taught  vocal  music.  Before 
attaining  his  majority  he  went  to  Blair  county, 
Penn.,  where  he  learned  engineering,  but  not 
liking  the  occupation,  he  gave  it  up  two  years 
later,  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  the 
lumber  business  and  farming.      At  the   time   of 


86 


COMMESfnHA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  Johnstown  flood  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  J.  H.  Holt  <.V  Co.,  lumber  dealers  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna, and  their  losses  at  that  time,  in  mill 
and  lumber  at  Belford  station,  between  Kart- 
haus  and  Sinnamahoning  in  Clearfield  counts, 
amounted  to  $20,000. 

On  April  5,  1 S 5 2 ,  Mr.  Holt  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Letitia  T.  Askey,  who  was 
born  in  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  in  [831,  and  died 
in  January,  1 894.  They  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Oscar,  a  coal  miner,  re- 
siding in  Snow  Shoe  township,  Centre  county; 
Ida,  deceased  wife  of  John  R.  Gilliland,  who  is 
now  filling  some  official  position  at  Washington, 
1 '  C. ;  John  Edgar,  an  extensive  lumber  merchant 
of  Northumberland,  Penn.,  who  married  Alice 
Gardner;  Frank  H.,  who  is  a  noted  marksman, 
and  is  now  superintendent  of  a  sawmill  at 
Panthers  Run,  Centre  county;  Laura,  deceased 
wife  of  William Loveland,  also  deceased,  who  was 
proprietor  of  an  axe  factory  in  Lamar,  Clinton 
Co.,  Penn.;  Samuel  and  Wilber  H.,  both  con- 
tractors, of  Panthers  Run;  and  Harry,  who  is 
attending  the  Sunbury  Commercial  College. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Holt,  on  January  9, 
1896,  married  Miss  Mary  H.  Denlinger,  a  native 
of  White  Hall,  Cumberland  Co.,  Penn.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Prof.  David  and  Mary  A.  (Diffendal) 
Denlinger,  natives  of  Lancaster  and  Cumberland 
counties,  respectively.  Her  paternal  grand- 
father, Jacob  Denlinger,  was  a  farmer  of  Lancas- 
ter county,  where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  Abra- 
ham and  Elizabeth  1 '  Washmood)  Diffendal.  the 
maternal  grandparents,  were  also  natives  of  the 
Keystone  State,  the  former  born  in  Adams  county, 
and  the  lattt  r  in  Cumberland  county. 

Prof.  David  Denlinger  spent  his  entire  life  as  a 
teacher,  following  that  profession  up  to  within  a 
week  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  26, 
[892,  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age.  He 
was  the  principal  of  White  Hall  Academy,  which 
he  founded,  and  conducted  for  seventeen  years. 
It  was  later  converted  into  the  Soldiers' Orphan 
School,  which  he  disposed  of  in  1865,  and  next 
had  charge  ol  the  Union  Seminar}  al  New  Berlin, 
Penn.,  for  five  years.  During  the  following  six 
years  he  was  principal  of  the  Cedar  Hill  Semi- 
nal', at  Mt.  Joy,  Penn.,  winch  position  he  re- 
signed in  1879,  and  then  went  to  Manchester,  Md., 
where  he  became  principal  and  proprietor  ol  the 
Ii  \  ing  Institute,  whi<  n  h  inducted 

up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  distin- 
guished professor,  with  remarkable  ability  as  an 
instructor,  and  the  schools  which  he  conducted 
took  high  rank  among  the  educational  institu- 
tions "I  the  kind. 

Mis.   Denlinger  1-  still   living,    at    the   age  of 


seventy  years,  and  now  makes  her  home  with 
her  surviving  children.  A  brief  record  of  the 
family  is  as  follows:  Anna  E.  died  at  the 
age  of  five  years;  Mary  H.  is  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; John  W.  has  for  the  past  twenty  years  been 
a  leading  attorney  of  Lancaster,  Penn. ;  Austin 
F.  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Lansford,  Penn. ; 
Lillie  D.  is  the  wife  of  Walter  Snyder,  a  mer- 
chant of  Pottsville,  Penn. ;  David  W.  is  private 
secretary  for  the  general  superintendent  of  the 
freight  department  of  the  Central  railroad,  with 
headquarters  at  Mauch  Chunk,  Penn. ;  Clara  B. 
is  the  wife  of  Howell  Souder,  of  Tamaqua, 
Penn.,  who  is  stenographer  and  private  secretary 
of  W.  D.  Zehner,  general  superintendent  of  the 
Lehigh  Coal  &  Navigation  Co.;  Laura  K.  is 
residing  in  Tamaqua;  and  Alice  I.  is  the  wife  of 
Howard  Ring,  a  farmer  of  Baltimore  county, 
Maryland. 

Mr.  Holt  has  ever  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
public  affairs,  is  a  recognized  leader  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  in  his  community,  and  has  repre- 
sented Centre  county  four  years  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  has  also  filled  many  minor  offi- 
including  those  of  clerk  of  election,  which 
he  held  nine  years,  school  director,  thirty-three 
)ears,  and  justice  of  the  peace,  one  year.  For 
a  great  many  years,  in  connection  with  his  lumber 
trade,  he  engaged  in  surveying.  He  is  now  serv- 
ing as  president  of  the  Salt  Lick  Gas  Co.,  of 
which  A.  C.  Hechendorf  is  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. He  is  now  endeavoring  to  secure  a  large 
fortune  left  in  England  by  the  Holt  family, 
which  amounts  to  millions  of  dollars.  Since  at- 
taining his  majority  he  has  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  now  belonging  to  the  Blue 
Lodge  and  Chapter  of  Bellefonte;  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  consistent 
and  active  member.  Mr.  Holt  is  a  genial,  court- 
eous gentleman,  a  pleasant,  entertaining  com- 
panion, and  has  many  stanch  and  admiring  friends 
among  all  classes  of  men.  As  an  energetic,  up- 
right and  conscientious  business  man,  and  a  gen- 
tleman ol  attractive  social  qualities,  he  stand 
high  in  the  estimation  of  the  entire  community. 


WILLIAM  A.   BUCKHOUT,  M.  S. ,  pj 
sor  of    botanj    and   horticulture    at  The 
Penns}  Kama   Si  Centre  county,  was 

born  at  Oswego,  N.  Y..  December26,  1846.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  that  place  until 
;  In  [866  he  entered  the  second  class  of 
cultural  College,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  [868,  and  that  year  returned  to 
engage  in  post-graduate  study  of  botany       From 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


87 


1869  to  1 87 1  he  was  occupied  in  farming  at  Os- 
wego, N.  Y.  In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to 
Agricultural  College,  and  was  engaged  as  in- 
structor in  natural  science,  and  later  was  elected 
professor  of  the  same.  In  1888  he  was  ap- 
pointed, by  the  Governor,  a  member  of  the  State 
Forestry  Commission. 

On  July  12,  1876,  Prof.  Buckhout  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  L.  Harkness,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  their  children  are:  Albert  T.,  Nathan  W., 
William  H.,  Margaret  \V.  and  Carolyn  Reed. 

Prof.  Buckhout  is  the  botanist  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station  of  the  College,  where 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  is  devoted  to  experi- 
ments upon  crops,  soils,  etc.,  the  results  of  which 
experiments  are  published  in  bulletins  and  dis- 
tributed free  by  the  Station. 


IJILLIAM  FOKSMAN  HOLT,  a  wealthy 
mine  operator  residing  at  Philipsburg,  is 
a  leading  spirit  in  the  varied  activities  of  the  com- 
munity. His  family  has  been  prominent  in  this 
section  from  the  days  when  the  unbroken  forests 
marked  the  "frontier  line,"  and  Col.  John  Holt, 
who  settled  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley  in  1782,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  white  man  who  followed 
the  Indian  trail  to  Snow  Shoe  to  hunt  game. 

To  go  back    to    the   origin  of   the   family    in 
America  we  find  from  Gilliland's  sketches  of  the 
Snow  Shoe  region  that  a  son  of  Sir  John  Holt, 
of  England,  emigrated  to  the  New  World  and  set- 
tled in  the  Cumberland  Valley  before  the  Revolu- 
tion.     It  is  supposed   that   he    was   killed  by  the 
Indians,  as  he  was  never  heard  from  after  leaving 
home  for  a   business   trip  to    Philadelphia.      He 
left  a  son,  Thomas,  and  two  daughters,  who  were 
among    the    first    settlers    at    Lewistown,  Penn. 
Thomas  Holt  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Of  the  sons,  William,  the  ancestor  of  Judge  Holt, 
postmaster-general  during  President  Buchanan's 
administration,    migrated    to    Kentucky;    James 
was  killed  by  Indians;  Thomas  went  to  Ohio,  and 
John  was  the   settler   in   Bald  Eagle  Valley,  the 
love  of  hunting  leading   him   to    enter  the  Snow 
Shoe  region,  and   it   was  his  custom  to  spend  a 
few  weeks  in  the  fall  of  each  year  in  this  pastime. 
He  gained  his  title  of  "colonel  "  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary  war,  and  took    part    in   several   battles, 
among  them  being  the  engagement  at  German- 
town.      He   died    in   the  summer  of   1831    in  his 
seventy-sixth    year.       Eight    children    survived: 
four  sons — Thomas,  James,    John,    Robert — and 
four  daughters — Mary  (who  married  Jacob  Barn- 
hart),    Elizabeth    (Mrs.    Henry   Barnhart),    Jane 
(wife  of  Frederick  Antis),  and  Nancy  (Mrs.  James 
Patterson). 


John  Holt,  our  subject's  grandfather,  married 
Mary  Harbison,  daughter  of  John  Harbison,  an 
Englishman,  who  settled  at  Milesburg  in  the 
early  days,  and  whose  numerous  descendants  are 
among  leading  people  of  the  locality  as  members 
of  the  Baird,  Holt,  Swanzy,  and  McKibbin  fami- 
lies and  others  equally  well  known.  Mrs.  Mary 
Holt  was  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  mental 
powers,  while  her  devoted  Christian  life  and  sym- 
pathetic care  for  the  sick  and  afflicted,  whether 
rich  or  poor,  won  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
her.  John  Holt  and  his  wife  were  both  natives 
of  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
spring  of  1822  that  he  located  in  the  Snow  Shoe 
region,  being  the  third  settler  there.  He  selected 
for  his  home  a  picturesque  and  fertile  tract  of 
land  about  a  mile  equidistant  from  Betchtol  and 
Askey,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering. 
His  life  was  one  of  great  usefulness,  and  he  was 
universally  respected,  being  frequently  called  upon 
to  serve  in  township  offices,  including  that  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  which  he  held  for  many 
years.  His  wife  died  July  9,  1867,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two,  and  November  23,  1869,  he  breathed 
his  last  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hugh- 
ey,  in  Princeton,  111.,  while  on  a  visit.  His  re- 
mains were  brought  home  and  now  rest  in  Snow 
Shoe  Cemetery.  This  estimable  couple  reared  a 
family  of  three  daughters,  and  two  sons:  Will- 
iam, our  subject's  father;  and  Hon.  J.  H.  Holt, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  this  section,  at  one  time  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature. 

William  Holt  was  born  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley. 
He  married  Mary  Forsman,  a  native  of  White 
Deer  Valley,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  and  daugh- 
ter of  William  Forsman,  a  lumberman,  and  his 
wife,  Eliza  (Buchannan),  who  were  both  born  in 
that  locality,  coming  to  Centre  county  in  the 
pioneer  days,  but  later  moving  to  Illinois,  where 
they  spent  their  last  days.  William  Holt  set- 
tled in  Snow  Shoe  township,  Centre  county,  in 
1822,  and  was  prominently  connected  with  the 
development  of  his  locality  as  a  farmer  and  lum- 
berman. He  was  the  only  person  who  was 
killed  in  the  accident  on  the  Snow  Shoe  railroad, 
June  1  1,  1878.  As  he  was  on  his  way  to  a  po- 
litical meeting  the  train,  a  local  freight  with  a 
coach  attached,  broke  through  a  trestle  and  fell 
sixty- four  feet.  His  death  was  a  great  blow  to 
his  family,  and  caused  sincere  mourning  through- 
out the  community.  He  belonged  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  and  was  a  Knight  Templar.  His 
widow  now  resides  at  Philipsburg.  They  had 
the  following  children:  Sue  is  the  deceased  wife 
of  Capt.  John  Gillen,  lieutenant  of  the  Watch 
in  the  Patent  Office,  at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Isa- 
bella, widow  of  C.  G.  Hirlinger,  resides  in  Phil- 


88 


riiMM/:\/(,i;.\  TIVK  HiniuiAl'lllcA I.  IISOOBD. 


ipsburg;  Charles  H.  is  a  successful  physician  at 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich  ;  William  I  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below  .  <  lara  died  at  the  age  of  eij 
een;  Sarah  M.  died  when  three  years  old;  Lida 
married  Frank  Whitman,  a  merchant  at  Pied- 
mont,  W.  Va  ,  Mm,]  married  Harry  McD.  Lo- 
rain, of  Philipsburg,  and  died  in  February,  i8< 
Norman  A  is  a  storekeeper  at  the  Snow  Shoe 
mine. 

W.  F.  Holt,  the  subject  |  t  this  sketch, 

was  born  at  the  old  homestead  in  Snow  Shoe 
township,  Centre  county,  December  14,  il 
and  there  his  youth  was  mainly  spent,  his  ele- 
mentary education  being  supplemented  by  a 
course  of  study  during  1874  and  1 S 7 3  iii  the 
Normal  School  at  Millersville,  Lancaster  Co., 
Penn.  At  his  father's  death  he  was  appointed 
administrator  of  the  estate,  and  at  present  he  is 
the  attorney  for  the  estate.  Until  [892  he  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business;  but  since  that 
date  his  time  has  been  occupied  with  his  exten- 
sive coal  operations.  In  June,  1S94,  he  organ- 
ized the  Snow  Shoe  Mining  Co  .  of  which  M.  I). 
Kelley  has  since  become  president,  with  T.  B. 
Budinger,  treasurer,  and  which  he  as  manager 
has  successfully  conducted  The  mine  has  a  ra- 
lly of  from  250  to  300  tons  per  day. 
Mi.  Holt  has  an  interest  in  the  old  home- 
stead, and  at  times  resides  there.  He  has  never 
married.  Socially,  he  is  prominent,  and  he  be- 
longs to  Bellefonte  Lodge,  F.  iv  A.  M  ,  and  Mo- 
shannon  Commandery,  K.  I  . ,  of  which  he  is  at 
the  present  tune  E  C.  In  politics  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 


€LEMENT  DA  LI-:,  of  Bellefonte,  in  whom  is 
worthily  represented  the  fourth  generation 
of  a  family  that  has  reflected  honor  to  citizen- 
ship and  credit  to  the  name  for  upward  of  a 
hundred  years  in  Centre  county,  is  the  son  of 
Christian  and  Eliza  (Neff)  Dale. 

Clement  Dale  was  born  on  his    father's   farm 
at  Oak  Hall,  Centre  county,  February  25,   1851, 

and  on  the  farm  where  his    father  and    all    of    his 

children  were  born,  and  where  now  reside  chil- 
dren of  the  fifth  generation,  who  likewise  were 
born  there.  Until  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  id  the  neighborhood, 
then  a  private  school  at  Rev  Dr.  Hammil's,  a 
neighbor;  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  the 
Boalsburf,'  Academy,  and  was  there  prepared  for 
college  under  the  tuition  of  G.  W  Leisher, 
working  ad  interim  on  his  father's  farm,  who 
taught  his  children  habits  of  industry  and  econ- 
omy, as  well  as  to  direct  their  lives  into  chain, els 
that  would  lead  to  usefulness  and  honor,  in  the 
various  walks  of   life       In  the  fall  of  1 870  young 


Dale  entered  the  Freshman  class  of  Pennsylvania 
(Ollege,  at  Gettysburg,  and  was  graduated  in  a 
1  lissical  course  in  June,  1^74.  After  his  gradu- 
ation he  came  to  Bellefonte,  read  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Furst,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bai     \  1S76.      He  immediately  opened 

an  office  in  Bellefonte.  on  the  site  of  the  build- 
ing he  now  occupies,  and  in  which  he  has  contin- 

1  to  conduct  the  practice  of  the  law  from  that 
day  to  this.  Mr.  Dale,  though  only  in  middle 
life,  with  years  of  service  ahead  of  him.  has  al- 
ready attained  success,  not  only  financially,  but 
man  and  citizen.  His  life  has  been  an  ex- 
emplary one,  always  in  the  line  of  right  in  all 
questions  pertaining  to  the  elevation  of  the 
morals  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  lived. 
\  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  he  has  ever 
taken  a  great  interest  in  the  cause  of  Christian- 
itv.  and  given  much  time  and  contributed  largely 
t,,  the  upbuilding  of  his  Church  in  Bellefonte, 
in  the  service  of  which  he  has  labored  as  a  Sab- 
bath-school teacher  and  superintendent,  and  the 
policy  of  which  Church  at  large  he  has  helped  to 
shape.  He  was  twice  chosen  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Synod  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  the 
United  Spates  of  America,  the  first  time  when  it 
met  in  June,  1881,  at  Altoona,  Penn.,  and  the 
second  time  in  June.  1895,  at  Hagerstown,  Md. 
This  honor  was  conferred  by  the  District  Synod, 
comprising  the  counties  of  Centre,  Clinton,  Un- 
ion, Mifflin,  Juniata  and  Perry.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent a  trustee  in  his  home  Church;  a  director  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Gettysburg;  and 
also  a  trustee  of  the  Bellefonte  Academy. 

Mr.  Dale  has  been  active  in  politics,  and  has 
contributed  largely  to  the  success  of  the  Repub- 
lican part)'  in  Centre  county,  having  been  an 
available  speaker  and  worker  during  the  cam- 
paigns In  1  <S~7  he  received  the  nomination  of 
the  Republican  party  for  the  office  of  District 
Attorney,  and  was  paid  the  following  compli- 
ment by  the  press 

"  We  favor  the  election  of  Mr.  Dale  because 
we  believe  he  is  the  best  fitted  for  the  position. 
He  is  a  rising  lawyer  at  our  Bar,  and,  what  is 
important,  he  is  honest — no  money  which  may 
pass  through  his  hands  will  be  misappropriated. 
His  record  is  pure  and  spotless,  and,  if  he  is 
elected,  every  citizen  may  feel  confident  that  no 
defalcation  will  arise  through  any  negligence  or 
want  of  honesty  on  his  part. 

••  Mr  Dale  is  so  well  known  in  the  county 
that  no  word  of  recommendation  that  we  can 
utter  can  add  anything  to  his  popularity.  He 
bel  mgs  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respectable 
families  m  our  midst,  was  born  here,  as  were  also 
his  father  and  grandfather  before  him.       He  is   a 


^xLcool^/1  ck)-aA/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


89 


young  man  of  untarnished  reputation,  a  thorough 
scholar,  a  reliable  and  trustworthy  gentleman, 
and,  i£  elected  to  the  office  to  which  his  friends 
aspire  to  elevate  him,  will  make  one  of  the  most 
efficient  officers  this  county  ever  had.  With 
such  a  candidate  in  the  field,  it  would  seem  as 
though  his  success  ought  not  to  be  a  question  of 
doubt.  There  is  no  candidate  yet  mentioned  by  any 
man  or  party  that  offers  a  cleaner  record,  a  more 
honorable  .name,  or  who,  if  elected,  would  re- 
flect more  honor  or  more  credit  upon  the  people 
whom  he  serves." 

In  1880  Mr.  Dale  was  elected  by  a  decided 
majority  to  the  office  of  Chief  Burgess  of  Belle- 
fonte,  and  very  acceptably  to  the  people  and  with 
credit  to  himself,  served  the  borough  in  that 
capacity.  For  ten  years  he  had  been  the  City 
Solicitor  of  Bellefonte,  which  long  term  of  serv- 
ice is  of  itself  a  sufficient  evidence  of  his  capa- 
bility and  popularity.  Having  descended  from 
Revolutionary  stock,  he  belongs  to  a  patriotic 
family,  having  lost  one  brother  in  the  Civil  war, 
and  had  another  who  distinguished  himself  and 
added  honor  to  the  family  name  in  that  struggle. 
Mr.  Dale,  himself,  was  but  a  lad  at  that  time, 
too  young  for  service,  but  for  the  last  decade  or 
more  there  has  hardly  passed  a  Decoration  Day 
that  his  voice  has  not  been  heard  proclaiming 
the  heroism  and  sacrifice  made  by  the  "boys  in 
blue."  Our  subject  is  a  self-made  man,  and  to 
him  is  due  the  position  in  life  he  occupies — a 
useful  citizen  and  a  lawyer  whose  energy,  integ- 
rity, ability  and  honorable  life  adorn  his  pro- 
fession. 

On  May  15,  1884,  Mr.  Dale  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  Davis  Wilt,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
their  children  are:  Mary  Edith,  born  February 
28,  1886,  died  suddenly  in  Philadelphia,  June 
22,  1889;  Arthur  Clement,  born  September  24, 
1889;  and  Marion  Ethel,  born  September  6, 
1 89 1.  Mrs.  Dale  is  a  native  of  Allegheny,  Penn., 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Susannah  H.  (Dobbs) 
Wilt, natives  of  Blair  and  Butler  counties,  Penn., 
respectively.  When  a  child  of  five  years  of  age, 
Benjamin  Wilt's  parents,  George  and  Margaret 
Ann  (Kuhns)  Wilt,  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Kit- 
tanning,  in  Armstrong  county,  Penn.,  and  there 
passed  their  lives;  both  were  born  in  Blair  coun- 
ty. Mrs.  Dale's  grandparents  on  her  mother's 
side  were  Francis  Dobbs  and  Sarah  (Davis) 
Dobbs,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  of  Lancaster  county,  Penn.  After  their 
marriage  they  lived  at  Kittanning.  Originally  the 
Wilts  and  Kuhns  were  from  Germany,  and  the 
Dobbses  and  Davises  from  England.  The  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  Wilt  and  wife  were:  Sarah 
Davis;  Mary    E.,  deceased;  Lemuel   and    Edwin 


M.  The  father  was  for  many  years  a  merchant 
at  Kittanning,  and  during  Mrs.  Dale's  childhood 
moved  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  also  engaged  in 
business,  and  where  he  was  reared  and  educated. 
He  died  in  1888. 


CHRISTIAN  DALE  (I),  the  progenitor  of 
^Jl  the  Dale  family  here  in  Centre  county,  came 
to  this  country,  arriving  at  Philadelphia,  in  1749. 
Ludwig  Derr,  in  1772,  owned  the  tract  of 
land  on  which  Lewisburg  now  stands,  and  that 
year  Christian  Dale  was  living  on  that  part  of 
the  land  known  in  1877  as  Col.  Slifer's  upper 
farm  near  the  iron  bridge,  which  place  Dale 
cleared  in  1772.  He  resided  in  Buffalo  Valley, 
in  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  settlers,  during 
the  stirring  times  of  the  Revolution.  In  1790  he 
removed  to  the  end  of  Nittany  Mountain,  now 
College  township,  Centre  county,  where  in  1796 
he  built  a  gristmill  and  sawmill.  He  was  one  of 
those  sterling  old  Germans  to  whom  Pennsyl- 
vania owed  so  much,  and  whose  walk  in  life  was 
measured  by  the  rule:  "Be  just  and  fear  not". 
He  died  in  July,  1805,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years  ;  his  wife  Rachel  passed  away  in  Decem- 
ber, 1808,  aged  seventy-six  years,  and  their 
remains  rest  in  the  old  Dale  burying  ground  on 
the  hill  back  of  Lemont.  These  pioneers  came 
to  a  vast  wilderness,  poor,  and  died  at  a  ripe  old 
age,  comparatively  wealthy,  leaving  to  their 
children  fine  farms,  and  the  inheritance  of 
names  made  noble  by  a  long  life  of  toil  and 
hardship.  Their  children  were:  Henry,  Philip, 
Felix,  Frederick,  Christian,  Cornelius,  Mary 
(wife  of  Nicholas  Straw,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion), Eve  (wife  of  Peter  Earhart),  and  Rachel 
(wife  of  Lewis  Swinehart).  Of  these.  Christian 
and  Frederick  moved  to  Ohio  ;  the  descendants 
of  the  others  are  living  in  Centre  county — they 
are  quite  numerous  and  have  always  been  exem- 
plary citizens.  Henry  Dale,  the  eldest  child, 
was  born  in  Northampton  county,  in  1758.  He 
was  a  soldier  with  Washington  at  Trenton  and 
Princeton,  in  1776-77,  and  served  in  militia 
tours  under  Capt.  Forster,  of  Buffalo  Valley.  On 
November  19,  1787,  he  married  Rebecca 
Weberin,  and  their  children  were:  Samuel,  born 
November  23,  1788  ;  Henry,  born  November  17, 
1793  ;  and  John,  born  November  25,   1797.     His 

second    wife    was    Phillena    ,    whom     he 

married  April  22,  1804  ;  she  died  September  II, 
1836.  The  children  by  this  union  were  : 
Christian,  born  December  20,  1806,  and  Henry 
(2),  born  April  2,  181 3.  The  father  of  these 
children  died  in  the  vicinity  of  Oak  Hall  March 
14,   1844,  aged  eighty-six  years.      The  gun,  pow- 


90 


'  "U.VKMOUA  Tl  YE  MOCHA  I'HKA  I.    llEroiil). 


der-horn  and  fork,  carried  by  him  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  are  in  the  possession  of  Clement 
Dale,  Esq.,  <>f  Bellefonte. 

Christian  Dale  (3),  son  of  Henry  Dale,  died  at 
his  home  near  Oak  Hall,  November  7,  1885. 
His  birth  occurred  December  20,  1806.  His  an- 
cestors had  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  which 
they  cleared  and  converted  into  several  la 
farms.  Christian  Dale  (3)  often  said  to  his 
children  and  others,  that  he  well  remembered 
when  there  was  no  land  cleared  between  Le- 
incjiit  and  Bellefonte  except  a  small  piece  where 
William  Grove  lived  in  1885 — a  short  distal 
from  Lemont.  By  strict  integrity  and  close 
economy  Mr.  Dale  accumulated  a  large  amount 
of  wealth,  and  his  personal  influence  was  of  the 
purest,  and  extended  all  over  this  section  of  the 
country.  He  had  a  memory  stored  with  more 
unwritten  or  traditional  history  than,  perhaps, 
any  other  man  in  Centre  county.  He  often  re- 
marked to  his  children  that  where  he  used  to 
play  when  a  child  there  he  saw  bis  grandchildren 
play,  meaning  more  particularly  at  a  beautiful 
spring  of  sparkling  water,  that  finds  its  way  from 
the  ground  near  the  old  homestead.  He  took 
great  delight  ingathering  his  children,  as  well  as 
grandchildren,  around  him,  and  relating  incidents 
of  early  and  pioneer  life.  Many  an  incident  was 
related  by  the  venerable  old  man  that  will  be  re- 
membered  through  life  by  those  who  listened. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  in  [883  was 
the  nominee  of  the  party  (or  the  office  of  associ- 
ate judge.  His  popularity  in  the  county  was 
evidenced  by  the  large  vote  he  polled.  He  re- 
reived  the  vote  oi  man}  Democrats  who  full  well 
knew  him  to  be  a  man  eminently  qualified  in 
e>  ery  respect  for  such  an  impi  irtant  county  of  1 
He  was  a  consistent  member  ol  tin-  Lutheran 
Church  from  youth  up,  and  always  contributed 
freely  toward  all  religious  and  charitable  pur- 
poses. The  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  all  who  knew  him  could  not  be  more  forcibly 
manifested  than  by  the  large  number  of  friends 
that  attended  the  funeral,  which  was  one  of  the 
largest  in  thai  part  of  the  county  for  man)  \ 
Mr.  Dale  was  described  as  "a  tall,  portly,  gray- 
haired  old  gentleman,  and  as  fine  a  type  oi  man- 
hood as  one  can  well  imagine."  On  |une  20, 
[826,  Mr.  Dale  was  married  to  Hannah  Shoene- 
berger,  who  died   April  7,  1844,   in  hei    fortieth 

u       Their  children  were:     Susan,  born   April 

1827,  married  John  Musser,  of  near  Filmore; 

Henry,    horn     Novembei     9,     1S2K.    deceased; 

<  ieorge,  born  August  1,1 831,  resides  near  Lemont; 

William  J.,  horn  June  22,  1833,  lives  near  Pleas- 
ant Gap;  Christian,  bom  October  6,  1835,  is 
deceased;    Solomon,     born     October    21,     1 S  ^ 7 , 


served  in  the  Civil  war  in  Company  A,  148th  P. 
V.  I.,  and  was  lost  at  the  battle  of  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court  House,  May  12,  1864;  Mary  C.,  born 
October  1,  1839;  Catherine  married  John  Musser, 
Jr.;  Philip  S.,  born  May  31.  1842,  resides  near 
Oak  Hall;  and  Martin  L.  and  Margaret  L. 
twins),  born  April  3,  1844.  By  a  second  mar- 
riage, this  time  to  Eliza  Neff,  there  were  born: 
Austin  W .,  who  is  now  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead; Alfred  A.,  born  July  29,  1849,  of  Belle- 
fonte; and  Clement,  born  February  25,  1851. 
The  mother  of  these  died  November  4,  1874,  in 
the  sixty-second  year  of  her  age. 

Capt.  Christian  Dale  (4),  son  of  Christian  (3^, 
whose  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Benner 
township,  on  December  1,  1895,  in  the  sixty- 
first  year  of  his  age,  like  his  ancestor  of  the 
Revolution,  was  a  patriot.  He  was  born  and 
raised  on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  worked 
through  the  summer  season,  and  taught  school 
during  the  winters.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war,  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country, 
enlisting  at  Boalsburg,  and  was  made  fourth  cor- 
poral Company  G,  49th  P.  V.  I.  On  January  1  1, 
1863,  he  was  transferred  to  Company  C,  and 
promoted  to  sergeant.  On  December  24,  1863, 
he  re-enlisted  as  a  veteran;  on  March  4,  1864,  he 
was  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant,  and  De- 
cember 18,  following,  was  promoted  to  first  lieu- 
tenant. On  May  17,  1864,  he  received  a  shell 
wound,  and  on  [une  9,  1865,  he  became  captain 
of  Companv  II.  He  participated  in  every  en- 
gagement in  which  his  regiment  took  part,  and 
his  record  was  a  brilliant  and  daring  one  through- 
out the  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
turned with  the  regiment,  and,  coming  home,  re- 
sumed the  life  of  a  farmer.  He  started  a  grist- 
mill on  his  place  near  Pleasant  dap,  which  was 
known  as  Logan  Mills.  For  many  years  Capt. 
Dale  was  secretary  ol  the  Centre  County  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  P.  of  II.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  Veterans  Legion  No.  59,  of 
Bellefonte,  and  was  their  colonel  in  1894;  he 
was  also  a  member  of  Post  No.  95,  G.  A.  R.,of 
Bellefonte.  Capt,  Dale  was  a  man  of  firm  de- 
cision of  character,  and  took  a  common-sense 
view  of  everything.  He  had  a  kind  word  for 
everybody,  poor  or  rich,  and  was  a  Christian 
man.  His  wife,  who  was  Catherine  Musser,  and 
whom  he  married  in  1867,  preceded  him  to  the 
.  dying  in  1  890. 
Henry  Dale,  a  brother  of  the  Captain,  died 
at  his  home  at  Oak  Hall  in  1896.  He  was  born 
at  the  Dale  homestead  November  9,  1828,  and 
throughout  lite  was  one  of  the  county's  most 
successful  farmers.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Patrons  of   Husbandry,  of  which   he    was  an 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


91 


influential  member.  He  belonged  to  the  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Boalsburg,  and  was  one  of  its 
main  supporters  and  pillars.  He  was  an  honest, 
upright  Christian  gentleman,  highly  honored  and 
respected  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  left, 
surviving  him,  a  widow  and  four  children,  namely: 
Charles  is  a  farmer  near  Lemont;  Catherine  M. 
is  residing  at  Centre  Hall;  Alice  is  the  wife  of 
H.  F.  McGirk,  of  Altoona;  and  Miss  Anna  M. 
is  at  home. 

Austin  W.  Dale  was  born  April  22,  1847,  at 
the  Dale  homestead  near  Oak  Hall,  where  he  is 
now  residing  occupied  in  farming.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1868,  to  Catherine  Keller,  a  daughter  of 
David  Keller,  of  Boalsburg,  and  the  children 
born  to  the  marriage  were:  Luther  K.,  April 
20,  1870;  Clement  G.,  October  8,  1871;  Chris- 
tian K.  (deceased),  December  14,  187-;  Mar- 
garet E. ,  April  3,  1878,  died  January  20,  1879; 
and  Ellen  E.,  January  10,  1880.  The  mother 
of  these  died  March  29,  1883,  in  her  thirty- 
fourth  year,  and  September  25,  1884,  Mr.  Dale 
was  married  to  Rachel  E.  Meyer,  who  was  born 
August  8,  1847,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Cath- 
erine (Hoffer)  Meyer,  of  near  Boalsburg.  Henry 
Meyer  was  a  son  of  Henry  Meyer,  Sr. 

Alfred  A.  Dale,  a  well-known  attorney  at 
Bellefonte,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
was  born  and  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where 
his  early  years  and  young  manhood  was  passed 
not  unlike  that  of  the  general  farmer's  son.  His 
early  schooling  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and  in  a  private 
school  held  on  the  Dr.  Hammil  homestead.  He 
was  prepared  for  college  at  the  Boalsburg  Acade- 
my, and  was  graduated  from  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege, Gettysburg,  in  1874.  Immediately  after- 
ward he  began  the  study  of  the  law,  under  the  late 
D.  S.  Keller,  of  Bellefonte,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  Centre  county  at  the  August  term  of 
court,  in  1876  "Al  Dale,"  as  he  is  familiarly 
called,  has  taken  quite  an  active  part  in  politics, 
and  in  1892  was  one  of  the  Republican  nominees 
for  the  General  Assembly;  but  with  the  rest  of 
that  ticket  he  was  defeated  at  the  election  in  the 
Democratic  land-slide  of  that  year.  The  home 
paper  in  commenting  on  Mr.  Dale's  nomination 
said:  "In  A.  A.  Dale  the  voters  of  Centre 
county  have  a  man  whose  ancestors  were  among 
the  very  earliest  settlers  of  Centre  county.  Mr. 
Dale  was  born  here,  raised  on  the  farm,  and 
always  took  a  deep  interest  and  active  part  in  all 
that  pertained  to  the  best  interests  of  the  county. 
He  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  best  qualified 
men  for  the  Legislature  that  has  been  nominated 
in  the  county  for  years." 


EOBERT  McCAY  FOSTER  was  born  No- 
vember  14,  i860,  at  the  old  Foster  home- 
stead, State  College,  Penn.  He  is  a  son  of  Capt. 
Robert  M.  Foster,  who  was  born  in  Union  county, 
in  1826,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  married 
Miss  Delilah  Smith,  a  descendant  of  a  well- 
known  German  family,  of  Snyder  county. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Capt.  Foster  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land,  about  130  acres,  adjoin- 
ing the  lands  owned  by  State  College,  and  settled 
down  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  devout 
Presbyterian,  and  in  his  political  affiliation  he 
was  a  Democrat,  patriotic  to  the  core,  and  pos- 
sessing the  qualities  which  fitted  a  man  for 
leadership.  The  war  of  the  Rebellion  called  him 
from  his  private  life  to  serve  in  defense  of  the 
government.  He  raised  Company  C,  148th  Reg- 
iment, Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  of  which  he 
was  commissioned  captain,  and  so  distinguished 
himself  by  his  gallant  conduct,  that  at  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  he  held  the  rank  of  acting  colonel. 
On  the  second  day  of  that  momentous  struggle, 
while  in  charge  of  his  command,  in  the  wheat 
field,  he  met  a  soldier's  death.  His  widow  died 
December  27,  1895,  and  both  lie  buried  in 
Branch  Cemetery,  State  College,    Pennsylvania. 

Robert  M.  Foster  was  the  youngest  of  six 
children,  of  whom  Thomas  and  William  are  now 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business,  in 
Philadelphia,  three  daughters  having  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  very  early  in 
life  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  but  with  a 
noble  mother's  care,  and  by  his  own  industry  and 
economy,  managed  to  get  a  good  public-school 
education,  and  finally  in  1878  entered  Pennsyl- 
vania State  College.  After  completing  his  course, 
he  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  for  the 
firm  of  Smith,  Foster  &  Co.,  the  prominent 
wholesale  grocers  of  Philadelphia,  with  whom  he 
is  now  connected.  His  knowledge  of  business, 
his  integrity  and  faithful  services,  so  endeared 
him  to  his  firm  that,  upon  the  recent  death  of 
the  senior  member,  he  was  honored  by  being 
made  one  of  the  executors.  In  1896  he  received 
nomination  for  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. The  campaign  of  that  year  was  hotly 
contested,  and  notwithstanding  the  Republican 
nominee  for  president,  Hon.  William  McKinley, 
carrying  the  county  by  over  400  majority,  he,  as 
a  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  carried  the 
county  by  580.  His  work  as  a  legislator  was  so 
pleasing  to  the  G.  A.  R.,  that,  when  the  vacancy 
on  the  Commission  of  Soldiers'  Orphan  Schools 
was  caused  by  the  death  of  Hon.  McCauley  Cook, 
his  appointment  for  this  position  was  requested 
by  them.      The  Speaker  of  the  House,  Hon.  H. 


92 


cfiM\fh:.\loiiA  T1VR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


K.  Hoycr,  when  making  this  appointment  said 
that  "it  gave  him  much  pleasure  to  do  so," 
owing  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Foster's  father,  Capt. 
Robert  M  I  oster,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  His  Legislative  record  is  above  re- 
proach. His  work,  pertaining  to  measures  bear- 
ing upon  educational  matters,  has  been  very 
<  ommendable. 

In  1893  Mr.  Foster  was  married  to  Mary  Ella 
Snyder,  a  daughter  of  Thompson  A.  Snyder,  a 
retin-d  engineer  and  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
They  have  one  son,  Robert  M  Foster,  Jr  In 
private  life  Mr.  Foster  is  very  domestic.  His 
home  is,  at  all  times,  open  to  his  friends,  of 
whom  he   has    many        He    is    popular   among   all 

rous  to  the  fault,  and  a  native  of 

the  place.      It  is  his  pride  to  be  must  honored 
where    he    is   best  known,    and,  as    his   influi  1 
has  extended,  none  have  given  him  mure  heart}' 
esteem    and    appreciation    than    the    people   who 
have  watched  his  progress  from  boyhood. 


JVMES   HAMILTON       This  venerable  Chris- 
tian gentleman,  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Belle- 

fonte,  who  has  lived  a  score  or  more  of  years  t 
beyond  man's  allotted  time  on  earth,  and  who  is 
probably  the  oldest  native  citizen  of  Cento 
county  now  living — at  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years— is  residing  in  a  comfortable  home  made 
happy  by  the  presence  of  the  good  wife  an 
octogenarian  the  two  passing  the  evening  of 
their  lives  amid  plenty  and  in  the  enjoyment  of 
good  health.  At  this  writing  (January  4,  1898), 
Mr.  Hamilton  is  in  reasonable  health  for  a  man 
of  his  age,  and,  as  has  been  his  usual  habit,  he 
has  just  completed  making  presents  to  his  wife, 
children,  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  parents  were  Joseph  and 
Rachel  (Carr)  Hamilton,  the  parents  of  both  of 
whom  came  from  Ireland  and  settled  in  Centre 
county  some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Joseph  Hamilton  was  a  son 
of  a  sea  captain,  and  was  only  a  boy  when 
brought  to  America  by  his  mother,  and  1>\  trade 
became  a  shoemaker  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  on  his  mother's  side  was  James  Carr,  a 
farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Pine  Grove.  Our  sub- 
ject was  the  only  child  of  Joseph  Hamilton;  the 
mothei  was  twice  married,  her  second  husband 
being  John  Morris,  whom  she  married  when 
young  Hamilton  was  small,  so  that  Mr  Morris  is 
the  only  father  that  he  remembers  Bj  the 
were  born:  Wharton,  [onathan, 
Reuben,  Elizabeth.  Margarel  and  Jane.  Winn 
James  was   a    mere    lad    Mi     Morris    met  with    an 

ident    by    which    he    was    crippled,    so    from 


necessity  he  early  began  to  labor  and  assist  in 
the  support  of  the  family,  receiving  his  schooling 
at  intervals  in  the  subscription  schools  of  his 
neighborhood  as  best  he  could.  At  the  time  ol 
his  birth  April  4,  1804)  his  parents  were  living 
about  a  mile  west  of  Pine  Grove,  on  what  is  now 
the  Ross  farm.  Subsequently  they  removed 
11  to  Dunlop's,  and  at  the  age  of  six  or  eight 
years    the    lad,    James,    entered    the   employ   oi 

-  &  Boyer,  then  operating  Logan  Forge 
and  Furnace,  as  successors  of  John  Dunlop.  He 
began  by  sifting  iron  with  a  hand  riddle,  which 
occupation  he  followed  four  years  at  30  cents  a 
day,  commencing  his  work  before  sunrise  and 
continuing  until  sundown.  From  the  age  ol 
thirteen  until  he  was  nineteen  he  worked  at 
Stops  Gap,  driving  team,  or  working  at  whatever 
he  could  do,  and  during  this  time  he  had  the 
advantage  of  three  months'  schooling,  at  ni^ht 
only.  In  1815  the  iron  works  were  leased  by  the 
Valentine  Brothers,  who  subsequently,  in  connec- 
tion with  William  A.  Thomas,  purchased  them 
and  eidarged  them,  and  with  these  gentlemen 
young  Hamilton  remained  employed  at  the 
works,  rising  step  by  step  until  he  became  their 
manager  at  the  Furnace.  While  with  both  these 
men  he  was  regular  in  his  business  habits — not 
losing  a  day's  time  in  upward  of  sixteen  years; 
learned  habits  of  industry  and  economy,  was 
courteous,  kind  and  affable  to  all,  which  made 
him  a  popular  and  useful  citizen,  and  led  the 
way  to  the  success  in  life  he  has  attained.  He 
received  $300  a  year,  and  boarded  with  George 
and  Abram  Valentine.  From  his  savings  early 
in  the  "  forties''  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres 
of  land  of  George  Meese,  the  father  of  John 
Meese,  a  merchant  of  Bellefonte;  some  twenty  or 
more  acres  were  cleared  and  under  fence,  and  on 
it  was  the  stone  house  built  by  George  Meese  in 
1SJ4.  Here  Mr.  Hamilton  retired  and  led  a 
farmer's  life  for  upward  of  forty  years,  when  he 
moved  to  Bellefonte.  He  was  one  of  the  active 
men  of  Pleasant  Gap  neighborhood  in  religious 
matters,  and  in  1850,  when  the  Methodist  Church 
Society  was  formed,  he  and  M.  P.  Weaver  were 
appointed  a  building  committee  for  erecting  a 
house  of  worship.  Subsequently,  in  1875,  a  new 
church  edifice  was  built  costing  some  $3,000, 
which  later  became  the  property  of  the  two  gen- 
tlemen above  named. 

In  January,  1 84 1 ,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Hannah  Waddle,  a  native  of 
Centre  county,  born  at  Rock  Forge  April  26, 
1S17,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Hannah  (Ben- 
ner)  Waddle,  and  to  the  union  were  born: 
Abram  V.  married  <  atherine  Marton;  Sarah  mar- 

I      l>    Satterfield,   now    deceased;    Laura   is 


JAMES    HAMILTON 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


93 


the  wife  of  Capt.  Samuel  H.  Williams,  promi- 
nent in  business  circles  of  Bellefonte;  Merrilla 
married  William  Dawson;  and  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  John  Noll;  all  are  residents  of  Bellefonte. 
Mr.  Morris,  stepfather  of  our  subject,  died  about 

1824,  and  the  former's  wife,  whose  declining 
years  were  made  pleasant  and  comfortable  by  the 
son,  James,  died  near  the  end  of  the  year  1865. 

Mrs.  Hannah  (Waddle)  Hamilton  descended 
from  one  of  the  many  prominent  families  of  Cen- 
tre county.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Gen. 
Philip  Benner,  and  his  father  before  him,  were 
both  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  the  latter  being 
captured  and  imprisoned.  After  the  Revolution, 
the  General  was  engaged  in  the  iron  business  in 
Chester  county,  this  State,  the  place  of  his  nativ- 
ity. He  married  Ruth  Roberts,  and  in  1792  pur- 
chased the  Rock  Forge  lands  on  Spring  creek. 
Centre  county,  to  engage  in  the  iron  business, 
and  from  that  forward  until  his  death  was  prom- 
inently identified  with  that  business  and  the  busi- 
ness interests  and  property  of  Centre  county. 
He  brought  workmen  with  him  from  Chester 
county  and  commenced  his  improvements  in  May, 
1793,  at  Rock,  erecting  a  house  and  sawmill;  and 
in  1794  he  erected  his  first  forge,  and  the  first  in 
what  is  now  Centre  county,  the  forge  making 
iron  that  year.  He  then  erected  a  gristmill,  and 
in  1799  a  slitting  mill.  In  1800  he  built  another 
forge,  and  afterward  added  a  nailmill,  furnace, 
etc.  He  was  an  earnest  Democrat,  and  was 
twice  a  Presidential  elector. 

Thomas  Waddle,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton, came  from  Chester  county  with  Gen.  Ben- 
ner; was  his  bookkeeper  and  general  utility  man, 
married  one  of  his  daughters,  and  passed  an  act- 
ive business  life,  dying  in  Centre    February  25, 

1825,  aged  forty-eight  years.  His  wife  Hannah 
died  April  11,  1854,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  Re- 
ferring to  some  early  surveys  of  what  is  now 
Centre  county,  a  writer  says:  "The  old  Wad- 
dle place  is  on  the  survey  in  the  name  of  Edward 
Crawford,  Warrantee  of  July  1,  1784.  The 
Waddle  farm,  owned  by  Joseph  Allender  at  his 
death,  and  sold  to  Gen.  Benner  in  1805,  was 
probably  one  of  the  oldest  settled  places  on  Lo- 
gan's Branch.  Allender  bought  of  Col.  Thomas 
Hartley  in  1793." 

The  children  of  Thomas  Waddle  were  nine  in 
number:  Ruth  B. ,  married  to  William  Wilson, 
of  Cedar  Springs;  Eliza;  Philip  Benner,  late  of 
Patton  township;  Mordecai,  late  of  Spring  town- 
ship, who  served  as  sheriff  of  Centre  county  from 
1854  to  1857;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Griffith, 
of  Bellefonte;  Hannah,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  Jersey  Shore;  James;  and 
Sarah,  who  married  Mark  Williams;   all  are  now 


deceased  excepting  Sarah,  Mary,  Thomas  and 
Hannah;  seven  were  living  in  1882.  The  family 
was  remarkable  for  longevity  of  life.  Philip  Ben- 
ner Waddle  was  one  of  the  constituent  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  of  Fillmore,  organized  in 
1843,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed  a  class 
leader,  and  served  as  such  uninterruptedly  fifty- 
two  years. 

Returning  to  our  subject  and  wife,  we  will 
add  that  they  are  a  remarkable  couple — their 
lives  spanning  almost  a  century  of  an  eventful 
period  of  the  country's  history,  and  a  wedded 
life  of  fifty-seven  years.  Hale  and  hearty  for  one 
of  his  years,  father  Hamilton  retains  a  face  almost 
free  from  wrinkles,  one  that  wears  a  kindly  smile 
for  every  one.  He  retains  his  mental  faculties, 
and  both  the  senses  of  seeing  and  hearing  are 
good.  He  has  been  almost  free  from  sickness 
throughout  his  long  life,  hardly  experiencing  an 
ache  or  pain.  His  first  Presidential  vote  was 
cast  for  Gen.  Jackson.  Later  he  became  a  Whig 
and  then  a  Republican.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  since  1840.  The  wife,  too, 
is  well  preserved,  and  is  as  active  and  sprightly 
as  most  women  of  fifty.  She,  too,  has  been 
identified  with  the  M.  E.  Church  from  her  early 
years. 


PROF.  LOUIS  E.  REBER,  M.  S.  The 
Pennsylvania  State  College  has  enlisted  in 
its  service  a  corps  of  instructors  whose  intelli- 
gence and  professional  skill  are  an  honor  to  the 
institution,  and  their  loyalty  and  devotion  to  her 
best  interests  has  brought  to  a  happy  realization 
that  noble  ideal  which  has  established,  in  the  name 
of  the  Commonwealth,  the  means  whereby  the 
pathway  to  knowledge  is  made  easy  of  access. 
Among  those  who  have  labored  most  effectively 
to  build  up  the  college,  Prof.  Louis  E.  Reber, 
Dean  of  the  School  of  Mechanical  Engineering, 
is  deserving  of  special  mention,  as  it  is  mainly 
to  his  zealous  efforts  that  the  department  owes 
its  foundation  and  steadily  increasing  success. 

Prof.  Reber's  ancestry  on  both  sides  was  of 
German  stock;  both  parents,  however,  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  the  father,  Jacob  Reber, 
born  in  1809,  and  the  mother,  Elizabeth  Ehr- 
hart,  in  18 — .  Their  marriage  occurred  in  Cen- 
tre county,  and  here  they  afterward  made  their 
home,  in  Nittany  Valley.  The  father  died  in 
1877,  and  the  mother  in  1881.  They  were  suc- 
cessful farming  people.  Their  children  were: 
Amanda,  wife  of  John  H.  Beck,  a  farmer  and 
merchant  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. ;  Abigail,  wife 
of  John  M.  Krape,  a  retired  merchant  of  Salona, 
Penn. ;  William  F.,  who  was  the  Executive  clerk 


04 


COMMKMORA  VIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   UFJOHD. 


of  Pennsylvania  under  Gov.  Pattison,  and  now 
a  resident   ol   Philadelphia;   Henrietta,   the   wife 

ol  II  II.  Walker,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. ;  Mary 
E.,  who  died  at  tin-  age  ol  seventeen;  ami  Louis 
F...  our  subject. 

Prof.  Reberwas  born  at  Nittany,  <  entrecoun- 

February  27,  1  s 5 s .  in  1 880  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  The  Pennsylvania  Stat  \llii 
two  year  in  teaching  and  further  study  at 
that   institution,    he   devoted  one   year  to  post- 

luate  work  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology.  In  1884  he  returned  to  Tin-  Penn- 
sylvania Mate  College  t"  take  charge  of  the  de- 
partment of  Mechanii  Vrts  In  1886  the  chair 
of  Mechanical  Engineering  having  been  estab- 
lished, he  became  Professor  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineering, a  title  which,  in  connection  with  that 
of  Dean  of  the  School  "I  Engineering,  he  still 
holds. 

Prof.  Reber  is  a  member  of  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Mechanical  Engineers;  of  the  Society  of 
Naval  Architects  and  Marine  Engineers;  of  the 
American    Association    for    the  Advancement   of 

nee,  and  the  American  Society  for  the  Pro- 
motion oi  Engineering  Education.  He  was  com- 
missioner for  tli  "f  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1889,  and  assistant  executive 

nmissioner,  in  charge  of  collecting  and  in- 
stalling Pennsylvania's  Mining  Exhibit  at  the 
World's  Fair  in  Chicago,  and,  later,  judge  of 
awards  in  the  Machinery  Department. 


fON  PHILIP  E.  WOMELSDORF,  ex- 
member  of  the  General  Assembly  ol  the 
Commonwealth  from  Centre  count}-,  and  a  prom- 
inent mining  engineer,  was  born  in  Pottsville, 
Schuylkill  Co  .   Penn.,  September  17,    1S59. 

The  ancestrj  "I  the  Womelsdorf  family  on 
the  paternal  side  emigrated  from  the  province  of 
Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  sometime  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  founded  the  beautiful 
little  town  of  Womelsdorf  in  Berks  county,  Penn. 
From  them  has  descended  a  large  number  of  the 

mans  of  that  region,  who  for  their  great 
patience,  confidence  and  steadfastness  of  pur- 
pose, are  distinguishable  .is  the  true  types  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Germans  Womelsdorf  was  laid 
out  in  1762,  by  John  Womelsdorf,  and  is  noted 
as  being  one  of  the  points  at  which  the  "  Father 
of  his  Country"  stopped — Gen  Washington 
having  remained  over  night  there,  November  13, 
1793.  On  his  mother's  side,  the  Mills  were 
Puritans,  and  the  records  show  that  man}  of 
them  have  won  distinction  m  the  Revolutionary 
war  for  their  loyalty  and  bravery.  Mr  Womels- 
dorf was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the 


town  in  which  he  was  born,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  June,  [876.  He  then  spent  one 
year  in  a  business  college,  and  another  in  work- 
ing in  the  tanneries  of  Warren  county.  Early  in 
1S7.S  he  entered  the  services  of  his  brother,  \ 
J.  Womelsdorf,  and  the  Girard  estate  in  Schuyl- 
kill county,  as  a  mining  engineer,  and  for  four 
vens  worked  in  a  very  large  number  of  the  great 
anthracite  coal  mines  of  that  region,  in  his  pro- 

iion.  He  came  to  the  bituminous  region  in 
1882,  operating  at  Houtzdale,  Osceola  and  Phil- 
ipsburg,  and  since  that  tune  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  the  development  of  the  mines  of  these 
and  other  bituminous  regions,  and  is  still  activel) 
pursuing  that  profession.  In  September,  1894, 
lie  was  nominated  for  the  Legislature  by  the  Re- 
publicans of  Centre  county,  and  was  elected  the 
same  fall.  He  served  the  county  in  this  position 
very  creditably  to  himself  and  acceptably  to  Ins 
constituents.  His  colleague  from  the  county 
was  the  Hon.  Harry  R.  (urtin.  Two  years 
later  both  gentlemen  were  again  nominated  for 
the  same  position,  but  were  defeated  at  the  elec- 
tion by  the  present  members  of  that  body,  who 
are  Democratic  in  politics.  After  their  second 
nomination  the  press  in  October,  1896,  thus  al- 
luded to  them:  ••  For  Assembly  our  candidates 
are  Harry  R.  (urtin,  of  Hoggs  township,  and  P. 
E.  Womelsdorf,  of  Philipsburg.  They  have 
both  served  one  term  in  the  Lower  House;  they 
have  both  been  candid,  upright  and  unceasing  in 
the  discharge  of  their  legislative  duties.  Each 
one  has  come  up  to  his  present  position  from  the 
ranks  of  labor.  They  are  both  examples  of  what 
honest  labor,  good  morals  and  intelligent  action 
will  achieve." 

Mr.  Womelsdorf  is  a  man  of  acknowledged 
ability,  honorable,  honest  and  upright  in  his  deal- 
ings with  his  fellow  men, and  as  a  recognition  of  his 
manly  qualities  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
town  council  of  Philipsburg. a  positionhe  held  three 

■  s.  On  September  21,  1882,  our  subject  was 
married  to  Mary  A.  Bechtel,  and  their  children 
are       Philip  Campbell  and  Frances  B. 


V.  HOYT,  of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county, 
is  an  expert  civil  and  mining  engineer,  and 
his  success  demonstrates  the  wisdom  of  choosing 
an  occupation  that  is  in  line  with  one's  inclina- 
tions, lb-  is  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind,  and 
aside  from  his  scientific  work  has  read  extensiveh 
of  the  best  literature  His  family,  which  is  of 
1-I1  origin,  has  been  identified  with  Clear- 
field county  for  many  years,  his  paternal  grand- 
father, with  several  brothers  and  sisters,  having 
come  from  Vermont  to  Pennsylvania  in  1819. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


95 


Mr.  Hoyt  was  born  at  Clearfield,  Perm.,  Jan- 
uary 30,  1 85 1,  and  his  early  years  were  spent  at 
the  old  home  in  Clearfield  county.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Osceola 
and  there  took  advantage  of  the  public  schools, 
preparing  for  a  collegiate  course.  His  bent 
toward  engineering  manifested  itself  with  unusual 
clearness,  and  in  1865  he  began  to  study  in  that 
line.  Later  he  attended  St.  Francis  College,  at 
Loretto,  Penn.,  for  two  years,  and  then  began 
practical  work  in  his  chosen  profession,  assisting 
in  railroad  surveys.  After  a  time  he  opened  an 
office  in  Philipsburg,  but  in  1875  he  went  west 
to  engage  in  professional  work  in  California  and 
Nevada.  During  his  stay  of  five  years  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  for  fifteen  months  he  edited  the 
Independent,  a  weekly  newspaper  at  Cherry 
Creek,  Nev.  The  price — $10.00  per  year  or 
twenty-five  cents  per  copy — would  indicate  to  an 
Eastern  journalist  that  he  had  struck  a  bonanza; 
but  in  that  land  of  inflated  prices  he  was  able 
merely  to  hold  his  own,  and  finally  sold  the  paper 
and  went  out  of  the  business.  Returning  to 
Philipsburg,  he  resumed  his  regular  work,  and 
has  since  continued  it  with  signal  success.  Mr. 
Hoyt  is  married  and  has  five  children,  four  girls 
and  one  boy:  Edwin  F. ,  Mary,  Juanita,  Joseph- 
ine and  Jenevieve.  Mr.  Hoyt  is  racognized  as  a 
progressive  and  scholarly  man,  being  secretary  of 
the  Philipsburg  Board  of  Trade.  In  political 
faith  he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  active  workers  of  his  party.  Mr.  Hoyt's 
one  brother  is  in  the  Government  employ  under 
the  civil  service  law,  as  an  architect,  and  at 
present  writing  is  U.  S.  superintendent  of  con- 
struction at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas. 


C\OL.  JAMES  F.  WEAVER.  The  history 
1  of  a  State  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation  is 
chiefly  the  chronicle  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of 
those  who  have  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon 
society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a 
community  by  that  of  its  representative  citizens, 
and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and  respect 
for  the  genius,  learning  or  virtues  of  those  whose 
works  and  actions  constitute  the  record  of  a 
State's  prosperity  and  pride.  Among  the  prom- 
inent and  leading  citizens  of  central  Pennsylva- 
nia is  Col.  Weaver,  whose  home  is  in  Boggs 
township,  Centre  county. 

A  native  of  that  county,  he  was  born  in 
Spring  township,  November  6,  1830,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Poorman)  Weaver, 
natives  of  Dauphin  and  Centre  counties,  Penn., 
respectively.  During  his  early  life  the  father,  in 
company  with    his   brother,  Daniel,   engaged    in 


milling,  leasing  a  mill  at  Bellefonte  in  1808,  but 
his  later  days  were  spent  in  farming  in  Spring 
township.  He  and  his  brother  Daniel  erected 
the  stone  building  on  Allegheny  street  in  Belle- 
fonte, then  known  as  the  Centre  County  Bank, 
now  known  as  the  late  residence  of  R.  C.  Cur- 
tin,  Esq.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  was 
drafted,  but  sent  a  substitute.  In  religious  be- 
lief he  was  a  Presbyterian,  and  his  political  sup- 
port was  ever  given  the  Democratic  party.  He 
died  in  1841,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  His  wife 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1847,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Mi- 
chael and  Mary  A.  Poorman,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  early  became  residents  of  Centre 
county,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days. 
The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
John  Frederick  Weaver. 

The  Colonel  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, who  in  order  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Mary 
A.  (widow  of  W.  A.  Davidson),  residing  in  Chi- 
cago; David,  who  died  in  1879;  Harriet,  who 
married  John  P.  Harper,  but  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; George  B  ,  deceased;  Michael  P.,  of 
Centre  county;  John  J.,  of  West  Union,  Iowa; 
William,  who  died  when  young;  and  James  F., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

When  Col.  Weaver  was  but  ten  years  of  age, 
his  father  died,  and  Hon.  James  Gilliland  was 
appointed  his  guardian;  but  he  continued  to  live 
with  his  mother  until  the  age  of  sixteen.  After 
reaching  that  age  he  was  bound  out  to  learn  the 
carpenter's  trade;  but  owing  to  ill  health  he  was 
compelled  to  give  it  up.  He  then  entered  a 
printing  office,  with  his  brother  George  B.,  in 
Clarion  county,  Penn.,  and  on  the  completion  of 
his  apprenticeship  worked  at  the  business  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  for  about  a 
year,  after  which  he  returned  to  Bellefonte, 
where  for  the  following  year  he  followed  mer- 
chandising. In  1852  he  purchased  the  Centre 
Democrat,  remaining  as  the  editor  and  proprie- 
tor of  that  paper  for  two  years  and  a  half,  when 
he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at 
Milesburg  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war. 

On  August  8,  1862,  Mr.  Weaver  was  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant,  by  Gov.  Curtin, 
with  the  power  to  raise  a  company,  which  be- 
came Company  B,  of  the  148th  P.  V.  I.  In 
September  of  the  same  year  he  was  commissioned 
captain,  and  subsequently  promoted  to  major, 
lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel  of  the  same  regi- 
ment. With  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  he  par- 
ticipated in  many  of  the  engagements  in  which 
they  took  part,  leading  his  men  on  many  a 
Southern  battle  field.      By  his  gallant  service  and 


'J6 


COMMl-:y<n:.\  TIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


agreeable  manner  he  won  the  respect  of  his  fel- 
low officers,  and  the  love  and  confidence  of  those 
under  him.  The  war  being  ended,  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  June  8,  1865,  mar  Alexandria, 
\a  At  Poe  River,  \'a  .  May  8,  [864,  he  re- 
ceived a  scalp  wound,  caused  by  a  piece  of  shell. 
On  returning  to  his  home  at  Milesburg,  he  re- 
sumed merchandising,  which  he  carried  on  for 
three  years  in  connection  with  J.  P.  Shope,  and 
then  sold  out  to  his  partner,  and  purchased  his 
present  homestead  in  Boggs  township,  where  he 
has  since  continuously  residi  d 

On  December  23,  1851,  Col.  Weaver  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  M  Hall,  who  was  born  at 
Milesburg,  September  25,  1831,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  M.  and  Euretta  (Roberts)  Hall,  also  na- 
tives of  Centre  counts,  where  they  spent  their 
entire  lives.  By  occupation  the  father  was  an 
ironworker.  He  was  elected  high  sheriff,  in 
1S45,  and  served  as  sheriff  of  the  county  for 
three  years.  He  died  in  1879  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  his  wife  in  1870  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  years.  Mrs  Weaver  is  one  in  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children:  James  S  is  deceased; 
Benjamin  R.  is  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Hem*}  B 
is  deceased;  William  T.  lives  in  Milesburg;  Dr. 
George,  M.  D. ,  is  deceased;  Joseph  G.  lives  in 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Mary  M.  is  now  Mrs.  Weave]  , 
Ellen  B.,  the  widow  of  Joseph  Swyers,  lives  in 
Howard,  Penn.;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  J.  T. 
Reed,  Esq.,  of  Williamsport,  Penn  ;  Isabella  B. 
is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  P.  Jones,  of  Milesburg;  and 
Clara  is  the  deceased  wife  of  A.  Thompson  Hoggs, 
a  merchant  of  Milesburg.  Four  children  were 
born  to  the  Colonel  and  his  wife,  viz:  Eliza- 
beth, at  home;  J.  Willis  and  James  H.,  specially 
mentioned  farther  on;  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Col.  Weaver  has  taken  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential part  in  public  affairs,  was  elected  county 
treasurer  in  October,  1871,  for  two  years,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1876  was  elected  to  represent  his 
county  in  the  State  Legislature.  He  has  also 
held  various  local  offices,  all  of  which  he  has 
filled  with  credit  to  himself,  and  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  constituents,  proving  a  most  efficient 
and   popular   official.      In    January,   1885,   Go> 

Robert  E.  Pattison  appointed  him  a  member  of 
the  Commission  whose  duties  were  to  erect  tin- 
State  Industrial  Reformatory  at  Huntingdon, 
He  continued  to  serve  on  said  commission  until 
the  institution  was  completed,  and  turned  over 
to  the  State.  He  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles.      He  has  been  an  earnest, 

rgetic  member  of  the  order  of  Patrons  ol 
Husbandry  for  the  last  twenty-five   years,    and 

i>ly  interested  in  the  education    and    elevation 


of  the  great  Agricultural  class  of  the  country,  and 
has  devoted  much  time  in  Grange  work  in  Centre 
and  other  adjoining  counties.  Since  1853  he 
has  been  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  at  Milesburg,  and  rilled  the  positions  of 
ti  ustee,  Sunday-school  superintendent,  class  lead- 
er and  steward.  His  entire  life  being  passed  in 
Centre  counts,  he  is  numbered  among  its  most 
valued  citizens  who  have  been  devoted  to  the 
public  welfare;  and  his  honorable,  upright  life 
won  him  a  host  of  warm  personal  friends 
He  has  manifested  the  same  loyalty  in  days  of 
peace  as  in  days  of  war,  and  all  who  know  him 
have  for  him  the  highest  regard. 

J.  Willis,  the  elder  son  of  Col.  Weaver,  mar- 
ried Miss  Blanche  Holmes,  daughter  of  Robert 
F.  and  Bethsheba  Holmes,  and  they  have  two 
sons:  Ralph  and  Max.  James  H.,  the  younger 
son  of  Col.  Weaver,  married  Alice  M.  Wagner, 
daughter  of  John  M.  Wagner,  of  Boggs  town- 
ship, and  they  have  seven  children:  J.  Fred  Wea- 
ver, Stella,  Nellie,  Edith,  Clarence,  Mary  Mar- 
garet and  Paul,  all  yet  living  except  Mary 
Margaret,  who  died  October  27,   1897. 


SAMUEL  11  WILLIAMS,  one  of  Bellefonte's 
)  able  and  enterprising  merchants,  is  a  man 
who-,  history  bears  witness  to  a  high  ideal  of 
citizenship.  A  gallant  soldier,  a  successful  busi- 
ness man,  a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, his  example  is  worthy  of  emulation. 

On  his  father's  side,  ("apt.  Williams  descended 
from  an  old  Dutch  family  that  lived  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.  His  ancestors,  however,  had  re- 
sided farther  east  prior  to  their  location  in  this 
State.  David  F.  Williams,  his  grandfather,  a 
hatter  by  trade,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county, 
and  married  Miss  Lydia  Scott,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Chester  county.  He 
passed  the  last  years  of  his  life  with  a  daughter, 
Elizabeth,  who  had  married  James  Canon  and 
lived  at  Port  Matilda,  in  Centre  county.  Of  his 
other  children:  one  son  was  killed  in  the  Mexi<  in 
war;  Thomas  F.  died  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.; 
and  John  F.  became  the  father  of  our  subject 
The  latter  was  a  native  of  Chester  county,  and 
he,  too,  made  choice  of  the  hatter's  trade,  and 
located  .it  Downingtown,  in  that  county.  He 
married  Eliza  Bunting,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Bunting,  who  came  from  the  North  of  Ireland 
with  his  wife  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  Muddy 
run  in  Chester  county,  which  is  still  in  the  pi 

ion  of  the  Bunting   family.      Of  the  six  chil- 
dren   of   John    F.  and    wife,  our   subject  was  the 
eldest,   the  others  being:     Morgan  R..  who  en 
I  the  army    from    Chester    county,  serving  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


97 


the  106th  P.  V.  I.,  and  died  from   the  effects  of 
wounds   received    in    the    battle  of    Fair    Oaks 
David,  who  died  from  inflammatory  rheumatism 
Horatio,  now  engaged   in  business  in  California 
and  John  and   Annie,  both    of   whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Capt.  Williams  is  a  native  of  Chester  county, 
where    his  birth  occurred  March  19,    1839.      At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  his  early  home  to  learn 
the  trade   of  house   painting   with   his   uncle  by 
marriage,     a     resident    of    Stormstown,     Centre 
county.      His    apprenticeship   was  barely  ended 
when  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and  he  was  among 
the  first  to  answer  President  Lincoln's  call  for  de- 
fenders, enlisting  April  19,  1861,  in  Company  H, 
7th  P.  V.  I.      In  August  of  that  year  he  returned 
home,  his  term  having  expired;  but  in  February, 
1862,  he  re-enlisted  in  Company  H,  56th  P.  V.' 
I.,  and   served   until    hostilities   ended,  receiving 
his  discharge  July  1,   1865.      His   regiment    was 
incorporated  in  the  Army   of  the  Potomac  at  its 
organization,  and  his  entire  service  was  in  con- 
nection with  it,  and  ended  only  with  its  disband- 
ment.    Capt.  Williams  was  a  gallant  soldier,  and 
his  military  record  is  a  highly  honorable    one, 
and   is  one   to  which   his   children   and   his  chil- 
dren's children  can  refer  to  with  pride.      Enlist- 
ing as  a  private  soldier,  he  rose  step  by  step  until 
he  became  captain.      For  a  time  he  served  as  a 
musician;  became  a  sergeant,  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant  of  Company  H,  56th  P    V    I  • 
was  breveted  first  lieutenant  and   commissioned 
October,    1864;   was   breveted  captain   of   Com- 
pany I,  same  regiment,  and  commissioned  in  Feb- 
ruary,  1865.      He  shared  the  fate  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  par- 
ticipating   in   the   numerous   skirmishes   and   en- 
gagements of  the  regiment,  among  which   were- 
Ga.nsville,    Groveton,    Second   Bull   Run,  South 
Mountain,    Antietam,    Fredericksburg,    Chancel- 
lorsville,  Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness,  Cold  Har- 
bor, in  front  of  Petersburg,  Hatcher's  Run,  Yel- 
low  House  and    Five  Forks.      The  Captain   re- 
enlisted  in  1864  as  a  veteran. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Capt.  Williams  lo- 
cated at  Ph.lipsburg,  in  Centre  county,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  until  1868,  when  he  moved  to 
Bellefonte,  which  borough  has  since  been  his 
place  of  business  and  home.  He  has  for  years 
been  engaged  in  business  in  the  line  of  paints 
oils,  wall  paper,  picture  frames,  etc.  He  is 
active  and  influential  in  business  circles  and  es- 
pecially   interested    and    prominent    in    military 

r \„£°r  the   paSt    fifteen  years-  or    >onger, 
Capt  Williams  has  been  identified   with   the    N 
G.     P.;    m    1880    and     1881     he    was    on    Gen 
Beaver's  staff;  and   for    several   years    following 


this  he  was  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Wylie  as  brigade 
commissary  sergeant  of  the  2nd  Brigade  of  the 
N.  G.  P.  He  served  eight  years  as  quartermas- 
ter of  the  5th  Regiment  N.  G.  P.,  commanded 
by  Col.  Birchfield,  his  term  expiring  February 
28,  1897.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
for  five  years  he  served  as  a  school  director,  and 
six  years  as  a  member  of  the  borough  council. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M. ;  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  Post  at  Bellefonte,  of  which  he  is 
past  commander;  also  past  colonel  of  Camn  So 
U.  V.  L. 

On    November    1,     1865,    Mr.  Williams    was 
married    to    Miss    Sarah    McMillen,    a  native    of 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  and  to  this  marriage 
were  born  four  children,  namely:      Horatio  C.  Ta 
painter  by  trade,  who  married  Miss  Delia  Osmer; 
John     H.,    also    a    painter,    who     married    Miss 
Myrtle  Bullock;  Ella,  the  wife  of  A.  Lincoln  Mc- 
Ginley,  and  has   two  children— Sarah   and  Mar- 
gery; and  Willis  Edgar,  at  home.      Mrs.  Williams 
died    in    1880,  and   in     1880    Mr.    Williams    was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  E.  Hamilton, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Marilla,  born  at  Belle- 
fonte on  December  4,   1883,  and   now  one  of  the 
bright  girls  of  the  Bellefonte  High  School.      The 
mother,  Mrs.  Laura   E.  Williams,  a  daughter  of 
the  venerable  James  Hamilton  and  wife,  of  Belle- 
fonte, a  record  of  whose  lives  is  given  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  was   born  on  the  old    Hamilton 
homestead  near  Pleasant  Gap,  in  Centre  county, 
where  she  received  the   benefit  of   the  neighbor- 
hood schools,  but  later  was  sent  to  the  boarding 
school  at  Jacksonville,  where   her   education  was 
completed.      Mrs.  Williams  has  been  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  from  girlhood,  and  is  active 
in  the   Ladies  Auxiliary   society  of  the    Church. 
She  is  an  estimable  lady. 


JOHN  IRVIN  THOMPSON,  Jr.,  M.  S.  A.,  the 
able  and  efficient  bookkeeper  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  is  also  well  known  in 
that  section  as  a  progressive  agriculturist  and  a 
reliable  and  substantial  business  man.  He  was 
born  October  n,  1843,  at  Centre  Furnace,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  is  a  son  of  Moses  and  Mary 
(Irvin)  Thompson. 

The  early  years  of  our  subject  were  spent  at 
his  native  place,  and  in  1859,  having  progressed 
beyond  the  somewhat  limited  course  offered  in 
the  local  schools,  he  entered  The  Farmer's  High 
School  for  a  wider  range  of  study.  His  course, 
however,  was  interrupted  early  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  by  his  enlistment  in  the  Pennsylvania 
State   Militia;  but,    after  a  few   weeks  of  guard 


98 


VOJIAT1VS  i:iin;i:.\l'IIir.\[.   RECORD. 


duty  at  Chambersburg,  he  returned  to  his  bunks. 
In  [863  another  call  to  arm-  mel  his  response, 
and  he  spent  two  months  in  service  in  Somerset 
and  Bedford  enmities.  He  should  have  gradua- 
ted with  the  class  of  '62,  but  owing  to  these 
hindrances  he  did  not  receive  his  diploma  until 
the  following  year.  From  1864  to  1869  he  was 
engaged  in  bookkeeping  at  the  Milesburg  Iron 
\\  orks  anil  at  Centre  Furnace,  and  then  he  and 
Ins  father  and  brother  William  formed  the  firm 
of  John  I  Thompson  &  Co.,  and  opened  a  bank 
at  Lemont.      For  a  time  it  was  si  ul,  but,  a 

panic  threatening,  the  linn  decided  to  return  all 
deposits  and  close  up  the  business.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son next  became  interested  in  the  coal  and  grain 
business  at  Lemont,  and  continued  in  the  busi- 
ness until  1S90,  since  which  time  he  has  rilled 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  at  the  Pennsylvania 
State  College,  and  has  also  kept  the  accounts  of 
the  Experiment  Station  there. 

1  )n  October  12.  1870,  Mr.  Thompson  was 
united  in  matrimony  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Boal, 
who  was  born  at  Boalsburg,  January^.  1846. 
Five  exceptionally  bright  and  intelligent  children 
are  entering  upon  useful  and  honorable  careers 
under  the  watchful  care  of  their  parents:  Mary 
Irvin  is  a  student  in  the  Woman's  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Philadelphia;  Helen  assists  her  father  in 
the  office;  George  Boal  is  attending  dental  col- 
lege in  Philadelphia;  Bess  B.  is  a  member  of  the 
class  of  '97  at  siate  College;  and  Charles  is  also 
a  student  at  State  College.  Mr.  Thompson  has 
a  pleasant  home  at  Lemont,  is  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  that  place,  and  takes  a 
generous  interest  in  all  enterprises  that  promise 
to  result  in  good  to  the  community.  He  is  an 
ardent  friend  of  temperance,  and  votes  the  Pro- 
hibition tick'  • 

The  Thompson  family  is  of  Scotch-Irishstock, 
and  our  subject  is  of  the  fifth  generation  in  de- 
scent from  the  original  emigrant  who  crossed  the 
ocean  about  1745.  Gen.  John  Thompson,  our 
subject's  grandfather,  married  Elizabeth  McFar- 
lane,  whose  grandfather,  Matthew  Louden,  a 
Covenanter,  was  driven  from  his  home  in  Scot- 
land by  the  religious  persecutions  of  his  day. 
Elizabeth  McFarlane  was  the  daughter  of  James 
McFarlane,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Continental  army, 
who  was  ait. 1.  Ind  to  Gen  Morgan's  brigade,  and 
who  was  raptured  by  the  British  at  Fori  Green 
in  the  Hudson  river  above  New  York  City,  re- 
maining a  prisoner  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
after  which  he  married  Mai\  Louden.  Gen. 
Thompson's  wife  moved  from  Mifflin  county, 
Penn..  in  1809,  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in  what 
is  now  College  township  (then  Ferguson,  and, 
later,  a  part  of  Harris  township         In   1814  den. 


Thompson  built  a  substantial  stone  house  near 
the  log  cabin  in  which  he  had  first  made  his 
home. 

Moses  Thompson,  the  second  son  of  this  wor- 
thy pioneer  couple,  was  born  March  25,  1810, 
and  his  reminiscences  cover  an  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  early  history.  Young  as  he  was  at 
the  time,  yet  he  remembered  the  excitement 
caused  by  the  soldiers  of  the  war  of  18 12,  the 
troops  passing  his  father's  house  in  going  to  or 
returning  from  Frie  by  way  of  Bellefonte.  His 
mother,  a  devout  woman  of  lovely  character,  in- 
structed him  in  the  faith  of  her  forefathers  until 
her  death,  which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1822, 
when  he  was  twelve  years  old.  The  educational 
advantages  offered  by  the  subscription  schools  of 
that  lime  and  locality  were  meager,  as  the  funds 
available  were  not  sufficient  to  secure  competent 
teachers,  and  men  who  had  failed  in  every  other 
line  of  work,  or  who  through  age  or  ill  health 
were  fit  for  nothing  else,  were  usually  employed, 
and  Mr.  Thompson  fared  no  better  than  other 
farmers' sons.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  or  twenty 
he  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the  farm,  thus 
relieving  his  father  from  care,  and  one  of  his  first 
acts  was  to  banish  liquor  from  the  place,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  it  was  universally 
used,  especially  in  harvest  time.  After  his 
father's  death,  in  1832,  the  care  of  the  fannlv 
devolved  upon  him,  and  this  heavy  burden  on 
him  while  yei  a  youth  so  aged  him  that  he  was 
at  that  time  considered  by  all  his  acquaintances 
as  an  "old  man."  He  managed  the  farm  with 
economy,  energy  and  industry,  until  1839,  when 
he  left  it  to  his  brothers. 

Mary  Irvin,  to  whom  he  was  married,  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Ann  (Watson)  Irvin.  of 
Harris  township,  Centre  county.  For  a  vear 
they  lived  at  the  old  homestead,  but  on  April  1, 
[839,  they  moved  to  a  farm  which  he  had  pur- 
chased a  short  time  before.  It  lies  near  Oak 
Hall  factory,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of 
Dr.  E.  W.  Hale  During  this  three-year  resi- 
dence and  ownership,  he  made  many  improve- 
ments, and  Ins  industry  ami  economy  were  re- 
warded by  a  profit  of  $500  per  year.  On  April 
1,  [842,  he  removed  to  Centre  Furnace,  having 
purchased  from  Gen.  fames  Irvin,  his  brother-in- 
law,  a  sixth  interest  in  Centre  Furnace  and  Miles- 
bur^  Iron  Works.  In  1848,  in  company  with 
his  brother,  William  Thompson,  he  purchased  of 
William  Irvin  a  sixth  interest  in  the  same  works, 
but,  later,  Moses  Thompson  bought  his  brother's 
interest,  thus  becoming  owner  of  one-third  of 
both  properties.  In  August,  1864,  he  bought 
one-half  of  Gen  Irvin's  interest,  the  other  half 
having    been    taken    by    Dr.  J     M.     McCoy    and 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


99 


James  H.  Linn.  On  September  23,  1865,  he 
sold  his  half  interest  in  the  Mileftburg  Iron  Works 
to  Messrs.  McCoy  and  Linn,  and  bought  their  in- 
terest in  Centre  Furnace,  becoming  the  sole 
owner.  His  real-estate  transactions  were  a 
source  of  profit,  and  at  his  death  he  was  the 
largest  land  owner  of  Centre  county,  one  of  his 
estates  comprising  6,000  acres  in  one  tract. 

Many  enterprises  have  felt  the  influence  of 
his  energetic  support.  He,  with  his  partners, 
Gen.  James  Irvin  and  Hon.  Andrew  Gregg,  sub- 
scribed a  large  part  of  the  stock  of  the  Bald 
Eagle  Valley  canal.  He  also  contributed  liber- 
ally to  the  building  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley 
railroad,  and  gave  more  than  any  one  else  of 
money,  time  and  oversight  to  the  construction 
of  the  Boalsburg  and  Bellefonte  turnpike  and 
the  Agricultural  College  and  Junction  turnpike. 
He  was  one  of  the  largest  (if  not  the  largest) 
contributors  in  the  county  to  the  Lewisburg,  Cen- 
tre &  Spruce  Creek  railroad,  and  assisted  greatly 
in  establishing  upon  an  efficient  basis  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  of  which  he  was  treasurer 
for  many  years. 

The  influence  of  his  mother's  moral  teachings 
was  never  lost,  and  at  an  early  age  he  united 
with  the  Spring  Creek  Presbyterian  Church,  in 
which  he  long  held  the  office  of  ruling  elder.  He 
never  permitted  his  name  to  appear  as  a  candi- 
date for  public  office,  although  as  a  private  citi- 
zen he  took  keen  interest  in  the  country's  welfare. 

Despite  the  anxieties  of  his  life,  and  his  un- 
remitting devotion  to  business,  he  lived  past  the 
allotted  term  of  man.  He  was  possessed  of 
splendid  physique,  stood  six  feet  high,  straight  as 
an  arrow,  and  weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds. 
Eminently  successful  in  all  his  undertakings,  he 
was  one  of  Centre  county's  representative  self- 
made  men.  He  began  life  with  only  a  seventh 
interest  in  his  father's  farm,  and  the  courage,  en- 
terprise and  judgment  which  enabled  him  to  gain 
his  fortune  teach  an  encouraging  lesson.  His 
endurance,  foresight  and  business  tact  were  tested 
to  the  utmost  during  the  panic  of  1857,  when 
only  the  closest  attention  to  his  imperiled  inter- 
ests saved  them  from  failure.  He  died  June  19, 
1 89 1,  aged  eighty-one  years,  two  months  and 
twenty-five  days.      His  wife  died  August  22,  1890. 

In  his  old  age  Moses  Thompson  had  the  su- 
preme satisfaction  of  seeing  his  children  settled 
near  the  old  home,  all  occupying  honorable  posi- 
tions in  life.  He  had  eight  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Of  the  others  all  are  living  ex- 
cept Sarah  Irvin,  who  was  married  to  Dr.  Theo- 
dore S.  Christ;  those  surviving  their  father  being: 
Elizabeth  McFarlane,  wife  of  John  Hamilton,  of 
State  College;  John  Irvin,  of  this  sketch;   Will- 


iam, who  married  Anna  Elliott,  of  Lewisburg; 
James  Irvin,  who  married  Jeanie  Shaw,  of  Clear- 
field;  and  Annie,  who  is  not  married. 


MARRISON   KLINE,  the  efficient  and  popu- 
lar  treasurer  of  Centre  county,  is  a  native 

of  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  born  May  12,  1841,  a 
son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Fetterolf)  Kline, 
who  brought  their  family  to  Centre  county  in 
1851,  locating  first  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  are 
still  honored  residents  of  College  township,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Both 
are  of  German  lineage,  and  are  prominent  and 
highly  respected  people.  The  mother  is  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  Fetterolf,  of  Snyder  county, 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  also  owning  and  operat- 
ing a  farm. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of  our 
subject,  of  whom  one  son  and  one  daughter  died 
in  infancy.  The  others  are  as  follows:  Harrison 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Robert,  a  minister 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  now  located  in  Allen- 
town,  Lehigh  Co.,  Penn.,  married  Anna  Erdman 
and  has  four  children;  Margaret  is  the  wife  of 
William  Ishler,  ex-sheriff  of  Centre  county,  by 
whom  she  had  nine  children,  three  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  and  they  now  reside  in  Bellefonte; 
John,  an  attorney  of  that  city,  married  Kate 
Olwine,  whose  father  was  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Centre  county,  and  they  have  two  children; 
William  married  Adaline  Myer,  of  Boalsburg, 
Centre  county,  died  in  1890,  leaving  a  wife  and 
four  children,  and  was  buried  in  Shiloh  cem- 
etery; Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Meese,  a  car- 
penter of  Benner  township,  Centre  county,  and 
they  had  ten  children;  Wesley,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Centre  county,  married  a  Miss  Boal, 
of  Centre  Hall,  and  died  several  years  ago,  and 
Alice  lives  with  her  parents  in  College  township. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject  were 
passed  upon  the  home  farm,  where  he  assisted 
his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  fields,  attending 
at  the  same  time  the  public  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, where  he  acquired  a  good  practical  ed- 
ucation which  would  fit  him  for  the  responsible 
duties  of  life.  As  his  vocation  he  chose  agricult- 
ure, and  has  become  one  of  the  most  prosperous, 
energetic  and  progressive  farmers  of  Spring  town- 
ship. On  November  12,  1863,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Annetta  Gentzel,  who  died  in  1869,  leav- 
ing four  children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Elmer  Showers,  an  engineer  living  in  Buffalo,  N. 
Y. ;  D.  M.,  a  farmer  of  Spring  township,  Centre 
county,  who  married  Alka  Keller,  and  has  one 
child;  Henry,  a  miner,  having  charge  of  the  men 
at  Washau  Banks,  in  Spring  township,  who  mar- 


100 


COMMEMORATIVE!  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ried  Bertha  Miller,  and  has  three  children,  and 
Robert,  a  resident  of  Bellefonte.  who  married 
Margaret  Swartz,  and  has  one  child.  Mr.  Kline 
was  again  married  April  7,  1872,  this  time  to 
Miss  Sarah  C.ephart,  of  Zion,  ami  to  them  were 
born  two  children:  Anna  C. ,  at  home  with  her 
parents,  and  Orian,  who  is  attending  school  in 
Bellefonte. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kline  is  a  steadfast  adherent 
of  the  principles  formulated  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  on  November  3,  1896,  he  was  elected 
on  that  ticket)  treasurer  of  Centre  county  by  the 
handsome  majority  of  326  votes.  Methodical 
and  systematic  in  business,  he  will  undoubtedly 
prove  a  most  capable  official,  and  serve  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 
constituents.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
life  work,  and  being  endowed  with  many  virtues 
and  a  genial,  hospitable  riiannet,  he  receives  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  entire  community 
He  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  PZvangelical 
Church,  and  is  an  active  and  prominent  member 
of  the  Grange,  at  present  serving  as  steward  of 
that  organization,  also  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  at 
Bellefonte,  being  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
the  lodge  there. 


BAN  KIN  FAMILY  1  111  1  ot  (  entre  county,  of 
which  William  B,  Rankin,  of  Bellefonte,  is 
a  worthy  and  respected  representative,  is  of  old 
Pennsylvania  stock.  The  first  of  the  line  to  set- 
tle in  Centre  county  was  William  Rankin,  the 
grandfather  of  the  gentleman  named,  and  a  na- 
tive of  Franklin  county,  Penn.,  born  November 
5,  1770.  He  took  a  prominent  place  among  the 
pioneers  of  this  section,  and  was  the  second 
sheriff  of  Centre  county,  and  from  1806  to  1S10 
a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  His  resi- 
dence was  in  Spruce  Creek  Valley,  where  he 
died  November  29,  1847,  :it  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years,  By  his  first  wife,  a  Miss  Maginley, 
In-  had  eight  children:  in  William  M.  and  (2) 
James  Munsey  were  prominent  physicians,  the 
former  of  Shippensburg,  Penn.,  and  the  latter  of 
Muncy,  Penn.;  (3)  Joseph  Alexander  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below;  (4;  Abigail  married 
Ephraim  Bailey,  and  now  resides  in  Kossuth, 
Iowa;  (5)  Adam,  deceased,  was  a  farmer  at 
Stormstown,  Penn.;  two  daughters,  Mary  and 
Elizabeth,  died  unmarried.  By  a  second  mar- 
riage   (the   last    time,  with    Miss   Huston,  there 

was  one  daughter,    Susannah,   who    died    m    early 
womanhood. 

Tin-  late  Joseph  Alexander  Rankin,  father  of 
William  B.  Rankin,  was  reared  upon  a  farm  in 
Penn's  Valley,  at  (  entre  Hill,  near  Potters  Mills, 


the  district  schools  of  the  vicinity  furnishing  the 
usual  educational  opportunities,-  of  which  he 
made  the  utmost,  preparing  himself  for  teaching. 
He  followed  this  occupation  until  1850  when, 
his  approaching  marriage  causing  him  to  seek 
more  remunerative  work,  he  engaged  in  the  in- 
surance business.  On  April  17,  1851,  he  was 
united  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Blair,  a 
native  of  Penn's  Valley,  born  October  23,  1824, 
and  six  children  blessed  this  union:  (1)  Abigail 
(deceased),  who  married  Charles  F.  Cook,  and 
had  five  children — Annie  M.,  William  H..  Nettie 
J.,  Joseph  R.  and  Abbie;  (2)  William  B.,  of  this 
sketch;  ( 3)  Sarah  C,  who  died  in  the  spring  of 
1896,  in  her  fortieth  year;  (4)  Annie  M.,  who 
died  in  1882  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years;  (5) 
Caroline  E. ,  who  resides  in  Clearfield  county;  and 
(6)  John,  who  died  Nov.  14,  1893,  in  his  thirty- 
first  year.  After  his  marriage  Joseph  A.  Rankin 
made  his  home  for  twelve  years  in  Spruce  Creek 
Valley  near  the  line  between  Centre  and  Hunt- 
ingdon counties,  but  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  Bellefonte.  He  made  a  specialty 
of  fire  insurance,  and  built  up  a  large  business 
which  he  continued  until  five  years  before  his 
death.  In  political  faith  he  was  first  a  Whij; 
and  later  a  Republican,  and  he  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  which 
the  family  had  been  identified  many  years,  his 
father  having  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  society 
at  Spruce  Creek.  Joseph  Rankin  died  February 
15,  [888,  but  Mrs.  Rankin,  who  is  a  lady  of  fine 
intelligence,  is  still  living  and  enjoying  excellent 
health  for  one  of  her 

William  B.  Rankin  was  born  January  3,  1854, 
and  as  a  boy  was  given  the  advantage  of  the 
public  schools  of  Bellefonte,  his  course  there 
being  supplemented  by  an  attendance  at  the 
Bellefonte  Academy  His  first  employment  was 
as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  but  the  growth  of  Ins 
father's  business  caused  him  to  be  called  to  assist 
in  that,  and  on  the  retirement  of  the  father,  in 
[883,  William  B.  Rankin  purchased  the  entile 
interest,  and  has  since  carried  on  the  enterprise 
as  sole  proprietor.  Fire  insurance  is  still  the 
chief  line,  and  the  business  extends  throughout 
(entre  county,  Mr.  Rankin's  high  character  and 
sound  judgment  having  gained  the  confidence  of 
the  general  public.  He  represents  twelve  fire 
insurance  companies,  one  life  and  one  accident 
company,  He  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since 
[878,  an.l  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  Subordi- 
nate and  Encampment,  and  has  been  district 
deputy  grand  master  two  terms.  He  is  secretary 
ot  the  school  board,  of  which  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber for  fifteen  years.  He  was  auditor  of  Belle- 
fonte for  three  years.      Politically,    he   gives   his 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


101 


influence  to  the  support  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  wife,  formerly  Miss  Adelaide  Bailey,  was 
born  March  27,  1854,  in  Wellsboro,  Tioga  Co., 
Penn.  Both  take  great  interest  in  all  that  con- 
cerns the  welfare  of  the  community.  They 
have  six  children:  Lillie  B.,  Elsie  M.,  Walter 
B.,  John  A.,  Adelaide  and  Mary. 

The  Blair  family,  of  which  Mr.  Rankin's 
mother  is  a  member,  is  of  Irish  origin,  her  grand- 
father, William  Blair,  having  come  from  County 
Antrim,  Ireland,  to  settle  in  New  Jersey,  where 
he  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  His  son 
Samuel  (Mrs.  Rankin's  father)  was  a  native  of 
that  State,  but  left  in  early  manhood  and  lo- 
cated for  a  time  in  Pennsylvania.  Later  he  re- 
sided for  twenty  years  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
and  then  spent  one  year  in  Illinois;  but  after  this 
opportunity  for  observation  he  wisely  chose  to 
pass  his  remaining  years  in  this  section.  He 
settled  at  Milesburg,  Centre  county,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  Spruce  Creek  Valley.  By  oc- 
cupation he  was  a  chainmaker  and  wheelwright, 
and  held  various  political  offices  in  his  township, 
and,  in  Ohio,  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
for  some  time.  He  married  Margaret  Eakin,  a 
native  of  Penn's  Valley,  and  had  five  children, 
Mrs.  Rankin  being  the  first  in  order  of  birth;  (2) 
Eleanor  married  Miles  Read,  of  Clearfield  county ; 
(3)  Sarah  J.  is  not  married;  (4)  Catherine  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty;  and  (5)  William  J.  lived 
onlv  fifteen  months. 


JC.  HARPER,  an  able  and  successful  attorney 
of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  was  elected  in 
November,  1896,  to  the  office  of  County  Re- 
corder. As  his  abilities  have  already  been  thor- 
oughly tested  in  public  office  as  Prothonotary, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  his  administration  in  his 
new  position  will  be  acceptable  to  the  people. 

Mr.  Harper  is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  and 
was  born  November  1,  1854,  upon  a  farm  in  Miles 
township,  where  his  family  has  been  well-known 
for  many  years.  His  grandfather,  George  Har- 
per, came  from  the  lower  tier  of  counties  to  make 
his  permanent  home  in  that  township,  where  his 
death  occurred.  Our  subject's  grandmother  died 
some  years  later  at  Centre  Hall,  at  the  age  of 
ninety.  John  Harper,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  and  al- 
ways resided  there,  following  agriculture  as  an 
occupation,  and  exerting  a  quiet  influence  as  an 
upright  citizen  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
German  Reformed  Church.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  About  ten  years  ago,  at  the  age  of 
sixty,  his  earthly  career  closed;  his  widow,  whose 


maiden  name  was  Jane  Magee,  is  still  living  at 
Centre  Hall.  Her  parents  came  from  Ireland 
before  her  birth,  which  occurred  in  Union  county, 
and  after  a  short  residence  in  Buffalo  Valley  they 
settled  in  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  their 
last  days  being  spent  in  Miles  township.  Our 
subject  was  the  second  of  three  children:  (1) 
Maggie  (deceased)  married  G.  W.  Stover,  Jr.; 
(3)  Emma  married  George  Emerick,  and  resides 
in  Centre  Hall. 

During  Mr.  Harper's  early  life  he  enjoyed  the 
benefits  of  farm  life,  but  was  given  the  advan- 
tage of  study  at  the  normal  schools  at  Centre 
Hall  and  Rebersburg  in  addition  to  the  usual  dis- 
trict-school course.  In  1872  he  began  teaching 
school,  and  continued  for  sometime,  his  summers 
being  spent  in  other  work  and  in  attending 
school.  In  1876  he  was  appointed  Deputy 
Prothonotary,  and  after  proving  his  capacity  by 
about  three  years  of  service  in  that  position  he 
was  (in  1878)  elected  Prothonotary,  taking  his 
seat  in  1 879.  He  was  re-elected  in  1 88 1  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  close  of  his  term  began  to  read 
law.  Since  his  admission  to  the  Bar  he  has  been 
in  active  practice,  meeting  with  gratifying  suc- 
cess, and  he  has  now  been  chosen  to  the  office 
of  Recorder,  as  stated.  He  is  a  man  well  calcu- 
lated to  gain  and  retain  public  confidence  and 
esteem,  and  as  a  worker  in  the  Democratic  party, 
and  as  a  citizen,  he  wields  wide  influence. 

On  September  16,  1879,  Mr.  Harper  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  Graham,  who 
was  born  in  Bellefonte,  October  2,  1854.  Their 
pleasant  home  is  gladdened  by  three  children, 
Clarence,  Helen  and  Arthur. 


C\APTAIN  AUSTIN  B.  SNYDER,  whose 
_J  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Bellefonte  on 
February  6,  1892,  held  an  honor  and  distinction 
that  few  of  his  fellow  townsmen  shared  in,  that 
of  a  patriot  of  two  wars — the  war  with  Mexico 
and  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

As  the  name  indicates,  Capt.  Snyder  was  of 
German  lineage  on  his  father's  side,  and  de- 
scended from  Gov.  Simon  Snyder.  He  was  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Allen)  Snyder,  industri- 
ous and  frugal  people,  who  lived  at  the  time  of 
their  son's  birth  (October  3,  1824),  in  a  stone 
house  then  standing  on  the  site  of  Gerberich, 
Hale  &  Co. 's  mill,  at  the  foot  of  Race  street  in 
Bellefonte.  Jacob  Snyder  was  a  millwright  and 
also  a  miller,  and  had  followed  these  occupa- 
tions in  Bellefonte  and  elsewhere  in  Centre 
county.  The  Aliens  were  of  Irish  extraction. 
The  children  of  this  couple    were:      Austin    B., 


102 


COMMK  VORA  Tl  VI    BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Ellis  and  Latimar,  all  now  dead.  The  mother 
of  these  dying,  Mr.  Snyder  then  married  l.liza 
Gray,  of  Half  Moon  township. 

When  our  subject  was  but  thirteen  years  of 
age,  his  father  died,  and  he  was  thrown  on  his 
own  resources,  and  at  nineteen  he  enlisted  in 
the  United  States  army,  served  with  distinguished 
honor  through  the  Mexican  war.  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  scale  the  wall  at  Chepultepec. 
He  returned  with  a  lieutenant's  straps.  Learn- 
ing the  tailor's  trade  with  Charles  Calathan  at 
Bellefonte,  he  followed  that  occupation  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  The 
echo  of  the  guns  at  Fort  Sumter  had  hardly  dud 
away  before  the  veteran  of  tin-  Mexican  war  had 
recruited  the  Eagle  Guards,  and  asCapt.  Snyder 
he  was  mustered,  with  his  command,  into  the 
4th  Regiment  under  Col.  Hartranft,  April  19, 
[861,  as  Company  H,  of  that  regiment.  The 
regiment  was  assigned  t<>  the  First  Brigade, 
Thud  Division,  of  Gen.  McDowell's  army,  and 
during  their  three-months'  term  of  service  were 
at  Perryvillle  (Md.),  Annapolis.  Washington 
City,  Alexandria  and  Centreville.  On  October 
1,  1861,  Capt.  Snyder  left  Bellefonte  in  com- 
mand of  the  McAllister  Rifles,  "Inch  was  mus- 
tered in,  October  17.  as  Company  G,  5  1st  P.  V. 
I.,  under  command  "I  Col.  Hartranft.  The  reg- 
iment was  assigned  in  the  corps  organization  to 
Brig. -Gen.  Reno,  and  formed  a  part  of  the  Burn- 
pedition  to  North  Carolina.  From  the 
very  outset  the  expedition  was  subjected  to  se- 
storms,  having  encountered  one  after  an- 
other from  the  time  of  setting  sail  in  January, 
1862.  and  were  at  the  merry  of  the  waves  and 
wind  for  nearly  two  weeks.  Their  first  en- 
counter with  the  enemy  was  at  Roanoke  Island, 
where  the  enemy's  entire  force  was  captured. 
Capt.  Snyder's  delicate  constitution  could  not 
withstand  the  exposure  incident  to  the  swamps 
and  at  so  trying  a  time  m  the  year,  hence  In- was 
compelled  to  resign  fi"in  the  service,  winch  he 
did  February  12,  1862.  In  September,  [862,  on 
the  call  of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  for 
50,000  militia,  several  companies  volunteered 
from    Centre    county,   and  wi  I    in    the 

23d  Regiment,  and  of  the  militia  concentra 
near  Hagerstown,  under  Gen.  John  F.  Reynolds, 
at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Antietam,  Col.  Sny- 
der served  on  the  staff  as  lieutenant-colonel. 
Again  on  the  call  of  the  President  for  men  in 
|une,  1863,  at  the  invasion  of  the  State  by  tun 
Lee's  army,    Capt.    Snyder 

C,  and  served  with  them  in  the   southern  part  of 
the  State  until  discharged  August  8,  of  thai  \ 
He  served  several  times  as  provost  marshal,    and 
alter  the  war  followed  his  trade  and   carried  on 


business  for  himself,  residing  in  Bellefonte.  For 
the  last  five  or  six  years  of  his  life,  owing  to  fail- 
ing health,  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  busi- 
A  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church;  an  honored  comrade  in  G.  A.  R.  Post 
No.  295,  a  beloved  and  loving  father  and  a  faith- 
ful husband,  he  has  gone  to  answer  "present" 
on  the  golden  shore  of  Eternity.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

On  October  27.  1858,  Capt.  Snyder  was  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Wolf,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
li  (/ones  Wolf,  natives,  the  former  of 
Boalsburg,  Penn.,  and  the  latter  of  Muncy, 
I'enn  ;  both  died  and  are  buried  at  Bellefonte. 
The  children  of  Capt.  Snyder  and  wife  are: 
Emma  married  Edward  Cook,  and  lives  at 
Jeannette,  Penn.;  Mary;  Isabella  T.  died  Sep-  1 
tember  18,  1885;  Ellis,  of  Dunkirk,  Ind.  ;  and 
George-,  of  New  Kensington,  Pennsylvania. 

Miss  Mary  Snyder  is  a  native  of  Bellefonte, 
and  received  her  education  in  its  schools.  She  is 
conducting  an  extensive  and  fashionable  millinery 
establishment,  in  the  display  of  which  is  evi- 
denced ability  and  taste.  She  is  popular  with 
the  masses,  and  her  business  efforts  are  being  re- 
warded  with  success.  Both  she  and  her  mother 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


HI  GH  S.  TAYLOR.  One  who  makes  trial 
ol  Ins  talents  in  the  profession  of  law  is 
ged  by  the  public  upon  his  individual  merits 
i  much  greater  degree  than  is  a  man  who 
chooses  a  business  career,  and  the  young  attor- 
ney whose  name  opens  this  sketch  may  well  be 
proud  of  the  estimate  which  the  people  of  Cen- 
tre county  and  of  his  native  citv  of  Bellefonte 
have  placed  upon  bis  abilities.  As  he  posse- 
an  abundant  fund  of  energy,  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  their  high  hopes  for  his  future 
will  be  fulfilled,  and  their  confidence  justified. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  horn  [anuary  12,  1868,  of 
tch-Irish  parentage,  and  his  home  has  always 
been  in  Bellefonte.  The  late  Hugh  Taylor,  his 
father,  a  native  of  County  Monaghan,  Ireland,  on 
arriving  in  America  at  the  age  of  twenty  years, 
settled  at  Bellefonte,  where  his  death  occurred. 
Our  subject's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Annie  Starr,  is  a  native  ol  Bellefonte,  horn  in 
1848,  and  is  still  living.  As  the  eldest  of  a 
famih  .'I  fourteen  children,  Mr.  Taylor  learned 
t'i  depend  upon  his  own  exertions,  and  the  value 
■  •I  thrift  was  "early  impressed  upon  him  by  the 
difficulties  experienced  in  gaining  a  livelihood  for 
himself,  and  securing  the  means  to  help  those 
who  looked  to  him  for  more  or  less  assistance. 
"When-  there's  a  will  there's  a  way,"  it  is  said. 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


103 


and  he  took  a  complete  course  in  the  Bellefonte 
High  School,  graduating  in  1886;  was  then  ap- 
pointed to  the  West  Point  Military  Academy  by 
Hon.  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  M.  C,  but  resigned, 
and  in  1 89 1  entered  the  Pennsylvania  State  Col- 
lege. His  legal  studies  were  carried  on  under 
the  supervision  of  Orvis,  Bower  &  Orvis,  and 
after  his  admission  to  the  Bar  in  1894  ne  re- 
mained with  them  a  year  and  a  half  before  start- 
ing in  practice  independently. 

Mr.  Taylor  has  gathered  around  him  many 
friends,  and  he  has  a  lucrative  business,  his  sound 
judgment  on  legal  principles  having  been  already 
demonstrated  in  his  professional  work.  As  an 
advocate  he  has  few  equals  of  his  age,  and  his 
oratorical  gifts  have  brought  him  into  prominence 
as  a  political  campaigner  for  the  Democratic  par- 
ty, of  which  he  is  a  devoted  supporter.  In  June, 
1896,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Executive  Committee  of  Centre  County, 
was  re-elected  County  Chairman  in  June.  1897; 
since  February,  1894,  he  has  held  the  office  of 
tax  collector  of  the  city  of  Bellefonte.  His 
abilities  have  a  wide  and  varied  scope,  as  he  is  a 
first-class  mechanical  engineer,  having  studied 
practical  engineering  and  drafting  at  Pennsylva- 
nia State  College,  and  at  present  he  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  Bellefonte  Steam  Heat  and  Gas 
Co. 's  works. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  Novembers,  1894, 
to  Kittie  L.  Bauer,  second  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Bauer,  a  merchant  of  Bellefonte,  and  they  have 
two  sons:      Hugh  and  Vincent  Nicholas. 

Socially  our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of 
G.  E. ,  and  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Centre  County 
Lodge  No.  1 56,  and  of  Logan  Fire  Company 
No.  1.  For  eleven  years  he  has  been  in  military 
service  in  Company  B,  5th  Penn.  National  Guards, 
and  now  is  captain  of  the  company. 


DjANIEL  C.  KELLER,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county,  the  well-known  proprietor  of  the 
"Hotel  Haag,"  formerly  known  as  the  "  Cum- 
mings  House,"  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  most 
prominent  pioneer  families. 

His  great-grandfather,  Elder  Jacob  Keller,  a 
native  of  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1  753, 
was  an  influential  worker  in  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
establishment  of  his  Church  in  Centre  county 
after  he  made  his  home  there.  He  was  a  patriot 
and  served  his  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
His  children  were:  Jacob,  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  born  February  21,  1779,  died  September 
12,  1835.  John,  born  January  27,  1781,  died 
November  15,  1871.      Elizabeth,  born  March  11, 


1785.  Margaret,  born  April  26,  1787.  Chris- 
tian, born  in  October,  1789.  Peter,  born  Janu- 
ary, 1 79 1.  Philip,  born  December,  1794.  Jacob 
Keller  (2),  our  subject's  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Lebanon  county,  coming  with  his  father  to  Cen- 
tre county,  and  settling  in  Potter  township,  at 
the  old  Red  Mill.  He  married  Elizabeth  Korn- 
man,  and  had  seven  children:  John,  born  in 
November,  1801,  died  in  Harris  township,  Centre 
county,  October  11,  1865.  Jacob  (3),  our  sub- 
ject's father,  of  whom  mention  is  made  farther  on. 
Catherine,  born  April  11,  1804,  married  John 
Stauffer,  who  died  January  15,  1898,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-four  years;  she  passed  from  earth  De- 
cember 31,  1897.  George,  born  May,  1806, 
died  September,  1865,  near  Ravenna,  Ohio. 
Elizabeth,  born  1808.  Henry,  born  February 
3,  181 1,  died  February  6,  1884.  David,  born 
January  25,  1818,  a  resident  of  Boalsburg.  Dan- 
iel, born  August  15,  1825,  who  lives  at  Warren, 
Ohio. 

Jacob  Keller  (3)  was  born  January  28,  1803, 
and  became  a  weaver  by  trade,  later  engaging  in 
agriculture.  He  was  married  December  15, 
1826,  to  Miss  Christina  Dinges,  a  native  of  Cen- 
tre county,  born  in  Penn  township  April  22, 
1807.  Their  union  was  broken  by  the  death  of 
the  husband  February  10  (or  March  ? ),  1848,  and 
she  did  not  long  survive  him,  her  death  occur- 
ring November  25,  1850.  Our  subject  is  now  the 
only  living  member  of  a  family  of  seven  children, 
the  names  with  dates  of  birth  and  death  of  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Samuel,  May  16,  1828 
— October  5,  1875,  a  farmer  in  Centre  county, 
and  married  to  Elizabeth  Wright;  Andrew,  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1831 — December  8,  1 88 1,  a  laborer, 
married  to  Sarah  Bubb;  Catherine,  March  16, 
1833 — December  28,  1890,  married  to  John 
Moyer,  of  Potter  township,  Centre  county;  Eliza- 
beth .February  11,  18 — ,  lived  only  twenty  days; 
Christina,  September  13,  1838 — August23,  1881, 
was  the  wife  of  Isaac  Gift;  Lydia,  July  6,  1845 — 
June  18,   1893. 

Daniel  C.  Keller  who  is  the  sixth  in  the  order 
of  birth,  was  born  July  18,  1841,  and  was  reared 
at  the  old  farm  in  Potter  township,  receiving  but 
meagre  educational  advantages.  He  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage,  December  23,  1862, 
to  Miss  Julia  A.  Stump,  who  was  born  in  Snyder 
county,  June  8,  1844.  Her  father,  William 
Stump,  is  now  living  in  Virginia;  her  mother  died 
in  1865.  For  three  years  following  his  marriage 
Mr.  Keller  conducted  a  hotel  at  Milroy,  Mifflin 
county,  and  he  spent  one  year  in  farming,  and  man- 
aging a  hotel  at  Centre  Hall.  He  then  became  in- 
terested in  dealing  in  implements,  and  in  the  cat- 
tle business,  and  remained  at   Centre   Hall   until 


[04 


OOMMEMOBATIVB  lilimUAl'IUCAL  HECORD. 


1881,  when  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  and 
moved  to  Hellefonte.  He  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office  January  i,  1882,  and  served 
three  years,  returning  to  Pottei  township  at  the 
close  of  his  term,  and  erecting  one  of  the  finest 
lences  in  that  section  Farming  and  dealing 
in  stock  occupied  his  time  while  there,  but  in 
[883  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  Turbotville, 
Northumberland  Co  .  Penn.,  to  take  charge  of 
the  "Union  Hotel,"  which  he  gave  up  later  for» 
his  present  business  at  Bellefonte.  Success  has 
attended  his  efforts  in  these  various  lines,  and  he 
is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens.  He  still  owns 
valuable  property  at  Centre  Hall,  and  during  Ins 
residence  there  he  for  several  years  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  In  political  faith 
In-  in  a    Democrat,  and    tl  genial   nature 

which  has  50  materially    aided  him  to   success   in 

the  hotel  business  has  given  him  great  influence 

in  local  affairs  Like  his  ancestors,  he  belongs 
to  the  Reformed  Chinch,  and  In-  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  having  been  one  of 
the  nine  charter  members  of  the  Old  Fort  I  .<  »d 

Mi  and  Mrs  Keller  have  had  four  children,  of 
whom  two  are  deceased:  Jacob  \\  . ,  who  was 
born    January    29,    1804,  died   January    12,   1 866, 

and  James  1).,  born  August  11,  1868,  died  Janu- 
ary 20,  1872;  those  living  are:  John  R. ,  born 
October  14,  1871,  and  Mary  A  ,  born  August  mi. 
1875.  both   at  home. 


QAMUlil.  T.  GRAY,  of  Patton  township,  one 
'O  of  the  substantial  and  prominent  citizens  of 
Centre  county,  descended  from  ancestors  who 
came  to  what  is  now  the  county,  upward  of  one 
hundred  years  ago  Peter  Gray  (I),  from  Fred- 
erick Co.,  Md.,  came  to  what  was  then  known  as 
the  Half  Moon  country  in  17SS,  and  was  assessed 
and  regarded  as  belonging  to  Franklin  township, 
Huntingdon  county.  Accompanying  the  Grays 
was  the  Hartsock  family  from  the  same  place, 
and  these  families  became  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Patton  township  of  which  there  is  any  record. 
From  this  Peter  Gray  has  descended  the  many 
families  of  Gray  in  this  section  of  Pennsylvania, 
a  number  of  whom  have  never  moved  very  far 
away  from  the  lands  he  first  occupied,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  these  families  are  found  occupying 
honorable  and  useful  stations  in  the  various  call- 
ings of  life. 

John  Gray,  one  of  the  sons  ol  Peter  Gray  (I), 
and  the  one  from  which  Samuel  T.  descended, 
was  born  in  1707  and  died  in  1848;  he  married 
Catherine,  a  daughter  of  Conrad  Hartsock,  the 
head  of  the  first  family  of  the  name  to  settle 
here;   she  died    in    1847.      Their    children   were: 


ibeth,  married  to  Jonas  Stine;  Catherine, 
married  to  Samuel  Stine;  John  (2),  married  to 
Mary  Mattern;  Samuel  P.,  married  to  Sarah 
Gray;    Barbara,    married    to     George     Mattern. 

th,  married  to  Franklin  Johnson;  Susanna, 
married  to  Robert  Blakely;  Hannah,  married  to 
David  McKinney;  Eve,  married  to  John  Cham- 
bers; Isaac,  married  to  Catherine  Mattern;  and 
Mary,    married    (first)   to   Thomas   Shivery,    and 

»nd  to  John  Mattern.  It  will  be  observed 
that  lour  of  these  children  married  Matterns, 
and  of  the  same  family,  so  that  their  children 
were  doubly  related.      The  children  of  John  (ir. i_\ 

1  iid  Mary  Mattern  were:  Samuel  T.  is  our 
subject;  Catherine  married  James  Love;  John  C. 
married  Rebecca  Lias;  Miles  D.  married  Anna 
Wilson,  and  died  in  1884;  Isaac  married  Sarah 
Liggett,  and  died  in  1889;  George  died  aged 
twenty-one  years;  Elizabeth  married  James  Ebbs 
(deceased);  Mary  married  George  Thompson  (de- 
ceased); Harriet  married  Capt.  William  C.  Dale, 
of  Harrisburg,  and  Margaret  married  A.  C. 
Hutchinson.  The  parents  of  these  children  died, 
the  father  in  1856,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year,  and 
the  mother  in  November,  1871,  in  her  seventy- 
third  year. 

Samuel  T.  Gray,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  bom  July  24,  1S24,  in  Patton  township, 
where  his  father  and  grandfather  before  him  had 
lived,  and  within  sight  of  his  present  home,  where 
he  has  resided  for  forty-five  years  past.  Like  the 
sons  of  the  general  farmer,  he  received  such  edu- 
cational privileges  as  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood afforded,  John  W.  Bowen  and  Reuben  H. 
Meek  being  among  his  early  teachers.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1852,  when 
he  came  to  his  present  farm  and  began  life  for 
himself.  This  farm  comprises  some  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  much  of  which  he  has  cleared 
and  improved  himself;  it  is  well  watered  and  lies 
beautifully;  on  it  are  large  and  commodious 
buildings,  both  barn  and  dwelling,  and  in  goodly 
shape,  presenting  an  inviting  appearance — indic- 
ative of  the  careful  and  tasteful  farmer  that  Mr. 
Gray  is.  The  barn  was  built  in  1855,  and  the 
house  in  1859.  Through  industry,  economy  and 
good  management,  Mr.  Cray  has  accumulated  a 
competency.  He  has  given  his  life  to  the  pur- 
suits of  an  agriculturist,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  and  substantial  and  influential 
men  of  Centre  county.  While  in  no  sense  an 
office-seeker,  he  has  for  years  served  the  people 
of  his  township  as  overseer  of  the  poor;  was  for 
a  number  1  if  years  justice  of  the  peace,  and  for 
six  years  served  as  auditor  of  Centre  county,  his 
teim  of  office  expiring  some  three  years  ago. 

Samuel  T.  Gray's  wife,  whose  death  occurred 


«  ♦ 


«» 


/ 


V 


^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


105 


June  25,  1893,  was  Harriet  Hutchison,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Benjamin  Hutchison,  of  Warrior's  Mark, 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  in  his  day  one  of  the 
most  prominent  men  of  that  section  of  the  State. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray  were  Emma, 
born  in  1853,  died  in  1870;  George  H.,  born  in 
1855,  died  in  1856;  Mary  R.,  born  in  1854,  died 
in  1859;  William  E.,  born  in  i860;  Annie  Her- 
man, born  in  1863,  died  in  1864;  Minnie  W., 
born  in  1865,  died  in  1892;  Nora;  Samuel  E. , 
born  in  1872,  died  in  1891.  In  an  obituary  no- 
tice of  Mrs.  Gray  it  was  stated  that: 

Within  the  last  two  years  death  has  entered  the  home 
three  times  and  broken  the  family  circle.  First  within  this 
limit,  Samuel  was  called;  then  Miss  Minnie,  a  bright  and 
charming  young  lady  who  had  hosts  of  warm  friends;  last, 
but  not  least,  was  the  dear  mother,  who  has  always  been  a 
true  and  faithful  friend  and  guardian  to  both  husband  and 
children,  who  will  never  forget  her  loving  kindness  and 
tender  mercy.  She  leaves  a  husband  and  three  children  to 
mourn  her  death:  W.  E.  Gray,  Esq.,  one  of  the  rising  your.g 
lawyers  in  Bellefonte,  and  Misses  Annie  and  Nora,  who  live 
at  home.  Samuel  Gray,  the  venerable  husband,  is  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  and  highly  respected  farmers  in  Centre 
county.  He  is  also  one  of  the  auditors  of  Centre  county,  and 
is  an  honest  and  upright  man.  Mrs.  Gray  was  a  Methodist, 
and  was  sincere  and  devoted  to  the  cause  of  Christianity. 
She  was  one  of  those  Christians  who  live  by  faith  and  not  by 
sight,  letting  her  "  light  so  shine  that  men  might  see  her  good 
works  and  glorify  her  Father  in  Heaven."  She  had  a  kind 
heart  and  was  always  trying  to  do  some  kindness. 

Mr.  Gray  has  for  many  years  been   identified 

with  the  M.  E.  Church,  having  served  as  trustee 

and  steward.      In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  as 

was  his  father  before  him. 


[ON.  WILLIAM  E.  GRAY,  who  has  just  re- 
tired from  the  office  of  Burgess  of  Belle- 
fonte, is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Centre 
County  Bar,  and  one  of  the  most  active  and 
popular  members  of  the  Republican  party  of  his 
locality.  A  deep  thinker  and  a  thorough  student, 
his  success  in  legal  lines  has  been  won  by  sound 
logic,  his  speeches  always  possessing  the  rhetori- 
cal graces  of  the  orator  that  he  is,  and  the  energy 
with  which  he  carries  out  any  project  marks  him 
a  leader  of  men. 

Born  June  14,  i860,  he  has  the  best  part  of 
his  life  yet  before  him,  and  his  friends  predict  for 
him,  with  reason,  a  brilliant  future.  He  is  the 
son  of  Samuel  T.  and  Harriet  N.  (Hutchison) 
Gray.  His  early  life  was  passed  at  the  old  farm 
in  Patton  township,  the  district  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  furnishing  him  educational  facilities 
until  at  eighteen  he  entered  the  preparatory  de- 
partment of  Pennsylvania  State  College,  where 
in  1883,  after  a  five-years'  course,  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  In  1882  he  took 
the  junior  oratorical  class  prize  at  the  contest  in 
oratory.  Subsequently  he  took  the  degree  of  M. 
S.      After  his  graduation   he   spent    two  years  in 


teaching  school,  the  summers  being  devoted  to 
the  study  of  law  with  Messrs.  Hastings  &  Reed- 
er.  He  then  entered  the  Law  School,  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  May,  1886,  graduated  from  that 
institution,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  At 
the  commencement  exercises  he  was  one  of  the 
four  orators  chosen,  and  the  only  one  from  Penn- 
sylvania. On  August  23rd,  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  his  native  county,  and 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  general 
practice.  In  1894,  he  was  elected  Burgess  of 
Bellefonte  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  in  Jan- 
uary, 1895,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Re- 
publican County  Committee,  to  which  position  he 
was  re-elected  in  August,  1895,  and  again  in 
June,  1896,  and  in  August,  1897,  he  was  again 
re-elected  Republican  County  Chairman,  his  pres- 
ent term  extending  until  January  1,  1899.  The 
following  extracts  from  the  press  evidence  his 
growth  as  a  young  attorney  and  citizen: 

W.  E.  Gray  is  an  orator  and  makes  an  eloquent  as  well 
as  argumentative  address  before  a  jury  or  audience.  He  is 
true  to  his  client  in  every  detail,  and  is  bound  to  succeed  in 
his  chosen  profession.  For  the  brief  practice  he  has  had,  Mr. 
Gray  has  built  up  a  reputation  far  better  and  more  promi- 
nent than  the  average  attorney  of  his  age  and  experi- 
ence. He  has  made  a  big  success  in  the  quarter  sessions, 
where  he  is  employed  more  frequently  than  any  young  at- 
torney at  the  Bar. 

Mr.  Gray  has  proven  himself  a  worthy  chieftain  of  the 
rapidly  advancing  Republican  ranks,  wide-awake,  cautious, 
quick  to  perceive,  and  ready  to  act,  combining  all  the  ele- 
ments of  a  first-class  leader  and   safe   counselor.      The  in- 


terests of  the  Republican  party  of  Centre  county  are  safe  in 

fair  fiel  " 
to  win. 


his  hands,  and  in   a 


leld  and  a  fair  fight  we  are  bound 


W.  E.  Gray  is  one  of  our  rising  young  lawyers,  and  is  a 
young  man  who  would  fill  the  office  with  dignity,  and  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  people.  A  Burgess  of  a  town  ought  to 
be  a  lawyer,  and  a  man  who  knows  how  to  dispense  law. 

The  next  office  of  importance  that  expires  this  year  is 
that  of  Burgess.  W.  E.  Gray,  Esq.,  has  acquitted  himself 
manfully  during  the  last  three  years  as  chief  magistrate  of 
the  borough,  and,  although  he  has  to  step  down  and  out,  he 
has  made  one  of  the  best  officers  that  we  have  had  for  years. 

On  October  2,  1889,  Mr.  Gray  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Green,  who  was  born 
at  Barre  Forge,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1862;  in  1874  she  removed  with  her 
father's  family  to  Patton  township.  Centre  county. 
She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  in  that 
locality  and  in  the  academy  at  Bellefonte.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  G.  Dorsey  and  Mary  Gregg 
Green.  One  son,  Samuel  Hutchison  Gray, 
born  September  3,  1893,  has  brightened  their 
pleasant  home. 


DvANIEL  GARMAN,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre 
_J  county,  proprietor  of  the  "Hotel  Garman" 
and  of  the  handsome  opera  house  in  the  same 
block,  has  been  for  many  years  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial business    men    of  that   charming    town. 


106 


-  OMMBJIORATIVE  BIOQRAPBICAL  RECORD. 


While  achieving  success  as  a  Boniface  he  has 
been  no  less  fortunate  in  other  lines,  and  notably 
so  as  the  owner  of  extensive  livery  barns  and  as 
a  dealer  in  horses.  Although  he  has  of  late 
delegated  the  active  work  to  Ins  SODS,  who  - 
to  have  inherited  his  capacity  for  business,  he 
has  by  ii"  means  lost  his  influence  and  prestige 
in  financial  circl' 

Daniel  Garman  is  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth, 
having  been  born  near  Hamsburg,  Dauphin 
county,  February  12,  1820.  His  parents,  George 
and  Rebecca  (Betzer)  Garman,  were  both  born 
and  reared  near  Lancaster,  Penn.,  but  moved  in 
1806,  shortly  after  their  marriage,  to  Dauphin 
county.  The  father  operated  a  distillery  in  con- 
nection with  his  agricultural  pursuits,  and  pros- 
pered si  1  u  ell  that  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  fifty  eight  years  old,  he 
owned  three  good  farms.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religious  faith  he  was  a  Luth- 
eran.     The  mother  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-two 

rs,  and,  of  eleven  children,  nine — seven  sons 
and  two  daughters — lived  to  adult 

Our  subject,  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  birth, 
grew  to  manhood  at  the  old  home,  and  at  twenty- 
three  started  out  to  seek  his  fortune,  locating 
first  at  Jersey  Shore,  Penn.,  where  he  learned  the 
jeweler's  trade,  and  was  lor  three  years  in  that 
business  with  his  brother.  He  also  began  there 
his  career  as  a  liveryman,  which  now  dates  back 
over  forty-six  years.  In  1856  he  went  to  Lock 
Haven,  Penn.',  and  opened  a  jewelrj  store  and 
livery  stable,  and  engaged  in  the  buying  and  sell- 
ing of  horses.  In  1857,  while  there,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Louisa  Schroyer,  who  was  born 
at  Milton.  Northumberland  Co  ,  Penn.,  in  1834, 
and  in  1  Sod  he  moved  to  Bellefonte.  A  large 
stoi  k  ot  horses  which  he  bought  at  that  time  en- 
abled him  to  establish  himself  in  a  profitable 
business  at  once;  m  [861  he  purchased  a  hotel, 
and  has  evei  since  been  1  onnected  with  that  line. 
His  present  hotel  and  opera  house  wen  built  in 
[880,   and  Ins  residence  and  barn  in    1SS7. 

In  1886,  Ins  pleasant  home  was  darkened  by 
the  death  of  his  faithful  partner  in  the  joys  and 
sorrows  of  life.  Nine  children  ot  this  happy 
union  survive:  1)  Edward  is  a  merchant  at 
llefonte.  (21  Alien  S.,  whowas  bom  in  Belle- 
fonte, March  3,   i860,  took  in   the  high 

"ml.  and  then  learned  the  harness  maker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  tor  time  years.  In 
[890,  as  lus  father  desired  to  be  released  from 
active  business,  Allen  S.  Garman  assumed  the 
management  <>f  the  hotel  and  opera  house,  which 
he  still  conducts  in  partnership  with  his  broil 
<  arney  M.  and  Charles  B.  Allen  S.  is  alert  and 
intelligent,  and    finds    time,    notwithstanding    his 


business  cares,  to  take  an  influential  share  in  the 
work  of  the  local  Democratic  organization,  and 
in  public  affairs  generally.  On  all  questions  of 
the  day  he  keeps  well  informed,  and  in  discus- 
sion he  is  amply  qualified  to  hold  his  own  ground. 
(3)  Ira  D.  Garman,  third  son  of  our  subject,  is  a 
jeweler  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.  (4)  Minnie  mar- 
ried Isaac  Matland,  of  Williamsport,  Penn  (51 
I  Canny  M.  is  a  partner  in  the  hotel  and  opera 
house  management.  (6)  William  is  a  clerk  in 
the  post  office  at  Bellefonte.  <7)  Charles  B.  is 
one  of  the  partners  in  his  father's  business.  (8) 
Rebe  married  Charles  Cruse,  of  Bellefonte.  (9) 
Robert  is  a  jeweler  at  Coatesville,  Chester  Co., 
vlvania. 
Darnel  Garman  in  his  younger  life  took  an 
active  part  in  politics,  and  served  in  the  borough 
council  and  on  the  school  board.  He  has  been 
a  Master  Mason  for  forty-six  years,  and  forthirty- 
five  years  has  been  identified  with  the  Lpiscopal 
Church. 


J'olIN  WAGNER,  of  Bellefonte.  The  salu- 
brious air  of  this  mountain  region  is  favora- 
ble to  longevity,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
a  hale  and  hearty  citizen  of  ninety  years,  is  evi- 
dence of  the  fact  if  any  doubter  were  lo  be  found. 
With  his  stalwart  frame,  six  feet  in  height,  his 
healthy  complexion,  Roman  nose  and  intelligent 
eyes  of  bluish  gray,  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  line  speci- 
men of  manhood,  and  hi--  vigor  makes  one  think 
ol  the  times  long  past  when  three-score  years  and 
ten  were  not  the  ordinary  limit  of  mortal  exist- 
ence. 

Mi.  Wagner  is  a  son  of  the  Keystone  Mate, 
having  first  seen  the  light  in  Northumberland 
county  November  9,  1806.  His  lather.  John 
Wagner,  was  born  in  Berks  county.  Penn..  in 
1773,  and  died  m  1S50,  and  the  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  1  atherine  Kuntzman,  was 
called  bom  earth  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
I  he  grandfathers  on  both  sides  were  soldiers  in 
the  Revolutionary  army,  and  Grandfather  V. 
ner  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  and  placed 
with  others  upon  an  island,  where  he  died  of  starv- 
ation. An  uncle  who  was  with  him  survived  the 
hardships,  and  returned  home  to  tell  the  son 
ful  story.  Our  subject's  father  saw  the  martyr 
to  the  cause  lom   for  the  last   time  when 

the  I  lessians  went  into  camp  near  Reading,  Penn- 
sylvania, 

John  Wagner,  Sr.,  was  a  weaver  by  trade, 
but  later  became  mtc  rested  in  agriculture,  which 
he  followed  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In 
1S12  he  moved  to  Haines  township.  Centre 
county,  where  he  made  his  permanent  home,  and 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


107 


until  his  death  he  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church  there. 

The  personal  history  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  most  interesting,  as  his  reminiscences 
cover  incidents  which  seem  far  removed  from  this 
generation.  He  remembers  seeing  soldiers  dur- 
ing the  war  of  1812,  and  his  experiences  in  help- 
ing upon  the  farm  with  the  primitive  methods  of 
that  day  would  reconcile  the  modern  farmer's  boy 
to  his  lot,  as  Mr.  Wagner  had  to  "tramp  out" 
the  wheat  on  the  barn  floor,  and  to  thresh  clover 
and  rye  with  the  old-fashioned  flail.  What 
schooling  he  had  was  obtained  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  his  home  in  Haines  township,  and  in 
early  manhood  he  settled  upon  a  farm  there.  In 
1 827  he  married  his  first  wife,  Miss  Helen  Collier, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children:  (1)  Katharine 
E.  married  Daniel  Gathagan,  and  had  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two,  Julia  and  Webster,  are  liv- 
ing. (2)  Peggy  married  William  Harmon,  and 
both  are  now  deceased;  their  children  are:  John 
(who  lives  in  the  country),  Clark  and  Belle. 
Mrs.  Helen  Wagner  died  in  1828,  and  Mr.  Wag- 
ner afterward  wedded  Miss  Sallie  Weisser,  born 
in  June,  1816.  By  the  last  marriage  there  were 
four  children:  (1)  Emetine,  who  married  Mr. 
Hess,  and  has  six  children;  (2)  Sue,  the  wife  of 
Adam  Wagner,  of  Bellefonte,  now  retired  from 
business.  (3)  Henry  F. .  who  died  unmarried  in 
his  forty-seventh  year;  and  (4)  John  C,  who 
when  last  heard  from  was  in  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
Mr.  Wagner  has  lived  to  see  his  great-grandchil- 
dren and  other  descendants  make  an  interesting 
group. 

In  1837  Mr.  Wagner  left  his  Haines  township 
home  for  the  vicinity  of  Boalsburg,  and  in  1859 
he  established  his  home  in  Benner  township,  but, 
on  his  retirement  from  active  work  in  1868,  he  set- 
tled permanently  in  Bellefonte.  He  is  a  leading 
adherent  of  the  Reformed  Church  there.  In  his 
political  sympathies  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  is 
an  advocate  of  free  silver  at  "16  to  I." 


JC.  MEYER.  The  reader  of  these  memoirs 
will  find  the  conviction  borne  in  upon  his 
mind  that  underlying  all  differences  of  train- 
ing and  environment  there  lies  another  factor 
from  which  the  history  of  each  individual  takes 
its  bias.  An  ideal,  a  steady  purpose,  needed, 
and  where  this  is  found  life  is  simplified  and  all 
things  tend  to  bring  about,  sooner  or  later,  the 
desired  end.  Truly,  "where  there's  a  will  there's 
a  way,  "and  fortunate  is  the  man  who  early  in 
life  finds  the  right  channel  toward  which  to  di- 
rect his  energies.  Among  those  who  seem  to 
have  solved  the  problem  thus,  is  the   subject  of 


this  biography,  now  one  of  Bellefonte's  success- 
ful attorneys. 

Mr.  Meyer  was  born  January  31,  1861,  on  a 
farm  cailed  Pleasant  View,  lying  south  of  Aarons- 
burg.  The  family  is  numerously  represented  in 
this  section,  and  a  sketch  prepared  by  Hon. 
Henry  Meyer,  of  Centre  county,  the  author  of 
"the  Genealogy  of  the  Meyer  Family,"  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  first  of  the 
line  to  settle  in  this  State  was  Henry  Meyer,  who 
came  from  the  Palatinate,  Prussia,  with  his  wife 
and  several  children,  and  located  in  Lebanon 
county.  His  son  Christopher  had  a  son  George, 
who  had  a  son  Jacob  G,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject. Jacob  G.  Meyer  was  born  near  Camp- 
belltown,  Penn.,  October  16,  1824,  and  was 
twice  married,  first  to  Henrietta  Christina  Furst, 
our  subject's  mother,  and  second  to  Lydia  A. 
Dutweiler  (nee  Strohm).  Jacob  G.  Meyer  set- 
tled near  Aaronsburg  in  early  manhood,  and 
cleared  the  farm  now  known  as  "  Pleasant  View," 
but  in  October,  1865,  moved  to  the  town  to  en- 
gage in  general  mercantile  business.  At  the 
time  of  his  removal  our  subject  was  about  four 
years  old,  and  from  his  sixth  to  his  twelfth  year 
he  attended  the  public  schools  of  Aaronsburg. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  B.  F.  Phillips,  in 
a  general  store  at  that  place,  and  remained  two 
years,  but  his  inclination  for  study  was  too  strong 
to  be  suppressed,  and  he  determined  to  prepare 
for  college  under  the  tuition  of  Prof.  D.  Mj 
Wolfe,  of  Penn  Hall.  To  carry  out  this  plan  ha 
walked  five  miles  each  Monday  morning  and  Fri- 
day night,  and  in  1878  he  entered  the  sophomore 
class  of  Franklin  and  Marshall  College  at  Lan- 
caster, Penn.  In  June,  1881,  he  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  being  chosen  valedic- 
torian of  his  class.  He  desired  to  enter  the  legal 
profession,  but  like  many  others  in  like  circum- 
stances he  turned  temporarily  to  teaching.  In 
August  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  assistant 
principal  of  the  schools  of  Bellefonte,  his  duties 
beginning  in  September,  and  so  successful  was 
he  in  this  work  that  when  the  Bellefonte  High 
School  was  organized,  in  the  fall  of  1883,  he  was 
chosen  principal.  The  first  class  was  graduated 
under  his  charge  in  June,  1884,  and  his  career  as 
an  educator  promised  to  be  a  most  brilliant  one; 
but  he  had  been  spending  his  spare  time  in  prep- 
aration for  his  profession,  reading  for  the  previ- 
ous year  under  the  direction  of  Alexander  and 
Bower,  and  wishing  to  give  his  entire  time  to 
this  work  he  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  school 
year.  Devoting  his  attention  to  his  books,  he 
soon  completed  his  course  of  reading,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar,  December  24,  1884.  He 
began     to    practice    in    partnership    with   Judge 


108 


COMMEMOHA  LIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RBOOBD. 


Adam  Hoy,  and  secured  an   enviable   reputation 

early  in  Ins  career. 

Being  an  ardent  Democrat,  he  became  prom- 
inent m  political  circles  also;  in  August,  (886,  be 
was  nominated  by  his  party  for  the  office  of  dis- 
trict attorney,  being  elected  in  November  fol- 
lowing by  666  majority  In  [889  he  was  again 
chosen  to  the  office  by  a  majority  which  was  just 
twice  that  of  [886.  1  Hiring  the  last  term  he  had 
a  peculiar  experience,  there  being  five  homicide 
trials;  foi  fiftj  years  previous,  there  had  not  been 
a  case  of  that  nature.  Of  the  five  offenders,  two 
received  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law.  and  the 
others  were  convicted  in  lesser  degrees.  In  1 
Mr  Meyer  was  given  the  unanimous  support  of 
the  Democratic  party  in  his  county  for  the  State 
Senate,  but  as  Centre  county  had  furnished  the 
last  represeutatn  e  the  nomination  fell  to  Clear- 
field county.  In  municipal  affairs  Mi  Meyer 
has  also  been  active,  and  in  [893  he  was  elected 
burgess  oi  Bellefonte.  overcoming  an  adverse  ma- 
jority of  120.  He  is  now  giving  his  attention 
exclusively  to  his  legal  practice,  which  has  as- 
sumed handsome  proportions. 

In  1887  Mr.  Meyer  married  Miss  Lizzii  S 
Ml  Almont,  who  was  born  near  Jacksonville,  Cen- 
tre county,  February  14,  1865.  One  daughter, 
Edna  E.,  blesses  this  union  Mr.  Meyer  and  his 
accomplished  wife  are  popular  socially,  and 
although  he  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church 
they  have  for  four  years  past  been  members  of 
the  choir  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Socially 
Mr.  Meyer  has  been  identified  with  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  for  four  years,  and  has  passed  the  chairs  in  the 
Encampment.  At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Orphans' 
Home  at  Sunburv 


THOMAS  RENICK  HAYES,  M.  D  .  of  Belle- 
fonte, Centre  county,  is  of  Revolutionary 
stock,  and  of  ancestry  that  is  of  the  hardy  and 
sturdy  Irish  race,  which  so  early  came  to  the 
Susquehanna  country  and  played  so  important  a 
part  in  the  development  of  that  country  and  so- 
ciety 

In  the  old  Derry  churchyard,  in  Dauphin 
c»unty,  rest  the  remains  oi  Patrick  Hayes  and 
wife.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in 
t  ount)  Donegal  in  1705,  and  in  1725  came  to 
America  and  located  in  what  is  now  Derry  town- 
ship, Dauphin  county.  The  records  of  the  war- 
rantees of  lands  in  that  township  show  that  Jan- 
uary 10.  1737,  he  became  warrantee  to  ^00  acres 
of  land.  His  death  occurred  Januarj  ;i.  1 
Robert,  their  second  sen.  was   born  in   1733,  and 


in  1  7' >2  married  Margaret  \\  ray.  of  Derry  town- 
ship. John  Hayes,  eldest  son  of  Robert,  became 
deputy  surveyor  of  Northumberland  county,  and 
later  of  Union  county  Many  of  the  surveys  in 
CCntre  county  were  made  by  him  as  a  deputy- 
surveyor  of  Northumberland  county.  His  birth 
occurred  in  1765,  and  in  1786  he  came  to  Buffalo 
Valley,  in  what  subsequently  became  Union 
county.  In  1796  he  married  Margaret  Gray,  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  William  Gray,  of  the  Revolu- 
tion [Capt.  Gray,  as  a  lieutenant,  was  prisoner 
from  August  27,    1776,  to  Decembers,    1776;    he 

I  at  Sunbury,  July  18,  1804,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four],  and  resided  on  the  river  just  above 
the  town  of  Lewisburg.  Robert  Hayes,  in  1  790, 
bought  the  old  Andrew  Forster  farm,  located 
above  Mifflinburg,  which  at  his  death  was  pur- 
chased 1>\  his  son  [ohn.  The  latter  died  May 
16,  1844;  his  children  were:  Robert  Goodlow 
Harper.  Nancy,  David,  Samuel,  Joseph,  Will- 
iam, Margaret,  Anne  and  James;  of  whom  the 
first  named  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Robert  Goodlow  Harper  Hayes  was  born  111 
1797,  and  December  27,  1827,  was  married  to 
Esther  Renick  Forster.  He  resided  on  the  old 
home  of  his  grandfather  and  father,  where  he 
died  May  2,  1854.  His  wife's  death  occurred 
August  2,  1856.  He  had  been  an  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  nineteen  years. 

Dr.  Thomas  Renick  Hayes  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Academia,  in  Juniata  county,  under 
Prof.  J.  H.  Shumaker,  and  at  Lafayette  College. 
In  1  864  he  was  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Med- 
ical College,  then  practiced  some  years  at  Ocon- 
omowoc,  Wis.,  successfully.  In  1870  he  located 
in  practice  at  Bellefonte.  In  1876  he  assisted 
in  organising  the  Centre  County  Medical  Society, 
of  which  he  became  an  original  member,  and  of 
which  he  has  served  as  president.  He  has  served 
as  vice-president  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Med- 
ical Society.  Dr.  Hayes  is  the  author  of  the 
"Medical  History  of  Centre  County.  "  Hestands 
deservedly  high  in  his  profession.  As  a  citizen 
he  has  contributed  substantially  to  the  interests 
of  his  adopted  city  in  the  erection  of  elegant 
dwellings.  He  has  served  in  various  positions; 
has  been  director  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
and  of  the  Bellefonte  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation. 

Dr.  Hayes,  on  December  28,  1871,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  B.,  daughter  of  Hon.  H.  N. 
McAllister  (deceased),  formerly  of  Bellefonte. 
Adhering  to  the  faith  of  his  ancestors  for  many 
generations  back,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  active  and  zealous  for  its  pros- 
perity. 


^^A 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


109 


T^HE  POTTERS  of  Centre  county.  A.  Boyd 
Hamilton,  late  of  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  says 
that  John  Potter,  the  first  American  ancestor  of 
the  Potter  family,  was  a  native  of  Tyrone,  Ire- 
land, of  Scotch  parentage,  born  about  the  year 
1705.  He  immigrated  with  his  family  to  Amer- 
ica in  1741,  aboard  the  good  ship  Dunnegal, 
landing  at  New  Castle,  Delaware,  in  September 
of  that  year.  He  removed  west  of  the  river  as 
early  as  1746,  and  settled  in  Antrim  township 
(now  Franklin  county),  near  Greencastle.  In  the 
early  French  war  of  1747-48,  he  was  in  the  serv- 
ice as  a  first  lieutenant,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  the  Indian  war  following  Braddock's  defeat. 
On  the  erection  of  Cumberland  county,  in  1750, 
he,  on  October  6th  of  that  year,  was  commis- 
sioned its  first  sheriff,  and  again  commissioned 
sheriff  in  1753.  On  February  17,  1756.  he  was 
commissioned  a  captain  in  the  Second  Pennsyl- 
vania Battalion,  and  accompanied  Col.  Arm- 
strong's expedition  against  Kittanning  September 
7,  1756.  He  died  about  1758.  His  children 
were:  James,  who  was  a  general  in  the  Army 
of  the  Revolution,  Thomas,  who  was  killed  by 
the  Indians,  Samuel,  Margaret  Annie,  Catherine, 
Mary,  Hannah  and  Isabella. 

Gen.  James  Potter,  son  of  John  Potter,  ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  Hon.  John  B.  Linn, 
in  his  "Annals  of  Buffalo  Valley"  and  "History 
of  Centre  County,"  was  born  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  Foyle,  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1729,  and  was 
twelve  years  old  when  his  father  landed  at  New 
Castle  in  1 741 .  He  was  commissioned  ensign  in 
a  company  of  which  his  father  was  captain,  in 
Lieut. -Col.  John  Armstrong's  battalion,  and 
served  as  such  in  Armstrong's  expedition  against 
Kittanning  September  7,  1756,  and  was  wounded 
in  the  attack.  On  October  23,  1757,  he  was 
commissioned  lieutenant  of  the  second  battalion, 
and  February  17,  1759,  he  was  promoted  to 
captain.  On  October  2,  1764,  he  was  command- 
ant of  three  companies  on  the  northern  frontiers. 
On  July  27.  1764,  he  was  in  command  of  a  com- 
pany which  pursued  the  Indians  who  had  killed 
a  school  master,  named  Brown,  and  his  ten 
scholars,  near  the  present  site  of  Greencastle, 
Penn.,  and  Capt.  Potter  was  the  first  white  man 
to  enter  Penn's  Valley. 

Chief  Justice  Tilghman  says:  "Capt.  James 
Potter  was  a  man  of  a  strong  and  penetrating 
mind,  and  one  to  whom  early  habits  as  an  officer 
of  the  British  provincial  army,  engaged  in  the 
defense  of  the  frontier,  rendered  a  life  of  peril, 
toil  and  enterprise  familiar."  He  conceived  the 
natural  idea  that,  inclosed  by  the  range  of  moun- 
tains which  on  every  side  met  his  view  on  his  re- 
turn from   Kittanning,  there  must  be  a  fine  coun- 


try beyond,  and  on  being  ordered  to  Fort  Au- 
gusta, his  idea  of  a  fine  country  to  be  discovered 
returned  to  him.  Having  obtained  leave  of 
absence,  he  set  off  with  one  attendant,  passing 
up  the  West  branch  to  the  mouth  of  Bald  Eagle 
creek,  then  passing  up  Bald  Eagle  creek  to  the 
place  where  Spring  creek  enters  it,  they  took  to 
the  mountains,  and  having  reached  the  top  of 
Nittany  mountain,  Capt.  Potter,  seeing  the 
prairies  and  noble  forest  beneath  him,  cried  out 
to  his  attendant:  "By  Heavens  Thompson  I 
have  discovered  an  empire."  Immediately  de- 
scending into  the  plain,  they  came  to  a  spring  at 
a  place  which  was  in  after  days  of  some  distinc- 
tion, and  known  by  the  appellation  of  "Old 
Fort."  Here  they  found  themselves  out  of  pro- 
visions, and  for  two  days  and  as  many  nights  the 
fiesh  scraped  from  a  dried  beaver's  skin  was  their 
only  subsistence.  From  here  they  started  to  re- 
turn to  Fort  Augusta,  and  by  good  fortune  hap- 
pened on  a  creek,  to  which  they  gave  the  name 
of  John  Penn's  creek.  Pursuing  the  stream,  they 
arrived  where  provisions  could  be  had,  and  finally 
reached  Fort  Augusta.  This  was  in  all  proba- 
bility in  1759,  just  after  the  purchase  of  1758, 
when  Potter  was  at  Bedford,  and  had  been  first 
promoted  captain  of  William  Thompson's  com- 
pany, and  that  Thompson  was  his  companion. 
He  afterward  returned  to  Penn's  Valley,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1774  removed  his  family,  and  made 
the  first  improvement  at  the  spring,  a  little  north 
of  where  the  "  Old  Fort  Hotel  "  now  stands  on 
the  turnpike  in  Potter  township,  where  he  built 
a  log  house  which  was  fortified  in  1777,  and 
known  as  the  "  Upper  Fort  in  Penn's  Valley." 
He  owned  in  this  Valley,  in  1782,  9,000  acres  of 
land. 

On  January  24,  1776,  he  was  elected  colonel 
of  the  Upper  Battalion,  and  in  July  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  battalion  of  Northumberland  County 
Militia  at  Trenton,  December  26,  1776,  and  at 
Princeton,  January  3,  1777.  On  April  5,  1777, 
he  was  appointed  third  brigadier-general  of  the 
militia  of  the  State,  and  was  in  command  of  his 
brigade  at  Brandywine  and  Germantown.  He 
served  with  great  ability  upon  the  outpost  of 
Gen.  Washington's  army  while  encamped  at 
Valley  Forge,  and  by  particular  request  of  the 
State  Council  he  remained  in  the  field  during  that 
winter.  The  house  he  occupied  as  headquarters 
during  the  time  he  was  at  Valley  Forge  is  still 
standing,  and  is  occupied  by  J.  Ralter  Rayser. 
It  stands  back  a  hundred  yards  from  Trout 
creek.  On  January  9,  1778,  he  obtained  leave 
of  absence  in  consequence  of  the  condition  of  his 
business  and   the   illness   of    Mrs.  Potter,  whose 


110 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  B10QRAPE1CAL  RECORD. 


"indisposition  is  with  me  a  more  urgent  reason 
than  any  other  fur  my  return.  Dunn-  the  sum- 
iii.  i  nl  1778,  he  was  in  Penn's  Vallej  assisting 
in  repelling  inroads  of  1 1 1 « ■  Indians.  He  remained 
in  Penn's  Vallej  as  late  as  July.  1779,  when  he 
retired  with  the  rest  oi  the  inhabitants,  and  took 
his  family  to   Middle   Creek,  in   Sin  nty. 

t  )n  Novi  mbei  [6,  1 780,  w  hen  he  bet  ami 
member  of  the  State  Council,  lie- still  resided  at 
Middle  Creek.  On  November  14.  1781,  lie  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  State,  and  May  23, 
1782,  he  was  unanimously  elected  major-general. 
In  17S4  he  was  elected  a  member  "f  the  Council 
.if  (.'elixirs,  taking  his  seat  July  7.  1784.  Mean- 
while he  hid  resumed  his  residence  on  his  farm 
above  New  Columbia,  now  Union  county.  In 
a  letter  dated  White  Deer,  April  -''■.  1785,  he 
•-ays:  " I  have  just  come  home  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  will  have  t,,  return,  which  will  prevenl 
my  visiting  Penn's  Valley  at  this  time  In  that 
year  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  deputy  sur- 
veyors  of  the  "Old  Purchase."  In  1786  and 
17X7  he  was  largely  interested,  with  Hon. 
Timothy  Pickering,  in  lands  in  the  Purchase  of 
17S4.  and  in  17X8  turned  his  attention  to  im- 
provements in  Penn's  Valley,  erecting  the  first 
house  at  Potter's  hank,  and  the  mills  there.  In 
the  fall  of  1789  he  was  injured  in  raising  a  barn 
on  what  was  lately  Foster's  farm,  east  of  the 
••Old  Fort,"  and  went  to  Franklin  county  for 
the  benefit  of  Dr.  McClelland's  advice,  and  died 
therein  during  the  latter  part  of  that  year. 

(,,11  Potter's  first  wile  was  Elizabeth  Cath- 
cart,  who  died  near  Greencastle,  in  Franklin 
county  (then  (  umberland),  leaving  two  children: 
[ohn.  who  died  at  Middle  Creek,  when  he  was 
aged  about  eighteen  years,  and  Elizabeth  C, 
who  was  married  t<>  Hon  James  Poe,  of  Frank- 
lin county.  Mrs.  Poe  died  September  11.  1819, 
and  Hon.  James  Poe  on  June  21,  1X22,  in  An- 
trim township,  Franklin  county.  Onlj  one  of 
their  children,  ^usan  M..  wife  of  Samuel  Van- 
Tries,  who  died  in  Bellefonte,  December  10, 
1XX2.  aged  seventy-seven  years,  came  to  Penn's 
Valley.  Gen.  Pottet  econd  wife  was  Mary, 
widow  of  Thomas  Chambers,  daughter  of  James 
and  Marj  Patterson,  oi  Fermanagh  township 
mow  [uniata  county),  and  .1  sister  o)  Capt. 
William  Patterson.  The  second  Mi-.  Potter 
died  in  [791  01  1792,  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  is 
buried  in  the  old  Stanford  or  Cedar  Creek  grave- 
yard, near  Linden  Hall  The  children  born  to 
tie-  second  marriage  were:  1 )  James  is  mentioned 
farther  on;  (2)  Martha,  born  on  the  (  .moco- 
cheague,  April  10,  1769.  married  Hon,  Andrew 
Gregg;  1  })  Mary  married  George  Kiddles,  .1  mer- 
chant   of    Middletown,  and    alter    his    death    she 


wedded  William  McClelland;  Mary  H..  her 
daughter  by  the  first  marriage,  married  W.  H. 
Patterson ;  another  daughter,  Eliza,  married  Dr. 
1I1  i;  Aid,  i|  Lewistown,  whose  heirs  owned 
the  old  Potter  place  in  White  Deer,  Union 
i\  41  Margaret,  the  youngest  daughter, 
married  Fdward  Crouch,  of  Dauphin  county. 

Judi.h   James    Potter,  son   of   Gen.  James 
Potter,  wis  Ixiin  at  his  lather's  place  on  Conoco- 

ague  creek,  Antrim  township  (now  Franklin 
county),  Julv  4.  1767,  a  son  of  the  second  mar- 
riage (  >n  December  15,  1  7XX,  he  married  Mary 
liter  of  William  Brown,  the  first  set- 
tler  at  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  and  in  1789  es- 
tablished himseli  at  Potters  Mills.  On  the  death 
ol  his  father,  he  acquired  large  land  interest,  and 
carried  on  a  store,  mills  and  distillery  at  that 
e,  and  succeeded  him  as  deputy  surveyor  of 
the  Sixth  District  in  the  Purchase  of  1784.  In 
connection  with  Capt.  Samuel  Montgomery,  of 
Carlisle,  he  owned  the  site  of  Lewistown,  and 
laid  out  that  village  in  1790.  On  October  2, 
[790,  he  was  commissioned  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  several  courts  of  Centre  county,  which  office 
he  held  dining  life.  In  1807  he  was  appointed 
major-general  of  the  Tenth  Military  District. 
fudge  Potter  died  November  2,  1818,  when  he 
was  aged  fifty-one  years;  his  widow,  Mary  Pot- 
ter, who  was  horn  June  15,  1770,  died  January 
6,  1823.  Their  children  were:  James,  born 
December  1,  1789;  William  W.;  George  Lati- 
mer; Mary,  married  to  Dr.  William  I.  Wilson; 
John;  Peggy  Crouch,  married  to  Dr.  Charles 
(  churn;  Martha  Gregg,  married  to  Abraham 
Valentine;  and  Andrew  Gregg. 

James  Potter,  son  of  Judge  James  Potter, 
was  born  at  Potters  Mills,  Centre  county,  De- 
cember 1,  1789.  On  December  20,  1814,  he 
married  Maria  Wilson,  daughter  of  Gen.  William 
Wilson,  and  by  her  he  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: James.  Susan  (married  to  O.  P.  Duncan), 
William  W..  John,  Dr.  George  L.  and  Andrew 
1  .!■  gg.  For  his  second  wife,  James  Potter  mar- 
ried Susan  Irvin,  widow  of  Thomas  Duncan  (de- 
ceased 1,  by  whom  he  had  children  as  follows: 
Thomas  D  .  Irvin  \\ '.,  Maria  .married  to  Dr. 
Hendricks),  Annie  A.  (married  to  Dr.  W.  < 
Spaulding),  Jacob  Lex,  Charles  H.,  and  Mary 
Ellen  (married  to  Simeon  H.  Crane  and  residing 
in  (  The  father  of  these,  in  connection 

with  his  brother  [ohn,  was  extensively  engaged 
in  mercantile  and  manufacturing  business.  In 
1856  he  removed  to  Watertown,  Wis.,  and  aft- 
erward to  Madison,  End.,  where  he  died  March 
22,    1 

William  W.    Potter  was  born   at  Potters 
Mills.    Centre   county,    March  8,   1819.      He  at- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Ill 


tended  the  academy  of  Rev.  David  Kirkpatrick, 
D.  D. ,  at  Milton,  and  later  was  engaged  with  his 
father  in  the  mercantile  and  milling  businesses, 
in  the  transaction  of  which  he  made  frequent  visits 
to  Philadelphia  on  horseback.  He  resided,  re- 
spectively, at  Potters  Mills,  Linden  Hall,  Centre 
Furnace,  Milesburg,  Iron  Works  and  Bellefonte, 
and  at  his  death,  July  7,  1884,  he  was  agent  for 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Co.,  at  Bellefonte. 
He  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  employers  and 
the  community,  which  was  manifested  by  the  re- 
spect shown  him  at  his  death,  when  all  places  of 
business  were  closed  during  the  funeral  services. 
On  February  6,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Sarah 
Irvin,  youngest  daughter  of  John  Irvin,  of  Lin- 
den Hall,  and  of  their  two  children,  John  Irvin, 
the  elder,  who  was  born  November  23,  1844, 
succeeded  his  father  as  agent  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Railroad  Co.,  which  position  he  occupies  at 
the  present  time.  George  Latimer  Potter,  the 
younger  son,  was  born  at  Potters  Mills,  April  6, 
1847.  He  attended  school  at  State  College 
(Centre  county),  Lawrenceville  (N.  J.),  and 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College  (Washington 
county,  Penn.),  but  as  his  health  failed  he  did 
not  complete  the  college  course.  He  read  med- 
icine for  one  year,  but  owing  to  an  accident  by 
which  his  father  lost  an  arm,  he  took  up  the  lat- 
ter's  work,  which  he  continued  in  until  1874, 
when  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  it  on  account 
of  failing  health.  In  1874  he  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business,  and  has  since  made  that  his 
permanent  work.  On  June  21,  1876,  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  J.  Sanderson,  daughter  of 
W.  C.  Sanderson,  of  Eagle  Mills,  Clinton  county, 
and  they  have  two  daughters:  Marguerite,  born 
July  29,  1877;  and  Sarah  Irvin,  born  March  14, 
1883.  Through  her  mother,  Mrs.  Potter  is  a 
descendant  of  the  famous  Indian  scout,  Robert 
Copenhoven.  The  family  attend  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  in  which  Mr.   Potter  is  an  elder. 


WILLIAM  F.  SMITH,  prothonotary  of 
Centre  county,  and  clerk  of  the  Courts 
of  Quarter  Sessions  and  of  Oyer  and  Terminer, 
is  one  of  the  most  able  and  popular  officials 
whom  the  administration  of  county  affairs  has 
called  to  Bellefonte.  Born  and  reared  upon  a 
farm  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  he  has 
from  youth  displayed  the  qualities  which  mark 
the  typical  American,  and,  by  his  work  as  a 
teacher  and  farmer  in  early  manhood,  he  strength- 
ened and  developed  those  traits  which  have 
brought  him  success  in  a  wider  sphere  of  use- 
fulness. 

Mr.  Smith    is   of  Scotch-Irish    blood,  on   the 


paternal  side,  but  his  ancestors  crossed  the  ocean 
at  an  early  date.  Francis  Smith,  his  grand- 
father, was  born  in  Union  county,  Penn.,  but 
later  settled  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
True  to  his  descent,  he  was  a  forceful,  independ- 
ent character,  and  as  an  Old-time  Democrat 
never  hesitated  to  declare  his  convictions.  The 
late  John  B.  Smith,  our  subject's  father,  was  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  having  first  seen  the 
light  in  Penn  township,  October  3,  1824.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  made  his  home 
at  Millheim,  where  he  departed  this  life  October 
18,  1892,  leaving  an  honored  memory  as  an  up- 
right man  and  faithful  citizen.  His  widow,  Mrs. 
Amelia  Gilbert  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Snyder 
county,  Penn.,  January  8,  1830,  survives  him 
and  resides  at  Millheim. 

William  F.  Smith,  the  only  child  of  his  par- 
ents, was  born  February  3,  1851,  and  the  district 
schools  at  Millheim  furnished  him  an  elementary 
education.  Not  content  with  that,  he  sought 
wider  opportunities,  walking  a  long  distance 
morning  and  evening  during  three  successive 
terms  to  attend  Penn  Hall  Academy,  and  later 
he  studied  at  Aaronsburg  Academy,  two  miles 
distant.  The  County  Normal  School  at  Rebers- 
burg,  where  he  spent  two  terms,  gave  him  special 
training  for  the  work  of  teaching,  and  this  call- 
ing he  followed  successfully  for  fourteen  winters 
in  succession.  As  indisputable  evidence  of  his 
ability  in  this  line  we  may  mention  that  his  work 
was  done  in  his  native  township,  among  those 
who  had  no  glamor  of  novelty  to  blind  them  in 
their  criticisms,  five  terms  being  passed  at  Mill- 
heim Grove  and  eight  in  his  home  district.  Dur- 
ing seven  years  of  this  time  he  employed  his 
spare  moments  at  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  he 
afterward  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  followed 
for  about  ten  years.  He  has  also  been  in  the 
life-insurance  business,  and  has  traveled  over 
several  States  in  that  interest.  As  school  director 
and  assessor  of  his  township  he  did  good  service, 
strengthening  public  confidence  in  his  ability,  and 
when  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  prothon- 
otary by  the  Democrats  in  the  fall  of  1892,  he 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  805.  He  was  in- 
stalled January  1,  1893,  and  so  well  did  he  per- 
form his  duties  that  he  was  renominated  by  ac- 
clamation at  the  close  of  the  term,  and  again 
elected. 

Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Margaret  E.  Kim- 
port,  who  was  born  in  Harris  township,  Centre 
county,  September  19,  1850.  They  have  one 
daughter  living,  Anna  M.  Smith,  Another, 
Mary  I.,  passed  from  earth  at  the  age  of  one 
year  and  eight  months. 


112 


COMMKMOHATIVK   !110<i  liAl'll  1<A  I    RBOOBD. 


JOHN  T.  JOHNSTON,  late  a  venerable  citi- 
zen of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  in  the  pub- 
lic affairs  of  which  city  he  figured  promi- 
nently for  upward  of  a  third  of  a  century,  and 
who  at  the  tunc  ol  his  death  was  chief  clerk  in  the 
Department  of  Internal  Affairs  at  Harrisburg, 
Penn  .  was  a  native  of  Centre  county,  born  in  the 
village  of  Pine  Grove  Mills,  October  20.   1829. 

John  and  Charlotte  Johnston,  his  parents, 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  born,  the  former 
on  November  12,  1790,  and  the  latter  on  Febru- 
ary 14,  [801.  To  them  were  born  five  children, 
of  win  mi  our  subject  was  the  youngest.  The  par- 
ents during  the  latter's  infancy  moved  to  the 
headwaters  of  Spruce  creek,  now  known  as  Rock 
Springs,  where  the  mother  died  [uly  9,  [832. 
About  1835  the  father  moved  to  Bellefonte, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  111 
which  he  continued  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred October  13,   1839. 

John  T.  Johnston  received  his  education  at 
the  common  schools  and  academy  at  Bellefonte. 
His  mother  dying  when  he  was  but  an  infant, 
and  his  lather  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  he 
was  thus  left  an  orphan  early  in  boyhood  to  be- 
gin alone  the  battle  of  life,  the  greater  part  of 
which  struggle  took  place  in  Bellefonte,  where, 
later,  his  victories  were  achieved,  and  where  his 
every  vote  had  been  cast.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  Democratic  Whig, 
then  published  by  John  K.  Shoemaker,  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  the  art  of  printing,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1851  he  became  a  partner  with  Mr. 
Shoemaker  in  the  publication  of  that  paper.  He 
entered  politics  as  a  Whig,  and  was  the  last 
chairman  that  that  party  ever  had  in  Centre 
county.  During  the  years  of  (854-55,  he  took 
an  active  part  with  the  American  or  Know-noth- 
ing party,  and  in  1856  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Republican  party,  advocating  through  the  col- 
umns of  his  paper  the  election  of  Fremont  and 
Dayton,  the  first  candidates  of  that  party  for 
President  and  Vice-President,  respectively,  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  chosen  chairman  of  the 
Republican  Committee  of  the  county  eight  tunes, 
and  was  also  very  active,  zealous  and  consistent 
in  the  support  of  the  principles  of  his  party,  and 
its  candidates,  although  he  never  "hunted  with 
a  brass  band."  In  the  winter  of  1855  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  clerkship  in  the  State  Department 
at  Ilarrisburg.  under  the  administration  of  Gov 
James  Pollock.  After  serving  several  months  In- 
resigned  and  returned  to  Bellefonte,  when  he 
took  sole  charge  of  the  Whig,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  publish  until  June,  1858.  He  was 
clerk  to  the  town  council  of  Bellefonte  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  was  president  of  the  school 


board  two  years  During  the  years  1859  60  he 
served  as  clerk  to  the  commissioners  of  the 
county,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  was 
elected  prothonotary,  being  the  first  and  only 
Republican  ever  chosen  to  that  office  in  the 
county.  During  the  session  of  1866  he  served 
as  a  transcribing  clerk  in  the  Senate  at  Harris- 
burg,  and  in  the  years  1867-68  he  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  chief  clerk  in  the  Internal  Revenue  office 
ol  the  then  Eighteenth  District  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  the  spring  of  1869  he  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Bellefonte.  and  served  in  that  capacit} 
until  July  1,  1885 — a  period  of  over  sixteen 
years.  In  May,  1887,  he  was  appointed  railroad 
clerk  in  the  Department  of  Internal  Affairs  at 
Harrisburg,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that 
position  on  June  1  of  that  year.  One  of  the 
Bellefonte  papers,  referring  to  the  death  of  Mr. 
Johnston,  said:  "In  all  the  different  positions 
of  honor  and  emolument  held  by  Mr.  Johnston, 
covering  more  than  a  third  of  a  century,  it  can 
be  truthfully  stated  that  he  performed  his  whole 
duty  intelligently,  honestly,  faithfully  and  well. 
He  could  always  be  relied  upon,  was  never 
weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  wanting." 

On  February  10.  1  X  52,  oursubject  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  McKinney,  a  most  estimable 
lady,  who  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  and  al- 
though at  times  she  and  her  husband  were  called 
upon  to  beartheir  share  of  the  vicissitudes  of  life 
— its  afflictions  and  sorrows — their  union  proved 
an  entirely  happy  one.  Six  children  were  born  to 
this  marriage,  namely:  Edward  C  who  died 
whenfour  years  of  age;  AugustusC. ,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Eliza  F. .  who  is  now  Mrs.  Roland  Kelly,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  Penn. ;  Finley  E. ,  who  married  Kate 
Kellond,  resides  at  Hastings,  Mich.,  and  has  two 
children — Edward  and  Lida  M.  ;  George  B  .  who 
married  Lillie  Aikens,  resides  at  Beaver  Falls, 
Penn.,  and  has  two  children — Jennette  A.  and 
Mary  Ann;  and  Harry  I'..,  an  electrician,  who 
married  Sadie  J.  Walker,  of  Bellefonte,  who  died 
June  19,   1897. 

Mrs.  Johnson,  the  widow  of  our  subject,  is 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  (Flack)  McKin- 
ney, and  was  bom  at  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  her  fa- 
ther being  of  Scotch  descent  and  her  mother  of 
Irish  parentage,  The  mother  died  at  the  home 
ol  Mrs.  Johnston  in  Bellefonte  in  18X5,  the  fathei 
having  died  when  Mrs  Johnston  was  a  child  of 
ten years.  1I<-  l>ft  four  children,  namely:  Nam  j 
J.  married  Edward  McBride,  and  died  at  James- 
town, N.  Y..  leaving  seven  children;  John  is  a 
farmer,  married,  has  four  children,  and  resides 
in  Texas;  Samuel,  a  tailor  by  trade,  died  at  Al- 
toona  unmarried:  and  Mrs.  Johnston,  who  was 
the  second  child  in  the  order  of  birth. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


115 


H( 


TON.  LEONARD  RHONE.  "Life,"  says  a 
well-known  writer,  "is  meaningless  unless 
it  is  universal  and  coherent.  "  It  is  in  a  helpful 
relation  to  our  time,  a  sympathetic  union  with 
the  surrounding  current  of  thought,  feeling  and 
purpose,  that  we  can  realize  the  worth  of  our 
own  identity.  To  consciously  ally  one's  self 
with  any  of  the  mighty  movements  that  are  shap- 
ing the  future,  is  to  invest  life  with  new  dignity 
and  power.  The  present  is  a  time  of  combina-- 
tions  for  varied  aims,  for  man  sees  more  and 
more  clearly  his  weakness,  as  an  individual  as 
compared  with  his  strength  in  union  with  others. 
One  of  the  most  significant  and  hopeful  signs 
of  the  times  is  the  awakening  in  that  large  body  of 
hitherto  isolated  workers,  the  agriculturists,  of 
this  desire  for  united  effort  for  their  mutual  good. 
The  organization  known  as  the  Patrons  of  Hus- 
bandry is  already  a  power  in  the  nation,  and  if 
its  force  is  wisely  directed  and  energetically  ap- 
plied the  results  must  be  momentous. 

In  the  subject  of  this  biography,  who  has 
been  for  seventeen  years  the  master  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Grange,  the  farmers  of  this  State 
have  found  a  progressive,  yet  cautious,  leader. 
He  is  prominent  also  in  the  National  Grange,  in 
which  he  is  chairman  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee, and  he  has  attended  every  annual  meeting 
since  1880.  His  work  in  originating  the  Grange 
picnic  and  exhibition  at  Centre  Hall,  which  meets 
annually  in  September,  and  lasts  one  week,  has 
produced  great  and  lasting  benefit  to  the  order. 
Every  year  sees  an  increase  in  attendance  and 
exhibitions,  and  the  opportunity  for  conference 
among  the  farmers  is  prized  more  and  more. 

Mr.  Rhone  was  born  at  the  Rhone  homestead 
near  Centre  Hall,  July  21,  1838,  and  was  mainly 
educated  at  the  old  Fairfield  school  in  that  vi- 
cinity. In  1857-58,.  he  attended  Kishacoquillas 
Seminary  one  year,  but  it  is  to  his  own  observa- 
tion and  private  reading  that  his  wide  range  of 
information  is  due.  In  the  winter  of  1858-59 
he  taught  the  Tusseyville  school.  Reared  as  a 
farmer  boy,  and  later  engaging  in  agriculture  as 
an  occupation,  he  has  always  been  in  complete 
sympathy  with  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  and  his  at- 
tention was  early  attracted  to  the  need  of  union 
among  them  for  mutual  instruction  and  informa- 
tion, and  definite  work  for  desired  ends.  From 
the  organization  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  he 
has  always  been  an  active  member.  His  first 
official  position  was  connected  with  the  State 
society,  but  he  was  elected  master  of  Pomona 
Grange  of  Centre  county  in  1875,  re-elected  five 
times,  and  in  1877  was  chosen  master  of  Centre 
Hall  Grange.  In  April,  1874,  he  was  appointed 
first  deputy  of  the  county  by  the  then  master  of 


the  State  Grange,  and  this  position  he  held  until 
1878,  when  he  was  elected  overseer  of  the  State 
Grange,  and  two  years  later  was  elected  to  his 
present  post.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected 
trustee  of  State  College,  and  nominated  by  the 
Greenbackers  to  the  Legislature,  but  the  latter 
honor  was  declined,  as  was  a  similar  nomination 
in  1882.  In  that  year  he  served  as  a  delegate  to 
the  National  Convention  of  Agriculture  under  ap- 
pointment by  Gov.  Hoyt,  and  later  he  was  named 
byGov.  Hastings  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture.  In  1885  the  Democrats  nomin- 
ated him  for  the  Legislature,  and  the  special  is- 
sues of  that  time  overcoming  his  disinclination 
for  political  life,  he  accepted,  was  elected,  and 
in  1887  became  his  own  successor. 

Mr.  Rhone  owns  215  acres  of  excellent  land, 
and  its  fine  condition  shows  that  he  is  as  strong 
in  practice  as  in  theory.  In  1864  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Margaret  Sankey,  daughter  of  the 
late  James  Sankey,  Esq.,  of  Potters  Mills,  and 
their  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  clever  and 
attractive  daughters:  Miss  Mae  V.,  a  graduate  of 
the  seminary  at  Lutherville,  Md.,  is  now  chief 
clerk  in  the  Department  of  Zoology  of  Pennsyl- 
vania at  Harrisburg.  Miss  Florence  S.  was  grad- 
uated from  Lewis  Academy  at  Wichita,  Kans. ,  in 
1893,  with  first  honors,  and  at  present  assists  her 
father  as  his  private  secretary.  The  family  is 
prominent  socially,  and  Mr.  Rhone  is  identified 
with  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Centre  Hall.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Tusseyville,  but 
his  wife  is  a  devout  Methodist  in  faith. 

Mr.  Rhone  comes  of  our  best  pioneer  stock, 
as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  his  beautiful  farm 
near  Centre  Hall  has  now  been  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  the  Rhone  family  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury. The  first  of  the  name  to  leave  the  ances- 
tral home  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  was  John 
Rhone,  or  Rahn,  our  subject's  great-grandfather, 
who  was  born  in  that  city  in  1698,  during  a  win- 
ter so  severe  as  to  be  referred  to  in  the  history  of 
the  Fatherland  as  "the  cold  winter."  There  is 
now  no  record  of  his  ancestry,  and  nothing  is 
known  of  his  immediate  relatives  except  that  two 
brothers  came  to  America  some  time  after  his 
emigration,  one  locating  in  the  East,  and  the 
other  in  the  South. 

John  Rhone  was  a  youth  when  he  first  came 
to  America,  and  after  spending  a  few  years  in 
Pennsylvania  he  returned  to  his  native  land, 
where  he  married,  his  bride  accompanying  him 
on  his  second  voyage  to  the  New  World.  At 
that  time  emigrants  were  forbidden  to  carry 
money  out  of  the  country,  on  account  of  some 
movement  political,  commercial  or  military,  and 
in  order  to  evade  the  edict  our  pioneer  invested 


114 


OOMMBMORA  T17E  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  patrimony  in  Bibles  and  merchandise,  which 
he  brought  with  him.  A  few  copies  "I  these 
Bibles  still  remain  and  an-  cherished  in  the  family 
as  priceless  heirlooms. 

On  his  return  to  Pennsylvania,  John  Rhone 
located  in  Tnlpehocken  township,  Berks  county, 
near  the  Norskill  Lutheran  Church,  where  he 
followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  for  many  years. 
\t  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  moved 
to  Franklin  county  and  engaged  in  farming. 
While  there  Ins  first  wife  died,  but  he  afterward 
re-married.  He  was  a  temperate  man,  a  consist- 
ent Christian,  and  a  strict  Lutheran  in  faith. 
He  died  in  March,  1823,  at  tin-  extraordinary  age 
of  125  years — extending  over  portions  of  three 
centuries.  To  the  last  he  retained  his  strength 
of  mind  and  body,  and  when  105  years  old  he 
paid  a  visit  to  his  native  land.  His  remains  were 
interred  at  Pleasant  Hall,  Franklin  county,  with 
those  of  Ins  wives.  He  had  eighteen  children, 
most  of  whom  lived  to  maturity,  and  some  at- 
tained great  age,  one  daughter  dying  in  Cumber- 
land, Md  ,  when  103  years  old.  But  little  is 
known  of  the  others. 

The  founder  of  the  Centre  county  branch  "| 
the  family  was  Michael  Rhone,  one  of  the  elder 
sons  of  this  modern  pitrian  li  He  was  horn  m 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  June  8,  1759,  and  received 
a  liberal  education  for  the  time  111  the  parochial 
school  of  the  German  Evangelical  Church  near 
his  home.  The  Revolution  was  111  progress  dur- 
ing his  early  manhood,  and  his  father  being  en- 
gaged in  furnishing  supplies  to  the  army,  he 
assisted  in  this  business,  often  undergoing  great 
danger  and  suffering  in  conveying  provisions  to 
camp,  especially  during  the  memorable  winter  at 
Valley  Forge.  He  was  of  temperate  habits,  and 
possessed  unusual  strength  and  endurance,  his 
well-proportioned  frame  with  its  powerful  sinews 
seeming  capable  of  any  task.  When  peace  was 
restored,  he  traveled  for  several  years  in  what 
was  then  the  "  wild  west.'  most  of  the  time  be- 
ing spent  m  Pennsylvania   and  New  York. 

In  1792  Michael  Rbo  loved  from  Berks 

tinty  to  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  then 
.1  part  of  Northumberland  county,  where  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  and  began  to  cli  ar  it 
for  a  farm.  For  some  reason  he  sold  the  place 
two  years  later,  ami  went  to  the  present  home- 
stead, winch  he  purchased  from  [acob  Straub, 
September  15,  170;  This  place  was  a  part  of 
the  first  survey  in  that  Valley,  the  Manor  of  Not- 
tingham  survey,    made  September    23   and    24, 

1766,  and  the  land  had  previously  been  deeded 
to  Straub  on  June  24,  1704,  by  John  Penn,  the 
younger,  and  John  Penn,  the  elder,  by  their  at- 
torney,   Anthony     Butler,     of     Philadelphia,      as 


shown  by  documents  in  the  recorder's  office  in 
Lewis  town,  Penn.  The  deed  to  Michael  Rhone 
was  recorded  at  Bellefonte. 

Before  leaving  Berks  county,  Michael  Rhone 
married  Miss  Catherine  Elizabeth  Wagner,  who 
was  burn  October  24,  1769.  She  seems  to  have 
been  amply  endowed  with  physical  strength  and 
a  spirit  capable  of  overcoming  all  hardships,  while 
her  loresight  is  revealed  by  the  fact  that  she  car- 
ried in  her  pocket  a  package  of  seeds  of  various 
kinds,  from  which  came,  a  few  years  later,  ex- 
tensive orchards  of  apple,  pear,  peach,  plum  and 
cherry  trees,  covering  about  twenty  acres.  Many 
of  these  trees  are  still  standing.  When  the  pio- 
neers settled  at  their  new  home  it  was  in  its 
primitive  state,  except  for  a  small  log  cabin 
covered  with  clapboards  an  insignificant  stable 
and  a  few  acres  ready  for  tilling.  The  location 
was  beautiful,  however,  and  an  excellent  spring 
added  to  the  attraction  of  the  place  as  a  resi- 
dence, modern  methods  of  obtaining  a  bountiful 
supply  of  water  being  then  unknown.  It  was 
known  as  the  Indian  spring,  and  bands  of  Red 
men  frequently  camped  there,  a  "trail"  running 
past  it  from  Logan's  Gap  to  Tussey  mountain. 
I  is  ancient  path  was  visible  for  many  years 
after  the  aborigines  left  the  region,  and  arrow- 
heads and  other  relics  were  often  found  near  by. 

The  land  proved  fertile,  and  Michael  Rhone 
and  his  good  wife  found  themselves,  in  later 
years,  the  owners  of  one  of  the  best  farms 
in  all  that  section.  In  1805  a  better  house  was 
erected.  30x40  feet  in  size,  with  a  stone  founda- 
tion, and  having  its  logs  deftly  notched  at  the 
corners.  It  was  two  stories  high,  with  an  im- 
mense fireplace  on  each  floor,  and  a  high  stone 
chimney  stood  outside  at  either  end.  A  barn 
was  built  in  1810,  and  about  1820  the  present 
substantial  and  commodious  barn  was  erected. 
Intelligent,  progressive  and  upright,  Michael 
Rhone  was  universally  esteemed,  and  his  home 
was  the  center  of  a  generous  hospitality,  which 
has  been  continued  by  its  later  occupants.  In 
August.  1  X  v.  his  faithful  wife,  who  had  shared 
his  early  labors  and  his  well-earned  reward, 
passed  iwaj  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  and  he 
followed  her  on  September  16,  1844,  in  his 
eighty-sixth  year,  both  being  interred  at  Tussey- 
ville.  Centre  county,  in  the  cemetery  of  Eman- 
uel's Church  (Lutheran),  of  which  they  had  long 
been  members. 

They  had  two  sons  —  John  and  Jacob — and 
seven  daughters,  two  of  whom  did  not  live  to 
maturity.  Anna  Maria  married  John  Sholder, 
and  moved  to  Ohio,  where  they  and  their  only 
child  died.  Jane  married  Joseph  Crotzer,  of 
Potter  township,  Centre  county,  and  had  a  large 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


115 


family.  Katherine  married  Jacob  Grossman, 
and  moved  to  Lena,  111.,  where  several  children 
survive  them.  Nancy  married  David  Harshber- 
ger,  near  Zion,  and  left  a  numerous  family. 
Elizabeth  married  John  Rishel,  of  Gregg  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  John  Rhone,  who  was  born 
in  1800,  married  Miss  Bottorf,  of  Pine  Grove 
Mills,  and  settled  in  Clinton  county,  engaging  in 
lumbering  and  other  occupations.  Some  of  his 
descendants  still  reside  in  that  county. 

Jacob  Rhone,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  September,  1807,  and  spent  his  entire  life  on 
the  homestead.  Although  the  local  schools  fur- 
nished his  only  educational  advantages,  he  se- 
cured an  excellent  fund  of  knowledge  by  individ- 
ual effort,  being  a  constant  reader  of  the  best 
literature.  He  was  a  leading  worker  in  local 
affairs,  always  favoring  beneficial  enterprises, 
and  was  especially  prominent  in  religious  mat- 
ters as  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  serv- 
ing as  an  elder  for  a  number  of  years.  An 
ardent  Democrat,  he  possessed  much  influence 
in  political  affairs,  and  was  often  a  delegate  to 
county  conventions. 

In  1846  Jacob  Rhone  purchased  the  home- 
stead from  the  other  heirs,  but  on  March  19, 
1853,  he  was  suddenly  called  from  earth,  a  vio- 
lent attack  of  typhoid  pneumonia  baffling  the 
skill  of  his  physician.  He  had  just  been  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  but  his  commission  had  not 
yet  been  signed  by  the  governor.  His  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Sarah  Karstetter,  survives  him, 
and  in  taking  up  the  management  of  the  estate  at 
a  critical  time,  and  successfully  carrying  forward 
the  plans  for  the  new  residence  then  in  process 
of  erection,  showed  remarkable  sagacity  and  ex- 
ecutive ability.  In  rearing  their  numerous 
family  to  take  honorable  and  useful  places  in  so- 
ciety she  won  yet  more  notable  distinction. 
She  was  born  in  181 1,  the  daughter  of  Leonard 
Karstetter,  who  resided  at  the  confluence  of  Penn 
and  Pine  creeks,  in  what  is  now  Penn  township. 
Centre  county.  Her  twin  sister  is  still  living,  and 
they  are  probably  the  oldest  pair  of  twins  to  be 
found  in  the  county,  if  not  in  the  State.  Mrs. 
Rhone  conducted  the  farm  until  April  1,  1869, 
when  it  was  taken  in  charge  by  our  subject,  who 
afterward  bought  out  the  other  heirs. 

Nine  children  were  born  to  Jacob  and  Sarah 
Rhone:  (1)  John  W.,  born  in  1832,  died  May 
15,  1894;  he  graduated  in  1863  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania College  of  Dental  Surgery,  and  became 
the  leading  dentist  at  Bellefonte;  in  1856  he 
married  Miss  Caroline  E.  Keller,  of  Boalsburg, 
who  survives  him  with  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter. (2)  Leonard  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 
(3)   Mary  Magdalene,  born  in  1834,  is  the  wife  of 


William  J.  Dale,  of  Pleasant  Gap,  Penn.  (4) 
Sarah  Ann,  born  in  1836,  married  John  Hess,  of 
Pine  Grove  Mills,  Penn.  (5)  Elizabeth  Emily, 
born  in  1841,  married  H.  P.  Sankey,  a  farmer 
near  Potters  Mills.  (6)  Margaret  J.,  born  in 
1845,  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  F.  Mason,  of  Grinnell, 
Iowa.  (7)  Lydia  A.,  born  in  1845,  died  in  in- 
fancy. (8)  Alice,  born  .in  1849,  married  John 
W.  Hixon,  of  Newton,  Iowa.  (9)  Franklin  died 
at  the  homestead  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

On  June  13,  1894,  the  family  held  a  centen- 
nial celebration  at  the  old  home,  and  a  throng  of 
relatives,  neighbors  and  friends  met  to  rejoice 
with  them.  An  elaborate  program  preceded  a 
bountiful  dinner,  which  was  spread  under  an  im- 
mense tent  in  the  handsome  grounds.  Some 
well-trained  singers  rendered  appropriate  selec- 
tions, and  a  number  of  speeches  were  made,  Mr. 
Rhone  welcoming  the  guests  in  a  felicitous  man- 
ner. H.  H.  Harshberger  responded,  and  Col. 
J.  F.  Weaver,  of  Milesburg,  delivered  an  inter- 
esting historical  address,  which  was  followed  by 
an  anniversary  poem  by  Miss  Emma  Brewer, 
superintendent  of  public  schools  of  Crum  Lynne, 
Penn.  At  the  dinner  table  a  number  of  witty 
speeches  were  made,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
day  was  given  to  social  diversions  and  impromptu 
musical  selections,  Grandmother  Sarah  Rhone, 
despite  her  eighty-four  years,  sang  in  a  strong 
sweet  voice  two  stanzas  of  a  German  song.  One 
of  the  happiest  features  of  this  delightful  reunion 
was  the  presence  among  her  descendants  of  this 
honored  lady,  who  conversed  among  the  guests 
all  day  without  apparent  fatigue,  and  all  joined 
in  the  wish  that  she  might  live  long  to  enjoy  the 
prosperity  to  which  her  own  wisdom  and  energy 
so  largely  contributed. 


JOHN  O.  TODD  (deceased),  in  his  lifetime  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Philipsburg,  was  for 
many  years  connected  with  the  mining  in- 
terests of  Centre  county,  and  through  diligence 
and  economy  secured  a  competency  which  en- 
abled him  to  spend  his  declining  years  in  ease 
and  retirement.  He  was  born  in  Durham,  Eng- 
land, November  24,  1823,  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  J.  (Waistle)  Todd,  who  were  natives  of 
that  country,  where  the  father  died  November  3, 
1823.  Later  the  mother  wedded  Joseph  Boothe, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1848  they  came  to  America, 
locating  at  Tamaqua,  Schuylkill  Co.,  Penn., 
where  they  remained  for  three  years.  They 
then  took  took  up  their  residence  in  Philipsburg, 
Centre  county,  where  the  mother  died  in  No- 
vember, 1868,  and  her  husband  on  February  23, 
1870. 


116 


roVMKMoRATIVF  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


On  April  12.  1847,  Mr  Todd  sailed  for 
America,  landing  in  New  York  Ma)  22  follow- 
ing. Proceeding  at  once  to  Schuylkill  county. 
Penn.,  he  there  worked  in  the  coal  mines  for 
three  years,  and  then  came  to  Philipsburg,  where 
he  was  employed  in  the  lumber  woods  and  in  a 
sawmill,  while  during  the  spring  he  rafted  lumber 
on  the  Susquehanna  river.  In  i860  he  began 
mining  for  his  father-in-law,  and  served  as  min- 
ing boss  until  1893,  when  he  laid  aside  business 
cares,  and  sought  the  enjoyment  of  a  well-earned 
rest.  A  practical  and  skillful  miner,  he  was  well 
litted  for  the  responsible  position  which  lit-  rilled. 

On  September  14,  [862,  Mr.  Todd  married 
Miss  Susannah  Nuttall,  and  ten  children  graced 
their  union,  namely:  Martha  J.,  now  the  wife 
of  Andrew  Allport,  a  farmer  in  Virginia;  JohnT., 
who  is  a  stockholder  and  superintendent  of  mines 
near  Philipsburg;  Frederick  C,  who  is  also  inter- 
ested in  mines  at  the  same  place;  Charles  (de- 
ceased); Mary  W.  and  Harry  W.,  both  at  home; 
Herbert.  Albert  and  Edna  (all  three  deceased); 
and  Ethel  N.,  at  home.  Mrs.  Todd  was  born 
July  19,  1847,  in  England,  whence  when  two 
years  of  age  she  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  by  her  parents,  John  and  Betty  Nuttall, 
natives  of  Lancaster,  England,  who  located  in 
New  York  for  a  few  years,  later  in  Centre 
county. 

Mr.  Todd  died  June  S,  1S97.  Socially  he 
affiliate. 1  with  the  Kuights  of  Pythias;  politically 
he  was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party, 
whose  principles  he  strongly  advocated  and 
whose  candidates  he  always  supported  by  his 
ballot.  A  public-spirited,  progressive  citizen, 
he  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  per- 
tained to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  where 
he  found  a  pleasant  home  for  so  many  years, 
while  throughout  the  county  lie  made  many  warm 
friends,  and  his  departure  from  their  midst  was 
deeply  mom  ned 


J  I  WARD,  1).  I).  S.,  one  ,,t  Bellefonte's 
leading  dentists,  has  shown   a  rare  degree  of 

foresight  and  prudence  in  the  choice  of  a 
career.  It  is  an  excellent  thing  for  a  young 
man  to  take  account  of  his  circumstances,  abil- 
ities and  inclinations,  an. I  make  judicious  choice 
of  an  occupation  early  m  life,  when  he  may  bend 
his  best  energies  t.>  his  self-imposed  task,  and 
l'r     Ward's  example  is  worthy  of  emulation. 

Our  subject  is  a  nativeof  Centre  county,  born 
October  27,  1858,  at  Pine  Grove  Mills,  Fergu- 
son township,  where  be  was  given  good  edu.a- 
tional  advantages  in  the  district  schools  and  in  the 
Pine  Grove  Academy.      At  an  early  age  he  began 


to  display  his  characteristic  energy  and  business 
acumen,  and  while  still  in  bis  "teens"  began 
teaching  school,  which  occupation  he  followed 
six  years,  then  became  a  traveling  salesman  for 
an  art  firm,  his  duties  taking  him  all  over  the 
United  States  and  familiarizing  him  incidental!) 
with  the  various  phases  of  human  life.  His  prac- 
tical mind  gleaned  many  lessons  from  his  expe- 
riences and  observations,  and  seeing  the  value  of 
a  settled  location  and  profession,  he  returned  to 
his  native  county  and  continued  his  studies  for  a 
time.  He  then  took  a  course  in  the  Baltimore 
Dental  College,  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  graduating  in 
1888,  and  after  a  few  months  located  at  Belle- 
fonte,  where  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  and  lu- 
crative practice.  Although  devoted  to  his  pro- 
fession, he  is  too  public-spirited  to  fail  in  any  of 
the  duties  of  a  true  citizen,  and  he  is  highly  es- 
teemed among  all  classes.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  elected  in  1895;  also  one  of  the  stewards 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Dental  Society.  On  March  5, 
[890,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Belle 
M.  Stiver,  who  was  born  in  Perm's  Valley,  near 
Tusseyville,  in  1865.  Three  children  have 
brightened  their  home,  of  whom  two,  Thomas 
A.  and  Harold  Stiver,  are  living.  The  third  in 
order  of  birth  passed  away  in   infancy. 

The  Doctor's  ancestors  were  early  settlers  in 
Pennsylvania.  His  grandfather,  Simon  Ward, 
was  a  native  of  Lebanon  county,  born  in  1802. 
and  died  in  Centre  county  in  1877.  By  occupa- 
tion he  was  a  merchant  tailor.  He  married  Miss 
S(  Hers,  and  they  had  ten  children:  Lusetta, 
I  ieph  Simon,  [ohn,  Uriah,  William,  James  K 
Polk,    Albert,    Washington    and    Jacob.      Seven 

is  served  gallantly  in  the  Union  cause  in  tin 
Civil  war.  Two,  Washington  and  Jacob,  losttheii 
lives,  and  John  was  wounded  at  Gettysburg  and 
had  a  leg  amputated.  Jacob  died  at  Crab  Orchard. 
and  Washington,  although  young,  had  been  pro- 
inote.l  from  private  to  corporal,  and  was  killed  at 
ncellorsville. 

Joseph  Ward,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Lebanon  county,  Penn..  May  J.  1 S j 5.  and 
was  brought  to  Centre  county  in  his  childhood 
by  bis  parents.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
and  became  a  house  builder  and  cabinet  maker, 
every  carpenter's  shop  being,  in  those  days,  a 
little  factory.  His  wife,  Mary  Gill,  was  born  m 
Centre  county,  Mas  26,  [827.  Her  father,  Will- 
iam Gill,  was  a  native  of  Bucks  county.  Penn., 
whence  he  came  to  this  section  in  early  man- 
I,  and  died  at  Bellefonte,  November  21,  1876, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  years;  he  was  a  soldier  of 
the   war  of    1812.      Our   subject's  parents   made 


GOMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHH  A  J,  RE(  'ORD. 


117 


their  home  at  Pine  Grove  Mills,  and  the  father 
breathed  his  last  there  August  27,  1895;  the 
mother  is  yet  living  at  the  homestead.  The) 
had  the  following  children:  (1)  William  Bigler, 
a  carpenter  at  Pine  Grove  Mills;  (2)  Augusta, 
widow  of  Rev.  Joseph  King,  a  Methodist  min- 
ister; (3)  Clara,  who  is  at  home;  (4)  James  A., 
who  has  for  sixteen  years  been  a  successful 
teacher  at  Salina,  Kans;  (5)  Lusetta,  who  is  at 
home;  (6)  Joseph  Edward,  our  subject;  (7)  John 
H.,  a  resident  of  Centre  county;  (8)  George  W., 
a  well-known  teacher  at  Pittsburg,  Penn. ;  (9) 
Ira  C,  a  dentist  in  Chicago,  111.,  at  No.  1123 
N.  Clark  street;  (10)  Mary  E. ,  with  her  brother 
Ira  C,  in  Chicago. 

Mrs.  Belle  M.  Ward  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Bike)  Stiver,  whose  children  were  as 
follows:  Samuel  L.  is  the  principal  of  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  Bunker  Hill,  111. ;  William  B. 
is  a  physician  of  Freeport,  111. ;  Perry  O.  con- 
ducts a  newspaper  at  Freeport,  111.;  Roland  J. 
is  a  physician  at  Lena,  111.;  Thomas  J.  is  a  phy- 
sician at  Denver,  Colo. ;  David  A.  is  a  dentist  at 
Chicago;  and  Margaret  is  at  home  with  her  mother 
at  Centre,  Hall,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  The  father 
died  about  1  S 7 1 . 


JG.  IRVIN.  Among  the  foremost  families  of 
Centre  county  the  Irvin  family  ranks  high, 
both  in  the  business  and  social  world.  John 
and  Anne  (Watson)  Irvin,  the  grandparents  of 
our  subject,  were  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and 
from  Scotland  came  to  America  in  the  early 
1 790's.  They  took  up  their  abode  at  what  is 
now  Linden  Hall,  Harris  township,  Centre  coun- 
ty, where  the  grandfather  owned  and  operated  a 
mill  and  distillery  until  his  death  in  1825. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  nine  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Susan,  wife  of  Gen.  James 
Potter,  of  Potters  Mills,  Centre  county;  Gen. 
James  Irvin,  who  was  a  member  of  Congress  and 
at  one  time  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  gov- 
ernor of  Pennsylvania;  John,  the  father  of  our 
subject;  William,  who  made  his  home  in  Centre 
county,  but  died  in  China  while  serving  as  United 
States  embassador;  Lot  W. ,  who  was  engaged  in 
the  iron  business  in  Mercer  county,  Penn. ;  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  Andrew  Gregg,  who  was  engaged 
in  the  same  business  in  Hecla,  Centre  county; 
Nancy,  wife  of  Benjamin  J.  Berry,  of  Lemont, 
Penn. ;  Eliza,  widow  of  Roland  Curtin,  brother 
of  Gov.  Curtin,  and  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Iron 
Works,  of  Centre  county;  and  Sarah,  wife  of 
Capt.  W.  W.  Potter.  The  last  two  are  still  liv- 
ing in  Bellefonte. 

John  Irvin,  Jr.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 


born  in  Linden  Hall,  Harris  township,  and  in  the 
country  schools  near  his  home  secured  his  educa- 
tion. Leaving  school  at  an  early  age,  he  went 
to  Oak  Hall,  College  township,  where  he  became 
proprietor  of  the  Oak  Hall  grist  and  saw  mills 
and  a  store  at  the  same  place.  He  built  the 
Monroe  furnace  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn., 
where  he  lived  for  several  years,  but  finally  re- 
turned to  Oak  Hall.  Subsequently,  however,  he 
removed  to  Iowa,  where  his  death  occurred,  sur- 
viving his  last  wife  three  years. 

John  Irvin,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Hannah  Greene, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Greene  (owner  of  the  Cen- 
tre Furnace  of  College  township),  who  lived  and 
died  in  Milesburg.  The  only  child  born  of  this 
union  was  our  subject,  and  his  mother  died  in 
1832,  when  he  was  but  two  years  old.  Later 
his  father  wedded  Miss  Isabella  Rankin,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Rankin,  of  Bellefonte,  and  to  them 
were  born  five  children,  namely:  Mary,  who  died 
in  Iowa;  William,  a  commission  merchant  of 
Chicago,  111. ;  Sarah,  wife  of  D.  H.  Annabel,  a 
dry-goods  merchant,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa;  John,  a 
farmer  of  the  Hawkeye  State;  and  Isabella,  wife 
of  C.  C.  Cox,  a  broker  of  Chicago. 

f.  Greene  Irvin,  of  this  review,  was  born  in 
Linden  Hall,  January  23,  1830,  and  there  ob- 
tained his  early  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented by  a  course  of  study  in  both  Harrisburg 
and  Lawrenceville,  Penn.  On  the  completion  of 
his  literary  education,  he  entered  the  woolen 
business  in  Oak  Hall,  becoming  the  owner  and 
manager  of  the  large  woolen-mill  at  that  place. 
For  many  years  he  continued  its  operation,  but 
has  now  laid  aside  active  business  cares,  though 
he  still  owns  the  factory.  He  was  a  prominent 
representative  of  the  industrial  interests  of  the 
county,  and  the  product  which  the  mills  turned 
out  was  of  such  superior  quality  that  it  com- 
manded the  highest  market  price.  He  has  the 
strictest  regard  for  the  ethics  of  commercial  life, 
and  his  business  methods  commended  him  to  the 
confidence  and  regard  of  all. 

On  November  8,  1S54,  Mr.  Irvin  was  married 
to  Miss  Jane  Riley,  who  was  born  February  19, 
1836,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Riley,  of 
Boalsburg,  Harris  township,  Centre  county. 
They  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children, 
namely:  (1)  Annie,  born  February  22,  1856,  is 
the  wife  of  William  F.  Mitchell,  manager  of 
a  general  store  at  Williamsburg,  Blair  Co., 
Penn. ,  and  they  have  two  children — Mary  Mar- 
garet, born  December  17,  1884,  who  died  in  1889; 
and  Joseph  Irvin,  born  June  8,  1891.  (2)  Sarah 
Letitia,  born  December  26,  1857,  was  married 
June  15,  1 88 1,  to  Thomas  F.  Johnson,  secretary 
of  the  Hollidaysburg  Iron  &  Nail  Works,  at  Hoi- 


118 


CO  VMEMORA  Tl  VE  BIOGRAPHICAL  /.'/•.'  ORD. 


lidaysburg,  Penn.,  and  thi  two  children 

I'll  Irvin.  born  Maj  md  Mary  [ane, 

born   Jul}     I  Hannah    Mar] 

July  i  2,   i  86o,  died  I 

Mr.    Irvin    has    a   pleasant   In. me   in  Ci  I 
tow  i  unrounded  In  beautiful  gi  >m- 

prising  ten  acres,  and  there  he  is  spending  his 
declining  years  surrounded  by  many  warm 
friends.       For    thirty-fivi  n  a 

rian  Church. 
I  le  cist  Ins  first  Presidential  vote  for  i  'tt. 

is  now  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics,  but 
im  politician  in  the  sense  "I  office  seeking,  though 
he  has  creditably  filled  the  offices  ol  i    "I 

tin-  poor,  election  inspector,  township  treasurer 
and  township  clerk.  He  li  nds  Ins  aid  and  influ- 
eni  e  to  all  matt  I  to  advance  the 

ucational,  mora      i     laterial  welfai     ol  the  i 
inunity,  and  is  ranked  among  the  valui  d 
and  leadin  ie  township. 


WILLIAM    L     [RWIN,  M.    P..  who  is  en- 
ed  in  th  ine  at    [u- 

lian,    Centre    county,    his   attained   an    enviable 
position  in  the  ranks  of  the  medii  srnity  oi 

central  Pennsylvania.       I  arnesl  study,  broad   re 
n  h,    and   the    thoughtful    app  ol    the 

knowledge  that  he  has  acquii  him 

i  pi  actitii  mi  i  w  hii  h  maki  ■  him  a  n 
worthy  representative  ol  the  prof 

n  on  the  9th  ol  Jul) .  1863,  in  West  1  ,,. 
ion,  Iowa,  our  subject  was  two  years  of  age 
when  brought  to  Centre  county  by  his  parents, 

I  >aniei    and    Lh/a    C,     Irwin.        I  i  1 .  •    lather  is  ; 
a   prominent   merchant   in  Julian.      The  litei 

n  ol  our  subject  was  obtained  in  the  dis- 

and  at    Bellefonte  Academy,  where 

he   prepared   himsell   foi  tidy  of  medicine, 

to  make  its  In,  life  work      I 

ing  his  youth  he  often  a  his  father  in  the 

store,  and    while    th  n  reading  medicine, 

1  which  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  Coll* 
Philadelphia,  where  he  graduated  in  1890  on  the 
completion  of  the  three-years'  course.      He 
since  successfully  engaged  in  practice  at   Julian, 
and  throughout  his  professional  career  has  been 
a  close  student  of  the  science  of  medicine,  keep- 

fully  abreast  with  the  progress  which  char- 
acterises this  nineteenth-century  development. 
His  worth  is  acknowledged  by  his  professional 
brethren,  and  is  attested  by  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice. 

On    May    14.     1894,    Dr.    Irwin  was  married 

Miss  Susie  Williams,  and  they  have  a  son, 
John  Boyd,  born  July  3,  1896.  Mrs.  Irwin  was 
born  in  Huston  township,  Centre  county,  Augi 


a  cultured  and  refined  lady,  and 
-fully  engaged  in  teaching  previous  to  her 
marriage.  Her  father.  Abednego  Williams,  a 
ral  farmer  ol  Huston  township,  was  born 
there  August  4.  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  S. 
and  Eleanor  Peters)  Williams,  who  spent  tl 
enti  Centre  o  mnty.       Since  twenty- 

e  \ears  of  age  he  has  resided  upon  the  pres- 
ent farm,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successlul  agri- 
culturists ol  tin  locality.  On  January  4,  1871, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine 
M.  Hartsock,  whose  birth  occurred  January  4. 
[850,  in  Huston  township.  Her  parents,  Hays 
and  Susan  (Williams)  Hartsoi  k,  were  also  nati 
ol  (  entre  county,  where  they  always  made  their 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  highly 
spected    and    valued     uieiiibi'  iciety,    then 

true  worth  being  fully  p  I   b)  theii   many 

friends  and  acquaintances.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Grange  in  Unionville,  and  in  politics  is 
a  Republican,  favoring  the  gold  standard. 

Mrs.  Irwin  is  th-  in   a  family  "I    seven 

children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Martha 
J.,   born  0  I  bei  25  fohn  K. ,  born  Janu- 

ary 26,   1875,    and    Harry  S.,  born  February  14. 
1S77,  are  all  at  home  with    their  patents,     I  hi 
dire   L.,   bum   February  3,   1879,  died    fuly 

1    <  ■  .   born    !  ,1881,  is  at 

home;  and  Chester  M.,  born  June  J5,  1883,  died 
August  29,    1  - 

Politically,  Dr.  Irwin  affiliates  with  the  1  1 

y,  in  the  1  >f  which  he  tak> 

deep   int. /rest.        He  Is  a   mi   Mil"  I    ol    11  list  oil    town- 
ship scho  '1   b  iard,  and  part    in  the 
'    education,      A    prominent    member   ol 
the  medii  al  fraternity,  he  is  now  serving  as  pres- 
ident ol  the  Centn   County  Medical  Society,  and 
•   leading  member  ol    thi    Pennsyh  ania 
nd  the  American  Medical 
iciation.      Socially,    he   is  affiliated   with  the 
I.  O.  O.  F. ,  holding  membership  in  the  lodge  at 
Unionville.       Financially  as  well  as  profession- 
ally,  the   Doctor  has  met  with   success  in   his 
chosen  calling,   and    owns  a    pleasant    home  in 
Julian,  where  he  and  his  amiable  wife  delight  to 
rtain  their  many  friends. 


JH.  I  NYDER,  county  surveyor  of  Cen- 

tre county,  with  residence  at  Millheim,  is 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Penn's 
Valley,  being  connected  with  some  of  the  most 
important  enterprises  in  that  section. 

Mr.    Reifsnyder    was    born     near     Annville, 
anon  Co.,  Penn,  July   [8,    i  S37,  and  his  fam- 
ily, which  is  of  German  origin,  has  been  rep 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


119 


sented  in  this  State  for  several  centuries.  His 
father,  the  late  William  Reifsnyder,  a  native  of 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1805,  came  to 
Centre  county  in  1841,  locating  first  at  Aarons- 
burg. He  started  in  life  a  poor  boy,  and  for  a 
time  followed  the  weaver's  trade;  but  after  his 
removal  to  Aaronsburg  he  engaged  in  butchering, 
selling  the  meat  about  the  vicinity,  while  in  the 
fall  of  the  year  he  would  go  into  the  country  and 
assist  the  farmers  in  butchering.  In  1848  he 
moved  into  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  a 
short  distance  to  the  northwest  of  Millheim,  and 
in  1850  he  removed  to  another  part  of  the  town- 
ship, which  is  now  a  part  of  the  village  site.  He 
worked  by  the  day  at  whatever  employment  pre- 
sented itself.  In  1857  he  resumed  the  business 
of  butchering,  with  our  subject  as  an  assistant, 
and  in  the  winter  season  did  some  huckstering 
also.  He  was  an  industrious  man,  and  as  a  citi- 
zen was  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  a  Democrat,  but  though  a  regular  voter 
he  was  not  a  politician.  From  an  early  age  he 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
and  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Temperance 
cause. 

William  Reifsnyder  was  married  in  1830,  in 
Lebanon  county,  to  Miss  Rachel  Gass,  a  native 
of  Lancaster  county,  born  July  27,  1808.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  John  Gass,  and  one  of  a  nu- 
merous family  of  children.  William  Reifsnyder 
died  at  Millheim,  May  7,  1883,  but  our  subject's 
mother  is  still  living  now,  in  her  ninetieth  year, 
and  makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Armbruster.  The  children  of  this  estimable 
couple  were:  Uriah,  a  carpenter  of  Millheim, 
who  died  in  the  fall  of  1895;  Mina,  the  wife  of 
Davis  Evans,  of  Potters  Mills,  Penn. ;  Malinda 
B.,  now  Mrs.  George  Armbruster,  of  Farmers 
Mills;  Leah  A.,  who  resides  at  Millheim;  Will- 
iam H. ,  a  resident  of  Millheim ;  and  J.  H. ,  whose 
name  opens  this  sketch. 

As  our  subject  came  to  Centre  county  in  child- 
hood, his  elementary  education  was  chiefly  ac- 
quired in  the  schools  of  Aaronsburg  and  vicinity, 
his  first  teacher  being  James  Aikens.  The  meth- 
ods and  apparatus  of  the  schools  of  that  day 
were  not  of  the  best,  and  Mr.  Reifsnyder  views 
the  improvements  in  the  present  system  with  en- 
tire approbation.  Owing  to  the  poverty  of  his 
parents,  he  went  to  work  at  the  age  of  ten  years 
at  such  employment  among  the  farmers  as  his 
strength  would  permit,  and  until  the  age  of 
twenty  his  time  was  spent  in  different  places  and 
at  various  kinds  of  labor.  From  1857  until 
1867  he  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
butcher  business,  and  for  two  years  afterward  he 
traveled  through  southeastern  Pennsylvania  sell- 


ing patent  rights.  He  had  fitted  himself  for 
teaching  through  home  study,  and  at  different 
times  taught  in  Haines  and  Penn  townships. 
Centre  county — five  terms  in  all,  and  having  ac- 
quired also  a  knowledge  of  surveying  he  in  1868 
purchased  the  instruments  belonging  to  Jacob  Bol- 
linger, former  surveyor,  and  began  his  successful 
career  as  a  worker  in  that  line.  Other  business 
enterprises  in  which  he  has  engaged  are  the  pur- 
chasing of  the  Duncan  farm,  south  of  Millheim, 
part  of  which  was  laid  out  in  building  lots,  and 
forms  part  of  the  town,  and  is  also  known  as  the 
"Southern  Addition."  He  was  also  an  appli- 
cant to  a  charter  for  the  Millheim  Building  & 
Loan  Association  and  held  the  position  as  treas- 
urer and  solicitor  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Millheim 
Turnpike  road,  extending  from  said  place  to  Co- 
burn,  and  as  contractor  constructed  part  of  the 
road;  he  was  the  first  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
that  company;  and  at  one  time  was  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Millheim  Banking  Company.  He 
is  the  owner  and  operator  of  the  Keystone  Ce- 
ment and  Lime  quarries,  which  were  opened  in 
1872.  He  has  been  dealing  extensively  in  im- 
proved and  timber  lands. 

In  January,  1861,  Mr.  Reifsnyder  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  L.  Kreamer,  who  was  born  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  August  16,  1837, 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  (Reitzell) 
Kreamer.  They  established  their  residence  at 
Millheim,  and  their  home  has  been  brightened  by 
seven  children,  of  whom  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter are  the  only  survivors — Jennie  K.  and  Joseph 
W.,  both  students  at  Bucknell  University,  Lew- 
isburg,  Penn.  Mrs.  Reifsnyder  died  July  23, 
1892,  leaving  a  large  circle  of  friends  to  grieve 
with  the  stricken  family.  She  was  a  devout 
Christian  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Reifsnyder  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  is  regarded  as  a  leader  in  his 
locality.  From  1862  to  1866  he  served  as  con- 
stable of  Penn  township,  and  during  that  time  he 
was  also  tax  collector.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  served  con- 
tinuously until  May,  1896,  giving  entire  satisfac- 
tion to  the  public.  He  is  now  serving  his  seventh 
year  as  county  surveyor.  Since  1889  his  activi- 
ties in  all  lines  have  been  somewhat  curtailed  on 
account  of  an  attack  of  "La  Grippe,"  which  left 
him  less  robust  than  before. 

His  real-estate  buildings  are  valuable.  His 
comfortable  home  in  Millheim  was  remodeled  in 
1876,  and  he  owns  a  number  of  other  residences 
there,  and  twenty-two  acres  of  improved  land 
within  the  corporation  limits;  also  several  large 
farms   west   of    Millheim.      He  has  always  been 


L20 


OOMMEMOHA  11  VE  BIOQRA.PBH  .1  /.  RECORD. 


ready    to   encourage    any     local     improvement. 
■  made  in   the  fullest  his  intellect  and 

his  attainments  are  remarkable,  and  his  sound, 
i  judgment  <>(  men  and  affairs  make  his  opin- 
ions valued,  and  his  advii  L,rht 


HON     JAMESSCHOFI1  I  D,  Representative 
the   Bellefonte   District    in   the    (ieneral 
i  the  st  ite.      An  honorable  ambition, 
i. uned  by  practical  ability  and    unyielding  en- 
,  is  a  passport  to  .  and  the  biographies 

of  our  distinguished  men  furnish  interesting  illus- 
trations of  the  rule.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  present 
to  our  readers  such  a  Forceful  example  as  the  fol- 
low iDg  sketch  convej  - 

Mr.  Schofield  has  become  so  thoroughly  and 
.    identified    with  the  interests 

of  this  section  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine 
him  making  his  wa)  I    heavj   odds  to  his 

pn  sent  position  in  the  community,  yet  his  brave 
and  successful  Strug)  lubtless  one   factor  in 

his  popularity.  He  was  burn  in  Belfast,  Ireland. 
March  20,  1848,  the  first  child  of  William  Scho- 
field  and  his  second  wife  Ellen  Allen).  The 
father   was   a    native   of   County    M01  Ire- 

land, born  in  1809,  and  in  early  life  was  a  farm'  r, 
but  later  had  charge  oi  the  shipyards  of  McClel- 
lan  &  Co.,  at  Belfast,  where  his  death  occurred 
in  1896.  Our  subject's  mother  is  still  living  in 
Belfast  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  Both 
parents  were  connected  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  from  eai  ly  yi 

Our  subject.  James  Schofield,  received  a  good 
elemental-)  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  learned  the  harness-maker's  trade. 
When  thus  prepared  for  the  practical  work  of 
life,  he  failed  to  find  contentment  in  the  pros- 
is  which  lay  before  him.  For  one  thing  the 
idea  ol  being  a  subject  in  a  monarchy  was  dis- 
tasteful to  him,  and  the  thought  that  by  crossing 
the  Atlantic  he  could  become  a  citizen  in  a  Re 
public,  and  be  himself  a  recognized  factor  in  the 
government,  filled  Ins  soul  with  longing.  Hedid 
not  hesitate  long.  With  characteristic  prompt- 
i  and  decision  he  made  Ins  choice,  and  at  till- 
age of  eighteen  sailed  for  Amerii  a,  where  he 
found  a  suitable  location  at  Bellefonte,  the  cli- 
mate and  the  people  both  proving  congenial.  A 
livelihood  was,  of  course,  his  firsl  consideration, 
and  he  applied  himself  diligently  to  his  trade, 
working  as  a  journeyman  until  1871.  when  he 
went  into  business  on  his  own  account.  Thor- 
oughly competent  in  all  branches  of  harness  and 
saddle  making,  his  masterly  workmanship,  couj 
with  upright  and  honorable  bu 
attracted  an   increasing  custom  until   he  became 


the  leading  dealer  in  his  line  in  Centre  county. 
His  genial  nature  and  well-informed  mind  gamed 
him  warm  friends,  and  his  shop  became  a  meet- 
ing place  for  the  discussion  of  the  live   topics  of 

lay. 

As  his  prosperit)  tablished,  he  had 

time  to  take  an  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
and,  ti r -t  as  school  director  and  later  as  overseer 
of  the  poor,  he  did  efficient  service,  fn  1892  he 
was  ele  ted  on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  the 
State  Legislature,  where  he  succeeded  in  getting 

e  valuable  measures  passed.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  Mining  and  Agriculture. 
At  that  time  there  were  only  seventy  Democrats 
in  the  House.  In  1894  he  was  again  a  candidate, 
but  his  party  was  slaughtered  everywhere  that 
year,  and  he  went  down  with  the  rest.  In  181 
he  was  again  the  choice  of  the  Democrats  of  his 
county,  and,  although  the  party  was  divided,  he 
was  elected  by  a  majority  of  105,  while  Major 
McKinley  carried  the  county  by  400  votes.  Mr. 
Schofield  is  now  serving  on  a  number  of  import- 
ant committees,  among  them  being  those  of 
(  itv  Appropriations,  Manufactories  and  Election 
Laws.  No  progressive  movement  in  his  locality 
fails  to  receive  Mr.  Schofield's  appreciation  and 
support,  and  his  friends  and  admirers  are  by  no 
means  limited  to  any  party  or  class.  He  is  act- 
ive in  fraternal  society  work  as  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  0.  F.  and  the  K,  G.  E. 

Tile  wife  of  Mr.  Schofield,  formerly  Miss 
Lllen  Fleck,  is  a  native  of  Philipsburg,  Centre 
county,  Penn.,  born  in  1856.  Their  children 
Mary  who  married  George  Parker,  and  has 
two  children — Ferguson  and  Jennie),  Edward, 
Elizabeth  and  Nancy,  the  son  Edward  being  in 
the  grocer)  business  at  Bellefonte. 


W  HARRISON  WALKER,  Esq.,  junior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  "  Fortney  & 
Walker.'  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  was  born 
near  Salona.  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  August  30, 
1874,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of  Samuel  E. 
Walker,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere. 

Born  and  reared  on  a  farm,  his  early  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  township  schools.  At 
ol  fifteen  he  was  admitted  to  Class '94  of 
the  Susquehanna  University  :>t  Selin's  Grove, 
Snyder  Co  I  nn.,  but  was  only  in  attendance 
at  that  institution  for  several  terms.  Then  he 
went  to  Lock  Haven  and  entered  the  Central 
State  Norma!  School  and  pursued  special  studies 
for  preparation  for  the  legal  profession  While 
at  the  latter  institution  he  read  law  during  his 
tioti,  in  tin-  offices  of  T.  M.  Stevenson,  Esq.. 
ol   I .'  ick  I  laven. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


121 


In  the  fall  of  1894  Mr.  Walker  entered  the 
Dickinson  School  of  Law,  at  Carlisle,  Penn., 
and  also  registered  as  a  law  student  in  the  law 
offices  of  ex-Judge  W.  F.  Sadler,  of  the  same 
city,  which  gentleman  manifested  a  great  inter- 
est in  Mr.  Walker  and  his  work.  After  two 
years  of  faithful  study  in  the  law  department,  to- 
gether with  the  office  work  entrusted  to  him  by 
his  preceptor.  Judge  Sadler,  he  was  graduated 
from  the  Dickinson  School  of  Law,  June  8,  1896, 
receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  ranking  very 
high  in  his  class. 

Mr.  Walker  was  a  member  of  the  Clionian 
Literary  Society,  and  also  of  the  Henry  Clay 
Debating  Club,  of  the  Susquehanna  University; 
of  the  Shakespeare  Literary  Society,  of  the  Cen- 
tral State  Normal  School;  and  of  the  Dickinson 
Law  Society  and  Moot  Court  Club,  of  the  Dick- 
inson School  of  Law,  also  of  the  Dickinson  Col- 
lege Orchestra  &  Glee  Club.  He  was  the  editor 
and  business  manager  of  ' '  The  Shakespearean,"  a 
paper  published  at  Lock  Haven,  by  the  Shakes- 
peare Society  in  1893.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Dickinson  Chapter  of  the  Delta  Chi  Legal 
Fraternity,  an  organization  exclusively  for  law 
students  and  lawyers. 

Politically,  Mr.  Walker  is  a  Democrat.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign  of  1896,  and 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  young  speakers 
in  the  field.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bellefonte 
Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  also  of  the  Bellefonte  Lodge  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Eagle. 

As  a  student  in  the  law  school,  he  was  re- 
markably faithful  to  his  duties — a  painstaking 
and  conscientious  worker — and  he  commanded 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  both  faculty  and 
students.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  good  moral 
character,  of  the  highest  probity,  studious  and 
energetic.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Cumberland 
County  Bar  at  Carlisle,  Penn.,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  and  to  the  Centre  County  Bar  at 
Bellefonte,  Penn.,  on  the  20th  day  of  July,  1896. 
On  August  1,  1896,  he  joined  in  partnership,  for 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  with  David  F. 
Fortney,  Esq.,  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Bar,  as  well  as  one  of  the  greatest  educa- 
tional leaders  in  the  State,  under  the  firm  name 
of  "  Fortney  &  Walker.  " 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  laid  a  good 
foundation  for  legal  knowledge,  and  his  industry, 
ambition  and  perseverance,  with  his  ability,  jus- 
tify us  in  the  prediction  of  a  brilliant  future  for 
him.  He  is  a  clear,  eloquent  and  forcible 
speaker.  Upon  entering  his  professional  life  at 
the  Centre  County  Bar  we  find  in  the  columns  of 
one   of    the    leading    papers     published     in    the 


county,  the  following:  "  W.  Harrison  Walker, 
Esq.,  the  junior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Fort- 
ney &  Walker,  has  spent  years  in  faithful  study 
and  preparation  for  the  practice  of  the  law.  He 
comes  to  the  Bar  more  thoroughly  prepared  than 
any  young  man  who  has  been  admitted  in  recent 
years." 


E 


>\DWIN  J.  BURD,  M.  D.,  is  one  of  the  most 


eminent  and  skillful  physicians  of  Centre 
county,  and  is  now  located  in  Snow  Shoe,  where 
he  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
In  a  comparison  of  the  relative  value  to  mankind 
of  the  various  professions  and  pursuits,  it  is  widely 
recognized  that  none  is  so  important  as  the  med- 
ical profession.  From  the  cradle  to  the  grave 
human  destiny  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  phy- 
sician. Although  our  subject  is  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  this  honored  profession,  he 
has  already  won  an  enviable  reputation. 

Dr.  Burd  was  born,  May  5,  1866,  in  Rebers- 
burg,  Miles  township.  Centre  county,  a  son  of 
John  R.  and  Susanna  (Gephart)  Burd,  natives  of 
Northumberland  and  Union  counties,  Penn.,  re- 
spectively. The  father's  birth  occurred  in  Au- 
gust, 18 19,  and  in  1826  he  was  brought  by  his 
parents,  John  and  Eleanor  (Reynolds)  Burd,  to 
Centre  county,  and  is  still  an  honored  resident  of 
Rebersburg,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  saddlery 
business.  The  grandparents,  who  were  natives 
of  Ireland,  first  located  in  Northumberland  coun- 
ty, where  the  grandmother  died  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-two  years,  and  the  grandfather  was 
killed  while  at  work  in  the  lumber  woods. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Jan- 
uary, 18 19,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Hannah  Gephart,  the  former  a  native  of  Union 
county,  Penn.,  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  In 
1 82 1  they  came  to  Centre  county,  where  they 
spent  their  remaining  days.  The  great-grand- 
father Gephart  was  of  German  birth.  Mrs.  Burd 
was  called  to  her  final  rest,  June  19,  1892.  She 
was  the  mother  of  six  children:  Emma,  wife  of 
John  Beck,  a  cabinet-maker,  of  Duncannon, 
Penn.;  Ella,  who  is  with  her  father;  Angie,  wife 
of  James  Tharp,  a  conductor  on  the  Lehigh  Val- 
ley railroad,  and  residing  in  Easton,  Penn. ;  Mary, 
wife  of  Horace  Breisch,  who  is  also  a  conductor 
for  that  company  and  a  resident  of  Easton;  Win- 
field  S. ,  a  dentist  of  Bellewood,  Blair  Co. ,  Penn. ; 
and  Edwin  J.,  of  this  sketch. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  Dr.  Burd  began 
the  battle  of  life  for  himself,  at  first  working  in 
a  brick  yard,  where  he  was  employed  for  four 
years  during  the  summer  months,  while  in  the 
winter  he  attended   school.      In    1883   he   began 


122 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  study  of  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Di 
|.  W.  Bright,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1885  86  he  attended  a  course 
of    lectures  at   the    University   of    Maryland,  in 

Baltimore.  On  his  return  home  he  resumi  d 
work  in  the  brick  yard,  where  he  remained  until 
the  following  winter,  when  he  went  to  Bellefonte. 
In  that  city  he  secured  a  position  in  the  drug 
store  of  Dr.  M.  A.  Kirk,  but  two  months  later  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  next  engaged  in  clerk- 
ing 111  Easton  for  two  months,  and  during  the 
following  six  months  filled  a  similar  position  in 
the  store  of  Cyrus  Jacoby.  at  South  Bethlehem, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  taken  ill  with 
typhoid  fever  and  was  compelled  to  return  home. 

In  the  summer  of  1888,  Dr.  Burd  resumed 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  October  of  that 
year  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College.  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  graduated  April  3,  [889.  He 
at  once  opened  an  office  at  Rebersburg,  but  two 
years  later  came  to  Snow  Shoe,  where  his  skill 
and  ability  were  soon  recognized.  Besides  his 
large  general  practice  he  is  also  serving  as  sur- 
geon for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
which  important  position  he  has  filled  since  com- 
ing to  Snow  Shoe.  His  political  support  is  ever 
given  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  in  religious  belief  he  is  a  Lutheran. 

On  July  28,  iSSS,  Dr  Burd  was  married,  in 
Rebersburg,  to  Miss  [Catherine  S  Stover,  who 
was  horn  in  Aaronsburg.  Centre  county,  August 
1  j,  1870.  She  is  the  youngest  of  the  three  chil- 
dren born  to  Thaddeus  and  Man  Geuseweite) 
Stover,  who  are  still  residents  of  Rebersburg, 
where  the  father  is  engaged  in  farming.  The 
sisters  of  Mrs.  Burd  are  Carrie,  wife  of  Henr) 
Detwiler,  professor  of  the  public  schools  of  Re- 

burg;  and  Lula,  at  home. 


J\\  BRIGH  r,  M.  D.,  of  Rebersburg,  Centre 
county,  is  a  physician  whose  professional  at- 
tainments place  him  in  the  front  rank  among 
the  practitioners  ol  this  section.  European  travel 
and  study  in  the  mosl  noted  centers  of  clinical 
work  have  supplemented  the  thorough  prepara- 
tion of   oiii  own  si  hools,  while  natural  talent  has 

enabled  him  to  improve  to  the  Utmost  these  ad- 
vantages and  the  no  less  valuable  training  ga 
in  years  of  practice.  His  success  is  the  more 
creditable  from  having  been  gained  by  his  own 
efforts  in  the  face  of  financial  difficulties  in  early 
life. 

John  Bright,  greal  grandfather  ol  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  of  pioneer  stock.  Ins 
family  having  been  among  the  early  settler-  in 
the    eastern    counties    of    that    State,  and    alter 


spending  the  greater  part  of  his  life  there  as  a 
farmer,  he  came  to  Centre  county  to  spend  his 
last  days.  This  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  he  was  then  too  old  to 
work  lb-  son  George,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
who  was  born,  probably,  in  Lehigh  county,  was 
married  in  Centre  county,  about  1788,  to  Eve, 
daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  (Wolf)  Stover, 
George  Bright,  who  possessed  much  mechanical 
ability,  located  at  Aaronsburg,  and  having  learned 
the  hatter's  trade  in  the  East  before  the  removal 
of  the  family,  he  followed  that  business,  and  was 
also  interested  in  farming.  He  and  his  wife- 
reared  a  large  family,  all  of  whom  are  dead  ex- 
cept George,  Jr. :  11 )  David,  who  never  married, 
was  a  hatter  at  Aaronsburg;  (2)  Sophia  married 
Adam    Guiswite,    a   farmer  of  near   Aaronsburg; 

Margaret  never  married,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred at  the  old  homestead;  (4)  Catherine  was 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Shafer,  a  farmer,  who  lived 
at  Madisonburg;  (5)  John,  who  married  Martha 
Hill,  was  a  brick  maker  and  tanner  at  Aarons- 
burg; (6)  George,  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker, 
married  Sarah  Bower,  and  is  living  in  retirement 
at  Aaronsburg  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years;  (7) 
Michael,  who  married  Elizabeth  Robinson,  was 
a  slave-holder  before  the  war,  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated on  the  Confederate  side,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1893. 

Another  member  of  this  family  was  Samuel 
Bright,  our  subject's  father,  who  was  born,  about 
l8l8,  at  Aaronsburg.  near  the  present  site  of  the 
Lutheran  cemetery.  He  was  educated  in  that 
town,  attending  both  the  common  schools  and 
the  academy,  and  then  learned  the  carpenl 
trade  under  the  instruction  of  his  brother  Geoi 
He  was  of  ordinary  stature,  was  active  and  sup- 
ple, and  possessed  decided  genius  in  his  line  \- 
a  citizen  he  was  well  known.  He  was  the  drum- 
major  of  an  organization  in  Aaronsburg,  and  was 

insistent,  if  not  an  active,  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church. 

In  politics,  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  had  no  taste  for  the  life,  of  a  poli- 
tician, .md  he  followed  the  business  of  carpen- 
tering and  cabinet  making  until  his  death;  be  died 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight,  from  the  effects 
of  being  over-heated,  and  he  was  buried  at 
Aaronsburg.  His  wife,  Eve  Weaver,  a  daughter 
ol  Daniel  and  Elizabeth    Keplinger)  Weaver,  was 

1  and  reared  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county.  Six  children  blessed  their  union:  1 
Marj  I  Mrs.  Thomas  Miiler  ,  o|  W'infield, 
Kans.  ;  (2)  Anna  (Mrs.  |ohn  Walton),  ol  North 
Bend,  Penn. ;  (3)  Jennie  (Mrs.  Huston  Hunter), 
oi  Mill  Hall,  Penn.;  (4  James  \\  . .  professor  of 
English  Language  in  Johns  Hopkins  University, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


123 


Baltimore,  Md. ;  (5)  John  W. ,  our  subject,  and 
(6)  Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy.  After  the 
father's  death  the  mother  formed  a  second  union, 
this  time  with  Levi  Conser,  and  now  resides  at 
Logantown,  Penn.  By  this  marriage  there  are 
three  children:  Harry  N.,  Ph.  D.,  now  princi- 
pal of  the  high  school  at  Sunbury,  Penn. ; 
Thomas  C. ,  M.  D. ,  practicing  medicine  at  Sun- 
bury;  and  Minnie  M.,  now  Mrs.  James  Stoman, 
of  Loganton,  Penn. 

Dr.  Bright  was  born  November  17,  1854,  in 
a  house  which  stood  upon  land  now  inclosed 
within  the  Lutheran  cemetery  at  Aaronsburg. 
During  his  boyhood  he  was  taken  by  his  mother 
to  Loganton,  where  he  attended  school  under 
the  tutorship  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Gotwald.  Later  he 
pursued  a  course  in  the  normal  school  at  Millers- 
ville,  and  taught  successfully  for  a  time  in  Dauphin 
county.  Penn.  Being  entirely  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources  for  his  education,  his  ambition 
found  many  hindrances  but  "  where  there's  a  will 
there's  a  way,"  and  his  was  not  the  sort  of  a  na- 
ture to  be  easily  daunted.  As  he  could  save 
funds,  he  would  pursue  his  studies,  and  thus  in 
time  he  entered  Jefferson  Medical  College  at 
Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  in  1880.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  located  at  Rebers- 
burg,  where  Dr.  Hilbish,  a  successful  physician, 
then  well  advanced  in  years,  welcomed  Dr. 
Bright  as  his  successor.  A  young  physician  could 
scarcely  find  a  better  opening  than  this,  and  Dr. 
Bright  succeeded  from  the  first,  his  ability,  skill 
and  devotion  to  h''s  chosen 
retaining  confidence.  Each 
tice  increasing;  but  so  far  from 
with  the  attainments  which  had  won  his  success. 
Dr.  Bright  showed  the  true  scientific  spirit  by 
determining  upon  still  further  study  under  the 
best  guidance  obtainable.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he 
went  to  Europe,  and  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1890,  attending  lectures  under  several  eminent 
teachers,  notably  those  of  Leipsic  and  Vienna. 
On  his  return  he  resumed  his  practice  at  Rebers- 
burg,  and  has  since  continued  it  with  growing 
popularity. 

In  August,  1892,  the  Doctor  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  M.  Meyer,  a  native  of  Rebersburg, 
and  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Mary  (Cosman) 
Meyer,  prominent  citizens.  Mrs.  Bright  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church  and  a  leader  in 
social  life,  her  talents  making  her  an  acquisition 
to  any  circle.  She  is  especially  accomplished  in 
music,  and  taught  the  art  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage. Three  interesting  daughters — Mary  E. , 
born  February  1 1,  1894,  and  Florence  and  Lucile 
(twins),  born  December  28,  1896 — brighten  their 
home. 


work  winning  and 
year  saw  his  prac- 
being  content 


While  not  a  politician,  Dr.  Bright  takes  great 
interest  in  the  success  of  his  party,  the  Repub- 
lican, and  at  various  times  when  placed  upon  the 
ticket  for  a  township  office  in  opposition  to  his 
expressed  wishes,  he  has  acquiesced  gracefully 
and  given  most  acceptable  service.  His  unusually 
thorough  preparation  for  his  profession  gives  him 
much  influence  within  as  well  as  without  the 
charmed  circle  of  the  medical  fraternity,  and  he 
is  a  valued  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  State  Medical  Society,  the  West 
Branch  Medical  Society,  and  the  Centre  County 
Medical  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic lodge  at  Centre  Hall. 


FRANCIS  ALEXANDER  (deceased)  was  a 
worthy  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer 
family  of  Perm's  Valley,  which  was  founded  in 
Centrecounty  by  his  father,  James  Alexander,  who 
located  in  what  is  now  Potter  township,  in  1795, 
becoming  a  tenant  of  one  of  the  Potter  farms, 
a  short  distance  east  of  the  "Old  Fort,"  where  he 
and  his  family  lived  for  many  years.  The  grand- 
father, Joseph  Alexander,  died  in  Potter  township, 
in  18 1 8,  to  which  he  had  removed  at  a  later  date 
than  his  sons,  James  and  Henry.  Alter  remain- 
ing for  a  short  time  in  Penn's  Valley,  the  latter 
removed  to  Venango  county,  Penn.  To  the 
grandparents  of  our  subject,  Josiah  and  Elizabeth 
Alexander,  were  born  seven  children:  James, 
Mrs.  Nancy  Boozer,  Mrs.  Abigail  Evans,  Mrs. 
Nettie  Palmer,  Henry,  Mrs.  Jane  Jackson  and 
Mrs.  Margaret  McCalmont.  The  mother  of  this 
family  departed  this  life  in  1825. 

James  Alexander  was  a  native  of  Cecil  county, 
Md.,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  While 
he  never  accumulated  any  property,  he  reared  an 
excellent  family,  and  lived  an  upright,  honorable 
life,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
called  to  his  final  rest  in  July,  1830,  and  left  six 
children,  all  born  of  his  first  marriage,  namely: 
Josiah  died  in  Potter  township;  Francis;  Amos 
died  March  1,  1881,  in  Millheim,  Centrecounty, 
where  he  had  been  a  merchant  for  several  years; 
James  died  in  Potter  township;  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried John  Sweetwood,  and  died  May  30,  1841, 
in  Potter  township;  and  Rachel,  wife  of  J.  H. 
Keller,  died  April  6,   1878,  in  Potter  township. 

The  birth  of  Francis  Alexander  occurred  in 
July,  1806,  on  the  old  Potter  farm  in  Potter 
township,  where  his  father  had  located  on  com- 
ing to  the  county.  There  he  spent  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  and  obtained  such  an 
education  as  the  schools  of  the  locality  afforded. 


124 


OOMMBMORA  1 1  V h:  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  tlu-  same  township  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Letitia  Mi  Elroy,  a  Dative  of  Huntingdon  county, 
l'.nii,.  born  in  1804,  and  a  daughter  "f  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Gardner)   McElroy.  children 

blessed  their  union,  as  follows:  Margaret,  who 
died  in  infancy;  [ohn,  who  died   in   1  wn- 

ship  at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  Emily,  a  residi  nt 
of  Centre  Hall;  James,  who  is  also  living  in  Cen- 
tre Hall;  Isaac,  who  died  in  Putter  township  at 
the  ageof  twenty-three;  Mary,  widow  of  John  P. 
Ross,  and  a  resident  of  Centre  Hall;  and  L  1 
wife  of  Hon.  W.  A.  Murray,  oi  Boalsburg,  (Va- 
in- 1  ■  unity. 

Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Alexandei   began  h  (ping 

upon  the  farm  where  he  was  horn,  which  he 
rented,  but  in  1  .S4 7  removed  to  the  tirst  farm 
west  of  the  "('Id  Fort,"  which  he  purchased  "1 
|ames  and  John  Potter.  There  he  made  his 
home  until  his  removal  to  Centre  Hall,  where  he 
bought  a  pleasant  residence  and  gave  up  active  bus- 
iness life.  He  died  in  that  village  in  February, 
1S7.4,  and  two  years  later  his  wife  was  laid  by 
his  side  in  the  cemetery  of  Centre  Hill,  having 
died  in  April,  1S76.  Both  were  earnest,  consci- 
entious Christians,  faithful  members  of  tin-  Pres- 
byterian  Church,  and  were  held  in  the  highest  re- 
gard by  all  who  knew  them. 

Mi  All  Kander  was  a  thorough  and  skillful 
t. inner,  whose  success  came  as  the  jus)  reward 
of   honest    labor,    perse\  .md    enterpi 

anil  at  his  death  he  left  Ins  family  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  He  gave  liberallj  to  the  support 
<>(  public  enterprises,  and  in  every  way  was  a 
worthy  citizen.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  took  an  active  interest  in  tin-  sue  cess  of  his 
party,  but  had  no  inclination  for  public  office, 
though  he  acceptably  served  as  overseer  of  the 
poor,  school  director  and  supervisor  in  his  town- 
ship 


EUBEN  II  MEEK.  Among  the  sturdy 
IT!.  Scotch  who  came  from  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, to  America  before  the  Revolutionary  war. 
was  Ri  bed  Meek  and  his  family,  who  located  in 
Maryland.  From  there  si\  of  his  sons  enlisted 
in  the  war  of  Independence,  and  three  of  them 
gave  up  their  lives  for  their  country.  John  and 
William  were  taken  prisoners,  and  while  their 
fate  was  never  definitely  known,  it  was  generally 
supposed  they  win-  among  the  victims  that  w 
fed  on  lime  bread.  Jonathan  Wales,  their  body 
servant,  as  he  was  called,  watched  the  prison 
until  he  saw  two  boxes  of  unusual  length  earned 
out;  then  he  was  convinced  they  were  dead,  as 
the  Meeks  were  remarkably  tall,  one  being  six 
feet    seven    inches,    ami    the    other   ^ix    feel    lour 


inches  high.      A  third  brother,  Robert,  was  killed 
in  battle. 

Capt.  George  Meek  entered  the  service  with 
his  broth'  1-  The  father,  Robert  Meek,  owned 
property  in  Cumberland  county  in  1761.  The 
family  of  George  Meek  lived  near  Lewistown 
(now   Mifflin  county;  in  17S0,  and    he   came  into 

itre  county  with  James  Harris  on  a  surveying 
expedition  in  1784.  On  the  21st  of  January. 
1790,  he  took  up  a  tract  of  land  in  Ferguson 
township,  which  is  still  owned  by  the  Meeks. 
His  children  were:  Mary,  John,  Robert,  David, 
William.  Sarah,  Isabella  and  Jane. 

William  married  Elizabeth  Breckinridge, 
whose  family  had  settled  in  Huntingdon  county 
about  three  miles  southeast  of  McConnellstown, 
on  the  road  leading  from  Huntingdon  to  Bed- 
ford, and  where  the  father,  eldest  sister  and 
younger  brother  had  been  murdered  by  the  In- 
dians. He  settled  on  that  part  of  his  father's 
tract  now  known  as  the  David  G.  Meek  farm, 
and  died  in  1806,  leasing  his  wife  and  four  sons 
ami  a  daughter  born  three  months  after  the  fath- 
er's death.  The  children  were:  John  B.,  born 
June  5.  1797,  died  in  Washington.  D.  C. ,  No- 
vember 28,  [868;  George  W.,  born  September 
14,  1799,  died  May  27,  1  S 7 7 ;  Reuben  H.  ;  Will- 
iam J.;  and  Harriet  Jane,  who  married  James 
M<  Cartney,  and  died  in  Bolivar,  Penn.,  in  1 88 1. 

Reuben  Heron,  the  third  child  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  Breckinridge  Meek,  was  born  on 
the  6th  of  October,  1801,  at  his  father's  home 
m  Ferguson  township.  His  mother,  a  woman 
of  wonderful  energy  and  ability,  coveted  for  her 
children  a  good  education,  and  gave  them  the 
best  she  could;  John  and  Reuben  were  sent  to 
Lewistown  to  school,  but  shecomp  lied  her  boys, 
each  one,  except  George,  who  looked  after  the 
farm,  to  learn  a  trade.  Reuben  she  apprenticed 
to  a  hi  icksmith.  Some  time  after  learning  his 
trade  he  went  to  Philipsburg  where  he  taught 
school,  and  studied  with  his  brother  John,  who 
lived  there.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine 
in  the  office  of  Dr.  Lorraine;  but  was  obliged 
finally  to  give  up  his  cherished  plan  of  becoming 
a  physician,  on  account  of  his  health,  broken  by 
sickness. 

In  1832  he  married  Mary  Ann  Gray,  youngest 
daughter  of  Peter  Gray,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
l'.itton  township,  and  settled  on  a  part  of  the  old 
Gray  homestead,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 
March  7,    1S73. 

.   men  art'   endowed    with    a    nature  so  af- 

onate  and  lovable,  a  mind  so  clear  and  bright, 

an    exceptional    memory,  a    personality  pleasing 

and    attractive,  and   so   great   a   love  of  humor. 

Fond  of  books,  he  was  a    careful   and   a  constant 


'e/tfr  ^i^fa^h 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


125 


reader,  an  excellent  talker,  and  his  sweet  voice 
and  genial  presence  linger  yet  in  the  memory  of 
those  who  heard  him  sing  at  camp  meetings, 
address  an  assembly,  or  relate  a  good  story.  As 
long  as  he  lived  he  was  genuinely  kind  to  every 
one,  and  ever  considerate  of  others.  His  home, 
ever  a  pleasant  meeting  place  for  his  friends,  was 
always  open  to  the  needy  and  distressed. 

In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and 
loved  his  party;  but  his  devotion  to  its  principles 
were  actuated  by  honest  conviction.  He  never 
aspired  to  an  office  nor  would  Fie  accept  any. 

Converted  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  was  a 
thorough  and  loyal  and  lifelong  Methodist,  es- 
pecially concerned  about  immortal  things,  hold- 
ing both  God  and  man  near  his  heart,  and  giving 
himself'out  in  the  interest  of  both.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  organizing  the  first  Sabbath-school 
in  Half  Moon  Valley,  and  was  devoted  to  the 
work  always. 

On  April  14th,  five  weeks  after  his  death,  his 
wife  died,  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of  her  age.  She 
was  well  known  for  her  beauty  in  her  younger 
days,  and  all  through  her  life,  hospitality,  gentle- 
ness, unselfishness  and  devotion  to  duty  distin- 
guished her  character. 


iTXEPHARTS  of  Penn  township,  Centre  county. 
\j$  This  honored  family  has  for  more  than 
seventy  years  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  interests  of  the  community,  and  the  name  is 
widely  recognized  as  a  synonym  for  good  citizen- 
ship. 

Michael  Gephart,  grandfather  of  A.  J.  and 
M.  C.  Gephart,  residents  of  Millheim,  Centre 
county,  was  born  near  Philadelphia,  and  in  1826 
came  from  Union  county,  Penn.,  to  what  is  now 
the  corporation  of  Millheim,  locating  on  what  is 
at  present  known  as  the  Gephart  homestead. 
His  ancestors  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  a  thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  a  man  of 
marked  business  tact,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  community.  In  Union  county  he  was  mar- 
ried, October  18,  1825,  to  Elizabeth  Emmert,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: J.  Philip,  who  was  born  in  January,  1827, 
and  is  now  an  ex-representative,  residing  in 
Bellefonte,  Centre  county;  Michael,  born  No- 
vember 30,  1829;  Jacob,  born  August  9,  1831; 
John,  born  November  27,  1833,  died  July  22, 
1852;  Daniel,  born  September  23,  1836;  Cathar- 
ine, born  February  3,  1839;  and  Elizabeth  A., 
born  May  26,  1846.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  May  7,   1852,  the  father  in  1873. 

Jacob  Gephart,  father  of  A.  J.  and  M.  C. 
Gephart,  was  born  on  the  old  familv  homestead, 


where  he  spent  his  entire  life,  and  where  his 
widow  still  resides.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  the  local  schools,  which  were  superior  to  most 
schools  of  those  times,  yet  inferior  to  those  of 
the  present  day,  and  well  did  he  appreciate  the 
value  of  good  education,  for  to  his  children  he 
gave  excellent  advantages  in  that  respect.  The 
sacrifices  that  he  made  in  their  behalf  have  been 
fully  rewarded,  for  they  are  filling  honorable 
and  responsible  positions.  A  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, the  old  homestead  fell  to  him,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  at  times,  and  became  quite  well- 
to-do,  owning  at  his  death  (in  1893)  225  acres  of 
valuable  land.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  to  which  he  was  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor. A  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  he  took  a 
deep  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party,  but  was 
no  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seeking,  though 
he  filled  numerous  minor  positions  with  credit  to 
himself  and  the  community.  He-was  an  earnest 
and  judicious  advocate  of  the  Temperance  cause, 
giving  time  and  money  to  advocate  it  when  the 
noble  cause  was  yet  so  unpopular.  He  was  an 
affectionate  husband,  kind  and  indulgent  father 
and  true  friend,  one  whose  upright,  honorable 
life  gained  for  him  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  faithful 
wife,  who  still  survives  him,  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  ladies  of  Millheim.  Al- 
though now  nearly  three  score  and  ten  years  of 
age,  she  is  still  well  preserved  and  enjoys  excel- 
lent health. 

On  November  7,  1852,  Jacob  Gephart  was 
married  to  Miss  Catherine  Decker,  who  was 
born  in  Centre  county  in  1829,  a  daughter  of 
Adam  Decker  (now  deceased),  and  seven  chil- 
dren graced  their  union:  (1)  Calvin  F.,  (2)  Mar- 
garet E.,  (3)  Anna  C,  (4)  James  M.,  (5)  A.  Je- 
rome, (6)  M.  Clair,  and  (7)  M.  Salina.     Of  these, 

(1)  Rev.  Calvin  F.  Gephart  was  born  Octo- 
ber 16,  1853.  After  attending  the  home  public 
schools  and  the  local  academy,  he  took  a  colle- 
giate course  at  Central  Pennsylvania  College, 
New  Berlin,  Penn.,  and  at  the  Northwestern 
College,  Naperville,  111.,  also  a  course  of  study 
in  the  Binghamton  Music  School,  of  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  Y.  Entering  the  ministry,  his  health 
failed,  and  he  then  embarked  in  business  at  Mill- 
heim, Penn.,  establishing  the  musical  instrument 
trade  now  carried  on  by  his  brother,  M.  C^  For 
a  number  of  years  he  was  an  instructor  in  vocal 
and  instrumental  music,  meeting  with  success  in 
this  line  in  connection  with  his  studies  and  busi- 
ness. Believing  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  to 
be  his  proper  calling,  he  completed  his  Theolog- 


126 


VMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ical  course  at  the  Gettysburg  ["bee-logical  Sem- 
inary, graduating  with  the  class  of  1889.  Being 
ordained  to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  ministry, 
Rev.  Gephart  h  !   the  Church   faithfully. 

W'lun  at  college  lie  was  co :nded  for  Ins  hard 

work  and  oratorical  efforts.  As  a  clergyman  he 
is  said  to  be  a  good  preacher,  a  faithful  pa 
and  of  pleasing  manner,  having  the  aptness  of 
winning  people  to  the  Church  A- a  business 
man  he  has  been  very  successful  in  having  wiped 
out  "old"  Church  debts,  at  the  same  time  increas- 
ing, and  keeping  the  membership  in  good  chi 
11.  has  many  friends  among  both  clergy  and 
laity.  He  was  married  in  November.  lSSj,  to 
Miss  Sallie  A  Heagy,  of  Middlesex  (Balfour), 
mar  Carlisle,  Cumberland  Co.,  Fenn.,  and  they 
have  a  daughter  enjoying  home  and  student  life 
with  them,  their  son  having  died  in  1885  at  Ha- 
gerstown,   Maryland. 

(2)  Mrs.  Margaret   Scho  Gephart)  was 

born,  January  6,  [855,  at  Millbeim,  Penn.  Her 
education  was  received  in  the  local  schools  and 
at  Central  Pennsylvania  College,  New  Berlin, 
Penn.     After  her  school   days   she  devoted  her 

time  t usic  and  social  and  home  duties.      She 

a  consistent  member  of  the  Church,  active 
in  Sabbath-school  work,  and  was  a  favorite  in 
the  best  society  of  the  community.  In  1879  she 
became  the  wife  of  James  Schoch,  of  New  Berlin, 
Penn.,  a  prominent  business  man,  having  la  1 
business  interests  in  the  West  as  well  as  in  his 
native  community.  They  have  one  daughter  and 
one  son  to  share  tin-  comforts  of  their  comforta- 
ble home,  over  which  Mrs.  Schoch  presides  with 
grace  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  many  guests. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoch  and  family  are  prominent 
members  of  the  local  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church.  Her  sistei  1  $).  Anna  C,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary  9,  1856,  and  died  November  19,  1858. 

]  cm.  -  M    Gephart   was  born,  October  6, 
1857,  at  Millheim,  Penn.      Alter  completing  the 
common-school   course    in    his    native   town,    he 
entered   Central    Pennsylvania   College,  at   New 
Berlin,  Penn.,  remaining  there  for  several  ye 
Then,  in  [880,  he  entered   Dickinson  College,  at 
Carlisle,  Fenn.,  and,  completing  his  education  at 
that   institution,  he   engaged    in    teaching   school 
for  several  years  with  success.     Following  ib  1 
Greeley's  advice,   he  '-went  West,"  locating  at 
Holton,  Kans.     There  he   took   up  the  stud)  of 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Far.      From  Holton 
he  went    to    Seattle,   Wash.,  where    he    form. 
co-partnership  with  another  young  man   in   the 
practice    of    law    under    thi  I    & 

Gephart,  which  firm  did  a  good  business  for 
several  years,  when  Mr.  Steel  was  elected  to  a 
city  position  on  the  Republican  ticket.      The  firm 


having  dissolved  by  mutual  agreement,  Mr.  Gep- 
hart then  entered  law  practice  alone, in  Seattle, 
and  has  continued  with  marked  success.  Hi 
regarded  as  a  good,  reliable  practitioner,  inas- 
much as  he  has  been  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
important  interests  by  the  judge  of  the  city  courts. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  <er\ed  as 
gate  to  State  Conventions.  In  religion  he  is 
a  Presbyterian,  and  among  his  associates  he  is 
well  liked. 

\  |.  Gephart  was  born  March  11,1 
at  Millheim.  was  given  an  excellent  edu- 
cation, and  was  reared,  in  much  the  usual  man- 
ner of  fanner  boys,  upon  the  old  homestead.  On 
leaving  the  parental  roof  in  [886  he  went  West, 
traveling  as  far  as  Washington;  but  on  the  death 
of  his  father,  in  1893,  he  returned  home,  and 
has  since  had  the  management  of  the  farm. 
where  he  and  his  mother  live.  Although  a 
painter  bv  trade,  he  now  gives  his  exclusive  time 
and  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Politic- 
ally he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  part\, 
and  in  religious  faith  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  stands  deservedly  high  in 
the  estimation  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  has 
many  warm  friends  throughout  the  community. 
(6)  M.  C.  CiKPHAkt  was  born  May  1,  1861,  at 
the  old  homestead.  Millheim,  Penn.  Having 
completed  the  common-school  course,  he  taught 
>ol  for  several  years  with  success  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  was  reared.  Entering  Cen- 
tral Pennsylvania  College,  at  New  Berlin,  Penn.. 
he  pursued  his  studies  there  for  several  years, 
then  entered  Northwestern  College,  at  Naper- 
ville.  111.,  and  graduated  from  the  business  de- 
partment in  1883.  After  teaching  several  terms 
of  public  school  in  his  native  borough,  he,  in 
[888,  again  engaged  in  the  music  business  in 
Millheim,  which  he  and  his  brother  had  con- 
ducted several  years  before.  This  business  he 
has  since  carried  on  successfully.  He  has  been 
elected  to  political  positions  in  his  home  borough, 
and  is  popular  among  the  people.  He  is  a 
man  of  temperate  habits,  a  member  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church,  and  interests  himself  in 
matters  which  are  for  the  people's  good. 

71  Mrs.  M.  Salina  Goodhart  (//<'<  Gephart) 
was  born  at  Millheim.  Fenn..  February 26,  1863. 
Being  the  youngest  of  the  family  she  was  re- 
led  as  the  favorite,  yet  was  a  very  dutiful 
and  helpful  daughter  in  the  advancing  years  of 
the  parents.  Being  of  a  bright  mind,  she  st< 
well  in  her  classes  at  school, although  she  attended 
none  but  the  home  borough  schools,  which  wen 
accounted  good.  In  1892  she  was  married  to 
VV.  L.  Goodhart,  a  teacher  in  the  borough 
schools  at  Millheim,  since  which  time  they  hav. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


127 


resided  at  Millheim,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  business.  Two  children — one  son  and  one 
daughter — have  come  to  brighten  their  home. 


S\IMON  HARPER,  president  of  the  Penn  Val- 
)  ley  Banking  Co.,  Centre  Hall,  and  a  retired 

merchant,  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Penn's  Valley,  and  few  as  good  examples  of  self- 
made  men  are  to  be  found  in  the  locality,  cer- 
tainly none  better. 

Mr.  Harper  comes  of  an  old  family,  and  was 
born  July  31,  1842,  at  Spring  Bank,  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  youngest  living  child  of 
George  Harper,  who  was  born  in  Berks  county, 
Penn.,  a  son  of  Henry  Harper.  George  Harper 
received  but  limited  schooling,  chiefly  in  the  Ger- 
man language,  and  was  reared  to  farming  pursuits. 
In  Brush  Valley  he  married  Elizabeth  Kreamer, 
who  was  born,  in  1804,  in  Bethel  township,  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kreamer,  who 
came  to  Brush  Valley  in  18 14,  and  where  Mrs. 
Harper  was  reared  from  the  age  of  ten  years. 
Her  youth  was  passed  amid  pioneer  times  and 
scenes,  and  she  was  well  fitted  to  endure  the 
hardships  and  trials  destined  for  her  later  life. 
At  the  time  of  their  marriage,  her  husband  had 
little  or  no  means,  and  his  parents  were  not  in  a 
position  to  aid  him.  However,  nothing  daunted, 
Mr.  Harper  bought  a  farm,  at  Spring  Bank,  in 
Brush  Valley,  going  heavily  in  debt  for  the  same; 
but  he  prospered,  and  with  the  help  of  as  noble 
a  wife  as  ever  lived,  the  debt  was  soon  decreased. 
He  died  May  20,  1843,  at  the  comparatively  early 
age  of  forty-one  years,  leaving  a  widow  with  a 
family  of  children,  our  subject  being  but  an  in- 
fant. The  husband  and  father  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  Rebersburg.  The  following  is  a 
brief  record  of  the  children:  Sarah  married 
George  Weaver,  and  lives  in  Rebersburg;  John, 
a  farmer,  died  in  Potter  township;  Mary  A.  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Gramley,  and  died  in  Brush  Val- 
ley; Jonathan,  by  occupation  a  merchant,  died 
in  Bellefonte;  Isabella  is  the  widow  of  Philip 
Royer,  of  Nittany  Valley;  William  is  retired,  and 
makes  his  home  in  Bellefonte  (he  served  three 
years,  during  the  Civil  war,  in  Company  A,  148th 
P.  V.  I.);  Rebecca  married  Absalom  Harter,  and 
died  in  Millheim,  Centre  county;  Jared,  a  mer- 
chant, lives  in  Bellefonte;  Simon,  our  subject, 
comes  next;  and  George,  the  youngest  in  the 
family,  died  in  infancy.  Of  these,  Simon  bears 
a  striking  resemblance  to  his  father,  who  was  a 
man  of  slight  build.  He  was  a  Democrat,  but 
took  no  especial  interest  in  politics,  simply  re- 
cording his  vote  quietly  and  unostentatiously.  In 
religious  faith  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 


Church,  which  his  wife  also  attended,  although 
not  a  member  thereof,  she  being  a  Lutheran,  but 
later  also  joined  the  Reformed  Church. 

Dying  a  comparatively  young  man,  George 
Harper  had  not  opportunity  to  pay  off  all  the 
indebtedness  on  the  farm,  and  his  dying  request 
to  his  wife  was  that  the  homestead  should  not  be 
sold,  as  he  felt  certain  that  by  her  careful  and 
frugal  management  the  debt  thereon  would  be- 
fore long  be  cancelled.  It  was  a  heavy  under- 
taking for  her.  the  widowed  mother  of  a  large 
family,  none  of  whom  yet  out  of  their  "teens;" 
but  her  husband's  dying  words  inspired  her  with 
fresh  hope  and  courage,  and  with  a  will  she  went 
bravely  to  work.  Early  and  late  she  "  kept  her 
shoulder  to  the  wheel,"  doing  a  man's  labor  in 
the  fields,  and  in  the  evening  returning  to  the 
home  never  so  wearied  but  that  she  would  com- 
plete the  domestic  duties  of  the  day.  In  course 
of  time  her  self-denying  efforts  were  crowned 
with  success,  and  this  noble  woman  found  her- 
self and  children  under  a  roof  free  at  last  of  all 
encumbrance.  The  homestead  property  re- 
mained in  the  family  until  1856,  in  which  year 
they  moved  to  Rebersburg,  and  there  Mrs. 
Harper  resided  until  1866,  when  she  removed  to 
Bellefonte  with  her  son  Simon,  to  whom  her  at- 
tachment was  very  great.  Our  subject  paid  for 
her  support  until,  in  1866,  he  got  a  home  of  his 
own,  from  which  time  she  passed  her  declining 
years  with  him,  dying  September  27,  1892.  She 
was  laid  by  the  side  of  her  husband  in  Rebers- 
burg cemetery,  an  elegant  monument,  erected 
by  our  subject,  marking  their  last  resting  place. 
Mrs.  Harper  was  a  true  Christian  woman,  a  con- 
stant reader  of  the  Bible,  in  both  English  and 
German,  while  during  the  later  years  of  her  life 
a  great  part  of  her  time  was  spent  in  prayer. 

Simon  Harper,  the  subject  proper  of  these 
lines,  received  his  education  in  part  at  the 
schools  of  the  Harter  district,  in  Miles  town- 
ship, in  part  at  those  of  Rebersburg,  whither  the 
family  had  removed  when  he  was  about  fourteen 
years  old,  and  as  a  farmer's  boy  his  boyhood 
days  were  passed.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  we 
find  him,  for  the  first  time  in  the  arena  of  busi- 
ness life,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  for  Thomas 
Wolf,  at  Wolfs  store,  Brush  Valley,  his  first 
salary  being  $75.00  per  annum,  with  four  weeks 
vacation  during  the  harvest  season,  although  the 
usual  amount  paid  a  new  clerk  was  $50.00,  so 
valuable  already  were  his  services,  and  so  well 
appreciated.  Later  he  clerked  for  W.  J.  Hoster- 
man,  in  Rebersburg,  from  there  going  to  Belle- 
fonte, where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  John  Awle, 
when,  the  Civil  war  being  at  its  height,  he  en- 
listed in  August,  1862,  in   Company  A,   148th  P. 


L28 


COMHEMOIIA  TIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


V.  I.  In  this  regiment  he  served  faithfully  until 
compelled  by  sickne-^  to  n  tire  into  the  Veteran 
Reserve  (  >rps,  much  against  his  inclination,  for 
he  persisted  in  remaining  with  his  company 
longer  than  his  health  warranted.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  a  member  of  Company  E,  3rd 
Veteran  Reserve!  orps.  After  tin- war  was  over 
he  was  sent  to  Augusta,  Maine,  to  muster  out 
Maine  troops,  after  which  he  was  mustered  out 
at  that  city,  and  he  th  n  returned  to  Rebersburg. 

On  May  18,  1866,  Mr.  Harper  and  bis  widowed 
mother  removed  to  Belief  on  te,  where,  along 
with  his  two  brothers.  Jonathan  and  William,  he 
common  :e  1  th  sgen  ?ral  mercantile  business,  with 
which  he  was  identified  some  fourteen  years. 
During  that  long  period  of  activity,  his  natural 
industrious  disposition  and  consequent  hard 
work  impaired  his  health  so  much  that  he  had  to 
retire  from  the  firm.  In  March,  1880,  he  took 
up  his  residence  in  the  village  of  Centre  Hall, 
where  he  recuperated,  buying  a  nice  home,  to 
the  improvement  of  which  he  spent  no  little 
time  and  money.  At  this  time  there  were  but 
two  stores  in  Centre  Hall,  and  after  four  years 
Mr.  Harper  decided  to  open  a  third,  trusting  t<> 
his  previous  experience  and  natural  business 
qualifications  for  success  ol  Ins  venture.  It  re- 
quired enterprise  and  energy,  both  of  which 
characteristics  he  amply  p  d,  and  possesses, 

and  in  1884,  in  partnership  with  11.  \Y.  [Crea- 
mer, he  opened  a  general  merchandise  store, 
which  ere  long  became  the  leading  one  of  the 
kind  in  the  vicinity.  In  April,  1896,  our  sub- 
ject disposed  i>l  his  interest  therein,  and  retired 
from  active  business  life.  He  still  owns  a  one- 
half  interest  in  the  store  building,  a  one-fourth  in- 
terest in  the  bank  building  and  bank  at  Centre 
Hall;  a  substantial  residence  in  the  same  villag  !, 
and  350  acres  of  land  in  Potter  township  A> 
already  stated,  he  is  president  of  the  Penn  Val- 
ley Hanking  Co.,  at  Centre  Hall,  and  is  a  leader 
in  enterprises  tending  to  the  advancement  of  his 
section  of  the  county 

On  December  28,  1870,  at  Bellefonte,  Simon 
Harper  was  married  t.>  Miss  Maggie  E.  Klinger, 
who  was  bom  at  Buffalo  Run,  Penn.,  May 
1854,  youngest  in  the  family  of  ten  child 
five  sons  and  live  daughters  horn  to  |rsse  and 
Mary  fKocker)  Klinger,  who  came  from  Dauphin 
county  to  Centre  county  some  years  ago  Mr. 
Klinger  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  in  politics  a 
stanch    Republican,     and    for   several    years      was 

justice  of  the  peace  at  Bellefonte,  where  h  died 
October  1,  1889,  Ins  wife  passing  away  March 
18,  1893,  and  they  sleep  their  last  sleep  in  the 
cemetery  at  Bellefonte.  They  were  members  of 
the    Reformed  Church.      Mr.    and    Mrs     Harper 


have   one   child,    Harry    W. ,    horn    October    17. 
1882,  living  at  home. 

In  polities  Mr  Harper  is  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
always  interested  in  the  success  of  the  party,  but 
never  an  office-seeker.  For  one  term  he  served 
as  chief  burgess  of  Centre  Hall,  and  has  been 
elected  to  other  offices,  which,  however,  he  de- 
clined to  accept.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  F.  &  A  M  Lodge  at  Centre  Hall,  and  ol 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge  No.  153,  at  Bellefonte 
In  matters  of  religion  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  committee  who  had  charge  of  the  church 
building,  a  handsome  one,  at  Centre  Hall,  and  it 
wis  at  his  suggestion  that  brown  stone  was  used 
in  its  construction.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  Church, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors  and 
leading  members,  and  has  served  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday-school.  Taken  all  in  all,  Mr. 
Harper  is  a  typical  representative  self-made  man, 
one  who  by  his  own  perseverance,  energy  and 
sound  judgment,  has  risen,  rung  by  rung,  to  the 
summit  of  the  ladder  of  success.  On  business  and 
financial  matters  he  is  an  acknowledged  author- 
ity, and  his  opinion  and  counsel,  which  are  often 
sought,  are  sure  to  be  respected.  His  acquaint- 
ance in  Penn's  Valley  is  thorough,  and  he  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem. 


ISAAC  GRAY  (deceased),  late  of  Patton  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  was  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  and  successful  farmers  of  the  Half 
Moon  country,  and  a  very  substantial  citi/en  of 
the  community  in  which  his  entire  life  had  been 
passed. 

The  Grays  are  numerous  in  central  Pennsyl- 
vania, descendants  of  one  Leter  Cray,  who  came 
to  II, ill  Moon  Valley  in  1788,  from  Frederick 
county,  Md.,  and  located  in  what  is  now  Patton 
township;  at  that  time  he  was  assessed  and  n 
garded as  belonging  to  Huntingdon  county.  John 
Cray,  one  of  the  sons  of  Peter  Gray  (1),  and 
the  one  from  whom  Isaac  descended,  was  born 
in  17(17  and  died  in  [848;  he  married  Catherine. 
daughter  of  Conrad  Hartsock,  the  bead  of  the 
liist  famil)  of  the  name  to  settle  in  Half  Moon 
Valley;  she  died  in  1847.  Of  their  children, 
John  (iias  (2)  in, irried  Mary  Mattern,  and  the) 
ime  the  parents  ol  Isaac  Cray  (deceased 
(their  fifth  child  ,  of  whom  we  especially  write 
John  Graj  -  died  in  [856,  in  his  fifty-seventh 
year,  and  his  wife  in  November.  1 871,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  her  age. 

i.i\  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cray's  Church,  in  Patton  town- 
ship, February    22,    18^4.   where  his  father  and 


OJJt^C 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


129 


grandfather  before  him  had  lived,  and  there  his 
life  of  over  half  a  century  was  passed.  Descend- 
ing from  a  pious  and  Christian  ancestry  through 
several  generations,  he  inherited  a  Christian 
spirit  and  a  desire  to  live  in  keeping  with  the 
commands  of  our  Savior,  which  were  so  strength- 
ened by  the  example  of  those  older  lives  abou 
him  that  he  early  espoused  the  cause  of  Christ 
and  enlisted  in  the  work  of  His  vineyard.  In 
Half  Moon  Valley,  Methodism  took  earliest  root 
among  the  religiously  inclined,  and  Methodism 
has  prevailed  since  the  pioneer  era  as  the  popular 
creed.  About  1790  Peter  Gray  so  arranged  it 
that  M.  E.  Circuit  preachers  stopped  at  his 
house  occasionally  to  hold  services,  and  for 
nearly  thirty  years  his  home  was  a  temple  where 
the  surrounding  community  gathered  once  a 
month,  and  sometimes  oftener,  to  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  worship.  In  1826  a  rude  log  church 
was  built  near  Peter  Gray's  home.  He  was 
chosen  a  leader  when  the  class  was  formed  in 
1790,  and  for  full  thirty-five  years  stood  faith- 
fully at  the  helm.  His  successor  was  his  son 
Peter  B. ,  who  was  likewise  a  local  preacher. 
After  him  followed  Samuel  P.  Gray  and  Jacob 
Gray,  and  later,  Isaac  Gray,  of  this  sketch. 
Since  the  formation  of  the  class  a  Gray  has  been 
one  of  its  leaders.  The  old  log  church  stood 
from  1826  to  1 85 1,  when  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  It  was  replaced  by  a  more  pretentious 
structure,  which  was  used  until  the  building  of 
the  present  beautiful  edifice,  still  called  "Gray's 
Church."  Imbibing  by  tradition,  and  reared  in 
such  an  atmosphere  as  pervaded  the  Gray  fam- 
ily, it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  young  Isaac 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  pious  ancestry. 
It  was  mainly  through  his  efforts  and  generous 
contributions  that  the  new  church  was  built. 
He  went  on  through  life  assuming  the  duties  of 
the  day  as  his  conscience  directed,  and  led  a  use- 
ful life.  He  held  all  the  offices  of  the  Church, 
such  as  class-leader,  trustee,  steward,  district 
steward  and  lay  electoral  delegate  to  the  annual 
Conference.  Like  most  of  the  Grays,  he  was  in 
politics  a  Republican,  though  not  active  in  the 
sense  of  a  politician,  but  only  interested  as  citizen- 
ship seemed  to  demand.  He  served  his  State  as 
juror  at  a  session  of  the  supreme  court  held  at 
Erie,  Penn.  He  served  in  various  township 
offices,  always  acceptably  to  his  people.  He 
was  a  most  successful  farmer,  and  considered  a 
solid  and  substantial  citizen,  highly  esteemed. 
His  death  occurred  March  27,  1889.  The  press 
at  this  time  said: 

Half  Moon  Valley  loses  one  of  its  best  citizens,  and  the 
county  one  of  its  most  successful  farmers;  he  has  been  ailing 
for  years  from  an  affection  of  the  lungs,  and  although  his 
case  was  known  to  be  hopeless,  death  was  not   anticipated. 


He  was  a  consistent  and  devout  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  a  good  neighbor  and  a  devoted  husband  and  affec- 
tionate father,  and  will  be  sorely  missed  in  the  community  of 
which  he  was  a  leading  member. 

Born  of  pious  Methodist  ancestry,  early  he  professed 
Christ,  and  joined  the  M.  E.  Church;  for  twenty-three  years 
he  was  class  leader,  and  also  either  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent  or  teacher.  He  always  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  Sabbath-school,  and  all  the  means  of  grace.  Largely 
through  his  lead,  and  the  active  co-operation  of  a  few  others, 
be  saw  completed  in  his  native  community  a  most  beautiful, 
substantial  and  convenient  country  church.  By  unavoidable 
delay  it  was  not  dedicated  until  two  weeks   after  his  death. 

On  November  4,  1862,  Mr.  Gray  was  married 
to  Sarah  Liggett,  who  was  born  in  Liberty  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  Penn.,  February  5,  1837, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Susannah  (Neff) 
Liggett,  natives  of  what  is  now  Centre  county. 
Penn.  To  the  marriage  came:  Lulu,  Mary, 
Ruth,  Esther  and  Bond.  Lulu  married  Rev. 
George  Glenn,  who  is  a  minister  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  now  (1897)  stationed  at  Gettysburg, 
Penn.,  and  they  have  five  children,  namely: 
Randolph,  Foster.  Sarah  Liggett,  Eb'zabeth 
Meek,  John  Gray,  and  George,  Jr.  Mary  died 
June  8,  1 87 1,  in  the  sixth  year  of  her  age;  Ruth 
married  Rev.  Frank  Hartsock,  of  the  M.  E.  De- 
nomination, now  preaching  at  Marathon,  N.  Y. , 
and  they  have  one  child,  Robert  Gray;  Esther 
Katherine  is  a  home;  Bond  died  in  infancy. 

The  Liggetts  were  originally  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  and  of  Scotch-Irish  stock.  Oncoming  to 
America  they  settled  in  Virginia,  and  from  there 
moved  to  Washington  county,  Md. ,  whence 
came  George,  John  and  Absalom  Liggett  (broth- 
ers) into  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  then  Northumber- 
land county,  Penn.,  now  Centre  county;  the 
date  of  the  location  of  these  brothers  in  the  Bald 
Eagle  Valley  is  not  definitely  known,  but  is  fixed 
by  one  of  the  grandsons  of  George  Liggett  as  be- 
ing as  early  as  1760,  or  in  the  decade  following. 
They  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  Val- 
ley. John  Liggett,  the  son  of  George  Liggett, 
who  came  into  Bald  Eagle  Valley  as  above 
stated,  was  born  in  the  Valley  in  1797.  He  was 
one  of  a  large  family,  all  of  whom  (including  the 
parents),  excepting  himself  and  David,  who  died 
about  1842  at  Eagleville,  moved  to  Ohio  years 
ago.  John  Liggett  married  Susannah  Neff, 
whose  ancestors  came  from  Germany;  four  of 
their  children  are  living,  namely:  Benjamin, 
now  (1897)  sixty-five  years  of  age,  resides  in  Kan- 
sas City,  Kans. ;  John  is  a  resident  of  Beech  Creek, 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  aged  sixty-three;  Mrs. 
Sarah  Gray,  widow  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
resides  on  Buffalo  Run,  aged  sixty  years;  and 
Fisher  D.  is  a  resident  of  Canton,  Ohio,  aged 
fifty-seven;  three  died  in  infancy,  namely:  Fisher, 
Elizabeth  and  one  whose  name  is  not  given 
The  parents  of    these    died,    the    father    at    St. 


130 


COMMi:\lt>L.\TI\  /■:  BIOQRAPEICA1    RECORD. 


Louis,  Mo.,  in  1857,  while  en  route  to  Kansas 
prospecting  in  that  State  for  a  future  home,  and 
the  mother,  in  May,  [887,  aged  eighty-seven 
years,  ac  Beech  Creek,  in  the  home  "1  her  son 
|<ilui  Liggett.  The  older  Liggetts,  who  came  from 
Maryland,  were  slave  owners,  and  broughtsome 
with  them  on  coming  to  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  and 
some  of  the  d  scendants  "I  those  slave 
here  at  tin:  present  time 


HERBERT  WILLIAMS,  who  departed  tins 
life  November  .?,  [886,  was  an  honored  vet- 
eran (il  tin-  Cud  war,  and  a  valued  and  repre- 
sentative  citizen  <>(  Snow  Shoe  township.  He 
was  born  in  Merthyr  Tydfil,  Wales,  in  June, 
1S26,  a  son  of  William  and  Ann  Williams,  who 
were  also  natives  of  that  city,  where  they  con- 
ducted the  "  lion   I  •  idgi    Inn.  " 

<  in  1  oming  to  the  United  States,  our  subject 
first  locati  dm  Pottsville,  Penn.,  but  later  removed 
to  Snow  shoe,  where  he  engaged  in  blacksmith- 
ing  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion.  Feeling 
that  his  adopted  country  needed  Ins  s  i\  ii  1  s,  he 
put  aside  his  individual  interests,  and  in  1861  en- 
listed in  Company  E,  5th  Reserve  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, under  Capt.  Landimore,  joining  his  com- 
pany on  tin'  1st  of  |une.  During  most  of  his 
service  hi  engaged  in  blacksmithing.  He  was 
wounded  during  the  seven  days  battle  of  Rich- 
mond, was  captured,  was  for  eleven  weeks  con- 
fined in  Libby  prison,  and  on  his  release  was  sent 
to  Bellevue  Hospil  d.  New  York  City,  where  he 
remained  for  eleven  months.  When  hostilil 
had  i  eased  hi  returned  to  his  home  in  Snow  Shoe, 
where  In  successfullj  engaged  in  blacksmith 
for  a  number  of  years,  hut  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  living  practically  retired.  His  sym- 
pathy, hi--  benevolence,  Ins  kindly  greeting,  will 
lony  be  remembered  by  those  who  knew  bim, 
His  duties  were  performed  with  the  greatest  care, 
and  throughout  his  life  Ins  personal  honor  and 
integrity    wen-    without     blemish,      Ardent    and 

constant    in  Ins  affections,  he  w  a--  a   most  tenderly 
!    husband.        In    polities    he     was    a  stanch 

Democrat,  hut  did  not  aspire  to  office;  in  relig- 
ious faith  he  attended  the  Presbyterian  Chun  h 
In  Si  low  Shoe  1 1  er  he  it  Williams  was  married 
to  Rebecca  Hinton  .  who  was  twice  married, 
her  first  husband  being  William  Walker,  of  En- 
glish descent,  who  was  killed  while  a  soldier  in 
the  Federal  army.  By  that  union  she  had  one 
son,  who  was  horn  September  7,  1852,  and  died 
March  [6,  1  So",  leaving  a  widow  and  eight  chil- 
dren, who  reside  in  Snow  Shoe.  The  birth  of 
Mrs.  Williams  01  (lined  m  Spring  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  May  10.  In  the  same  county 


]  her  parents,  Isaac  and  Margaret  (Lucas)  Hinton, 
1  spent  their  entire  lives,  the  father  flying  October 
3,  1 S 5 4 ,  and  the  mother  on  January  29,  1880. 
Their  famil)  numbered  the  following  children: 
Austin,  bom  in  18 1 1 ,  died  in  Snow  Shoe,  Will- 
iam died  suddenly  in  a  hayfield  in  Centre  county; 
Stac)  married  Daniel  Wyland,  and  both  are  now 
I  deceased;  Benjamin  died  in  Snow  Shoe;  Martha 
is  the  widow  of  William  Shuck,  of  Milesburg, 
Centre  county;  Rebecca  (Mrs.  Williams)  is  the 
next  in  order  of  birth;  Isaac  and  Constance  are 
twins,  of  whom  the  former  was  a  Union  soldier, 
and  was  killed  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads  June 
30,  1861,  while  the  latter  is  a  farmer  of  Iowa; 
Margaret  died  unmarried;  and  George  died  June 
1  i ,   1 S90. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Williams 
were  William  and  Martha  Hinton,  natives  of 
England  and  Chester  county,  Penn.,  respectively. 
When  a  hoy  the  former  was  kidnaped  and  brought 
to  America.  Later  he  made  his  home  in  Centre 
countv.  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer.  Joseph  and  Rebecca  (Askey)  Lucas,  the 
maternal  grandparents,  were  horn  in  Centre 
county,  of  German  parent 

Mrs.  Williams  is  a  most  highly  respected  lady, 
an  excellent  conversationalist,  and  has  many 
warm  friends  throughout  the  community.  In 
the  course  of  her  life  she  has  met  with  two  pain- 
ful accidents  —  breaking  her  right  arm  by  falling 
from  a  cherry  tree  when  thirteen  years  of  a 
and  breaking  her  left  arm  on  the  17th  of  April, 
iSo",  while  assisting  a  neighbor  in  papering  a 
room. 


Ll'>  McENTIRE,  the  popular  and  efficient 
postmaster  at  Fillmore,  ins  the  reputation 
of  a  strictly  first-class  business  man,  reliable  and 
energetic,  and  is  a  citizen  of  whom  Centre  county 
may  be  justly  proud.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties  he  is  prompt  and  courteous,  and 
thus  wins  the  commendation  of  the  many  patrons 
of  the  office.  He  is  also  serving  as  express 
agent,  and  is  engaged  in  merchandising,  carrying 
a  large  and  complete  sti  ><  k  of  everything  found  in 
a  first  class  general  Sti 

Mr  McEntire  is  a  native  of  Centre  county, 
horn  on  the  1st  of  January,  1825,  to  Edward 
and   Isabel  (Bathurstj   Mel  ntire.      The  paternal 

<ii  Ins  entire  life  in  Ireland,  dj 
in  Count)  Donegal;  but  the  maternal  grandfather 
came  to  the  New  World  and  aided  the  Colonies 
in  their  struggle  for  independence  in  the  Revolu- 
tion.ir\  war.  The  latter  was  a  descendant  of 
the  Earl  of  Bathurst,  who  die. I  in  England,  and 
was  heir  to  the  estate,  but   through   legal  techni- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


131 


cality  lost  it.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  born 
in  Ireland,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  came 
to  the  United  States.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  served  as  bookkeeper  for  Roland  Curtin,  in 
the  Curtin  Iron  Works,  of  Centre  county,  and 
here  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years. 

In  his  family  were  nine  children,  namely: 
Mary  E.  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Carter,  and 
died  September  30,  1892.  Her  husband  is  now 
a  resident  of  Hutchinson,  Kans.  Barnard  B.,  a 
resident  of  Clarion,  Penn.,  married  Elizabeth 
Cramer,  and  has  seven  sons.  L.  B.,  of  this 
sketch,  is  next  in  order  of  birth.  Eliza  is  the 
wife  of  Jackson  Rarer,  of  Callensburg,  Clarion 
Co.,  Penn.,  and  has  one  son  and  five  daughters. 
James  C,  of  Reynoldsville,  Jefferson  Co.,  Penn., 
wedded  Margaret  Maxel,  and  has  five  sons. 
Nancy  is  the  wife  of  John  Coax,  of  Reynolds- 
ville, by  whom  she  has  three  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters. Rebecca  is  the  wife  of  James  Hassey,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  Penn.,  and  they  have  two  sons  and 
five  daughters.  The  other  two  children  of  the 
family  died  in  early  life. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  Mr.  McEn- 
tire,  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  married  to 
Miss  Nancy  Houser,  a  daughter  of  Martin  and 
Catharine  (Rumbarger)  Houser.  Her  maternal 
uncle,  John  Rumbarger,  was  the  founder  of  Du- 
Bois,  Penn.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  our 
subject  and  his  estimable  wife:  (i)J-  C. ,  the 
eldest,  studied  under  Dr.  Rothrock,  of  Belle- 
fonte,  Penn.,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  dentistry  in  that  city;  he  married  Fannie  La- 
verty,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren. (2)  Dr.  O.  \V. ,  of  Howard,  Centre 
county,  married  Fannie  Sellers,  of  Fillmore,  and 
has  one  child.  (3)  E.  C. ,  an  attorney  at  law  of 
Williamsport,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  married 
Frances  Lipton;  he  prepared  for  his  profession 
in  Aurora  Springs,  Mo.,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  nine  years.  (4)  Harry  H.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business,  married  Ruby  Lunt,  and 
has  two  children.  (5)  Ella  is  at  home  with  her 
parents.  (6)  Carrie  M.  is  the  wife  of  A.  B. 
Cowher,  a  policeman  of  Hunters  Park,  Fillmore, 
Centre  county. 

Mr.  McEntire  has  been  very  successful,  and 
by  his  systematic  methods  of  conducting  his 
business,  his  strict  attention  to  it  in  all  its  details, 
and  his  thoroughly  upright  dealings,  has  made 
an  honorable  record  in  the  business  world.  Be- 
sides his  fine  store,  he  is  also  the  owner  of  prop- 
erty in  and  about  Fillmore.  Both  himself  and 
wife  are  consistent  and  faithful  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  she  belongs  to  the  Order 
of  Rebekah.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political    matters,    and    in    the  discharge    of    his 


elective  franchise  votes  with  the  Democratic 
party.  His  culture,  intelligence  and  geniality 
make  him  an  important  factor  in  social  circles, 
and  have  secured  him   many  warm  friends. 


JONATHAN  WALRER  (deceased),  who  in  his 
lifetime  was  one   of  the  most  substantial  and 

highly  respected  citizens  of  Brush  Valley, 
and  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  near  Wolfs  Store, 
Centre  county,  was  a  member  of  a  prominent 
pioneer  family  of  that  locality.  The  farm  on 
which  he  resided  is  situated  about  two  and  a 
quarter  miles  east  from  Wolfs  Store,  and  in 
earlier  days  was  known  as  the  "  Erhard  Home- 
stead." Jonathan  Walker  bought  it  from  his 
parents,  Daniel  and  Hannah  Walker,  and  Daniel 
Walker  purchased  it  from  Michael  Erhard,  his 
(Daniel  Walker's)  wife's  father,  he  (Daniel)  mak- 
ing an  agreement  to  keep  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erhard 
the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Born  April  11,  1843,  our  subject  saw  many 
changes  in  the  locality,  and  in  no  place  in  life  is 
progress  more  apparent  than  in  the  schools. 
While  he  made  good  use  of  such  facilities  as  the 
district  schools  of  his  day  afforded,  he  realized 
their  deficiencies,  and  always  was  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement  to  provide  the  best 
possible  instruction  for  the  rising  generation.  As 
the  youngest  son  of  his  parents,  he  was  made 
useful  at  home  during  his  boyhood,  his  chief  work 
being  to  drive  a  team.  He  never  worked  away 
from  home,  and  in  early  manhood  he  made  ar- 
rangements to  purchase  the  place,  agreeing  to 
support  his  parents  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives. 

Prior  to  this,  some  ten  years,  October  20, 
1867,  Mr.  Walker  married  Miss  Amanda  Dubbs, 
from  New  Berlin,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  but  a  na- 
tive of  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Dubbs,  a  well-known  farmer  and  merchant. 
Six  children  were  born  of  this  union:  John  W. , 
now  at  home;  Ida  (Mrs.  W.  Edward  Weaver),  of 
Miles  township,  Centre  county;  and  Emma,  Will- 
iam, Annie  M.   and  Harry  M.,  who  are  at  home. 

When  Mr.  Walker  bought  the  property  he 
lived  on,  the  old  milling  property  was  included, 
and  he  afterward  conducted  the  sawmill  on  the 
old  plan.  For  some  time  he  carried  on  the 
manufacture  of  flour  in  the  gristmill,  but,  after 
the  improved  roller  machinery  was  introduced 
into  other  establishments,  he  used  this  plant 
chiefly  for  chopping.  His  estate  comprises  about 
five  hundred  acres,  including  some  timber  land, 
and  the  agricultural  work  has  been  carried  on 
successfully,  the  portion  under  cultivation  mak- 
ing one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  locality.      In  his 


L82 


( 'OM  Ml   \H>l; A  Tl  YE  lllOGHAPlIKM    RECORD. 


later  years    Mr.    Walk)  I  took    the-    active 

work  ill  the  place,  but  be  did  much  severe  labor 
in  bis  tunc,  and  the  toil  and  exposure  undergone 
in  hauling  logs  and  similar  work,  left  their  im- 
press upon  his  frame  in  chronic  kidney  troubles. 
culminating  in  Bright's  disease,  the  final  cause  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  September  4,  181 
He  was  buried   in    Rebersburg  .,  where 

his  parents  also  sleep  their  last  sleep. 

Although  a  shrewd  manager,  Mr  Walker  was 
thoroughly  fair  and  honest  in  his  dealings,  claim- 
ing only  his  dues  in  any  transaction.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat,  but  while  he  supported  his 
convictions  earnestly,  he  was  no  office  seeker. 
However,  in  February,  1897,  he  was  elected  a 
school  director  of  Brungart's  and  Stovei  sschools 
1  Miles  township),  east  precinct.  The  religious 
movements  of  his  vicinity  had  his  generous  co- 
operation, and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  widow  is  an  adherent  of  the  Re- 
formed Church.  She  has  a  pleasant  home  and  a 
family  of  which  any  p. units  might  well  be  proud. 
each  one  giving  promise  of  upholding  the  good 
name  which  the   previous   generation    have  now. 


GfBBONY    F.  HOOP,  M.  D  .  consulting  and 
i  prescribing    physician,   residing   in   Philips- 
burg,  Centre  county,  was  born  December  6,  1827, 

on    the  line  between   Washing! :ounty,  Md., 

ami  Bedford  county,  Penn. ,  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Sarah  A.  (Gibbon)  |  Hoop,  who  were  married  at 
Greencastle,  Franklin  Co.,  Penn.,  April  6,  1813, 
by  Rev.  William  Rothrough.  The  father  was 
born  in  Chester  counts,  Penn.,  September  22, 
17SS.  was  a  farmer  in  his  youngei  years,  but  was 
later  interested  m  a  nail  factor)  and  in  merchan- 
dising. He  rved  as  a  volunteer  soldier  under 
Col.  (latei  Gen  Scott  in  the  war  of  [812  14, 
and  marched  from  near  Baltimore  to  Lake  Erie. 
In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Lutheran,  while  in 
politics  he  was  a  Jackson  Democrat.  His  death 
occurred,  in  Kylertown.  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn., 
June  j  j,  [856,  and  his  wife,  whose  bnth  occurred 
in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  November  6,  1790, 
also  .bed  iii  Kylertown,  August   15,   1858. 

In  their  family  were  -even  children,  .is  fol- 
low- Sarah  A.,  born  in  January,  [814,  married 
Joshua  (  arr,  a  ship  carpenter,  who  was  killed  in 
the  Mi  :icanwar,  in  1846,  and  in  [852  she  wedded 
Adam     Jury,     of    CI.  .     a 

prisoi f  war,  was  starved  to  death  in  Salisl 

pi  won  during  the  Ci\  il  war.      Willis    I 
November   \  \,    1816,   died    in  Mar)     Star. 

1"  i]  11  Jinn    10,  182  11  ied  Davi  of  1  an- 

nul \ ,  Penn. ,  but  both  are  w  w  di  1 
no    children    living.      Elizabeth,  bom    February 


18,  1824,  is  the  deceased  wife  of  George  Dunkle, 
ol  Franklin  county,  who  is  now  living  with  his 
children  in  Philipsburg.  The  Doctor  is  next  in 
order  of  birth.  Rebecca,  bom  March  17,  1.S31, 
married  Samuel  Hile,  who  is  now  residing  with  a 
son  near  Reedsville,  Mifflin  Co.,  Penn.;  Mrs 
Hile  died  in  Huntingdon  county,  m  i 

The  Hoop  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  the 
name  was  originally  spelled  Hooper.      From  Som- 

tshire,  England,  the  founders  of  the  family 
have  been  traced  back  to  Rev.  John  Hoop,  1 
tor  of  Gloucester,  and  later  bishop  of  Worcester. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  and  had  a  large 
following;  but  having  imbibed  the  religious  opin- 
ions of  other  reformers  in  those  days,  he  w.is 
called  a  dissenter  from  the  old  Roman  Catholic 
faith,  and  about  1553  was  arrested  and  imprisoned 
as  a  heretic,  and  finally  condemned  to  death  at  the 
stake,  and  executed  in  February,  1555,  by  order 
ol  Her  Majesty  ••Bloody  Mary,"  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. This  sad  event  so  terrorized  all  the  broth- 
ers and  sons  of  the  families  that  they  fled  fi 
England,  leaving  a  large  estate  unsettled,  and 
then  changed  their  names  to  avoid  the  vindictiv< 
searches  of  the  English  Government  upon  tin 
high  seas,  and  into  every  country  where  tiny 
could  press  the  power  of  reclaiming  English  sub- 
jects. Ever  since  that  time  the  name  has  been 
variousl)  spelled  by  dropping  or  adding  let' 
for  causes  unknown  to  the  writer  hereof.  I!ut 
since  the  American  Revolutionary  war  it  is  well 
known  by  the  numerous  families  of  America  that 
the  Hoop,  Hoopers  and  Hoopes  families  all  spring 
from  the  same  paternal  trees  in  Somersetsh 
England.  William  Hooper,  of  Boston.  Mass  . 
and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independeii 
wis  1,1  tin-  same  original  English  family  accord- 
ing to  the  1  n  lot  in. it  urn  obtained  at  this  writing. 

John    Hoop,  the    paternal   grandfather  of  the 
Doctor,  was  a  native  of   Delaware      The  mater- 
nal grandparents  were  Willis  D.  and  Sarah  1 1 
lingheisen)  1  ribbons.    The  <  ribbons  family  wei  1 

Si  Otch-Irish  descent,   and  the  name  was  (hanged 

in  Gibbon) 
The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Dr.  Hoop  were  prin- 
11)    passed    on    a  farm    in    Duncanv  ille,  Blair 
Penn.,  where  for  three  years  he  served  an 
prenticeship    to    the    tailor's    trade,     and    sub 

atly  win  1  rfoi  ehouse,  in  HoUi- 

il. iv -burg,  until  June,  1 S46,  when  he  Start 
westward.  <  >n  reaching  tin-  ( ihio  line  he  chain. 
his  mind,  and  inty,  Penn.,  and, 

traveling  b)  the    way  ol    Half    Moon   Valley  a 

fonte,  Phillipsburg,  March  4,  1847 

Alter  conducting  a  tailor  simp  for  .1  year,  be  began 
ing   medicine  with    Dr.  William    1'.  Hill  and 
Dr.   Henry  Lorain,  ol   Clearfield,  with  whom   In 


i  uMMKMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


L33 


remained  for  several  months,  and  then  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  Morris  township,  Clearfield 
county,  for  three  months,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Philipsburg  and  continued  his  reading  under 
the  direction  of  Ur.  Charles  R.  Foster,  until 
September,  1849,  when  he  entered  the  City  and 
Marine  Hospital  in  Baltimore,  Md. ,  where  he  con- 
tinued his  medical  studies  until  March  4,  1851, 
when  he  was  granted  a  diploma;  then  returned  to 
Philipsburg  and  engaged  in  practice  with  Dr.  Fos- 
ter for  a  few  months.  He  was  next  located  at 
Frenchville,  Clearfield  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  practice  until  1854,  at  which  time  he  sold  out 
to  Dr.  F.  Antes  Canfield  (who  now  resides  in 
Necedah,  Wis.,  the  most  prominent  medical  man 
in  the  State),  and  moved  to  Kylertown.  In  i860 
we  again  find  Dr.  Hoop  in  Philipsburg,  but  on 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  commis- 
sioned, by  Gov.  Curtin,  surgeon  of  the  84th 
P.  V.  I.,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  Sep- 
tember 13,  1864.  He  was  twice  wounded,  the 
first  time  at  Winchester,  in  the  spring  of  1862, 
this  being  a  slight  flesh  wound  in  the  hip.  In 
1863,  in  Loudoun  county,  Va. ,  during  a  running 
cavalry  fight,  he  was  struck  in  the  right  leg,  and 
on  the  31st  of  August  in  the  same  year  he  was 
overcome  by  sunstroke  near  Beverly  Ford, 
Va. ,  which  caused  him  to  resign  in  September. 

After  a  short  time  spent  in  Philipsburg,  Dr. 
Hoop  went  to  the  oil  fields  and  carried  on  opera- 
tions as  a  member  of  the  Norwich  Oil  Co. ,  clear- 
ing a  large  sum  of  money  in  a  short  time.  He 
soon,  however,  returned  to  Philipsburg  and  be- 
came interested  in  the  lumber  business,  organ- 
izing the  companies  of  Hoop,  Jones  &  Co.  and 
Munson,  Jones  &  Co.,  and  erecting  the  first 
planing-mill  in  the  town  of  Philipsburg;  but  in 
1876  he  sold  out,  though  he  continued  a  resident 
as  druggist  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho 
Springs,  Colo.  There  he  engaged  in  gold  and 
silver  mining  with  good  success  for  a  time,  but 
later,  through  the  decline  in  silver  ore,  he  found 
the  business  unprofitable,  and  returned  to  Philips- 
burg in  1891,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home. 

Dr.  Hoop  was  married  May  11,  1851,  in 
Philipsburg.  by  Rev.  Daniel  Ayers,  to  Miss  Anna 
Test,  of  Philipsburg,  who  died  December  7, 
1873.  To  them  were  born  five  children,  namely: 
Laura  B.,  born  in  Frenchville,  Clearfield  county, 
May  12,  1852,  was  married  December  31,  1868, 
to  William  H.  McCausland,  a  jeweler,  of  Philips- 
burg; Henrietta  F.,  born  June  26,  1854,  died  in 
1855;  Lizzie,  born  February  27,  1857,  died  in 
childhood;  James  W.,  born  January  30,  1859, 
married  Ida  Barrick,  of  Huntingdon  county,  and 
died  April  19,  1896;  and  Ellen  M.,  born  January 
24.  1 86 1,  is  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Lingenfeltor,    an 


express  agent  of  Tyrone,  Penn.  The  Doctor 
was  again  married,  this  time,  April  24,  1879,  to 
Miss  Josephine  Flegal,  the  wedding  ceremony  be- 
ing performed  by  Rev.  William  H.  Dill,  of  Clear- 
field. Her  father,  Rev.  John  Flegal,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland,  and  a  licensed  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Two  children 
grace  the  second  union:  Rex  Carroll,  born  No- 
vember 12,  1880;  and  Lenore,  born  at  Idaho 
Springs,  Colo.,  November  8,  1886. 

Socially,  Dr.  Hoop  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and 
Commandery  at  Philipsburg,  while  in  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Baptist.  His  political  support  is 
always  given  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  is  an 
earnest  advocate  of  the  free  coinage  of  silver, 
having  large  interests  in  Colorado.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  this  section  of 
the  State,  and  his  genial  and  affable  manner  has 
gained  him  the  friendship  of  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintances,  who  esteem  him  highly  for  his 
sterling  worth  and  many  excellent  traits  of  char- 
acter. 


OBERT  COOKE  (deceased).  As  a  repre- 
Jf3L  sentative  of  a  family  that  has  been  promi- 
nent throughout  the  formulative  period  of  the 
government  of  this  country,  there,  perhaps,  could 
be  found  none  in  whom  the  hardy,  but  noble 
traits  of  the  Colonial  pioneer  were  so  truly 
mingled  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  than  in  the  character  of  the  man 
whose  name  opens  this  sketch — Robert  Cooke, 
Sr.  He  was  born  near  Northumberland,  Nor- 
thumberland Co.,  Penn.,  April  22,  181 3;  and 
was  a  son  of  Capt.  John  and  Jane  (Cooke)  Cooke, 
who  were  both  natives  of  Northumberland  county, 
where  they  remained  all  their  lives. 

When  the  Thirteen  Colonies  determined  to 
become  independent  of  the  Mother  Country, 
Capt.  John  Cooke  took  his  place  in  the  ranks  of 
the  "embattled  farmers"  who  "fired  the  shot 
heard  round  the  world."  His  father,  William 
Cooke,  a  native  of  England,  turned  against  his 
native  land,  and  as  a  colonel  in  the  American 
army,  bravely  bore  his  part  in  Freedom's  cause. 

To  Capt.  John  Cooke  and  his  wife  were  born 
the  following  children:  Jacob;  William;  Sarah, 
who  married  John  Bropes  (both  are  deceased); 
Charles,  who  died  in  September,  1896,  at  the  age 
of  84  years,  7  months  and  15  days;  Robert,  our 
subject;  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Jones,  and 
John,  all  of  whom  are  deceased. 

On  December  1,  1837,  Robert  Cooke  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Quinn,  a  native  of  Muncy, 
Lycoming  Co.,    Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Will- 


184 


StOHATlVB  BIOORAPVICAL  RECOlllh 


iam  and  Jane  (White)  Quinn.  William  Quinn 
was  a  native  of  Lycoming  county,  the  son  of 
Arthur  and  Jane  Walton  Quinn,  natives  of  the 
same  county.  Both  Mr.  Quinn  and  his  father 
were  farmers  by  occupation,  and  lived  and  died 
al  the  place  of  their  nativity.  Mrs.  Jane  \\  h 
Quinn  was  the  daughter  of  farm  -  and  Fannie 
(McConnell)  White,  who  were  uatives  of  Scot- 
land and  came  to  America  at  an  early  day.  Mr. 
White  was  a  millwright  and  followed  his  trade 
after  coming  to  Lycoming  county,  where  he 
died.  William  Quinn,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Robert 
Cooke,  was  a  man  of  much  prominence  in  the 
community,  and  was  a  number  of  times  honored 
by  his  fellow-citizens  by  being  elected  to  local 
offices,  at  one  time  being  deputy  sheriff  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  pioneer  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
his  early  death  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight, 
prevented  his  seeing  Ins  chosen  party  become  a 
national  power.  His  wife  survived  him  until 
September.  1SS.1,  when  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  she,  too,  passed  into  the  unknown  land. 
To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Mary;  Jane,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Arthur  (deceased:;  Nancy,  wife  of  Henry  Cable, 
a  tailor  oi  Mimcy,  Penn;  Fannie  (widow  of 
Hiintei  Brown),  residing  in  New  York;  John,  a 
saddler  of  Muncy,  Penn.;  Elizabeth,  deceased 
wife  ol  Andrew  Peterman,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war.  was  cap- 
tured, and  died  in  I  .ibby  pi  ison, 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  were 
blessed  with  ten  children,  namely:  (il  John  is 
a  contractor  and  builder,  of  Philadelphia.  12) 
Charles  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  .1  shoe  house, 
and  resides  in  Mifflinburg,  Penn.  (3)  Jacob  has 
a  large  hotel  at  Charlotteville,  Va.  <  \)  Rosette 
is  the  wife  ol  I'  rrj  I  ong,  a  merchant  at  Howard, 
Penn  (5  Irwin  is  deceased.  (6)  Robert  is  in 
the  livery  business  at  Howard,  and  is  a  man  of 
no  little  importance  in  the  community  in  which 
In  lives,  as  an  office  holder  he  has  beei swerv- 
ing in  his  fidelity  to  duty;  he  was  elected  sheriff 
hi  November,  1887,  and  during  his  term  of  office 
two  executions  occurred,  one  on  February  20, 
1890;  Ins  integrity  and  upright  character  1 
made  him  a  111. in  in  whom  the  people  at  large 
repose  perfect  confidence.  (7)  Clarence  is  -1 
lumberman  at  Howard.  8)  Edward  is  de- 
■  Walter  I.,  is  menti  'her  on. 
( to)  Alice  is  at  In  ime 

In  1855  Robert  Cooke  removed  from  Lyi 

ing  county,  l'eun  ,  t«>  Howard,  where  lie  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  with  his  brother,  [acob, 
and  continued  in  that  line  until  his  death.  He 
was  Express  agent,  and  for  eighteen  years  w  is 
the  agent   for  the  Bald    Eagle    Valley    railroad. 


On  February  28,  1889,  after  a  long  life  of  useful 
labor  and  thoughtful  care  of  other-,  Robert 
Cooke  laid  aside  the  cares  of  the  world,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  final  rest.  He  was  a  man  among 
men,  earnest  and  self-reliant,  ever  ready  to  aid 
in  anything  that  tended  to  the  uplifting  of  hu- 
manity. He  left  a  name  untarnished,  and  a 
family  well-trained  in  those  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart,  that  will  be  to  him  a  monument  more  last- 
ing than  sculptured  stone. 

At  the  time  he  gave  up  the  agency  of  the 
Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad,  his  son,  Walter  L. 
COOKE,  was  appointed,  and  is  still  holding  that 
position,  his  duties  comprising  those  of  operator, 
express  agent,  ticket  agent,  etc.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  rare  ability  and  fine  attainments;  \ 
educated  at  the  schools  of  Howard,  and  later, 
during  the  year  1*75.  at  the  academy  at  Belle- 
fonte.  He  has  attained  to  a  degree  of  promi- 
nence seldom  equalled  by  men  of  his  years.  His 
strict  attention  to  his  business,  his  upright  deal- 
ing, together  with  his  courteous  manner,  win 
him  friends  among  all  classes  of  people.  He  and 
his  sister  Alice  lived  at  home  with  their  mother 
until  the  latter's  sudden  death,  October  25,  1896. 
She  was  stricken  with  paralysis  the  day  before, 
and  remained  unconscious  t •  •  the  last.  In  her 
death  the  community  at  lar^e  could  well  sym- 
pathize with  the  bereaved  family,  as  this  aged 
lad}-  was  most  highly  esteemed  for  those  beauti- 
ful virtues  of  true  womanhood,  that  find  the 
largest  happini  ss  in  the  home  and  family,  and  so 
typify  the  "mission  of  woman  on  earth  born  to 
nurse  and  to  soothe,  to  help  and  to  heal,  the 
sick  world  that  leans  on  her." 

Walter  L.  was  married  November  11,  1896. 
to  Emma  E. ,  daughter  of  William  I  larrison  Long, 
gunsmith  and  general  farmer,  residing  at  Jack- 
sonville,  Centre  Co  .  Penn  lie  was  born  there 
October  19,  1836,  and  1-  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  1  Benner)  Long,  native.-  ol  Milton  and 
New  Berlin,  Penn.,  respectively,  and  early  set- 
tlers  oi  Idamsburg,  this  State,  where  they  both 
died  m  advanced  lif< 

|"  ■  :  h  I  '  .  paternal  grandfather  ol  William 
lb.  came  to  America  from  I  ngland  at  an  early 
day,  located  first  in  White  Deer  Valley,  N 
thumberland  Co.,  Penn.,  later  moving  to  Union 
mow  Snyder)  county,  where  he  followed  farming 
and      shoemaking.       Henrj      Benner,     mater 

idfather  of  William  II..  served   in  the  war  of 
1  S  1  2,  enlisting  from  Union  1  now  Snyder)  com 
Pennsylvania. 

William  H.  Long  was  married  November  28, 
1866,  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Sarah  J. 
McAulay,  and  children  as  follows  were  born  to 
then  union     Emma  E.,  w  if.-  of  Walter  I .  Cooke 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


135 


Mary  M.,  wife  of  E.  E.  Schenck,  a  hardware 
merchant  of  Howard,  Penn. ;  and  Margaret  C, 
at  home.  The  mother  of  these  was  born  in 
Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  May  8,  1847,  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Burkholder)  McAulay, 
of  that  county,  the  former  of  whom,  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  was  a  man  of  prominence,  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  He  died  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years. 


w 


W.  ANDREWS,  M.  D.  Despite  the 
healthfulness  of  this  favored  region,  the 
aid  of  medical  science  is  still  invoked  to  counter- 
act the  encroachment  of  disease.  Among  the 
able  men  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  this 
work  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  well-known 
physician  of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  whose 
careful  and  thorough  preparation  for  his  profes- 
sion, together  with  his  native  ability,  early  won 
him  an  enviable  standing. 

A  word  concerning  his  ancestral  history  will 
be  in  order  before  proceeding  to  an  account  of 
the  Doctor's  own  career,  especially  as  his  forefa- 
thers were  among  the  pioneers  of  this  State. 
His  grandfather,  John  Andrews,  a  Pennsylvanian 
by  birth,  was  a  packet-boat  builder  at  one  time, 
later  becoming  a  farmer.  He  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  Columbia  county,  Penn.,  and  al- 
though he  disposed  of  portions  of  it  as  suitable 
opportunity  appeared  he  retained  a  fine  home- 
stead, where  he  passed  his  last  days  and  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  W.  C.  Andrews, 
our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  Columbia  county 
in  1838,  and  after  receiving  a  common-school 
education  engaged  in  business  as  a  cabinet  maker. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army,  served  until  the  close  of  the  struggle,  and 
on  his  return  to  the  ways  of  peace  he  became  in- 
terested in  mercantile  pursuit,  first  at  Lock  Haven 
and  for  some  years  past  at  Philipsburg.  His 
wife,  Mary  Lemmon,  a  native  of  Columbia  coun- 
ty, died  in  1884  aged  forty-five  years. 

Dr.  Andrews,  who  was  born  April  2,  1 861,  in 
Columbia  county,  was  the  only  child  of  his  par- 
ents. The  public  schools  of  Lock  Haven  afforded 
him  good  preliminary  training,  and  after  grad- 
uating from  the  high  school  he  took  the  scientific 
course  in  the  State  Normal  School  there.  Pur- 
suing his  studies  further,  he  was  graduated  from 
Dickinson  Seminary  in  1884,  from  the  scientific 
course,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S.,  and  in 
1888  he  obtained  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  From  boyhood  he 
had  had  an  inclination  for  the  medical  profession, 
and  before  leaving  Lock  Haven  to  attend  school 


he  had  begun  to  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Walls, 
of  that  city. 

An  excellent  opening  for  practice  he  found  at 
Peale,  Clearfield  county,  as  surgeon  for  the 
Clearfield  Coal  Co.,  and  there  Dr.  Andrews  re- 
mained three  years.  In  1891  he  located  at 
Philipsburg,  and  in  his  six  years  of  residence 
there  has  established  an  extensive  practice  among 
the  best  people  of  the  community.  Among  his 
professional  confreres  his  talents  are  recognized, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  County  and  State 
Medical  Associations,  and  of  the  West  Branch 
Medical  Society.  He  is  surgeon  at  the  State 
Cottage  Hospital  in  Philipsburg,  and  has  been  on 
the  medical  staff  of  same  since  it  was  organized 
in    1892. 

In  1888  Dr.  Andrews  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Jennie  Jones,  an  attractive  young  lady 
of  Philipsburg,  daughter  of  Alfred  Jones,  a  prom- 
inent hardware  merchant.  One  daughter,  Ruth, 
brightens  their  home.  In  politics  the  Doctor  is 
a  stanch  Republican;  socially  he  is  a  member  of 
of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  and  I.  O.  O.  F.,  both  of 
Philipsburg. 


CdURTIN  C.  TAYLOR.  Among  the  highly 
_>  respected  and  honored  citizens  of  Spring 
township,  Centre  county,  no  one  is  more  worthy 
of  consideration  than  the  gentleman  whose  name 
opens  this  sketch.  Here  his  entire  life  has  been 
passed,  his  home  having  always  been  within  a 
half  mile  of  his  present  residence  at  Pleasant 
Gap.  In  that  village  he  was  born  October  24, 
1824,  but  in  the  years  that  have  since  come  and 
gone  he  has  witnessed  many  changes  in  the  sur- 
rounding country,  which  was  then  but  sparsely 
settled  and  few  improvements  made. 

George  Taylor,  father  of  our  subject,  was  also 
a  native  of  Centre  county,  born  in  Half  Moon 
township,  whence  at  an  early  day  he  removed 
from  Bellefonte,  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
locating  at  the  place  now  known  as  Pleasant  Gap, 
where  he  kept  the  toll-gate  and  conducted  a 
hotel  in  which  our  subject  was  born.  He  died  at 
Unionville,  Penn.,  twelve  miles  west  of  Pleasant 
Gap,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
He  was  by  birth  a  Friend,  and  always  adhered 
to  the  faith  of  that  society.  By  his  wife,  Mary 
Dunlap,  he  had  two  children:  George  (our  sub- 
ject), and  Thomas,  now  a  resident  of  Unionville, 
Centre  county. 

In  the  old  tavern  at  Pleasant  Gap,  Curtin  C. 
Taylor  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  his  educational  privileges  were  very  limited 
as  the  school  house  nearest  to  his  home  was  two 
miles  distant.      In    1844  he  was  united  in   mar- 


186 


(  OMMB  HOB  ATI  VE  BIOGRA  I'lIU  .1  /.  RECORD. 


riage  with  Miss  Harriet  Noll,  who  was  born  in 
Dauphin  comity.  Penn.,  November  26,  1824,  a 
daughter  ol  ■  and  Marj     smith'   Noll, 

tives  of  Lebanon  and  B<  rks  1  ounties,  Prim.,  re- 
stively.     Her  father  lived  to  the  age  ol 
enty-five  years,  while  her  mother  was  sixty-nine 
at  the  time  of  h  th.      In  their 

famiix     were   four   children:    Harriet,  the   wifi 
our    subject;    John,    deceased;    Sallie,    wife    of 
Henry  Harman,  "I  Ross  county,  Ohio;  and  Em- 
manuel,   a    resilient    of    Sunbury,     Penn.      Four 
children     two    sons    and    two  :race 

the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  as  follows: 
11)  I  an  iron  molder,  living  in  Bellefonte, 

Centre  comity,  married  Kate  Wian,  and  has  four 
children — Jennie,  Hallie,  Willie  and  Mat 
Mar)    is  the  wife  of    fohn   Griffith,   ol    Pleasant 
dap.    by   whom   she   has   lour  children      Hallie, 
\\     iter.   Hatty  and  Millie.       (3      Irvin,   a! 
ident   ol    Bellefonte,   married    [essie  Gro 
has  three  children     Harry,  Curtin  and  Charley. 
(4)  Carrie  is  the  wife  ol    Vbner  Armstrong,  and 
has  one  son-    Curtin. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr  Taylor  worked  by 
the  month  for  a  time,  and  was  then  for  thirty-six 
mployed  on  the  turnpike.  On  April  1, 
1896,  he  was  appointed  toll-gate  keeper,  which 
ition  he  1-  now  acceptablj  filling.  He  has 
nevei  cared  to  travel,  and  has  never  yel  been  on 
a  railroad  train  He  is  an  earnest  Democrat  in 
politics,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  The}'  are  quietly  passing  down 
the  hill  >>l  life,  enjoying  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  their  neighbors  and  the  affection  of  their 
children  and  many  friends 


J  \kll>    .     DAI  I  ,  M.  I).,  of   I.e.nont.  (  entre 
nty,  has  dest  endi  d   from  one  of  the 

families  ol  Buffalo  Valle)  and  ol  Centre  coun- 
ty, where  for  several  generations  its  representa- 
tives have  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
history  of  this  section. 

Dr.  Hale  is  oi  Revolutionary  stock.  The 
early  history  ol  the  familj  is  given  under  the 
head  of  Christian  Hale  (1)  elsewhere.  Felix 
Hale,  son  of  Christian  Dale  1  1  1,  and  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  born  February  2,  1767, 
and  died  Manh  12,  1833,  in  the  sixty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  He  married  Catherine  Dorothy 
Pinogel,  of  the  family  of  Pinogels,  of  Pinogel's 
Church,  near  Harrisburg,  Penn  As  early  as 
1780  we  find  the  name  of  1'mogel  on  record  in 
Londonderry  township.  Dauphin  county.  Felix 
Dale  and  wife  had  two  sons:  David  and  Felix. 
The  mother  of  these  died  April   [5,   1*44      Felix 


Dale,  Sr. ,  inherited   from   his   father's  estate  the 
mill    property,    and   by  occupation   was  a   miller 

and  fai  im-r. 

David  Dale,  the  father  of  Dr.  Dale,  was 
born  at  Dales'  Mills,  January  8,  1798.  He  re- 
ed such  schooling  as  the  neighborhood  schools 
of  his  youth  afforded,  and  became  a  miller  by 
occupation,  also  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits 
in  connection  with  the  milling  business.  He  was 
a  man  of  practical  ideas  and  a  genius  in  a  me- 
mical  line,  building  his  own  carding  machine, 
which  branch  of  the  woolen-mill  business,  to- 
iler with  a  hemp-mill,  he  added  to  the  grist 
and  saw  mill  that  had  descended  from  his  fore- 
fathers He  was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and 
business  qualifications,  and  made  a  success  of 
life.  The  Dales  for  generations  were  Lutherans, 
and  David  was  not  an  exception.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig.  On  May  6,  [824,  he  married  Miss 
Margaret  Hennigh,  bom  January  11, 
daughter  of  Major  Frederick  Hennigh.  whore- 
sided  just  below  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  and 
their  children  were:  (l  )  William,  born  Febru- 
ary 20,  1825,  a  woolen-factory  man,  married 
Mary  Mitchell,  daughter  of  John  Mitchell,  of 
Harris  township,  and  then  onlj  surviving  child — 
John  M.  -is  practicing  law  at  Bellefonte.  Will- 
iam died  Decembei  20,  1S71,  aged  forty-six 
Felix,  a  farmer,  born  November  26, 
[826, married  Rache  [ane  Mitchell,  born  in  1833, 
daughter  ol  David  Mitchell,  and  died  in  1891, 
Felix  dying  in  1892;  no  issue.  (3)  Thomas,  born 
May  0,  [828,  and  died  in  [889;  married  Mary 
I,  a  daughter  ol  Hon.  George  Boal,  of  Boals- 
burg.  Centre  county,  who  died  in  1892  without 
issue.  Thomas  Dale  was  an  intelligent  gentle- 
man and  a  very  capable  business  man.      He  was 

a   man  of   high   sense  of    h u     and  was  greatly 

esteemed    by    all    who    knew    him.      He    was    a 
woolen-factory  man,  merchant  and   farmer.      141 
Abnet.  born    November    17,   1829,   a   minister  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  was   educated  at 
Marshall  College,  111  Mercei  sburg;  married  Sarah 
Adams,  of  Butler  comity,  where  he  died  in  1875. 
His  widow,  and  one  son,  David  E.,  who  survived 
him.  are  still    living  in  the  town  of  Butler.      (5) 
Mary    M.    Dale,   born    March    3,     1832,    died   July 
24,    1875,  in  her   forty-fourth   year.      (6)    David, 
born    February    13,    1834,  who   was   engaged    in 
the    woolen-manufacturing     business    at    Dal 
Mills,  and   died   unmarried,  July  25,    1880. 
Cornelius,  born  February  7,  1836,  a  farmer,  mar- 
ried Georgtanna,  daughter  of  William  Furey,  of 
Bellefonte;   they   reside    on    the    old    homestead, 
and    have    four    daughters    living — Emma,    Cor- 
nelia,  Mary  and  Ethel,  of  whom,  Emma  married 
Edward   Lingle.      (8)    Alfred,    born   January  21, 


rffr  a^cO  <%£^Zl> 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


137 


1838,  a  coachmaker,  married  Lila  Bartol,  and 
died  in  Tyrone,  Penn.,  in  1876,  of  disease  con- 
tracted while  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  He 
had  one  daughter,  Florence,  who  is  living  in 
Philadelphia  with  her  mother.  (9)  J.  Y.  Dale, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  David  Dale,  Sr., 
died  July  13,  1854,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of 
his  age,  and  his  wife,  Margaret,  died  January  1 1, 
1864,  in  her  sixty-sixth  year;  both  are  buried  at 
Boalsburg,  in  Harris  township.  Mrs.  Dale  was 
identified  with  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

Dr.  J.  Y.  Dale  is  a  native  of  Centre  county, 
born  at  the  old  homestead  at  Dales'  Mills,  Octo- 
ber 31,  1840.  In  boyhood  he  assisted  in  the 
work  on  the  farm  and  in  his  father's  mills.  He 
went  to  the  common  schools  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, attended  the  academy  at  Boalsburg,  and 
for  two  years  pursued  classical  studies  under  the 
tuition  of  his  brother,  the  clergyman,  then  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Benjamin  J.  Berry  at  The  End 
of  the  Mountain,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
New  York,  and  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
and  prominent  physicians  of  the  county.  Later, 
young  Dale  attended  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1863;  and  while  a 
medical  student  he  had  valuable  experience  in  the 
military  hospitals  at  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg. 
In  April,  1863,  he  located  for  practice  in  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  E.  Greene,  at  Bellefonte,  and  in 
May,  1864,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Berry,  who  had 
been  engaged  in  practice  at  The  End  of  the 
Mountain  (nowLemont),  for  thirty-four  years,  he 
removed  to  that  place,  where  he  has  ever  since 
been  actively  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  his  pro- 
fession, amid  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood  and 
among  the  descendants  of  the  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances of  his  ancestors.  Dr.  Dale  was  pro- 
fessor of  Anatomy  and  Physiology,  and  lecturer 
on  Hygiene  at  the  Pennsylvania  State  College, 
1867-71.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association;  of  the  State  Medical  Soci- 
ety of  Pennsylvania;  of  the  Clinton  County  Med- 
ical Society;  of  the  Centre  County  Medical  Soci- 
ety, and  of  the  West  Branch  Medical  Association, 
of  which  he  is  now  (1897;  the  president.  This 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  1892,  is 
made  up  of  members  in  good  standing  of  county 
societies  in  affiliation  with  the  State  Medical  So- 
ciety of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  counties  of  Cam- 
eron, Centre,  Clearfield,  Clinton,  Elk,  Lycom- 
ing, Northumberland,  Potter,  Tioga  and  Union. 
He  is  Deputy  Inspector  for  the  State  Board  of 
Health.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Shake- 
speare Society  of  New  York,  and  of  the  State 
College  Scientific  Association;  and  is  a  Free- 
mason, connected  with   the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter 


and  Commandery  at  Bellefonte.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican. 

On  September  29,  1870,  Dr.  Dale  married 
Matilda  Allport,  of  Phillipsburg,  formerly  of 
Morrisdale,  Clearfield  county,  born  June  23, 
1845,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Matilda  (Hunter) 
Allport,  and  their  children  are:  Frederick,  born 
August  7,  1 87 1,  graduated  at  the  Pennsylvania 
State  College  in  1893,  served  one  year  in  the 
regular  army,  and  is  now  a  medical  student  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania;  Katharine,  born 
July  27,  1874,  is  at  home;  David,  born  February 
26,  1876,  is  a  student  of  the  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege at  Gettysburg;  and  Edith,  born  July  4,  1878, 
is  at  home.  Dr.  Dale's  family  are  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

Mrs.  Dale,  too,  is  of  Revolutionary  stock, 
and  has  descended  from  pioneers  of  the  State 
and  of  Centre  county.  There  is  a  family  tradi- 
tion that  the  first  of  the  Hunters  to  come  to 
America  was  the  son  of  a  family  of  note,  who 
had  married  a  Miss  Craig,  a  governess,  and  for 
that  reason  was  disinherited.  He  located  in 
what  was  then  Lancaster  county,  but  which  sub- 
sequently became  Dauphin  county.  They  had 
three  sons:  Andrew,  Robert  and  David.  After 
the  father's  death,  the  widow  made  her  home 
with  a  Miss  Craig,  her  sister,  until  the  Revolu- 
tion. Robert  and  David  went  into  the  war,  but 
Andrew  being  only  nineteen,  this  relative  would 
not  let  him  go,  but  he  ran  off  and  entered  the 
service,  and  for  this  act  of  theirs  all  three  were 
disinherited  by  their  aunt.  After  the  war  the 
three  sons  returned  to  Dauphin  county.  The 
mother  married  a  Mr.  Crane,  whose  son  became 
Secretary  of  State.  Andrew  Hunter  married 
Rachel  Moore,  and  their  children  were:  Eliza- 
beth, born  December  2,  1781;  John,  born  March 
1,  1783;  William,  born  July  24,  1786;  Andrew, 
born  July  25,  1788;  Nancy,  born  April  12,  1791 ; 
Robert,  born  October  8,  1793;  James,  born 
March  1,  1798;  and  Craig,  born  August  27,  1800. 
Andrew  Hunter  removed  with  his  family  to  what 
is  now  Centre  county  (his  brother,  Robert,  ac- 
companying him),  prior  to  July  25,  1788,  the 
date  of  birth  of  his  son,  Andrew,  which  occurred 
in  Potter's  Fort  in  what  is  now  Potter  township. 
Subsequently  the  family  removed  to  Slab  Cabin, 
a  branch  of  Spring  creek  (so  called  from  a  cabin 
built  of  slabs  that  stood  on  the  banks  of  the 
creek),  and  there  resided  many  years.  The  par- 
ents finally  removed  to  Indiana  county,  where 
they  died.      Robert,  the  brother,  moved  to  Ohio. 

Major  Andrew  Hunter,  the  son  of  the  pio- 
neer, and  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Dale,  married 
Mary  Evans,  daughter  of  Eliezer  and  Christiana 
(Bard)  Evans,  and  their  children  were:    Matilda, 


188 


coMAll   MOHA'llVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


born  April  i,  1 8 14;  and  Catherine,  born  October 
[6,  1819.  Major  Hunter  died  July  11.  1S70, 
and  his  wife  on  November  19.  [868,  and  their 
remains  rest  in  the  Spring  Creek  graveyard, 
rheir  daughter  Matilda  was  married  on  Novem- 
ber 29,  1831,  to  James  Allport.  and  their  chil- 
dren were.  James  C,  born  January  19,  1833; 
Mary  A.,  born  December  16,  t834;  Samuel  I 
born  August  2,  1838;  Catherine,  bom  December 
11,  1841;  Matilda,  born  June  23,  1845;  and  Ho- 
bart,  born  March  3,  [848.  James  Allport 
born  at   Hartley,  \\  Inn-.  England,  May 

11,  1799.  and  was  brought  up  by  his  uncle 
Charh is,  who  was  a  commissary-general  in  the 
I  nglish  army.  James  went  with  his  uncle  in  his 
campaigns,  and  was  educated  by  private  tutors, 
who  were  sometimes  Protestants  and  sometimes 
Roman  Catholics.  lb-  was  with  Ins  uncle  in  the 
Peninsular  wai  in  Spain,  and  also  accompanied 
him  in  the  campaign  with  the  "Iron  Duke," 
which  resulted  in  the  defeat  and  final  overthrow 
of  Napoleon  at  Waterloo.  The  bo)  fames  was 
an  eye  witness  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and 
brought  away  many  interesting  relics  of  the  bat- 
tlefield, which  are  still  in  the  p  11  of  the 
family.      Through  the  influence  of  his   uncle  he 

was    pensi d    by    the     English    Government, 

which  pension  was  to  de-rend  to  his  heirs  so 
long   as    he    or    they    remained  to    the 

I  rown  \lter  making  America  his  permanent 
home  Mi.  Allport  became  a  naturalized  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  declaring  thai  he  would  not 
for  any  pension  forego  his  rights  as  a  citizen  of  the 

land  of  In- adoption.      In  |8l6   Ins  uncle  sent    him 

to  New  York,  as  an  importer  ol  hardware,  which 
business  he  followed  until  |X_\X.  crossing  the 
ocean  sixteen  times.  Prior  to  iS^s  the  firm  of 
Corp.  Ellis  &  Shaw,  with  whom  he  had  been 
doing  business,  failed,  and  he  was  compelled  lo 
take  ol  tin  in.  as  pay  for  money  due  him.  la 
tracts  ol  hind  in  Clearfield  county,  neai  Philli 
burg.  In  [828  he  came  from  New  York  to  see 
his  lands,  and  after  a  short  tune  passed  in  look- 
ing over  the  countrj  he  returned  to  New  York. 
The  following yeai  he  again  visited  Ins  lauds,  and 
in  the  midst  oi  the  forests  he  built  a  cabin,  ami 
alone  commenced  life  in  a  new  country.  He 
was  married  a-  before  stati  d,  and  to  his  home  in 
the  wilderness  took  his    young    bride   on    hoi 

hack. 

Mi  Mlp  rt  at  once  identified  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  was  a  sturdy  advocate  of 
its  principles,  and  became  one  ol  its  leader-  in 
Clearfield  county  and  the  surrounding  country. 
The  first  railroad  speech  made  in  Phillipsl 
was  delivered  by  him,  when  thi  question  was 
hrst  heme  agitated,  and  in   favor  ol  its  1  onstruc- 


tion.  In  the  later  years  of  his  life  his  lower 
i  extremities  were  partially  paralyzed,  which 
1  greatly  impeded  his  physical  but  not  his  mental 
activity.  It  prevented  him  from  taking  the 
active  part  in  public  affairs  which  his  qualifica- 
tions so  well  fitted  him  to  fill.  The  Allporta 
trace  their  genealogical  line  back  to  the  time  of 
Charles  the  Second,  and  it  was  their  ancestors 
who  hid  that  monarch  in  the  oak-tree,  when 
pursued  by  the  minions  of  Cromwell.  After  the 
King  ascended  the  throne,  he  bestowed  on  the 
family  the  coat  of  arms  which  still  distinguishes 
them  in  the  mother  country.  Mr.  Allport  died 
October  4,  1 S  -;4  His  widow  still  reside- 
Phillipsburg. 

Referring  to  the  Evans  and  Bard  branch  of 
the  ancestry  of  Mrs.  Dale:  Eliezer  Evans  came 
to  Centre  counts'  in  company  with  Gen.  Philip 
Benner,  as  a  bellows-maker,  doing  the  General's 
work  in  that  line,  and  also  such  work  at  the 
other  forges  built  at  about  that  period,  and  for 
years  afterward  in  Centre  county.  The  date  of 
Gen.  Benner's  coming  to  the  county  was  in 
1792,  and  he  was  from  Chester  county.  The 
Evans  family  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Morgan- 
town. 

Eliezer  Evans  was  horn  December  17,  1 
and  died  August  6,  1820;  his  wife,  Christiana 
Hard,  was  horn  February  12.  1771,  and  died 
April  25,  1X24;  both  are  buried  in  the  Spring 
(  reek  graveyard  Their  children  were:  Jeremiah, 
born  August  27,  1792;  Sarah,  born  December  8, 
13;  Mary,  born  December  25,  1795;  Joseph. 
horn  May  24,  1 70S ,  Susan,  born  November  '>. 
1800;  Enoch,  born  June  2,  1803;  Jane,  born 
\pril  22,  1805;  Ruth,  horn  August  I.S,  1807; 
Christian,  born  June  7.  [810;  Elizabeth,  born 
Much  j,  1813.  Christiana  Bard  was  the  daughter 
of  Michael  and  Susanna  (Sprogle)  Bard 
anna  Sprogle  was  the  daughter  ol  [ohn  llenr\ 
o|  1  [i     English    clergyman,   who   died   in 

I  lei  ks    COUnty,     l'elili         He    was    descended    (loin 

an    English    nobleman,    and   his  body   was   sent 
back   to    England.      A    memoir    of    his    life 
ministry  was  published. 


J  1  )I1N  GUNSALLUS,  who  is  now  retired  fron 
ive  busim  ne  of  the  prominent 

representative  1  itizensof  Snow  Shoe  township 
1  entre  county.  Throughout  his  business  career  In 
was  I  m  various  enterprises,  andbysound 

judgment,  excellent    management   and   fair  deal 
ing,  acquired  sufficient  propert)  to  enable  him  to 
e  up  business  cares  and  enjoy  the  result  of  hi- 
fi  irmer  labor 

Mr.  Gunsallus  was  born  in  Snow    Shoe  towi 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


189 


ship,  Centre  county,  December  19.  1837,  and  is 
a  son  of  Meese  and  Ruth  (Lucas)  Gunsallus, 
natives  of  Clearfield  and  Centre  counties,  respect- 
ively. The  former  came  to  Centre  county  in  1820, 
and  was  here  employed  as  a  farmer  and  coal 
mine  operator  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1882,  when  he  was  aged  seventy-eight  years.  His 
wife  passed  away  in  1 889,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John  P.  Lucas,  a 
farmer  of  Centre  county,  while  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  James  Gunsallus,  was  an 
agriculturist  of  Clearfield  county. 

Eight  children  blessed  the  union  of  the  parents 
of  our  subject:  Lovy,  deceased  wife  of  William 
McKinney,  a  miner  of  Clearfield  county;  John; 
Adeline,  wife  of  Richard  Miles,  superintendent  of 
a  stationery  store  and  bindery  in  Harrisburg. 
Penn. ;  Samuel,  who  was  killed  during  the  Civil 
war;  Taylor,  a  coal  miner  of  Ehrenfeld,  Cambria 
county;  Mattie,  wife  of  Gust  Holt,  a  lumberman 
of  Snow  Shoe;  Ellen,  wife  of  William  R.  Haines, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  in  Clarence, 
Centre  county;  and  Eliza,  wife  of  James  Moore, 
a  shoe  merchant  of  frvona,  Pennsylvania. 

John  Gunsallus,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Rebellion,  when,  in  April,  1861,  he 
enlisted  for  three  months  in  Company  B,  10th 
P.  V.  I.,  and  in  September  following  enlisted  in 
Company  G,  51st  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  Snyder. 
He  took  part  in  many  of  the  most  important  bat- 
tles of  the  Civil  war,  including  those  of  Roanoke, 
Newbern  (N.  C),  Cedar  Mountain,  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  Cold  Harbor,  Antietam,  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Wilderness,  Petersburg,  Weldon  Railroad, 
Black  and  White  Stations,  Jackson  (Miss.),  and 
Knoxville  (Tenn.).  He  also  participated  in  vari- 
ous skirmishes,  and  was  twice  slightly  wounded, 
both  times  in  front  of  Petersburg.  On  July  27, 
1865,  ne  was  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
home  with  an  enviable  war  record.  He  served 
as  a  private  until  after  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
Md.,  when  he  was  made  a  corporal;  later  he  was 
appointed  orderly  sergeant  of  the  company.  On 
January  1,  1864,  he  with  his  regiment  re-enlisted 
to  serve  during  the  war,  and  soon  after  he  was 
promoted  to  the  second  lieutenancy;  later  he  was 
promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  mustered  out 
as  such.  During  the  period  of  his  service  he  was 
never  in  the  hospital  or  away  from  his  regiment. 

Mr.  Gunsallus  resumed  work  on  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  remained  a  short  time,  and  also 
engaged  in  lumbering.  Subsequently  he  went  to 
West  Union,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  a 
year,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  county  of 
his  nativity,  and  once  more  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing, following   that    pursuit  for   four  years.      He 


next  engaged  in  cutting  prop  timber  for  the  coal 
mines  for  fourteen  years,  and  later  followed  min- 
ing for  about  a  year,  and  is  now  living  retired. 

On  October  11,  1865,  at  West  Union,  Iowa, 
John  Gunsallus  was  married  to  Miss  Pamelia  A. 
Lucas,  who  was  born  in  Centre  county,  Penn.,  in 
July,  1840,  and  is  the  only  survivor  in  the  family 
of  eleven  children  of  Samuel  and  Rachel  (Leech) 
Lucas,  who  died  at  West  Union,  Iowa,  where 
the  father  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gunsallus, 
namely:  Samuel,  a  teamster  at  Winburne; 
Maggie,  deceased  wife  of  Charles  French,  an  in- 
surance agent  of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county; 
Anna,  who  is  the  widow  of  John  Houston,  and  is 
residing  with  our  subject;  Harry,  a  clothing  mer- 
chant of  Snow  Shoe;  Edith,  at  home;  Nora,  who 
died  when  young;  and  Ruth,  at  home. 

In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Gunsallus  is  an 
ardent  Republican,  and  has  served  his  fellow 
citizens  in  the  capacity  of  supervisor  four  terms, 
and  tax  collector  three  terms.  Socially  he  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Encampment, 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  of  the  order  of 
American  Mechanics.  He  is  a  public-spirited, 
enterprising  man,  one  who  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  everything  which  seems  to  promise  a  bene- 
fit to  the  community,  and  enjoys  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


^irTriLSON   POTTER  ARD,  M.  D.,  although 


but  comparatively  a  few  years  established 
in  Woodward,  Centre  county,  has  built  up  a 
practice  which  places  him  among  the  leading 
physicians  of  Penn's  Valley.  He  is  a  native  of 
Lewistown,  Penn.,  born  April  15,  1845,  ar>d  *s 
descended  on  the  paternal  side  from  an  old  Scotch 
family,  his  ancestors  having  crossed  the  Atlantic 
before  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  members 
of  the  family  played  a  gallant  part. 

Joseph  .  B.  Ard,  M.  D.,  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  September  18.  1784,  and  prac- 
ticed medicine  successfully  in  Lewistown  for  a 
number  of  years;  but  on  retiring  from  active  life 
he  settled  in  Philadelphia,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred February  27,  1861,  his  remains  being 
taken  to  Lewistown  for  burial.  He  accumulated 
a  large  estate,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
worth  several  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

George  Ard,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  in 
Lewistown,  May  14,  18 14,  and  enjoyed  through- 
out his  life  the  advantages  of  inherited  wealth. 
He  was  a  large  man  of  good  build.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and-  in  his  younger  days 
manifested  much  interest  in  the  party.  His  wife, 
Emeline   (Harvey),    was   a    daughter    of  Nathan 


140 


OOMMBItORA  111'/-:  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Harvey,  <>f  Mill  Hall,  Penn.  They  had  four 
children:  Eliza,  who  married  Francis  SI 
maker,  a  wholesale  druggist  of  Philadelphia;  Jo- 
seph  B.,  now  a  resident  of  Pine  Grove  Mills, 
Centre  county;  and  Wilson  P.  (our  subject  and 
Ellen  (twins),  the  latter  ol  whom  married  R.  K. 
Lovett,  and  resided  for  a  number  of  years  in 
I'  ris,  France  (she  died  in  Charleston,  S.  ' 
The  mother  passed  away  in  i  S46,  the  father  on 
August  20,  [892,  and  the  remains  of  both  were 
interred  at  Lewistown.  Mr  Ard  left  a  good  in- 
heritance to  his  children,  and  during  their  youth 
provided  them  with  more  than  ordinary  educa- 
tional advantages. 

Dr.  William  P.  Ard  attended  the  schools  at 
I  ewistown  and  Philadelphia,  and  the  academies 
irora  and  McVeytown,  Penn.,  spending 
several  years  in  the  latter  institution.  I  lis  med- 
ical studies  were  begun  under  the  pi  hip 
of  Prof.  W.  H.  Pancoast,  ol  Philadelphia,  and 
In-  degree  of  M.  1>  was  obtained  from  Jefferson 
Medical  College  in  18S0.  Thus  prepared  for 
his  professional  work,  the  Do<  toi  located  al  1 
marck,  Lebanon  Co.,  Penn.,  remaining  mure 
than  a  year,  but  m  the  fall  "I  [882  he  removed 
to  Woodward,  (fiitre  counts,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  was 
married  in  Reading,  Penn.,  to  Mi-s  Amanda  B. 
Moser,  a  native  ol  that  city,  and  a  daughter  of 
Franklin  Moser,  a  prominent  farmer,  and  this 
union  has  been  blessed  with  children  as  follows: 
I  mi  a  I  [oseph  B.,  <  ieorge,  Wilson  s  and 
Mary  M.  Mrs.  Ard  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  their  charming  home  is  a 
social  center. 

I'll.  is  .1  in. 111  ill  culture,    In-  reading 

extending     beyond       pro  il     literature,     in 

which  he  keeps  well  posted.  During  his  residence 
m  Philadelphia,  he  was  pleasantly  associated 
with  some  eminent  practitioners;  but  tin-  rest  ful- 
ness and  i"  life  in  the  country  appealed  t" 
him  strongly,  causing  him  to  seek  a  home  there. 
Politic. ill\  he  is  . 1  Democrat,  andhe  takes  great 
interest  in  tin-  success  11I    Ins  party. 


HON.  HENRYMEYER.     The  history  or  gen- 
ealogy of   a    family,    whose   members 
scattered    over  an    ana    extending    beyond    the 

limits  of  the  counties  embraced  in  this  work,  must 
necessarily  be  fragmentary  and  incomplete.  The 
further  division  and  sub-division  of  the  material 
by  the  respective  county  lines,  as  contemplated, 
and  by  tow  nship  lines,  m<  reases  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  a  satisfactory  presentation.  This 
task  has.  however,  fallen  to  the  capable  hands  of 
Hon    Henry  Meyer,  a  prominent   and   highlj 


lent  <>f  Miles  township,  Centre  coun- 
ts, and  as  he  has  just  completed,  after  several 
years  of  tedious  labor,  the  manuscript  of  a  second 
edition  of  his  "  Genealogy  of  the  Meyer  Family," 
he  is  peculiarly  qualified  to  furnish  the  desired  in- 
formation At  the  request  of  the  publishers  he 
I  the  following  scholarly  and  accurate 
sketch. 

The  Meyers  are  a  numerous  family,  and  are 
largely  represented  ill  most  of  the  States  west- 
ward from  Pennsylvania  to  California.  There 
are  many  more  members  of  this  tribe  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  counties  embraced  in  this  work — a 
subject,  which,  if  treated  fully ,  would  be  quite  ex- 
tensive; a  simple  record  of  names  alone  would 
till  many  times  the  space  allotted  for  this  sketch, 
there  being  in  number  more  than  five  thousand, 
and  we  will  therefore  state  merely  a  few  facts  in 
the  early  Meyer  settlement  in  this 
country,  and  trace  the  lineage  of  such  descend- 
ants of  the  Meyer  who  immigrated  from  the  old 
country,  as  were  citizens  at  one  time  or  other  of 
the  counties  ol  Centre,  Clinton,  Union  and  Sny- 
der. Penn.,  thus  forming  in  a  manner  a  connect- 
ing link  between  the  many  individual  sketches  of 
those  members  of  the  family. 

A  brief  referem  e  to  the  name  itself  it  is 
thought  would  be  proper  since  it  is  written  in  so 
many  different  ways  It  is  German,  and  like  so 
many  other  family  names  of  that  and  other  lan- 
guages, it  has  undergone  changes  in  its  transla- 
tion into  English  and  its  transmission  from  gen- 
ii. It  is  spelled  in  at  least 
eleven  different  ways,  viz. :  Meyer,  Mayer,  Mj 
Meyers,  Myers,  Mover,  Movers,  Mire,  Mei 
Meire,  and  Maire.  In  German  it  is  written  "lUrt'cr 
which  anglicised  becomes  Meyer. 

The  records  show  that  a  large  number  of 
Meyer  immigrants  came  from  the  old  country 
from  1725  to  1776.  and  no  doubt  quite  a  number 
before  that  period  and  since.  It  is  not  assumed 
that  they  were  all  of  kin.  In  all  parts  of  Holland 
and  Germany  the  name  is  as  frequently  met  with 
as  the  name  Smith  in  this  country. 

Henry  Meyer,  the  ancestor  of  the  branch  to 
which  this  article  is  devoted,  came  from  the  Palat- 
inate. Prussia,  and  settled  permanently  at  the 
head  or  spring  of  a  small  stream  which  he  then 
named  ••  Mllhlbach,  "  situated  in  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  present  limits  of  Lebanon  counts 
Penn  I  te  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  tin 
couple  then  had  one  or  two  children.  Then 
earthly  possessions,  consisting  of  some  clothing, 
several  pewter-plates,  an  axe,  a  German  hymn- 
book  and  Bible,  and  several  other  indispensible 
articles,  they  carried  in  bundles,  and  began  hou 
keeping  under  the  friendly  protect  ion  afforded  by 


(1  iM/\>f       lAAJL^f  JL\r 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


141 


the  spreading  branches  of  a  large  white  oak  tree 
close  to  the  spring  just  mentioned.  The  family 
arrived  at  the  place  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  a  certain  day  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust. The  woman  sat  on  the  ground  and  wept; 
the  father  took  his  axe  and  began  to  clear  the 
ground.  The  country  then  was  a  vast  wilderness 
in  which  wild  animals  and  Indians  were  abun- 
dant. The  family  had  neighbors,  but  they  were 
few  and  far  between,  and  all  equally  poor.  It  is 
said  two  brothers  of  Mr.  Meyer  accompanied  him 
to  this  country,  one  of  whom  also  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  other  moved  to  South  Carolina. 
The  date  of  the  arrival  of  the  Meyer  immigrants 
in  the  new  country  is  only  approximately  known, 
but  it  appears  to  have  been  about  the  year  17 19. 

Henry  Meyer,  who  emigrated  from  Germany, 
had  nine  children  that  grew  to  maturity  and  wen- 
married,  viz.:  John  died  December  11,  178C, 
aged  sixty-seven  years,  and  lies  buried  in  the 
Muhlbach  Cemetery,  Lebanon  county,  Penn. 
He  was  married,  and  his  descendants,  of  whom 
there  are  many,  reside  principally  in  the  eastern 
section  of  this  State.  No  further  reference  to 
his  family  will  be  made  in  this  sketch. 

Henry,  born  in  May,  1730,  died  November 
17,  1812;  married  Catherine  Ruth,  born  May  30, 
1837,  died  May  3,  1801,  and  both  are  buried  in 
Mtihlbach  Cemetery.  The  descendants  of  this 
couple  reside  in  the  eastern  part  of  this  State 
principally,  and  some  in  the  Western  States. 

Jacob,  born  at  Muhlbach,  Heidelberg  town- 
ship, Lebanon  Co.  (then  Lancaster  county), 
Penn.,  in  1732,  moved  in  1768  to  a  locality 
about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  present  site  of 
Freeburg,  Snyder  Co.,  Penn.,  then  called 
Straubstown;  died  when  aged  about  seventy-five 
years,  and  lies  buried  in  the  old  graveyard  near 
Freeburg.  He  married  Susan  Ream.  The  de- 
scendants of  this  couple  are  a  multitude.  A 
number  of  them  are  found  in  Centre  and  Clinton 
counties  of  this  State,  but  the  majority  of  them 
are  settled  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  other 
Western  States. 

Michael,  who  lies  buried  at  Schaefferstown, 
Penn.,  died  about  the  year  1794.  He  was  twice 
married;  his  second  wife  was  Catharine  Becker, 
by  whom  he  had  two  children,  daughters.  His 
descendants  are  in  the  eastern  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  in  Illinois. 

Christopher,  the  youngest  son,  was  born  in 
Malhbach,  and  died  near  Campbelltown,  Penn., 
August  2,  1 801,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  He 
married  Anna  Maria,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Schaeffer,  the  founder  of  Schaefferstown,  Penn. 
She  was  born  February  19,  1744;  died  January 
1,   1823,  and    both    are   buried    in    the  Reformed 


Cemetery  at  Campbelltown,  Penn.  He  moved 
to  the  village  last  named  when  still  single, 
and  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land, 
part  of  which  is  still  owned  by  his  descend- 
ants. The  couple  had  nine  children,  most  of 
whom  moved  into  Snyder  and  Centre  counties, 
and  will  be  named  at  the  proper  places  in  this 
sketch.  Of  the  four  daughters  of  the  Meyer 
who  came  from  Germany  and  settled  at  Muhl- 
bach but  little  is  known.  One  was  married  to 
Alexander  Schaeffer,  one  to  Jacob  Tillman,  one  to 
John  Christopher  Aahlschmidt,  and  one  to  Lou- 
dermilk.  Tradition  says  one  or  two  moved  to 
South  Carolina. 

The  rest  of  this  sketch  will  be  devoted  to  the 
descendants  of  the  two  sons,  Jacob  and  Christo- 
pher, above  named,  many  of  whom  are  residing 
in  Centre,  Clinton  and  Snyder  counties,  this 
State.  In  order  to  avoid  confusion  in  repre- 
senting successive  generations  it  is  necessary  to 
employ  some  system  to  distinguish  them;  there 
are  various  schemes  of  the  kind  made  use  of  by 
genealogists,  and  for  this  sketch  the  following  is 
adopted: 

The  children  of  a  family  are  numbered,  be- 
ginning with  the  eldest,  by  Roman  or.  Arabic 
numerals,  the  different  styles  or  forms  of  which 
will  denote  different  successive  generations. 
The  children  of  Jacob  and  Christopher  (sons  of 
the  Meyer  who  came  from  Germany)  will  be 
designated  by  Roman  numerals,  thus:  I,  II,  etc. ; 
their  grandchildren,  by  Roman  numerals  with 
parentheses,  thus:  (I),  (II),  etc.;  their  great- 
grandchildren, by  Arabic  numerals,  thus,  1,  2, 
etc. ;  next  generation  by  Arabic  numerals  within 
parentheses,  thus:  (1),  (2),  etc.  Henry  (Henry, 
Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  reads  as  follows:  Henry 
Meyer,  son  of  Henry  Meyer,  son  of  Henry 
Meyer,  son  of  Jacob  Meyer,  son  of  Henry  Meyer 
(who  came  from  Germany). 

Jacob  Meyer  was  the  third  son  of  Henry 
Meyer,  who  came  from  Germany,  and  as  already 
stated  he  moved  from  Muhlbach  to  Straubstown 
(now  Freeburg),  Penn.,  about  the  year  1768, 
purchasing  a  large  tract  of  land  near  that  town; 
he  devoted  his  time  to  farming  and  to  keeping  a 
tavern.  He  and  his  wife  Susan  had  eight  chil- 
dren, six  sons  and  two  daughters. 

I.  Catharine  (Jacob,  Henry)  was  married  t<> 
John  Meyer,  not  of  kin.  The  couple  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Brush  Valley  (1792) 
near  what  is  now  Wolfs  Store,  in  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  but  moved  to  Kentucky 
about  the  year  1797.  Their  descendants  live  in 
the  South  and  West. 

II.  Barbara  (Jacob,  Henry)  was  married  to 
Michael  Motz.      The  couple   lived  on  a  farm   at 


1  12 


COMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   HBCORD. 


'  End,   Penn's   Valley,    in    1 1  iwnship, 

and  both  arc  buried  at   Si  burch,  near 

their  <i]<i  In  imi  stead       I  .efl  i 

III.  Philip  i  [acob,    Henrj  I,  born   al    Mnhl- 

bstown   to  a 
[arm  about  a  mile  east  ol  WolfsStore       He  was 
i  in   the    Revolutionary   war.      His   wife, 
Anna  Margaret,  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  M<>rr, 
of  the   first   settlers  in   the   neighborhood  of 
I,,.  ;    ■  ii  n     Straubstown  .     Penn.       Philip 

died  April  27,   1 83 1 ,  aged  seventy-fi\  five 

months,  thirteen  days;  Ins  wife,  bornAugusI 
17511.  died  March  [2,    1829;  buried  side  b)   side 
in    the     Union    1  ry,    Rebersburg,    Penn.; 

they  had  eleven   children     seven   sons  and   ; 

in.  .         rheir  latei   des I  ml     are  legion, 

and  are  neatly  all  residents  "I  Ol 

IV.  [ohn   Jacob      Jacob,  Henry  1,    born    at 
Muhlbach,  died  in    November,   1815;  lies   bui 

in  Pine  <  reek  1  emetery,  about  two  miles  west  ol 
|ersej  Shore,  within  a  short  distance  of  his  home- 
id  (arm.  He  was  married  to  Julia,  daughter 
Morr,  name, l  abo\  e.  Their  d 
ants  are  found  principally  in  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsj  Ivania. 

V.  [ohn  G&  H  wned  his 
lather's  homestead  farm  neat  Freeburg,  Penn.; 
dud  about  the  year  1810;  lies  buned  in 
the  old  cem  burg;  was  twice  mai 
iied,  lirst.  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Buch- 
tel;  second,  t<>  Marj  Brosius  His  ten  children 
were  widelj  scattered  in  latei  years. 

\  1       I  [em  5  (Ja   ob   I  lenrj  1,  bom  neat  Muhl- 
h,  October  15,   1764,  died  May  17.  1K20;  was 
twice  married,  first   to  Mary,  daughter  ol  Jacob 
Steese,   ol   Penn  township,   now    part  oi   Snydei 
1  ounty,  Penn. ,  si  1  ond,  to  Margaret,  daughb  1  ol 
Hon.  Adam   Harper,  ol   Penn's  Valley,  who  was 
formerly  one  ol  the  associate    judges  ol   Centre 
count)       Husband  and  both  wives  lii    buried  111 
the   Union    Cemetery,   Rebersburg.      Mr.    Mi 
moved  into   Brush  Valley  (nearly  all  ol   which  is 
included   within  the    limits   ol    Miles  township  . 
1  entre  county,  on  a   faun   near  Wolfs  stole  in 
179701   1798,  and  devoted   much  of  Ins  time  to 
[arming  from  that  time  until  his  decease,  though 
his  trade  was  that  ol    a   millwright.       He    built 
many  gristmills  and    sawmills  in  central   Pennsyl- 
vania, now  within   the   limits  ol    Union,  Snyder, 
Mifflin,    |uniata,  (  entre  and  Lycoming  count 
I  |.     served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  J 1 
hi-  was  commissioned.    Februarj    28,    170.1.   major 
of  the    First   Battalion    Third  Northumberland 
Brigade;    January  4,   [802,  lieutenant-colonel  of 
1  list   Regiment,  Militia,   lirst  Brigade,    Tenth 
Division,   counties    ,,t    Mifflin,    Huntingdon 
Centre       When  but  sixteen  years  old  he  belonged 


to  some  organization  recruited  for  protection 
against  the  Indians.  He  was  widely  known,  and 
had  a  host  of  friends.  There  were  eleven  children, 
ten  ol  whom  reached  maturity — from  the  first 
wife,  three;  from  the  second,  seven.  Since  all 
of  these  became  residents  of  either  Centre  or 
Clinton  comity,  as  well  as  most  of  their  descend- 
ants, a  brief  record  of  this  family  will  here  be 
made:  (I)  Infant.  (II)  Henry  (Henry,  Jacob. 
Henrj  .  born  near  Straubstown  (Freeburg), 
Penn.,  September  2,  1795,  died  at  his  home, 
three  miles  east  of  Rebersburg,  December  28, 
1  SS  1  ,  lies  buried  in  the  Union  Cemetery  in  the 
town   just  named;  married  to  Hannah,  daughter 

Nil  hoi  as  Bierly;  sin-  was  born  Ma)  26,  1  *oo; 
dhd    December    16,     1893;    lies    buried    in    the 

ingelical  Cemetery,  same  town.  He  was  but 
two  or  three  years  old  when  his  father  moved 
into  Brush  Valley,  and  1  itizen  of  the 

place  all  his  lifetime,  engaging  in  business  as  a 
millwright  and  farmer.  Issue  nine:  1.  Mary. 
[anuary  30,  1*24,  married  (first)  Rev. 
George  Weirich,  and  (second)  John  F.  Price, 
now  also  deceased.  Resides  in  Green  township, 
Clinton  county,  Penn.  2.  Matilda,  born  Januarj 
9,  1826;  died  February  4.  1853;  buried  at  St 
Paul  Church,  Penn's  Valley;  was  married  to  s, 
G.  Mingle.  3.  David,  born  September  15,  1827; 
married  to  Fyetta,  daughter  of  Anthony  Bierly; 
owns  his  father's  homestead  farm  near  Wolfs 
store.  Brush  Valley.  4.  Catharine,  born  Feb- 
niarv  8,  1^29;  married  to  Samuel  G.  Mingle; 
husband  now  deceased;  family  resides  in  Lock 
Haven.  Penn.  5.  Daniel,  born  February  24, 
1831,  married  Matilda,  daughter  of   Peter  Smull; 

de  at  Dakota,  III.  6.  Samuel  B.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 12.  1833,  married  to  Maggie  E  Moore;  he 
is  a  millwright  by  trade;  resides  near  Milesburg, 
Centre  county.     7.  Judith,  born  March  20,  1835, 

tried  to  Joseph  C.  Bierly;  resides  on  a  farm 
neai  Centre  Mills  in  Miles  township,  Centre 
county.  8.  Henrj  (subject  ol  this  sketch).  9. 
Selena,    born    Octobei    28,     1  S44.    died   June    27. 

l84S 

Henrj  Meyer,  our  subject,  was  born 
Rebersburg,  Penn..  December  8,  [840,  and  mar- 
ried  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  Taylor, 
and  a  native  ol  Rock  Forge,  Benner  township, 
Centre  county,  born  April  2  j,  [850.  They  have 
ided  at  Rebersburg  (Miles  township),  Penn., 
from  1872  until  now  (1897).  Mr.  Meyer  was 
brought  up  on  Ins  father's  farm,  doing  such  work 
as  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  farmer  boys,  and  dur- 
ing the  winter  season  attended,  two  or  three 
months  in  a  term,  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.      He    left    home    in   the    spring  of 

i860    to    learn   the   millwright  trade    with   John 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


148 


Todd,  who  then  resided  at  Potters  Mills,  Perm., 
and  his  spare  moments  were  devoted  to  reading, 
and  the  study  of  mathematics  and  other  branches 
which  had  a  bearingon  mechanical  pursuits.  He 
enlisted  at  Rebersburg,  Penn.,  August  19,  1862, 
with  almost  a  hundred  young  men  of  the  same 
place  (Brush  Valley),  in  the  army  for  "three 
years  or  during  the  war."  Became,  a  few  days 
after  enlistment,  a  member  of  Company  A,  148th 
Regiment,  P.  V.  I.,  at  Camp  Curtin,  Harrisburg, 
Penn.,  the  regiment  being  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  (then  Col.)  James  A.  Beaver,  and 
joined  afterward  with  the  Second  Army  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  went  through  the 
usual  disciplinary  stages  of  the  volunteer  soldier, 
and  had  his  first  practical  experience  in  warfare 
in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May,  1863; 
then  followed  Gettysburg,  Auburn  Mills,  Mine 
Run,  the  Wilderness,  and  Laurel  Hill,  besides 
several  skirmishes  of  less  importance.  He  was 
slightly  hurt  at  Chancellorsville,  but  more  seri- 
ously at  Laurel  Hill,  May  10,  1864,  by  a  minie 
ball  passing  through  the  left  hand  near  the  wrist, 
necessitating  amputation  of  the  left  hand,  which 
operation  was  performed  at  Campbell  Hospital, 
Washington,  D.  C,  May  17,  1864.  On  receiving 
his  discharge,  September  12,  1864,  he  returned 
home,  entered  the  Rebersburg  Select  School  for 
a  few  weeks,  taught  school  the  winter  following, 
and  continued  teaching  a  number  of  terms.  In 
1866  he  attended  the  Union  Seminary,  New  Ber- 
lin, Penn.,  for  a  term,  and  in  the  fall  of  1868, 
entered  the  Keystone  State  Normal  School  at 
Kutztown,  Penn.,  graduating  therefrom  with  first 
honors  of  the  class  in  the  spring  following.  He 
then  continued  his  work  as  an  educator,  and  as- 
sisted Prof.  Reuben  M.  Magee,  county  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools  of  Centre  county,  in 
the  Centre  County  Normal  School  a  number  of 
terms.  In  May,  1875,  he  was  elected  county 
superintendent  of  common  schools  of  Centre 
county,  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  was  re- 
elected without  opposition  in  May,  1878;  was 
elected  in  the  fall  of  1 882  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
avnia,  and  is  at  present  serving  a  second  term  as 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  having  been  elected  the 
first  time  February  18,   1890. 

The  foregoing  sketch  being  only  a  brief 
record  of  the  principal  events  in  the  biography 
of  Mr.  Meyer,  it  is  deemed  desirable  in  justice 
to  himself  that  a  few  facts  be  mentioned  which 
will  give  a  better  view  of  his  every-day  life, 
character  and  disposition.  His  progress  as  a 
pupil  in  the  district  school  was  seriously  ham- 
pered from  the  very  beginning  until  a  youth  of 
sixteen   by    the    difficulties    encountered    by  all 


pupils  whose  mother  tongue  is  different  from  tin- 
language  of  the  books  which  they  study  in  school. 
His  parents  were  Pennsylvania-German;  all  his 
neighbors  then  spoke  the  dialect  of  those  people; 
the  sermons  then  were  nearly  all  German,  as 
were  also  many  of  the  periodicals,  and  much  of 
the  correspondence  between  people  was  in  that 
language.  Under  such  circumstances  the  pro- 
gress of  pupils  was  slow  and  wearisome;  they 
listlessly  repeated  the  words  of  their  reading 
lessons,  committed  definitions  in  grammar  and 
geography,  but  the  exercises  were  as  unintelligi- 
ble to  them  as  so  much  Hebrew  would  have 
been.  Gradually  Mr.  Meyer  overcame  these  ob- 
stacles, the  printed  page  began  to  disclose  ideas, 
and  a  taste  for  reading  w.is  rapidly  acquired.  He 
subscribed  for  English  periodicals,  bought  and 
borrowed  histories,  biographies,  books  of  travel 
and  explorations,  and  eagerly  read,  during  the 
few  spare  moments  which  work  on  the  farm  al- 
lowed, everything  that  came  within  his  reach. 
His  books  were  his  cherished  friends.  He  has 
ever  been  loyal  to  the  Pennsylvania-German 
race,  and  has  little  respect  for  those  shallow- 
pa  ted  dudes  who  would  ignore  their  ancestry. 
He  is  aware  that  before  many  years  the  dialect 
which  these  people  brought  from  the  old  coun- 
try will  be  superseded  by  the  English  language, 
but  the  noble  qualities  which  they  brought  with 
them,  and  which  make  for  the  moral  and  mate- 
rial improvement  of  a  community  and  the  stabil- 
ity of  a  State,  are  still  the  heritage  of  their  de- 
scendants. Of  late  years  he  has  taken  a  special 
interest  in  the  early  history  and  traditions  of 
these  people  who  were  the  early  settlers  of  his 
native  Valley,  and  has  prepared  a  historical  sketch 
of  the  same,  with  biographical  sketches  of  almost 
a  hundred  of  the  old  settlers.  He  has  been  prom- 
inently connected  with  nearly  all  enterprises  of 
his  time  which  had  for  their  object  the  improve- 
ment of  his  town  and  neighborhood.  He  has 
ever  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  work  of  his 
Church  and  Sunday-school.  While  officially 
connected  with  the  common  schools  either  as 
teacher  or  county  superintendent,  he  labored 
faithfully  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  his 
labors  were  crowned  in  these  positions  with  a 
commendable  degree  of  success.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat,  but  of  quite  liberal  views.  In 
his  dealings  he  has  ever  been  strictly  honest  in 
his  intercourse  with  those  around  him,  courteous 
and  obliging;  to  the  poor  he  has  been  charitable 
beyond  his  means.  He  is  unostentatious  and  re- 
served in  his  manner!  and  despises  shams  and 
the  blusterer.  Physically  he  is  six  feet  tall,  but 
not  heavy  set;  blue  eyes;  temperate  in  habits. 
Mrs.  Meyer,  as  stated  above,  is  a  daughter  of 


1 11 


COtfMl  VORATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Thomas  J.  Taylor,  ol  Unionville,  Centre  ' 
Penn  ll'-r  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Taylm, 
was  a  native  ol  Chestei  county,  Penn.,  or  at 
least  resided  in  that  section  in  his  younger  days. 
He  was  married  to  Sarah  Bebberly,  whose  parents 
resided  on  the  ground  fought  over  by  the  British 
and  the  American  troops  during  the  battle  of 
the    Brandywine,    September    u.    1 777.      This 

ing  ladj  his  future  wife)  was  then  not  quite 
sixteen  years  old,  and  was  an  eye-witness  of  the 
battle,  sin-  used  to  relate  many  stirring  incidents 
of  the  tierce  contest,  and  among  other  I 
stated  thai  as  she  and  others  roamed  over  the 
battlefield  they  observed  that  the  waters  of  the 
Brandywine  were  dyed  red  bom  the  blood  of  men 
and  horses  killed  along  its  banks.  After  their 
marriage  the  couple  moved,  in  1800,  to  Half- 
moon  Valley,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  where  they 
settled  permanently  and  raised  a  numerous  fam- 
ily. The  old  lady  dud  in  1849,  aged  eighty- 
seven  years,  nine  months,  twenty-five  days. 
Her  husband  had  preceded  her  to  the  grave 
many  yens.      Among  their   children  was  a  son, 

George,  born  in   Chester  ci ty,  November  20, 

1798;  died  at  Unionville,  Centre  county,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1887.  For  many  years  he  kept  the 
tollgate  at  the  foot  ol  Nittany  mountain  on  the 
pike    leading    from    Lewistown    to     Bellefonte. 

Later  he  became  proprietor  of  a  hotel  at 
Unionville,  just  named  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Kyser  Dunlap,  daughter  of  Daniel  Dunlap;  she 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  December  12, 
1796;  died  at  Unionville,  Centre  county.  July  21, 
1X75;  both  lie  buried  in  the  Friends  Cemetery 
near  Unionville.  The  couple  had  only  two 
children — Curtin  and  Thomas  J.  The  latter  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Meyer)  was  born  at  Bellefonte, 
Penn.,  August  2.  [822;  he  was  married  to  Sai 
daughter  of  Jacob  Homan.  ol  Penn's  Valley, 
Centre  county;  she  was  born  March  19,  1818, 
died  February  22,  1859,  and  lies  buried  in  the 
old  cemetery  at  Milesburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn. 
Mrs.  Meyer  while  still  single  taught  in  the  public 
schools  ol  Centre  county,  a  number  ol  terms,  and 
was  quite  successful  as  a  teacher. 

Mr    and   Mrs     Meyer   have   live   children  liv- 
ing, whose  names  with   dates  of  birth  an 
lows:      (I)    Hannah  Jane,  January    11.    1872. 
Henry!   .  Octobei     ;.   1882       (3)   Mary  M.,    Au- 
gust i4,  1885.      t>  Sarah  I    .  September  1,  1- 
5 1   Robei  1  T  ,  August  14,   1 

111).       Jacob    (Henry.    Jacob.     Henry),    horn 
near  Straubstown    now  Freeburg),  Penn.,  April 
}0,    1797,    dieil    near    his    fat  i 
August  19,   1873,   and   lies  buried   in  the   Union 
(  emeter) ,    Rebersburg,    Penn.       He  wa 
married. 


I\>  Benjamin  (Henry,  Jacob.  Henry), 
youngest  son  of  first  wife,  was  born  111  finish 
Valtey,  died  in  April,  1S24,  no  definite  dates 
found;  he  was  married  to  Mary  B.,  daughter  of 
Melchoir  Poorman.  Lies  buried  in  the  Union 
Cemetery  at  Rebersburg,  Penn.  His  widow 
married  Benjamin  Beck,  and  is  now  also  de- 
ceased. They  had  one  child,  Mary,  who  moved 
to  Illinois. 

\  William   (Henry,     Jacob,    Henry  1    was 

the  eldest  son  of  second  wife,  and  was  born  in 
Brush  Valley,  July  30,  1S04;  died  March  15, 
1824,  and  lies  buried  in  the  Union  Cemetery 
at  Rebersburg,  Penn.  ;  was  not  married. 

(YD       [ohn  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  born   in 
Brush  Valley,  June   30,  1806,  died  at   his  home 

1  Wolfs  Store,  Penn.,  March  14,  [892,  and 
lies  buried  near  his  father  and  brothers  Benjamin 
and  William  in  Union  Cemetery.  Rebersburg, 
Penn.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Mary 
(  atharine,  daughter  of  Daniel  Poorman,  a  near 
neighbor  of  the  Meyer  family;  second  to  Susan 
Confer.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker  and  undertaker 
by  trade,  and  conducted  his  business  at  or  near 
his  father's  old  homestead  all  his  life.  He  never 
enjoyed  any  educational  privileges  beyond  those 
afforded  by  the  country  subscription  schools  of 
that  period,  and  these  even  could  not  be  attended 
larlv  by  pupils  because  the  constant  demand 
for  assistance  on  the  farms  kept  children  out  ol 
school;  yet  by  assiduous  reading  his  mind  was 
well  stored  with  useful  knowledge  on  many  sub- 
jects He  was  a  stiff  Democrat,  and  used  to 
take  great  interest  in  politics  in  his  youngei  days, 
but  was  never  an  office-seeker  himself.  He  was 
quite  enthusiastic  in  military  matters,  and  held 
various  grades  in  the  service,  at  different  periods, 
the  last  and  highest  being  that  of  major. 

With  Ins  fust  wife  he  had  seven  children, 
with  his  second,  one  child:  1.  Sarah,  born 
I  1  bruary  18,  1840,  married  Daniel  S.  Miller;  re- 
sides  at  Kant/,  Snyder  county.  Penn.  2.  Abi- 
gail, born  April  17,  1841,  man  led  Daniel  T. 
Harter.  resides  at  the  old  homestead,  Brush 
Valley,  near  Wolfs  Store,  Penn.  3.  Thomas 
P.,  born  Au-ust  29,  1842,  married  Lucetta, 
daughter  of  John  and  Priscilla  Bierly.  lb 
dentist  by  pi  .  and  n  sides  in  Lock  Havi 

Clinton  county,  Penn.      4.      (Mixer  P.,  born 
\  ember  17,   1845,  died  June  23,   1858.     6      Ed 

I    II,    born   July     ;.    1 847,    man  ied    M.>.. 
Richards       I  le  went    West   when  quite 
man,  and  makes   his  residence  in  Cedar  Rap 
Iowa;    an    extended    sketch    ol    linn   would  thi 

pe  of  this  work. 
Margaret   J.,   born  April   25,   1849,   d 

8.     Ellen,  born    Maj   25,   1855 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


145 


arried   F.    H.    Custard,  Williamsport,  Pennsyl- 


vania. 


(VII).  Reuben  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  born 
November  15,  1808,  died  January  8,  1891,  and 
is  buried  in  the  Union  Cemetery,  Rebersburg, 
Penn.  He  owned  part  of  his  father's  farm.  His 
wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  George  and  Sallie 
Corman,  and  they  had  the  following  children: 
l.  William  C,  born  June  17,  1844;  single.  En- 
listed August,  1862,  at  Rebersburg,  Perm.,  be- 
came a  member  of  Company  A,  148th  Regiment, 
P.  V.  I.,  which  organization  became  subsequently 
a  part  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  He  was  killed  in  an  engagement  at 
Deep  Bottom,  Va. ,  August  14,  1864,  by  a  shell 
which  passed  through  his  breast.  He  was  a 
brave  soldier.  2.  Joanna,  born  June  21,  1847, 
married  J.  B.  Kreamer;  Centre  Hall,  Penn.  3. 
Jerome  A.,  born  February  18,  1849,  married 
Clara  J.,  daughter  of  John  Wolf.  He  owns  his 
father's  old  homestead,  and  follows  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming.  4.  Henry  Amazon,  born  May 
29,  1851,  married  Mary  Theressa  Snook;  lives  at 
Booneville,  Clinton  county,  Penn.  5.  G.  Cal- 
vin, born  January  12,  1853,  married  Lillie  Mason; 
he  lives  in  Pueblo,  Colo.  6.  Daniel  T. ,  born 
April  18,  1858,  married  Lizzie  E.  Snyder;  lives 
at  Renovo,  Penn.  7.  Sarah,  born  December 
29,  1862,  married  Dr.  J.  W.  Bright;  lives  at 
Rebersburg,  Pennsylvania. 

(VIII).  Judith  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  born 
February  27,  1811,  married  Philip  Walker;  she 
resides  at  Clintondale,  Clinton  county,  Penn.  ; 
husband  deceased. 

(IX).  Susan  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  born 
August  15,  1813,  died  November  23,  1883;  mar- 
ried Griffin  Rote,  also  deceased,  and  both  lie 
buried  in  Cedar  Hill  Cemetery,  Salona,  Clinton 
Co.,  Pennsylvania. 

(X).  Jonathan  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  phy- 
sician, born  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
June  14,  1816;  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Melchoir  Poorman.  Dr.  Meyer  established  him- 
self at  Loganton,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
for  many  years  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  He  died  September  15,  1880,  and  lies 
buried  at  Loganton. 

(XI).  Abigail  (Henry,  Jacob,  Henry),  born 
March  10,  1819,  died  December  5,  1849;  lies 
buried  in  the  Union  Cemetery,  Rebersburg,  Penn. 
She  was  not  married. 

VII.  Michael  (Jacob,  Henry),  seventh  child, 
was  born  near  Mulhbach,  March  20,  1765;  died 
at  Uniontown,  Ohio,  August  5,  1843;  was  mar- 
ried to  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Buchtel.  The 
family  moved    from   Straubstown    (Freeburg)   to 

Brush  Valley,  on  a  small  farm   near  Rebersburg, 
10 


in  1805;  thence  to  Stark  county,  Ohio,  in  1814. 
Most  of  his  descendants  are  living  in  Summit  and 
Stark  counties,  Ohio,  and  none  remain  in  Centre 
(now  Snyder  county),  this  State. 

VIII.  Christopher  (Jacob,  Henry)  was  the 
youngest  son  of  Jacob  Meyer,  and  was  born  prob- 
ably after  the  family  moved  from  Muhlbach  to 
Straubstown  (Freeburg).  He  died  when  aged 
about  twenty  years,  and  lies  buried  at  Freeburg, 
Penn.  Nodatecouldbefound;he  was  not  married. 
This  Christopher  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  one  mentioned  below,  of  whom  he  was  a 
nephew.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  prevent  con- 
fusion when  the  same  name  belonging  to  persons 
of  different  families  occurs  so  frequently. 

Christopher  Meyer,  the  youngest  son  of 
the  Meyer  who  came  from  Germany  and  settled 
at  Muhlbach,  was  born  at  his  father's  old  home- 
stead near  the  post  village  just  named,  located  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  Lebanon  county,  but 
then  belonging  to  Lancaster  county.  While  still 
single,  he  migrated  to  the  neighborhood  of  Camp- 
bellstown,  same  county,  where  he  and  his  brother 
Michael  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,  about 
the  year  1769.  He  later  became  sole  owner  of 
this  tract,  cleared  it,  with  the  aid  of  his  sons,  and 
lived  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  August 
2,  1 80 1 ,  when  he  was  aged  sixty-seven  years.  He 
was  joined  in  matrimony  with  Anna  Maria, 
daughter  of  Alexander  Schaeffer,  the  founder  of 
Schaefferstown.  Several  of  these  facts  are  stated 
at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  and  are  repeated 
here  simply  to  designate  clearly  the  position  of 
Christopher,  in  the  relationship.  His  children, 
of  whom  there  were  nine,  nearly  all  became  set- 
tlers of  Centre  county,  and  of  the  section  which 
is  now  Snyder  county.  They  left  such  a  numer- 
ous train  of  descendants  in  the  counties  named 
that  the  briefest  record  possible  would  far  exceed 
the  limits  assigned  for  this  sketch. 

I.  Catharine  (Christopher,  Henry)  married 
Philip  Fishburn,  Penn. ;   no  dates. 

II.  Henry  (Christopher,  Henry),  born  near 
Campbelltown,  Penn.,  in  1767,  died  April  19, 
1844;  married  Elizabeth  Hurst;  family  moved 
from  Campbelltown  into  Centre  county,  near 
Boalsburg,  in  1823.  Six  children — four  sons  and 
two  daughters:  (I)  Philip  (Henry,  Christopher, 
Henry),  born  August  24,  1800,  married  Rachel, 
daughter  of  William  Early,  Esq. ;  lived  on  a  farm 
near  Boalsburg,  Penn. ;  died  November  26,  (863. 
(II)  Anna  Mary  (Henry,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  near  Campbelltown,  February  11,  1799, 
died  December  25,  1880;  married  John  Keller; 
lived  at  Boalsburg,  Penn.  (Ill)  Jacob  (Henry, 
Christopher,  Henry),  born  February  2,  1802, 
died    on     the     30th    day    of    September,     1882; 


146 


COMMEM()U.\  T1VE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lived  at  Linden  Hall,  Penn.  ;  lies  buried  at  Boals- 
burg;  was  not  married.  il\  Catharine  (Henry, 
Christopher,  Henry),  born  [anuary  16,  1804, 
died  June  25,  1878;  married  t<.  Daniel  I'urst; 
Centre  Mall,  Penn.  \  Henrj  Henry,  Chris- 
tophei .  Henry),  born  S«  ptember  30,  1810,  1 
October  5,  1888;  married  Catharine  Hoffer;  both 
dead  and  arc  buried   .it    I  iurg.      They   lived 

on  a  farm  near  the  village,  and  r<  ared  a  family 
of  eight  children.  one  of  whom,  Prof.  Philip  H. 
Meyer,  was  one  of  the  candidates  nominated  in 
the  fall  of  1896,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  for 
county    commissioner    of    Centre  county  VI) 

Joseph  (Henry,  Christopher,  Henry),  born  June 
,        12,  [818,  died  October  10,  1 868 ;  married  Beckie, 
daughter  ol  Georg    and  Sallie  Corman,  of  Miles 
township,  Centre  county;  no  is 

III.      John    1  Christopher,  Henry),  born    mar 
Campbelltown,  Penn.,  October  26,  1769,  <J i • 
his  home  near    Freeburg,  Penn.,  July  17,   1 
married     Esther     Burkholder,     and     moved    to 
Straubstown   (now    Freeburg),    Penn.,  in    1 
On  account  of  his  giant  stature,  he  was  familiarly 
known  as  "big    fohn   Meyer."     His  descendants 
are  quite  numerous;  most  ol  them  still  reside  in 
Snyder  county,  and  several  in  Centre  county. 

IV  Michael  (Christopher,  Henry),  born 
near  c  ampbelltown,  Penn.,  August 2,  1771,  died 
at  his  home  at  Spring  Hank,  Brush  Valley,  I 
treCo.,  Penn.,  April  1,  tS.12,  and  lies  buried  at 
Rebersburg;  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Derstine, 
who  was  buried  at  Boalsburg.  The  family 
moved  into  the  Valley  in  the  spring  of  1  S  ^ 4 ;  Mr. 
Meyer  was  a  giant  in  stature  and  strength,  ami 
was  a  fanner  bv  occupation.  There  were  eight 
children — five  sons  and  three  daughti 

(I).  Henry  (Michael,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  near  (  ampbelltown,  Penn.,  November  14, 
[796,  died  January  3,  1873;  married  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Henry  Meyer,  and  granddaughter  of 
John  Meyer,  who  was  married  to  Catharine 
Schaeffer,  of  Schaefferstown.  The  couple  were 
second  cousins.  They  remained  in  Lebanon 
county,  and  were  farmer,  by  occupation. 

ill  .  Anna  Mar}  1  Michael,  Christopher, 
1  Put  s  .  born  near  Campbelltown,  Penn.,  May  5. 
1802,  died  January  28,  1882;  buried  at  Shilo 
Church,  near  Belief  on  te,  Centre  county;  was 
married  to  [acob  Fishburn,  a  fanner,  and  lived 
near  Belief) 

(III).    Mich  Christopher,  I  lenry), 

born  ie  npbelltown,    Penn.,    February  i". 

[804;  died  June  24,  1875;  buried  at  Hummels- 
town,  Penn.  married  Sarah  Fox  lie  remained 
near  the  old  homestead  all  Ins  1 

(IV  1  George  l  Michael,  <  hrisb  iphei .  I  lem  \  , 
born  near  (ampbelltown.    Penn.,   March    1.    1 


died  at  his  home  near  State  College,  Centre 
county,  February  15.  1889,  married  Anna  Fox, 
and  left  a  number  of  descendants.  He  was  a 
miller  by  trade,  and  also  followed  farming  in  his 
later  years. 

Y  .  Elizabeth  (Michael,  Christopher,  Hei 
bom    December   26,    1807,   died   July  26,  1893; 
married    Felix    Burkholder.       This  family  lived 
near  Centre  Hill,  Centre  county. 

(VI).  Samuel  ('Michael,  Christopher.  Henry), 
born  [anuary  9,  1810,  died  at  his  home  near 
Hiawatha,  (Cans.,  December  28,  1894;  married 
Elizabeth  Pehler,  and  left  many  descendants. 

VII).  Catharine  (Michael,  Christopher,  Hen- 
r\  .  born  May  13,  [816,  died  February  11,  1846; 
married  to  Daniel  Dubbs;  lived  at  Rebersburg, 
Penn. ;  both  are  buried  in  Union  Cemetery  of  that 
place;  no  issue. 

(VIII).  Solomon  (Michael,  Christopher,  Hen- 
ry',  born  February  26,  1819,  died  in  Potter 
township,  Penn's  Valley,  [uly  19,  1 872;  married 
twice,  first  to  Margaret  Spicker,  second  to  Em- 
etine M.  Embich.  He  was  a  school  teacher  and 
a  noted  instructor  of  vocal  music.  Not  many  of 
his  descendants  remain  in  Centre  county. 

V.  Jacob  (Christopher,  Henry),  born  near 
Campbelltown,  Penn.,  March  25,  1774,  died 
September  25,  1853;  married  Anna  Sheller,  who 
was  born  December  25,  1775;  died  March  25. 
1K50,  and  both  were  buried  in  the  old  Heckman 
Cemetery,  mar  Penn  Hall,  Centre  county.  The 
family  moved  from  Lebanon  county,  in  March, 
1826,  upon  a  farm  near  the  village  just  named. 
There  were  eight  children — three  sons  and  five 
daughters: 

1  I         Elizabeth  (Jacob,  Christopher,  Henr> 
born   near    Campbelltown,    Penn.,  February  26. 
1801;   died  at  Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  111  1868,  mar- 
ried to  Henry  Whitmer;  they  left  issue,  and  Mrs 
William  Wolf,  Centre  Hall,  is  one  of  the  daugh- 
ter-. 

Hi       Jacob     (Jacob,     Christopher,    Henry), 
born  mar  Campbelltown,  Penn..  August  5,  1802. 
died  April   14,   1867;  buried  at  Penn  Hall,  Penn 
single. 

'Ill  Nancy  (Jacob,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  impbelltown,   Penn.,  September   14 

1804,  died  September  23,    iXSf>;  lies  buried  near 
Cedar    Springs,  Clinton   county.    Penn. ;  man 
Samuel  Kryd 

I\       Catharine  Jacob,  Christopher,  Henrj 
born  January     1,   1806;  died   at    her    home  near 
Penn  Hall.  Penn,.  March  ;.  1894;  single. 

«\        Mn\     I  i.   ib,  Christopher,  Henry),  bom 
married   Jacob    Fisher,   of 

niiii' 

•VI)       Susan    (Jacob,     Christopher,     Henry 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


147 


born  November  30,  1808,  died  August  13,  1873, 
at  her  home  near  Penn    Hall,  Penn. ;  single. 

(VII).  Christopher  (Jacob,  Christopher, 
Henry),  born  in  October,  1812,  died  June  2, 
1873,  married  Mary  Ann  Glass;  owned  and  culti- 
vated a  farm  near  Penn  Hall,  Penn.  ;  no  issue. 

(VIII).  John  (Jacob,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  September  14,  18 14,  married  Eleanor 
Smith;  live  on  a  farm  near  Penn  Hall,  Penn.; 
issue  two  sons:  (1)  Jacob  S. ,  born  April  13, 
1854,  married  Susan  C.  Bitner,  and  lives  on  a 
farm  near  Penn  Hall,  Penn. ;  they  have  four 
children  as  follows — John  F. ,  born  March  11, 
1875,  is  a  teacher  and  a  graduate  from  Franklin 
and  Marshall  College.  [A  more  extended  sketch 
will  be  found  among  those  of  Penn  township.] 
Harry,  born  May  17,  1877;  Eleanor  Blanche, 
born  September  26,  1879;  Catharine  S.,  born 
January  22,  1890.  (2)  John  F.,  born  December 
12,  1856,  died  December  16,   1863. 

VI.  Christopher  (Christopher,  Henry),  born 
near  Campbelltown,  Penn.,  January  21,  1776, 
died  at  Freeburg,  Penn.,  June  11,  1840.  He 
married  Betty  Howerter,  and  settled  at  Free- 
burg (then  Straubstown),  in  the  year  1800. 
There  were  ten  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  set- 
tled in  Freeburg  and  vicinity.  They  and  their 
descendants  have  been  in  the  past,  and  are  still 
in  the  present,  prominent  citizens  of  that  local- 
ity, and,  no  doubt,  will  be  properly  represented 
in  that  part  of  this  work  allotted  to  Snyder 
county. 

VII.  Christina  (Christopher,  Henryj,  born 
near  Campbelltown,  Penn.,  married  Samuel 
Carper,  and  moved  to  Bedford  county,  this  State. 

VIII.  George  (Christopher,  Henryj,  the 
youngest  son,  was  born  near  Campelltown, 
Penn.,  March  25,  1782.  He  came  into  Penn's 
Valley  in  1827,  locating  on  Pine  creek,  south  of 
Aaronsburg,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  a 
mill-site  on  which  a  gristmill  was  erected.  He 
was  married  to  Catharine,  daughter  of  his  first 
cousin,  John  Jacob  Meyer,  of  Jersey  Shore, 
Penn.  He  died  January  1,  1854,  and  his  wife, 
who  was  born  December  2,  1788,  died  March  13, 
1858.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Reformed  Ceme- 
tery at  Aaronsburg,  Penn.  There  were  seven 
children — five  sons  and  two  daughters: 

(I).  George  (George  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  January  13,  1806,  near  Campbelltown, 
Penn.,  married  Lydia  Harter.  He  was  a  miller 
by  trade,  and  resided  in  Penn's  Valley.  Left 
issue. 

(II).  John  (George,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  December  30,  1806,  died  at  his  home  at 
Aaronsburg,  Penn.,  January 28,  1878;  lies  buried 
in  the  Reformed   Cemetery  there.      He    married 


Mary  Klose,  who  was  born  April  23,  18  10;  died 
at  their  home,  which  was  then  on  a  farm  near 
Rebersburg,  Penn.,  May  26,  1865,  and  was  in- 
terred in  the  Union  Cemetery  of  the  town  last 
mentioned.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade,  but  de- 
voted his  later  years  to  farming.  There  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  but  one,  Joseph  K. ,  is 
now  a  resident  of  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
and  his  sketch  is  inserted. 

(III).  Catharine  (George,  Christopher, 
Henry),  born  January  22,  1808,  died  October  3, 
1872;  married  Andrew  Harter,  Penn's  Valley. 
They  lived  a  short  distance  west  of  the  present 
village  of  Coburn,  Penn's  Valley;  left  issue. 

(IV).  Henry  (George,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  near  Campbelltown,  Penn.,  July  27,  1809, 
died  south  of  Aaronsburg,  Penn.,  at  his  home, 
April  15,  1877.  He  married  Elizabeth  Stover, 
and  had  two  children,  of  which,  one  is  still  liv- 
ing, Mrs.  Harriet  Ard. 

(V).  Mary  (George,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  January  20,  18 14,  married  Andrew  Stover. 
They  reside  in  the  eastern  part  of  Penn's  Valley, 
and  have  a  number  of  children. 

(VI).  Philip  (George,  Christopher,  Henry), 
born  March  24,  1819,  died  June  25,  1876;  mar- 
ried (first)  Magdalena  Stover,  and  (second)  Mary 
Stover,  who  is  still  living.  This  family  resided 
on  Pine  creek,  south  of  Aaronsburg,  Penn.;  there 
were  thirteen  children. 

(VII).  Jacob  G.  (George,  Christopher, 
Henry),  born  near  Campbelltown,  Penn.,  Octo- 
ber 16,  1824,  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Henrietta  C.  Furst,  and  after  her  decease  he 
wedded  Lydia  A.  Dutweiler,  nee  Strohm.  The 
family  reside  at  Aaronsburg,  Penn.,  in  Haines 
township;  his  sons,  William  T.  and  J.  Calvin,  re- 
side in  Bellefonte.  Jacob  G.  Meyer  died  sud- 
denly November  6,  1897. 

IX.  Mary  (Christopher,  Henry),  born  near 
Campbelltown,  Penn.,  died  in  Dauphin  county, 
Penn.,  was  married  to  John  A.  Carper.  The 
writer  failed  to  secure  any  definite  information  in 
reference  to  this  family.  There  were  five  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  the  late  John  Carper,  of 
Linden  Hall,  Centre  county,  Penn.,  was  very  well 
known  in  the  county. 


T^HOMAS  STOVER,  a  venerable  resident  of 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  universally 
esteemed  among  his  acquaintances  for  his  kindli- 
ness of  heart  and  unwavering  integrity,  is  at  more 
than  four-score  years  still  hale  and  hearty.  He 
is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  having  been  born  near 
Aaronsburg,  September  15,   1815,  and  his  ances- 


148 


COMMF.MoliA  1 1\  F.   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tors  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Penn's 
Valley. 

Adam  Stover,  his  great-grandfather,  came 
from  Berks  county  at  an  early  period  with  four 
sons,  all  well  grown,  named  John,  Jacob,  Fred- 
erick and  Adam  John  Stover,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  a  buckskin  dresser,  and  was 
exempt  from  service  in  the  Revolutionary  war  on 
the  ground  that  his  labor  was  essential  for  the 
production  of  clothing  and  other  articles  of  ne- 
cessity. He  was  married  in  Penn's  Valley  to  a 
Miss  Wolfe,  by  whom  he  had  the  following  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  died  in  Haines  township, 
Centre  county:  George  had  two  sons,  John  and 
Jacob;  John  reared  a  large  family;  Henry  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below;  Thomas  had  one  son 
and  three  daughters;  Jacob  left  a  family;  Eve 
married  a  Mr.  Bright,  and  Catherine  married 
Adam  Harper. 

Henry  Stover,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Haines  township,  Centre  countv, 
and  was  married  there  to  Margaret  Guiswit' 
lady  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  culture, 
and  a  successful  teacher.  Her  father,  Henry 
Guiswite,  was  a  pioneer  educator.  Henry  Stover 
settled  upon  a  farm  near  Aaronsburg,  obtained 
from  his  father,  and  passed  his  life  there. 
He  was  of  medium  height  and  slight  build.  His 
education  was  but  limited,  as  his  father  never  per- 
mitted his  children  to  attend  any  but  the  Ger- 
man schools,  and  even  left  a  provision  in  his  will 
disinheriting  any  child  who  should  break  this 
rule.  Henry  Stover  made  a  comfortable  living 
for  his  family,  but  never  accumulated  much,  his 
death  at  the  early  age  of  forty-seven  years  cut- 
ting off  the  chance  to  reap  the  full  reward  of  his 
previous  toil.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  a 
Lutheran  in  religion,  and  was  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him.  His  wife,  who  attained  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years,  adhered  to  the  Reformed 
Church.  They  had  nine  children:  Charlotte 
Mrs.  Adam  Stover)  died  in  Brush  Valley  Nar- 
rows; James  died  in  Kebersburg;  Carolina  (Mrs. 
Jacob  Ding  i)  died  in  Ohio;  Thomas  was  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth;  Leah  (Mrs.  William 
Shaffer)  died  at  Madisonburg;  Malinda  (Mrs 
Absolom  Confair)  died  at  Aaronsburg;  Sebilla 
(Mrs.  William  Burd)  and  Levi  also  died  at 
Aaronsburg;  Elias  is  now  a  resident  of  Rebers- 
burg;  Jacob  only  lived  to  the  age  of  three  and 
one-half  years. 

\>     i    1">\    Mi.  Stover    attended    a    German 
school  at    what     has    always    been     known    as 

■  ■  Wolfe's  Si  1 1;"  but  work  w ,i>  considered  n 

important    than    study,    and    he   could    not     even 
pn  >in  fully  by  the  limited   advant  I  by 

his    German     teachei        His    mother,    however, 


came  to  his  rescue  with  home  instruction,  and  as 
he  possessed  an  excellent  memory  the  foundation 
of  a  practical  education  was  laid.  Considering 
the  good  use  which  he  made  of  his  meagre  op- 
portunities one  must  regnt  that  such  a  bright 
mind  could  not  have  enjoyed  better  facilities  in 
youth.  He  chose  the  plasterer's  trade  as  an  oc- 
cupation, and  served  an  apprenticeship  under 
William  Shaffer,  and  so  great  was  his  mechanical 
skill  that  later  he  "  picked  up  "  for  himself  the 
trades  of  brick  laying  and  stone  masonry.  Until 
1S40  he  remained  in  his  native  township,  and 
then  he  went  west,  via  Pittsburg,  traveling  on 
the  Ohio  from  that  point  to  Cairo,  and  then  by 
the  Mississippi  river  to  northern  Illinois,  his 
destination  being  Stephenson  county.  At  that 
time  there  were  but  few  houses  in  Freeport,  the 
county  seat.  Mr.  Stover  remained  in  Illinois 
about  thirty  years,  working  as  a  brick  layer, 
plasterer,  and  stone  mason,  and  engaged  also  in 
agriculture.  He  owned  an  excellent  farm  in 
Lancaster  township,  Stephenson  county,  and 
much  other  valuable  real  estate.  In  October, 
1848,  he  was  married  near  Freeport  to  Miss 
Susan  Newcomer,  a  native  of  Northumberland 
county.  Penn.,  born  March  30,  1828.  Her  par- 
ents, Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Lantz)  Newcomer, 
went  to  Illinois,  in  1844,  and  later  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  they  passed  their  remaining  years. 
Mr.  Stover  found  his  health  declining  after  a 
time,  and  being  threatened  with  consumption  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  in  1868,  locating  in  the 
eastern  end  of  Bush  Valley.  There  he  conducted 
a  shingle  and  saw  mill  for  many  years,  cutting 
excellent  white  pine,  and  he  is  now  known  as  a 
pioneer  of  that  industry  in  the  locality.  His 
present  home  at  or  in  Livonia  has  been  cleared 
by  him  from  its  primitive  burden  of  trees  and 
stone  piles,  and  its  comfortable  and  commodious 
buildings  wen.' all  built  by  him.  He  has  a  goodly 
competence  despite   the    fact    that    his   dislike  of 

tention  has  at  times  made  him  the  victim  of 
unscrupulous  people.  Free  from  guile  himself. 
In  has  never  found  it  easy  to  believe  evil  of 
others,  while  he  has  such  a  contempt  for  wrang 
ling  that  he  has  more  than  once  submitted  to 
imposition  rather  than  undertake  to  do  battle  foi 
his  rights  It  is  said  that  some  of  the  most 
valuable  land  in  Freeport,  III.,  rightfully  belongs 
to  him,  but  he  has  prai  tically  be<  n  robbed  of  it. 

In  early  years  Mr.  Stover  was  a  Whig,  and 
later  he  became  a  stanch  Republican.  His  lirst 
vote  was  east  for  Go\  Kitncr  as  governor  ol 
Pennsylvania.  Not  being  disposed  to  be  active 
in  polities,  he  has  held  few  offices,  but  his  intei 
est  in  better  education  has  led  him  to  serve  at 
times  as  school   director.      His   estimable  wife  is 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


149 


one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  but  he  is  not  formally  identified  with 
any  denomination,  although  he  contributes  liber- 
ally to  religious  work  as  occasion  arises.  He 
helped  to  organize  the  first  Sunday-school  at  Li- 
vonia P.  O.,  and  can  always  be  relied  upon  to 
give  effective   aid  to  any  progressive  movement. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stover  have  one  daughter, 
Asenath,  born  February  16,  1859,  in  Lancaster 
township,  Stephenson  county,  111.  She  was 
married  June  19,  1881,  to  J.  H.  DeLong,  and 
has  had  four  children,  as  follows:  Thomas  S., 
born  April  28,  1882,  died  when  two  years  and 
ten  months  old  from  bleeding  at  the  nose;  Au- 
brey C,  born  November  19,  1883;  and  Arctura, 
born  July  6,  1886,  are  at  home;  and  Susan  L.. 
born  December  1,   1888,  died  March  23,  1890. 

John  H.  DeLong  is  the  third  son  of  John  and 
Lucretia  ( Jayne)  DeLong,  who  were  among  the 
first  settlers  in  Livonia.  He  is  a  teacher  by  pro- 
fession. Although  not  a  graduate,  he  has  taken 
several  terms  at  Cornell  University,  and  Ship- 
pensburg  State  Normal  School.  He  holds  a  State 
teachers'  certificate,  and  has  taught  in  all  (at  this 
writing)  twenty-four  terms  in  Centre,  Clinton 
and  Lyconing  counties,  fourteen  being  at  his 
home  in  Livonia,  where  he  is  also  postmaster, 
having  held  the  position  since  the  establishment 
of  the  office. 


WILLIAM  IRWIN.  Longfellow  wrote: 
"We  judge  ourselves  by  what  we  feel 
capable  of  doing,  while  others  judge  us  by  what 
we  have  already  done."  If  this  golden  sentence 
of  the  New  England  poet  were  universally  ap- 
plied, many  a  man  who  is  now  looking  down 
with  haughty  stare  upon  the  noble  toilers  of  land 
and  sea,  sneering  at  the  cut  of  a  neighbor's  coat, 
or  the  humbleness  of  his  dwelling,  would  be  vol- 
untarily doing  penance  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  at 
the  end  of  which  he  would  handle  a  spade,  or, 
with  pen  in  hand,  burn  the  midnight  oil  in  his 
study  in  the  endeavor  to  widen  the  bounds  of 
liberty  or  to  accelerate  the  material  and  spiritual 
progress  of  his  race.  A  bright  example  of  one 
of  the  world's  workers  is  the  man  whose  name 
introduces  this  review,  for  by  earnest  labor  and 
perseverance  he  has  won  a  high  degree  of  suc- 
cess. 

William  Irwin,  who  now  resides  on  the  old 
family  homestead  in  Marion  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  October  31,  1828.  His  grand- 
father, James  Irwin,  spent  his  entire  life  as  a 
farmer  in  Ireland.  His  father,  John  Irwin,  was 
also  born  on  the  Emerald  Isle  and,  emigrating 
to  America,  was  married  in  Union  county,  Penn., 


to  Miss  Mary  McClelland,  who  was  born  near 
the  city  of  Lancaster,  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn. 
They  resided  in  Union  county  until  1800,  when 
they  came  to  the  farm  which  is  now  occupied  by 
our  subject,  and  the  father  continued  its  cultiva- 
tion until  his  death  in  1844,  when  he  was  aged 
sixty-four  years.  The  mother  made  her  home 
there  until  1857,  when  with  her  children,  Mary 
A.,  John  J.  and  William,  she  removed  to  Jack- 
sonville, Centre  county,  where  she  departed  this 
life  in  1858,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  a 
man  of  prominence  in  the  community,  holding  a 
number  of  township  offices.  He  supported  the 
Democratic  party  by  his  ballot,  and  in  religious 
belief  both  he  and  his  wife  were   Presbyterians. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin  had  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren: Samuel  M.,  a  former  resident  of  Belle- 
fonte,  who  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  there, 
died  while  visiting  at  the  old  homestead;  Sarah 
J.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Mary  A.  be- 
came the  wife  of  R.  Connelly,  who  served  as 
sheriff  of  Centre  county,  and  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; John  J.  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven 
years  in  Centre  county;  Louisa  M.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-five  years,  was  the  wife  of  J.  P. 
Hughes,  who  served  in  the  army  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  died  in  Benner  township,  Centre  county; 
and  William  completes  the  family. 

Mr.  Irwin,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch, 
remained  with  his  parents  until  they  were  called 
to  the  home  beyond*  spending  his  boyhood  days 
midst  play  and  work.  The  district  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  afforded  him  his  educational  priv- 
ileges. In  1858  and  1859  he  was  engaged  with 
William  Allison  in  mercantile  business  at  Jack- 
sonville, Centre  county;  but  after  two  years  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  store  and  purchased  a 
small  farm  in  Benner  township,  Centre  county. 
It  was  his  intention  to  remain  there  only  a  short 
time,  but  he  continued  to  make  it  his  home  for 
fourteen  years,  and  then  returned  to  Marion 
township,  where  he  bought  a  farm  on  which  he 
lived  some  nine  years.  He  then  purchased  the 
old  homestead,  and  has  since  made  it  his  place 
of  residence.  It  is  improved  with  a  handsome 
two-story  brick  dwelling,  with  good  barns  and 
outbuildings,  and  all  modern  accessories  and 
conveniences.  The  land  is  highly  cultivated, 
and  in  addition  to  this  property  he  owns  another 
valuable  farm,  deriving  from  the  two  a  handsome 
income. 

On  Christmas  Day,  of  1 860,  in  Clinton  county, 
Penn.,  Mr.  Irwin  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  J. 
Allison,  a  native  of  Porter  township,  Clinton 
county,  born  November  15,  1833.  Her  parents, 
David    and    Lucetta    (McKibben)  Allison,    were 


150 


CO  UMK.VOHA  T1VE   lUOCUAl'lUCAI.   UFJOUD. 


natives  of  Centre  county,  and  died  in  Clinton 
county.  The  father  was  a  fanner  and  a  man  of 
prominence  in  the  community  in  which  he  made 
his  home.  His  children  wen;:  William  M.,  de- 
ceased; Archibald,  of  Spi  n-  Mil!s,  Centre  county; 
Susan  J.  (Mrs.  William  hum  ;  James,  a  retired 
farmer  oi  Adams  count),  Ohio;  Eleanor  L.,  wife 
of  James  T.  Nixson,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  county; 
Henry  C. ,  an  agriculturist  of  the  same  county; 
Matilda  L.,  deceased;  and  Joseph  M.,  who  is 
farming  on  the  old  family  homestead. 

To  Mr.  and  Mis.  Irwin  were  born  children  as 
follows:  Gertrude  M.,  at  home;  D.  Allison; 
William  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years;  Eleanor  L.,  teaching  school,  and  living  at 
home;  Edith  J.;  Anna  I.  ;  Susan  B.,  a  school 
teacher,  living  at  home,  and  Florence  L.,  also  at 
home.  Of  these,  I).  Allison  the  only  son)  is 
now  manager  of  the  home  farm,  and  is  a  young 
man  of  superior  business  and  executive  ability, 
carefully  looking  after  the  interests  of  the  prop- 
erty, the  labors  of  which  he  is  conducting  with 
success.  As  an  ardent  Republican,  he  stands 
well  in  his  parly,  "f  which  he  is  one  of  its  advis- 
ers, and  he  is  a  delegate  to  county  conventions. 
Edith  J.  was  married  April  7.  1S97,  to  J.  Will 
Mayes,  a  marble  dealer,  of  Howard,  Penn. 
Anna  L.  was  married  December  jo,  iN</>,  to 
Samuel  L.  Allen,  of  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  where  he 
is  citv  inspector  ol  public  works.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  September  25,  1893,  deeply 
mourned  by  man)  relatives  and  friends,  for  her 
excellencies  of  character  had  made  her  a  general 
favorite  in  the  community. 

Our  subject  gives  Ins  political  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  has  been  honored  with  a  num- 
ber of  township  offices,  and  served  as  township 
auditor  several  years,  but  has  never  aspire. I  to 
political  preferment.  His  duties  of  citizenship 
an'  faithfully  performed,   and   he  is  active  in  the 

^notion  of  all  inti  1  Iculated  to  prove  of 

public  benefit,  especially  in  the  matter  of  schools, 
in  which  hi'  takes  great  interest,  being  a  din 
of  the  board;  for  many  years  he  was  overseer  of 
the  poor.  He  is  a  valued  mi  (fiber  of  the  Lick 
Run  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  is  an 
elder.  In  his  early  life  he  was  a  strong  temp  1 
iiiiiv  advocate,  and  was  a  (barter  member  oi  the 
Sons  of  Tempi  ranee  Society  formed  in  his  town. 


JOHN  C.  STOVER,  of  Aaronsburg,  Centre 
county,  is  one  of  the  representative  citizens 
ol  the  county,  and  his  influence  is  recogi  I 
as  a  helpful  factor  in  all  the  varied  movements 
which  promote  the  welfare  of  his  locality.  II 
family  has  been  prominent  in  Penn's  Valley  from 


the  earliest  times,  and  is  probably  more  numer- 
ous at  the  present  day  than  any  other  in  Centre 
county. 

The  first  to  come  to  that  beautiful  and  fertile 
region  was  Jacob  Stover,  Sr.,  our  subject's  great- 
great-grandfather,  a  Huguenot,  who  was  born, 
about  171  5,  in  Alsace-Lorraine,  then  a  part  of 
France,  and  came  to  America  with  many  other 
persecuted  followers  of  his  faith  to  settle  in 
Lyken's  Valley,  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.  About 
1772  he  visited  Penn's  Valley,  and  entered  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now  1  lames  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  extending  from  mountain  to 
mountain.  He  never  resided  there  but,  being 
well  advanced  in  years,  gave  the  estate  to  three 
of  his  sons,  Jacob,  Jr.,  our  subject's  great-grand- 
father, taking  the  northern  portion,  Adam  the 
southern,  and  John  the  central.  Another  son  of 
this  worthy  pioneer  went  to  Canada,  another, 
Michael,  to  Maryland,  and  (later)  another.  Fred. 
located  in  the  eastern  part  of  what  is  now  Haines 
township,  near  Woodward.  The  four  who  set- 
tled in  Centre  county  are  the  ancestors  of  this 
prosperous  and  highly  respected  family  who  have 
always  displayed  Lhe  characteristic  thrift,  indus- 
try, independence  and  uprightness  of  their  fore- 
fathers, together  with  a  love  of  nature  which  has 
led  them  to  choose  almost  invariably  the  calling 
of  agriculture.  No  member  of  the  family  has 
ever  taken  a  conspicuous  part  in  politics. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  several  battles 
were  fought  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  traces  0 
Stockade,  which  was  built  on  the  farm  of  Adam 
Stover,  were  still  visible  a  lew  years  ago.  On 
July  3,  1778,  occurred  the  massacre  of  Wyoming, 
in  which  old  men,  women  and  children  were 
brutally  slaughtered,  and  the  news  of  tins  hor- 
rible butchering  caused  a  stampede  among  the 
settlers  on  what  was  then  the  "  frontier,"  and 
all  fled  "  down  country  "  for  protection,  the  event 
being  known  as  the   "the  big  run  When 

the  dwellers  of  1'  an  Valley  returned  to  their 
former  homes  they  found  the  property  in  ruins, 
the  only  evidence  of  their  occupancy  to  escape 
the  tlames  lit  by  tin  being  an  apple  I 

planted  some  years   ;  il   the   homestead  of 

facob  Stover,  ]r.  This  interesting  remindei  of 
early  days  is  still  standing.  In  time  the  settle- 
ment was  rebuilt,  and  in  1789  Jacob  Stover, Jr., 
donated  seven  acres  ol  land  lor  a  school  site  and 
for  the  use  of  the  teach,  r,  and  thirty  acres  for  a 
church,  parsonage  and  cemetery.  Most  of  this 
d  is  still  devoted  to  these  purposes,  and  the 
more  modern  buildings  which  have  taken  the 
place  of  the  original  structures  are  used  partly 
for  a  school  and  partly  as  a  chapel  for  h  ilding 
funeral  services.      In   the  cemetery  but  few  have 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


151 


been  interred  except  the  members  of  the  Stover 
family,  and  prominent  among  these  are  Jacob 
Stover,  Jr.,  and  his  wife,  Anne  M.  Weaver,  the 
great-grandparents  of  our  subject.  Jacob  Stover, 
who  was  born  in  1749  and  died  in  18 — ,  seems 
to  have  been  very  influential  in  his  day.  Of  the 
other  three  brothers,  Fred  married  Anne  Hetzle, 
and  Adam  married  Pauline  Troutner. 

Jacob  Stover,  Jr.,  had  two  sons  of  whom 
there  is  especial  record.  John,  Jr. ,  passed  his  life 
quietly  as  a  farmer  at  the  old  homestead,  two 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  Aaronsburg,  and  is  noted 
as  having  been  the  only  Whig  in  the  family,  all 
the  others  having  been  stanch  Democrats.  He 
married  Barbara  Wolf,  and  has  seven  children: 
(1)  George  died  in  Aaronsburg.  (2)  Eve  married 
George  Bright,  Sr. ,  of  Aaronsburg,  and  J.  W. 
Bright,  whose  biography  appears  elsewhere,  is 
their  grandson.  (3)  John  married  Miss  Cather- 
ine Brown,  and  lived  on  a  farm  two  miles  east  of 
Aaronsburg.  (4)  Henry  married  Miss  Gredle 
Guiswite,  and  made  his  home  on  a  farm  north  of 
the  same  town.  (5)  Catherine  married  Adam 
Harper,  a  farmer  who  lived  three  miles  east  of 
Aaronsburg.  (6)  Thomas,  with  his  wife,  Abilene 
France,  occupied  the  old  homestead.  (")  Jacob 
W.  married  Catherine  Yeagley,  and  resided  two 
miles  and  a  half  northeast  of  Aaro.isburg.  His 
son  Moses  is  now  a  resident  of  Haines  township. 
All  of  this  family  attended  the  Stover  school  in 
youth,  and  all  were  Lutherans  in  religious  faith. 

Adam  Stover,  son  of  Jacob,  Jr.,  and  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  reared  a  large  family 
of  children,  among  whom  were  Michael,  now  re- 
siding in  Haines  township,  and  Jacob,  our  sub- 
ject's father,  who  married  Polly  Kersteter,  and 
after  spending  some  years  at  the  old  homestead 
with  his  parents  moved  to  another  farm  in  the 
same  township.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-four, and  was  buried  in  St.  Paul's  cemetery, 
but  he  lived  to  be  over  eighty  years  of  age  be- 
fore his  remains  were  laid  to  rest  beside  hers. 
He  was  six  feet,  two  inches  tall,  stout  in  propor- 
tion, and  was  active  until  a  short  time  before  his 
death.  Like  the  rest  of  the  family,  he  was  a 
successful  farmer,  and  although  he  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket  regularly,  he  was  not  espe- 
cially interested  in  politics.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  to  which  he  contributed 
liberally.  Of  his  twelve  children,  nine  are  still 
living.  Elizabeth,  widow  of  David  Cornian,  and 
Christina,  widow  of  Jacob  Bowers,  reside  in 
Haines  township.  Centre  county.  Harriet  died 
in  early  womanhood.  Benjamin  is  a  resident  of 
Haines  township.  John  C.  is  mentioned  more 
fully  below.  William  K.  is  a  farmer  of  Haines 
township.      Julia  was  taken  away  in  early  woman- 


hood. Sally  married  Jacob  Detvviler,  of  Tus- 
seyville,  Penn.  Nellie  married  Charles  Smith, 
of  Haines  township.  Leonard  died  in  childhood. 
Lydia  married  Moses  Eby,  of  Haines  township. 
Susan  L.  (now  Mrs.  William  Musser)  resides  in 
the  same  locality. 

J.  C.  Stover  was  born  July  18,  1834,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  near  his  father's  farm, 
his  first  teacher  being  Hon.  J.  G.  Meyer.  Farm 
work  was  done  by  primitive  methods  in  his  boy- 
hood, and  he  has  spent  day  and  day  in  "tramp- 
ping  out"  wheat.  At  nineteen  he  began  to  learn 
the  blacksmith's  trade  with  Jacob  Condo,  of 
Boalsburg,  and  for  two  years' work  received  $50. 
After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  returned 
home,  ass.sted  his  father  during  one  summer, 
and  then  spent  a  year  as  a  journeyman  black- 
smith with  "Squire"  Hosterman,  of  Haines 
township. 

On  November  5,  1857,  Mr.  Stover  married 
Miss  Amelia  Hosterman,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Polly  (Bower)  Hosterman.  She  was  born  Au- 
gust 9,  1834,  in  Haines  township,  and  was  edu- 
cated there,  her  first  teacher  being  Mercy  Hill. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Stover  had  no 
capital,  save  his  native  abilities,  supported  by  a 
strong  will;  but  he  fearlessly  faced  his  responsi- 
bilities, and  has  prospered  as  he  deserved.  In  the 
spring  of  1S58  he  bought  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
residence  at  Aaronsburg  from  John  Guiswite  at  a 
cost  of  $[,100,  borrowing  money  for  the  first 
payment,  and  there  he  carried  on  his  trade  until 
March,  1S71,  when  he  sold  out  to  settle  upon  a 
farm  in  Haines  township.  For  two  years  after 
his  removal  he  followed  his  trade  at  the  farm,  but 
later  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to  agricult- 
ure. In  March,  1890,  he  rented  the  property 
and  moved  to  Aaronsburg.  His  farm  consists  of 
seventy-four  acres,  and  he  also  owns  several  acres 
of  land  adjoining  Aaronsburg. 

Mr.  Stover  and  his  wile  have  been  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church  for  more  than  forty-five 
years.  For  fifteen  years  he  held  the  office  of 
elder,  and  at  present  he  is  a  trustee.  He  has  a 
neat  residence  in  Aaronsburg,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Stover  are  socially  prominent.  They  have  had 
seven  children:  (1)  Clara  V.,  formerly  a  suc- 
cessful teacher,  married  John  A.  Grenoble,  of 
Spring  Mills,  and  has  five  children — Charley  E., 
Margaret  A.,  William,  Roberd  R.  and  Anna  M. 
(2)  Tamma  C.  died  in  childhood.  (3)  Mary 
L.  (now  Mrs.  E.  E.  Ardery,  of  Belle(onte)  has 
two  children — Lela  A.  and  Verna  A.  (4)  Annie 
R.  (Mrs.  Franklin  Guiswite,  of  Woodward)  has 
two  children — Fred  S.  and  Mary  A.  (5)  Katy  I. 
married  George  Weaver,  of  Haines  township, 
Centre  county.      (6)    Cora  E.    is   at   home.      (7) 


152 


VMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Clymer  H.,  a  merchant  and  tinsmith  oi  Aarons- 
burg,  married  Miss  Anna  i  March,  and  has  two 
children  Mary  Jane  A.  and  John  L.  Politically, 
our  subject  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and 
wliile  he  has  never  ben  illy  desirous  of 

public  office  he  has  served  abl)  as  si  hool  director 
and  supen  i 


T\l  GRAMLEY,  secretary  ol  the  Spring 
Creamer)  Company,  at  Spring  Mills, 
Centre  county,  and  one  of  the  substantial  citi: 
of  that  pleasant  village,  is  a  man,  who  while  giving 
ose  attention  to  business,  has  not  lost  sight  of 
the  value  of  t lie  things  which  make  (or  progi 
in  ways  that  cannot  be  estimated  in  dollars  and 
cents.  Well-read,  intelligent  and  public-spirited, 
hi-  influence  in  the  community   has  always  b 

ted  in  helpful  w  a\  s  and  to  worth}  ends. 

Mr.  Gramley  was  horn  in  Rebersburg,  |uly 
31,  1S50,  the  third  son  and  fourth  child  of  Sam- 
uel and  Sarah  J.  (Smull)  Gramle)  At  .\n  early 
age  his  intellectual   bent  became  apparent,  and 

1  attending  school  in  the  Harter  district  in 
Miles  township,  I  entrecounty,  until  he  had  com- 
pleted the  com  .  he  pursued  his 
studies  in  the  County  Normal  School  at  Miles- 
burg,  preparing  himself  for  teaching.  His  plans 
wi  1  I  out  in  the  face  of  discouraging  cir- 
cumstances, ihe  work  at  home  requiring  much  of 
his  time.  Through  strenuous  efforts  he 
ceeded.    however,  and   when    but    a  few    n ths 

1  sixteen  he  took  charge  "I  a  school  in  Portei 
township,  Clinton  county,  where  he  at  mice  estab- 
lished a  reputation  as  an  efficient  disciplinarian 
and  instructor.  This  success  stimulated  his  ambi- 
tion, and  he  entered  Penn  Hall  Academy,  then 
conducted  1>\  Prof.  Wolfe,  and  fitted  himself  for 
college;  but  he  was  then  persuaded  to  return  to  the 
district  where  he  had  taught  his  first  term,  and 
again  take  the  school  tie  spent  three  terms  there, 
receiving  an  increase  of  salarj  each  term,  and 
then  taught  the  grammar  school  at  Mackeyville 
lbs  abilities  once  shown,  his  services  were  in  de- 
mand, and  be  continued  to  teach  for  fourteen 
terms,  the  summer  seasons  being  spent  in  farm 
work  lb-  hold-  rettilie.tt,  5  ,  ,1  .1 1]  grades,  includ- 
ing  a  state  certificate  On  retiring  from  the 
work  of  teaching,  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  his  brother,  C.  L.  Gramley,  in  a  general  | 
mercantile  business  al  Rebersburg;  but  his  health 
becoming  impaired  he  sold  out  after  two  years  of 

Successful  work  in  this  line,  and  de<  1  led  to  fol- 
low agricultural  pursuits.  In  connection  with 
farming  he  taught  school  during  the    winter 

until    iSSS,    and    in    July    of    that    year    he 
formed  a  partnership  in    the  creamers    business 


with  R.  G  Eisenhart  in  the  Spring  Mills  Cream- 
ery  Company,  limited,  a  stock  company  which  is 
now  the   oldest  concern  of   the   kind   in    Centre 

its  Mr.  Gramley  is  industrious,  system- 
atic, and  persi  vering,  carrying  out  with  firm  de- 
termination any  plan  once  fixed  upon,  and  the 
success  of  the  firm  is  due  in  no  small  measure  to 
his  work  and  influence.  He  has  a  reputation  for 
integrity  in  his  dealings,  which  is  in  itself  a 
source  of  strength  to  any  enterprise  with  which 
•v  be  connected. 

On  December  18,  1877,  Mr.  Gramley  was 
married  in  Miles  township.  Centre  county,  to  Miss 
Agnes  Loose,  who  was  born  at  Millheim,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1856,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth Brickley)  Loose.  They  have  one  of  the 
most  comfortable  and  tasteful  homes  in  Spring 
Mills.  Mr  Gramley  has  remodeled  the  house 
formerly  known  as  the  "Old  Peter  Wilson"  home, 
adding  all  modern  conveniences.  They  have  a 
bright  and  interesting  family,  to  whom  they  are 
giving  the  best  educational  advantages  at  their 
command:  Orpha  L.,  born  October  19,  1878,  is 
in  the  senior  class  at  Irving  College  at  Mechanics- 
burg,  Penn.;  S.  Ward,  born  December  29,  1880, 
is  in  the  sophomore  class  at  Susquehanna  Uni- 
versity,  Selins  drove,  Penn.;  Windon  C.  born 
November  3,  18S2.  and  Bruce  S.,  born  June  15, 
1  888,  are  at  home. 

Mr  Gramley  and  his  wife  are  leading  mem- 
bers of  the    Lutheran   Church,  and   he  has  held 

e  in  the  Church  ever  since  he  was  confirmed. 
His  interest  in  the  work  has  been  demonstrated 
many  times,  and  when  the  Rebersburg  parsonage 
was  built,  he  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters  of 
the  enterprise.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  but  though  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  party  he  is  not  a  politician.     On 

occasion  he  was  nominated   for  the   office  of 

-fer,  without  solicitation  on  his  part,  and  al- 
though no  canvass  was  made  in  the  county  in  his 
behalf,  he  was  defeated  by  a  bare  plurality  of 
thirty-two   votes. 


WILLIAM  \\.  SPANGLER.  Among  the 
progressive  and  enterprising  farmers  of 
ty,  the  record  of  whose  lives  fills  an 
important  place  in  this  volume,  it  gives  us  pleas- 
ure to  commemorate  the  name  of  this  gentleman 
He  was  born  July  20,  1835.  at  Kagleville,  on  the 
farm  which  is  still  his  home,  and  comes  of  a  fam- 
ily that  has  long  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  business  and  social  interests  of  the  commu- 
nity. 

I  mas    Spangler,  lather    of  our  subject,   was 
born    May    1,    1800,  in   York   county,   this  State, 


{fr~.7K.  Wt^^^u^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


153 


where  his  parents,  who  were  of  German  birth, 
passed  the  greater  part  of  their  lives.  As  early 
as  1820,  however,  he  came  to  Centre  county,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  ran  a  stell-bottomed  boat 
on  the  Susquehanna  river  between  Sunbury, 
Penn.,  and  Centre  county.  He  built  three  boats 
while  a  resident  of  Liberty  township,  where  he 
also  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  wealthy  citizens 
of  the  locality.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  a  strong  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, on  which  ticket  he  was  elected  to  several 
township  offices. 

In  Centre  county  Jonas  Spangler  was  married 
to  Mary  Kunes,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Kunes,  one 
of  the  honored  pioneers  of  the  county,  where  he 
located  during  the  1  8th  century  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  farming.  Five  sons  blessed  this 
union:  Hiram,  who  for  four  years  served  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  taking  part  in 
twenty-six  battles,  and  died  from  the  effects  of 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness; 
William  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Samuel, 
who  helped  to  take  Fort  Fisher  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Eagleville;  George 
W. ,  who  died  in  Philadelphia;  and  Jonas,  who 
died  from  the  effects  of  wounds  received  at  the 
battle  of  Appomattox,  after  four  years  of  arduous 
service.  The  mother  of  these  children  departed 
this  life  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years, 
and  the  father  passed  away  May  1,   1855. 

William  W.  Spangler  never  left  the  parental 
roof,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  he  assumed 
the  management  of  the  home  farm,  which  he  has 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  good  and  substantial  buildings. 
Upon  the  place  his  father  laid  out  the  village  of 
Eagleville  in  185  1,  but  the  remainder  of  the  farm 
is  devoted  to  agriculture. 

In  December,  i860,  at  Lock  Haven,  Penn., 
Mr.  Spangler  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emily  A.  Seyler,  who  was  born  in  Stephenson 
county,  111.,  April  19,  1842,  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Mary  (Potts)  Seyler,  who  were  natives  of 
Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  but  at  an  early  day 
migrated  to  Illinois,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  tailoring  and  farming  throughout  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  His  family  included  seven  chil- 
dren: George,  a  carpenter  of  Greenwood,  Wis.; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel  Shaffer,  of  Freeport, 
111. ;  Annie,  widow  of  Daniel  Smith,  of  Shabbona, 
111.;  A.  Jackson,  a  mechanic  of  Freeport;  Emily 
A.;  Alice,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Agnew,  a  farmer  of  Ben- 
net,  Iowa;  and  Mrs.  Ellen  Moses,  of  Livermore, 
Iowa. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spangler  were  born  five 
children:  Tacy,  wife  of  Ross  Martin,  a  carpenter 


of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. ;  George,  a  resident  of 
Liberty  township,  Centre  county;  Mary,  wife  of 
Albert  Kunes,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Eagleville;  Henry,  a  druggist  of  Middleburg, 
Snyder  Co.,  Penn. ;  and  Millie  E. ,  at  home.  The 
faithful  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her  final 
rest  March  12,  1873,  and  her  death  was  widely 
and  deeply  mourned. 

In  1863  Mr.  Spangler  enlisted  in  the  149th 
P.  V.  I.,  known  as  the  "  Bucktail  Regiment," 
and  was  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Hancock 
for  eighteen  months,  or  until  he  (the  Captain) 
was  wounded,  when  another  captain  was  put  in 
his  place.  Our  subject  participated  in  a  number 
of  engagements  and  skirmishes,  and  when  hostil- 
ities had  ceased  was  honorably  discharged  May 
20,  1865,  after  which  he  returned  home  and  re- 
sumed agricultural  pursuits.  He  belongs  to  a 
prominent  and  well-known  family  of  Centre 
county,  and  is  related  to  Col.  Jack  Spangler,  of 
Bellefonte.  For  seven  years  he  filled  the  office 
of  supervisor  of  his  township,  and  for  the  long 
term  of  twenty  years  acceptably  served  as  con- 
stable, holding  the  position  continuously  (with 
the  exception  of  two  years)  from  1873  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1896.  Socially  he  holds  membership  in 
Blanchard  Lodge  No.  420,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
Eagleville,  and  politically  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  is  an  earnest,  conscien- 
tious Christian,  who  since  1873  has  been  a  prom- 
inent and  active  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
and  as  a  citizen  is  held  in  the  highest  respect 
and  esteem. 


WILLIAM  FOSTER,  History  of.  John 
Forster,  or  Foster  (as  many  of  his  de- 
scendants now  write  the  name),  the  ancestor  of 
one  branch  of  the  Forster  family,  of  Buffalo 
Valley,  was  a  son  of  David  Forster,  of  Derry, 
formerly  Lancaster,  now  Dauphin,  county,  Penn. 
This  appears  by  the  will  of  David  Forster,  dated 
September  2,  1745,  and  recorded  in  Lancaster 
county.  It  is  believed,  though  not  certainly 
known  to  be  a  fact,  that  David  Forster,  with 
some  of  his  family,  came  from  the  North  of  Ire- 
land about  the  year  1733,  with  the  Scotch-Irish 
immigration  of  that  period,  and  was  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Donegal,  Derry  and  Paxtang. 
He  died  in  1754,  leaving  a  widow,  Mary  by  name, 
and  five  sons,  named  respectively:  William,  John, 
David,  James,  and  Robert.  One  of  these  sons, 
John  Forster,  the  ancestor,  became  the  owner,  by 
purchase,  of  271  acres  of  land  situated  in  Hanover 
(then  Lancaster)  county,  which  had  been  sur- 
veyed to  John  Young  under  a  warrant  granted  to 
him  in  1  740.      This  tract  of   land  was  confirmed 


154 


I  OMMBM<>i;.\rrVE  MOGRM-UhM    BBCOBD. 


to  John    Foster  by  a  patent  deed  from  Thomas 

.md  William  Penn,  bearing  date  the  17th  day  ol 
November,  1752,  ami  In-  resided  upon  the  tract 
until  about  1773  or  1774,  when  !  son, 

probably  with  a  view  ol  bettering  his  condition 
and  that  of  his  family,  he  'Imposed  of  it  by  sale 
and  became  one  of  tin-  pioneer  settlers  of  Buffalo 
Valley.  That  delightful  and  charming  Valley, 
then  an  almost  untraversed  forest  "I  stately  oak, 
hickory,  walnut  and  pine,  was  within  that  part 
of  Pennsylvania  known  as  tin-  last  purchase  made 
from  the  Indians  by  the  Proprietai  \  Government 
of  the  Colony  in   1  768. 

The  first  surveys  in  the  Valle)  were  made  in 
1769.  and  from  that  year  sturdy,  adventurous  and 
self-reliant  settlers,  among  whom  was  John 
Forster,  began  to  occupy,  clear  and  cultivate  its 
beautiful  virgin  acre  rich  and  invit- 

ing with  the  promise  of  future  fertility  and  pro- 
ductiveness. Among  the  first  surveys  made  in 
1769,  after  the  land  office  had  been  opened  on 
the  3d  ol  April  ol  tli.it  year  to  receive  applica- 
tions for  laud  within  the  Purchase  of  176N,  a 
number  ol  tracts,  aggregating  eight  thousand 
acres  through  the  heart  of  the  Valley,  were  re- 
turned for  certain  officers  ol  the  1  si  and  2d  bat- 
talions ol  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  that  served 
under  Col.  Hemy  Boquet  in  the  expedition  that 
marched  under  his  command  in  [764  to  the  re- 
lief of  Fort  Pitt,  tie  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Pittsburg,  then  beleaguered  b)  the  Indians.  In 
the  allotment  ol  these  surveys  t<>  the  officers  who 
ware  to  receive  them,  ware  two  that  fell  respect- 
ively to  I. am  c  harles  Stewart  and  Lieut.  Jan 
McCallister,  These  tracts  were  at  the  western 
part  of  the  survey,  lying  about  two  miles  west  ol 
the  present  town  ,>i  Mifflinburg.  The  first  ti 
that  of  Lieut.  Stewart,  was  called  in  the  patent 
"  [oyful   l   aluii,"  and  contained  340  acres  and  63 

perches.  The  other,  that  of  Lieut.  McCallister, 
was  called  "  Chatham, "and  contained  340  acres 

and    60    perches         I  ,  /ing    fn  an     I  lan- 

Falo,  John    Forster  had   become   the 
■  iwnei    ot    these    two    tracts.      On     the   west 
tract  in. 11   Buffalo  1  reek,  he  built  Ins  cabin,  liter- 
ally the  beginning  of  a  new  home   in  the  wilder- 

.  (or  himself,  wile  and  children,  and  there  he 
lived  until  his  death,  whii  h  oc<  mud  in  1783. 

In  the  tax  list  oi  Buffalo  township,  Northum- 
berland county,  ha  tin  year  1775  the  list  for 
the  pre.  is  not    being    in    existence     the 

name  of  John    Forstei  on   tins  list   his 

propert}  returned  for  taxes  consists  of  twenty 
acres  ol  cli  a  red  lan<],  two  horsi  5,  three  cows  and 
three  sheep,  probably  for  that  time  a  substantial 
return.  The  property  adjoining  on  the  west  of 
where  he  lived  was  the  farm  so  well  known  in  the 


Valley  for  many  years  as  the  William  Young 
farm.  His  life  seems  to  have  been  quiet,  unob- 
trusive and  moderately  successful,  though  no 
knowledge  of  hi--  pi  rsonality  or  traits  of  charac- 
ter have  come  down  to  his  present  descendants. 
As  before  staled,  he  died  in  1783,  and  among 
some  old  family  papers  now  in  the  possession  of 
a  friend  at  Paxtang,  Dauphin  county,  is  a  letter 
written  from  Buffalo  to  Paxtang  announcing  his 
death,  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken: 
"John  Forster  was  taken  sick  of  a  fever  on  the 
10th  of  September,  1783,  died  on  the  20th,  and 
hi  Sunday,  September  21.  1783." 
Of  his  wife  nothing  is  known  except  that  her 
name  was  Margaret.  Eight  years  later  another 
letter  announced  her  death,  as  follows:  "  Mar- 
garet  Forster  was  taken  sick  on  December  31, 
1701,  and  died  January  8,  1792,  about  9  p.  \i.. 
and  was  buried  on  Tuesday,  January  10,  170 
The  interments,  though  there  are  no  marks  to 
show  w  hei  e  tin  y  lie,  were  in  the  old  Lewis  grave- 
yard, about  three  miles  southwest  of  Mifflinburg, 
then  the  common  burial  place  for  the  inhabitants 
of  the  upper  end  of  the  Valley,  where  also  rest 
in  the  peaceful  sleep  of  death  others  of  their 
family  —  children  and  grandchildren  By  his 
will,  on  record  at  Sunbury,  after  providing  lor 
the  support  of  his  widow,  he  directed  that  his  real 
estate,  consisting  of  the  two  tracts  of  the  land 
already  mentioned,  and  containing- together  680 
acres,  should  he  divided  into  three  equal  parts  to 
he  given  to  his  three  ><uis  then  living,  a  third  to 
each,  ami  that  his  daughters  should  receive  cer- 
tain bonds,  winch  he  described  as  ••  Bonds  I 
ceived  from  the  sale  ol  my  plantation  in  Hano- 
ver. " 

The  children  ol  |ohn  and  Margaret  Forster 
were  four  sons  and  four  daughters  The  sons 
were:  Thomas,  Andrew,  |ohn,  [r. ,  and  Robert. 
The  daughters  were  Christena,  who  became  the 
wife  of  [ohn  Montgomery;  lane,  who  became tht 
wife  oi  William  Irvim  I  li  ibeth,  who  became 
the  wife  of  [oseph  Gray;  and  Rebecca,  who  he- 
came  the  wile  , .1  William  McFarlane 

A   marriage    record  of    the    Derry    nu\    Pax- 
tang   Presbyterian    congregation,    published    is 
Vol.    VIII    of  the  second   series  of   the  Pennsyl- 
vania   Archives,    shows    that    Thomas    Forster, 
the  eldest  son,  was  married  to    |am    N   iung 
vember   4,    1777.    and  that    Robert,   the   young- 
I   to  Esther  Kcnick   Decem- 
ber    14,     I784.       Andrew,     the    second     son,     wa- 
in nried  to  Susanna    (,ra\         She  was  a  daughter 
of  Capt.  William  Gray,  of   Revolutionary  fai 
and  was  first  married  to  William  Hudson.     After 
his  death  she  became  the  wife  of  Andn-w  Forstet 
John.  Jr..  the  third  -on,  died    young  and  uiunar- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


155 


ried,  the  victim  of  an  Indian  massacre.  His 
death  occurred  on  the  16th  of  May,  1780,  in  an 
attack  made  by  a  band  of  raiding  Indians  on  what 
was  known  as  French  Jacob's  Mill  (Jacob  Gro- 
shong),  about  five  miles  north  of  Mifflinburg,  and 
near  where  the  roid  through  the  Brush  Valley 
narrows  enters  Buffalo  Valley.  He  was  one  of  a 
company  of  enlisted  rangers  whose  duty  it  was  to 
patrol  the  northern  side  of  the  Valley  along  the 
Buffalo  mountain  to  guard  against  Indian  incur- 
sions. A  sudden  and  unexpected  foray,  how- 
ever, was  made  by  the  savages,  and  in  the  smart 
skirmish  that  followed  four  of  the  rangers  were 
killed,  among  them  being  John  Forster,  Jr.  The 
names  of  the  others  were  James  Chambers, 
George  Etzweiler  and  James  McLaughlin. 

Thomas  Forster  was  the  Revolutionary  soldier 
of  the  family — a  sincere  patriot  and  lover  of 
liberty,  he  was  early  in  the  field  for  the  independ- 
ence of  the  American  Colonies.  In  1776  he  is 
the  first  found  in  the  record  as  Major  of  the 
Fourth  Battalion  of  the  Northumberland  County 
Associators,  of  which  Phillip  Cole  and  Thomas 
Sutherland,  another  ancestor  of  some  of  the 
presentForster  family,  was  the  lieutenant-colonel. 
This  battalion  was  sent  to  Reading,  but  anxious 
to  be  at  the  front,  Major  Forster  became  a  lieu- 
tenant in  Capt.  John  Clark's  company  of  Col. 
Potter's  regiment.  This  company  was  detained 
in  Reading  until  it  was  too  late  to  reach  the  scene 
of  actual  hostility  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  en- 
gagements at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  but  par- 
ticipated actively  in  several  subsequent  skirmishes, 
in  which  a  number  of  casualties  occurred,  and  in 
which  the  members  of  the  company  won  honor- 
able distinction. 

Returning  to  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  after 
his  patriotic  military  service,  Thomas  Forster, 
on  the  death  in  1783  of  the  oldest  son,  inherited, 
together  with  his  third  of  the  real  estate,  the 
homestead  of  the  family,  where  he  lived  a  prom- 
inent and  highly  respected  citizen  of  the  Val- 
ley until  his  death  in  the  month  of  November, 
18 10.  His  body  also  lies  in  the  Lewis  burying 
ground. 

In  religious  faith  and  belief  the  Forsters  were 
strict  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians,  and  were  early 
members  of  the  Buffalo  Cross  Roads  Presby- 
terian Church,  founded  in  1773,  and  the  parent 
congregation  of  that  denomination  within  the 
bounds  of  the  present  county  of  Union.  Accord- 
ing to  Linn's  Annals,  the  pews  of  the  Buffalo 
church  were  just  rated  and  rented  in  1 79 1 ,  and 
among  the  pew  holders  of  that  year  were  Thomas 
Forster  and  his  brothers,  Andrew  and  Robert. 

The  marriage  of  Thomas  Forster  and  Jane 
Young  was  blessed  with  six  children — three  sons 


and  three  daughters.  The  sons  were  John, 
William  and  Thomas;  the  daughters,  Margaret, 
Elizabeth  and  Jane.  It  is  only  William,  how- 
ever, the  second  son  of  the  family,  who  demands 
our  attention  on  this  occasion. 

He  was  born  in  1784  at  the  home  of  his 
father  in  Buffalo  Valley.  The  means  then  pro- 
vided in  that  newly  settled  locality  for  education 
were  not  great,  and  it  is  probable  that  in  youth 
but  few  opportunities  were  afforded  him  for  book 
learning.  But  he  is  still  held  in  pleasant  remem- 
brance as  an  intelligent  and  upright  man,  of 
sterling  integrity  in  business  affairs,  possessed  of 
a  genial,  cheerful  disposition,  the  head  of  a 
household  noted  for  its  hospitality,  a  devoted 
husband  and  father,  and  an  excellent  citizen.  In 
the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  (in  18 12),  like 
his  father,  he  found  it  a  duty  to  enter  the  mili- 
tary service  in  defence  of  the  right  of  his  coun- 
try. With  his  older  brother,  John,  and  his 
cousin,  William,  son  of  Robert  Forster,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  a  company  of  Pennsylvania 
Militia,  commanded  by  Capt.  John  Donaldson. 
The  company  was  attached  to  a  regiment  com- 
manded by  Col.  Snyder  that  marched  to  Mead- 
ville,  thence  to  Erie,  and  then  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y. . 
remaining  in  service  about  three  months. 

He  was  first  married  to  Esther  Young,  who 
was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  and  their  children 
were  William  and  Esther  (twins);  the  latter  mar- 
ried NeillMcCay,  of  Fredericksburg,  Ohio,  where 
they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  in  1892. 
Mr.  McCay  died  soon  afterward;  his  widow  still 
lives  in  Ohio,  and  by  the  favor  of  a  kind  Provi- 
dence was  able  to  come  from  her  distant  home 
on  December  28,  1897,  to  be  present  to  mingle 
her  congratulations  with  other  friends  at  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  her  twin  brother's  mar- 
riage. 

The  mother  of  William  and  Esther  Forster 
died,  and  the  father  married  Rachel  McCay.  The 
children  of  this  second  marriage  were:  Christena, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Mark  Halfpenny,  and 
reared  a  family;  he  died  in  1889,  and  she  in 
1877.  He  was  an  extensive  manufacturer  of 
woolen  goods  at  Lewisburg,  Penn.,  and  his  chil- 
dren still  own  considerable  property  there.  Mar- 
garet, who  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Seabold,  had 
four  children,  and  died  in  1879.  Robert  M.  mar- 
ried De!ilah  Smith.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg; he  left  three  sons;  his  widow  died  De- 
cember 28,  1895.  Thomas  died  at  the  age  of 
seventeen;  and  Catherine  married  William  Wit- 
mer,  a  lumber  merchant  of  Philadelphia.  Will- 
iam Forster  died  at  his  home  in  Hartley  township, 
Union   county,    March    26,    1853,   at   the    age  of 


166 


OOMMEMORA  TIVB  Hint; HAl'llKM,   RECORD. 


seventy  years,  and  found  interment  in  the  same 
burial  ground  where  his  father  and  grandfather  lie. 

William,  '•(in  of  William    and  Esther   I 

was  born  in  Buflalo  Valley  (now  Union  county), 
Penn  .  March  22.  [819.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  had  the  usual  school  privileges  of  the 
day  and  locality.  Among  his  earl)-  teachers 
wen-  Miss  Ruth  Campbell  and  a  Mr,  Hanna,  a 
Quaker.  This  was  at  Mifflinburg.  He  n  nriained 
at  heme  until  1848,  then  ame  to  I  entrecounty, 
locating  on  the  Centre  Furnace  lands  (now  Dr. 
Christ's  farmj.  [n  the  spring  of  1856  he  moved 
to  his  present  home  in  the  upper  part  of  Penn's 
Valley  where  he  owns  a  beautiful  farm,  and  upi  a 
which  he  built  the  house  he  now  occu- 
pies  lli>  farm  comprises  one  hundred  acres. 
Formerly  a  part  of  the  town  site  ol  State  Col- 
lege belonged  to  the  farm.  Mr.  Foster  is  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  State  College,  and  by 
good  management  and  industr}  has  accumulated 
a  competency  As  were  all  his  am  estors,  he  is 
a  Democral  in  his  political  views.  The  Forsters, 
too,  wen-  Presbyterians  for  generations,  and  our 
subject  adheres  to  the  same  faith  He  is  now 
tli'  only  man  in  the  community  who  was  there 
when  the  Pennsylvania  state  College  building 
was  erected,  making  him  the  oldest  pioneer  of 
the  locality  left 

In  1X47  Mr.  Fostei  was  married,  in  Union 
county,  to  Maria  1  or  1,  who  was  born  in  the  Buf 
falo  Valley,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  in  [827,  adaugh- 
tei  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Wyley  fori, 
tins  happy  union  have  come  children  as  follows; 
Elizabeth,  who  in  1872  married  William  Ever- 
hart;  they  went  to  Chicago  on  their  wedding 
trip,  and  she  died  th.re  Charles  H.,  a  trusted 
United  States  Mail  Agent  employed  since  1885 
on  the  mam  hue  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
between  New  York  and  Pittsburg.  fames  is  a 
chemist  in  Alabama.  Mary  A.  lives  with  her 
parents.  John  is  a  chemist  in  Alabama.  The 
sons  are  all  graduates  of  Pennsylvania  State 
Colli 

Joseph  (  oil,  the  father  of  Mrs     I  0  tei,  came 

from  Chester  c ity,  Penn.,  to  the  Buflalo  Valley, 

and  Ins  ancestors  were  originally  from  Germany. 
lb  1  mother,  Elizabeth  Wyler,  came  from  Lan- 
caster county.  Penn..  and  her  ancestors  from 
Ireland 


PRO!  (  I  PHAS  L.  GRAMLEY.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  note  that  man)  of  our  most  suc- 
cessful citizens  are  natives  of  this  section,  and 
have  here  developed  the  talents  which  their  ma- 
ture years  have  devoted  to  well  chosen  activiti 
Prof.  Gramley,  the  able  and  cultured  superintend- 
ent    of  the    schools  of     Centre    county,   is    a    t)  p- 


cal  example,  and  the  story  of  his  earnest  pursuit 
of  a  worthy  ambition  cannot  fail  to  convey  a 
helpful   lesson. 

Prof.  Gramley  was  born  September  17,  1852, 
at    Rebersburg,    Centre  count),    where    he     now 

les,  and  is  of  Pennsylvania- Dutch  stock. 
The  earliest  records  of  the  family  place  their 
home  in  son  rn  Pennsylvania,  but  the  Pro- 

fessor's grandfather,  Philip  Gramley,  was  prob- 
ably born  in  the  central  part  of  the  State.  He 
located  in  Centre  county  in  early  manhood,  and 
with  the  exception  of  a  comparatively  brief  resi- 
dence in  Clinton  county,  he  made  his  home  there, 
gaining  by  his  ability  and  energy  a  prominent 
place  among  the  pioneers  of  his  locality. 
Samuel  Gramley,  the  Professor's  father  was  born 
in  Rebersburg,  March  4,  1827,  and  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  that  town,  where  he  has  always  enjoyed 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  people.  He  at 
tended  the  district  schools  there  for  a  time  in  his 
youth,  and  completed  his  course  of  study  at 
Mifflinburg  Academy,  afterward  entering  into 
busirt  1  teacher,  surveyor  and  farmer.      \ 

county  commissioner,  and  justice  of  the  peace 
for  main  years,  he  demonstrated  his  capacity  for 
public  affairs,  while  his  popularity  is  shown  bj 
his  election  to  these  positions  in  the  face  of  an  ad- 
verse partisan  majority.  In  religious  faith  he  is 
a  Lutheran.  His  wife,  who  was  Miss  Sarah  J 
Smull,  and  who  was  also  a  native  of  Rebersburg, 
was  born  March  15.  1832.  and  passed  from  earth 
Max  14.  1XS0.  The  children  of  this  marriage 
now  living  are:  Prof  Cephas  L. ,  our  subjei 
Titus  M.  is  in  the  creamerj  business  at  Spring 
Mills;  (lenient  H.  is  a  farmer  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Miles  township,  Centre  county;  Naomi 
J.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Heckman,  of  Clinton 
county,  Penn.;  and  Ada  E.  is  the  wife  of  W.  T 
Hubler.  and  resides  at  the  old  homestead. 

Our  subject  had  the  benefit  of  life  upon  a  farm 
during  his  boyhood.  When  his  intellectual  ad- 
vancement demanded  better  opportunities  than 
were  to  be  obtained  in  the  local  schools,  he  spent 
two    terms    at    Clinton    Seminary;    but    with   the 

1    of   the  genuine  student  he  determined  to 

re  further  advantages  By  teaching  for  a 
time  he  provided  himself  with  the  funds  where- 
with to  carry  him  through  two  years  at  Susque- 
hanna University,  at  Selins  Grove,  Penn.  Aftei 
this  he  again  engaged  in  teaching,  and  for  seven- 
teen years  he  taught  in  the  Grammar  School  at 
Rebersburg,  Since  1S75  he  has  been  more  01 
less  engaged  in  Normal  School  and  institute 
work  during  the  summer  up  to  the  time  of  his 
appointment  to  the  county  superintendency  of 
schools  in  1892  This  work  he  helped  to  carry- 
on  .it  Milesburg  in  1875   '76  and  '77,  and  there- 


/fa,     &L,     ^/7^i^l^<yL^Ly, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


157 


after  at  Rebersburg.  He  has  had  as  high  as 
seventy  young  men  and  women  at  a  time  whom 
he  was  preparing  to  follow  the  profession  of 
teaching.  He  served  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
his  predecessor,  and  in  1893  was  elected  to  the 
same  office,  and  re-elected  in  1896.  He  is  a  most 
efficient  and  able  superintendent  of  the  county's 
schools. 

In  1878  Prof.  Gramley  was  married  to  Miss 
Joanna  Weaver,  a  lady  of  good  qualities,  who 
was  born  in  August,  1852,  at  Wolfs  Store,  Centre 
county.  They  have  had  two  children:  Gertrude, 
born  in  1880,  died  in  1895,  and  Almah,  born  in 
1882,  is  at  home.  The  parents  are  identified 
with  the  Lutheran  Church,  the  Professor  having 
been  the  chorister  in  both  the  Church  and  the 
Sabbath-school  since  1875.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  Rebersburg  Lodge  No.  103 1,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  organized  in  February,  1892,  and  he  was 
the  first  Noble  Grand,  and  first  to  fill  all  the 
chairs.  In  1893  he  represented  his  lodge  at  the 
General  Lodge  held  at  Reading,  Penn.  Prof. 
Gramley  is  also  a  practical  surveyor  and  does 
work  at  times,  as  a  recreation  and  relief,  to  his 
father,  who  works  in  this  line.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  given  many  evidences  of 
deep  and  generous  sympathy  with  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  the  community. 


r\ 


F.  KREAMER,  who  is  classed  among  the 
^3L  successful  farmers  of  Penn  township.  Cen- 
tre county,  is  well  worthy  to  be  ranked  among 
the  individuals  who  have  distinguished  themselves 
as  useful  and  enterprising  citizens.  He  was  born 
in  the  same  township,  January  6,  1847,  and  was 
but  a  child  when  brought  by  his  parents,  Jona- 
than and  Susannah  (Strohm)  Kreamer,  to  the 
farm  which  he  now  occupies,  and  which  at  one 
time  was  owned  by  his  great-grandfather,  Daniel 
Kreamer,  who  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come 
to  Centre  county.  In  his  family  were  three  chil- 
dren:    Daniel,  John  and  Mrs.  Saloma  Keen. 

Daniel  Kreamer,  Jr.,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  as  was  also 
his  father  before  him.  He  married  a  Miss  Neese, 
by  whom  he  had  eight  children — seven  sons  and 
one  daughter — namely:  Jacob  who  died  in  Kan- 
sas; John,  who  became  an  Evangelical  minister, 
and  died  in  the  same  State;  William,  an  auction- 
eer and  farmer,  who  died  in  Iowa;  Jonathan,  the 
father  of  our  subject;  Elias,  a  resident  of  Union 
county,  Penn.;  Daniel,  once  a  minister,  now  liv- 
ing in  Illinois;  Henry,  a  painter  in  the  same 
State;  and  Betsey,  who  married  William  Guitilus, 
and  died  in  Mifflinburg,  Penn.      In  1876  the  sons 


were  all  together,  at    which  time  their  combined 
weight  was  over  two  thousand  pounds. 

Jonathan  Kreamer  was  born  in  Miles  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  in  1821,  and  was  reared  to 
farm  life.  When  a  young  man  he  married  Su- 
sannah Strohm,  a  native  of  Lebanon  county, 
Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Strohm,  who 
brought  his  family  to  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  when  Mrs.  Kreamer  was  but  a  small 
child.  After  their  marriage  the  parents  remained 
upon  his  father's  farm  until  1848,  when  they  re- 
moved to  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
our  subject,  having  purchased  it  at  the  sale  of 
his  grandfather's  estate.  In  (868  the  father  re- 
moved to  Millheim,  where  he  conducted  what  is 
now  known  as  the  "  National  Hotel"  for  a  time, 
and  died  in  that  village  in  1883.  Like  the  other 
members  of  the  family  he  was  very  large,  being  six 
feet,  one  inch  in  height,  and  weighing  at  one  time  36  5 
pounds.  He  was  an  enterprising,  energetic  man, 
succeeding  in  accumulating  a  comfortable  prop- 
erty; he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  held  a 
number  of  township  offices  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all  concerned.  His  religious  views  were  those 
held  by  the  Evangelical  Church,  of  which  he  was 
a  faithful  member.  His  wife,  who  still  survives 
him,  makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mary, 
at  State  College.  In  their  family  were  six  chil- 
dren: A.  F. ,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Mary, 
wife  of  Ab  Miller,  of  State  College;  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  Pierce  Musser,  of  Millheim;  Emma,  wife 
of  A.  A.  Frank,  of  the  same  place;  John,  express 
messenger  for  the  Adams  Express  Company  at 
Harrisburg,  Penn.,  and  Cora,  wife  of  Greely 
Bowman,  of  St.  Louis. 

During  his  boyhood,  A.  F.  Kreamer  attended 
the  Liberty  school  during  the  winter  months,  his 
first  teacher  being  Thomas  Strayhorn.  He  re- 
mained upon  the  home  farm  until  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  Millheim  in  1868,  where  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  hotel  business  for  four 
years.  On  October  10,  1872,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Jestie  Keen,  who  was  born 
in  Penn  township,  February  28,  1847,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Dininger)  Keen,  farming 
people.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
Nora  F.  died  in  infancy;  and  N.  F. ,  born  Octo- 
ber 12,  1874,  was  married  in  November,  1893, 
to  Miss  Jennie,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Breon,  of 
Gregg  township,  and  they  have  one  child — Helen, 
born  April  1  1,   1895. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kreamer  began  housekeeping 
upon  the  farm  where  they  are  now  living,  but 
later  removed  to  Haines  township,  where  he 
rented  land  for  fifteen  years.  On  April  1,  1892, 
they  returned  to  the  old  family  homestead,  which 
he   had    purchased    in   January,    1891.      It  com- 


158 


i  ■<>  l/l//.  MORA  Tl  17.'  moan  A  run  'A  I.  BSt  (>RD. 


prises  seventj  one  acres  of  highly  improved  land, 
on  which  six  generations  have  made  their  home, 
the  grandchild  <>f  onr  subject,  who  with  its  par- 
ents resides  then being  of  the  sixth  genera- 
tion. Mr.  Kreamei  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  I  lemoi  rati<  party,  and  although 
oliice-seeker,  has  till'  d  a  i  in  in  her  of  local  po 

illy,  he  affiliates  with  the  (.ran-..-,  and  relig- 
iously, both  himself  and  wife  are  connected  with 
the  Evangelical  Church,  in  which   he  has  served 

class  leader.      He  is  honest,  industrious, 
thoroughly  honorable  in  all  the  walks  of  life,  and 
enjms  the  esteem  and  respect  of  the  community 
to  a  large  extent 


GEORGE  R.  STOVER,  the  efficient  agent  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  and 
also  ol  the  Adams  Express  Company,  at  Coburn, 
i  .  nire  county,  lias  descended  from  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  the  county. 

\s  early  as  1775  Jacob  Stover  and  a  son, 
Adam,  settled  111  what  is  now  Haines  township, 
originally  a  part  of  Potter  township.  Centre 
county  Michael  Stover,  the  great-grandfather 
of  onr  subject,  was  a  native  of  Bucks  comity, 
IVim.,  ol  German  parents.  He  was  a  farmei  by 
occupation  and  owned  a  fine  body  of  land  in 
Penn's  Valley,  on  which  he  passed  much  of  his 
days.  Late  in  life  he  went  into  Sugar  Valley, 
now  a  part  of  Clinton  county,  where  he  made  his 
home  with  his  son  David,  who  cared  for  him  in 
Ins  declining  years.  His  death  occurred  in  1855, 
and  his  remains  rest  in  Union  Cemetery,  Logan 
township,  Clinton  county.  In  Penn's  Valley  he 
man  led  Margaret  Miller,  who  was  a  native  of 
Lebanon  counts,  l'enn.  Their  children  were 
eight  m  number,  namely:  Adam  (deceased  , 
|acob  deceased,;  Jonathan,  living  a  retired  life 
al  Booneville;  David,  grandfather  of  our  subject; 
Elizabeth,  now  Mis.  William  Bethlehem;  Cath- 
erine, now  Mrs  Samuel  Esteiline,  of  Logan 
township;  Christina,  unmarried;  and  Lydia, 
widow  ol  |ohn  Seller-,  of  Sugar  Vallej  .  the 
mother  of  these  died  in  September,   1873,  at  the 

old  homestead,  and  was  buried  m  the  B leville 

cemetery.  David  Stover  was  bom  December  s, 
1808,  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  was  reared  on  his 
father's  faun.  He  received  a  fair  education  in 
German,  and  when  .1  man  grown,  in  connection 
with  his  brother  [acob,  bought  a  farm  of  1 60  acres 
in  Sugar  Valley  known  as  the  Bickle  place,  lo- 
.  .1  ted  in  Logan  township.  This  farm  the  two 
brothers  operated  jointly  for  twenty-five  years, 
during  all  ol  win.  h  time  not  a  cross  word  p 
betwei  n  them.  They  improved  the  place  great- 
ly, erecting  a   neat   dwelling  house,  a  barn,  etc. 


In  1X7.2  David  retired,  and  for  fifteen  years  there- 

i  so  lived,  of  which  period  four  years  were 
passed  in  the  village  of  Booneville  in  a  comfort- 
able house  which  he  had  purchased  for  himself 
and  wife.  He  died  March  31,  1SX7,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Booneville  cemetery.  He  was  a 
pious  man,  a  good  Christian,  being  a  member  of 
the    Evangeli  al    As  ti    n    foi    some     twelve 

years.      He  was  a  class  leader;  he  also  served  as 

her  and  superintendent  ol  the  Sunday-school. 

In   politics    he  was  a   De a. it,   and    he    held  the 

office  of  overseer  of  the  poor  of  his  township. 
He  was  a  man  well  and  extensively  known,  was 
held  in  high  esteem,  and  was  greatly  re-pected 
for  Ins  exemplars  Christian  life.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth (Hahn),  whom  he  married  in  1 844,  was  born 
in  Logan  (now  Green)  township.  May  3,  1822, 
and  the  children  born  to  this  union  were:  John 
M.;  and  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Boone,  a 
merchant  of    Loganton,    l'enn.      The   mother  of 

e  was  the  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
1  Si  brack)  Hahn,  the  former  of  German  and  the 
latter  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  She  is  still  living, 
making  her  home  with  her  son. 

|ohn  M.  Stover  is  a  native  of  Sugar  Valley, 
born  on  the  Stover  homestead,  in  Logan  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  April  17,  1845.  He  was 
raised  on  that  farm,  and  has  been  occupied 
through  life  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  neighborhood,  and  at  the  Normal  School  in 
Rebersburg.  When  a  young  man  he  taught 
school  for  nine  months  in  Rebersburg,  in  Clinton 
and  Centre  counties,  and  during  the  summer 
worked  on  the  home  farm.  In  1872,  on  the  re- 
tirement of  his  father  from  active  work,  he  took 
charge  of  the  farm  on  which  he  soon  made  many 
improvements.  He      was      industrious,      ener- 

getic and  ambitious,  and  has  met  with  that  suc- 
his  efforts  have  merited.  He  has  been  a 
careful  manager,  and  has  advantage  ously  handled 
his  stock,  and  farmed  systematically.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat;  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  is  a  teacher  in  the  Sab- 
bath-school; socially  he  is  identified  with  Sugar 
Valley  Lodge  No    (.29,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Loganton 

On  October  16,  1865,  at  Lock  Haven,  Mr 
Stover  was  married  to  Louisa  Kleckner,  who  was 
born  in  Sugar  Valley,  March  6,  1844,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Catherine  (Brumgart)  Kleckner. 
and  a  granddaughter  of  Anthonj  Kleckner,  now 
ased,  who  was  the  tirst  settler  ol  Sugar  Val- 
ley. The  children  born  to  the  marriage  of  John 
M  Stover  and  his  wife  are:  Calvin  C.  died 
the  age  of  seven  years;  George  R.  is  the  subject 

ins  sketch;  Lizzie  S.  is  the  wife  cf  Clement 
M.    Mark,  agent  at   Pine  Station   on  the   Pennsvl 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


159 


vania  railroad,  and  has  two  children — John  C. 
and  Mary  L. ;  Lula  K.,  Edna  E.  and  Mary  Es- 
tella,  all  are  unmarried  and  at  home. 

George  R.  Stover,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  June  2,  1868,  near  Loganton, 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  the  second  child  and  son  of 
John  M.  and  Louisa  (Kleckner)  Stover.  Up  to 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  was  on  his  father's 
farm,  occupied  as  a  general  farmer's  lad  is.  He 
attended  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and 
on  November  30,  1885,  he  went  to  Coburn  to 
become  a  student  of  the  duties  in  the  office  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  under  \V. 
H.  Kreamer,  the  agent  of  the  company  at  that 
point.  In  this  capacity  he  remained  for  about 
one  year,  then  became  a  clerk  and  filled  such  po- 
sition two  years.  Next  he  worked  on  the  P.  &  E. 
division  of  the  same  road  as  an  extra  man  be- 
tween Harrisburg  and  Renovo.  He  worked  as 
an  extra  man  in  the  service  till  November,  1890, 
when  he  came  to  take  charge  of  the  office  he 
first  entered  as  a  student  five  years  previously,  and 
where  he  has  ever  since  been  located.  The  sta- 
tion at  Coburn  is  one  of  the  most  important, 
from  a  business  standpoint,  of  any  on  the  divi- 
sion, and  in  the  handling  of  the  great  volume  of 
business  with  dispatch,  together  with  the  manner 
in  which  the  general  affairs  of  the  office  have 
been  conducted  under  the  supervision  of  Mr. 
Stover,  have  reflected  credit  to  his  capacity  and 
business  tact.  He  is  an  affable  and  accommo- 
dating official. 

On  November  13,  1889,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried at  Elmira,  N.  Y. ,  to  Miss  Lillie  M.  Charles, 
of  Mifflinburg,  Penn.,  daughter  of  S.  F.  Charles 
(deceased).  They  have  one  child,  George  R., 
Jr.,  born  June  13.  1891.  Mrs.  Stover  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Lutheran  Church. 


©EORGE  M.  BOAL  is  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families  of  Penn's  Valley,  and 
his  own  honorable  record  has  added  new  lustre 
to  a  name  that  has  ever  been  synonymous  with 
go*d  citizenship. 

James  Boal,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Ireland,  March  17,  1764,  and  in  that 
country  married  Elizabeth  Welch,  who  was  born 
February  17,  1766.  They  were  married  in  1787, 
and  two  children  were  born  to  them  on  the 
Emerald  Isle,  the  elder  being  Margaret,  who  was 
born  May  16,  1788,  and  died  near  Bellefonte, 
Penn.,  in  April,  1841,  unmarried.  The  second 
child,  George  Welch  Boal,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  County  Londonderry,  February 
9.  T79°-  In  the  spring  of  that  year,  James  Boal 
brought  his  family  to  America,  and  as  he  was  in 


limited  circumstances  the  trip  was  made  by  the 
cheapest  passage.  The  voyage  of  three  months 
was  a  stormy  one,  during  which  the  ship  sprang 
a  leak,  and  much  of  the  cargo,  including  some  of 
the  goods  belonging  to  the  Boal  family,  was  thrown 
overboard.  The  grandfather  first  made  a  loca- 
tion in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  established  a  home 
in  Penn's  Valley.  He  was  one  of  its  pioneers  and 
developed  a  farm  lrom  the  wild  land.  He  was 
a  linen  and  carpet  weaver  by  trade,  and  having 
brought  his  loom  with  him  to  the  United  States 
did  considerable  work  in  that  line  of  industry  as 
well  as  at  farming.  He  and  his  wife  were  devout 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  His  death 
occurred  June  22,  1836,  and  he  was  laid  to  rest 
in  Centre  Hill  cemetery  near  his  wife,  who  had 
died  December  16,   1832. 

The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple  in 
America  were  as  follows:  (t)  Martha,  born  July 
21,  1792,  married  Abraham  Pastorius,  and  died 
in  Venango  county,  Penn.,  April  4,  1853.  (2) 
Jane,  born  April  16,  1795,  died  unmarried,  near 
Bellefonte,  August  15,  1861.  (3)  William,  born 
June  22,  1801,  removed  to  Iowa,  and  died  August 
10,  1880.  (4)  Elizabeth,  born  July  21,  1803, 
died  in  Penn's  Valley,  February  3,  1832.  (5) 
James,  born  September  8,  1805,  died  near  Belle- 
fonte, March  7,  1840.  (6)  Mary,  born  Novem- 
ber 12,  1807,  married  John  Swords,  and  died 
near  Bellefonte,  July  26,  1841.  (7)  John  C, 
born  June  22,  181  1,  wentsouth  in  1836,  and  aft- 
er about  a  year  all  trace  of  him  was  lost. 

George  Welch  Boal  was  but  a  child  when  his 
parents  came  to  Penn's  Valley.  He  was  reared 
as  a  pioneer  farmer  boy,  and  was  married  Octo- 
ber 29,  1822,  near  Milton,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Cummins  Shannon,  who  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  June  20,  1796,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Martha  (Caldwell)  Shannon,  who  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land. The  father  was  a  farmer  and  an  excellent 
citizen,  living  near  Milton,  where  he  located  at 
an  early  day.  His  children  were:  John  C. , 
Ellen,  Sarah  C,  Samuel,  Martha  J.,  Daniel, 
Anna  Maria,  James  and  Elizabeth  M.  At  the 
time  of  his  marriage  George  W.  Boal  located  in 
George's  Valley,  Centre  county,  where  he  owned 
a  small  farm.  In  1S35  he  removed  to  what  is 
now  Harris  township,  where  he  became  the 
owner  of  a  most  excellent  farm.  He  was  a 
highly  industrious  man,  and  after  following  the 
plow  all  day  would  burn  log  heaps  at  night.  By 
his  unflagging  energy  he  at  length  accumulated  a 
handsome  competence.  He  was  a  powerful  man, 
compactly  built,  and  well  fitted  for  his  pioneer 
experiences.      During  the   later  years  of  his   life 


160 


COMMKMORA  T1VR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  lived  retired.  hi  early  life  he  was  a  Whig, 
and  supported  that  parts  when  only  two  Whig 
ballots  were  cast  in  the  township;  later  he  was  a 
stanch  Abolitionist,  and  in  [856  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  He  died  September  15,  1858, 
his  wife  on  October  24,  1864,  and  they  were 
buried  in  Centre  Hill  cemetery.  They,  too,  were 
consistent  members  ol  the  Presbyterian  Chinch, 
and  the  Boal  family  has  for  a  century  been  one 
of  the  most  highly  respected  in  Potter  township. 

The  children  of  George  W.  and  Sarah  Boal 
in-  as  follows:  Martha  C.,  bom  April  <>.  1S24, 
is  the  widow  of  Dr.  Henry  Orlady,  and  the 
mother  of  Judge  Orlady ;  James  C,  born  Decem- 
ber 27,  1.S26,  was  a  well-known  citizen  of  Potter 
township,  and  died  March  27,  1895;  his  widow 
resides  in  Centre  Hall.  John  S.,  born  January 
18,  1829,  married  Elizabeth  R.  Cunningham, 
and  lives  in  Centre  Hall.  George  A.,  born  Jan- 
uary 16,  1831,  died  in  Ceorge's  Valley  December 
28,  1834.  Samuel  K. ,  born  November  7,  1S32, 
died  October  29,  1841.  William  A  ,  bom  Sep- 
tember 13,  1835,  resides  in  Potter  township. 
George  M.  is  the  next  of  the  family.  Elizabeth 
E.,  born  June   21,   1842,  died   August    13,    1844. 

George  M.  Boal,  whose  name  begins  this 
record,  was  born  in  Harris  township,  Centre 
county,  March  17,  1839,  and  when  he  had  at- 
tained a  sufficient  age  began  his  education  in  the 
Kock  Hill  school,  under  the  direction  of  Chris- 
tina Wieland.  He  mastered  the  rudimentary 
branches  in  the  district  schools,  was  a  student  in 
Boalsburg  Academy  when  Rev.  Austin  was  its 
principal,  and  attended  Kishacoquillas  Seminary 
for  one  term.  When  not  in  the  school  room  he 
assisted  his  father  in  the  cultivation  01  the  home 
farm,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  when  he 
served  as  salesman  in  the  general  store  of  Ard  & 
Dunlap,  at  Pine  Grove  Mills.  Centre  county.  On 
August  16,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  D,  148th  Infantry,  and  his  first  active 
service  was  at  Chancellorsville.  Alter  that  bat- 
tle he  served  on  detached  duty  as  clerk  at  the 
headquarters  oi  the  hirst  Division,  Second  Army 
Corps,  under  Gen.  Hancock.  Later  he  was  in 
the  general  recruiting  service  at  Harrisburg.  On 
March  10,  1865,  he  was  commissioned  first  lieu- 
tenant ami  quartermaster  ol  the  83d  P.  V.  I., 
joined  th.it  command  at  city  Point,  and  was 
with  the  regiment  in  the  field  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  when  111  |une,  1865,  he  was  honorably 
discharged. 

While  home  on  a  furlough  in  February,   1 
Mr.    Boal  ha<l  married    Miss    Ellen    Love,   ami  on 
the  close  of  the  war  hastened    to    his    wife.      She 
is  a  native  of  Potter  township,  born  Februarj 
1840,  a  daughter  of   Judge   W.   W    and    Agnes 


1  Williams)  Love.      On  his  return  to  civil  life.  Mi 

il  located  on  the  old  homestead  of  his  father 
in  Harris  township,  the  property  being  owned  by 
himself  and  brother  Shannon.  In  the  spring  of 
1867,  he  sold  to  his  brother  Shannon,  and  pur- 
chased the  John  Durst  farm  in  Potter  township, 
where  he  has  since  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  owns  more  than  200  acres  of  valuable 
land,  and  has  one  of  the  best  improved  farrmvn 
the  township,  its  well-tilled  fields  and  neat  t  ,-•- 
pearance  indicating  his  careful  supervision.  "He 
and  his  wife  have  five  children:  Martha  J.,  wife 
of  D.  A.  Boozer,  of  Centre  Hall;  Mary  A.,  wife 
of  Charles  Meyer,  of  Centre  Hall;  Margaret  L  . 
wife  of  Charles  Slack,  of  Potter  township,  and 
Blanche  and  Mabel,  at  home.  This  family 
occupy  a  leading  position  in  social  circles,  and 
have  the  warm  regard  of   many  friends. 

Mr.  Boal  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  as  he 
cares  naught  for  office  it  is  easily  seen  that  his 
earnest  support  comes  from  a  firm  belief  in  the 
principles  of  the  party  as  productive  of  the  great- 
est good  to  the  greatest  number.  He  has  a  broad 
understanding  of  the  questions  which  divide 
parties,  and  is  also  well  informed  on  all  general 
topics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  a 
charter  member  of  Samuel  Shannon  Post,  No. 
2S2.  G.  A.  R.,  at  Centre  Hall.  He  and  his  wife 
hold  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  A 
substantial  farmer,  he  has  won  success  by  his 
own  efforts,  and  he  is  a  man  of  kind  and  gener- 
ous impulses,  widely  and  favorably  known,  and  is 
best  liked  where  best  known. 


THOMAS  H.  HARTER.      A  definite  purpose 
in    life,    pursued    with     resolute,    vigorous 
will,  is    the  distinguishing   mark  of  a   successful 
career,  and  no  one  who  reads  the  following  biog- 
raphy can    fail    to   join    the    many  friends  of  the 
able  and  energetic  editor  of  the  Keystone  Gazette, 
of    Bellefonte,  in    then  confidence  in   his  future. 
Mr.    Harter's  early  perception   of  the  path  best 
suited    to    his    talents    was    the    first    step,  and  a 
most   important  one.  in    the  pathway  to  prosper 
ity    and    honor,  and   his   alert,  forceful    and  judi 
cious  use  of  all  the  resources  at  hand  has  a  1  read] 
placed    him    in    a    position   to  command  success 
A    ready    writer,   an    efficient    manager,   an 
thoughtful  student  ot    every  phase  of   human  life 
and   effort,    he    is   well   equipped    for   lus  chosen 
work,  and  we  ma\   add  also  that  his  charact. 

honest)      fearless,    outspoken,    cleai 
honesty-    has  had   much   to   do  with  his  build 
up  and  maintaining  his  inlluence. 

Mr.  Harl  igs  to  a  representative  "  Penn 

sylvania-Dutch  "  family,  and  his  history  is  an  in- 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


161 


teresting  one.  He  was  born  May  28,  1854,  at 
Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  upon  a  farm  which 
formerly  belonged  to  his  grandfather,  Andrew 
Harter,  a  pioneer  of  what  is  now  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  who  came  from  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  about  the  year  1800,  and  located 
at  the  lower  end  of  Penn's  Valley  in  the  primeval 
forest,  clearing  and  improving  his  property  after 
the  custom  of  that  early  day.  For  some  twelve 
years  a  blanket  took  the  place  of  a  door  in  his 
humble  home,  and  oiled  paper  served  as  glass 
for  the  windows.  Wild  beasts  from  the  sur- 
rounding woods  were  frequent  visitors,  and  one 
night  his  large  bull-dog  was  thrown  over  the 
fence  by  one.  Andrew  Harter  and  his  wife,  Sallie 
(Rupp),  had  seven  children:  George  (who  died 
in  Penn  township,  Centre  county),  Andrew, 
Jacob,  William,  John,  Mrs.  Henry  Swartz  and 
Mrs.  George  Noyer. 

William  Harter,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  at  the  old  homestead  near  Aaronsburg  in 
1812,  and  passed  his  life  there  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  his  death  occurring  in  1885.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  religious  faith  was  a 
Lutheran.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Hess,  who 
was  born  in  Penn's  Valley,  Haines  township, 
Centre  county,  in  18 15,  and  is  still  living  in 
Aaronsburg.  Our  subject  was  one  of  twelve  chil- 
dren: (1)  Israel,  a  resident  of  Canal  Fulton, 
Ohio;  (2)  Anna  (Mrs.  Fred  Kurtz),  of  Centre 
Hall,  Penn. ;  (3)  Jonathan,  a  retired  farmer  in 
Millheim;  (4)  Sarah  (Mrs.  Mench),  who  resides 
at  the  old  homestead;  (5)  John,  a  resident  of  Os- 
ceola, Crawford  Co.,  Ohio;  (6)  William,  a 
butcher  at  Hartertown,  Union  Co.,  Penn.;  (7) 
Daniel,  a  tanner  at  Smithville,  Ohio;  (8)  Re- 
becca (Mrs.  Levi  Murray),  of  Centre  Hall;  (9) 
Andrew,  a  tanner  at  Rockford,  111.;  (10)  Aaron, 
the  chief  engineer  of  the  Harrisburg  electric  light 
works;  (11)  Thomas  H.,  our  subject;  and  (12) 
Kate  (Mrs.  Samuel  Campbell),  of  Millheim.  The 
eldest  of  these  is  upward  of  sixty  years  of  age, 
and  the  youngest  thirty-six,  all  living,  only  one 
death  having  occurred  in  the  family  in  sixty 
years. 

Thomas  Harter's  education  was  not  obtained 
without  difficulty,  as  his  parents  objected  to  much 
learning  for  fear  that  it  "  might  make  him  a  ras- 
cal." Perhaps  we  may  find  here  the  basis  of 
that  sensitive  conscience,  inherited  and  developed, 
which  makes  him  so  careful  to  avoid  the  least 
misrepresentation  as  to  known  facts.  Conscious 
of  his  own  rectitude,  and  not  sharing  his  parents' 
fear  of  perversion,  the  lad  kept  up  his  search  for 
knowledge,  obtaining  his  books  by  employing 
his  spare  moments  on  the  farm  in  the  service  of 
others.  He  attended  school  until  i87i,whenhe 
11 


went  to  Smithville,  Ohio,  to  learn  the  tanner's 
trade  with  his  brother  Dan,  and  while  there  he 
pursued  his  studies  at  the  Smithville  Normal 
School.  On  his  return  in  1872,  he  learned  the 
printer's  art  with  his  brother-in-law,  Hon.  Fred 
Kurtz,  of  the  Centre  Hall  Reporter,  and  then  at- 
tended Penn  Hall  Academy  for  a  year.  In  1876 
he  purchased  the  Nevada,  Ohio,  Enterprise,  a 
weekly  paper  of  limited  circulation,  which  he  soon 
established  on  a  paying  basis.  But  he  longed  to 
plant  his  feet  on  his  "native  heath,"  and  in  1882 
he  sold  the  Enterprise  and  bought  the  Post,  of 
Middleburg,  Snyder  county.  This  also  was  in 
an  unsatisfactory  condition,  but  his  industry  and 
zeal  again  worked  wonders,  and  the  paper  soon 
came  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  mostsprightly 
and  interesting  of  its  class.  The  advertising  in- 
creased, and  the  Post  was  enjoying  well-earned 
prosperity,  when,  desiring  a  wider  field,  Mr.  Har- 
ter disposed  of  it  and,  in  March,  1894,  purchased 
the  Keystone  Gazette,  at  a  bargain.  His  success 
there  was  a  certainty  from  the  first,  and  the  in- 
creased popularity  of  the  paper  is  no  surprise  to 
those  who  knew  the  efficiency  of  its  new  proprie- 
tor and  editor. 

Mr.  Harter  is  the  author  of  the  famous  "Boon- 
astiel  "  letters,  in  the  Pennsylvania-Dutch  dialect, 
which  were  begun  in  the  Middleburg  Post,  and 
later  published  in  book  form  in  answer  to  a  de- 
mand from  the  public  for  their  preservation  in 
accessible  form.  As  a  critic  has  said,  it  is  a  vol- 
ume of  legend,  story  and  song,  full  of  fun  and 
philosophy,  and  every  chapter  points  a  moral  or 
adorns  a  tale.  One  thousand  copies  have  been 
issued,  and  a  second  edition  will  soon  be  pre- 
pared which  will,  no  doubt,  be  illustrated. 

In  1876  Mr.  Harter  married  Miss  Mary  Izora 
Musser,  daughter  of  James  Musser,  a  well-known 
citizen  of  Harterton,  Union  county.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations  our  subject  is  a  Republican,  but 
although  firm  in  that  faith  he  has  never  taken 
part  in  partisan  work  as  a  candidate  for  office, 
wishing  to  deal  with  the  principles  rather  than 
the  machinery  of  the  organization.  Socially,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  His  chief  recrea- 
tion is  hunting  and  fishing,  for  which  he  has  in- 
herited a  liking,  and  his  cheery  nature  is  always 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  pleasures  which 
lie  within  his  reach. 


m  LEXANDER  McCOY  is  one  of  the  most 
^rL  enterprising  and  progressive  citizens  of 
Centre  county.  He  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 
and  by  his  genial  manner  and  kindly  disposition 
is  constantly  adding  to  that  number.  He  is 
descended  from  honored  ancestry  of  Scotch-Irish 


162 


OOMMEMOBA  T1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


blood,  those  races  being  largelj  represented  in 
the  settling  of  Penn's  Valley,  which  thus  became 
the  home  of  a  prosperous,  reliable  ;ui'l  substan- 
tia] people. 

Mi  McCo)  i"  ongs  to  the  third  generation  oi 
the  family  in  America,  his  grandfather,  Alexand<  i 
McCoy,  bein^  tbe  first  to  come  to  the  United 
Sutes.  He  located  in  Mifflin  count}-,  where  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  McDowell.  Alter  re- 
moving  to  (  entre  county,  he  became  the  well- 
known  host  of  the  "Old  Fort  Hotel,"  and  sub- 
sequently he  purchased  of  fhe  Potter  famil)  the 
farm  upon  winch  our  subject  now  residi  s  He 
located  thereon  in  1847,  and  continued  his  1 
idence  there   until  lus  death,  which  occurred   in 

I  S70,  when  he  was  aged  seventy-eighl  years;  his 
wife  died  several  years  previously,  and  both  were 
buried  in  Centre  Hill  cemetery.  They  were 
members  oi  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  pol- 
itics the  grandfather  was  an  Old-line  Whig.  He 
was  a  large,  portly  man,  very  robust,  and  was 
never  ill  until  seized  with  the  ii  I  ness  that  ter- 
minated his  life.  His  children  were  John,  fathei 
of  our  subject;  Mary  A.,  who  became  the  wii 
Dr.  A.  S.  Harshberger,  and  died  in  Mifflin 
county,  |olm  F. ,  who  died  on  the  home  farm; 
Margaret,   who  died  in   Lock    Haven,   lVnn.  .    and 

Hannah,   widow  of   H.    II.    Van   Dyke,  ol   Lock 

I I  iven 

John  McCoy,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Mifflin  county,  in  1817.  and  was  reared  in  thi 
usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of  thai  period.     His 
school   privileges   were   limited,    but    he   eagerl) 
perused  much  of  the  literature  thai  came  in  Ins 

way.  and  in  his  later  years  was  an  almost  con- 
a1  reader,  so  thai  he  became  a  well-informed 
man  From  1 S4 7  until  his  death  he  lived  on  the 
old  family  homestead.  He  married  Agnes  Mc- 
(  .rmick,  who  was  born  in  Perm's  Valley,  in 
1827,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah 
(Shannon)  McCormick  Her  death  occurred  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and  Mr  McCoy 
died  November  26,  1895,  the  result  ol  an  injury 
done  to  bis  hand  in  a  corn  busker,  their  remains 
were  interred  in  Centre  Hill  cemetery.  II.  sup- 
ported the  Whig  part)  until  its  dissolution,  when 
he  became  a  stanch  Republican,  firm  in  support 
of  its  principles.  His  children  are  Jane  \  ,  wife 
of  Robert  Sartain,  ol  Mercersburg,  Penn  .  P 
wife  of  J  W.  Wolf,  of  Centre  Hall;  Emma; 
Alexander;  and  John,  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
\  ania. 

Alexandei  McCoy,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  born  at  "()id  Fort,  'in  Potter 
township,  August  3,  1845,  and  during  his  earl) 
boyhood  accompanied  his  parents  to  Potters 
Mills,  where  he  acquired  his  education.      When  a 


boy  he  attended  a  select  school,  of  which  Prof. 
Love  was  principal,  and  also  pursued  his  studies 
in  the  public  schools.  Realizing  the  value  of 
mental  training,  he  is  a  warm  friend  of  the  cause 
icatii  »n,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  schools  of  his  locality.  His 
boyho.wl  days  were  spent  underthe  parental  roof, 
and  when  a  young  man  he  began  dealing  in  live 
stock.  Soon  he  became  an  excellent  judge  of 
stock,  and  his  business  transactions  were  there- 
fore crowned  with  success.  He  purchased  stock 
which  he  shipped  to  Philadelphia  and  to  Dela- 
ware county,  Penn.,  and  throughout  his  life  he 
has  followed  that  pursuit  in  connection  with  farm- 
ing. After  his  marriage  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  one  of  the  two  houses  on  the  home  farm,  and 
at  various  times  was  his  father's  partner  in  busi- 
ness. He  rented  land  of  his  father,  and  August 
15,  1896,  purchased  a  portion  of  the  old  home- 
stead. He  now  owns  a  valuable  tract  of  150 
acres  of  arable  land,  together  with  some  mount- 
ain land  and  a  small  tract  near  Potters  Mills. 
He  readily  sees  the  advantage  to  be  derived  from 
improved  machinery,  and  is  one  of  the  truly  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  the  township,  utilizing  the 
most  advanced  methods  and  improved  imple- 
ment^ in  his  farm  work.  In  October,  1895,  he 
suffered  a  very  painful  accident,  losing  the  third 
and  fourth  fi]  I    his    left  hand  while  operat- 

ing acorn  busker  and  fodder  cutter. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  in  Boalsburg.  Mr 
McCoy  wedded  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Catherine  (Jack)  Wilson,  and  a  native  of 
Boalsburg.  Their  children  are  Aynes,  wife  of 
A  I'  Potts,  a  Lutheran  minister  of  Youngstown, 
Ohio;  Samuel  \\  . .  who  married  Merab  Randol, 
of  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  John  F.  and  Katy 
twins  ;  the  last  named  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years,  and  John  F.  is  now  a  merchant  at  his 
1,  Potters  Mills. 

Mr.  McCoy  is  unwavering  in  his  allegiance  to 
the  Republican  party,  which  he  has  supported 
sini  e  casting  bis  lirsl  Presidential  vote  for  Lincoln 
in  [864.  He  warmly  advocated  the  Republican 
doctrine,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  insure  tbe 
success  of  his  party.  He  served  most  effect i\ 
hairman  of  the  Republican  committee  of 
r  township,  and  is  the  advisor  and  counselor 
ol  bis  part)   in  this  section,  but  has  never  sought 

n  himself       His  wife  belongs  to  the  IV 
b)  terian  Church,  to  the  support  of  which  he  con- 
tributes       He  is  a    man   of   scholarly   tastes,  one 
who  vely,  and  is  widely  inforrw 

on  matters  of  general  interest.      His  business  ' 
brought    him   into   contact    with    many,  and   I 

le  of  his  friends  is  almost   as  extensivi 

cquaintances.      He  is  most  hospit- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


163 


able,  is  pleasant  and  genial  in  manner,  and 
wherever  he  goes  his  genuine  worth  wins  him  the 
respect  of  all  classes. 


H  PHr; 


HARSHBERGER,  of  Bellefonte,  is  a 
Kjl  prominent  member  of  the  Centre  County 
Bar,  and  in  his  chosen  profession,  and  previously 
in  his  work  as  an  educator,  he  has  manifested 
abilities  of  a  high  order.  He  was  born  June  10, 
1849,  in  Walker  township,  Centre  county,  and 
is  a  descendant  of  a  German  family  long  resident 
in  Pennsylvania.  Various  members  settled  in 
Lebanon  county  at  an  early  day,  Christian,  Bar- 
bara and  Ann  locating  there  in  1737,  Caspar  and 
|acob  in  1749,  Johannes  in  1754,  Henrich  in 
1768,  and  David  in  1770. 

Christian  Harshberger,  our  subject's  great- 
grandfather, passed  his  remaining  years  in  Leb- 
anon county,  but  he  took  up  new  lands  in  Bern 
township,  Berks  county  (then  Lancaster  county), 
in  1745,  1753  and  1755.  His  son,  Abraham 
(who  died  in  18 18),  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, became  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Penn's 
Valley,  Centre  county,  and  helped  to  drive  the 
Indians  from  that  locality.  His  children  were: 
(i)  John,  a  farmer  in  Penn's  Valley,  who  died 
there  at  the  age  of  eighty  years;  (2)  Joseph,  who 
died  in  Ohio  at  an  advanced  age;  (3)  David,  our 
subject's  father;  (4)  Abraham  (deceased),  a  well- 
known  physician  at  Milroy,  Penn.,  who  served 
as  a  surgeon  during  the  Civil  war;  (5)  Henry 
(deceased),  a  successful  physician  in  Juniata 
county,  Penn. ;  (6)  Catherine,  who  never  mar- 
ried, and  is  now  eighty-nine  years  old. 

David  Harshberger  was  born  in  Penn's  Val- 
ley in  1804,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Nancy 
Rhone,  also  a  native  of  the  Valley,  born  in 
1 8 10.  They  passed  their  wedded  life  upon 
farms  in  Snow  Shoe  and  Walker  townships, 
Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  and  were  active  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  leaders  in  many  pro- 
gressive movements,  the  father  being  prominent 
in  the  early  days  as  an  Abolitionist  and  later  as 
an  ardent  Republican.  He  died  in  1881,  and 
the  mother  in  1878.  Of  the  twelve  children  of 
this  esteemed  couple  all  but  three  are  living: 
John  is  a  farmer  and  peppermint  distiller  in 
Michigan;  Jacob  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  a 
member  of  Battery  M,  3rd  N.  Y.  Light  Artillery, 
and  was  killed  at  the  taking  of  Richmond;  David, 
a  member  of  Company  I,  3rd  Mo.  Cav.,  lost  his 
life  in  the  service,  and  was  buried  near  Browns- 
ville, Ark. ;  Abraham  is  a  practicing  physician  in 
Philadelphia;  Elizabeth  married  John  Baney,  of 
Zion,  Centre  county;  Fannie  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  Mary  A.  married  James  J.  Lower, 


and  resides  in  Grand  Junction,  Colo.';  Zachariah 
resides  in  Milesburg,  Centre  county;  H.  H.  is 
mentioned  more  fully  below;  Nancy  J.  married 
John  S.  Yerick;  Samuel  is  a  physician  at  Port 
Matilda,  Centre  county,  and  Jeremiah  died  in 
childhood. 

Mr.  Harshberger's  early  years  were  spent  on 
his  father's  farm  in  his  native  county,  but  his  liter- 
ary education  was  completed  at  Dickinson  Sem- 
inary, in  Williamsport,  Penn.  He  then  became 
a  teacher,  and  after  three  years  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Orphans'  School  at  Chester  Springs, 
Penn,,  he  prepared  for  the  legal  profession,  tak- 
ing a  course  in  the  law  school  at  Albany,  N..Y., 
graduating  in  1872,  and  subsequently  spent  a 
year  in  the  office  of  the  late  Judge  A.  Hoy,  and 
traveled  extensively  in  quest  of  lost  health.  As 
he  resumed  the  work  of  teaching  temporarily,  it 
was  not  until  1882  that  he  established  himself  in 
practice  at  Bellefonte,  entering  into  partnership 
with  the  Hon.  Seth  H.  Yocum,  since  deceased. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  devoted  to  his  pro- 
fessional work,  and  has  met  with  well-deserved 
success.  Besides  his  professional  duties,  he 
finds  pleasure  in  agriculture,  and  superintends 
the  work  on  several  large  farms  besides  his  own, 
and  is  eminently  successful. 

On  November  9,  1882,  Mr.  Harshberger 
married  Miss  Julia  C.  Barnhart,  a  native  of  Cen- 
tre county,  born  May  12,  1852.  She  died  Jan- 
uary 29,  1894,  leaving  four  children:  Ralph  C. , 
James  B.,  Mary  R.  and  David  R. 

As  an  intelligent  observer  of  current  events, 
Mr.  Harshberger  is  naturally  interested  in  polit- 
ical questions,  his  allegiance  being  given  to  the 
Republican  party.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a 
Methodist,  an  official  member  of  his  Church,  and 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for  the  last 
ten  years.  As  an  educator  he  was  in  advance  of 
his  fellows,  for  as  early  as  1878  he,  in  a  lecture 
delivered  before  the  Centre  County  Teachers  In- 
stitute, advocated  a  compulsory  and  free  text 
book  law,  and  asked  that  body  to  memorialize 
the  Legislature  to  enact  such  a  law,  which  reso- 
lution was  defeated,  and  his  hopes  were  not  real- 
ized until  he  had  gone  out  of  the  profession, 
when,  in  1895,  the  Legislature  enacted  just  such 
a  law  as  was  mapped  out  in  his  lecture. 


LOT  R.  HENSYL,  M.  D.,  an  eminent  physi- 
,1  cian  and  surgeon  of  Howard,  Centre  county, 

was  born  on  the  6th  of  January,  1840,  near 
Trevorton,  Northumberland  Co.,  Penn. ,  of  which 
county  his  parents,  John  D.  and  Susan  (Rother- 
mel)  Hensyl,  were  also  natives.  The  father  was 
an  extensive  lumber  merchant  and  farmer,  and 


ir.1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BI0QRAPHICA1    RECORD. 


a  prominent  and  influential  man  in  his  commu- 
nity, in  winch  he  served  with  destinction  in  sev- 
eral local  offices.  He  was  a  Republican  in  p 
tics,  and  a  consistent  member  "1  the  Evangeli- 
cal Church.  He  did  November  26,  1895,  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two,  and  Inn  wife  passed 
away  December  30.  1894,  at  the  age  <>f  eighty, 
She  was  own  musm  to  Peter  Frederick  Rother- 
nifl,  the  celebrated  artist,  who  painted  the 
"Battle  of  Gettysburg"  for  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania, (or  winch  he  was  paid  $35,000. 

Dr.  Hensyl  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in 
their  family  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Cathe- 
rine, wife  of  Levi  Conrad,  a  miner  of  Trevor- 
ton,  Penn. ;  Nathan,  a  railroad  engineer  residing 
in  Shamokin,  Penn.;  Lot  R.  ;  Daniel,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years;  Miry,  who  dud 
in  infancy;  Silas,  also  an  engineer,  living  in 
Shamokin;  Rev.  John,  pastor  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Church  of  Mahanoy  City,  Penn.;  Louisa, 
wife  of  William  Yan/andt,  a  railroad  engineer 
of  Shamokin;  Sallie,  wife  of  Peter  Neidig,  a 
merchant  of  the  same  place;  and  \Y.  L  .  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of   Shamokin. 

George  and  Eva  (Dunkelburger)  Hensyl,  the 
paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  spent  their 
entire  lives  upon  a  farm  in  Northumberland 
county,  Penn,  but  the  great-grandfather  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  whence  he  came  to  America 
when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  Abraham 
and  Mary  (Hunter)  Rothermel,  the  maternal 
grandparents,  made  their  home  in  Reading,  this 
State. 

Our  subject  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  seventeen  years  oi  age,  when  he  went 
to  Philadelphia,  and  began  clerking  in  the  coal 
office  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  H.  Rothermel,  where 
he  remained  for  several  months.  Returning 
home,  he  worked  for  his  father  during  the  sum- 
mer in  a  sawmill,  while  through  the  winter  sea- 
son he  attended  school  until  twent)  \<  ars  ol  age, 
thus  acquiring  a  good  literary  education.  He 
then    In     in    1   ading    medicine    with    Dr.    S.   S. 

Smith,  but  on  tl utbreak  ol  the  Civil   war  l?id 

aside  Ins  books  and  enlisted  in  Company  1>,  52nd 
1'.  V    I.,  under  ('apt.  James  Chamberlain.      For 
ovei  threi  years  he  valiantl)  fought  for  the  pr< 
vation  of  the  Union;  he   helped  to  storm  all  the 
forts  m  South  Carolina;  at   Morris  Island  he  was 
detailed  as  shipping  clerk,  and    bj  special   01 
wa^  sent   to   Jacksonville,  Fla.,  where  hi 
in  that  capacit)  tor  three  months.      Bj  order  of 
Gen    Foster,  he  then  returned  to  Morn,   Island, 
and  was  iii   the   Ordnance  Department  until  dis- 
■  hai  ;ed  in   1864       He  was  a    brave  and    \  aliant 
soldi  iys   Found  at   hi-,  post   of  duty.      Re- 

turning   home,    our  subject    again   resumed    the 


ly  of  medicine  with  Dr.  C.  P.  Herington,  of 
Ashland,  Schuylkill  Co.,  Penn.,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  two  and  one-half  years,  and  in  1866 
and  1  So-  attended  lectures  at  the  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College.  On  receiving  his  diploma  Dr.  Hen- 
syl located  at  Howard,  where  he  soon  built  up  a 
large  and  flourishing  practice,  which  his  skill  and 
ability  justlv  merits. 

Dr.   L.    R.    Hensyl    married    Miss    Sarah    I 
Heim,  who  was    born    in    Lebanon,   Penn.,  Octo- 
ber   15,   1849,  a  daughter    of   Rev.  William    and 
Lydia   (Hepler)    Heim,  the   former   a    native   of 
Northumberland  county,  and  the  latter  of  Schuyl- 
kill   county.     Penn.       Rev.     Heim     was   bom    in 
Upper   Mahanoy   township,  a  son  of   John    and 
Sophia    (Kohl)    Heim,   and  his   paternal   grand- 
father was  one  of  the  pioneers  of    that    locality 
He  bore  the  name  of   George  Heim,  and    in   the 
early  records  of  Northumberland  county,  we  find 
him  paying  taxes  in  1778.      He  often  traded  with 
the  Indians,  and  was  never  molested  by  the  Red 
men  but  once,  which  was  a  short  time  before  tin- 
French  and  Indian  war  and  the  Wyoming  n 
sacre.      He  had  sent  his  family  and  drove  of  cat- 
tle to   Reading,  and  while   all  alone    the  Indian- 
knocked  at   his  door  and   were   admitted.      After 
giving  them  milk  and  such  food  as  the  early  set 
tiers    had   at   that   time,  a    young    Indian    beg 
flourishing    a    tomahawk    around    him,    showing 
what  he  intended  to  do,  but  Mr.   Heim  arose  and 
with  his  closed  fist  knocked  him  out  ofthehon 
Alter  thus  disposing  of   the   leader,  the  rest  be- 
came his  friends,  telling    him   that    he   had   doni 
right. 

John  Heim,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Hensyl 
and  a  farmer  and  school  teacher  by  occupation, 
died    in    1S24.      He   was   twice    married,    by   tin 
first  union  having  one  son   and  seven  daught- 
while  by  the  second  there  were  six  sons  and  two 
daughters.      Sophia  (Kohl),  his  second  wife,  In 
to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-eight  years.      Hei 
children    were   as    follows:     John,  of    Richfield 
Juniata  Co.,  Penn.;  George,  of  Upper  Mahanov 
township.    Northumberland  countv;   Diana,  w 
of  John   Straub,  of   Lykenstown,  Penn.;  Mollie, 
wife  of  Peter  Beisel,  of   Upper  Mahanoy;   Pel 
ol   Watsontown,  Northumberland  county;  Will- 
iam, the  father  ol    Mrs    Hensyl;  Daniel,  of  N 
thumberland  county;  and  Jonathan,  a  residenl 
Illinois 

Rev.   William  Heim  remained  upon  the  hi 
farm  until  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  entered 
tin-  ministry  ol  the  Evangelical  Association,  a 
ever  afterward  devoted  his  time  to  the  preach 
of  tl      1  I,      His   death    occurred    at    Mill' 

burg,  I  >auphin  county.      He  «  as  the  father  of  1 
children:       Frederick,    Catherine,    Charles    and 


CUM  ME  MORA  TIYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


165 


Sophia,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  and  Sarah 
E.,  wife  of  our  subject.  Her  maternal  grand- 
parents were  John  and  Catherine  (Maurer)  Hep- 
ler,  natives  of  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Five  children  grace  the  union  of  Dr.  Hensyl 
and  his  excellent  wife,  namely:  (i)  Blanche 
E.,  who  acquired  her  education  in  the  Union 
Seminary  of  New  Berlin,  Penn.,  is  now  the  wife 
of  William  Weber,  a  merchant  of  Howard.  (2) 
L.  Louise  is  a  most  accomplished  young  lady, 
and  an  artist  of  considerable  merit,  several  of  her 
elegant  paintings  adorning  the  walls  of  their  home; 
for  a  time  she  attended  the  Central  Pennsylvania 
College,  and  was  also  a  student  in  Miss  Wilson's 
Female  Seminary,  at  Williamsport,  and  of  Buck- 
nell  Institute,  Lewisburg,  Penn.  (3)  Annie  I., 
also  at  home,  is  a  fine  musician  (4)  William 
C.  and  (5)  George  S.  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof.  Fraternally,  Dr.  Hensyl  holds  member- 
ship in  the  f.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  G.  A.  R.  and 
Veteran  Legion,  belonging  to  the  local  orders  at 
Howard.  His  political  support  is  ever  given  the 
Republican  party.  A  talented,  cultured  gentle- 
man, he  holds  an  honorable  position  among  his 
professional  brethren,  and  in  social  circles  also 
stands  high. 


J  [AMES  A.  LUKENS,  a  retired  contractor  and 
builder,  of  Philipsburg,  is  well  worthy  of  rep- 
resentation in  any  history  of  Centre  county, 
for  his  life  record  has  long  been  interwoven  with 
its  history  and  he  has  done  much  for  the  ad- 
vancement and  general  progress  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  resides. 

Mr.  Lukens  was  born  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn. , 
j   October  31,   1829,  and  comes  of   a   family  that 
i   has   long  been   prominently  connected   with  the 
interests   of  the    State.      His  great-great-grand- 
1  father,  Gabriel  Lukens,  came    to  America  from 
j   Germany,  one  of  two  brothers'  sons,  Charles  and 
John,  both  surveyors  appointed  by  the  governor 
under   Ring   George.      The   former  did   much  of 
the  early  surveying  in  Centre  county;   John  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  near  Standing  Stone,  Hunt- 
ingdon Co.,  Pennsylvania. 

David  Lukens,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  Abraham  and 

'. (Brown)  Lukens,  of  Juniata  county,  Penn., 

1  where  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and  lum- 
bering. He  was  twice  married,  his  second  wife 
being,  in  her  maidenhood,  Maggie  Sanderson. 
David  Lukens  wedded  Elizabeth  Sunderland,  a 
daughter  of  David  and  (Hamilton)  Sunder- 
land, of  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  who  were  of 
Scotch  descent.  Four  children  graced  their 
union:     James   A.,  of  this  sketch;   William    B., 


who  died  in  Mifflin  county,  in  1889;  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  E.  B.  Jones,  a  railroad  official  living  in 
Selins  Grove,  Snyder  Co.,  Penn.,  and  David,  a 
wealthy  miller  of  Atchison,  Kans.  The  parents 
both  died  upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Wayne 
township,  Mifflin  county,  the  father  on  January 
28,  1834.  aged  thirty-two  years,  and  the  mother 
on  January  8,  1834,  aged  twenty-six.  They  were 
consistent  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  were  widely  and  favorably  known. 

Left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  James  A. 
Lukens  made  his  home  with  his  paternal  grand- 
father until  ten  years  old,  when  he  began  work- 
ing upon  the  farm  of  William  A.  Moore,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  two  years,  and  has  since 
been  dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  For 
the  following  seven  years  he  was  with  William 
Ward,  working  upon  his  farm  until  Mr.  Ward's 
death,  and  then  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
carpenter's  trade.  His  literary  education  had  of 
necessity  been  very  limited,  but  in  the  winter  of 
1847-48  he  attended  school,  so  that  he  might 
better  be  prepared  for  active  business  life.  In 
1850  he  fulfilled  his  first  contract,  preparing  the 
timber  for  the  first  six  bridges  erected  between 
Tyrone  and  Spruce  creek  on  the  Pennslyvania 
railroad. 

On  November  20,  of  the  same  year,  Mr. 
Lukens  came  to  Philipsburg,  and  for  the  first' 
two  years  worked  in  a  fanning-mill  factory,  and 
also  engaged  in  peddling  for  same  in  summers  to 
some  extent.  For  some  time  he  was  employed 
in  the  lumber  woods  during  the  winter  season, 
while  through  the  summer  months  he  worked  at 
his  trade  of  carpentering.  In  1864  he  began 
contracting  and  building  on  his  own  account,  and 
he  successfully  followed  the  same  until  1894, 
when  he  turned  over  the  business  to  his  son,  and 
has  since  lived  retired.  He  erected  most  of  the 
fine  residences  in  Philipsburg,  on  an  average  com- 
pleting sixteen  buildings  a  year,  and  his  business 
amounting  to  from  $  1 0,000  to  $  1 2 ,000.  He  was 
numbered  among  the  most  reliable  and  enterpris- 
ing business  men  of  the  city,  promptly  and  faith- 
fully fulfilling  his  part  of  every  contract.  He  is 
now,  however,  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest,  and 
can  look  back  over  a  long  and  well-spent  life. 

On  November  6,  1851,  Mr.  Lukens  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Nancy  Maguigan,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children:  Cynthia  E.,  wife 
of  A.  C.  Shaff,  a  lumberman  and  farmer  of  Ma- 
dera, Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.;  William  A.,  fore- 
man of  a  planing-mill  in  Allegheny,  Penn.;  Clara 
B. ,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools,  who  is  resid- 
ing at  home;  Blanche  A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years;  Jesse  W. ,  a  carpenter  and 
builder  of  Philipsburg,  who   married  Agnes  Cou- 


166 


COMSfEMORATIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


perwait;  Bertha,  wife  of  W.  C.  Smith,  steel  in- 
spector and  shipper  for  the  Johnstown  Iron  Co., 
of  Johnstown,  Penn. ;  Emma,  wife  of  G.  C.  Ro- 
land, a  teacher  and  carpenter  of  Wall  Station, 
Penn.;   and  Lucy  Olga,   who  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Lukens  was  also  a  native  of  Mifflin 
county,  born  in  1830,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Nancy  (Cross)  Maguigan.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Ireland,  whence  when  four  years  of  age  he 
was  brought  to  America,  and  was  reared  in  Lan- 
caster, county,  Penn.,  where  his  wife  was  born. 
Throughout  life  he  followed  farming.  His  death 
occurred  in  Mifflin  county,  after  which  his  wife 
with  her  family  removed  to  La  Salle  county.  111., 
in  1851,  where  she  spent  her  remaining  days. 
Their  children  were  as  follows:  John,  a  veteran 
of  the  Mexican  war,  now  residing  in  Oregon; 
Jonathan,  who  died  at  New  Orleans  while  return- 
ing from  the  same  war;  Martha,  deceased  wife  of 
John  T.  Errinfelt,  a  farmer  of  Armstrong  county, 
Penn.;  Nancy,  wife  of  our  subject;  Mary  A.,  de- 
ceased wife  of  Isaac  Signor,  who  died  in  Cali- 
fornia; and  Sarah,  wife  of  Jesse  Vanamie,  a 
farmer   of  Wisconsin,    who    died    in    December, 

1897. 

A  man  of  firm  convictions,  Mr.  Lukens  is 
fearless  in  the  defense  of  what  he  believes  to  be 
right.  None  question  his  integrity  or  honorable 
business,  and  his  record  as  a  business  man  and 
as  a  private  citizen  alike  commands  respect  and 
admiration. 

JOHN  THOMAS  FOW  I. KK  needs  no  special 
introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  volume. 
He  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  lumber  in- 
terests of  this  section  of  Pennsylvania,  and  be- 
longs to  that  class  of  enterprising  citizens  who 
are  the  glory  ol  the  American  Republic,  for  their 
well-spent  lives,  their  energetic  efforts  and  re- 
liable business  methods  bring  to  them  the  pros- 
perity which  should  ever  reward  honest  toil.  He 
is  now  residing  at  Hannah  Furnace,  and  is  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  owning 
about  2, 500  acres  of  timber  land  in  Centre  and 
Blair  counties.  He  was  bum  in  Hartford 
county,  Md. ,  October  8,  1839,  but  much  ol  his 
life  has  been  passed  in   Pennsylvania. 

David  P.  Fowler,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  ol  1'ike  county,  Penn.,  where  his  par- 
ents were  also  born,  the  father  of  German,  and 
the  mother  ol  Swedish,  origin.  By  trade  he  was 
a  blacksmith,  and  while  sluicing  a  mule  was  se- 
verely kicked,  from  the  effects  "I  which  he  died 
in  August,  1849,  in  Maryland,  about  five  miles 
from  Baltimore.  In  1833,  in  Northampton 
county,  Penn.,  he  had  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Kirkendall  (formerly   Miss  Elizabeth  Stockham  . 


the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Joseph  Ink, 
justice  of  the  peace.  To  them  were  born  seven 
children,  namely:  (i)  Harriet  M.  married  Joseph 
Williams,  in  Philadelphia,  and  after  his  death 
wedded  George  Jones,  but  is  again  a  widow;  she 
is  now  residing  in  Philadelphia,  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  (2)  Emily  M.  is  the  wife  of 
Ada.m  Grissom,  a  politician,  of  Philadelphia, 
Penn.  (3)  John  T.»  of  this  review,  is  next  in 
order  of  birth.  14)  Charles  D.  and  his  twin 
brother,  who  died  in  infancy,  are  {he  next  of  the 
family;  the  former  became  a  member  of  the 
2nd  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  died  of  brain  fever.  (6)  William  T.  is 
a  machinist  and  sawyer,  of  Centre  county,  who 
also  served  his  country  during  the  whole  war;  in 
the  2nd  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  17)  Mary  Anna 
died  unmarried. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Penn's 
Manor,  Bucks  Co.,  Penn.,  October  5,  1803,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Alice  (Smith)  Stockham. 
John  Stockham.  our  subject's  grandfather,  was 
born  in  Bucks  county,  Penn.,  and  our  subject's 
great-grandfather,  also  named  John  Stockham, 
came  from  Bristol,  England,  and  his  two  brothers, 
George  and  Thomas,  came  to  America  soon  after 
and  joined  him.  They  all  settled  in  Bucks  county. 
Penn.  Our  subject's  grandfather  (John  Stock- 
ham) and  his  granduncle  married  sisters  John 
wedding  Alice  Smith  and  Thomas  wedding  Eliza- 
beth Smith.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  our  sub- 
ject's great-grandfather  and  great-granduncles 
were  named  John,  Thomas  and  George,  respect- 
ively, as  wen  also  his  grandfather  and  grand- 
uncles.  They  were  all  Quakers  or  Friends.  The 
Smiths  came  into  this  country  with  William 
Penn,  as  did  also  the   Marshalls.     Our  subji 

it-grandfather  and  his  brothers  followed  the 
building  of  dykes  or  ditches — reclaiming  land. 
All  that  country  north  of  Philadelphia,  along  the 
Neshamoney creek,  they  reclaimed  from  swamps. 
From  them  are  descended  all  of  the  Stockhams 
111  America.  The  grandfather  became  a  1. 
land  owner  in  Maryland,  where  hi-  engaged  in 
iiu  ■  ;ig.    milling    and    farming,    and     tl 

died. 

B)  her  first  husband,  Aaron  Kirkendall,  Mis. 
Elizabeth  Fowler  had  the  following  children: 
(i  Isaac  was  Inst  from  the  family  for  about 
thirty-six  years,  but  was  found  in  Ohio  by  our 
subject,  who  brought  him  back  to  his  moth 
home,  where  he  died  three  years  later. 
Alice  is  the  deceased  wife  ol  [ohn  Peterson,  now 
of  Baltimore  county.  Md.  (3)  Amos  is  also  a 
tanner  of  that  counts  |  l)  Rebecca,  (5)  Hulda 
and  (6)  Mary  S  .  all  died  unmarried.       7)  Georg* 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


167 


was  killed  by  jumping  over  a  fence,  a  picket 
passing  through  his  stomach.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Fowler's  third  husband  was  Charles  Buckley,  an 
English  miner,  who  died  in  California  during  the 
great  "gold  fever."  He  was  killed  by  a  cave-in 
of  dirt  and  rock.  By  this  marriage  she  had  no 
children.  It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  all 
three  of  her  husbands  met  with  accidental  deaths, 
Aaron  Kirkendall  (her  first  husband)  having  been 
killed  by  his  wagon,  laden  with  grain,  passing  over 
and  crushing  in  his  breast,  he  having  fallen  in 
front  of  the  wheels,  from  the  effect  of  which  he 
died  shortly  after.  Her  people  (Smiths  and 
Marshalls,  of  Bristol,  England)  originally  came  to 
this  country  with  William  Penn,  and  during  the 
first  winter  they  spent  in  America  they  lived  in 
"  dug-outs  ",  in  the  sand  hills  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  Delaware,  where  Burlington,  N.  J.,  now 
stands.  Just  across  the  river  in  Pennsyl- 
vania they  named  and  started  the  large 
town  of  Bristol,  in  Bucks  county,  Penn.  It 
was  our  subject's  ancestor  "Marshall"  who 
traveled  with  the  Indians  and  laid  off  the  land 
that  Penn  was  to  get  by  trade.  He  afterward 
was  the  delegate  of  Penn  to  settle  the  disputed 
line,  with  Lord  Baltimore  of  the  Colony  of  Mary- 
land. 

John  T.  Fowler,  the  subject  proper  of  this  re- 
view, was  only  eight  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died,  and  soon  after  his  mother's  third  marriage 
he  left  home,  as  he  disliked  his  step-father,  walk- 
ing eleven  miles  to  an  ore  mine,  where  he  secured 
work  at  driving  two  teams.  Six  months  later 
he  was  taken  home  by  his  parents,  but  soon  after- 
ward again  returned  to  the  mine,  giving  up  his 
wages  to  his  mother.  Latershe  secured  homes 
for  her  six  children,  after  first  trying  to  get  them 
work  in  the  mines  at  Pottsville,  Penn.  Their 
step-father  had  gone  to  California,  and  our  sub- 
ject went  to  live  with  a  farmer  in  Bucks  county, 
where  he  remained  fifteen  months,  and  then  went 
to  Burlington,  N.  J.,  with  the  intention  of  going 
to  school  through  the  assistance  of  his  uncle, 
John  Stockham,  a  lumberman  of  Philadelphia. 
On  his  arrival,  however,  he  was  placed  in  a  family 
who  misused  him,  making  him  work  and  not  al- 
lowing him  to  attend  school,  although  his  board 
was  paid  by  his  uncle.  A  year  later,  after  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Stockham,  he  joined  him  and  at 
once  entered  school,  attending  the  Morris  Gram- 
mar School,  at  Philadelphia,  later  graduated, 
and  then  went  to  the  Philadelphia  High  School, 
and  there  took  up  both  French  and  German.  It 
was  his  ambition  to  secure  a  good  education,  and 
he  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities. 

For  one  year  after  laying  aside  his  text  books, 
Mr.  Fowler  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  car- 


penter's trade,  and  was  then  persuaded  to  return 
to  his  uncle,  for  whom  he  worked  in  a  sawmill 
for  three  years  at  one  dollar  per  week  and  board. 
For  the  following  two  years  he  was  employed 
in  a  sawmill  at  one  dollar  per  day,  and  from 
the  money  thus  received  he  paid  the  carpenter, 
with  whom  he  began  learning  that  trade,  for  the 
clothes  given  him  while  in  his  employ.  Subse- 
quently he  was  connected  with  another  sawmill, 
manufacturing  bridge  and  ship  timber,  and  there 
remained  eleven  years,  receiving  $900  per  year. 
With  the  money  thus  accumulated,  Mr.  Fowler 
purchased  a  sawmill  in  Chester,  Delaware  Co., 
Penn.,  which  he  sold  out  to  advantage  after 
operating  the  same  for  two  years.  Going  to 
Clearfield  county,  he  afterward  located  in  Bald 
Eagle  Valley,  at  Fowler,  a  place  named  in  his 
honor,  and  erected  two  sawmills  which  he  suc- 
cessfully conducted  some  fifteen  years.  On  Marsh 
creek,  in  Centre  county,  he  next  purchased  a 
tract  of  timber  land  from  the  Curtins,  and  erected 
two  sawmills,  but  four  years  later  he  sold  out 
and  returned  to  Fowler  where  he  built  two 
mills,  which  he  operated  for  three  years.  There 
in  1877,  he  erected  an  elegant  home,  one  of 
the  handsomest  in  the  county,  and  began  farm- 
ing operations  which  he  continued  until  1893, 
when  he  removed  to  Dix,  Blair  Co.,  Penn.  At 
one  time  he  was  one  of  the  largest  property 
owners  in  Centre  county,  meeting  with  success 
in  his  ventures  until  1880;  but  through  mis- 
placed confidence  in  supposed  friends  he  has  lost 
heavily,  now  having  on  his  hands  $40,000  worth 
of  notes  which  have  no  value. 

Oh  May  26,  1857,  Mr.  Fowler  was  married  to 
Miss  Harriet  Matilda  Atkinson,  who  was  born  in 
Cecil  county,  Md.,  October  3,  1833,  and  was 
closely  related  to  the  noted  Cameron  family  of 
Scotland.  She  departed  this  life  October  23, 
1889,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Tyrone  ceme- 
tery. Her  last  words  to  her  husband  were, 
"Darling;,  I  have  shared  your  joys  and  sorrows 
to  the  end."  Her  death  was  widely  and  deeply 
mourned,  as  by  hej  gentle  ways  and  genial  man- 
ner she  made  hosts  of  warm  personal  friends, 
and  won  the  regard  of  all  with  whom  she  came 
in  contact.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Fowler 
wedded  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Beck,  and  by  her  he 
has  two  children:  Harriet  M.  A.,  born  in  Fowler, 
Centre  county,  September  29,  1891;  and  Mary 
E.,  born  September  3,  1893.  He  also  has  an 
adopted  son,  James  D.  Dobson,  born  December 
3,  1883. 

Mrs.  Fowler  is  a  native  of  Huntingdon 
county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Mary 
(Holland)  Beck,  natives  of  Huntingdon  and 
Cambria    counties,     Penn.,     respectively.      The 


U98 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


father  died  December  23,  1892,  upon  the  old 
homestead  farm  where  he  was  born.  He  was  .1 
ol  John  and  Elizabeth  (Grazier  Beck,  the 
former  a  native  of  Maryland,  the  latter  of  Hunt- 
ingdon  county,    Penn.     John  Beck's  father  was 

■   "i    the  earliest    settlers   in  Warrior's    Mark 

Valley,    Penn.      Mrs.    Fowler's  mother,    who  is 
still  living  on   the  «>ld  homestead  in  Huntingdon 

inty,  was  born  in  1834,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Bellcina  (Wilson)  Holland,  natives 
of  Cambria  county,  P  nn.  Mrs  Fowler  is  one 
of  a  family  <>f  nine  children,  namely:  Cerinus 
M.,  deceased;  Blooming  M.,  a  railroad  empl< 
living  at  Altoona,  Penn.;  Catherine  ('.,  at  home; 
Emma  F.,  wife  of  I. awn  nee  Howe,  a  carpenter 
of  Blair  county,  Penn  ,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  our 
subject;  Simon  E.  and  Lillian  M.,  deceased; 
and  John  \\  .  and  David  H.,  with  their  mother. 
Tli  ors  ol    Mrs.  Fowler  her   mother's 

i,  the  Hollens,  came  to  this  country  from 
London,  England,  during  the  reign  of  George 
111.  and  settled  on   a  large  •  ir  Reading, 

Penn       Her  great-great-grandfather  died  on  the 

iii  neai  Reading,  alter  which  the  family, 
consisting  of  three  brothers  and  their  aged 
mother,    leaving    the    eldest     daughter    on    the 

tte,  migrated  to  Mill  Hall,  Centre  Co.,  Penn., 
being  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  that  county. 
These  three  brothers  Hollen  were  millwrights 
by  trade,  and  the  place  (Mill  Hall,  takes  its 
name    from  them. 

While  living  at  Dix,  Blair  county,  Mr.  Fow- 
ler met  with  a  severe  loss  July  3,  1895,  most  ol 
his  line  library  being  d  iStroye  1  by  fire.  It  was 
vei\  large  and  contained  many  valuable  bonks 
which  he  can  never  replace,  including  a  complete 
set  of  •■  H.ii  |'ii.  Magazine"  and  "Weekly," 
bound,  since  the  war.  He  succeeded  in  saving 
\  numbers.  He  is  a  life  member  '>l  the  Ma- 
sonic Order,  belonging  t<>  Lodge  No.  494,  F.  & 
\  M  ,  ol  ["yrone,  Penn.,  and  was  a  member  "I 
the  Union  League  of  Camden.  N  J.  He  hi 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  1  hurch  ol  l\- 
rone,"  to  which  he  liberally  contributed  when 
erecting  its  house  of  worship.  His  political 
port  is  always  given  the  Republican  party,  and 
for  many  years  he  served  as  auditor  and  tax  col- 
lect a  in  lu>  township.  ["he  that  he  has 
achieved  in  life  is  the  merited  reward  ol  lus  own 
labors.  He  has  earned  the  proud  title  of  a  self- 
made  man.  and  his  life  is  an  exemplification  "I 
what  can  be  accomplished  through  determined 
effort  a,nd  diligent  e  when  guided  by  sound  judg- 
ment and  characterized  by  thorough  reliability. 
His  life  has  bi  en  manly,  Ins  actions  sincere,  his 
manner  unaffected,  and  his  example  is  well  wor- 
thy of  emulation. 


AMES  (".MAIN    WEAVER,    one    of    Belle- 

fonte's  progressive  and  "up-to-date"  business 

men,  is  a  leading  worker  in  the  important  held 
of  insurance,  wherein  his  characteristic  tact  and 
practical  sagacity  find  ample  scope  (or  use. 

His  father,  David  Weaver,  was  born  January 
27,  [ 8 1 1 ,  and  lived  most  ol  his  lifetime  on  the 
Weaver  Homestead,  about  three  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  Bellefonte,  where  he  followed  most 
successfully  his  chosen  occupation,  that  of  a  til- 
ler of  the  soil,  up  to  the  year  1873,  when  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Bellefonte,  where  he 
lived  up  to  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  22(\ 
of   March.     [879.      He   was    always    regarded   as 

of  the  most  influential  men  of  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lived,  and  was  always  ready  to 
take  the  initiative  in  every  movement  that  tended 
to  elevate  and  improve  society.  He  never  as- 
pired to  public  life,  but  he  was  almost  continu- 
ally kept  at  the  head  of  township  affairs, 
either  filling  the  office  of  school  director,  or  that 
of  road  supervisor;  and  was  for  many  years  the 
active  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  work 
in  the  community. 

His  mother,  Susannah  (Bridge  Weaver,  was 
bum  July  1 5,  i  823,  near  Farmers  Mills,  in  Penn's 
Yalle\,  and  survived  her  husband  nearly  thir- 
teen years,  her  death  occurring  on  the  7th  of 
December,  1891,  In  their  immediate  family 
there  are  five  children,  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
ng  the  eldest;  the  second,  Henry  C,  resides 
in  Harrisburg,  Penn.;  the  third.  Miss  Ida  M  . 
the  fourth.  Miss  Belle  E.;  and  the  fifth,  Miss 
Carrie  A. — the  three   latter    living  in  Bellefoi: 

J.  <".  Weaver  was  born  Jul)  7,  1S51.  He 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  his  early  educational  advantages  bein^ 
those  "I  the  district  school,  but  these  were  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  of  study  in  the  Bellefonte 
Academy,  and  two  terms  at  the  County  Normal 
School  at  Centre  Hall.  He  then  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, his  work  being  confined  to  district  schools, 
and  he  continued  in  this   work   for   about  seven 

rs,  during  which  time  he  secured  the  highest 
credentials  possible  in  that  profession,  that  of  a 
Permanent  Certificate  from  the  State  Depart- 
ment at  Harrisburg.  Early  in  tin-  fall  ol  1878 
he  began  the  stud)  of  law  with  Stitzer  &  Magee, 
but  not  finding  this  congenial  to  his  tastes,  he 
laid  it  aside,  and  entered  the  business  of    Life  In- 

nce,  which  he  followed  very  successfull)  up 
to  November,  1887,  when  he  undertook  a  gen- 
eral-insurance business,  in  which  he  has  engaged 
ever  since,  although  having  added  to  it  the  Real- 
Estate  and  Loan  Agency  business. 

Mr.  Weaver  was  united  111  matrimony  to  M  iS 
Laura    G.    Barnhart,    a    daughter   of  Philip   W, 


■G.liA,. 


■^xt^t/vy 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


169 


Barnhart,  of  Roland,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  They 
have  the  following  children:  Elsie,  Maude,  Harry 
('.,  Philip  B.,  Fred  D.  and  Robert. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  are  actively  in- 
terested in  religious  and  philanthropical  move- 
ments, and,  inheriting  many  of  the  sterling  quali- 
ties of  their  honored  ancestry,  they  are  held  in 
the  highest  esteem,  this  being  notably  so  in  the 
Church  to  which  they  belong,  which  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  Mr.  Weaver  enjoys  the  honor  of 
being  one  of  the  ruling  elders  of  the  large  and 
influential  Presbyterian  Church  of  Bellefonte,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  in  the  year  1887. 


PijETER  KEICHLINE,  whose  death  occurred 
at  his  home  in  Pine  Grove  Mills,  Centre 
county,  on  June  20,  1895,  belonged  to  one  of  the 
early  German  families  to  settle  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  family  that  was  conspicuous  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war. 

The  Keichlines  in  America  descended  from 
John  Peter  Keichline,  who  emigrated  from  Heidel- 
berg, Germany,  as  early  as  1742,  and  settled  in 
Bedminster  township,  then  Bucks  county,  Penn. 
He  had  three  sons — Peter,  Andrew  and  Charles 
— all  of  whom  entered  the  Colonial  army  during 
the  dark  days  of  the  Revolution.  Peter  lived  at 
Easton  as  early  as  1749,  and  was  one  of  the  four 
representatives  of  the  county  of  Northampton  at 
a  meeting  of  Provincial  deputies  held  at  Phila- 
delphia on  July  15,  1774,  to  take  measures  for 
public  safety,  and  when  the  Revolutionary  war 
began  raised  a  company  of  riflemen  in  North- 
ampton and  Bucks  counties  for  Col.  Miles'  regi- 
ment, was  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Long 
Island  in  1776,  and  was  taken  prisoner.  Lord 
Stirling  wrote  to  Gen.  Washington  that  the  Eng- 
lish Gen.  Grant  was  killed  by  Keichline's  rifle- 
men. He  was  a  patriot  and  warrior.  Andrew 
Keichline  was  promoted  to  major  on  the  battle- 
field of  Monmouth,  N.  J.  Charles,  who  entered 
the  army  later  than  his  brother,  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance  in  June,  1788.  Jacob  Keichline,  son 
of  Andrew,  was  the  landlord  of  what  was  known 
as  "Keichline's  Tavern"  for  thirty-six  years. 
This  tavern,  which  stood  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Dunham  and  Easton  roads,  has  been  a  noted 
tavern  for  125  years  past.  The  Centre  building 
was  erected  about  1759.  Col.  George  Pifer  was 
the  landlord  from  1778  till  his  death  in  1823, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Jacob  Keichline. 
This  hotel  sheltered  many  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  the  country — Gen.  Anthony 
Wayne,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Gov.  Mifflin,  Tim- 
othy Pickering,  Robert  Morris,  Benjamin  Rush, 
Judge   Tilghman    Bish,  Stephen    Girard,    Joseph 


Bonaparte  (ex-Emperor  or  King  of  Spain),  and 
many  others. 

Peter  Keichline  (1),  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  built  the  first  flouring-mill  on  Bashkill 
creek  in  Northampton  county.  He  had  a  son 
Peter  (2),  and  he  a  son  Peter  (3),  of  whom  we 
especially  write. 

Peter  Keichline  (3)  was  born  in  Forks  town- 
ship, Northampton  county,  Penn.,  on  September 
11,  1814.  He  left  home  in  boyhood  and  walked 
from  Easton  to  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  and 
there  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at 
the  blacksmith's  trade.  From  Aaronsburg  he 
moved  to  Pine  Grove,  and  from  Pine  Grove  to 
Rock  Springs,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and 
where  he  reared  his  family  of  seven  children.  He 
had  married,  on  August  15,  1838,  Sarah  Long, 
then  of  Aaronsburg,  but  who  was  a  native  of 
Buffalo  Valley  in  Union  county,  Penn.,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  and  Sarah  Long,  who  lived  and  died 
there.  The  children  referred  to  were:  Mary, 
Margaret,  George,  Sarah,  John  M.,  Susan  and 
Peter.  Later,  Mr.  Keichline  moved  back  to 
Pine  Grove  Mills,  where,  with  the  assistance  of 
other  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  he  built 
a  neat  Church.  He  was  a  highly-esteemed  citi- 
zen. In  1877  he  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  in 
which  heistated  he  had  been  a  resident  of  Centre 
county  forty- five  years,  first  locating  at  Aarons- 
burg; that  his  ancestors  were  all  Democrats  and 
believers  in  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  Church. 

John  M.  Keichline,  whose  life  thus  far  has 
been  passed  in  Centre  county,  his  birth  occurring 
at  Boalsburg  October  12,  1846,  received  his  edu- 
cation in  part  at  the  schools  of  the  locality  in 
which  his  father  lived,  attending  for  a  time  the 
Normal  School  at  Rebersburg,  and  then  the  Boals- 
burg Academy.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school,  and  then  read  law  in  the  office  of 
Bush  &  Yocum  at  Bellefonte.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  1876,  and  located  in  the  practice 
at  Bellefonte,  where  he  has  since  followed  his 
profession  with  that  success  his  industry,  studious 
habits  and  ability  merited.  For  some  fifteen 
years  he  most  acceptably  filled  the  office  of  tax 
collector  for  Bellefonte,  and  for  three  terms — the 
years  i884-'85-'86 — served  as  overseer  of  the 
poor.  He  has  been  a  most  trusted  and  careful 
public  servant.  In  18S9  the  press,  in  referring 
to  his  candidacy  and  official  relations,  remarked: 
"At  the  request  of  the  citizens  of  the  town,  irre- 
spective of  party,  Mr.  John  M.  Keichline  has  con- 
sented to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election  to  the 
position  he  has  so  acceptably  filled  for  the  past 
twelve  years.  No  community  has  ever  been  fa- 
vored with  a  more  gentlemanly,  careful  and  suc- 
cessful collector  of  taxes  than   Mr.  Keichline  has 


170 


(  OMMKMiiUATIVB  BIOG IlM'll lC\i.    RECORD. 


proven  himself  to  be,  and  our  citizens  without  re- 
gard to  political  belief,  religious  pinion,  color, 
class,  creed  or  condition  will  be  glad  to  have  an 
opportunity  of  continuing  him  in  the  position  he 
now  holds.  It  is  to  the  interest  of  the  town,  to 
the  interest  ■>!  ev<  ry  t  i\  payer  that  they  do  so." 

On  i  ith  of  October,  1876,  Mr.  Keichline  was 
married  to  Miss  S.  L.  Wagner,  of  Central  City, 
Boggs  township,  who  was  then  22  years  of 
a  daughter  of  John  Wagner  and  Susan  (Hahn), 
and  their  sun  John  M.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Belle- 
fonte  High  School;  he  was  two  years  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  where  In-  was  initiated 
into  the  Sigma  Chi  Fraternity,  and  is  now  read- 
ing law  in  the  office  with  his  father;  the  daughter, 
Daisey,  is  attending  the  Bellefonte  High  School; 
the  son  Edward  and  other  daughter,  Annie,  are 
going  to  school. 

In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Democrat.  He  is 
a  member  of  Centre  Lodge  No.  153,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
a  member  of  the  Encampment  No.  72.  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  a  member  of  K.  G.  E. , 
Bellefonte  Castle  No.  357. 


JOHN  D.  McGIRK,  M.  D.,  of  Philipsburg, 
Centre  county,  is  an  able  and  successful 
physician  whose  main  years  of  unremitting  ap- 
plication to  his  professional  work  have  given  him 
a  place  in  the  front  rank  among  the  practitioners  of 
his  section.  He  is  a  native  of  Philipsburg,  born 
October  21,  1834,  and  the  family  name  is  .1 
ciated  with  some  of  the  important  events  of  pio- 
neer times  in  that   locality. 

Steven  McGirk  (his  paternal  grandfather),  a 
native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  was  a  Roman 
Catholic  iii  faith,  ami  during  the  troubles  be- 
tween the  Protestants  ami  the  Romanists  he  was 
forced  to  leave  his  home  to  avoid  persecution, 
Foi  some  time  he  remained  in  hiding,  hut  find- 
ing an  opportunity  t"  make  his  escap  ■  to  Amer- 
ica he  crossed  the  ocean  with  his  family  ami 
made  his  home  in  Shippensburg,  Penn.,  where 
he  spent  many  years  as  a  sua  essful  stock  de 
lie  died  September  30,  [804,  His  wife,  horn 
July,  1757.  died  December  18,  1831,  at  Philips- 
burg. They  had  five  children:  n  Isabel  mar- 
ried James  Test,  a  t  1 1.  n-t  at  Philipsburg,  win  u 
In  ih    died;   theii    1  hildren    •■  teven,    Char- 

lotte, Margaret,  fames,   |  \nnie  and  Israel. 

(2)  Nancy  married  Majoi  Davis,  ol  the  United 
Si  ites  army,  who  served  on  Gen  |ackson's  staff 
during  the  wai  of  1812;  later  he  was  sent  to 
Fort  Hawkins,  Ala.,  and  his  wife  died  there. 
I  \)    fane   (deceased  |    never   inairied.        I .)  i   Jam 

mentioned  more  fully  below.  (sfKaehel  mar- 
ried  |ohn   B     Meek,   and  both    died  at  their  home 


in  Fine  Grove,  Centre  county;  they  had  the  fol- 
lowing children — Wesley,  Marvin,  Fletcher. 
rlattie,  Lottie,  and  Franklin. 

fames  M  -<,irk.  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Ireland,  and  when  a  child  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  New  World.  Previous  to  his 
marriage  he  spent  some  time  in  the  South  with 
his  brother-in-law.  Major  Davis,  but  in  early 
manhood  hi:  settled  in  Philipsburg  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  farmer,  miller  and  hotel 
keeper  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  mental  abil- 
ity, and  having  read  medicine  to  some  extent,  he 
was  often  called  upon  to  use  his  skill  and  knowl- 
edge for  the  relief  of  suffering  humanity.  He 
never  attended  medical  college,  and  did  not  at- 
tempt to  build  up  a  regular  practice;  but  being 
many  times  the  only  physician  at  hand,  he  ac- 
cepted the  responsibility,  often  taking  long 
journeys  at  the  call  of  some  afflicted  family. 
These  timely  services  endeared  his  name  to  the 
pioneers  throughout  that  region.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Fhilipshurg  to  Miss  Eleanor  Ashman, 
daughter  of  Col.  Ashman,  of  Huntingdon  county, 
Penn.,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  Of 
their  two  children,  our  subject  was  the  younger. 
Henrietta  (the  elder)  was  horn  at  Philipsburg, 
April  15.  (831,  and  after  pursuing  the  course  of 
study  offered  in  the  local  schools  was  sent  to 
Chambersburg,  Penn.,  to  complete  her  educa- 
tion She  was  married  November  19,  1846,  to 
Hon.  C.  R.  Foster,  M  D.,  who  was  born  in 
Cape  May  count)',  X.  J.,  June  SO,  1S22.  He 
studied  medicine  in  fefferson  College,  Philadel- 
phia, and  after  his  graduation  in  the  spring  of 
1844  located  at  Philipsburg,  where  he  acquired  a 
larjM-  practice,  extending  over  a  wide  range  of 
country.  He  became  interested  in  the  lumber 
business  also,  but  ten  years  prior  to  his  death'  in 
[867   he    retired    from    activi  tnd    pro- 

fessional cares.  He  was  prominent  in  public 
affairs,  a  membei  of  the  M.  F.  Church,  and  a 
leader    in    the    D  itic    organization,  serving 

two    terms    in    the    State     Legislature.       Dr.    and 
Mi        I    ister  had   one    daughter,    Helen    Lou 
who  married  George  A.  Ziegler,  of   Huntingdon 
county,  and  died   leaving  two  children.      Helen 
Henrietta,    who   reside  with   their  widowed 

ndinotliei    111   I  ant  and  hospitable  home. 

Dr.  McGirk  laid  the  basis  of  his  edu  :ation  in 
the  schools  of    his    native    town  ami  in  th 
emy  at  Williamsport,  Penn. ,  but  for  the  most  part 
Ins  education  has  been  gained  by  private  stu 
Mi  dical  science  early  attracted  his  attention,  and 
he  prut  ii  ed  with  marked  success  for  somi    \ 
before  entering  medical  college;  but  in  the  spring 
of    1871  I    iln-   regular  professional 

course  at    the    University  of    Pennsylvania,   oh- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


171 


taining  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Returning  to  his 
old  home  he  resumed  his  work  with  renewed 
zeal,  and  has   since   remained  in  active  practice. 

On  November  20,  1856,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  F.  Hand,  a  native  of  Cape  May  coun- 
ty, N.  J.,  born  May  11,  1837.  They  have  had 
three  children:  Loretta,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  years;  Annie,  at  home;  and  Charles  E., 
born  September  17,  1869,  now  in  practice  with 
his  father;  his  literary  education  was  secured  at 
Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Penn.,  and  then,  en- 
tering the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  he  pur- 
sued the  medical  course,  graduating  in  1895. 
Studious,  progressive,  and  endowed  with  fine  na- 
tive abilities,  he  is  a  young  man  of  whom  the 
community  expects  much.  Dr.  McGirk  and 
family  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  So- 
cially he  is  affiliated  with  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  in 
which  fraternity  he  in  his  younger  days  took  an 
active  interest.  In  politics  he  invariably  votes 
the  Democratic  ticket.  Besides  his  elegant  and 
comfortable  residence,  the  Doctor  owns  a  fine 
block  in  Philipsburg;  for  several  years  he  kept  a 
popular  drug  store  in  the  city. 

Mrs.  McGirk  is  a  descendant  of  a  well-known 
family  of  English  origin.  The  first  ancestor  of 
whom  we  have  any  record  was  John  Hand,  who 
was  born  in  161 1,  at  Stanstead,  near  Maidstone, 
in  the  County  of  Kent,  England.  Coming  to 
America,  he  settled  first  in  Massachusetts  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lynn.  In  1634  he  moved  to  Con- 
necticut, to  South  Hampton  in  1644,  and  to 
East  Hampton  in  1648,  his  death  occurring  at 
the  last  named  place  in  [660.  He  married  Miss 
Stamborough,  and  had  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter.  Shamgar  Hand,  the  first  son,  mar- 
ried, and  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Zel- 
ophephad  Hand,  the  next  in  line  of  descent,  mar- 
ried, and  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Nathaniel,  the  first  son  married,  had  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  his  eldest  son,  Jeremiah, 
being  Mrs.  McGirk's  grandfather.  He  was  born 
in  1763  and  died  in  181  5.  He  married  Deborah 
Hand,  his  cousin,  and  had  four  sons  and  one 
daughter,  as  follows:  Joseph,  Jeremiah,  Jesse, 
Aaron  and  Deborah.  Aaron  Hand,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Girk's father,  was  born  May  30,  1786,  and  died 
May  31,  1852.  He  and  his  wife,  Eliza  (Foster), 
had  four  children:  Aaron  S.,  Elizabeth,  Deb- 
orah and  Mary  (Mrs.  McGirk). 


*>  S.  FRANK,  M.  D.,  of  Millheim,  one  of  the 
!f  leading  physicians  of  Penn's  Valley,  has 
gained  by  force  of  merit  an  enviable  rank  in  his 
profession,  and  this  success  is  more  notable  when 
one  considers  the  high   average  of  ability  and  at- 


tainment which  is  found  in  the  fraternity  in  this 
section.  In  giving  an  account  of  the  life  of  Dr. 
Frank  it  will  be  well  to  review  the  history  of  the 
family,  and  see  the  sturdy,  progressive  stock  from 
which  he  has  descended. 

Christopher  Frank,  his  great-great-grand- 
father, came  from  Germany  to  America  at  an 
early  period.  Philip  Frank,  the  great-grand- 
father, was  for  some  time  a  resident  of  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  but  in  1795  came  to  Centre  county, 
and  located  near  Aaronsburg,  upon  a  farm  now 
owned  by  Jacob  Reed,  the  first  farm  to  the  north 
of  the  pike  on  the  west  side  of  the  town.  He 
was  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  being  a 
man  of  intellect  and  enterprise  was  highly  re- 
spected by  all.  In  political  faith  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat. His  wife*  Catherine  Harper,  was  a  sister 
of  Adam  Harper,  who  in  1802,  became  one  of 
the  first  associate  judges  of  Centre  county.  This 
worthy  couple  were  among  the  early  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  at  Aaronsburg,  where  both 
were  buried,  the  wife  dying  in  1831,  and  the 
husband  in  1832.  Their  children  were  George, 
who  is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  Philip  and 
John,  who  died  at  Aaronsburg;  Eve,  who  mar- 
ried Judge  John  Shaeffer,  and  died  in  Miles 
township,  Centre  county;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in 
Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  unmarried;  and  Cath- 
erine, who  married  a  Mr.  Shade,  and  died  in  the 
West. 

George  Frank,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  near  Hagerstown,  Md.,  in  1779, 
and  from  the  age  of  sixteen  made  his  home  in 
this  section,  engaging  in  farming  as  an  occupa- 
tion. He  was  of  ordinary  height  and  compactly 
built,  and  a  most  industrious  worker,  although 
he  never  accumulated  much.  His  schooling  was 
limited,  but  he  possessed  much  native  intelli- 
gence. He  always  took  an  interest  in  public 
affairs,  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat.  He  was 
married  in  Aaronsburg,  to  Christina  Kramer, 
who  was  born  in  Jonestown,  Lebanon  Co., 
Penn.,  in  1780,  the  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  (Haine)  Kramer.  Her  father  died  in 
Lebanon  county,  and  her  mother  removed  to 
Haines  township,  Centre  county,  where  the  young 
people  first  met.  For  some  time  after  his  mar- 
riage our  subject's  grandfather  lived  at  Aarons- 
burg, but  in  1809  he  leased  a  tract  of  land  in 
Sugar  Valley,  where  he  remained  until  18 14. 
He  then  removed  to  Brush  Valley,  and  later  re- 
turned to  Aaronsburg,  where  he  died  in  1837, 
his  interment  taking  place  there.  His  widow 
survived  him  many  years,  passing  away  in  1863, 
at  the  home  of  her  son  Samuel  (father  of  our 
subject)  in  Rebersburg,  where  her  remains  now 
rest. 


!7i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


irteen  children  were  horn  of  this  union,  oi 
whom  eleven  lived  to  adult   age.      Ten  were  liv- 
ing at  the  time  of  their  lather's  death.       | 
miller  b)    trade,  dud  in  Sugar  Valley  at  thi- 
ol ninety;  David,  a  millwright,  died  in  Pickaway 
county,  Ohio;  John,    a   i  r,  died    in    Miles 

township.    (  entre    i  i  mntj  ;  <  r,  is 

living  in  Mercer  county  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine    years;    Michael,    a   farmer   and    carpenter, 
died  111  Mercer  county,   Ohio,  aged  seventy-four; 
Samuel     is  mentioned   below;   Mary  (Mrs.  Si 
inon    Confei  at    Millheim;  Sail)     Mi^    An- 

drew Stover)   died   in    Haines   township,  Centre 
county;  Elizabeth  (twin  to  Sally    married  John 
Hetzler,     and    died    in    Illinois;    Catherine    (de- 
ceased)   never    married;    and    Eve    (Mrs.    Jai 
MiiihIi    died   m  Aaronsburg. 

Samuel  Frank,  our  subject's  father,  was  horn 
April  25,  1821,  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Rebersburg, 
11  the  mountain,  in  a  one  story  cabin  built  ol 
logs.  When  Fie  was  lour  years  old  his  parents 
moved  to  Aaronsburg,  where  he  attended  the 
subscription  schools  of  the  day.  Ins  first  teacher 
being  Andrew  Ebraght,  who  taught  his  1  1. 
in  his  own  home.  As  his  parents  were  verj 
poor,  the  young  student,  who  lived  neai  the 
school,  made  the  fires  to  1  his  tuition  dur- 

ing  the  winter      One  of  his  later  teachers,   Mt 
Ken.  would  hue  his  brightest  and  most  advan 
pupils  to  teach  the  primary  class,  and   this  work 
falling  to    Samuel    Frank,  he   was  enabled  to  se- 
cure free  tuition  for  some    time.      The   death  ol 
his  fatlu  i   1  ;iu  ed    the  m  ol   the  family, 

and  February  5,   [838,  he  left  Aaronsbur; 
to   Rebersburg.      He   had    nothing    in   the  world 
but  thi    lew  belongings  he  earned   upon  his   | 
and  "ii  arriving  at  Rebersburg  he  was  bound 

out  by  the  overseei  ol   the  1 1 .  [ohn  Moyer,  to 

learn  the  tailor's    trade  under  Daniel    Winti 
I     hi  years,  two  months  and  twenty  days  v 
spent  in  this  service   without  a  cent  ol   paj    or  a 
day's  schooling,   his  clothing  only,  and   that    of 

the  ] resl  sort,  being  given   him.      During  the 

last  M.ir  he  ran  a  shop  at  Wolfs  Store  for  Mr. 
\\  inters,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  he  contin- 
ued business  there  on  Ins  own  account. 

On  February  28,  1843,  Samuel  Frank  was 
married  in  Miles  township,  (  entre  counts,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Brungart,  a  native  of  that  locality, 
born  April  22,  1825,  the  daughter  of  a  well-to- 
do  farmer,  George  Brungart,  and  his  wile,  Sarah 

kahli.      This    marriage    was  a    most    1 
one,  Mr.  Frank  gaining   an    excellent    wife    who 
helped    him    in    every    way.      He     remained    at 
Wolfs    Store    until    1854,    and    in   the     mi 
was  for  three   years  in   partnership  with   Thomas 


Wolfe  in  a  general  mercantile  business.  Wish- 
ing to  try  a  farmer's  life,  Mr.  Frank  then  spent 
upon  a  farm  at  Spring  Bank,  in  the 
same  township,  but  in  1858  he  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Rebersburg,  where  he  purcha-.  I  a  gen- 
eral store  from  William  Hosterman.  He  con- 
tinued this  business  successfully  for  some  time, 
Dr.  J.  H.  Hilbish  being  hispartner  fortwoyears, 
but  in  1  sold  his  stoie  and   residence  and 

bought  a  mill  property  and  a  small  farm  in  the 
same  township.  Two  years  later  he  sold  them 
and.  returning  to  Rebersburg,  purchased  a  r< 
dence  -a  Inch  he  still  owns  and  a  store  adjoining, 
and  also  a  small  farm  in  the  vicinity.  He  was 
antile  business  until  1879,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Gramley  Brothers,  and  for  some 
years  he  has  lived  a  retired  life,  although  still 
enjoying  excellent  health.  All  things  considered, 
lus  career  is  a  remarkable  one.  Could  he  have 
had  a  thorough  education  in  his  youth,  so  that 
his   intellectual    abilities    would    have    had   free 

pe,  his  life  might    have    been   spent    in    other 

1,  hut  he  could  have  won  no  stronger,  truer 
friends  and  admirers  than  lit-  now  has  among  the 
people  oi  Centre  count} 

Anj  political  position  in  the  gift  of  his  circle 
of  acquaintam  es  was  his;  he  was  associate  judge 
ol   Centre   count}     for    fiv<  1877    1881); 

county  auditor  three  years  (1871  1874  .  ami  he 
held  almost  every  township  office,  including  that 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  he  served  five 
years.  In  1843,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he 
was  chosen  overseer  of  the  poor.      For  a  quar- 

of  a  century  he  was  regarded  as  one  <<i  the 
1110-1    influential    I  >>  1  ol    Miles  township, 

and  he  w  is  no  less  active  in  other  movements  ol 
Ins  time.  In  1^41  he  and  his  wife  united  with 
the  Lutheran  Church  in  Rebersburg,  and  he  has 
been  among  its  chief  supporters,  holding  e\ 
office  except  that  of  preacher,  and  contributing 
liberally,  •  peciallj  to  the  building  oi  the  new 
chinch.      As   a   1  11    he    has   always    been 

fond  oi  hunting,  and  he  has  tramped  hundreds 
ol   miles  ovei    the  mountains  in  search  of  game. 

On  September  1,  1886,  his  faithful  helpmeet 
passed  from  earth,  and  her  mortal  remains  lie 
buried  at  Rebersburg.  Since  her  death  he  has 
made  Ins  home  with  his  son  James.  Four  chil- 
dren survive;  James  1'  .  .1  farmer  neai  Rebers- 
burg; Luther  1!  ,  a  clerk  in  the  same  town. 
George  S.,  our  subject;  and  Paulina,  now  V 
R,  1).   Biei  1} ,  of  Rebersburg. 

We  will  now  return    to  the   subject  proper  of 
this   sketch.      Dr.   Frank   was    horn    October  22, 
1859,  in    Rebersburg,  where   he    received  an  ele- 
mentary education  in    the  district    schools,   Hon 
Henry  Meyer  being   his    lirst    teat  her.      Later  he 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


173 


attended  the  normal  schools  of  the  locality  and, 
with  private  instruction  in  science  and  the  lan- 
guages, he  prepared  for  teaching.  At  eighteen 
he  took  charge  of  a  school,  and  after  three  years 
as  a  successful  teacher  in  his  native  township  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Daniel 
J.  Hilbish,  a  noted  practitioner  of  Rebersburg. 
His  preliminary  reading  finished,  he  took  a 
course  in  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  graduat- 
ing in  1883.  His  first  professional  work  was  at 
Spring  Mills,  but  after  a  short  time  he  located  at 
Rebersburg,  where  he  remained  until  1886.  He 
then  settled  permanently  in  Millheim,  and  now 
enjoys  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  practice, 
the  territory  covered  being  probably  as  large  as 
that  of  any  practitioner  in  the  county  and  not 
excepting  the  oldest.  He  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  various  lines  of  professional  progress  and 
is  identified  with  leading  medical  associations, 
being  a  member  of  the  Centre  County  Medical 
Society;  Pennsylvania  Medical  Society;  West 
Branch  Medical  Society;  and  the  American  Med- 
ical Association. 

In  1885,  the  Doctor  was  married  in  Rebers- 
burg to  Miss  Melissa  G.  Miller,  daughter  of  J.  A. 
and  Mary  (Esterline)  Miller,  and  they  have  an 
elegant  home  at  Millheim,  a  model  of  conven- 
ience and  comfort.  Agreeable  in  manners  and 
in  conversation,  he  easily  gains  friends,  whom 
his  sterling  qualities  of  character  bind  firmly  to 
him.  As  a  progressive  citizen  he  manifests  a 
keen  interest  in  all  local  affairs,  serving  on  the 
village  council  and  the  school  board.  At  present 
he  is  coroner  of  Centre  county;  but  while  he  is  an 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
he  does  not  aim  at  political  distinction.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle  at  Millheim,  aud  he  and  his  accomplished 
wife  are  leading  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  to  which  they  contribute  liberally,  not 
only  in  money  but  in  time  and  in  strength,  the 
Doctor  being  an  elder  in  the  Church  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school. 


JAMES  T.  STUART  was  born  December  9, 
1837,    near    Linden    Hall,    Harris    township, 

Centre  county,  the  second  in  the  family  of 
seven  children  born  to  David  A.  and  Martha 
(Johnson)   Stuart. 

There  he  began  his  education  in  the  school 
house  at  Rock  Hill,  his  teacher  being  Matthew 
Woods,  later  a  practicing  physician  of  Clearfield, 
Penn.  Subsequently  our  subject  attended  school 
in  Clearfield  county,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
completed  his  literary  education  in  Boalsburg 
Academy.      On  beginning  his  business  career  he 


served  as  a  clerk  for  George  W.  Johnson  &.  Co., 
of  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  for  three  years, 
and  during  the  following  four  years  engaged  in 
teaching  school  in  Centre  county,  at$i  per  day. 
On  his  return  from  the  war  he  again  entered  the 
mercantile  establishment  of  Mr.  Johnson  in  Peters- 
burg, Huntingdon  county,  where  he  remained 
some  four  years,  and  later,  in  partnership  with 
William  D.  Keller,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
woolen  goods  in  Houserville,  College  township, 
Centre  county.  At  the  end  of  three  year,  how- 
ever, he  returned  to  Boalsburg,  where  he  em- 
barked in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  also  served  as 
postmaster  from  1873  until  1882.  On  removing 
to  State  College  in  the  latter  year  he,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  John  W.,  conducted  a 
general  store  for  three  years,  but  since  1885  has 
been  engaged  in  his  present  business  in  Boals- 
burg. His  home  and  hotel  is  a  beautiful  stone 
structure,  erected  in  [819  by  Col.  James  John- 
son, and  here  everything  is  done  for  the  conven- 
ience and  comfort  of  his  guests. 

On  June  16,  1875,  Mr.  Stuart  was  wedded  to 
Miss  E.  E.  Hunter,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Reuben 
Hunter,  who  died  in  1864  while  serving  as  sur- 
geon of  the  54th  P.  V.  I.  Four  children  bless 
this  union,  whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as 
follows:  William,  August  3,  1876;  George  J., 
July  23,  1880;  David  A.,  October  1,  1882;  and 
Rueben  R. ,  October  8,    1884. 

Hardly  had  the  echoes  of  Fort  Sumter's  guns 
died  away  when  Mr.  Stuart  offered  his  service  to 
the  general  government  to  assist  in  putting  down 
the  Rebellion,  enlisting  April  20,  1 861,  in  the  7th 
P.  V.  I. ,  for  three  months.  He  was  discharged 
July  20,  1 86 1,  but  on  the  31st  of  the  following 
August  was  made  sergeant  in  Company  G,  49th 
P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  John  Bool;  was  promoted 
to  second  lieutenant  March  16,  1862;  and  to  first 
lieutenant  December  1,  of  the  same  year.  On 
January  12,  1863,  he  was  transferred  to  the  field 
and  staff  roll  as  adjutant;  promoted  to  captain  of 
Company  G,  February  25,  1864;  commissioned 
brevet  major  of  the  United  States  Volunteers, 
April  6,  1865;  promoted  to  major  of  the  49th 
P.  V.  I.,  in  June,  1865;  and  to  lieutenant-colonel 
July  14,  1865.  His  war  record  is  one  of  which 
he  may  be  justly  proud,  for  he  entered  the  serv- 
ice as  a  private,  and  for  meritorious  and  gallant 
conduct  on  the  field  of  battle  steadily  arose  to 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 

Col.  Stuart  participated  in  the  following  en- 
gagements: Williamsburg,  May  5,  1862;  Har- 
net'sHill;  Golding's  Farm;  Savage  Station;  Mal- 
vern Hill;  Antietam;  Fredericksburg,  December 
13,  1862;  Chancellorsville;  Gettysburg;  Rappa- 
hannock Station;   Mine  Run;  Wilderness;  Spott- 


174 


00MM1  VOEATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sylvania  (nun  House;  Wim  I  edar  Creek; 

Petersburg,  April  2,  1865;  Little  Sailor's  Creek, 
April  6,  1 865;  and,  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month, 
Appomattox  Court  House,  where  Lee  surren- 
dered  to  Grant,  and  the  war  was  practically  over. 
Col.  Stuart  was  wounded  at  Rappahannock,  No- 
vember 7,  1863,  and  in  the  shoulder  at  Spott- 
svlvaiiia,  May  10,  18G4.  After  his  return  home 
he  contemplated  joining  the  regular  army,  and 
wrote  l"  Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock  for  a  letter  of  1 
ommendation,  winch  lie  still  has  in  his  possession, 
and  which  reads  as  follows: 

i   iNi  >nd<  'i.i  1 .  Mi  p.,  August  6,  1866. 

Lieut.  Col.  James  T.  Stuart,  late  of  the  49th  P.  V.  I.,  is 
known  to  me  i"  have  been  .1  faithful  officer;  heserved  under 
my  command  during  the  Peninsula  and  Vntietam  cam- 
paigns. He  has  been  severel)  wounded  in  action,  and  was 
promoted  to  the  lieutenant-colonelcj  ol  bis  regiment  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services.  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
him  for  .1  commision  in  the  regular  army  ol 
the  I  nited  States. 

ned)  Winfield  S.  Hancock,  Maj  il  U.  S.  A. 

In  December,  1864,  our  subject  was  detailed 
to  headquarters  of  the  6th  Army  Corps,  as  com- 
mander of  a  battalion  of  sharpshooters,  with 
the  rank  of  captain.  Subsequently  he  was  re- 
quested by  Gen.  Edwards  to  take  a  position  on 
his  staff  as  brigade  inspector,  which  he  accepted 
and  filled  until  discharged,  <  .en.  Wheaton  re- 
lieving him  from  his  former  position. 

Col.  Stuart  isnow  an  honored  and  prominent 
member  of  the  Grand  Arm}  Posi  No.  95,  and 
the  Union  Veteran  Legion,  both  of  Bellefonte. 
Since  casting  his  first  Presidential  vote  foi  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  he  has  been  a  stalwart  Republican 
in  politics,  and  in  [866  was  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  State  representative.  He  acceptably 
served  as  count}  auditor  from  1879  until  1882, 
and  has  filled  various  township  offices  to  the 
satisfaction  <>f  all  concerned. 


JOHN  F.  HARTER,  I).  D.  S.,  a  prominent 
dentist  ol  State  College,  Centre  county,  is  a 
representative  citizen  whose  influence  is  felt 
no  less  in  public  life  than  in  his  professional 
sphere.  He  was  born  in  Millheim,  January  5, 
1S57,  and  is  a  member  of  a  family  that  has  held 
a  leading  place  in  that  city  since  the  lime  of  his 
grandfather,  |olm  Hatter,  who  came  there  as  a 
young  man. 

fohn  llaiter  was  a  native  of  Lebanon  town- 
ship, Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  born  November  16, 
1792,    and    became    a    p  us    carriage    and 

wagon  maker,  employing  a  number  of   men.  and 
his  business  was    on.-    ..f    the    most    important    in 
Millheim  in  his  day.       In  religious  faith  he  vi 
Lutheran,  and  in  politics  a   Democrat,  and  while 
his  attention  was   chiefly  given    to  business   mat- 


ters. In-  took  part,  in  a  quiet  way,  in  the  varied 
movements  of  the  time  and  locality.  He  was 
more  then' ninety  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  took  place  at  the  home  of  his  son. 
Dr.  W.  S.  Harter,  our  subject's  father. 

On  August  30,  1813,  he  married  Miss  Mollie 
ShretTLr,  who  was  born  November  29,  1794.  and 
died  February  15.  1861,  both  being  bunedat 
Millheim.  They  had  twelve  children,  whose 
nanus  with  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Julia 
A.,  I nl \  21,  1814,  married  Henry  Rpyer,  and 
died  at  Millheim,  June  7,  1896;  Elizabeth,  May 
22,  1 8 16.  married  Michael  Cooney,  and  died  in 
Akron,  Ohio;  Sarah,  August  16,  181 8,  is  the 
widow  of  John  Purman,  of  Loganton,  Penn., 
and  the  mother  of  Hon.  William  J.  Purman, 
once  a  member  of  Congress  from  Florida;  Will- 
iam S. ,  June  9,  1S20,  is  mentioned  more  fully 
below;  John,  December  iS,  1K22,  died  in  Mif- 
flinburg,  Penn.;  Margaret,  December  12,  1824, 
is  now  Mrs.  R.  B.  Hartman,  of  Millheim;  Dan- 
iel, December  10,  1826,  died  November  29, 
1829;  Henry,  September- 23,  1S28,  resides  in 
Joliet,  111.;  Hannah  M.,  November  5,  1830,  died 
in  Millheim.  unmarried;  David,  March  6,  1832, 
died  January  30,  1833;  Amelia,  August  7,  1835, 
married  J.  D.  Foote,  and  died  in  Millheim;  and 
Mary  M.,  December  24,  1837,  is  the  wife  of 
John  West,  of  Chicago,  Illinois 

Dr.  William  S.  Harter,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Millheim  and  grew  to  man- 
hood  there.  He  learned  the  painters'  trade 
in  his  father's  shop,  and  having  great  m< 
chanical  ability  he  became  familiar  also  in  an 
incidental  way  with  all  the  details  of  carriage 
ami  wagon  making.  He  had  extraordinary  abil- 
ity as  an  artist,  though  lacking  entirely  a  suit- 
able opportunity  to  develop  his  powers.  His 
work  with  a  pen  was  unusually  fine,  and  one 
cannot  but  regret  that  his  talent  remained  un- 
utilized. He  was  well  advanced  toward  middle 
age  when  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry  with 
Dr.  Swart/,  a  successful  practitioner,  with  whom 
he  later  went  into  partnership.  After  a  time 
Dr.  Harter  established  an  independent  practici 
continuing  in  all  over  twenty  years.  While  he 
made  much  money  and  lived  in  comfortable 
Style,  he  newer  became  wealthy.  As  a  citizen  he 
was  highly  respected,  and  he  held  a  prominent 
place  in  the  Republican  organization  in  his  sec- 
tion. For  some  years  previous  to  his  death  he 
was  government  gauger  and  store  keeper  in  the 
Eighteenth  District  of  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  William  S.   Harter   was    married    in  Mill 
heiin  to  Mrs.  Sarah  (Detrich     Messinger,  wido* 
1  I    David  Messinger,  who  died  shortly  after  his 
marriage,  leaving  no  children.      Mrs.  Harter  was 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


175 


a  native  of  Mifflinburg,  but  her  parents  died 
there  during  her  childhood,  and  she  was  reared 
by  Frederick  Gutelius.  She  possessed  much 
artistic  skill  combined  with  business  ability,  and 
at  the  time  of  her  last  marriage  was  conducting  a 
millinery  store.  Both  parents  were  Methodists, 
and  the  father  was  one  of  the  foremost  workers 
in  the  Church,  giving  his  time  and  thought  as 
well  as  money.  He  died  April  30,  1877,  from  an 
illness  contracted  during  a  visit  to  the  Centennial 
Exposition.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
December  29,  1893,  when  she  passed  away,  and 
was  laid  to  rest  beside  him  in  the  cemetery  at 
Millheim.  Their  children  were  William  C. ,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Lydia  J.,  who  died  in  1893, 
unmarried;  Anna  C,  who  married  William  S. 
Musser,  and  died  in  Millheim;  Willis  H.  B.,  who 
died  in  infancy  ;  John  F. ,  our  subject  ;  Robert 
H. ,  engineer  of  a  school  at  Chicago,  III.;  and 
Emma  C,  now  Mrs.  W.  H.  Miller,  of  Millheim. 

Dr.  J.  F.  Harter's  literary  education  was 
acquired  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
his  professional  studies  may  be  said  to  have  been 
begun  while  a  boy  in  his  father's  office.  How- 
ever, he  did  not  determine  upon  dentistry  as  a 
life  work  without  testing  other  occupations.  For 
some  time  he  clerked  for  Daniel  Gross,  a  mer- 
chant at  Lock  Haven,  and  later  he  took  a  course 
in  telegraphy  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  worked  as  an 
operator  in  the  Western  Union  office  at  Belle- 
fonte.  On  definitely  deciding  to  adopt  his  pres- 
ent calling,  he  completed  his  preparation  with 
Dr.  A.  J.  Orndorf,  a  successful  practitioner  at 
Pine  Grove  Mills,  Penn.  He  then  established 
himself  in  business  at  Millheim,  and  continued 
afterward,  with  the  exception  of  three  years  as 
county  recorder,  to  which  office  he  was  elected 
in  1887,  until  his  removal  to  State  College  in 
the  fall  of  1896. 

His  political  work  and  influence  are  worthy  of 
more  than  a  passing  reference  as  he  is  one  of  the 
valued  advisers  of  the  Republican  party  in  Cen- 
tre county.  His  popularity  as  a  man  is  not  lim- 
ited by  partisan  ties,  and  he  has  warm  friends 
among  those  of  opposite  political  faith.  In  1893 
he  was  defeated  for  the  office  of  sheriff  by  only 
260  votes,  while  the  other  on  his  ticket  had  an 
adverse  majority  of  800  or  more.  He  has  held 
numerous  local  offices,  serving  upon  the  city  coun- 
cil and  the  school  board  of  Millheim,  and  in  all  his 
public  work  his  ability,  discretion  and  fidelity 
have  been  fully  proven.  Always  thoroughly- 
awake  to  the  best  interests  of  his  town,  he  has 
been  active  in  various  movements  of  a  non-par- 
tisan sort.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Millheim 
Building  &  Loan  Association,  and  a  leading 
worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  con- 


tributing liberally  and  serving  at  present  as 
trustee,  steward  and  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. In  1874  he  joined  the  Millheim 
Cornet  Band,  of  which  he  became  leader  four 
years  later,  and  under  his  able  direction  the 
organization  has  become  known  throughout  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania  for  its  excellence,  having  gained 
valuable  prizes  at  various  contests  in  competition 
with  bands  from  much  larger  cities.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  at  Millheim.  He  has  been  successful 
financially  as  well  as  in  other  lines.  He  owns 
two  residences  at  Millheim,  and  his  home  is 
among  the  pleasantest  in  the  place. 

Dr.  Harter  was  married  September  17,  1878, 
in  Pine  Grove,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Meek, 
daughter  of  F.  E.  and  Eliza  (Glenn)  Meek,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Sadie  B.  and  Jessie  M.,  both 
at  home.  In  November,  1896,  the  Doctor  and 
his  family  removed  to  State  College,  where  he  is 
building  a  fine  home,  and  where  he  expects  to 
remain  to  educate  his  children. 


C ELEMENT  H.  GRAMLY,  one  of  the  pros- 
Jl  perous  young  farmers  of  Brush  Valley,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  one  of  its  excellent  citizens,  is  a 
descendant  of  that  grand  old  pioneer  family  of 
Gramlys  or  Gramleys,  who  for  nearly  a  century 
have  been  prominent  and  active  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  "the  garden  spot  of  Centre 
county."  The  family,  which  is  a  numerous  one, 
has  given  to  the  county  many  of  its  best  citizens, 
and  in  Brush  Valley  the  name  of  Gramly  is  al- 
most synonymous  with  good  citizenship. 

Our  subject  was  born  November  14,  1862, 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  it  being  the  old 
homestead  of  his  parents,  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Smull)  Gramly,  and  in  the  schools  of  the 
neighborhood  began  his  education,  which  was 
mostly  obtained  in  the  Harter  district,  though 
completed  in  Rebersburg,  where  his  brother. 
Prof.  C.  L.  Gramly  (now  county  superintend- 
ent of  schoolsj,  was  then  teaching.  He  was 
reared  in  much  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys, 
early  becoming  familiar  with  the  duties  of  an  ag- 
riculturist, and  continued  to  remain  upon  the 
home  farm  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time 
spent  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  employ  of  Jacob 
Krape,  of  Nittany  Valley.  On  July  20,  1884,  in 
Rebersburg,  Mr.  Gramly  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Krape,  who  was  born  in  Clintondale, 
Penn.,  January  3,  1866,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Hannah  (Bierly)  Krape.  They  have 
one  son,    Samuel  C. ,  born  December  5,   1885. 

Mr.  Gramly  brought  his  bride  to  the  home 
farm,  which  he  operated   for   his   father   for  two 


17C> 


CO  VMBMORA  TlVi:  BIOQRAPMCA  I.  RECORD. 


years,  but  in  1886  purchased  the  stock  and  nec- 
essary machinery  and  rented  the  farm,  which  he 
still  successfully  cultivates  He  1- 'me  of  the  few 
Republicans  in  Brush  Valley,  and  comes  of  a 
family  whose  members  are  practically  the  nu- 
cleus of  that  party  in  Miles  township.  On  more 
than  one  occasion  he  has  served  as  delegate  to 
the  county  conventions  from  the  township,  and 
takes  an  active  and  commendable  interest  in  po- 
litical affairs,  lie  1-  one  of  the  leading  and  pop- 
ular citizens  of  the  community,  and  those  who 
have  known  him  from  boyhood  are  numbered 
among  his  stanchest  friends.  With  the  Lutheran 
Church  he  and  his  estimable  wife  hold  member- 
ship, and  at  present  he  is  serving  as  secretary  of 
the  Sabbath-schoi  I 


MAJOR    LORENZO   LORAIN,  who   passed 
away    at    Baltimore,  Md.,  March  6,   1882, 

while  yet  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  was  one  of 
the  brightest,  strongest  and  most  gifted  sons 
Centre  county  ever  had.  Soldier,  teacher, 
scientist,  civil  engineer — a  brilliant  success  in 
each  field  of  endeavor.  His  wonderful  ability 
and  remarkable  qualities  were  justly  recognized, 
and  he  was  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact  in  the  various  walks  of 
life.  Many  men  of  world-wide  fame  possessed 
fewer  of  the  qualities  that  command  success  and 
those  in  less  degree  than  he. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  1'hilipshurg,  Penn., 
August  5,  [831,  a  son  of  Dr.  Henry  Tilden  and 
Maria  (Taylor)  Lorain,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  December  15,  1799,  in  Kent  county,  Md., 
the  latter  in  Clearfield  county,  Penn.  Dr. 
Henry  Lorain  was  a  son  of  John  and  Martha 
Lorain,  who  were  born  in  Maryland.  Thomas 
Lorain,  the  father  of  John  was  bom  in  England, 
and  on  March  24,  1759,  received  letters  of 
marque  from  the  Captain-general  of  Jamaica, 
Henry  Moore,  Esq.,  to  command  the  ship, 
"Viper,"  to  prey  upon  the  French.  He  ser\ed 
with  distinction,  and  on  leaving  the  sea  settled  in 
Kent  county,  Md  .  about  177 1.  He  had  three 
children:  John,  Jr.,  Eliza  and  Thomas.  The 
first  named  took  quite  a  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs,  and  served  as  postmastei  ol  Philipsburg, 
at  an  early  day  in  its  history.  I  lis  son,  the 
Doctor,  was  a  skilled  surgeon  and  physician  of 
Clearfield  counts',  whose   practice  extended  over 

a   wide  stretch  ol  Coimti  y 

The  early  education  ol  Major  Lorain  was 
rather  limited,   but   was  enough   to  develop  the 

-I  of  his  mind,  and  to  lay  the  foundation  for 
the  mathematical  and  mechanical  ability  he 
evinced  in  later  years     Unexpectedly  and  unsolic- 


ited by  him,  he  was  offered  the  cadetship  from 
his  district,  and  concluded  to  give  up  civil  engin- 
eering, which  he  was  then  studying,  and  accept 
the  same.  Accordingly,  in  June,  1852,  he  en- 
tered the  fourth  class  at  West  Point,  and  gradu- 
ated with  honor  in  1856.  He  was  then  commis- 
sioned second  lieutenant  in  the  Third  Artillery, 
and  was  constantly  on  duty  at  distant  frontier  posts 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  In  one  ol  tin- 
earliest  engagements  of  that  terrible  struggle,  tl  t 
of  Blackburn's  Ford,  on  July  18,  1861,  he  ■ 
severely  wounded,  and  for  eight  months  was  un- 
able to  do  even  the  lightest  duty.  He  then  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  assistant  to  Prof.  Ken- 
drick  in  the  chemical  department  at  West  Point, 
entering  upon  his  duties  March   23,   1862. 

During  his  convalescence,  Major  Lorain  was 
married  February  18,  1862,  to  Miss  Fannie 
Moseley  McDonald,  a  native  of  Washington,  1> 
C.  and  a  daughter  of  William  J.  McDonald,  who 
for  forty-five  years  was  attached  to  the  office  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Senate,  during  fifteen  years  of 
which  time  he  was  chief  clerk  of  the  I'nited 
States  Senate.  Four  children  were  born  to  them: 
Henry  McDonald,  a  prominent  mining  engineer 
of  Philipsburg;  Fannie  B.,  who  died  in  infanc) 
Mertie  M.,  wife  of  Lieut.  E.  A.  Anderson,  of  the 
I'nited  States  Navy;  and  W.  J.,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

In  May,  1862,  Major  Lorain's  wounds  be- 
came worse,  but  he  continued  to  hold  his  posi- 
tion at  West  Point,  for  which  he  was  well  fitted, 
and  with  tireless  energy  devoted  day  and  night 
to  his  work.  He  was  offered  several  important 
volunteer  commands,  but  knew  it  was  unwise  to 
ai  1  ept  until  his  physical  condition  was  improved. 
While  at  West  Point  he  received  the  brevets  ol 
captain  and  major,  the  former  for  gallant  and 
meritorious  service  at  the  battle  of  Blackburn's 
Ford,  Va.  Although  his  wounds  presented 
ive  service  in  the  fields,  for  nine  years  he  did 
faithful  service  in  the  chemical  department  at  the 
military  school.  He  afterward  commanded  Fort 
1 1  fferson,  Florida,  and  subsequently  was  stationed 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

For  one  year  he  held    the  professorship   ol 

physics  .md  mechanics  at  the  Lehigh  University, 

.11  Bethlehem,  Penn.,  but  his  love  for  the  arm) 

forced  him  to  resign.      He  also  refused  oilier  im- 

essorships  in  different  colleges     Sub- 

aently  he  served  at  Fort  Hamilton.  New  York 
Harbor,  but,  owing  to  ill   health  in   his  family, 

isked  to  be  relieved,  and  accepted  the  detail 
to  the  Artillerj  School  at  Fort  Monroe.  Virgii 
which  post  had  been  repeatedly  offered  him,  but 
winch,  owing  to  the  dislike  captains  of  artilli 
had  for  such  duty,   he  had  always   previously 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


177 


clined.  Here  he  was  again  in  his  element,  and 
in  many  ways  promoted  the  interests  of  the 
school,  making  it  far  more  efficient.  His  advice 
was  often  sought  and  freely  given  in  the  various 
departments,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  enlarg- 
ing its  facilities.  When  compelled  to  leave  the 
school  his  loss  was  severely  felt.  During  his 
service  there  he  recognized  the  fact  that  im- 
proved telescopic  sights  were  necessary  for  the 
large  guns,  and  devised  a  sight  which  bears  the 
name  of  "Lorain."  He  also  introduced  firing 
by  electricity  at  the  School. 

Major  Lorain  was  always  an  active  man,  fond 
of  fields  sport,  and  excelled  in  gunning  and  fish- 
ing. Up  to  the  last  two  years  of  his  life  he  took 
a  prominent  part  in  all  such  sports,  his  pleasant, 
social  manner  making  him  a  valued  addition  to 
parties  organized  for  that  enjoyment.  He  par- 
ticularly delighted  in  sailing  parties,  and  was 
remarkably  skillful  in  his  management  of  sail 
boats.  At  last  he  was  compelled  to  give  up 
these  pleasures  on  account  of  his  health,  and  on 
the  6th  of  March,  1882,  he  departed  this  life. 
His  death  was  widely  and  deeply  mourned  for 
he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  making  friends  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Throughout 
his  career  of  continued  and  far-reaching  useful- 
ness, his  duties  were  performed  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  his  personal  honor  and  integrity  were 
without  blemish.  His  memory  will  ever  be  a 
sacred  inheritance  to  his  children;  it  will  be  cher- 
ished by  a  multitude  of  friends. 

William  J.  McDonald,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Lo- 
rain, was  born  in  September,  181 3,  and  on  reach- 
ing man's  estate  he  married  Ann  B.  Holt,  who 
was  born  in  March,  1813,  and  died  on  the  1st  of 
June,  1878.  His  death  occurred  June  5,  1878. 
In  their  family  were  four  children :  Fannie  Mose- 
ley,  widow  of  Major  Lorain;  Eugenia,  wife  of 
Col.  William  Sinclair,  of  the  United  States 
Army;  William  J.,  who  is  connected  with  the 
Pension  bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C;  and  H. 
Bowyer,  clerk  of  the  Senate  at  Washington. 

John  G.  McDonald,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Lorain,  was  of  Scotch  parentage.  He 
became  attached  to  Congress  on  its  removal 
from  Philadelphia  to  Washington,  and  also  served 
as  chief  clerk  of  the  Senate  for  many  years.  In 
1814,  when  the  British  troops  fired  the  capitol, 
he  and  a  negro  saved  all  the  archives  of  the 
Senate.  His  death  occurred  in  that  city,  with 
whose  interests  he  had  been  prominently  con- 
nected for  so  many  years.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents, John  E.  and  Clara  (Mosely)  Holt,  were 
natives  of  Williamsburg  and  Norfolk,  Va. ,  re- 
spectively.      For    a    quarter    of    a    century    the 

grandfather  served  as  mayor   of  the  latter  place, 
12 


which  position  he  was  filling  at  the  time  of  Gen. 
La  Fayette's  visit  to  this  city,  and  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  McDonald,  served  as  flower  girl  during  the 
services. 

Henry  McDonald  Lorain,  the  only  surviv- 
ing son  of  Major  Lorain,  was  born  in  West 
Point,  N.  Y.,  June  26,  1863,  where  he  remained 
until  1870.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered 
the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute,  with  the 
view  of  taking  a  four-years'  course  of  civil  en- 
gineering, but  at  the  end  of  three  years  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  school  on  account  of  ill  health. 
During  the  winter  of  1885-86  he  attended  Bry- 
ant &  Stratton  Business  College,  at  Baltimore, 
Md.  Coming  to  Philipsburg  in  April,  1886,  he 
entered  the  service  of  Holt  &  Chipman  as  mining 
engineer,  and  has  since  been  with  the  company, 
although  it  has  several  times  changed  hands,  be- 
ing now  known  as  the  Coaldale  Mining  Co.  He 
first  studied  to  be  a  civil  engineer,  but  gave  it  up 
as  he  preferred  mining  engineering,  in  which  he 
has  been  very  successful. 

On  June  6,  1894,  Mr.  Lorain  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Maud  Holt,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Foresman)  Holt,  and  one 
son,  Sinclair,  was  born  to  them  June  23,  1895. 
Mrs.  H.  McD.  Lorain  died  February  10,  1897, 
and  is  buried  in  the  Philipsburg  Cemetery.  The 
family  is  one  of  prominence,  holding  a  high  po- 
sition in  social  circles.  Mr.  Lorain  votes  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  business  as  well  as 
social  circles  stands  deservedly  high. 


BUNLOP,  HARRIS,  STEWART,  PAXTON 
genealogies,  and  other  families  with  whom 
inter-married,  and  explanatory  remarks  of  their 
contemporaries,  indicating  their  enterprise  and 
character  as    citizens  of  the  County  and   State. 

DUNLOP. 

The  Dunlop  family  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyte- 
rians residing  in  "  Dunlop  Parish,"  Ayrshire,  Scot- 
land, during  the  period  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
II  (1660-1685)  when  he  attempted  to  enforce 
Episcopacy  upon  the  Scottish  nation,  in  conse- 
quence- of  which  persecution  they  abandoned 
their  estates  and  sought  a  new  home  in  the 
County  Donegal,  North  of  Ireland  (which  had 
then  become  a  refuge  for  Presbyterians  and 
Covenanters  who  adhered  to  the  "Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith"  adopted  by  the  Scottish 
people  in  1643,  and  ratified  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  1647). 

From   recent  correspondence   with   the   Rev. 
W.  E.  Lattimer,  of  English  Dungannon,  Ireland, 


178 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  1U0QRAPUKM.   RECORD. 


we  have  obtained  a  copy  <>f  the  record  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Conway,  County  Donegal,  ordain- 
ing John  Dunlop  (I)*,  a  minister.  From  tradition 
we  learn  he  was  the  father  of  William  IXnlop 
(II),  whosatasa  Ruling  Elder  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Tyrone,  freland,  in  1712,  and  at  an  advanced 
age  emigrated  to  this  country  with  his  family — a 
wife  and  four  children — prior  to  the  year  1730, 
first  locating  at  Donegal,  now  Lancaster  county, 
in  this  State  (near  the  farm  of  that  name  now 
o  vned  by  the  Camerons),  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  which  were  residents  by  name:  Harris, 
Hoggs,  Lowry.  Johnston  and  other  well-known 
Scotch-Irish  families,  largely  intermarried,  and 
who  later  sought  homes  in  other  parts  of  the 
State.  William  Dunlop  (II)  we  fin>l  as  early  as 
1730  petitioned  the  Court  of  Lancaster  county 
to  recommend  him  to  the  Governor  for  appoint- 
ment as  an  Indian  trader.  He  moved  from 
Donegal  to  a  farm  adjoining  the  town  of  Shippens- 
burg,  where  he  died  1  his  granddaughter,  Elizabeth 
Simpson,  said  at  the  age  of  1  15).  A  deed  dated 
January  15,  1752,  and  of  record  in  Carlisle,  from 
Margaret.  William  and  Kphraim  Dunlop  to  their 
brother,  James  Dunlop,  conveying  the  farm  above 
mentioned,  recites:  "it  being  partly  in  consider- 
ation that  he  forever  maintain  theii  Mother  De- 
borah Dunlop,  wife  oi  William  Dunlop,  who  died 
late." 
Jami  s  DUNLOP  (HI)  soon  after  married  Jane 
Hoggs,  daughter  of  Andrew  Hoggs  and  sister  of 
Col  John  and  Capt.  Alexander  Boggs,  of  the 
Revolution,  and  provided  his  mother  a  home 
until  her  death  some  years  later.  His  sister 
Margaret,  having  married,  moved  to  one  of  the 
Southern  States  William  was  the  commander 
of  a  vessel,  and  also  the  Indian  trader  mentioned 
in  Pennsylvania  Archives,  and  Ephraim  moved 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  purchased  a  large  plan- 
tation, and  where  he  died  leaving  a  large  estate. 
James  pursued  the  practice  of  law  in  Cumberland 
county,  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  iron  at  what  was  then  known  as  the  "  Dunlop 
Furnaces"  in  Path  Valley,  now  Franklin  county, 
until  about  the  time  that  Congress  passed  the 
Act  authorizing  a  battalion  for  immediate  serv- 
ice to  be  raised  in  Cumberland  comity  (Jan.  4, 
1770),  when  he  abandoned  all  pursuits  and  de- 
voted his  energies  to  raising  and  equipping  of  the 
regiment  which  was  afterward  known  as  the 
"  6th.  Pennsylvania  of  the  Continental  line,"  and 
was  on  the  10th  day  of  January,  1776,  commis- 
sioned its  major.  The  histor)  of  this  regiment 
will  be  found  in  Pennsylvania  Archives  under  that 
name,  and  further  details  of  its  service  in   n 

•All  the    Roman   numerals   refer  to   the   generations   from   the  first 
known  ancestor,  and  nut  to  the  number  Ofchlldri 


of  the  2nd  Pennsylvania,  Col.  St.  Clair,  in  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne's  command.  On  the  25th  of 
October,  1776,  Major  Dunlop  was  promoted  to 
lieutenant-colonel  of  the  10th  Pennsylvania. 
He  participated  in  all  the  numerous  engagements 
of  that  year  with  the  British  underGen.  Hurgoyne 
at  "Three  Rivers",  "Lie  Aux  Noix",  "Isle  La 
Motte",  •  Ticonderoga",  Crown  Point",  etc.,  "in 
which  the  battalion  suffered  severely  inkilledand 
wounded,  and  their  exposure  in  the  swamps 
without  proper  food  or  clothing,  as  expressed  by 
Col.  Dunlop,  "rendered  their  condition  pitiable," 
and  is  so  reported  by  Gen.  Wayne  to  the  Com- 
mittee ot  s.i  let  \  in  Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  x, 
page  79.  On  the  23rd  day  of  January,  1777, 
Col.  Dunlop  resigned  his  command  [see  letter  in 
Vol.  I.  Pennsylvania  Archives,  page  694]  because 
seniority  in  rank  was  not  recognized.  Col.  Dun- 
lop's  epaulets,  sword  and  his  discharge  papers, 
together  with  the  Continental  money  in  which  he 
was  paid  for  his  services  enclosed  therein,  are 
preserved  by  his  descendants  in  Bellefonte.  On 
the  2nd  of  October,  1779,  he  was  appointed 
lieutenant  of  Cumberland  county,  and  on  the  28th 
of  October,  1784,  was  commissioned  a  Justice  of 
the  Common  Pleas  in  Cumberland  countv.  Dur- 
ing all  these  years  the  family  tradition  recounts 
many  hardships  endured  by  himself  and  family, 
many  narrow  escapes  and  thrilling  adventures; 
fleeing  to  the  forts  to  avoid  capture  by  the  In- 
dians; destruction  and  burning  of  their  property, 
himself  twice  a  captive;  devices  of  escape  from 
them,  etc.  Col.  Dunlop's  wife  Jane|«<V  Hoggs) 
\\a>  a  lady  of  tine  education,  quick  perception, 
reliant,  prompt  to  act  in  an  emergency,  and  pro- 
id  herself  and  small  children  by  flight  on 
horseback  through  forest  pathways  to  places  of 
refuge  from  pursuing  Indians  on  more  than  one 
occasion.  In  the  quiet  routine  of  family  life 
her  loving  disposition  and  motherly  care,  as  well 
as  her  neat  ami  methodical  management  of  the 
household  appointments,  wire  an  example  for  all, 
and  her  advice  and  sympathy  sought  by  many. 
other  than  her  family  relations. 

was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Boggs  (I) 
who  located  on  the  Susquehanna  at  Logan's 
Ferry  in  1730  (now  Bainbridge).  He  had  200 
acres  of  land  adjoining  the  Ferry,  and  died  there 
m  1765.  Andrew  Boggs'  wife  was  a  Miss  Pat- 
ton,  sister  of  James  who  married  Mary  Allison 
(Mr.  Patton  died  in  1746,  and  his  wife  the  year 
following  without  issue).  CoLONELjOHN  He 
(II),  son  of  Andrew  rid  Miss  Patton,  was 

an  officer  of  the  Revolution  and  a  prominent 
man  in  Cumberland  county,  paymaster  of  militia, 
sheriff  of  the  county  from  1780  to  1783,  and  Jus- 
tice of  the  Common  Pleas  of  Franklin  county  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


179 


1786.  He  moved  to  Centre  county  in  1795,  and 
resided  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henderson  on 
Buffalo  run,  west  of  Bellefonte,  and  died  in  De- 
cember, 1796,  aged  sixty-four  years.  His  wife,  who 
died  July  II,  181  5,  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Johnston, 
daughter  of  Col.  Johnston,  who  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  origin,  and  a  colonel  in  the  English  army, 
who  came  to  this  country  about  1700,  and  ob- 
tained from  the  government  a  large  body  of  land 
partly  (now)  in  Franklin  county  and  in  the  State 
of  Maryland  adjoining,  upon  which  he  erected  a 
large  fine  house,  for  those  days,  more  like  a  fort 
than  a  dwelling,  in  old  English  style  with  wine 
cellars,  etc.  Col.  Johnston's  wife  was  a  Mrs. 
Findlay  (1),  a  widow  with  two  sons,  one  of 
whom  was  the  father  of  Gov.  William  Findlay 
{2),  Mrs.  Gov.  Shunk  and  Jane  Findlay,  who  died 
in  Harrisburg  in  1836,  leaving  a  large  number  of 
grandchildren.  The  other  son  resided  in  Balti- 
more, where  he  and  his  wife  both  died  leaving 
one  child,  Eliza  Findlay  (III),  a  little  over  two 
years  old.  The  children  of  Col.  Johnston  and 
wife  (nee  Findlay)  were  all  grown  and  married 
before  the  Revolution,  except  one  who  was  not 
married  until  he  was  sixty-five ;  his  sons  were  all  in 
the  American  army,  as  were  also  his  stepsons. 
His  son,  Dr.  Robert  Johnston,  was  a  celebrated 
surgeon  of  the  Revolution,  and  about  1750  Dr. 
Robert  went  to  China  with  a  cargo  of  ginseng; 
was  there  some  years,  and  upon  his  return  mar- 
ried Miss  Nellie  Pauline,  to  whom  he  had  been 
engaged,  bringing  with  him  the  silk  for  her  wed- 
ding dress  (samples  of  which  are  still  preserved); 
they  both  died  leaving  no  children.  His  son, 
Thomas  Johnston,  was  also  distinguished  for  his 
bravery  on  many  occasions  during  the  war,  and 
his  son,  James  Johnston,  who  had  obtained  the 
same  rank  in  the  American  army,  was  also 
known  as  Col.  Johnston  (and  in  the  family,  as  a 
means  of  designation,  "  Uncle  Jimmy").  After 
the  war  he  went  to  England,  and  while  there 
had  a  carpet  woven  with  a  blue  ground,  and  the 
American  Coat  of  Arms  as  a  center  piece,  which 
was  the  first  imported  carpet  in  this  country. 

Col.  Johnston,  Sr. ,  had  four  daughters, 
whose  married  names  were:  Beatty,  Brown, 
Campbell  and  Boggs,  one  of  whom  was  a  widow, 
and  she  and  "  Uncle  Jimmy"  (Col.,  Jr.)  occupied 
the  home  of  their  father  and  kept  open  house  for 
all  of  the  relations.  "Uncle  Jimmy"  went  to 
Baltimore  upon  the  death  of  his  half-brother, 
Findlay,  and  took  home  with  him  the  child, 
Elizabeth  Findlay,  to  whose  education  and  train- 
ing he  gave  special  attention.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature  when  it  met  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  boarded  with  a  Mrs.  Parker,  a  widow 
with  four  children — one  son  and  three  daughters 


— whose  reverses  in  fortune,  it  is  said,  induced 
him  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  to  marry  the  widow 
and  take  the  flock  home.  The  daughters  were 
very  handsome;  one  was  the  mother  of  Maj. 
Linton,  great-grandmother  of  the  beautiful  Miss 
Chamberlain,  who  had  such  fame  both  here  and 
in  Europe.  Col.  Boggs  was  the  first  person 
buried  in  Bellefonte,  on  the  hill  now  occupied  by 
the  residence  of  Daniel  Rhoads,  west  end  of 
Linn  street,  his  remains  afterward  being  removed 
to  the  new  cemetery.  His  wife  died  July  11, 
181 5.  Their  children  are  as  follows:  Andrew 
Boggs  Jr.,  (Ill),  who  was  an  attorney  [see  Bar 
list,  Centre  county],  was  born  September  1, 
1773,  was  also  in  the  iron  business  in  Centre 
county  with  his  cousin,  John  Dunlop;  went  west 
from  Bellefonte,  and  married  his  cousin,  Jane 
Johnston;  lived  in  Pittsburgh  for  a  time,  then  on 
the  Kiskiminitis,  where  he  made  salt;  the  great 
flood  of  1832  destroyed  his  works,  entailing  a 
loss  of  $30,000.  The  Legislature  voted  him 
$15,000  damages,  as  it  had  partly  been  occa- 
sioned by  the  building  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal. 
He  owned  the  farm  on  which  Saltsburg  is  now 
built.  He  had  eight  children,  and  some  years 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  married  Sarah  Bid- 
die,  cousin  of  Nicholas  Biddle,  of  National  Bank 
fame;  they  had  four  children,  and  finally  moved 
to  Springfield,  Ohio,  where  he  and  his  wife  both 
died.  His  descendants  live  in  the  West;  one 
daughter  married  Simon  Drum,  of  the  regular 
army,  who  was  killed  at  the  taking  of  the  City  of 
Mexico  (two  of  whose  sons  are  now  in  the  army); 
his  (Andrew's)  eldest  son  died  unmarried,  also 
two  daughters,  Jane  and  Rebecca.  His  second 
son  was  lost  on  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  in  1852. 
His  daughter,  Mary,  married  her  cousin,  John 
Miles;  they  died  in  Kentucky,  leaving  no  de- 
scendants. Anna  Bella,  his  eldest  child,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Drum,  and  has  two  daughters  living 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Elizabeth  (2),  daughter  of 
Col.  John  and  Elizabeth  Johnston  Boggs,  was 
born  in  1775,  married  James  McLanahan  before 
the  family  left  Franklin  county,  and  moved  to 
Baltimore  where  they  both  died,  leaving  a  num- 
ber of  children:  Craig  McLanahan  (4),  eldest 
son,  lived  in  Hollidaysburg.  Robert  (5)  never 
married.  William  did  live  in  St.  Louis.  Eliza 
Bell  was  married  to  Dr.  Johnston  Boggs. 
Dr.  Johnston  Boggs  (3),  son  of  Col.  John 
and  Elizabeth  Johnston  Boggs,  was  born 
June  7,  1776;  married  his  cousin,  Eliza 
Bell  McLanahan  (above  mentioned);  moved  to 
Natchez  and  died  there.  Francis  Boggs  (4),  son 
of  Col.  John  and  Elizabeth  Johnston  Boggs,  was 
born  February  25,  1778,  and  died  when  twelve 
years  old.      Ann  (5),   daughter  of   Col.    John  (3) 


180 


COMifhMOHAT/VK  B10GU.WIW  A  I    HEiDltD. 


and  Elizabeth  Johnston  Boggs,  was  bom  Octo- 
ber 24,  1779,  married  William  Wistar  Miles,  son 
of  Col.  Samuel  Miles,  of  the  Revolution,  who 
owned  the  land  upon  which  the  town  of  Miles- 
burg  is  situated,  Centre  Furnace  and  all  of 
Brush  Valley  in  Centre  county.  William  W. 
Miles  died  in  1808,  leaving  two  sons,  John  14) 
and  William  (4). 

John  (4)  married  his  cousin.  Man  Ho--s, 
leaving  no  descendants;  William  married  Mary 
Kephart;  had  numerous  posterity  about  Tyrone 
and  Kittanning,  Pennsylvania.  In  1814  Anna 
Boggs  Miles  was  married  (again)  to  John  Mitchell, 
who  was  an  iron-master  of  Centre  county,  after- 
ward a  member  of  Congress,  canal  commis- 
sioner, and  held  many  offices  of  profit  and  trust 
m  Centre  county.  He  first  came  to  Centre 
county  as  a  manager  at  the  iron  works 
of  John  Dunlop.  In  May,  1814,  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Hellefonte  with  his  brother  David.  In 
October,  [818,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Centre 
county,  and  as  such  was  the  executioner  of 
James  Monks,  convicted  of  murder,  a  crime  so 
unusual  in  those  days  that  the  trial  and  execu- 
tion attracted  to  the  town  a  vast  throng  of  people 
from  all  the  surrounding  counties.  Mr.  Mitchell 
was  .1  surveyoi  and  engineer  of  recognized  abil- 
ity. In  1821  he  laid  out  the  Centre  and  Kish- 
acoquillas  turnpike.  In  the  year  1826  he  made 
a  survey  for  the  State  of  the  proposed  canal 
routes  between  the  Susquehanna  and  the  Poto- 
mac rivers.  In  1S27  he  was  appointed  engineer 
of  the  Erie  extension  from  New  Castle  to  Erie. 
In  1829  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  one 
of  the  canal  commissioners,  again  appointed  by 
Gov.  Wolf  in  1830.  He  had  three  children: 
David,  the  only  son,  was  killed  in  the  Mexican 
war.  Martha  married  P.  B.  Kephart.  and 
thej     bad    four   sons:       |.     Matlock,   killed    in    the 

Rebellion.  William  dud  recently.  J.  Miles 
and  Harry  survive;  both  are  married,  but  have 
no  descendants.  Nam  \  Harris  Mitchell  was 
married  to  Dr  Joseph  H.  Dixon,  of  Pittsburgh, 
a  highly  esteemed  and  prominent  physician,  well 
known  throughout  Pennsylvania;  he  came  of  .1 
family  of  noted  physicians;  was  a  son  of  John 
Dixon,  of  Cecil  county.  Md.  He  died  March, 
[897.  His  wife,  who  died  several  years  previous, 
was  almost  as  well  known  as  her  husband;  her 
life  being  devoted  to  charitj  and  tin-  alleviation 
of  suffering,  she  was  beloved  bj  all,  and  her 
ili  was  deeph  lamented.  They  had  no  chil- 
dren. Mary  Boggs  6),  daughtei  of  (  ol.  John 
and  Eli  abeth  |ohn  .ton  1  '•  ig|  •.  was  hoi  □  v 
\ember  19,  1 78 1 .  died  June  14.  1809.  J 
Boggs    (7),    daughter    of  Col.    John    and    Eliza- 


beth Johnston  Hoggs,  was  born  March  13,  1784, 
and  married  John  Royer,  an  iron-master  of 
Huntingdon  county,  and  a  prominent  politician; 
Mrs.  Royer  died  at  the  residence  of  her  son-in- 
law,  Hon.  Cyrus  [1.  Pershing,  in  Johnstown, 
October  28,  1869.  \  Dr.  John  Boggs  (8),  son 
of  Col.  John  and  Elizabeth  Johnston  Boggs, 
was  horn  August  18,  1 787,  married  a  Miss  Alli- 
son; one  of  their  daughters  married  a  Bishop  de 
Schweintz,  and  lives  in  Bethlehem;  one  died 
young,  and  the  eldest  married  a  Mr.  Wharton,  of 
Philadelphia,  who  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church,  and  they  had  two  sons,  Allison  and 
Johnston,  who  were  Methodist  ministers. 

Ann  Boggs  (II),  daughter  of  Andrew  Bogg^  I' 
and  Miss  Patton,  married  Joseph  Lowry,  son  of 
Lazarus  Lowry,  who  came  from  the  North  of 
Ireland  and  located  at  Donegal,  Penn.,  in  1720 
His  (Joseph's)  brother,  Col.  Alexander  Lowry, 
w  as  an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  whose  grandson 
of  the  same  name,  Alexander,  married  Miss 
Margaret  Speer,  of  Williamsburg,  Penn.,  and  re- 
cently died  in  Butler,  Penn.,  leaving  seven  sons 
and  one  daughter.  Joseph  Lowry  was  engaged 
in  two  French  and  Indian  wars,  his  family  tw 
driven  from  their  homes,  and  it  burned  to  the 
ground;  he  afterward  moved  his  family  to  May- 
town  to  educate  their  son,  John  G.  Lowry;  he 
was  placed  in  a  classical  school  conducted  by 
Rev.  Colin  McFarquhar.  John  G.  went  into  the 
army  to  quell  the  "whiskey  rebellion"  in  1792 
or  '3;  afterward  accompanied  his  cousin,  John 
Dunlop,  to  Centre  county,  and  became  a  man- 
ager  at  his  Iron  Works,  and  later,  in  connection 
with  Judge  Huston,  the  administrator  of  John 
Dunlop.  He  was  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  almost  from  its  organization  in  Hellefonte 
until  the  time  he  left  the  town,  a  year  or  two 
before  his  death.  He  was  appointed  treasurer 
for  several  terms,  and  when  the  office  was  made 
elective,  was  the  first  to  fill  the  position.  His 
first  wife  was  Abigail,  daughter  of  Richard 
MiKs,  who  was  a  brother  of  Col.  Samuel  Miles. 
tiny  had  one  child,  Edward,  who  died  when  a 
young  mail,  unmarried;  his  second  wife  was 
Rachel,  widow  of  Capt.  John  Lightner;  thej 
moved  to  St.  Louis,  where  Mr.  Lowry  died. 
(2)  James,  son  of  Andrew  Boggs  and  Miss  Patton. 

horn ;  Andrew,   son    of    Andrew    Boggs   and 

Miss  Patton, born  -        .  [rfary, daughter  of  Andi 

Boggs   and    Miss  Patton,  horn   ;  Alexand 

son  of  Andrew  Boggs  and  Miss  Patton,  born 
He  (Alexander)  was  an  officer  of  the  Revolul 
and  was  a  captain    ii    Col    Clark's  command  in 
Ibraith's  battalion,  and  with  the  bat 
talion  during  the  celebrated  "Flying  Campaign' 
in    New    Jersey    in    1776,  was    at   the  battles  ol 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


181 


King's  Bridge,  Long  Island,  &c. ,  on  many  occa- 
sions distinguishing  himself  for  great  bravery. 
The  children  of  Col.  James  Dunlop  (III)  and  Jane 
Boggs(II)  ate, viz. :  William  Dunlop(i),  born  Jan- 
uary 17,  1763,  died  unmarried.  (IV)  Andrew  Dun- 
lop (2),  born  September  22,  1764,  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  of  Franklin  County  in  1785,  and  was 
one  of  the  attorneys  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
first  court  held  in  Centre  county  in  November, 
1800.  He  represented  Franklin  county  in  the 
Legislature  from  1796  to  1800.  Andrew  married 
Sarah  Bella  Chambers,  daughter  of  Col.  James 
Chambers,  of  Chambersburg  (son  of  Benjamin 
Chambers,  who  founded  the  town),  and  Cather- 
ine Hamilton,  aunt  of  Martha  Hamilton  Alrichs, 
mother  of  Jane  Alrichs,  who  was  the  wife  of  Ovid 
F.  Johnston,  the  distinguished  Attorney-General 
of  Pennsylvania;  their  children:  Ovid  F.  Johns- 
ton, prominent  attorney  ^Philadelphia.  Fannie 
A.,  widow  of  Hon.  S.  T.  Shugert.  Miss  Hannah 
and  Miss  Martha.  The  children  of  Andrew  and 
Sarah  Bella  Chambers  Dunlop  are  as  follows: 

(V)  James  Dunlop  (1)  was  born  at  Chambers- 
burg on  the  —  day  of ,  1 795,  and  died  on  the 

9th  of  April,  1856.  He  was  married  to  Maria  Ma- 
deria.  He  was  an  eminent  lawyer;  graduated  in 
Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  in  1 8 1  2 ;  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  18 17;  a  member  of  the  Senate  in 
Franklin  county  about  1825.  He  was  the  com- 
piler of  Dunlop's  Digest  of  the  Laws  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  Digest  of  the  Laws  of  the  United 
States.  In  1838  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Dunlop  &  Maderia 
(George  A.  Maderia,  his  brother-in-law),  proprie- 
tors of  the  celebrated  Siemans  Edge  Tool  Fac- 
tory. In  1855  he  moved  to  Philadelphia;  he  was 
stricken  with  paralysis  in  Baltimore,  and  died 
there  April  9,  1856;  their  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: Sarah  Bella  and  Helen.  Sarah  Bella  mar- 
ried John  A.  Wilson,  a  Pittsburgh  merchant,  at 
one  time  very  rich,  and  who  afterward  lived  in 
Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  where  Mr.  Wilson  died;  they 
had  four  children:  Tieman,  Dunlop,  Nellie  (mar- 
ried to  a  Dr.  French)  and  Sarah  Bella.  Helen, 
daughter  of  James  and  Maria  (Maderia)  Dunlop, 
was  married  to  John  Motter,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
and  had  three  children:  Wilson,  Dunlop,  and 
Helen  (who  was  married  to  W.  D.  Cook,  of  Pu- 
eblo, Colo.). 

Jane  Catherine  Dunlop  (2),  daughter  of  An- 
drew (IV)  and  Sarah  Bella  Chambers  Dunlop,  was 
married  to  Col.  Casper  Willis  Weaver,  of  Weav- 
erton,  Md. ;  she  was  quite  an  authoress,  and  con- 
tributed many  scientific  articles  worthy  of  publi- 
cation in  the  Department  reports  issued  by  the 
U.  S.  Government.  They  had  nine  children: 
Adam,   Catherine  Willis  (who    married  William 


Oliver  Collins),  Charlotte  Dunlop  (who  married 
Dr.  Carlton  Clare),  Sarah  Bella,  Elizabeth,  An- 
drew Dunlop,  Patrick  Henry,  Mary  Josephine 
and  Virginia  Hadessa.  Charlotte  Rhuhannah  (3), 
daughter  of  Andrew  (IV)  and  Sarah  Bella  Cham- 
bers Dunlop,  was  married  to  Charles  S.  Clark- 
son,  a  major  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  afterward 
a  colonel.    They  had  six  children:  John  (1)  Minor, 

who  was  married  to ,  and  by  a  second  wife, 

Mrs.  Bettie  had  Catherine  (2),  unmarried.  James 
Dunlop  Clarkson  (3),  married  to  Ella  Scott. 
David  (4),  unmarried,  resides  in  St.  Louis.  Jo- 
sephine (5),  married  a  Mr.  Clarkson;  and  Marga- 
ret (6),  unmarried. 

Josephine  (4),  daughter  of  Andrew  (IV),  and 
Sarah  Bella  Chambers  Dunlop,  married  Col. 
James  Ludlow,  son  of  Israel  Ludlow,  one  of 
the  founders  of  Cincinnati.  They  resided  at  Lud- 
low Station  (a  military  post  during  the  Indian 
wars).  The  fine  large  estate  and  hospitable  sub- 
urban home  was  the  resort  of  all  the  family  connec- 
tion.   They  had  eight  children:    (1)  James  Dunlop 

Ludlow  was  married  to  Susie ,  and  in  1864 

lived  near  Peoria,  111.  (2)  Charlotte  mar- 
ried Charles  Jones;  they  had  a  daughter,  and  a 
son,  Ludlow,  who  in  1864  was  a  practicing  attor- 
ney in  Cincinnati.  (3)  Saraha  Bell  was  married 
November  6,  1846,  at  Mr.  Justice  McLean's, 
Fourth  street,  Cincinnati,  by  Rt.  Rev.  C.  P.  Mcll- 
vaine,  to  Salmon  P.  Chase,  a  prominent  lawyer, 
statesman,  diplomat,  Judge  of  the  United  States 
Court,  and  a  member  of  President  Lincoln's  cab- 
inet. Their  children  were:  Jenette  Ralston 
Chase,  born  September  17,  1847,  a  lady  whose 
delightful  letters  and  literary  genius  are  known 
under  the  nom  de plume  of  "  Mrs.  Hoyt  ".  Jos- 
ephine Ludlow  Chase,  born  July  3,  1849,  and 
Kate  Chase,  who  was  married  to  Gov.  Sprague, 
of  Rhode  Island.  (4)  Catherine  (Ludlow)  mar- 
ried Jacob  Baker;  her  second  husband  was 
Lewis  Whiteman,  and  now  resides  at  Ludlow 
Station,  which  she  has  purchased.  (5)  Benj.  C. 
was  married  to  Fanny  Jones;  he  was  a  physi- 
ian  of  high  standing  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Rebellion,  after  which  he  resumed  his  practice  in 
Cincinnati.  (6)  Josephine  was  unmarried,  and 
died  in  1866.  (7)  Rhuhannah  married  Randall 
Hunt,  and  resides  in  New  Orleans;  and  (8)  Israel 
was  an  officer,  also,  in  the  Union  army,  and  now 
practicing  law  in  Cincinnati.  Sarah  Bella  (5), 
daughter  of  Andrew  (IV)  and  Sarah  Bella  Cham- 
bers Dunlop,  married  (first)  Hon.  Jeptha  D.  Gar- 
rard, of  Kentucky,  and  (second)  Hon.  John  Mc- 
Lean, of  Ohio,  postmaster-general  and  Justice 
of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court.  Hadessa  (6),  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  (IV)  and  Sarah  Bella  Chambers 
Dunlop. 


L-' 


(JOMMEUoliATlVE  BIOGUAI'II  HWL   RECOUP. 


HARRIS. 

(IV)  Ann  I)unlop(3),  daughter  of  Col.  James 
and  Jane  Boggs,  was  born  March  15,  176S;  wac 
married  June  15.  1790.  to  James  Harris,  a  direct 
descendant  of  EDWARD  HARRIS,  of  Scotland,  who 
abandoned  his  large  estates,  which  were  confis- 
cated (and  never  recovered)  in  consequence  of 
the  persecution  of  the  Covenanters  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II,  or  his  successor,  James  II  (1660  to 
[689),  and  settled  in  the  County  Donegal,  near 
Rapho,  in  Ireland,  his  brother  Charles  accom- 
panying him  and  receiving  like  treatment. 

Edward  Harris  (  1  1  was  married  to  Flora  Doug- 
lass, of  the  famous  family  of  that  name  who  re- 
sided near  the  borders  of  England.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Edward,  Robert  and  James.  Edward 
(II),  son  of  Edward  (I),  married  and  had  children: 
Robert,  William  and  Mary.  Robert  (II),  son  of 
Edward  (I),  married  Dorotbj  Wiley,  and  had 
children:  John,  William,  James,  Margaret, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  Robert  and  Charles.  James 
(II),  son  of  Edward  (I),  married  Mary  Simpson, 
and  had  children:  William.  Ann  and  James,  and 
by  a  second  marriage  1  with  Janet  McClure)  had  a 
son,  John.  William  III  ,  son  of  fames  and  Mary 
Simpson,  married  Catharine  Wilson,  and  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  to  the  Swatara,  below  Har- 
risburg  (Donegal).  Their  children  were:  Janus, 
John,  William,  Sarah,  Mary  and  Robert.  Ann 
(III),  daughtei  oi  fames  and  Mary  Simpson,  mar- 
ried David  Caldwell,  who  emigrated  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  then  moved  to  Carolina,  and  had  a 
family  of  children.  After  the  death  oi  David 
Caldwell  she  married  Rob  it  Harris,  son  ol  Rob- 
ert Hi  and  I  Joroth)  Wiley,  James  III),  m  ol 
James  and  Man  Simpson,  never  married.  He 
was  a  surveyor,  and  lived  with  his  half-brothei 
John,  at  Miffiintown,  where  he  died  September 
8,  [804,  and  was  buried  in  the  Presbyterian 
graveyard.  He  was  appointed  deputy  survi 
for  pari  ol  Cumberland  county  on  April  [9,  1785, 
and  his  name  is  to  be  found  among  main  ol  the 
old  surveys. 

John  1  llh,  son  ol   |  id  Janet  McClure, 

was  born  in  Ireland  in  1723,  immigrated  to  this 
country  in  1752,  locating  on  the  Swatara  1 1  )one- 
gah.      He  \\a>  first    married  to   Jane  Poen,  who 

I  wit  hi  nit  issue,  His  second  wife  \\  as  a  ci  msin, 
Jean  Harris,  daughter  ol  John  Grizzele  Steel 
(son  of  Robert),  and  she  died  January  11,  1807, 
aged  eighty-three,  lea>  ing  the  follow  ing  children: 
Jane,     lames,   William,    I  and 

Ann.  "Donegal"  was  settled  1>\  Scotch-Irish 
Presbyterians,  nearly  all  of  whom  occupied  promi- 
nent positions  in  Colonial  times,  and  the  records 
of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  that  of  [ 8 1 2,  fully 
establish  the  fact  of  their  purest  patriotism  and 


love  of  country       Every  soldier  and  officer  of  the 
Third  Battalion  was  from  this  place,  John  Harris 
early  taking  an   influential  part.      He  was  one  of 
the  leading  spirits  at  the  meeting  at  Carlisle  July 
1  j,   1774,  to  express  sympathy  for  the  oppressed 
at  Boston,  and   adopt    measures   for   their  relief. 
He  was  a  member  of  the   Provincial  Conference 
which  met  at  Carpenters  Hall  June  28,  1776,  and 
of  the  subsequent  Convention  July  1  5,  1776.      He 
was     appointed     sub-lieutenant     of    Cumberland 
county  March  12,   1777.      From  1778  to  1 781  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the   General  Assembly. 
He  was  one   of   the  commissioners    who   met   at 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  November,   1777,  to  regu- 
late the  price  of  commodities  in  the  States.      The 
Act  for  the  gradual   abolition  of  slavery  111  Penn- 
sylvania received  his  support,  although  himself  a 
slave  owner.      He  was  commissioned  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  on   6th   of   February,   1779.      In    1790 
he  laid  out  the  town   of   Mifflin,    Juniata  county, 
upon  his  estate,  which  comprised   375  acres,  and 
with  characteristic  forethought  and  consideration 
1  ved  a  portion    for   public   use,  now  occupied 
by  the  court   house,  Presbyterian   and  Lutheran 
churches,  cemetery,  &c. ;   he  died  there  February 
28,    1794,    and   was  buried   in   the    Presbyterian 
burying  grounds  there.      (IV)  Jane,  daughter  of 
fohn  and    |ean  Harris,  married  James  Patterson, 
son  of  Capt.  James  Patterson,  who  settled  at  Mex- 
ico, Penn.    at  a  very  early  date,  and  had  a  warrant 
fo:  407  acres  of  land  dated  February  4,  1755.  be- 
ing the  day    after  the   land   office  opened  for  the 
sale  of  lands  west  of  the   Kittatinny  Mountains. 
This  land    he    had    surveyed    on    the   29th   of  the 
same  month,    and    it    is    the    first    land    patented 
within  the    limits  of   the   present  county.      They 
had  children:    fohn  and  William,  of  whom.    Will- 
iam married  Mary  Kiddle,  whose  son  Kiddle  Pal 
terson  is  the  father  of  William    II.  Patterson,  su- 
perintendent   of    public    grounds    at    Harrisburg 
( 1878).    Grizzelle  ( IV  i,  daughter  of  John  and  Jean 
Harris,  married  fames   Knox,  Esq.,  a  promin 
citizen   of   Miffiintown,  a    ].  P.  and   a   merchant 
from   1794.      Their  children  were  Thomas,  John. 
Maria,   Jane    and    Hannah.      All    moved    to   tli 
West.    William  (IV),  son  of  John  and  Jean  Han 
d  unmarried  April   20,   1807,  aged  forty-eight 
1 5;  he  was  a  surveyoi     Margaret  |  IV),  daughter 
of  John  and  Jean  Harris,  m, mud    John  Stewart, 
justice  in  Tuscarora.  Ann  ( IV).  daughterof 
John  and    Jean  Harris,  married    Samuel    Pryson, 
Esq.,  formerly  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Miffiin- 
town, who  had  served  five  years  in  the  army  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  war.  was  wounded  at  Ger- 
mantown   and  as   County    Lieutenant   refit 
commission    two    colonels   elected    by  the    regi- 
ments, which  so  incensed  the  people  that  on. his 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


183 


being  appointed  judge,  a  small  army  marched  to 
Lewistown  to  drag  him  from  the  Bench  and  force 
him  to  resign.  The  effort  did  not  succeed,  but 
there  was  great  excitement  and  it  was  on  the 
verge  of  serious  trouble  and  bloodshed.  Their 
children  were  James,  Samuel,  Polly  and  Jane 
(Mrs.  Ann  B.  died  October  u,  1831). 

James  Harris  (IV),  son  of  John  and  Jean 
Harris,  was  born  on  the  Swatara  in  1755;  with 
ample  means  and  access  to  the  extensive  library 
of  his  father,  his  early  education  was  thorough. 
He  adopted  the  occupation  of  a  civil  engineer 
and  April  19,  1785,  was  appointed  deputy  sur- 
veyor of  Cumberland  county,  and  on  November 
19,  1789,  for  all  of  Mifflin  county.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1787,  he  laid  out  the  road  from  Frankstown 
to  the  Conemaugh  river.  He  was  married  on 
June  15,  1790,  to  Ann,  daughter  of  Col.  Dun- 
lop;  he  moved  to  Spring  creek  in  1795  (the  old 
home  known  as  "Willow  Bank"),  and  in  that 
year,  in  connection  with  his  father-in-law,  laid 
out  the  town  of  Bellefonte  upon  their  own  prop- 
erty, and  to  their  generous  appreciation  of  the 
future  needs  of  the  town  much  is  due.  First 
donating  the  beautiful  spring  from  which  the 
town  derives  its  name,  the  ground  for  the  court 
house,  jail  and  public  buildings,  cemetery,  Pres- 
byterian church,  parsonage  and  academy.  They 
then  appropriated  one-half  of  all  the  proceeds 
from  the  sale  of  not  only  the  town  lots  but  of  out 
lots,  covering  a  considerable  portion  of  their 
adjoining  property,  to  the  erection  of  the  public 
buildings  and  academy,  and  for  an  endowment  of 
the  latter.  Accurate  land  books  of  sales  made, 
and  receipts  of  the  commissioners  of  the  county  and 
trustees  of  the  academy  for  the  proceeds  to  which 
each  were  entitled,  are  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  family.  James  Harris  was  also  a  State  Sen- 
ator from  Mifflin  county,  and  the  first  postmaster 
of  Bellefonte.  After  the  erection  of  the  county 
he  was  State  Senator  from  the  District,  from 
1800  to  1808.  From  1789  his  name  is  connected 
with  all  the  land  titles  of  Centre  county,  and  his 
acquaintance  with  all  the  lands  from  the  west 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Conemaugh, 
afforded  the  large  Eastern  land  owners  the  only 
means  of  information  in  relation  to  their  property 
in  that  region.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  and 
relation,  by  marriage,  of  Governor  William  Find- 
lay;  his  correspondence  with  him  in  relation  to 
"Frontier  Defence  "  will  be  found  in  Pennsyl- 
vania Archives  Vol.  IV,  710.  Mr.  Harris  was 
also  largely  engaged  in  milling  operations  and 
other  business  enterprises  in  Bellefonte,  and  is 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  place; 
he  died  there  December  2,  1828,  aged  71  years. 
His  wife  {nee  Ann  Dunlop)  who  survived   him, 


died  in  Bellefonte,  April  8,  1844,  aged  yy  years. 
She  was  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  mind 
and  cultivation.  Her  taste  for  metaphysical 
reasoning  led  the  ablest  theologians  of  her  day  to 
seek  her  society,  and  she  was  the  author  of  a  book 
entitled  "The  Alphabet  of  Thought,"  that  was 
regarded  by  all  as  a  work  of  great  merit,  elucidat- 
ing principles  requiring  much  study  and  great 
research.  The  children  of  James  and  Ann  Dunlop 
Harris  were:  (V)  John  (1)  was  a  practicing  physi- 
cian for  some  years,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  drug  business  in  Philadelphia,  and  im- 
porters under  the  firm  name  of  Harris,  Hale  & 
Co.  He  was  married  first  to  Eliza  Hoge,  a 
niece  of  Judge.  Walker,  his  second  wife  being 
Miss  Ellen  Orbison,  of  Huntingdon,  Penn.,  who 
acquired  such  celebrity  during  the  Rebellion  in  the 
organization  of  help,  collection  and  distribution 
of  supplies  and  delicacies  for  the  Pennsylvania 
soldiers  in  home  and  field  hospitals.  She  is  now 
residing  in  Vienna,  where  Dr.  Harris  died  while 
serving  as  U.  S.  consul.  Dr.  Harris  had  no  chil- 
dren. 

(V)  Jane  (2),  daughter  of  James  and  Ann  Dun- 
lop Harris,  was  married  February  28,  181  1,  to 
Rev.  James  Linn,  who  died  in  Bellefonte 
February  23,  1868,  after  a  pastorate  of  58 
years.  We  copy  the  following  from  Linn's 
History  of  Centre  county:  "James  Linn  was 
born  in  Sherman's  Valley,  in  Cumberland  Co., 
Penn.,  September  4,  1783,  and  was  one  of  seven 
children.  His  grandfather  came  over  from  Scot- 
land in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  and 
was  of  solid  Presbyterian  stock.  His  father,  John 
Linn,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Pa.,  in  the  year 
1749,  was  graduated  at  Princeton  College  in  1773, 
studied  theology  with  Rev.  Robert  Cooper,  and 
during  his  entire  ministerial  life,  including  a  term 
of  nearly  forty  years,  was  settled  as  the  pastor  of 
Centre  Church,  Sherman's  Valley.  He  died  in 
1820  in  his  71st  year.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Gettys,  daughter  of  the  founder  of  Gettysburg. 
Mr.  Linn  was  graduated  in  Dickinson  College  in 
1805,  and  studied  theology  with  Rev.  Joshua 
Williams  at  Newville.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  Gospel  September  27,  1808,  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Carlisle.  He  himself  considered  it  an 
honor  of  no  small  measure  to  have  been  licensed 
by  such  a  body  of  ministers  as  then  composed  that 
Presbytery — a  noble  band  of  venerable  men 
and  men  of  talent.  In  the  spring  of  1809  he 
visited  the  congregations  of  Spruce  Creek  and 
Sinking  Valley,  now  in  the  bounds  of  Huntingdon 
Presbytery.  From  there  he  shortly  after  came 
to  Bellefonte.  The  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
place  had  just  been  left  vacant  by  the  removing 
of    Rev.     Henry    R.    Wilson   to    Carlisle.       His 


184 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  BI0QRAPI1ICAL  RECORD. 


preaching  here  and  at  Lick  Run  for  a  few  Sab- 
baths resulted  in  unanimous  calls  from  both 
Churches,  each  for  one  half  of  his  time.  The  or- 
dination and  installation  took  place  April  17th, 
1S10,  in  the  court  house,  which  was  thru  used  as 
the  place  of  worship.  In  this  service  the  Rev. 
Mr  Coulter  preached  the  sermon,  and  the  Rev. 
Mr  Grier  presided  and  give  the  charge  to  the 
pastor.  In  1839,  the  Bellefonte  Church  wishing 
to  secure  his  undivided  labors,  he  was  released 
from  the  Lick  Run  charge,  and  by  an  unanimous 
vote  was  chosen  a  second  time  as  pastor  in  Belle- 
fonte. In  this  relation  he  continued  to  the  day 
of  his  death.  In  October  of  the  year  1859,  which 
marked  a  half  century  in  his  pastorate,  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Huntingdon  celebrated  the  occasion  by 
special  exercises  of  great  interest,  holding  their 
fall  meeting  in  Bellefonte  for  this  purpose. 
Shortly  after  this  his  strength  began  perceptibly 
to  fail  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  decided  to 
relieve  him  from  regular  labors  by  calling  a  co- 
pastor.  In  the  spring  of  1861  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Barnard  was  called  to  the  co-pastorate,  and  re- 
mained until  1866,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Alfred  Yeomans  in  December  of  the  same 
year"  Dr.  Linn's  wife  Jane  {nee  Harris)  died 
August  14,  1822;  he  (again)  married,  April  15, 
1829,  Miss  Isabella  Henderson. 

The  children  of  K>  \  fames  Linn  by  his  first 
wifewere:  (VI)  Claudius  B.  Linn  ( 1  ,  of  Philadel- 
phia, who  was  engaged  in  the  «  holesale  drug  busi- 
ness, and  was  married  toa  Mrs.  Baldwin,  a  widow 
with  two  children.  Sue  Baldwin,  unmarried,  and 
William  Baldwin,  marriei  daughter  of  John 

A.  Wilson,  and  at  present  superintendent  of  the 
Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  &  Ch  railroad,  re- 

siding at  Fort  Wayne.  Claudius  B.  Linn  had 
two  children,  a  son,  Lewis,  and  a  daughter, 
Carrie,  married  to  Hr.  Carl  Siler,  has  several 
children.  James  Harris  Linn  (2)  was  an  iron- 
master.     For  a  short  time  engaged  *in  that  busi- 

>  in  Fast  Tennessee,  afterward  at  Howard 
Iron  Works,  in  Centre  county,  and  for  the  last 
forty  years  of  his  life  was  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  McCoy  &  Linn,  of  Milesburg  Iron 
Works,  at  which  place  he  died  April  6,  1876. 
lie  was  married  September  15,  [843,  to  Harriet 
Stewart  (daughter  of  Robert  T.  Stewart),  who 
died  July  16,   1895.       They  had  no  children. 

(VI)  Hon.  Samuel  Linn  (3)  was  a  leading  at- 
torney of  Centre  county,  enjoyed  a  large  general 
practice  for  many  years,  and  was  the  foremost  land 
lawyer  in  this  part  of  the  State,  where  the  con- 
flicting titles  and  interfering  warrants  were  the 
subject  of  litigation  involving  difficult  legal  ques- 
tions, and  there  were  few  quest s  of  this  na- 
ture in  the  surrounding  counties  in  which  he  was 


not  employed.  He  was  elected  President  Judge 
of  this  District, then  composed  ofClearfield, Centre 
and  Clinton  counties.  He  was  a  most  eloquent 
advocate,  as  a  judge  clear,  explicit,  conscientious 
and  just,  but  owing  to  his  dislike  for  criminal 
jurisprudence  1  which  the  position  included),  and 
which  he  avoided  when  at  the  Bar,  unless 
duty  clearly  pointed  to  the  advocacy  or  de- 
fense in  extreme  cases  involving  the  good  order 
of  society  or  malicious  persecution,  he  resigned 
the  judgeship  in  May,  1868,  and  returned  to  the 
practice.  He  was  an  author  of  legal  works,  and 
his  ••  Analytical  Digest"  of  adjudged  and  paral- 
lel cases  was  a  work  involving  immense  labor 
and  of  incalculable  value  to  the  profession.  Some 
vears  after  his  retirement  from  the  Bench  he 
formed  a  partnership  in  the  practice  of  law  with 
Hon.  William  H.  Armstrong,  of  Williamsport, 
and  went  there  to  live,  where  he  died.  Socially, 
he  was  highly  esteemed;  few  persons  had  the 
fund  of  anecdotes,  or  the  happy  faculty  of  relat- 
ing them.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  representative  of  the  same  in  all 
the  high  courts.  He  was  born  on  the  20th  of 
February,  1820,  and  married  on  the  first  of  De- 
cember, 1847,  to  Miss  Augusta  Moore,  of  Car- 
lisle, Penn.  They  had  seven  children:  James 
(1)  died  when  a  young  man;  Mary  (2j  married  a 
Mi  Hemingway,  and  resides  in  New  Jersey; 
Harry  (3)  died  recently;  Claudius  (4);  Anna 
(5),  married  to  Dr.  Cheney,  resides  in  Williams- 
port;  Blanche  (6);  Herbert  (7). 

(VI)  Anna  Linn  (4),  daughter  of  Rev.  James 
Linn,  who  died  March  25,  1847,  married  Judge 
John  Irvin,  Jr.,  a  son  of  John  Irvin  and 
Mary,  daughter  of  William  Fisher,  who  was 
horn  on  the  21st  of  January.  1754,  in  Chester 
county.  Thomas  Fisher,  the  grandfather  of 
William  Fisher,  was  among  the  original  pur- 
chasers of  land  in  Chester  county  from  the 
Penns,  and  at  whose  death  it  was  inherited 
by  his  nephew,  and  in  the  fall  of  1800  he 
mi  ived  to  Centre  county  (then  Upper  Bald  Fagle. 
now  Union  township),  where  he  purchased  land, 
built  a  dwelling,  sawmill,  and  in  1812  erected 
the  stone  mansion  now  known  as  the  old  stone 
house  at  Snow  Shoe  Intersection.  John  Irvin. 
the  grandfather  of  Judge  John  Irvin,  Jr.,  was  a 
(  hestei  County  Friend,  came  to  the  Bald  Eagle 
Valley  in  1801,  and  settled  on  the  place  known 
as  the  Loughry  farm,  containing  400  acres  of 
land,  where  he  died  in  1829,  aged  eighty  yean, 
leaving  two  sons,  William  and  John.  The  for- 
mer, well  known  as  one  of  the  early  school 
teachers  in  the  Valley,  died  in  Unionville  when 
over  eighty  years  of  age.  The  latter,  John,  Jr.. 
father  of  judge  John    Irvin.  Jr.,  died   in  his  pew 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


185 


in  the  Bellefonte  Friends  Meeting  House  one 
Sunday  in  1859.  His  other  sons  were  Ellis  and 
William,  of  Clearfield  county,  and  Dr.  James,  of 
Colorado,  and  two  daughters — Melissa,  married 
to  Lewis  Hagerman  (two  children  surviving,  John 
Irvinand  Sarah), and  Mary  Jane,  married  to  Augus- 
tus Whiteman.  Judge  John  Irvin,  Jr.,  early  in  life 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  in  1841  en- 
tered into  partnership  in  Bellefonte  with  Henry 
Brockerhoff,  conducting  perhaps  the  most  ex- 
tensive business  of  the  time  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  their  business  extending  over  many  of  the 
adjoining  counties.  On  the  26th  of  December, 
1846,  he  retired  from  the  business  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture  of  iron  at  "  Howard  Iron 
Works,"  under  the  firm  name  of  Irvin,  Thomas 
&  Co.,  which  in  1854  was  changed  to  John  Ir- 
vin, Jr.,  &  Co.,  and  continuing  until  1865,  when 
he  sold  the  property  to  Grescom  Bright  &  Co. , 
and  moved  to  Bellefonte,  expecting  to  retire 
from  business,  but  the  great  change  from  an  act- 
ive life  induced  him  to  engage  with  Col.  P.  B. 
Wilson  in  the  hardware  business,  under  the  name 
of  Irvin  &  Wilson,  and  they  erected  a  fine  brick 
block  for  that  purpose,  conducting  a  prosperous 
business  for  sveral  years,  when  he  retired  to  as- 
sume the  management  of  some  large  trust  estates, 
in  which  he  continued  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
August  14,  1889.  He  was  elected  an  asso- 
ciate judge  of  the  county,  serving  out  his  full 
term.  He  was  an  enterprising  citizen,  trusted 
adviser  and  warm  friend.  He  had  two  children, 
viz.:  (VII)  Mary  T.  Irvin  (1)  was  married  to 
Edmund  Blanchard,  a  prominent  attorney  at 
law,  and  partner  of  Ex-Gov.  Curtin.  He  was 
a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Blanchard  (hereinbe- 
fore mentioned),  and  was,  until  the  day  of 
his  death,  on  the  27th  day  of  Dec,  1886, 
the  senior  law  partner  of  the  firm  of  E.  & 
E.  Blanchard.  He  was  well  known  through- 
out the  State,  and  was  largely  engaged  in 
other  business  interests.  He  was  an  enter- 
prising citizen,  and  perhaps  no  one  in  Bellefonte 
ever  had  the  material  interest  of  the  place  at 
heart,  or  contributed  more  in  time  or  means  to 
promote  its  welfare.  Every  enterprise  and  im- 
provement had  his  assistance,  and  the  personal 
ambitions  or  preferment  of  any  of  its  citizens 
had  his  unselfish  and  cordial  support.  They  had 
the  following  children:  (VIII)  Rebecca,  Fred, 
Anna  and  Christine.  (VII)  Jennie  Irvin  (2)  was 
married  to  Joseph  R.  Bright,  of  Pottsville,  who 
is  extensively  engaged  in  the  iron  and  coal  inter- 
ests of  that  region.  They  have  the  following  chil- 
dren: (VIII)  Anna,  John.  Howard,  Edmund, 
Harris  Linn  and  Stanley. 

(VI)  Jane  Eliza  (5),  daughter  of  Rev.  James 


Linn,  was  married  to  Daniel  Welch,  of  Belle- 
fonte, who  was  early  engaged  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Jas.  H.  Linn,  and  cousin.  Dr.  J.  H. 
Dobbins,  in  the  iron  business  in  Tennessee; 
afterward  a  railroad  contractor  and  business 
man,  now  deceased.  They  had  no  children. 
The  Rev.  James  Linn,  D.  D.,  was  married  (a 
second  time)  to  Miss  Isabella  Henderson,  whose 
ancestor,  Daniel  Henderson,  lived  and  died  in 
Chester  county  before  the  Revolution.  He  had 
a  number  of  children,  one  of  whom  removed  to 
Carlisle  and  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Jonathan  Kearsley,  who  came  from  Dublin  and 
then  removed  to  Shippensburg;  he  was  a  deputy 
surveyor  of  Cumberland  and  Franklin  counties, 
and  died  on  the  8th  of  April,  1796.  He  had 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  one  of  whom, 
Isabella,  was  married  to  the    Rev.    James  Linn, 

D.    D.,  on    the   day   of ,    18—.      His 

sons  all  occupied  positions  of  trust  or  prominence 
in  the  professions,  as  was  also  the  case  in  the 
preceding  generations.  Rev.  James  and  Isabella 
(Henderson)  Linn  had  one  daughter,  Margaret 
H.,  who  was  married  to  Wm.  P.  Wilson,  a 
prominent  attorney  of  Bellefonte,  for  many  years 
the  law  partner  of  his  brother-in-law,  Judge  Sam- 
uel Linn.  He  was  well  known  throughout  the 
State,  and  interested  in  many  large  business  en- 
terprises; died  August  3,   1878. 

(V)  Eliza  G.  Harris  (3)  was  married  to  Dr. 
Daniel  Dobbins,  whose  father  was  a  clergyman 
of  the  Covenanter  Church,  and  emigrated  from 
Ireland  to  this  country,  locating  in  the  Cumber- 
land Valley  near  Gettysburg.  Dr.  Dobbins  was 
an  eminent  physician  and  practitioner  in  Belle- 
fonte for  more  than  thirty-seven  years,  he  re- 
ceived a  classical  education  under  the  care  and 
tuition  of  his  father,  who  for  a  number  of  years 
was  engaged  in  teaching,  and  by  whom  were 
educated  many  men  who  in  after  life  became 
eminent  in  the  different  learned  professions.  The 
Doctor  was  a  student  of  Dr.  Church,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1807,  when  he  came  to  Belle- 
fonte and  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine, 
which  he  continued  with  unremitting  industry 
until  the  day  of  his  death,  February  27,  1814. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  sound  judgment, 
an  accurate  and  profound  scholar,  as  skillful  and 
eminent  in  his  profession  as  any  man  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  great  excellence  was  that  he  never 
turned  from  his  door,  night  or  day,  any  one  who 
needed  medical  aid.  The  humble  child  of  pov- 
erty, the  rich  and  the  powerful,  were  all  alike  to 
him,  all  commanded  his  services  and  in  any 
severity  of  weather.  He  died  a  martyr  to  his 
profession,    universally  regretted,   esteemed  and 


ISC, 


COMME.VOHA  TIYF.    BIOGRAPHICAL  UECOHD. 


respected,  and  the  citizens  of  Bellefonte  claimed 
the  privilege  of  being  permitted  to  erect  a 
monument  to  his  memory.  His  wife  died  about 
three  years  previous,  They  left  two  children: 
Eliza,  who  has  since  died,  and  Dr.  James  H. 
Dobbins,  for  many  y  >ent  (1898)  a 

leading  physician  ol  Bellefonte,  who  inherits 
many  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  father. 

(V)  James  Dunlop  Harris  (4)  was  born  in 
1797,  and  married  in  1824  to  Mary  Ann  Miller. 
He  was  one  of  the  ablest  civil  engineers  this 
State  ever  produced.  Linn's  History  records 
very  briefly  some  of  the  important  undertakings 
in  which  he  was  engaged,  viz  :  "In  the  incipient 
operations  preparatory  to  the  legislation  which 
authorized  the  commencement  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania canal,  he, in  1 825,  explored  one  of  the  pro- 
posi  for  the  canal  to  connect  the  eastern 

and  western  waters,  and  the  Act  having  passed 
February  25,  [826,  be  wa  -  immediately  appoint  d 
principal  assistant  to  N.  S.  Roberts,  Esq.,  who 
was  charged  with  the  location  and  construction 
of  the  section  adjoining  Pittsburgh  and  extending 
thirty-one  miles  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kiskiminet- 
as.  On  Mr.  Roberts' resignation,  in  May,  1827, 
Mr.  Harris  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  that 
line,  which  was  so  fai  advanced  by  the  first  of 
June,  1828,  that  the  Board  of  Canal  Commis- 
sion! anted  him  to  the  additional  duty  of 
locating  and  constructing  that  part  of  the  canal 
extending  from  Blairsville  to  Johnstown,  twenty- 
nt  miles.  He  had  this  line,  including  four 
dams,  thirty  locks  and  tv<  le  aqueducts, 
so  near  completed  in  Jul)',  1829,  in  substantial 
manner,  that  they  could  have  been  finished  dur- 
ing the  season,  when  he  was  suddenly'  removed 
by  adverse  influence  of  James  S.  Stevenson,  act- 
ing canal  commissioner  on  the  Western  Division. 
Mi.  Harris'  memorial  on  the  subject  to  the  1 
islature  in  [830 caused  the  deb. it  of  Stevenson 
for  U.  S  Senator.  In  1831  John  Mitchell  and 
fames  Clark,  overruling  Si  1,  appointed 
Mi  Han  is,  in  conm  1  t  ion  with  Roberl  Faries, 
engineei  to  locate  the  whole  West  Branch  lineof 
the  Muni  j  Dam  to  the  mouth  of  the  I  _;le. 
Mr.  Faries  and  Mr.  Harris  were  associated  in  the 
ition  of  the  canal,  and  the  line  was  then 
divided  for  construction,  Mr.  Harris  taking  the 
western  portion.  In  |une,  1834,  he  was  princi- 
pal enginei  t  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  1  nal, 
and  was  shortly  after  offered  charge  of  the  Bald 
Eagle  canal,  which  he  declined  as  be  had  < 
himself  to  stay  with  his  friend,  Gen.  Abner  1  a- 
cock,  in  the  form'  1  enterprise.  On  March  25. 
1836,  he  was  appointed  principal  engineer  upon 
the  extension  of  the  North  Branch  Division,  and 
to  have  general  supervision  of  that   and  the  Sus- 


quehanna Division.  In  the  fall  of  1838,  he  was 
i  the  1 1  quest  of  the  citizens  of  Schuyl- 
kill county  and  other  counties  interested  in  the 
trade  of  the  Union  canal,  as  an  able  and  disin- 
terested engineer,  to  make  examinations  relative 
to  its  enlargement.  His  exceedingly  able  report 
will  be  found  among  the  records  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Harrisburg  for  the  year  1839". 
In  speaking  of  his  death  and  funeral  ceremonies 
attended  by  an   immense  concord   of  friends  and 

libors,  to  testify  their  regard  for  his  mem- 
ory, the  Centre  Democrat,  published  by  S.  T. 
Shugert,  in  its  issue  of  the  28th  of  February, 
[842.  among  other  things,  says:  "  He  acted  his 
part  in  many  important  places,  in  all  of  which 
he  sustained  the  character  of  an  able,  honest  and 
conscientious  man.  He  was  the  patron  of  all 
public  improvements,  and  also  of  more  limited 
and  local  pertaining  to  our  town.  He  was  the 
efficient  advocate  of  everything  that  was  ^ood 
and  useful  in  civil  and  religious  society.  The 
temperance  cause,  the  Sabbath-school,  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  of  which  he  was  a  ruling  elder 
and  a  very  cheerful  supporter,  have  experienced 
a  severe  stroke,  and  all  deeply  lament  his  loss." 
He  died  on  the  26th  daj  of  February,  1842  His 
wife,  who  survived  him,  died   February  1,   1851, 

She  was  the   daughter  of Miller,  who 

married  a  Miss  Valentine,  sister  of  Bond,  Abram 
and  George,  the  well-known  iron-masters  of  C(  li- 
tre county.      The  children  of  [ames  D.  and  M 
A     Miller  Harris  were  as  follows: 

(VI)    James  (  1  |  died  in    1846.       Thomazu 
was  married  to  Dr.  George    I.     Potter,  gran.: 
of  Gen.  Potter,  of  the   Revolution.      Dr.    Potter 
was  a   leading  physician  of   Bellefonte  for  man) 
years,  and  a  skillful  surgeon  ol  the    [48th   Penn- 
sylvania  during  the   Rebellion.      Their  children 
are:  (VIIl  Mary   Pottei     1 ),  who  married  Join 
Miller  and    resides   in    Bellefonte;   have    a    -on. 
Charles      James  11.  Potter  (2)  (of  the  hardw 
firm  of  fas,  Harris  cS:  Co.),   married   Mary  Som- 
merville,  and  have-  children:   Donald,  Thoma/uie 
ami   Janet.     Lucy  Maria  131,   unmarried.     Geo! 
Potter  (4  .  residing    at    Fort    Wayne,    is   man 
ami   has  two  children.     Thoma  :im    Potter     : 
unmarried.      (VI)   Nancy  Dunlop  Harris 
married  to  Rev.  James  Orbison.      They  d 
the  early  years  of  their  life  to  missionary  work 
in     India,    in    which   country    then    four  children 
were  born.    Mr.  Orbison  s  health  being  impaired 
tiny  retui  in  1  to  Bellefonte,  where  he  died  am 
buried.      Their  children:  (VII    Rev .  James  Harris 
( >i  bison  i  1  I,  who  is  married  and  now  also  eng 
in  missionary  work  in  India.     Nellie  Orbison    2  . 
married    to    Rev.     Beach,    now    the  Presbyterian 
pastor  at  Bridge  ton,  N.    J.      Miss  Agnes  Orbison 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


187 


(3),  unmarried,  and  residing  with  her  mother  in 
this  county,  returned  to  India,  but  her  health 
did  not  admit  of  her  remaining.  Thomas  J.  Or- 
bison  (4),  now  a  student  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  (VI)  Jane  Harris  (4)  married  James 
S.  Sommerville,  a  civil  engineer  and  extensive 
coal  operator  of  this  county;  (VII)  their  children: 
Elizabeth  (1);  Bond  (2),  married  Nina  Ramsey, 
and  they  have  two  children — Ellen  D.  and  Jane 
H.;  Mary  (3);  John  S.  (4);  James  H.  (5);  Allen 
O.  (6);  Robert  H.  (7);  Donald  Lang  (8); 
Claudius  L.  (9)  died  in  infancy.  (VI)  Eliza  Dob- 
bins Harris  (5)  was  married  to  William  P. 
Humes,  a  banker  of  Bellefonte,  and  a  grand- 
nephew  of  Hon.  W.  W.  Potter  and  Hon.  Charles 
Huston,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  son  of  E.  C. 
Humes,  for  many  years  and  until  his  death,  re- 
cently, president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Bellefonte.  They  had  one  child  that  died  when 
quite  young. 

(VI)  Louisa  Harris  (6)  was  married  to  Hon. 
Adam  Hoy,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Bellefonte. 
He  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  the  exacting  duties  of 
an  extensive  practice  contributing  to  the  result. 
He  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  fill  out  the 
unexpired  term  of  Judge  Orvis  as  President  fudge 
of  the  District  composed  of  Centre  and  Hunting- 
don counties.  Their  children:  (VII)  Nancy  H. 
(i),  Mary  (2),  Albert  (3),  Louise  (4),  married  to 
Col.  W.  Fred  Reynolds,  a  banker  and  capitalist 
of  Bellefonte,  James  Harris  (5),  Edward  L.  (6), 
Randolph  (7). 

(V)  William  Harris  (5),  son  of  James  and  Ann 
(Dunlop)  Harris,  born  in  Bellefonte  on  the  12th 
of  July,  1799,  adopted  the  profession  of  a  civil 
engineer,  and  early  in  life  look  part  with  his 
father,  James  Harris,  in  the  location  and  construc- 
tion of  the  various  public  works  of  that  day,  and 
the  later  public  improvements  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  James  D.,  from  which  time  until  his 
death  October  25,  1865,  his  services  as  civil 
engineer,  or  in  connection  with  the  land  titles  of 
the  county,  were  constantly  in  demand  as  a  re- 
sult of  his  skill,  efficiency  and  painstaking  accuracy. 
He  was  for  several  years  largely  engaged  in  the 
foundry  and  machine  business,  which  in  those 
days  embraced  the  manufacture  of  all  the  more 
important  articles  of  farm  and  home  use,  as 
plows,  harrows,  and  all  kinds  of  stoves,  etc.  He 
located  and  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
Bald  Eagle  canal,  of  which  he  had  also  direction 
and  control  of  the  business  management,  as  well 
as  the  engineering  department,  directing  its  main- 
tenance, improvement,  repairs  and  contracting 
for  the  same  until  1865  when  it  was  so  damaged 
by  flood  as  to  be  abandoned.  He  located  and 
constructed  the  Bellefonte  and  Snow  Shoe  R.  R., 


and  when  built  he  had  the  supervision  of  all  the 
engineering  work  as  well  as  the  exclusive  charge 
of  the  lands  and  coal  mines  of  the  Snow  Shoe 
Land  Association,  a  corporation  connected  with 
the  Railroad  Company,  establishing  the  lines  of 
tracts,  locating  of  the  mines,  and  the  improve- 
ments thereon,  and. to  whose  careful  and  prudent 
management  was  mainly  due  the  largely  appre- 
ciated value  of  the  stock  of  the  company.  He 
had  fine  social  qualities,  was  fond  of  the  society 
of  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  kind  hearted 
and  liberal  even  to  his  injury,  beloved  by  young 
and  old.  He  was  the  most  popular  man  in  the 
county,  and  although  the  Whig  party,  of  which 
he  was  an  adherent,  was  largely  in  the  minority 
in  the  county  and  district,  he  could  be  elected  to 
any  office  for  which  he  would  permit  his  name  to 
be  used  as  a  candidate,  and  without  effort  upon 
his  part,  as  he  was  naturally  averse  to  political 
preferment.  In  the  councils  of  the  different  po- 
litical parties  the  common  remarks  heard  were 
"I  wish  we  could  persuade  William  Harris  to 
accept, "  or  "  I  fear  they  will  persuade  William 
Harris  to  run."  He  was  elected  treasurer  of  the 
county   for  two   terms,    and    was    State   Senator 

from  1847  to  1850.      He  was  married , 

1820,  to  Margaret  McLanahan,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert McLanahan,  of  Franklin  county,  and  Re- 
becca Dunlop,  and  their  children  were:  Rebecca, 
and  Ann  and  William,  all  of  whom  died  early  in  life 
unmarried;  (VI)  Jane,  who  resides  in  Bellefonte; 
James,  who  was  born  on  the  24th  of  September, 
1832,  was  married  September  24,  1878,  to  Miss 
Lavinia  Catharine  Slaymaker,  of  Lancaster  coun- 
ty. After  completing  his  education,  James  Har- 
ris early  jn  life  engaged  in  the  tanning  business 
in  Snow  Shoe  township  (from  185  1  to  1856).  In 
1857  he  engaged  in  business  at  Milesburg  Iron 
Works,  operated  by  his  cousins,  J.  H.  Linn  and 
J.  M.  McCoy,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States,  attaining  to  the 
rank  of  Major,  and  upon  his  return  at  the  close  of 
the  war  organized,  in  connection  with  his  cousin, 
John  Harris  (son  of  Joseph),  the  hardware  house 
of  J.  &  J.  Harris.  In  1884  and  '85  he  erected 
the  large  brick  block,  northwest  corner  of  High 
and  Water  streets,  with  a  special  reference  to 
the  future  home  of  the  now  extensive  wholesale 
and  retail  hardware  business  of  James  Harris  & 
Co.,  John  Harris  having  in  the  meantime  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  to  their  cousin,  James  H. 
Potter.  James  Harris  is  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  men 
in  Bellefonte,  and  always  abreast  in  any  enter- 
prise for  the  improvement  of  the  town  or  the  alle- 
viation of  suffering  or  want  wherever  found.    Will- 


188 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOQRAPII I'M.   RECORD. 


iam  Harris  (V  i  married  (again)  October  12,  1837, 
Miss  Mary  Fairlamb,  of  West  Chester  (sister  of 
Dr.  George  A  Fairlamb,  of  Bellefonte).  She 
died  July  13,  1S45,  leaving  one  child:  George  1 
now  Dr.  George  F.  Harris,  a  prominent  physician 
I  '>ellefonte,  who  is  married  to  Mary  W.  Curtin, 
•eldest  daughter  of  ex-Gov.  Curtin.  Their  chil- 
dren are  Kate  C.  and  Adaline  F.  William  Har- 
ris'(V)  last  wife  was  Miss  Adaline  Miles,  daughter 
of    Evan  Miles,  whom  he  married  December   2 1, 

1847. 

V  Joseph  Harris,  son  of  James  and  Ann 
Dunlop  Harris,  was  born  in  the  year  l8or, 
and  died  July  14,  1 S45 .  was  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Miller,  a  sister  of  his  brother  James' 
wife  Like  all  his  brothers,  Joseph  Harris  had  a 
thorough  education  and  training.  He  early  in- 
clined to  a  general  business  life.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  energy,  and  perseverance,  and  particular 
in  business  details,  prompt  and  honorable  in  all  his 
engagements.  He  was  a  warm  and  devoted 
(riend,  fond  of  society,  and  hi-,  hospitable  home, 
the  resort  of  all  the  connection,  always  had  room 
for  one  more.  He  was  an  iron-master,  and  in 
1829  erected  and  carried  on  the  furnace  and 
works  at  Howard;  some  years  later  William  A 
Thomas  and  Jacob  Lex.  of  Philadelphia,  became 
interested  with  him  in  the  linn  name  of  Harris, 
1  &  Thomas.  In  [837  Joseph  Harris  built 
the  dam  for  the  Canal  Co.,  finished  the  canal 
from  Marsh  (reek  and  cut  a  passage  (torn  the 
creek  near  the  dam  to  the  works.  Thecomp 
then  built  another  furnace  stack  in  1X40,  and 
built  an  expensive  rolling-mill,  putting  it  in  op- 
eration that  fall.  Joseph  Harris  died  July  14, 
1S43.  His  children  are:  William  A  11  and 
Joseph  D.  (3).  first  and  third  sons  of  [oseph  and 
Jane   Miller   Harris,  both   died    when    the)     were 

ig  men  and  unmarried.  John  (2),  the  sec- 
ond son,  was  in  the  dmg  business  in  Bellefoi 
and  afterward,  in  connection  with  his  cousin, 
fames  Harris,  founded  the  large  hardware  estab- 
lishment under  tin  rirm  name  of  J  J.  Harris, 
now  the  largest  hardware  house  in  the  counts- 
He  was  man  ied  to  Miss  Ra<  be!  Wagner.  Their 
children:       Joseph    ( 1  ),    Gu)  Charles    (3), 

Jane    M.  (4),  Anna  Mary 

fohn  Harris  died  in  Bellefonb  .  Dec.  19.  1 

VI)  Mary  (4),  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane 
Miller  Harris,  was  married  to  Wistar  Morris,  a 
very  wealthy  gentleman  ol  (  (verbrook,  near  Phila- 
delphia. Mr.  Morris  was  the  leading  director  of 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  for  man)  years,  and  in 
whose  judgment  the  officials  of  that  corporation 
had  the  utmost  confidence  and  chief  reliance. 
They  had  one  child.  Holly  Morns  1  ,  who  was 
married  to  Dr.  Wood    a  celebrated    Philadelphia 


divine.  They  had  children:  Morris  (1),  Mar- 
guerite (2).  It  was  at  their  elegant  country 
home  President  and  Mrs.  Cleveland  were  enter- 
tained when  they  visited  in  Philadelphia. 

(VI)  Eliza  T.  (5),  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Jane  Miller  Harris,  was  married  to  Evan  M 
Blanchard,  a  practicing  attorney  of  Bellefonte. 
He  was  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Blanchard,  of 
Bellefonte,  of  whom  Linn's  History  says:  "Hon. 
John  Blanchard  was  born  atPeacham,  \'t.,  Sept. 
30,  1787.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  his  father 
died,  and  he  assisted  in  carrying  on  the  farm,  at- 
tending the  public  schools  in  the  winter.  Sup- 
porting himself  by  school  teaching,  he  prepared 
himself  for  college,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth, 
in  1S12.  He  then  removed  to  York,  Pa.,  where 
he  taught  school  and  studied  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  of  York  County  March  31st, 
181  5.  He  first  settled  at  Lewistown,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1S15  removed  to  Bellefonte,  which  contin- 
ued to  be  his  residence  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  at  once  became  largely  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law,  and  took  a  high  position  at 
the  Bar.  He  was  married  in  1S20  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  Evan  Miles.  He  was  a  Whig  in  pol- 
itics, but  not  an  active  politician,  and  after  much 
persuasion  became  the  candidate  of  the  party 
for  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1844.  His  speeches 
in  Congress,  particularly  on  the  tariff  question, 
are  characterized  by  great  logical  ability,  and 
abound  in  evidence  of  great  research  of  statistics, 
lb  took  sick  about  the  close  of  his  second  term. 
and  died  at  Columbia,  Penn.,  on  his  way  home, 
March  8,  [849.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
January'),  1 S  3  - .  She  was  born  at  Milesburg  March 
23i  '799-  Their  sons,  Edmund  and  Evan  M. 
Blanchard,  Esq.,  are  members  of  the  Bellefonte 
Bar.'  The  following  brief  estimate  of  Mr. 
Blanchard's  character  is  from  the  pen  of  1  \ 
Gov,  Curtin,  at  one  time  Mr.  Blanchard's  law 
partner:  "  Mr.  Blanchard  was  a  thorough!) 
educated  man,  and  it  is  not  an  exaggerated 
eulogy  to  say  a  ripe  scholar.  He  retained 
his  fondness  for  the  classics,  and  read  Latin 
and  Greek  habitually  in  his  hours  of  relax- 
ation from  professional  labor.  He  was  act- 
ive and  zealous  in  the  cause  of  education 
and  participated  in  all  means  intended  to  im- 
prove and  enlighten  the  people  who  surrounded 
him.  In  his  professional  reading,  except  in  the 
preparation  of  his  cases  for  trial,  he  preferred 
books  and  writers  in  which  elementary  princi| 
are  discussed,  and  had  the  fondness  of  the  thor- 
oughly educated  and  accomplished  lawyer  for  th< 
common  law.  There  were  other  phases  of  Mr 
Blanchard's  nature  which  were  scarcely  known 
except  to  his  intimate  friends.      He  had  a  keen 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J8» 


sense  of  the  ludicrous,  and  enjoyed  wit  and  hu- 
mor with  rare  zest.  Those  who  knew  him  well 
only  realized  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  liter- 
ary acquirements.  Remarkable  for  his  agreeable 
conversation,  he  was  always  the  leader  in  the  so- 
cial circle  when  not  too  ill,  and  then  he  gave 
real  enjoyment  by  his  knowledge  of  modern 
classic  literature,  and  amused  by  apt  and  quaint 
illustration  drawn  from  his  well-filled  memory. 
A  man  of  positive  convictions  on  all  questions 
that  engaged  his  attention.  Mr.  Blanchard  was 
bred  and  educated  a  Federalist  in  his  political 
opinions,  and  never  abandoned  the  principles  of 
that  party,  which  he  had  closely  studied  and  well 
understood.  It  was  a  high  compliment  to  him 
and  a  just  appreciation  of  his  character,  as  well 
as  to  the  generosity  and  good  sense  of  the  people 
of  the  district  in  which  he  lived,  to  elect  him 
twice  to  Congress  when  it  was  well  known  he 
was  an  avowed  Federalist,  when  the  name  was 
odious  and  the  party  was  defeated,  disbandoned 
and  its  leaders  in  retirement.  As  an  advocate, 
Mr.  Blanchard  was  persuasive,  clear  in  his  logic, 
and  always  truthful  in  his  statements.  In  his 
forensic  efforts,  he  was  remarkable  for  the  sim- 
plicity of  his  language.  His  speeches  were  never 
long  enough  to  weary  the  court  or  jury,  or  to  lose 
him  the  interest  of  the  Court  room.  That  he 
was  learned  and  truthful  to  his  clients  was  the 
foundation  of  his  professional  success  is  true  to 
his  memory;  and  the  purity  of  his  social  life  and 
his  integrity  gave  him  the  sobriquet  of  'Honest 
John  Blanchard,' and  more  than  all  other  quali- 
fications gave  him  power  in  the  forum  and  influ- 
ence in  the  community." 

The  law  firm  composed  of  Hon.  A.  G.  Cur- 
tin  and  Edmund  Blanchard,  being  dissolved  when 
Mr.  Curtin  was  elected  Governor  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, E.  M.  Blanchard  and  his  brother  Edmund 
became  partners  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  &  E. 
Blanchard.  They  enjoyed  a  very  large  practice, 
and  were  also  solicitors  for  a  number  of  large 
corporations:  Pennsylvania R.  R.  Co.;  Bellefonte 
&  Snow  Shoe  R.  R.  Co. ;  Beaver  Mills  &  Lumber 
Co. ;  Moshannon  Land  &  Lumber  Co. ;  Snow  Shoe 
Land  Association;  Valentine  Iron  Co.,  and  oth- 
ers requiring  much  of  his  brother  Edmund's  time 
from  home.  The  confining  office  and  detail  work, 
for  many  years  devolving  entirely  upon  him,  grad- 
ually impaired  his  health,  yet  no  one  ever  heard 
a  complaint  or  met  him  without  a  pleasant  smile 
and  cordial  greeting  that  reflected  the  best  of 
health  and  spirits  free  of  the  really  many  troubles 
and  exacting  duties  that  he  bore  so  well.  He 
had  not  an  enemy  on  earth,  on  the  contrary  all 
who  knew  him  were  more  than  is  implied  in  the 
word  '  'friend, "  if  occasion  had  required  it.    He  had 


rare  musical  talent,  and  a  melodious  voice  that 
was  the  principal  feature  in  entertainments  given 
by  the  Churches  and  Societies,  whose  requests 
for  his  assistance  were  always  cheerfully  granted. 
And  he,  too,  enjoyed  the  sobriquet  of  his  father, 
"Honest".  He  died  in  Bellefonte  on  the  7th  day 
of  Nov.,  1894,  deeply  lamented  by  all,  leaving  to 
survive  him  his  wife  and  four  children :  (VII)  Miss 
Elizabeth;  Miss  Mary;  Edmund,  a  law  student 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania;  and  John  Blan- 
chard, an  attorney  of  this  county  in  full  practice, 
the  solicitorof  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  other 
large  interests. 

Jane  (VI),  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane  Miller 
Harris,  was  married  to  John  S.  Hendrickson,  of 
Red  Bank,  N.  J.,  the  owner  of  large  property 
interests  in  that  vicinity;  they  at  present  reside 
in  Bellefonte,  and  have  the  following  children: 
Mary  (1),  Charles  (2).  Mrs.  Hendrickson  died 
in  Bellefonte  Dec.  29,  1897.  Joseph  Harris'  (V) 
second  wife  was  Jane  Huston,  sister  of  Gen.  Hus- 
ton, iron-master  at  Hecla  Works.  They  had  one 
child:  Sally  Hopkins,  who  died  quite  young. 
Andrew  Harris  (V),  son  of  James  and  Ann  Dun- 
lop  Harris,  was  born— — ,  and   married    Anna 

Bella  Johnston  (sister  of  Elizabeth  Livingston 
and  Jane  Mulholland);  they  had  one  child.  Dr. 
Lucien  Harris,  who  died  unmarried. 


(IV)  John  Dunlop  (4),  son  of  Col.  James  and 
Jane  Boggs  Dunlop  was  born  April  22,  1770,  and 
was  married  June  9,  1797,  to  Eliza  Findlay,  of 
Franklin  county,  a  granddaughter  of  Col.  John- 
ston (her  father  and  the  father  of  Gov.  William 
Findlay  were  brothers).  John  Dunlop  was  the 
first  one  of  the  family  to  locate  in  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  purchased  among  other  lands  the  Griffith 
Gibbon  tract,  upon  which  the  town  of  Bellefonte  is 
situated,  which  he  afterward  conveyed  to  his 
father.  Col.  James  Dunlop,  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  James  Harris,  who  laid  out  and  became  the 
proprietors  of  the  town.  He  was  the  most  ex- 
tensive land  owner  in  the  county;  among  other 
lands,  owning  those  adjoining  the  town  of  Belle- 
fonte, for  a  distance  of  six  or  seven  miles  east 
and  west,  and  forty  thousand  acres  of  timber 
land  (now  Snow  Shoe  and  Burnside  townships), 
comprising  the  valuable  bituminous  coal  field  of 
that  region.  In  the  order  of  essentials  first  re- 
quired by  the  settlers  of  the  region,  being  re- 
mote from  supplies,  he  contracted  for  the  digging 
of  a  head  and  tail  race,  and  the  erection  of  a 
grist  or  flouring  mill  and  a  sawmill,  which  after- 
ward became  the  property  of  his  brother-in-law, 
James  Smith,  now  (1897)  Hale  estate,  and  de- 
voted his  time  to  the  development  of  the  iron  ores 
and  erection    of  furnaces,   the   product  of  which 


190 


rii.MM r:\loli.\TlVE  BIOQHAPII1CAL  HECOliD. 


were  hauled  west  to  Pittsburgh  with  teams,  or 
east  by  arks  on  the  spring  floods  m  Bald  Fagle 
creek.  He  first  built,  in  connection  with  Col. 
Samuel  Miles,  Harmon}  Forge  on  Spring 
creek  (now  (1897)  Milesburg  Iron  Works,  of 
McCoy  &  Shugert).  He  then  built  Logan 
Furnace,  on  Logan  branch,  south  of  the  town, 
now  the  Valentine  Iron  Co.,  in  the  meantime 
having  built  the  stone  house,  corner  of  the  I  m  1 
mond,  known  a>  the  Judge  Burnside  property 
(now  "  Crider's  Stone  Building"),  in  which  he 
for  a  time  resided,  and  then  moved  to  the  large 
stone  house  he  had  built  at  Logan  Furnace.  He 
owned  the  furnace  run  by  Boggs  and  Rover  (both 
his  relatives),  and  in  1S10,  in  connection  with 
William  Beattv  (whom  he  had  brought  with  him 
from  Franklin  county),  built  Washington  Fur- 
nace, east  of  Bellefonte,  now  in  Clinton  county. 
He  was  the  most  energetic  iron-master  in  the 
county.  On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  October 
8,  1814,  he  returned  home  from  a  business  trip 
to  Pittsburgh,  stopping  at  his  home  only  long 
enough  to  get  a  fresh  horse,  determined  to  visit 
one  of  his  mine  banks  before  dinner,  and  imme- 
diately upon  entering  the  bank  noticed  the  dan- 
ger of  the  earth  falling,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
all  the  miners  out  safely,  but  was  himself  buried 
beneath  the  fall  and  killed.  His  death  was  se- 
verely felt  and  lamented  He  was  line  looking, 
of  o  immanding  appearance,  being  over  six  feet  in 
height,  amiable  in  disposition  and  temper,  and 
his  moral  and  religious  character  irreproachable. 
His  wife  (n/e Eliza  Findlay)  died  August  16,  1836. 
Their  children:  (V)Jane  (1)  was  born  December 
3,  1800,  was  married  June,  1817,  to  William  Cal- 
houn Stewart, a  direct  descendant  of  (i)John  Stew- 
art, a  Scotch  Covenanter  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  who  fled  from  Scotland  to  the  County 
Down,  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  the  refuge  for 
proscribed  Presbyterians  and  Covenanters  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  II  (1C60-1685),  and  died  in  1720; 
had  a  son,  (2)  Robert  Stewart,  born  near  Glas- 
gow, 1665,  in  reign  of  Charles  II;  dud  in  1730. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  father  he  moved  to  Dru- 
more  township.  County  Down,  twelve  miles  from 
Belfast.  The  lives  of  father  and  son,  John  and 
Robert  Stewart,  therefore  embraced  an  important 
period  in  the  history  oi  England,  commencing 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  under  Cromwell, 
Charles  II,  James  II,  William  and  Mary,  Queen 
Anne,  George  I,  and  into  the  reign  of  George  II 
Robert  Stewart  had  a  son  (3)  Samuel,  born  in 
1698  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  died  in  1770.  He 
emigrated  to  the  North  of  Ireland  with  his  fa- 
ther in  1720.  In  1735,  accompanied  by  his 
brother  Hugh,  he  crossed  the  ocean,  landing  in 
Philadelphia,  and  settling   in  Drumore  township, 


Lancaster  Co.,  Penn.,  near  Chestnut  Level,  a 
tch-Irish  Presbyterian  settlement  ministered 
to  by  Rev.  John  Thompson,  of  Donegal  Presby- 
tery. He  was  married  in  Ireland  to  Mary  Mc- 
Clay;  among  other  children  they  had  a  son  141 
Samuel. 

STEWART. 

IV  Samuel  Stewart,  born  in  the  County 
Down,  Ireland,  and  brought  to  Pennsylvania  in 
the  emigration  of  his  father"s  family  in  1735,  and 
on  arriving  at  age  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Hanover 
township,  Lancaster  county,  about  1750.  His 
warrant  for  one  hundred  acres  of  land  was  dated 
May  17,  1754.  and  assessed  for  the  King's  use, 
1759.  From  the  date  of  this  settlement  therein,  in 
1750,  until  1704.  this  region  was  subject  to  Indian 
raids,  from  which  the  inhabitants  suffered  fear- 
fully, and  continued  until  the  massacre  in  Lan- 
caster by  the  Conestoga  Indians.  The  historic 
meeting  in  Hanover  township,  June  14,  1774,  as 
the  earliest  recorded  movement  toward  independ- 
ence, found  faithful  and  active  participants  in 
the  Scotch-Irish.  Samuel  Stewart  entered  as  a 
private  in  Col.  Timothy  Green's  battalion,  June, 
1776,  in  Capt.  Rogers'  company,  destined  for  the- 
camp  in  the  Jerseys.  On  the  erection  and  or- 
ganization of  the  county  of  Dauphin  he  was 
upon  the  first  grand  jury,  composed  of  prominent 
citizens.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Hanover 
Church,  eleven  miles  east  of  Harrisburg,  the 
records  of  which  show  that  on  November  2, 
1788.  he  and  his  wife  were  admitted  to  the  Lord's 
Table.  He  died  September  16,  1803,  and  was 
buried  in  Hanover  church  graveyard.  He  was 
married  to  Nancy  Templeton,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert and  Agnes  Templeton,  of  Hanover,  who 
died  in  1 7 8 S ,  and  they  had  among  others  the 
following  children: 

(V)  Robert  Templeton  Stewart,  born  June 
■5.  '773.  who  married  Mary  Duidop,  daughter 
of  Col.  James  Dunlop.  His  father,  Samuel 
Mew  art.  was  married  a  second  time,  in  1789.  to 
Agnes  (Nancy)  Calhoun,  who  was  born  in  1763, 
died  August  29,  1823,  and  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Graysville,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.  Sb< 
was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  Calhoun 
of  Paxtang  township,  Dauphin  county.  They 
had  a  son,  (V)  William  Calhoun  Stewart,  born  in 
1790  in  Hanover  township,  Dauphin  counts. 
died  May  31,  1850,  in  Cincinnati.  Ohio.  lb 
an  iron-master  and  member  of  the  firms  of  Lyon. 
Shorb  &  Co. ,  and  Shorb,  Stewart  &Co.,of  Cen- 
tre county,  Huntingdon  and  Allegheny  county 
iron  firms,  and  represented  their  interest  in  Cin- 
cinnati. He  was  married,  as  stated  above,  Jim.  . 
1817,  in  Bellefonte,  to  Jane,  daughter  of  John 
Dunlop  and  grandaughter  of  Col.  James  Dunlop 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


191 


(she  was  a  niece  of  his  half-brother,  Robert  T. 
Stewart's,  wife),  and  died  in  Cincinnati,  April 
27,   1841.      Their  children  are  as  follows: 

(VI)  Helen,  born  in  Bellefonte,  died  when  a 
child.  (VI)  Laura  born  in  Bellefonte,  married 
Col.  Charles  Jones,  planter  of  Red  River,  Cata- 
houla Parish,  La.  Col.  Jones  had  some  fifteen 
hundred  slaves  on  his  various  plantations,  and 
strenuously  opposed  the  ordinance  of  secession 
until  it  was  useless  to  contend  against  the  over- 
whelming sentiment  in  the  State,  when  he  entered 
the  Confederate  service  as  an  officer,  and  was 
shot  in  a  dispute  with  Gen.  Liddell,  of  Missis- 
sippi, in  which  also  his  eldest  son  William,  as 
well  as  Gen.  Liddell,  lost  their  lives.  Mr.  Jones' 
family  were  all  educated  at  Heidelberg,  Germa- 
ny, and  are  as  follows:  Ella  (1),  married  in 
Swizerland,  and  died  abroad.  William  (2),  shot 
in  the  dispute  above  referred  to.  Rosa  (3),  re- 
siding with  her  mother  at  Jonesville,  La.  Cuth- 
bert  Bullett  (4),  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Francois 
(5),  a  linguist  in  the  State  Department,  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia. 

(VI)  Rev.  John  Dunlop  Stewart,  born  Febru- 
ary 23,  1824,  married  Margaret  Schell,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Margaret  Schell,  of  Birming- 
ham, and  had  a  numeious  family,  of  whom  the 
survivors  are:  Alice  (1),  born  February  25,  1849, 
married  November  26,  1867,  to  Samuel  Berlin. 
John  A.  Collins  (2),  born  January  19  ,  1856,  mar- 
ried Bertha  K.  Martin,  of  Hollidaysburg.  Laura 
(3),  born  December  12,  1857,  married  Decem- 
ber 12,  1876,  W.  F.  Meminger,  Evangelist,  and 
have  children — William  S.,  Paul  Jones  and 
Charles  Richard.  Jesse  Smith  (4),  born  May 
16,  1866,  a  civil  engineer  in  Tyrone.  Charles 
B.  (5),  born  December  31,  1868,  married  Car- 
rie E.  Gray.  Harry  Lawrence  (6),  born  Au- 
gust 13,  1873.  (VI)  Rev.  William  Calhoun  Stew- 
art, born  June  17,  1829,  died  in  New  York  City, 
April  10,  1894;  married  (first)  Mary  Forgey 
Conklin,  and  had  a  son,  William  Calh  jun  (1),  re- 
siding in  California;  he  married  (second)  Laura, 
a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and  (third)  Agnes,  and 
had  children — Deborah  (2),  Agnes  (3),  Anna 
(4)  and  Nemeha  (5).  (VI)  Jesse  Smith  Stewart, 
born  in  Cincinnati,  April  24,  1832,  was  first  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  A,  125th  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  in  1863;  was  married  to  Mary 
M.  Clark,  of  Birmingham,  and  had  children — 
Jesse  (ij  and  William  (2);  both  died  in  infancy. 
(VI)  Ella  Stewart  married  Robert  G.  Bushnell,  of 
Pittsburgh  (of  Park  Brothers  &  Co.  steel  works), 
who  died  December  28,  1894.  Their  children 
are— Jesse  Stewart  (1),  Elinor  Gray  (2),  Douglas 
Stewart  (3).    (V)  Eliza  J.,  daughter  of  John  and 


Eliza  (Findlay)  Dunlop,  was  born  April  15,  1803, 
and  died  April  29,  1826,  unmarried.  (V)  Cath- 
erine Findlay,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Find- 
lay)  Dunlop,  born  September  1,  1806,  died  in 
Bellefonte,  August  27,  1 SS 1 ,  unmarried.  (V) 
Nancy  Harris,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Find- 
lay) Dunlop,  was  born  May  25,  (S09,  and  died  in 
Bellefonte,  June  23,  181 1.  (V)  Deborah  Moore, 
daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  (Findlay)  Dunlop,  was 
born  February  24,  181 2,  and  died  September  8, 
1869;  she  was  married,  by  the  Rev.  James  Linn, 
on  the  2d  of  September,  1836,  to  the  Hon.  S. 
T.  Shugert,  son  of  Joseph  Bishop  and  Mary 
(Mendenhall)  Shugert,  who  was  a  descendant  of 
Benjamin  Mendenhall,  who  with  his  brothers, 
Moses  and  John  Mendenhall,  and  sister,  Mary  Men- 
denhall, emigrated  from  England  to  this  country 
with  William  Penn;   they  came  from  Wiltshire. 

(I)  Benjamin  Mendenhall  was  held  in  high 
esteem  both  in  his  religious  society  and  as  a  citi- 
zen. In  1 7 14  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Provincial  Assembly,  and  died  in  1740  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  His  wife,  Ann,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Robert  Pennell,  of  Chichester,  survived  him. 
They  were  married  in  Chichester  Friends  Meet- 
ing, of  which  they  were  both  members,  in  1689, 
and  had  nine  children.  (II)  Moses  Mendenhall 
was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Ann  Pennell  Men- 
denhall. (Ill)  Caleb,  son  of  Moses  Mendenhall, 
had  two  sons,  Moses  and  Caleb.  They  were  or- 
phaned by  the  death  of  their  father,  when  quite 
young;  their  mother  married  (again)  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Adam  Redd,  of  Centreville,  Del., 
by  whom  she  had  one  daughter,  Miriam,  who 
has  descendants  in  that  region.  The  two  boys, 
Moses  and  Caleb,  when  they  arrived  at  age,  took 
the  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Brandywine  creek,  a  mile  below  the 
battle  ground,  September  II,  1777,  owned  by 
their  father,  and  held  it  as  a  divided  inherit- 
ance until  their  death,  the  former  dying  in  1821, 

Moses'  part  of  the  farm 
Caleb,  and  Caleb's  farm 
continued  to  hold  them, 
respectively,  until  1830,  when  the  former  sold 
and  the  latter  died,  and  it  passed  out  of  the  fam- 
ily, being  held  for  over  a  century. 

(IV)  Moses,  son  of  Caleb  Mendenhall,  the 
elder  of  the  two  brothers,  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Aaron  and  Ann  James,  then  of  the  town- 
ship of  Williston,  county  of  Chester,  and  Prov- 
ince of  Pennsylvania,  on  the  26th  day  of  the 
second  month,  1771,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Friends 
at  the  Kennett  meeting  house,  in  the  county  of 
Chester,  a  copy  of  which  marriage  certificate, 
with  the  signatures  of  those  present,  is  given  be-' 
low  (the  Adam  and  Miriam  Redd,  whose  names 


and  the  latter  in  1825. 
descended  to  his  son 
to  his  son  Moses,  who 


L92 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


appear,  were  the  half-sister  and  stepfather  of 
the  bridegroom): 

Copy — Marriage  Certificate  of  Moses  Mendenhall  of  the 
fourth  generation  of  Benjamin's  lineand  Mary  James  (Daugh- 
ter of  A. iron  and  Ann  James)  of  the  Township  of  Williston 
County  and  Province  aforesaid.  Having  declared  their  in- 
tentions of  Marriage  with  each  other  before  several  monthly 
meetings  of  the  people  called  "Quarterly,"  one  of  which 
w.is  held  .ii  Kennett  in  the  cmmty  of  Chester,  and  the  other 
at  Centre-,  in  the  i  ountv  ol  Newcastle,  according  to  On-  good 
order  used  amongst  them,  and  having  consent  of  Parents 
and  others  concerned,  their  said  proposals  of  marriage  was 
allowed  of  by  said  Meetings. 

Nnu  these  are  to  certify  all  whom  it  may  concern  that 
for  the  full  accomplishing  their  said  intentions  this  twenty 
eighth  day  of  the  second  month,  1771,  they,  the  said  M 
Mendenhall  and  Mary  James,  appeared  in  a  put) In-  meeting  of 
the  aforesaid  people  at  Kennett  Meeting  I  louse  and  the  said 
Moses  Mi  ndenhall  taking  the  said  Mary  James  by  the  hand 

did  in  .1  solemn  manner  openly   det  Lire    that    lie  took  her  to 

be  his  wife,  promising  with  Divine  assistance  to  be  unto  her 
a  loving  and  faithful  husband  until  it  shall  please ■  the  Lord  to 

separate  them  by  death  (or  words  to  the  same  effect),  and 

then  and  there  in  the  same  assembly,  she.  the  said  Mary 
lames,  did  in  like  manner  declare  that  she  look  him  to  be  her 
husband,  promising  through  Divine  assistance  to  be  unto 
him  a  loving  and  faithful  wife  until  it  shall  please  the  Lord 
to  separate  them  bv  death  (or  other  words  to  the  same  eh 

and  moreover  the  s;ud  Moses  Mendenhall  and  Mary  James 
(she  aci  ording  to  the  custom  of  marriage  assuming  the  name 
of  her  husband)  as  a  further  confirmation  thereof  did  then 
and  there  to  these  present  set  their  hands. 

Moses  Mi  ndi  nhai  i 
Mary  \l  endi  shai  i 

And  we,  whose   names   are    here    under    also   subscribed 

being  present  at  the  solemnization  of  said  marriage  and  sub 
scription  have  as  witnesses  thereunto  set  our  hands  the  day 

and  year  above  written. 


Thomas  Carlton. 

I  in  mi. is  Temple. 

Thomas  Mithous. 
(  aiei  i  Pierci 

mill  King. 
rhomas  Carleton,  Jr. 

|i  sse  (  loud. 

Mai  v  (loud. 

John  Lamborn. 
Is. i.i.    Mendenhall. 
Miriam  Redd. 
Adam  Redd. 

I  \ .In  Kirk. 

Phoebe  White. 

ioshua  Gibson, 
ohn  Gibson. 
Hannah  Levis. 
Mary  Smedley. 
ail  Kirk. 

Adam  Kirk. 


I. ill.      I'einple. 

\nn  Lamborn. 
Ann  Way. 
Hannah  Baily. 
Mars  Way. 

mi  Levis. 
William  Harvey. 

James  Wickersh.nn 

fames  Ben  net. 

ii   Baily. 
I'.noi  h  Wickersham. 
Won  James. 

Joshua  fierce. 
ii  i  to  I  leald. 
Isaac  Mendenhall. 

Samuel  ( ,rulib. 
Phoebe  Kirk. 
Esther  Marshall. 
Caleb  Mendenhall. 


(V)   Moses  and    Mary  James  Mendenhall  had 
eleven  children.    (V)  Ann  (ii),  their  second  child, 
married   Bennett  Auge,  a  son  of   Daniel  Augi 
wine  and  shipping  merchant  □  nx,  France, 

originally  from  Amsterdam,  Holland  Bennett 
Auge  was  born  in  Bordeaux,  France,  1778,  and  at 
twelve  years  of  age  joined  an  elder  brother  in 
business  in  the  West  Indies,  and  was  overseer  of 
the  plantation  at  the  time  of  the  insurrection  at 
San  Domingo  in  [791.  He  was  in  the  armj  of 
defence,  and  left  when  the  whites  generally  took 
refuge  in  the  vessels,  and  came  with  his  brol 
to  the  United  States  in  1801,  and  married  111 
Chester  county;   had  five  children,  one  of  whom. 


Moses  Mendenhall  Auge,  born  in  Centreville, 
Delaware  count},  in  1X42,  married  Mary  Cow- 
den,  of  Plymouth.  He  was  of  a  decided  liter- 
ary turn,  and  author  of  Biographies,  Essays,  &c. 
One  of  the  early  Anti-slavery  advocates,  editor 
of  The  Norristown  Republican;  moved  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  died  February  21,  1892,  leav- 
ing two  daughters,  Annie  and  Ella  Auge. 

(  V  )  Mary,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Mary  James 
M.ndenhall,  the   eighth  child,  born    11th    month 
4th.     17S2,     married    Joseph     Bishop    Shtlgert, 
whose  father   was   a    prominent  citizen    ol    York 
county,    and  sheriff  as    early    as    1759.      Joseph 
B.  had   received    a    fine    education,  was   a  great 
reader,  fine  penman    and  chose  the  employment 
of  civil  engineer  and  surveyor,  and  was  for  some 
\  ears  employed   on    the    Pennsylvania  canal    be- 
tween   Lewistown    and    York.       Soon    after    his 
marriage  he  moved   to  Centre   county.      He  was 
one  of  the  earliest  principals,  if  not    the  first,  of 
the  Bellefonte  Academy,  and  one  of  the  commis 
sioners  of  Centre  county  in    1815   and  1816,  and 
as  such  settled  and  receipted   to   Dunlop  &  Har- 
ris, proprietors  of  the  town  of  Bellefonte,  for  trn 
final  payments  due   the    county  from    the   sale  of 
town  and  out  lots  appropriated    to   the   erection 
of  the  county  buildings  hereinbefore  mentioned. 
A  great    portion    of  his   active   life   was  spent  in 
the  location   of  the    public    works   of  the    State 
and  later   in    life    ,»   .1    surveyor  and   manage! 
the    large    land    interests    of  Gen.    Patton,    ( 
Samuel    Miles,  Gilbert    Lloyd,  and  others   in  thi 
region  or  neighborhood  of  his   home  in  the  Qua- 
ker settlement  in    Half  Moon  Valley,  near  War- 
riorsmark,    at  which    place  he  died  on   the  14th 
day  of  November,  1853.      They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, viz.: 

SHI  (.1  k  1. 

1  VI)  [ohn  Wilson  Shugert,  for  many  years  ed- 
itor of  the  Democratic  paper  published  at  Harris 
burg,     and   afterward    in   an    official   position  at 
Washington,    I).    C,    where   he   died,    leaving 
wife  and  two  daughters        (VI)    Moses  M.  Shug 
married,  and  had   a  family   residing  near  Ciui 
nati.    (VI)  Aanm  James  was   engaged  in  the  iron 
business  at  Hannah  Furnace,  where  he  was  killed 
bv   accident      (VI)  Eliza  Keitley  married    Elij 
Merriman,  and  had  two  sons  and  two  daught. 
(VI)  Mary  Ann  married  Rev.  Hugh  Mulhollan,  and 
had  a  huge  family.      (VI)  Caleb  Mendenhall  mar- 
ried, and  lias  a    family  living  at  Titusville.      1 
Hannah  married.      (VI)  Dr.  William  Brindle,  for 
manj  practicing   physician  at  Titusville, 

Penn., commenced  practice  in  1  8^4  and  contin 
until  his  death  February  12.  1866, leaving  a  fan 

dmg  at  Titusville.    (VI) Dr.  Thomas  Burnsi 
also   a    practicing    physician    at   Titusville,    m 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


193 


deceased,  leaving  a  family  residing  at  that  place. 
(VI)  Delinda  married  a  Mr.  Elder,  and  has  a  fam- 
ily residing  at  Corsica,  Jefferson  county.  By  a 
second  marriage  Joseph  B.  Shugert  had  two 
children.  (VI)  Lloyd,  who  was  married,  and  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  (VI)  Almeda  was 
married,  and  had  a  family  all  now  deceased. 
Joseph  B.  and  Mary  (Mendenhall)  Shugert's 
fourth  child  was  (VI)  Hon.  Samuel  Townsend 
Shugert,  born  February  20,  1809,  and  married 
(V)  Deborah  Moore,  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza 
(Findlay)  Dunlop,  on  the  2nd  of  September, 
1836. 

(VI)  S.  T.  Shugert  commenced  the  publication 
of  the  Centre  Democrat  in  Bellefonte,  in  1835, 
and  continued  its  publication  until  1845  when  he 
received  an  appointment  in  the  U.  S.  Patent 
Office,  Washington,  D.  C. ,  where  he  remained 
until  the  administration  of  President  Buchanan, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Commis- 
sioner of  Patents,  retiring  at  the  expiration  of 
that  administration.  During  his  residence  in 
Washington,  the  old  Centre  Democrat  having 
passed  out  of  Democratic  control,  and  the  party 
without  an  organ  at  the  county  seat,  he  purchased 
and  established,  with  Henry  Hays  as  editor,  the 
Democratic  Watchman,  the  first  issue  of  which  ap- 
peared on  the  28th  of  November,  1855,  and  upon 
his  return  from  Washington  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  and  the  State  Senate,  after  which  time 
he  established  another  newspaper  in  Bellefonte, 
taking  the  old  name  of  the  Centre  Democrat,  which 
he  continued  a  publication  of  until  a  few  years 
prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  on  December  2  [ , 
1895.  His  wife,  Deborah  M.  (nee  Dunlop)  having 
died  September  8,  1869,  he  was  (again)  married  to 
Fanny  Alrichs  Johnston,  daughter  of  Ovid  F. 
Johnston,  a  distinguished  attorney  general  of 
Harrisburg,  Penn. ;  by  his  first  wife  he  had  the 
following  children: 

(VII)  John  Dunlop  Shugert  (i)  was  mar- 
ried on  the  23d  day  of  December,  1869,  to 
Mary  S.,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  John  and  Jane 
Ann  Stewart  McCoy.  He  read  law  in  the  office 
of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Linn,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  on  the  2d  of  February,  i860.  In  1S65 
he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  county,  and  upon 
the  expiration  of  his  term,  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1868,  was  elected  cashier  of  the  Centre  County 
Banking  Company,  which  he,  in  connection  with 
Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin,  Hon.  James  Milliken,  Hon. 
James  A.  Beaver,  E.  C.  Humes,  H.  N.  McAllis- 
ter, William  P.  Wilson,  P.  B.  Wilson,  F.  S. 
Wilson,  John  T.  Hoover,  Constance  Curtin  and 
J.  P.  Harris,  had  then  organized,  and  in  which 
he  is  still  engaged.  Mary  S.,  his  wife,  died  Sep- 
tember 29,   1883,  leaving  the  following  children: 


(VIII)  John  McCoy  (1);  Deborah  Dunlop  (2), 
died  October  13,  1872;  Frank  McCoy  (3); 
Jean  Stewart  (4);  Kate  Dunlop  (5);  and  William 
Findlay  (6),  died  October  4,  1882.  (VII)  Mary 
M.  (2),  daughter  of  S.  T.  and  Deborah  M.  Dun- 
lop Shugert,  was  married  to  John  Moran;  they 
have  one  child:  (VIII)  Townsend  Shugert.    John 

Moran  died  on  —  day  of ,  and  she  was  married 

(again)  to  William  E.  Burchfield,  and  now  resid- 
ing in  Philipsburg.  (VII)  William  Findlay  Shu- 
gert (3),  son  of  S.  T.  and  Deborah  M.  (Dunlop) 
Shugert,  was  married  —  day  of  August,  1895, 
to  Miss  Margaret  Mills,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
sister  of  the  wives  of  General  William  Mitchell 
and  Major  Dunwoody,  of  the  regular  army. 

(VII)  Eliza  Dunlop  (4),  daughter  of  S.  T.  andl 
Deborah  M.  (Dunlop)  Shugert  died  when  young. 

PAXTON. 

(IV)  Jane  Dunlop  (5),  daughter  of  Col.  James 
and  Jane  (Boggs)  Dunlop,  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land county,  Penn.,  February  13,  1772,  and  died 
at  Gettysburg,  Penn.,  November  14,  1862.  She 
was  married  on  June  20,  1794,  to  Rev.  William 
Paxton,  D.  D. ,  of  Adams  county,  who  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  April  1,  1760,  died 
in  Adams  county,  Penn.,  April  16,  1845,  and  was 
a  son  of  Capt.  John  Paxton,  of  Lancaster  county, 
Penn.  Rev.  William  Paxton,  D.  D.,  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  a  private  in 
a  company  of  which  his  father,  John  Paxton,  was 
captain  (Associated  Company  Pennsylvania  Mili- 
tia, September  II,  1776,  and  Second  Battalion 
Lancaster  County  Militia,  Col.  James  Watson, 
in  1777).  He  was  for  fifty  years  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Lower  Marsh  Creek, 
Adams  county,  Penn.,  and  was  considered  a 
wonderfully  good  preacher,  and  a  man  of  excel- 
lent ability  as  a  theologian.  Their  children  were 
as  follows:  (V)  Jane  (1),  died  in  infancy. 
(V)  Col.  James  Dunlop  (2),  son  of  Rev.  William 
and  Jane  (Dunlop)  Paxton,  was  born  on  June  1  1, 
1796,  died  at  Baltimore  February  10,  1864;  was 
married  March  18,  1819,  at  Millerstown,  Penn., 
to  Jane  Maria  Miller,  who  was  born  at  Millers- 
town,  Penn.,  January  iS,  1797,  and  died  at 
Baltimore  April  29,  1870.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Hon.  William  Miller  and  Margaret  Craig,  and 
their  children  were  as  follows:  (VI)  Margaret ta 
Eliza  (1),  daughter  of  Col.  James  Dunlop  and 
Jane  Maria  Miller  Paxton,  was  born  at  Millers- 
town,  Penn.,  November  29,  1 8 19,  and  died  at 
Lake  George,  N.  Y. ,  July  15,  1895,  and  was 
married  at  Gettysburg,  Penn.,  May  9,  1854,  to 
John  McPherson  Stevenson,  who  was  born  in 
Bedford  county,  December  6,  181 8.  He  was  a 
son  of  John  Mitchell   Stevenson  and  Nancy  Rus- 


104 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAl'llKM    RECORD. 


sell.  lit  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Baltimore,  M<t,  from  1X511  to  1870.  Their 
children  areas  follows:  (VII)  William  Paxton 
(i),  son  of  [ohn  McPherson and  Margaretta  Eliza 
I'.ixton  Stevenson,  was  born  February  24,  1855, 
and  married  on  September  29,  1881,  Marianne 
Witherspoon  Woods  (VIII);  their  children  are: 
Waltei  W  oods  (  1  ),  born  September  9,  1882,  and 
Margaretta  Paxton  121,  born  September  1,  1883. 
(VII)  Rev.  Alexander  Russell  (2),  son  of  John 
\l<  Pherson  and  Margaretta  Eliza  Paxton  Steven- 
was  born  December  29,  1856,  and  was  mar- 
ried on  April  11,  1882,  to  Mary  Margaret  Ken- 
nedy (VIII);  their  children  are:  Thomas  Kennedy 
(1),  born  November  10,  1883.  Caroline  Paxton 
(2),    born   March    5,    1888,    died   November   28, 

1895.  Alexander  Russell,  Jr.  (3),  born  May 
28,  1893,  and  Stuart  Kiddle  (4),  born  November 
14,   1896. 

(VII)  James  Dunlop  Paxton  1  3),  son  of  John 
Mcpherson  and  Margaretta  Eliza  Paxton  Steven- 
son, was  born  February  9,  1859,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 1 ,   1  860. 

(VI)  Rev.  William  Miller,  D.  D.  (2).  son  of 
Col.  James  Dunlop  and  fane  Maria  Miller  Pax- 
ton. was  born  near  Millerstown,  Adams  county, 
June  7,  1824,  married  (first)  August  11,  1852, 
Hester  V  B.  Wicks,  and  had  one  child,  Francis 
Herron,  born  January    3,   1854,  died  September 

7,  1854.      He  was  (again)  married  on  November 

8,  1855,  to  Caroline  S.  Denny;  their  children  as 
follows:  (VII)  Elizabeth  Denny  (1 ),  born  Decem- 
ber 30,  1858;  (VII)  Rev.  James  Dunlop  (2)  was 
in, lined  May  22,  1883;  tbey  have  no  children; 
(VII)  Amelia  Maria  (3)  was  married  May  27,  1 886. 
to  Frank  C.  Roberts  (8),  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren-r-Caroline  (1),  died  in  infancy;  Catharine 
(2);  Paxton  (3);  and  Frank  (4);  (VII)  William 
Miller  (4);  (VII)  Caroline  Denny  (5)  was  married, 
on  February  II,  1890,  to  the  Rev.  Lewis  S. 
Mudge;  (VII)  Hanna  Denny  (6)  died  February  27, 

1896,  unmarried;  (VII)  Margaretta  (7)  and  (VII) 
fames  I  Donaldson    8 1. 

(VI)  Dunlop  i  j),  son  of  Col.  James  Dunlop 
and  |ane  Maria  Miller  Paxton,  born  in  October, 
1829,  and  unmarried.  (V)  Dr.  John  (3),  son  of 
Rev  William  and  Jane  Dunlop  Paxton,  was 
married  to  Jane  Wilson,  and  had  the  following 
children:  (VI)  Mary  Jane(i)died  in  infancy,  and 
(6)  James  Wilson  (2)  was  married  to  Margaret 
Dunlop  Smith,  and  had  the  following  children: 
(VII)  Helen  Jane  (1)  was  married,  on  May  22, 
1883,  to  her  cousin,  Rev.  James  Dunlop  Paxton, 
son  of  Rev.  William  Miller  and  Caroline  S. 
Denny  Paxton;  (7)  John  (2)  and  Margery  (3) 
both  died  in  infancy;  (7)  James  Wilson,  Jr.,  be- 
ing the  fourth  child. 


(V)  Eliza  King  (4),  daughter  of  Rev.  Will- 
iam and  Jane  Dunlop  Paxton,  was  married 
to  Thomas  Johnston;  their  children  were:  (VI) 
William  Paxton  (i)  died  young  and  unmarried; 
iVIi  (ohn  Thomas  (2)  married  Margaret  Pinney, 
and  had  three  children.  Eliza  (1).  (V)  Harriet 
daughter  of  Rev.  William  and  Jane  Dunlop 
Paxton,  married  John  Crawford,  of  Gettysburg, 
and  had  the  following  children :  (VI)  Anna  Dodd 
I  1  )  .was  married  to  the  Hon.  McPherson,  and  had 
five  children,  namely:  1  VII 1  John  Bayard  (  1 ), 
William  Lenhart  (2),  Norman  Bruce  (3).  Donald 
I'.ixton  (4),  and  Annie  Crawford  (5).  (VI)  Mar- 
garet (2)  and  Harriet  (4),  daughters  of  John  and 
Harriet  Paxton  Crawford,  died  in  infancy,  and 
Sally  Bruce  (3),  their  third  daughter,  is  unmarried 
and  resides  in  Gettysburg. 

(IV)  Elizabeth  Dunlop  (6),  daughter  of  Col. 
James  and  Jane  Boggs  Dunlop,  was  born  in 
Cumberland  county  February  13.  1/74.  and  died 

in  Bellefonte  on  the day  of , . 

She  was  married  in  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Carlisle.  October  26,  1795.  to  James 
Smith,  Esq.,  of  Cumberland  county,  afterward 
a  large  land  owner  in  the  neighborhood  of  Belle- 
fonte. She  was  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary 
mind,  fond  of  reading  and  the  examination  and 
discussion  of  all  the  leading  questions  of  the  day. 
It  was  then  so-unusual  for  ladies  to  express  opin- 
ions on  public  policy  and  conduct,  that  by  reason 
of  her  advanced  Anti-Slavery  views  she  was 
thought  eccentric.  The}  hid  two  children:  (V) 
William  Smith  (  1  )  never  married,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; (V)  James  Smith (2)  never  married,  and  is 
in  >w  deceased.  She  was  married  (a  second  time)  to 
Michael  T.  Simpson,  a  gentleman  of  fine  educa- 
tion. He  held  an  official  position  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  They  had  one  child:  (V)  Martha 
Simpson  (3),  who  was  married  to  Brooke  Mack- 
all,  a  wealthy  banker  of  Washington,  and  their 
children  were  as  follows:  (VI)  Lily  (1)  died  un- 
married; (VI)  Leonard  (2)  was  married  to  Mas 
Rosa  Gretta,  of  Richmond.  Va. ;  they  had  bo 
children,  and  he  was  married  (again)  to  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Hancock,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
brother  of  Gen.  Hancock;  (VI)  Brooke  (3)  is  un- 
married, (VI)  Louise  14)  married  a  Mr.  Owen,  a 
surgeon  oi    the  U.  S.   Navy;  they  have  two  chil- 

dren      Dunlop  (1)  and (2);  (VI)  Kate 

married  Robert  Christy,  a  practicing  attorney  of 
Washington,    D.   C. ,   and  author  of    "Proverbs. 
Maxims    and    Phrases   of   all   Ages."     They  had 
three  or  four  children;   (VI)  Covington  (6)  d 
when  young;  (VI)  Benjamin  (7);  (VI)  Barton  (8). 

(IV)    Deborah    Dunlop  (7),  daughter  of  Col. 
James  and    Jane     Boggs   Dunlop,    was   born   in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


195 


Cumberland  county.  May  9,  1776,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  James  Johnston,  of  Franklin  county;  they 
moved  to  Centre  county  and  settled  at  the  mouth 
of  Wallace  run.  They  had  six  children,  of  whom 
the  first  three  died  unmarried:  (V)  Rebecca  (1); 
(V)  James  Dunlop  (2);  (V)  Mary  (3);  (V)  Anna 
Bella  (4)  married  Andrew  Harris,  son  of  James 
and  Ann  Dunlop  Harris;  they  had  one  child;  (VI) 
Dr.  Lucien  Harris  (1),  who  died  unmarried.  (V) 
Jane  Johnston  (5)  was  married  to  Mr.  Mulholland; 
they  had  no  children.  (V)  Eliz.  Johnston  (6) 
married  John  Livingston,  principal  of  Bellefonte 
Academy. 

(IV)  Rebecca  (8),  daughter  of  Col.  James  and 
Jane  Boggs  Dunlop,  was  born  May  19,  1778,  and 
died  on  Wallace  run,  in  Centre  county.  She 
was  first  married  to  Robert  McLanahan,  of 
Franklin  county,  and  moved  to  Wallace  run, 
Centre  county;  they  had  two  children:  (V)  James 
Dunlop    McLanahan  (1),    who   was    married    to 

Eliza  Welch,  daughter  of    William  C.   and  

Leyden  Welch;  their  children  were  as  follows: 
James  ( 1 )  died  when  young;  William  (2)  married, 
and  had  one  child,  both  now  deceased;  Mary  (3) 
never  married,  and  died  recently  in  Bellefonte  at 
her  cousin's,  Harriet  Linn.  (V)  Margaret  (2), 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Rebecca  Dunlop  McLan- 
ahan, was  married  to  Hon  William  Harris,  son 
of  James  Harris,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Belle- 
fonte, whose  family  is  hereinbefore  enumerated. 

(IV)  Rebecca  Dunlop  McLanahan  was  (again) 
married  to  Robert  Steele,  of  Centre  county,  and 
had  the  following  children:  (V)  William  Steele 
(3)  never  married,  and  now  deceased;  (V)  Mary 
Steele  (4)  was  married  to  James  Gordon,  a  large 
land  owner  of  Centre  county,  and  had  the  follow- 
ing children :  (VI)  Robert  ( 1 )  was  never  married ; 
was  a  member  of  the  Anderson  Troop,  and  killed 
early  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion;  (VI)  William 
Leslie  (2)  married  to  Miss  Muffly,  and  had  a  nu- 
merous family  residing  in  Kansas;  (VI)  Theodore 
(3)  was  married  to  Esther  Graham,  and  died 
leaving  no  children;  (VI)  James  D.  (4)  was  a  civil 
engineer,  and  was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in 
New  York  State;  he  was  never  married;  (VI)  Mar- 
tha (5)  married  Joseph  R.  Muffly,  a  broker  of 
Philadelphia;  they  have  two  children:  Eliza- 
beth (1),  married  June  2,  1897,  to  Joseph  L. 
Montgomery;  and  Lillian  (2);  (VI)  Hon.  Cyrus 
Gordon  (6)  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Hon. 
John  F.  Weaver,  of  Clearfield.  Cyrus  studied 
law  in  Bellefonte,  was  admitted  to  practice,  and 
then  moved  to  Clearfield,  where  he  enjoyed  a 
large  practice,  and  was  two  years  ago  elected 
President  Judge  of  that  District,  although  the  po- 
litical party  to  which  he  was  an  adherent  was 
largely  in  the  minority.     (They  have  several  chil- 


dren); (VI)  Isaac  Newton  (7)  is  a  civil  engineer, 
and  also  a  graduate  in  mechanical  engineering; 
is  not  married. 

(IV)  James  Dunlop,  Jr. ,  (9),  son  of  Col.  James 
and  Jane  Boggs  Dunlop,  was  born  October  18, 
1780;  was  an  attorney,  admitted  to  practice  law 
in  Centre  county,  in  August,  1801  [see  Bar  list]. 
He  went  south,  and  died  there  in  1824.  He  was 
married  to  a  Miss  Dunbar,  and  had  a  daughter 
married  to  a  Mr.  Smith,  of   Natchez,  Mississippi. 

(IV)  Mary  Dunlop  (10),  daughter  of  Col. 
James  and  Jane  Boggs  Dunlop,  was  born  De- 
cember 26,  1784,  and  died  June  12,  1827,  and 
buried  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Churchyard  in 
Pittsburgh,  Penn.  She  was  married  January  10, 
1809,  in  Bellefonte,  by  the  Rev.  Henry  R.  Wil- 
son, to  Robert  Templeton  Stewart  (5)  (a  half- 
brother  of  William  C.  Stewart,  who  married 
Jane,  daughter  of  John  and  granddaughter  of 
Col.  James  Dunlop).  He  was  born  June  15, 
1773,  and  died  in  October,  1835,  a*  Hollidays- 
burg,  while  en  route  to  Pittsburgh,  and  buried  at 
Saltsburg,  Indiana  county.  He  was  a  son  of  Sam- 
eul(IV),  Samuel  (III),  Robert  (II),  John  (I),  here- 
inbefore mentioned.  He  settled  in  Bellefonte  in 
the  year  of  1800,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of 
Centre  County  at  the  November  term  of  court, 
1800.  He  was  retained  in  the  famous  slander 
suit  of  McKee  vs.  Gallagher,  August  term,  1801, 
in  which  there  were  fourteen  lawyers  for  the 
plaintiff,  and  twenty-two  for  the  defendant.  In 
1810  he  was  appointed  postmaster  and  continued 
in  office  until  1 8 1 9.  In  18  id  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits  with  his  half-brother,  William  C. , 
and  in  1819  entered  into  partnership  with  John 
Lyon  in  the  manufacture  of  iron;  residence  at 
Coleraine  Forges,  Huntingdon  county.  In  1828 
Lyon  and  Stewart  sold  Coleraine  Forges  to 
Joseph  and  James  Barnett  and  Anthony 
Shorb.  He  moved  to  Pittsburgh  in  1823,  and 
built  the  Sligo  Rolling  Mill.  Represented  Alle- 
gheny county  in  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature 
in  1 831-1832.  Disposing  of  his  interests  in  the 
iron  business,  Mr.  Stewart  went  to  manufacturing 
salt  in  the  Kiskiminetas.  He  was  a  man  of 
genial  disposition  and  social  habits,  and  of  great 
practical  humor.  In  person  he  was  above  the 
ordinary  size,  and  of  very  dark  complexion,  which 
he  inherited  from  his  grandmother  Stewart. 


Robert  T.  and  Mary  Dunlop  Stewart  had  the 
following  children:  (V)  James  Dunlop  Stewart 
(1),  born  April  4,  18 10,  died  September  26,  18 12. 
(V)  Jane  Ann  Stewart  (2),  born  December  2, 
181 1,  died  October  3,  1812.  (5)  Stephen  De- 
catur Stewart  (3),  born  January  22,  18 14, 
died  September  5,   1858;  he  was  married  July  9, 


19(5 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOORAPUICAL  RECORD. 


[839,  and  had  five  children,  the  survivors  of 
whom  are:  Jane(i),  married  to  Edward  Fos- 
ter, who  have  several  children;  Ellen  (2),  mar- 
ried to  Frank  E.  Taylor,  resides  at  Philips- 
burg  and  have  four  children;  Harriet (3),  unmar- 
ried, and  Elizabeth  (4),  married  to  I.  Lose,  ami 
have  several  children.  (V)  Harriet  Stewart  (4) 
born  June  10,  1816,  and  married  September  15, 
1843,  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Cooper,  to  James  Harris 
Linn,  son  of  the  Rev.  James  Linn,  D.  I).  She 
died  July  16,  1895,  and  Mr.  Linn  died  April  6, 
1876.  They  had  no  children.  (V)  Samuel  Roheit 
Stuart  (5),  born  November  2.  1  s  1 7,  died  Sep- 
tember 23,   I  85  I,  unmarried. 

(V)  Jean  Ann  Stewart  (6),  born  June  13, 
1820,  and  was  married  on  February  13,  1*43.  by 
the  Rev.  James  Linn.  D.  D.,  to  Dr.  John  M  Mc- 
Coy, in  relation  to  whom  Linn's  History  of  Centre 
County  says:  "  Dr.  McCoy  was  born  in  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Belleville  on  the  4th.  of  Febru- 
arv,  1816.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  quite 
young  and  he  came  to  his  uncle  Alexander  McCoy, 
who  lived  at  Potter's  Fort,  and  made  his  home 
with  him,  attending  Mr.  Breckinridge's  school.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  W,  I.  Wilson,  between 
whom  and  himself  there  existed  the  most  inti- 
mate friendship  His  parents  were  Francis  and 
Mary  (Michall)  McCoy,  natives  of  Mifflin  county. 
One  of  their  sons,  Francis,  was  a  merchant  at 
Hollidaysburg,  Penn.,  and  another,  Robert  H., 
was  engaged  in  the  iron  business  at  Philadelphia, 
in  which  city  his  death  occurred.  Francis,  Sr. , 
was  married  a  second  time,  and  by  the  last  wife 
had  three  children,  namely:  William,  who  was 
a  soldier  and  died  during  the  Civil  war;  Susan, 
who  became  the  wife  of  James  Patterson,  of 
Williamsburg,  Penn.,  and  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried George  Fay,  ol  Williamsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1837  Dr.  McCoy  graduated  in  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  located  first  in  the  practice  of  medicim 
Penn  Hall  (then  known  as  Centreville),  whence 
be  moved  to  Bellefonte  in  1841. 

He  occupied  an  office  upon  Allegheny  sti 
and  had  among  his  students  Dr.  Geo.   L.   Potter, 
Dr.  J.  B.  Mitchell,  Dr.  George  A    Fairlamb,  Dr. 
Woods    and    others,    all    having    become    noted 
practitioners.      In  [845,  in  connection  with   Dr. 
Potter,   Dr.  McCo}  purchased   the  drug  store  of 
Dr.  John    Harris,  and  the  firm  ol    McCoj   &  Pot- 
tei  continued  until  July   17.    184S.      At  that    ' 
Dr.  McCoy  withdrew  from  active  medical  pi 
and  entered    into    the  iron   business  with    Gen. 
James  Irvin,  \L  -        ["b   mpson  and  Jami      I  larris 
Linn,   under  the   firm   name  of    Irvin    McCoy  & 
Co.    After  the  death  of  Gen    Irvin,  and  the  with- 
drawal ol    Moses  Thompson,  the  name   took   its 


present  form.  James  H.  Linn  died  April  6, 
187(1,  but  the  firm  name  has  remained  un- 
altered since.  Dr.  McCoy  was  an  excellent 
manager  and  first-class  business  man,  and  to  his 
tact,  good  judgment  and  general  information  the 
success  of  McCoy  &  Linn's  Iron  Works  is  to  a 
great  extent  to  be  attributed.  He  was  a  kind- 
hearted  employer,  and  much  esteemed  by  the  men 
in  his  service.  He  in  every  way  tried  to  add  to 
the  happiness  and  comfort  of  those  over  whom 
he  had  control.  He  kept  the  works  moving 
nearly  all  the  time  when  financial  distress  and 
want  of  orders  induced  many  to  shut  down,  in 
order  to  give  the  employees  work,  though  at  a  pe- 
cuniary loss  to  the  firm.  The  medical  profession 
lost  much  by  his  withdrawal  from  practice,  as  he 
was  a  cheerful  and  valuable  adviser,  never  failing 
to  proffer  his  best  advice  upon  all  occasions.  Vs 
a  physician  he  was  extremely  pleasant  in  the  sick 
room,  always  encouraging  a  patient,  and  curing 
nearly  as  much  by  his  cheerfulness  as  by  his 
medicine.  He  stood  high  as  a  physician,  and 
his  skill  and  success  are  still  highly  spoken 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
for  many  years,  and  an  amiable  gentleman 
whose  loss  was  both  a  public  and  private  calam- 
ity. He  died  at  Milesburg  Iron  Works  suddenly, 
of  heart  disease,  on  Sunday  morning,  January  1 
[879."  The  children  of  John  M.  and  Jean  Ann 
Stuart  McCoy  were: 

VI)     Frank     McCoy    (i)    graduated  at    the 
Pennsylvania  State  College,  and,  preferring   th( 
iron  business,  became  the   manager  of   McCoy  A 
Linn  at  Milesburg  Iron  Works,  the  prosperous  con 
dition  of  which  is  largely  due  to  his  efficient  ser\ 
ices,  economical  methods  and  good  judgment.    H* 
succeeded  to  the  principal  ownership  of  the  works 
and  now  successfully  conducts  the  same.     He  v. 
married   October   30,    1879,    to    Esther   Eleai 
Allison,    daughter   of    William    Allison,    a    well- 
known    and    prominent    business   man  of  Centre 
county  for  many  years,      His  ancestor,  Archibald 
Allison,  landed  with   his   family  in    America    11111' 
18,  [773.      His  wife  Mary  was  the  third  daughl 
of  John  Kennedy,  and  was  born  in  Scotland,  shire 
of  Galloway,  parish  of  Kirkmaiden,  November  1. 
I  le  died  in  I 'ax  ton  township  (now  Dauphin 
county)  October  6,  1783,  and  his  widow  Marj 
Potter  township,    Centre  county,    |une  6,  180S 
They    had    a    son,    Archibald.    Jr.,  who,    though 
young    in    years,  took    an  active  part    in   the  di 
fense  of    the  frontiers,  to  which  proper  refer 
is  made  in    Linn's    "Annals  of    Buffalo  Valley, 

174,     and     was    an    exceedingly   bold     and 
courageous   man.      After   the  war   he   pushed 
up  inb  1  Penn's  Valley,  where  he  1 
or.  third  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret   M 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


197 


Cormick,  May  7,  1789.  George  McCormick 
was  the  first  settler  at  Spring  Mills,  bought  his 
land  of  Reuben  Haines,  and  built  the  first  mill 
there.  He  bought  of  the  Penns  the  eastern  third 
of  what  was  known  as  the  Manor  of  Succotli, 
north  of  the  Great  Spring  tract,  and  died  May 
3,  1845,  on  tne  p'ace  st;i"  owned  by  his  descend- 
ants. He  left  a  widow,  Eleanor,  who  died  Jan- 
uary 27,   1848. 

A  numerous  family  blessed  this  union,  the 
names  with  dates  of  birth  being  as  follows: 
George,  August  18,  1792,  died  September  28, 
1866;  William,  April  5,  1794;  James,  February 
26,  1796,  married  Margaret  Hutchinson,  and  died 
September  18,  1863,  at  North  Liberty,  Ohio;  Mar- 
garet, May  26,  1797,  married  William  Kelley,  son 
of  Col.  John  Kelley,  and  died  in  Union  county,  May 
12,  1846;  David,  May  22,  1799,  married  Lucetta 
McKibben,  and  died  December  22,  1877,  in  Clin- 
ton county;  Mary,  May  II,  1801,  died  Septem- 
ber 27,  1856,  in  Adams  county,  Ohio;  John,  No- 
vember 22,  1803,  died  January  23,  1844;  Jane. 
September  22,  1805,  married  Thomas  Riley,  and 
died  in  Kansas;  Eleanor,  February  8,  181 1,  mar- 
ried Dr.  John  Grossman,  of  Adams  county,  Ohio. 

William  Allison,  Mrs.  McCoy's  father,  resem- 
bled his  father  in  character,  and  was  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  this  section  in  his  day.  His 
first  employment  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at 
Harrisburg,  where  he  remained  six  or  seven  years. 
He  then  went  to  Brown's  Mills,  in  Mifflin  coun- 
ty, now  Reedsville,  and  in  July,  1827,  opened 
a  store  in  partnership  with  J.  &  J.  Potter. 
After  the  dissolution  of  the  firm,  in  1829,  Mr. 
Allison  conducted  the  business  for  a  few  years, 
and  then  returned  to  his  old  home  near  Spring 
Mills.  The  death  of  his  father  in  1845  brought 
to  him  a  large  amount  of  work  in  connection 
with  the  settlement  of  the  estate,  and  this  with 
the  improvement  of  his  share  of  the  property, 
occupied  his  time  for  many  years.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1847,  tne  failure  of  J.  &  J.  Potter,  of  whom 
he  was  a  creditor  to  a  large  amount,  occasioned 
a  protracted  litigation,  but  Mr.  Allison's  claims 
were  finally  sustained.  In  the  meantime  he  pur- 
chased a  hotel  and  factory,  and  considerable 
real  estate  at  Potters  Mills,  and  made  his  home 
there  in  the  old  residence  of  James  Potter.  His 
declining  years  were  marked  by  uninterrupted 
prosperity,  his  business  tact  and  great  executive 
ability  enabling  him  to  manage  his  extensive  in- 
terests with  success.  He  possessed  a  remarkable 
memory,  and  having  kept  himself  well-informed 
upon  passing  events  he  became  in  later  years  a 
veritable  encyclopedia.  During  his  late  years 
he  was  confined  to  the  house  by  a  paralytic 
stroke;  but  his  cheerful   spirit   did   not  fail  him. 


He  died  February  11,  1877,  and  his  remains 
rest  in  the  family  burial  lot  near  Spring  Mills. 
His  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  June  25, 
1847,  was  Miss  Sarah  A.  McNitt,  a  daughter  of 
William  R.  and  Esther  (McCoy)  McNitt,  and 
granddaughter  of  Robert  McNitt,  one  of  the  ear- 
liest settlers  in  Kishacoquillas  Valley.  They  had 
the  following  children:  William  M.,born  No- 
vember 4,  1850;  Esther  E.,  January  15,  1852; 
Edward,  August  2,  1855;  Lillie  E.,  September 
28,   i860,  and  Archibald,  June  27,   1863. 

The  children  of  Frank  and  Eleanor  Allison 
McCoy  are  as  follows:  Anna  Allison  (1);  Mary 
Stewart  (2),  died  in  infancy;   and  John  (3). 

(VI)  Harriet  Linn  McCoy  (2)  was  born  July 
15,  1845,  and  died  September  8,  1853;  (VI)  Mary 
Stewart  McCoy  (3)  was  born  July  9,  1847,  and 
died  September  29,  1883.  She  was  married 
December  23,  1869,  leaving  a  family  hereinbe- 
fore mentioned. 

(IV)  Joseph  Dunlop  (11),  son  of  Col.  James 
and  Jane  Boggs  Dunlop,  was  born  March  19, 
1786,  and  died  unmarried. 


A 


DAM  H.  KRUMRINE,  a  well-known  and 
%L  progressive  farmer  of  Ferguson  township, 
is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  that  portion 
of  Centre  county.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable 
and  well-improved  farm  of  120  acres,  where  he 
was  born  December  23,  1854.  The  well-ap- 
pointed place,  with  its  substantial  buildings  and 
highly  cultivated  fields,  testifies  to  his  earnest 
labors  and  careful  management.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  member  of  the  Continental 
army  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  serving 
under  Gen.  Washington,  and  the  trunk  which  he 
then  used  is  still  in  the  possession  of  a  member 
of  the  family. 

John  Krumrine,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Millheim,  Penn's  Valley,  Penn.,  and 
on  reaching  man's  estate  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Christina  Decker,  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Lydia,  wife  of  D.  M. 
Neidig,  a  retired  farmer  of  State  College,  Penn., 
by  whom  she  has  two  children;  Sally  J.,  wife  of 
M.  D.  Snyder,  a  butcher  of  State  College,  by 
whom  she  has  eight  children;  Catharine  E.,  wife 
of  William  Kemmerer,  a  retired  miller,  by  whom 
she  has  one  child;  Adam  H. ;  Jacob,  who  wedded 
Margaret  Dreibelbis;  Margaret,  wife  of  S.  S. 
Greibe,  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable  and  the 
"State  College  Hotel,"  by  whom  she  has  two 
children;  J.  N.,  a  merchant  of  State  College, 
who  married  Lizzie  Martel,  and  has  one  child; 
Sydney,  a  druggist  of  Bellefonte,    Centre  county, 


108 


cnMMhMOHA  TIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL  HFJOliD. 


who  married  Jennie  Hubb;  and  Christina,  who  is 
living  with  her  mother  in  State  College.  On 
coming  to  Centre  county,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  the  father  had  located  in  Ferguson  town- 
ship, but  he  died  in  College  township,  in  1891. 
In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  Adam  H. 
krumrine  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  ami 
youth,  and  from  the  time  he  was  old  enough  t>> 
handle  the  plow  has  followed  farming,  meeting 
with  excellent  success  in  his  chosen  calling. 
Since  attaining  his  majority  he  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  Democratic  party,  always  support- 
ing its  men  and  measures  by  his  ballot.  He  is  a 
consistent  member  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  and  socially  affiliates  with  the  Gran 
He  is  a  wide-awake,  enterprising  farmer,  and  as 
a  citizen  stands  deservedly  high  in  the  estimation 
of  his  neighbors  and  friends. 


JOHN  GILLEN  DUBBS.  The  hope  of  suc- 
cess inspires  each  man  who  makes  his  en- 
trance into  the  business  arena,  but  it  is  not 
all  who  find  their  bright  anticipations  realized. 
Among  the  successful  ones  is  numbered  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  a  well-known  business  man  of 
Belief onte,  Centre  count)',  whose  industry  and 
judicious  management  have  won  lor  him  goodly 
rewards  of  a  substantial  natun 

Mr,  Dubbs  is  of  German  descent,  his  paternal 
grandfather  having  come  from  the  Fatherland  to 
settle  in  Lebanon  counts.  Penn.  Of  his  five 
children,  ]oel  is  a  carpenter  in  Sharon,  Penn.; 
Rosa  married  Mr  Schire,  and  lives  in  Steelton, 
Penn. ;  Eliza,  who  never  married,  resides  on  the 
edge  of  the  city  of  Lebanon,  Penn. ;  and  anothi  r 
sister,  Mrs.  Labe,  made  her  home  in  Altoona, 
where  her  descendants  still  live.  The  other 
member  of  the  family,  Jeremiah,  our  subject's 
father,  was  born  in  Lebanon  county,  in  1829,  and 
became  a  shoemaker  near  the  old  fort,  where  he 
resided  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death  in 
1891.  His  wife,  Eliza  Reynolds,  who  pi 
from  earth  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  was  born 
at  Potters  Mills,  Centrecounty.  They  had  seven 
children:  11  May  M.  (Mrs.  William  Reed  1,  now 
deceased;  (2)  Cecelia  (Mrs.  Harry  Ross),  of  Al- 
toona; (3)  George,  who  resides  at  the  old  home- 
stead; (4)  James,  a  resident  of  1'hilipsburg;  (5) 
John  G.,  our  subject;  (6)  Thomas,  who  lives  al 
Philipsburg;  and  (7)  Andrew,  who  lives  at  the 
old  home. 

Our  subject's  youth  was  spent  in  Penn's  Val- 
ley, where  he  was  born  in  [anuary,  1 849.  After 
acquiring  a  plain  but  practical  education  in  the 
schools  of  that  locality  he  engaged  in  agriculture 
at  Nittany,  continuing  until  1886,  when   he  went 


to  Bellefonte  and  established  himself  in  business, 
as  a  dealer  in  implements  of  all  kinds,  including 
a  full  line  of  agricultural  tools.  Although  his  ex- 
panding business  has  demanded  close  attention, 
N*r.  Dubbs  takes  much  interest  in  local  affairs 
and  in  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  an  active 
mender  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Encampment  at  Belle- 
fonte. In  1868  he  wedded  Miss  Eliza  Ulrich,  a 
native  of  Union  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1849. 
They  have  two  living  children:  May  G.  and  John 
I  .  and  four  others  gladdened  their  home  for  a 
short  time  only. 


WILLIAM  S.  MUSSER,  agent  for  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  at 
Spring  Mills,  Centre  county,  is  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  numerous  families  of 
Penn's  Valley.  This  family  may  be  said  to  be 
divided  into  two  factions,  the  Republican  and 
Democratic.  Our  subject  comes  of  the  for- 
mer, who  are  as   devout  in   their  support  of  the 

trines  of  that  party  as  the  other  faction  is  in 
support  of  Democratic  principles 

Mr  Musser  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Spring 
Mills,  Gregg  township,  July  20,  1866,  and  is  the 
eldest  son  and  child  of  his  parents,  M.  M.  and 
Kate  (Fisher  Musser,  who  removed  to  Haines 
township,  Centre  county,  when  he  was  quite 
young,  and  there  he  first  attended  school  near 
Fiedler.  He  did  not  wish  to  take  the  collegi 
course  which  his  parents  had  decided  upon,  but 
I  school  in  Bellefonte  and  Gettysburg. 
In  1883  he  returned  home,  and  being  desirous  of 
obtaining  a  good  business  education,  he  borrowed 
$200  of  his  uncle.  Nicholas  Harper,  giving  onh 
his  word  for  its  return,  but  it  has  long  since  been 
paid  in  full.  With  the  money  he  thus  obtained 
lm  paid  Ins  tuition  in  the  Eastman  Business  Col- 
lege, at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  he  com- 
pleted the  prescribed  course  and  received  a  di- 
ploma. 

In  December    1884,   Mr.   Musser   entered   the 
office  of  the  Pennsylvania    Railroad   Compain 
Spring  Mills,  as  a  student  under  Stephen 
the  agent  at  that    time,  and    June    20,   1885,  be- 
came   extra    agent    and    operator  on  a  branch  of 
that  road.       He  next,  in  April,    1866,  took 
of   the  office  at  Nesbit,  Penn.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  following  February,  when  he  was  ma 
weighmaster   at  Williamsport,  Penn.,  later  serv- 
ing as  clerk  in  the  freight  office  of  that  place.    In 
July,    iSSS,  he    was    transferred    to   the   office  Bt 
Spring  Mills,  where  he  has  since   acted   as  agent 
and  operator,  and  also  agent  for  the  Adams  I 
press  Company. 

In   Centre    Hall,    July   21,   1890,    Mr    M> 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


199 


was  married  to  Miss  Clara  S.  Hettinger,  of 
Spring  Mills,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Amelia 
(Grove)  Hettinger,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Marion  K. ,  born  June  9,  1891.  Although  a 
young  man,  Mr.  Musser  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  best  and  most  enterprising  citizens  of  Spring 
Mills,  and  is  a  credit  to  the  excellent  family  to 
which  he  belongs.  He  is  a  prominent  and  active 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  where  at  pres- 
ent he  is  serving  as  trustee,  and  socially  is  a 
Master  Mason,  affiliating  with  the  lodge  at  Centre 
Hall.  

WH.  BLOOM  is  a  leading  and  influential 
member  of  the  agricultural  community  of 
Ferguson  township,  Centre  county.  The  im- 
provements upon  his  place  reflect  great  credit 
upon  him;  the  buildings  are  of  a  handsome  and 
substantial  character;  and  the  surroundings  of  his 
residence  are  extremely  beautiful.  He  is  an  able 
financier  and  a  substantial  citizen,  always  mak- 
ing the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and  in  his  chosen 
vocation  has  met  with  a  well-deserved  success. 

Mr.  Bloom  was  born  August  7,  1850,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Lesch)  Bloom.  The 
father,  who  was  of  German  descent,  was  a  native 
of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  came  to  Centre 
county  from  Union  county,  Penn.,  whither  he 
had  moved.  His  family  constituted  six  children: 
Jemima,  who  married  Daniel  Heckman,  and 
died  in  October,  1870,  leaving  three  children; 
Amelia,  wife  of.John  Frantz,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  Adam  G.,  a  dairyman  and  farmer  of  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  who  married  Ellen 
Runkle  and  has  two  children;  W.  H.,  of  this 
sketch;  Peter  F.,  who  died  in  1863,  during  boy- 
hood; Clara  A.,  wife  of  William  Smith,  a  farmer 
living  near  Pine  Grove  Mills,  Centre  county,  by 
whom  she  has  eight  children. 

Our  subject  is  indebted  to  the  free  schools  of 
White  Hall,  Penn.,  for  his  educational  privileges. 
He  early  became  familiar  with  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  chose  farming  as  his  life  work,  now 
owning  and  operating  a  valuable  tract  of  1 50 
acres  four  miles  from  State  College,  Centre  coun- 
ty. The  land  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  yields  bountiful  harvests  in  return  for 
the  care  and  labor  expended  upon  it.  On  De- 
cember 24,  1867,  Mr.  Bloom  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Carter,  a  native  of  Centre  Furnace, 
Penn.,  whose  mother  was  from  Centre  county, 
Penn.  Her  father,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Centre  county,  enlisted  in  1862  in  the  148th 
P-  V.  I.,  in  Capt.  Foster's  company,  and  laid 
down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country  at  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville.  He  also  had  two 
brothers  in  the    Union    service,   both    of  whom 


were  wounded — William  losing  a  leg,  and  Jacob 
Lee  being  wounded  in  the  hip.  Her  family  is  of 
German  and  English  extraction.  She  has  two 
brothers,  Frederick  K.  and  Joseph  Carter,  and 
one  sister,    Henrietta    (wife   of  James   Mowery). 

Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bloom,  in  order  of  birth  as  follows:  Will- 
iam A.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Emma  V.,  wife  of 
Oscar  Heckman,  a  farmer  of  Penn  Hall,  Centre 
county;  Anna  M.,  who  was  born  May  15,  1872, 
is  the  wife  of  Elmer  E.  Royer,  of  Pine  Grove 
Mills,  Centre  county,  by  whom  she  has  a  son, 
William  H. ;  Henry  C. ,  at  home;  Frankie,  who 
was  born  September  23,  1875,  an(3  died  in  in- 
fancy; Oliver  P.,  born  October  27,  1878;  Bessie 
R.,  born  July  10,  1880;  Lizzie  M.,  born  May  5, 
1882;  Grover  Cleveland,  who  was  born  May  9, 
1884,  and  died  April  3,  1886;  E.  Orvis,  born 
January  17,  1890;  and  Margaret  C. ,  born  No- 
vember 4,   1  891. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Bloom  is  a  straight  and  stanch 
adherent  to  the  principles  formulated  in  the  plat- 
forms of  the  Democratic  party,  and  exercises 
his  elective  franchises  in  support  of  the  can- 
didates offered  by  that  organization.  Religiously 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
socially  is  a  member  of  the  Grange.  A  genial, 
whole-souled  American  citizen,  he  is  a  leading 
and  representative  man  of  Ferguson  township, 
and  merits  and  receives  the  warmest  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


Ey/TLLIAM  H.  STOVER,  a  prominent  citi- 
llm.  zen  of  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  now 
retired  from  active  business  cares,  is  one  of  the 
men  who  make  old  age  seem  the  better  portion 
of  life.  His  fine  presence  and  dignified  manners 
would  attract  attention  anywhere;  while,  to  those 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  personal  acquaint- 
ance, his  well-stored  mind  and  conversational 
powers  are  a  source  of  perpetual  pleasure. 

Mr.  Stover  is  a  native  of  Aaronsburg,  having 
been  born  January  I,  1825,  in  the  house  in  which 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  spent.  His 
father,  Jacob  E.  Stover,  was  born  at  Williams- 
port,  Md.,  on  the  Potomac  river,  and,  losing  his 
parents  while  yet  a  boy,  began  his  business 
career  at  a  great  disadvantage.  He  learned  the 
tanner's  trade  in  Maryland,  and  as  a  young  man 
settled  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  where 
numerous  relatives  had  already  located.  There  he 
built  a  tannery  which  he  conducted  for  many 
years,  and  being  an  excellent  workman  enjoyed 
a  large  trade.  He  was  industrious,  but  a  lack  of 
the  distinctive  qualities  of  the  financier  prevented 
him  from  acquiring  more  than  a  moderate  com- 


L*X1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


petence.  Politically  he  was  a  Whig,  steadfast  in 
principle  and  a  regular  voter,  and  in  religion  he 
was  a  Lutheran 

Jacob  E.  Stover  was  married  in  Aaronsburg. 
to  Catherine,  daughtei  of  Jacob  Hubler,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  the  township.  Mr.  Stover 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  but  his  wife  lived 
to  be  nearly  eighty  years  old  before  she,  too, 
passed  away.  The  remains  of  both  were  interred 
at  Aaronsburg.  Their  children  were  seven  in 
number,  and  three  sons  did  active  service  in  Un- 
civil war.  Samuel  H.  died  at  Boalsburg,  Penn. 
Isaac  died  in  Aaronsburg.  Catherine  married 
Christian  kaup,  and  died  in  Milesburg.  George 
II.,  who  was  quartermaster  of  the  179th  P.  V. 
I.,  was  a  resident  of  Morgan  county,  Mo.,  and 
died  in  1897.  William  H.  is  mentioned  more 
fully  below.  Michael,  who  held  the  rank  of 
lieutenant  in  the  179th  P.  V.  I.,  died  in  Morgan 
county,  Mo.  John  H.,  an  attorney,  was  active 
in  raising  the  [79th  Regiment,  and  served  gal- 
lantly through  the  war  as  its  colonel.  When  the 
struggle  was  ended  he  removed  to  Morgan  coun- 
ty. Mi)  ,  where  he  dud  At  one  time  he  repre- 
sented  that  district  in  Congress. 

Although  the  subject  of  this  sketch  displayed 
from  an  early  agea  particularly  retentive  memory, 
andwould  have  profited  by  a  good  education,  hisop- 
opportunitirs  were  limited  to  those  of  the  usual  dis- 
trict school  privileges,  As  his  father  owned  a  farm 
as  well  a-  a  tannery,  there  was  alwa)  s  work  in  one 
place  or  the  other  to  keep  his  boys  from  mischief. 
Mi  Stover  remained  at  home  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  and  shortly  after  was  married  in 
Aaronsburg  to  Miss  Sarah  S.  Ettinger,  a  nal 
of  Haines  township,  Centre  County,  and  a  daugh- 
tei ol  Emanuel  and  Elizabeth  (Bike)  Ettinger. 
The  young  couple  went  to  housekeeping  in  the 
house  where  Mr.  Stover  was  born.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  ol  this  union:  Edward  W.  died 
at  the  ageol  six  years;  Emma  married  Cyrus  G. 
Bright,  oi  Aaronsburg;  Luther  E.  is  a  tanner  at 
\  1  ons!  hi  re. ;  and  Charles  II.  is  a  baker  at  Mifflin- 
town,  I'enn  Mr.  Stover  engaged  in  business  as 
a  tanner,  purchasing  his  father's  old  establish- 
ment, which  had  been  sold  to  George  Koyer. 
After  following  the  business  successfully  fi 
1847  to  1S76,  he  retired,  leaving  the  manage- 
ment to  his  son  Luther  E.,  who  has  proven  an 
able  successor.  With  a  comfortable  home  and 
with  leisure  for  reading  and  other  intellectual 
pursuits.  Mr.  Stover  has  passed  a  quiet  life  since 
giving  up  business.  The  family  circle  was  in- 
vaded by  the  hand  of  death  July  15,  1S92,  when 
the  beloved  wife  and  mother  passed  to  the  unseen 
life,  and  her  mortal  remains  now  [est  m  the 
Aaronsburg  cemetery, 


Taking  keen  interest  in  all  forms  of  progress, 
Mr.  Stover  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  for  many  years,  holding  nu- 
merous offices,  including  those  of  deacon  and 
elder,  and  at  different  periods,  amounting  in  all 
to  thirty-five  years,  he  has  been  superintendent 
!  of  the  Sunday-school.  He  has  strong  convic- 
tions and  the  courage  to  express  them,  neither 
money  nor  friendship  having  power  to  make  him 
acquiesce  in  anything  which  he  does  not  approve. 
In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig,  and  later  he  became 
a  Republican,  but  although  his  support  could  al- 
ways be  relied  upon,  he  has  not  cared  to  run  for 
office.  In  fact  he  declined  various  offers  of  a 
place  on  the  party  ticket,  even  as  a  candidate  for 
the  legislature. 


HUGH  MCALLISTER  BEAVER,  named  for 
his  maternal  grandfather,  Hon.  Hugh  Nel- 
son McAllister,  was  born  at  Bellefonte,  Penn., 
March  29,  1S73.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Gen. 
James  Addams  and  Mary  McAllister  Beaver,  and 
spent-  his  entire  life  prior  to  entrance  to  College 
(with  the  exception  of  short  periods  while  his 
father  occupied  the  executive  office  of  Pennsyl- 
vania) in  his  native  town. 

His  preparatory  education  was  pursued  at 
Bellefonte  and  Harrisburg  Academies,  at  which 
he  was  prepared  for  entrance  to  the  Freshman 
Class  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  in  1891. 
He  graduated   in   the  General   Science  course  in 

1895 

His  ancestors  of  the  fourth  preceding  genera- 
tion were  all  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  all  of  the 
male  members  of  his  immediate  ancestry  of  that 
ration  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  ex- 
cept Benjamin  Elliott,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Convention  which  framed  for  Pennsylvania  the 
Constitution  of  1776.  On  his  father's  side  his 
ancestry  was  English,  German  (Palatine)  and 
French  (Huguenot),  and  on  his  mother's  side, 
English  and  Scotch-Irish.  The  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  this  varied  ancestry  combined 
to  produce  a  personality  which,  in  early  boyhood, 
was  characterized  by  earnestness,  'intensity, 
vivacity,  courage  and  perseverance.  These 
characteristics  increased  and  developed  with  his 
growth,  and   found  full    play  in   his  short,  acti\' 

life. 

He  developed  very  early  a  strong  taste  foi 
military  pursuits,  ami  was,  for  several  years, 
captain  of  a  boys'  company  called  the  "Belle 
fonte  Guards. "  It  was  difficult  to  communit 
his  own  earnestness  in  this  play  service  to  his 
company,  however,  and  his  own  views  in  regard 
to    such   service    changed  with    his    years.      Ufa 


J 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


201 


father,  knowing  his  tendency  in  that  direction, 
and  thinking  that  he  had  an  opportunity  of  secur- 
ing an  appointment  to  West  Point  for  him,  wrote 
to  him  upon  the  subject,  advising  him  to  deter- 
mine the  matter  for  himself,  and  give  his  answer. 
His  characteristic  reply  indicated  the  change 
which  his  views  had  undergone  upon  the  subject. 
Although  then  only  in  his  seventeenth  year,  he 
replied,  after  careful  consideration,  that  "life 
was  too  real  and  too  earnest  to  be  spent  in  keep- 
ing Indians  on  their  reservations  or  playing  the 
dude  at  a  swell  fort,"  the  latter  part  of  the  re- 
mark having  been  doubtless  induced  by  what  he 
had  seen  a  year  or  two  before  at  the  "  Hygeia 
Hotel  "  at  Fort  Monroe. 

A  signal  illustration  of  his  intensity  of  pur- 
pose and  determination  was  exhibited  in  his  last 
year  in  college.  During  a  snow  blockade  which 
prevented  the  running  of  trains  and  all  inter- 
course between  tjie  State  College  and  his  home, 
twelve  miles  away,  by  the  ordinary  means  of 
conveyance,  he  walked  the  entire  distance,  most 
of  the  way  on  the  tops  of  the  fences.  He  was 
naturally  much  exhausted  by  the  journey,  and  as 
a  result  had  a  serious  affection  of  the  eyes, 
which  prevented  his  carrying  on  his  studies. 
He  was  fortunate,  however,  in  having  several 
young  lady  friends  who  had  graduated  at  college 
and  who  were  familiar  with  the  subjects  then 
engaging  his  attention.  Three  or  four  of  them 
were  willing  to  give  him  an  hour  each  day  and, 
availing  himself  of  their  invitation,  he  took  up 
the  studies  of  the  senior  year  with  them  and,  by 
having  them  read  to  and  discuss  the  subjects 
with  him,  was  enabled  to  keep  up  with  his 
studies  and  to  graduate  with  his  class. 

During  his  college  course  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  Fraternity,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  securing  the  fine  Chapter  House 
which  is  occupied  by  that  Fraternity  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College.  In  this,  as  in  every- 
thing which  he  undertook,  he  manifested  the 
most  determined  zeal  and  activity.  One  of  his 
fellows  in  the  Fraternity  has  said  in  regard  to  it: 
"His  marked  business  ability  well  fitted  him  for 
the  work.  He  consulted  on  plans,  supervised 
the  work,  negotiated  the  finances  and,  in  fact, 
gave  himself  so  completely  to  the  task  that  he 
was  familiar  with  the  smallest  details.  His  time 
and  money  were  freely  offered.  When  the  fire 
swept  away  the  beautiful  structure,  in  a  few 
months  after  it  had  been  occupied,  no  disconso- 
late cry  went  up  from  him.  His  first  message 
was:  'We  must  prepare  to  rebuild  at  once;' 
and  it  was  done.  He  immediately  took  hold  of 
the  rebuilding,  and  we  now  have  a  house  better 
than  the  one  destroyed.      Hugh  lived  long  enough 


to  see  the  work  finished  and  the  Chapter  at  home 
once  more." 

During  his  senior  year  in  college  a  call  from 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Penn- 
sylvania, to  become  its  College  secretary,  in  the 
place  of  his  older  brother  who  had  been  called  to 
the  service  of  the  International  Committee  at 
New  York,  came  to  him.  His  plans  had  been 
carefully  thought  out  and,  to  some  extent,  laid, 
but  the  call  was  carefully  considered.  The  re- 
sult was  a  contest  between  inclination  and  duty, 
which  finally  resulted  in  his  acceptance  of  the 
call,  and  a  complete  dedication  of  his  life  to  the 
highest  welfare  of  the  young  men  of  this  country 
or  elsewhere,  wherever  God,  in  his  providence, 
might  call  him.  To  this  work  he  gave  two  years, 
diverging  at  different  times  to  take  the  Bible 
work  at  College  Conferences  at  Lake  Geneva, 
Wis.,  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  and  Northfield,  Mass. 
To  this  work  he  gave  the  best  that  was  in  him, 
and  in  it  achieved  marked  and  marvelous  results. 
In  the  spring  of  1897,  he  received  a  call  to  be- 
come the  secretary  of  the  Inter-Collegiate  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  New  York  City, 
which  was  then  regarded  as  one  of  the  vital 
points  in'College  work  for  young  men  throughout 
the  world.  He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  was 
to  have  begun  his  work  on  the  1st  of  September 
of  that  year,  under  auspices  which  seemed  to 
promise  immediate  and  far-reaching  results. 

His  last  public  work  was  at  the  College  Con- 
ference of  young  women  at  Northfield,  which 
was  held  in  July,  1897.  He  was  selected  as  the 
teacher  of  the  Bible  Training  Class  and,  al- 
though even  more  boyish  in  appearance  than  in 
years,  as  was  said  by  one  of  the  members  of  his 
class  "  old  and  young  sat  at  his  feet  and  delighted 
to  learn  from  him."  Many  of  the  hundreds  of 
letters  which  were  received  by  the  family  after 
his  death  were  from  members  of  this  class,  and 
testified  to  the  remarkable  power  which  he  ex- 
ercised not  only  in  his  public  teaching,  but  in  his 
private  interviews  with  its  members.  One  of  these 
letters,  from  a  distinguished  medical  missionary, 
contains  this  tribute:  "  When  we  saw  him,  so 
young  and  so  attractive,  we  felt  the  dangers  of  his 
position.  He  was  such  a  good  comrade,  and  so 
absolutely  without  self-consciousness  or  affecta- 
tion. He  was  enthusiastically  earnest,  and  filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit.  His  marvelous  influence 
seemed  due  but  little  to  his  attractive  personality. 
To  that  winsomeness  was  added  an  intangible 
something  which  warded  off  all  foolish  sentiment- 
ality, and  drew  the  girls  to  him,  because  of  the 
Christ  in  him.  We  sometimes  wondered  how 
the  man  in  him  was  not  spoiled,  when  nearly  the 
whole  Conference  sat  at   his   feet.      It  is  clearer 


202 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  REColll). 


now — like  his  Lord  he  was  not  to  be  touched, 
because  not  yet  (but  oh,  so  soon  to  be  !)  ascended 
to  his  Father.  What  we  felt  and  dimly  under- 
stood was  the  radiant  likeness  which  now  in  His 
Presence  satisfied  his  loving  heart." 

Upon  his  return  home,  after  his  service  in 
this  Conference,  he  seemed  unusually  tired,  but 
made  no  complaint.  In  a  few  days  there  devel- 
oped an  attack  of  appendicitis — of  which,  as  was 
afterward  learned,  he  had  unheeded  premoni- 
tions— which  ran  its  course  so  rapidly  that  not- 
withstanding the  most  distinguished  medical  and 
surgical  advice  and  assistance  a  fatal  termination 
seemed  inevitable,  and  so  proved.  The  earthly 
life  of  Hugh  Beaver,  so  consecrated  to  high  aims 
and  holy  purposes- — so  full  of  loving  service  and 
so  rich  with  promise  ended  on  the  2nd  day  of 
August,   1897. 

At  the  same  hour  as  the  funeral  services  at 
his    home,  memorial    services   were    held    at   the 

<ral  Christian  Conference  at  Northfield,  Mass. , 
at  which  Mr.  I).  L.  Moody  spoke  very  feelingly, 
and  alluded  to  the  fact  that  he  had  urged  young 
Beaver  to  accept  the  chair  of  the  English  Bible 
.it  the  boys'  school  at  Mt.  Hermon,  for  which 
he  regarded  him  as  especially  qualified. 

An  earnest  effort  is  now  being  made  to  erect 
1  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  at  Lincoln  University  for 
the  use  of  its  students,  to  be  known  as  the  Hugh 
McAllister  Beavei  Memorial,  so  that  the  memory 
of  this  devoted  young  man  may  be  perpetuated 
along  lines  of  service  to  which  his  short  life  was 
so  unreservedly  given. 


WB      HENDERSON,     M.     1)..    physician 
and  surgeon  in  the  borough  of  Philips- 
burg,  Centre  county.  Pennsylvania. 


JAMES    II      KAN  KIN,  whose    death    occurred 
in  July.   1893,  at   Bellefonte,  *  entre  county, 

where  he  had  passed  a  life  hevond  man's  al- 
lotted years,  and  where  he  had  been  an  honora- 
ble member  of  the  Bar  for  fifty  years,  repre- 
sented one  of  the  first  families  to  locate  in  the 
place. 

|ohn  Rankin,  the  father  of  James  II.,  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  Penn.,  May  1,  1779, 
and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Perm's 
Valley,  I  entre  county,  lli^-  father  was  born  in 
Ireland.  Before  John's  removal  to  the  villi 
of  Bellefonte  he  was  an  elder  in  Mr.  Stuart's 
Church,  and  after  his  location  there  he  connected 
himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
opened  a  store  in  Bellefonte  in  1810.  He  was 
sheriff  of  Centre   county    in    1812;  prothonotary 


in  1818;  and  a  justice  of  the  peace,  1840-44. 
On  June  7,  1804,  he  married  Isabella  Dundas, 
who  was  born  on  the  ocean  en  route  from  Scot- 
land, and  their  children  were:  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Alfred  Armstrong;  Isabella,  who  married 
John  Irvin;  Jane,  who  married  George  S.  Arm- 
strong; Ellis,  who  married  James  Gilliland; 
William  I).;  Dr.  John  C. ;  James  H.,  our  sub- 
ject; J.  Duncan;  and  L.  Calvin.  The  father  of 
these  died  April   22,  [848. 

James  H.   Rankin    was    born    in    the   old  Mc- 
Allister home,  on  the  corner  of  Allegheny  street 
and    Cherry    alley,    Bellefonte,    March    3,   1819. 
His   early  education    was   acquired    in  the-  public 
schools  and  at    the  academy  at  Bellefonte;   later 
he  was  graduated  from   Jefferson   College,   Can- 
nonsburg,  Penn.      Returning  to  Bellefonte,  h 
a  law  student  in  the  office  of  William  Potter  dis- 
played an  unusual  talent,   which    had    its  reward 
in  a  brilliant    examination   for  the   admission   to 
the  Centre  County  Bar,  which  he  passed  in  Jan- 
uary,  1840.      The   Bar  of  Centre  County  at  that 
time  was  reputed  one   of   the   best   in  the  State. 
In  1850   he   was    elected    district    attornej  over 
Robert  G.   Durham,  Whig;   in  1853  and   1856  he 
was  re-elected,  di  feating  Edmund  Blanchard  and 
William   1\  Wilson.      On  October  13,   1861.  Mr 
Rankin    was    mustered    into    the   service  as  first 
lieutenant    of    Company   H,    56th    P.  V.  I.,  and 
went  to  the  front  in  defense   of   the  Union;  sick- 
ness, however,    necessitated    his    return   home  in 
the  following  spring,  and   he    resigned  on  March 
2~ ,    iS<>2.      At    the   close   ol    the   war  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  one  of  the  leading  positions  in  the  In 
ternal  Revenue  Department,  which  he  filled 
integrity.      After  the    expiration    of   his    term  ol 
office  lie  resumed  the  practice  of   the  law,  which 
with  a  general  insurance  business  he  kept  up  un- 
til the  last  few  Mas-,   ol    his   life.      ••  As  a  citizen 
none  could  have  been    better    than    he,  as  a  1 
band   and    father    he   was   faithful  and   honored 
As  a  friend  we  can  offer  no   more  expressive  eu- 
logism  than  to   say  that   the  death   of   no  other 
man    will    cause    more    profound    regret    in 
hearts  of  all  classes  of  people  in  oui  town, 
life,  always  simple    and    unassuming,   was  that    'f 
an  honorable    man.      His    character    beyond 
proach  and  his  spirit    fraternal  and  God-like  to  1 
fault.      He  had  no  enemies  because  all  who  knew 
him  were  friends.  " 

Mr.  Rankin  was  a  charter  member  of  (■ 
Post  No.  95,  G.  A.  R.      He  marrii  d  Miss  B 
Furey,  who    was    bom    on    her  father's  (Robert 
Furey)  farm  near    Pleasant   Gap,  and    their  chil- 
dren   are:      Alice,    who    married    R.   A.  Kinsl 
editor  of   a   paper    at    Philipsburg,  Penn. ;   H 
John  I.,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  ;  Jennie,  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


20S 


of  Gov.  D.  H.  Hastings;  Miss  Bella,  at  home; 
and  Edward,  the  operator  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  at  Bellefonte.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
Rankin  were  natives  of  Centre  county,  Penn., 
where  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  were  passed, 
and  where  they  died,  the  father  on  May  19,  1846. 
Robert  Furey  was  the  son  of  John  and  Barbara 
(Lebo)  Furey,  early  residents  of  Centre  county, 
and  here  died,  the  former  in  February,  1826, 
and  the  latter  on  March  5,  1850,  aged  eighty- 
eight  years.  The  other  children  of  this  couple 
were:     William,  Jeremiah  and  Nancy. 


w 


VAN  PELT  (deceasd)  was  for 
■ATX  many  years  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
central  Pennsylvania.  He  was  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  the  industrial 
interests,  and  his  industry  and  enterprise  were 
important  factors  in  the  material  welfare  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  Monuments  of 
brass  or  stone  are  not  needed  to  perpetuate  his 
memory,  for  he  is  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of 
many  friends  who  witnessed  his  upright  life  and 
recognized  his  sterling  worth. 

Mr.  Van  Pelt  was  born  in  Tomkins  county, 
N.  Y.,  in  1840,  and  during  his  youth  lived  the 
free  open  life  of  a  farmer  boy  on  the  family 
homestead  near  Slaterville,  N.  Y.  In  the  sum- 
mer months  he  followed  the  plow  and  aided  in 
the  harvest  fields,  while  in  the  winter  season  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood. 
His  parents  were  Lorenzo  and  Betsy  (Rice)  Van- 
Pelt,  and  he  was  the  eldest  of  three  children, 
the  others  being  E.  G.,  of  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  and 
Romelia,  wife  of  R.  G.  H.  Speed,  of  Slaterville 
Springs,  N.  Y.  The  father  of  this  family  followed 
farming  in  his  early  life,  and  was  afterward  a 
dealer  in  patent  rights. 

After  mastering  the  rudimentary  branches  of 
learning  in  the  common  schools,  Mr.  Van  Pelt 
pursued  an  academic  course  of  study  in  Ithaca 
and  Groton,  N.  Y. ,  after  which  he  took  a  com- 
mercial course  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  then 
went  on  a  trip  down  the  Mississippi  river  with 
the  Government  Engineer  Corps,  and  soon  after 
his  return  to  the  North  removed  to  Centre  Hall. 
He  came  to  that  town  as  a  patent  right  salesman; 
but  seeing  that  there  was  a  favorable  opening 
for  the  foundry  business,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  that  industry,  and  for  a  time  was  employed 
as  bookkeeper  in  a  foundry.  Subsequently  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  business,  and  became 
the  leading  partner  in  the  firm  of  Van  Pelt, 
Shoop  &  Co.  Throughout  his  remaining  days  he 
was  identified  with  that  industry,  and  his  capable 
management  made  it   a  profitable   source   of  in- 


come. His  business  ability,  however,  was  by 
no  means  limited  to  one  undertaking,  for  he  suc- 
cessfully controlled  a  number  of  interests  which 
resulted  not  only  to  his  own  material  benefit, 
but  proved  of  value  to  the  community  as  well. 
He  was  associated  with  Gov.  Beaver,  Gen.  Hast- 
ings, and  Col.  Spangler  in  the  founding  and 
upbuilding  of  the  town  of  Hastings,  Cambria  Co. , 
Penn.  In  April,  1888,  he  went  to  the  site  of 
the  village,  which  was  then  a  wilderness,  cut 
down  the  trees,  blocked  out  the  town,  measured 
the  streets  and  staked  off  the  houses;  in  brief, 
he  was  the  active  manager  and  promoter  of 
Hastings,  which  in  two  years  attained  a  growth 
nearly  as  great  as  Centre  Hall. 

On  February  21,  1878,  in  Centre  Hall,  Mr. 
Van  Pelt  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Spangler, 
daughter  of  ex-Sheriff  Spangler.  She  was  born 
in  Adamsburg,  Snyder  Co.,  Penn.,  December  12, 
1853,  and  completed  her  education  with  an  aca- 
demical course.  She  is  a  cultured  lady,  presid- 
ing with  grace  over  her  hospitable  home,  and  to 
her  husband  was  a  cherished  companion  and 
helpmeet.  They  had  three  children:  John,  born 
January  21,  1880;  Helen  R. ,  born  February  27, 
1882,  now  attending  Wilson  College  in  Cham- 
bersburg,  Penn.;  and  Bessie  M.,  born  in  Septem- 
ber,  1888,  died  in  September,   1889. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Van  Pelt  was  a  Democrat  who 
loyally  supported  his  party,  but  never  sought  of- 
fice. In  1890  he  went  to  Hastings  to  look  after 
his  business  interests  in  that  place,  returning 
home  in  April.  Three  weeks  later,  on  the  3d  of 
May,  he  died,  and  a  noble  life  was  thus  ended. 
While  he  made  no  profession  of  superiority  to- 
his  fellowmen,  all  recognized  him  as  a  man  of 
unquestioned  integrity  and  irreproachable  char- 
acter. He  was  upright  in  his  dealings,  courteous 
at  all  times,  considerate  of  the  feelings  of  those 
with  whom  he  was  associated,  and  ever  a  true 
gentleman  in  the  highest  and  best  sense  of  the 
term.  All  who  knew  him  mourned  his  death, 
and  the  sympathy  of  the  entire  community  was 
extended  to  his  family.  His  wife  and  children 
still  reside  in  the  pleasant  home  which  he  left  to 
them  in  Centre  Hall,  and  their  circle  of  friends 
is  extensive. 


ON.  C.  A.  FAULKNER,  associate  judge  of 
^11  Centre  county,  is  one  of  Philipsburg's  lead- 
ing citizens.  An  able  and  successful  business 
man,  he  is  also  a  forceful  worker  in  local  affairs, 
and  is  an  influential  representative  of  the  old- 
school  Democracy. 

Mr.  Faulkner  comes  of  good  New  England 
stock,  and  was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  March  25, 
1840.      His  father,  W.  A.  Faulkner,  a  native  of 


1>04 


COMMKMOHA  Tl  VK  BIOGRAPHIC  A  I.   BEt  'OBD. 


Massachusetts,  was  born  in  1S11,  and  is  now 
living  in  Philipsburg  in  good  health  and  possess- 
ing remarkable  strength  for  one  of  his  years.  He 
is  a  constant  student  of  the  Bible,  and  takes 
much  interest  in  the  questions  of  the  day,  being 
in  his  political  views  a  stanch  Democrat.  He 
was  married  in  early  manhood  to  Miss  Clarissa 
Hinds,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  who  died  in 
Philipsburg  some  years  ago  at  the  "Potter 
House.''  They  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1846, 
locating  first  in  Erie  county,  where  W.  A.  Faulk- 
ner was  engaged  in  business  as  a  carpenter  and 
millwright  until  1  S  5  7 ,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Philipsburg.  There  he  followed  car- 
pentering and  lumbering  for  a  time,  but  he  has 
now  retired  from  active  business.  Of  his  four 
children  two  are  living:  (1)  Clarissa  J.,  the  wife 
of  B.  F.  Morgan,  of  State  College;  and  (2)  C.  A., 
our  subject.  The  others  were:  (3)  Louisa  M., who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  (4)  Henry,  who 
was  a  remarkable  boy,  having  sis  toes  on  each 
foot,  and  weighing,  at  the  age  oi  thirteen  years, 
213  pounds;  he  died  of  typhoid  fever. 

Judge  Faulkner's  school  days  were  spent  111 
Erie  county,  where  he  attended  Girard  Academy. 
He  also  became  familiar  with  the  details  of  the 
carpenter's  trade  by  assisting  his  father.  After 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Philipsburg  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hotel  business,  and  al  three  differ- 
ent times  he  had  charge  of  the  old  "  Moshannon 
House,"  a  brick  hotel.  In  the  spring  oi  [877  he 
opened  the  "Potter  House "  there,  and  after 
conducting  it  swine  six  or  seven  years  he  went 
into  the  wholesale  liquor  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed two  years,  His  genial  disposition  and 
quiet  manner  have  made  main  warm  personal 
friends,  while  his  abilities  have  won  even   wider 

appreciat as  is  shown  by  his  election   in  1892 

to  the  office  of  associate  judge  in  his  county  to 
serve  until  1897,  and  Ins  faithful  performance  of 
the  duties  of  that  place  has  am  pi}  justified  the 
expectations  of  his  supporters.  Socially,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Independant  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 

fudge  Faulkner  married  Miss  Florence  shoop, 
a  native  of  Philipsburg,  born  in  [86l.  Then 
pleasant  home  is  gladdened  by  an  interesting 
family  of  seven  children:  C.  A.,  Grace.  Irvin, 
Pierre,  May,  Florence  and  Pauline. 


Hon.  John  (  Henderson  has  won  a 
distinguished  position  among  the  leading 
business  men  of  Centre  county,  for  many  y< 
being  identified  with  the  mercantile,  lumber  and 
agricultural  interests  of  this  section  of  the  State, 
but  now  practically  living  a  retired  life  upon  his 


farm  on  Mud  Lick  branch,  in  Huston  township. 
A  native  of  Centre  county,  he  was  born  Decem- 
ber 6,  1832,  in  Patton  township,  then  called 
Pond  Bank. 

Rev.  William  B.  Henderson,  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Morris  county,  N.  J.,  April 
IO-  1 793.  of  which  State  his  parents,  Eleazor 
and  Margaret  (Barton)  Henderson,  were  also  na- 
tives. At  one  time  they  came  to  Centre  county, 
but  not  being  satisfied  returned  to  New  Jersey, 
where  they  died.  By  occupation  the  grandfather 
was  a  lumberman  and  coal  miner.  Until  eight- 
een years  of  age  Rev.  Henderson  followed  ore 
mining,  and  two  years  later  became  a  local  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  being  a 
circuit  rider  for  twenty- five  years.  He  contin- 
ued the  work  of  the  ministry  up  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  22,  1856.  He  was  three 
times  married,  his  first  union  being  with  Miss 
Rachel  Connor,  who  was  born  in  1798,  and  died 
in  October,  1839.  To  them  were  born  six  sons 
and  one  daughter,  as  follows:  Samuel,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years;  Eliza,  deceased  wife  of 
Rudolph  Light,  of  Blair  county,  Penn. ;  Robert 
I  deceased,  who  was  a  merchant  and  local 
minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church; 
William  B.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years;  John  t  .,  of  this  sketch;  David  S.,  also  a 
minister  and  school  teacher,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty;  and  James  F.,  who  died  in  the  army. 
Rev.  Henderson  next  married  Mary  A.  Fugate, 
who  died  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years,  and  later  he  wedded  her  sister,  Martha  J. 
I  ugate,  by  whom  he  had  two  children:  Grant, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Martha,  who  died  at 
the  age-  of  i>ne  year.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren passed  away  at  Altoona,  Penn.,  in  1892,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-four. 

Our  subject  was  provided  with  very  meagre 
educational  privileges,  being  able  to  attend  school 
for  only  about  a  year  and  a  half.  He  remained 
tinder  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage,  March 
2;.  1855,  to  Miss"  Elizabeth  J.  Cooper.  Ten 
children  graced  their  union,  namely:  Martha  M  . 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  Frances  A., 
wife  of  W.  P.  Parsons,  .1  i. inner  of  Huston  town- 
ship; Mary  E.,  wife  of  Rev.  S.  J.  Taylor,  of 
Berlin,  Somerset  Co..  Penn.;  Elmer  E. ,  a  mer- 
chant of  Julian,  Centre  county;  Emma,  wife  of 
Rev.  L.  N.  Fleck,  of  Stoyestown,  Somerset 
count}  ,  Grant,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  y 
Lillie  L,  wife  of  <>.  F.  Steverson,  a  farmer  of 
Patton  township,  Centre  county;  Ollie  M.,  at 
home;  Curtis  I).,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years;   and  Verrus  G.,  at  home. 

Mrs.  Henderson  was  born  in  County  Down. 
Ireland,    December    5,    1835,    ana"   was  tne  on'y 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


205 


child  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Reed)  Cooper,  also 
natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  By  occupation  the 
father  was  a  fisherman,  and  was  drowned  in  1836 
during  a  big  storm.  In  1848  the  mother  and 
daughter  crossed  the  Atlantic,  taking  up  their 
residence  in  Buffalo  Run,  Centre  Co.,  Penn. 
During  the  last  forty  years  of  her  life  Mrs. 
Cooper  found  a  pleasant  home  with  our  subject, 
where  she  passed  away  in  1893.  Mrs.  Hender- 
son is  also  deceased.  She  was  an  earnest,  de- 
vout Christian,  a  true  and  faithful  wife  and  ten- 
der mother.  She  left  many  friends  who  deeply 
mourn  her  taking  away,  as  her  quiet,  unassum- 
ing manner  and  pleasant  ways  endeared  her  to  al' 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Henderson  rented  a 
farm  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley  for  two  years,  which 
he  operated  during  the  summer  season,  in  the 
winter  working  in  the  lumber  woods.  For  the 
following  two  years  he  lived  upon  a  rented  farm 
in  Patton  township,  and  then  removed  to  a  rented 
place  in  the  lower  end  of  the  county,  but  while 
there  purchased  a  farm  in  Huston  township. 
However,  he  went  to  Julian  Furnace,  where  for 
three  years  he  conducted  a  hotel,  and  on  selling 
out  there  purchased  the  large  "  Hotel  Elsworth," 
in  Osceola,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  which  he  con- 
ducted from  1867  until  1875.  On  the  20th  of 
May  of  the  latter  year  it  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
which  also  reduced  to  ashes  eight  other  buildings 
belonging  tooursubject,  thus  causing  a  heavy  loss. 
The  previous  January,  he  had  been  appointed,  by 
President  Grant,  postmaster  at  Osceola,  which 
position  he  filled  for  three  years  and  a  half,  when 
he  resigned  and  began  the  cultivation  of  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  Huston  township,  Centre  county. 
Here  he  made  his  home  from  May,  1877,  until 
1894,  when  he  went  to  the  village  of  Julian, 
where  in  the  spring  of  1889  he  had  opened  the 
mercantile  establishment  now  conducted  by  his 
son.  The  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  May, 
1896,  but  business  was  at  once  resumed  at  an- 
other location.  In  the  spring  of  the  same  year, 
Mr.  Henderson  returned  to  his  farm,  but  leaves 
its  management  to  his  son,  and  after  a  long  life 
of  toil  is  now  calmly  resting  from  his  labors.  In 
the  flood  of  1889,  which  caused  so  much  damage 
in  Centre  county,  he  lost  considerable,  but  he 
has  steadily  overcome  all  the  difficulties  and  trials 
that  have  beset  his  path,  and  is  enjoying  a  com- 
fortable competence  which  is  well  deserved. 

Mr.  Henderson  has  served  his  fellow  citizens 
in  the  capacity  of  school  director  twenty-eight 
years,  mayor  of  Osceola  one  year,  tax  collector 
of  Huston  township,  and  county  commissioner 
six  years,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with 
credit  to  himself   and    to   the   satisfaction    of  his 


constituents.  Although  an  ardent  Republican, 
and  the  county  strongly  Democratic,  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner  with  a  majority  of 
739,  which  fact  plainly  indicates  his  popularity, 
and  the  confidence  and  trust  the  people  repose  in, 
him.  For  twenty  years  he  was  the  efficient 
president  of  the  school  board,  and  was  treasurer 
two  years.  He  is  a  devoted  Christian,  a  faithful 
worker  in  his  Master's  vineyard,  and  the  poor 
and  needy  always  find  in  him  a  friend. 


ICHAEL  MILLER,  a  highly  respected  resi- 
dent of  Madisonburg,  Centre  county,  is 
one  of  the  genial,  kind-hearted  men  whose  influ- 
ence is  a  power  for  good  in  any  community.  An 
able  business  man  and  an  active  promoter  of  all. 
lines  of  local  progress,  he  well  deserves  mention 
in  this  work. 

Mr.  Miller  belongs  to  a  well-known  pioneer 
family,  his  grandfather,  Michael  Miller,  having 
come  from  the  southern  part  of  the  State  at  an 
early  day  to  settle  upon  a  farm  in  Centre  county,, 
at  Pine  Creek,  where  John  Miller,  our  subject's 
father,  was  born  and  reared.  Starting  in  life 
with  but  little  help  from  his  father,  John  Miller 
made  his  way  through  his  own  efforts  to  a  place 
of  prominence  among  the  agriculturists  of  the 
county.  His  first  farm  was  in  Walker  township, 
and  at  one  time  he  owned  three  farms,  his  estate 
being  inventoried,  at  his  death,  at  about  $30,000. 
Although  farming  was  his  chief  occupation,  he 
did  much  profitable  work  in  threshing  in  the  days 
of  the  small  horse-power  machines,  and  while 
the  canal  was  in  process  of  construction  he  was 
engaged  in  butchering.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  but  neither  sought  nor  held  public  office. 
In  early  manhood  he  was  united  in  marriage  with' 
Miss  Eve  Bartholemew,  who,  like  himself,  was  a 
devout  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  in 
which  he  held  office  for  many  yeaFS.  Both  died 
at  Hublersburg,  Centre  county,  the  father  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three,  the  mother  when  sixty- 
eight,  and  their  remains  were  laid  to-  their  final 
rest  at  that  place.  They  had  eleven  children, 
of  whom  nine  lived  to  adult  age:  Catherine 
married  Gideon  Dunblazer,  and  died  in  Clinton 
county;  Henry  died  in  Walker  township,  Centre 
county;  John,  a  farmer,  is  living  in  semi-retire- 
ment at  Hublersburg;  Eliza  is  the  widow  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Adams,  of  Illinois;  Fannie  married  Ben- 
jamin Reich,  and  died  at  Jacksonville,  Penn. ; 
Sarah  married  Job  Long,  of  Clinton  county; 
Michael  and  Mary  were  twins,  the  former  being 
our  subject,  and  the  latter  now  the  widow  of 
Samuel    Goodhart,    of    Centre    Hall;    Amelia  A. 


2oe 


VOMMKAf'UiA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  UK<  ORD. 


married  (first)   John   Stover,  and   (second)   Amos 
Ertly,  of  Jacksonville. 

Michael  Miller,  our  subject,  was  born  May 
12,  1838,  at  the  old  home  in  Walker  township, 
litre  county,  and  his  education  was  such  as 
the  schools  of  the  district  then  afforded,  compris- 
ing only  "the  three  Ks.  "  As  the  son  of  a  thrifty 
farmer,  his  time  was  well  employed  at  home,  and 
he  did  much  hard  work  in  his  youth  although  he 
was  not  of  large  build.  On  March  16,  1862,  he 
was  married  in  Clinton  county  to  Miss  Sarah 
Brungart,  who  was  born  March  29,  1840,  the 
•daughter  of  George  Brungart,  a  leading  farmer 
of  that  county,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Wol- 
ford).  During  the  first  four  years  of  his  married 
life  Mr.  Miller  rented  the  home  farm  from  his 
father,  but  in  the  spring  of  1866  he  bought,  at  a 
cost  "(  $6,000,  a  farm  of  eighty-three  acres  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  known  as  the 
George  Shaffer  farm.  He  made  his  home  there 
until  1880,  when  he  sold  the  place  and  purchased 
the  "  old  Schmeltzer  farm  "  near  Madisonburg. 
In  the  spring  of  1886  he  removed  to  that  town, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  bought  an  eighty-three-acre  farm  in  the  same 
township,  on  which  he  built  a  new  house,  now 
occupied  by  his  son,  George  E.  In  addition  to 
this  property  and  his  fine  residence  in  town,  he 
owns  107  acres  of  mountain  land. 

Mr  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  had  seven  children, 
whose  names,  with  dates  of  birth,  are  as  follows 
Mary  I.,  June  23,  1863,  died  January  19,  1868; 
George  E.,  October  25,  1864,  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  in  Miles  township;  Sarah  K.,  November 
23,  1865,  married  Clark  Gramly,  of  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  Klmira  M  ,  August  1  1,  1867, 
married  Charles  Smull,  of  Rebersburg;  Maggie 
H . ,  March  1  1 ,  1869,  died  at  the  age  of  eight* ■■  n . 
Minnie  E.,  October  II,  1873,  and  Bertha  G., 
April  16,  1880,  are  at  home.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a 
Lutheran  in  religion,  but  our  subject  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  has 
been  a  deacon  and  is  now  an  elder.  He  is  a 
steadfast  supporter  of  Democratic  principles,  and 
has  been  supervisor  and  overseer  of  the  poor, 
while  as  school  director  he  has  done  effective 
work  in  securing  for  later  generations  the  educa- 
tional advantages  of  which  he  was  deprived  in 
his  youth 


JONATHAN     SPANGLER.       The    Spangler 
homestead  near  Kebersburg,  Centre  counts, 
has  now  been  in  the  possession  of  that  fam- 
ily for  more  than  a  century,  and  its  present  occu- 
pant,   the   subject    of    this   sketch,    is   the    third 
owner  indirect  line  of  descent  from  its  original 


purchaser,  Christopher  Spangler,  who  made  his 

I  home  there  in  1794  or  '95.  This  pioneer  was 
born  in  Moore  township,  Northampton  Co., 
Penn.,  May  17,   1766,  and  lived  for  some  time  in 

'  early  manhood   in    Union   county,  Penn.,  east  of 

'  New  Berlin,  before  locating  at  the  present  home- 
stead. He  bought  the  interest  of  George  Hoerr- 
ner  in  the  tract,  and  was  the  first  settler,  al- 
though a  log  cabin  stood  thereat  the  time  of  the 

I  purchase. 

George  Christopher  Spangler,  the  father  of 
Christopher,  was  born  in  Prussia,  and  came  to 
Brush  Valley  some  time  after  this  settlement,  ac- 

l  companied  by  three  other  sons.  They  were: 
Henry,  who  was  a  pioneer  settler  in    Su;;ar  Val- 

;  ley,  locating  near  the  present  site  of  Tylersville; 

I  George,  who  went  to  Ohio;  and  Peter,  who  was 
the  first  settler  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  later  mov- 
ing to  Ohio.  Another  son,  John,  settled  along 
the  Sinnamahoning. 

Christopher  Spangler  always  lived  at  the 
present  homestead,  and  he  died  there  February 
21,  1855,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  His  wife, 
Anna  Margaret  (nee  Knder),  died  July  14,  1832, 
and  both  were  buried  in  the  Reformed  cemetery 
at  Rebersburg.  He  was  a  powerful  man,  well 
built  and  robust,  and,  while  farming  was  his  chief 
occupation  in  Centre  county,  he  also  followed 
weaving  at  times,  having  learned  the  trade  in 
youth.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions — 
moral,  religious  and  political — and  fearlessly  car- 
ried them  out.  The  Sabbath  breaker  and  the 
tippler  slunk  away  at  his  approach.  The  pro- 
fane man  and  the  bully  subsided  into  silence  as 
he  passed,  all  evil-doers  dreading  his  reproof. 
He  was  unusually  intelligent,  and  was  a  warm 
friend  of  education,  heartily  supporting  the  com- 
mon-school system  when  that  question  was  sub- 
mitted to  a  vote  of  the  people.  At  one  time  he 
was  a  Lutheran,  but  in  1806  he  united  with  the 
Evangelical  Association,  in  which  he  became  a 
leader.  He  was  well  versed  in  Scrip1  ure,  and  at 
one  time  was  a  local  preacher.  His  house,  which 
was  built  in  1805.  was  a  rendezvous  for  preach 
and  services  were  often  held  there  before  any 
churches  were  erected.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  and  he  voted  regularly,  con- 
sidering it  a  duty.  His  family  consisted  of  ten 
children,  as  follows:  Samuel  and  Jacob  died  in 
Potter  township,  Centre  county;  the  third  child 
(name  not  known)  was  drowned  in  the  water 
trough  at  home;  Jonathan,  Sr. ,  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below;  Anna  M.  married  Conrad 
Hare;  Susan  married  Solomon  Gerheart;  Magda 
lena  married  Jacob  Wise;  Christina  married  a 
Mr.  Evans;  Esther  married  John  Betts;  and  K< 
becca  married  Jacob  Kreamer. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


207 


Jonathan  Spangler  was  born  in  1803,  on  the 
same  farm  and  in  the  same  house  in  which  his 
son,  our  subject,  now  resides.  He  was  reared 
as  a  farmer  boy,  with  such  schooling  as  his  time 
and  locality  afforded.  His  education  was  prac- 
tical and  mainly  self-acquired,  and,  as  he  was 
fond  of  reading  and  had  a  good  memory,  he  be- 
came conversant  with  the  issues  of  his  day  in 
Church  and  State.  His  hearing  was  deficient, 
or  he  would  doubtless  have  taken  the  same  in- 
terest in  Church  affairs  which  was  shown  by  his 
father,  as  he  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  and  a  prominent  contributor.  His 
word  was  as  good  as  his  note,  his  promise  for 
anything  being  all  that  his  friends  would  ask. 
Intoxicating  drinks  had  in  him  a  bitter  enemy, 
and  he  was  the  first  farmer  in  his  locality  to 
abolish  the  use  of  the  whiskey  jug  in  the  harvest 
field.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until  1862, 
when  he  became  a  Republican,  and  his  change 
was  the  occasion  of  much  surprise  at  the  time. 
He  held  office  in  Miles  township,  and  took  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  the  part}',  keeping  always 
well  posted  on  issues.  Progressive  and  enter- 
prising in  his  own  affairs,  he  was  no  less  so  in 
advocating  good  roads  and  other  improvements. 
He  owned  a  large  farm,  which  he  has  partially 
cleared,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists 
in  his  township. 

Jonathan  Spangler,  Sr. ,  was  married  in  Union 
•county,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Catharine  Maize,  of  Union 
county,  the  daughter  of  Michael  Maize,  a  well- 
known  farmer.  The  children  of  this  union  were 
Reuben,  who  died  in  Stephenson  county,  111. ; 
Matilda,  who  married  George  Dauberman,  and 
died  in  Kane  county,  111. ;  Ira,  who  died  in  Brush 
Valley,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  Margaret, 
who  married  Benjamin  Gramley,  and  died  in 
1895,  in  Kane  county,  111.;  Charles,  who  died 
when  nineteen  years  old  in  Miles  township; 
Simon,  now  of  Harvey  county,  Kans. ;  Jonathan, 
our  subject;  Anna  B.,  now  the  widow  of  Perry 
Condo,  of  Jacksonville,  Penn. ;  Edward,  of  Kane 
county,  111. ;  and  Uriah,  of  Harvey  county,  Kans. 
The  mother  died  February  24,  1857,  and  her  re- 
mains were  interred  in  Rebersburg  in  the  family 
burial  plat.  The  father  married  a  second  wife, 
Rebecca  Lutz,  of  Penn  Valley,  who  died  in  May, 
1888,  leaving  no  children.  The  father  breathed 
his  last  November  4,   1888. 

Jonathan  Spangler,  the  subject  proper  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  April  26,  1842,  at  the  old 
homestead.  He  attended  the  Gramley  school 
during  boyhood,  and  later  studied  a  short  time 
at  New  Berlin.  He  has  seen  great  impsovements 
in  the  schools,  and  heartily  endorses  them.  He 
was  reared  as  a  farmer  boy  according  to  the  cus- 


tom of  his  time,  and  remained  at  home  except 
for  one  winter,  when  he  lived  with  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Dauberman. 

Mr.  Spangler  was  married  December  25,  1863, 
to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Condo,  a  native  of  Aaronsburg, 
and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Poorman) 
Condo,  and  they  went  to  housekeeping  on  the 
old  Spangler  farm,  where  they  now  live.  At 
first  Mr.  Spangler  rented  the  farm,  and  they  lived 
three  years  in  the  tenant  house;  but  in  1835  he 
bought  the  homestead,  the  property  comprising 
117  acres  of  tillable  land,  and  some  that  is  still 
in  a  primitive  condition.  He  has  a  pleasant 
home,  and  six  children  who  are  unusually  tal- 
ented: Charles  C,  of  Filmore  county,  Neb.,  is 
a  teacher.  Joseph  E.  is  a  farmer  of  Centre  Hill. 
Ira,  now  of  Sullivan  county,  Penn.,  is  a  minister 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church.  Catherine 
resides  in  Nebraska,  and  is  not  married.  Annie 
is  the  wife  of  O.  F.  Stover,  of  Miles  township. 
Agnes  L.  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Spangler's  first  vote  was  cast,  in  1864, 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
been  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  doctrines, 
but  always  looks  to  principle,  however,  more 
than  partisan  ties.  He  is  an  enemy  to  the  liquor 
traffic,  and  hopes  to  see  it  abolished.  He  and 
his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  he  has  served  in  various 
offices,  having  been  a  class  leader  for  ten  or 
twelve  years,  and  at  present  he  is  assistant  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school.  Reading  is  a 
favorite  pastime  with  him,  and,  while  his  mem- 
ory is  not  especially  retentive,  he  is  familiar  with 
many  more  topics  than  the  average  man.  He  is 
one  of  the  best  citizens  as  well  as  a  substantial 
farmer,  and  kindliness  is  a  prominent  and  at- 
tractive characteristic  with  him. 


J  S.  DAUBERMAN,  who  to-day  occupies  alead- 
ing  position  in  business  circles,  is  one  to 
whom  prosperity  has  come  in  return  for  un- 
tiring labor,  enterprises  and  well-managed  busi- 
ness interests.  He  is  identified  with  the  agricult- 
ural, industrial  and  commercial  interests  of 
Centre  county,  and  wherever  known  is  held  in 
high  regard,  for  his  business  record  is  most  hon- 
orable, and  his  private  life  is  above  reproach. 

Mr.  Dauberman  was  born  in  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  near  Sinking  Creek,  October  26, 
1832,  and  is  of  German  lineage,  his  grandfather, 
Israel  Dauberman,  having  been  a  native  of  the 
German  Empire.  He  became  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  America,  and  his  son  John  was  the  first 
of  the  name  to  locate  in  Centre  county.  The 
latter  was  one  of  the  first  agriculturists  in  Penn's 


•_.,  ifi 


COMMKMOliATIVK  BIOGRAPHICAL  HKCOllh. 


Valley.  He  owned  considerable  land  in  Potter 
township;  and  was  widely  known  as  a  substantial 
farmer  and  prominent  citizen.  In  his  boy- 
hood he  learned  the  cabinet-making  and  car- 
penter's trades,  and  could  also  follow  blacksmith- 
ing  with  good  success,  so  that  several  industries 
contributed  to  his  prosperity.  He  was  tin-  prin- 
cipal donator  to  the  building  fund  of  the  first 
church  at  Egg  Hill;  in  politics  he  supported  the 
Democratic  party.  He  married  Margaret  Hah  rn. 
who  lived  to  be  seventy-six  years  of  age,  he  dying 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  and  they  were  buried 
in  Egg  Hill  cemetery.  John  Dauberman,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  the  eldest  of  their 
family;  a  daughter  became  the  wile  of  Mr.  Shreff- 
ler,  and  died  in  Illinois;  Margaret  married  Sam- 
uel Spangler,  and  died  in  Potter  township;  Polly 
married  Michael  Dillman,  and  died  in  Plainfield, 
Illinois. 

John  Dauberman,  the  father  "I  our  subject, 
was  born  in  1800,  and  acquired  a  good  practical 
education,  for  after  attending  the  public  schools 
he  spent  one  term  in  study  at  Millheim.  He 
possessed  resourceful  business  ability,  and  w  as 
an  energetic  farmer,  also  carrying  on  the  foun- 
dry business  when  his  father  retired  from  that  in- 
dustry. He  always  lived  on  what  is  known  as 
the  Dauberman  homestead,  with  the  exception 
of  three  years  spent  on  a  farm  near  by.  His 
later  life  was  passed  in  retirement  from  active 
business  cares,  save  the  management  of  his  prop- 
erty interests.  He  then  traveled  to  a  considera- 
ble extent  over  the  country,  and  made  a  number 
of  investments  in  Western  lands,  mostly  .in  Kane 
county,  III.  He  married  Catherine  Swartz,  <>f 
Penn  township,  a  representative  of  an  old  fam- 
ily, and  their  children  are  Sarah,  who  married 
Isaac  Tressler,  and  died  in  Oak  Hall,  Penn. ; 
Margaret,  widow  of  John  Rishel,  of  Centre  Hall; 
George,  who  died  in  Kane  county,  III.;  Cath- 
erine, who  died  in  childhood;  and  J.  S. ,  of  this 
review.  The  father  was  a  man  five  feet,  eight 
inches  in  height,  and  during  most  of  his  life  was 
a  hard  worker,  accumulating  a  competence  as 
the  result  of  his  industry  and  frugality.  He  died 
when  about  seventy-seven  ye  tge;   his  wife 

had  passed  away  previously  when  about  seventy- 
five  years  ol  age.     Their  remains  were  intei 
in  Egg  I  lill  cemetery. 

J.  S.  Dauberman,  oui  subject,  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Egg  Hill  school  under  the  guidance 
o|  William  Toner,  who  belonged  to  a  famih  that 
furnished  a  number  of  teachers  to  that  school. 
He  received  good  advantages  for  the  time,  and 
on  the  home  farm  received  ample  training  in  the 
labors  required  in  the  cultivation  of  the  field. 
He  was  also  a  natural  mechanic,  and  without  in- 


struction learned  the  cabinet  maker's  trade.  He 
was  married  December  27,  1X59,  to  Mary  E. 
Goodheart,  who  was  born  in  Mifflin  county, 
Penn.,  July  50,  1836,  the  only  daughter  of  John 
and  Martha  (McEwen)  Goodheart,  who  came  to 
Centre  county  when  Mrs.  Dauberman  was  a  girl. 
Her  maidenhood  was  there  passed,  and  her  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  public  schools. 

Mr.  Dauberman  began  his  domestic  life  upon 
the  old  homestead,  where  he  followed  farming 
and  also  did  much  mechanical  work  in  the  line 
of  cabinet  making,  carpenterinp;  and  blacksmith- 
ing.  He  shod  his  own  horses,  and  even  manu- 
factured the  horse-shoe  nails.  These  pur- 
suits occupied  his  attention  until  1890,  when  in 
connection  with  his  son  he  embarked  in  the  fur- 
niture and  undertaking  business,  in  Centre  Hall, 
as  successors  to  William  Camp.  After  a  few 
years,  however,  the  firm  became  Dauberman  & 
Goodheart,  and  in  1895  our  subject  became  sole 
proprietor.  He  still  owns  150  acres  of  land 
which  he  rents.  A  man  of  broad  capabilities, 
resourceful  and  persevering,  his  able  manage- 
ment has  brought  to  him  prosperity.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  in  charge  of 
the  Central  Hall  picnic  grounds,  of  which  he  e 
superintendent.  He  purchased  one  of  the  first 
kerosene  lamps  used  in  Penn's  Valley.  He  is  a 
stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  has  served  in  nu- 
merous township  offices,  and  has  been  street  com- 
missioner of  Centre  Hall.  He  belongs  to  the 
Grange,  and  to  the  Evangelical  Church,  in  which 
and  in  the  Sunday-school  he  has  held  various 
offices,  while  for  several  years  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Union  Sunday-school  at  Egg  Hill 
His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.    Dauberman  have  two  children 
J.  G.,  born   March    10,    1862,  is   now  proprietor 
of  the  Centre  Hall  Meat  Supply  Co.;  Laura  M 
born    January    13,     1864.    became    the    wife    ol 
Charles  Knarr,  and  died  March    9,   1885,  leaving 
on,  John  II.,  who  has  made  his  home  with 
his    grandfather    since     four    months  old.      Mr 
Dauberman  removed  to  Centre   Hall   in  March. 
1887,    and    m    that  year   erected  his  substantial 
brick  residence.      His  career   has    been  straight- 
forward and  manly  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and 
he  well  deserves  representation  in  an)  histo 
Centre  county, 


MILLER    S  I  I.W  \KT.     M.     I).,    ol     Poll  -• 
entre  county,  has  been  one  of  the 
-t  important    factors   in   promoting  tin    d 
lent  of  the  great  lumber  interests  of  this   - 
tion  ol    Pennsylvania,  and   belongs   to  that 


\  VV>    S\\N*Ww 


/TtOc&u*     J/e 


c'  /  *  fZ<L 


u 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


209 


of  typical  American  citizens  whose  business 
careers  not  only  advance  their  individual  pros- 
perity, but  add  to  the  public  welfare  also.  There 
is  much  in  his  life  that  should  serve  as  an  inspi- 
ration and  encouragement  to  others,  for  his 
career  is  that  of  a  self-made  man — one  who  has 
been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  and  has 
builded  wisely  and  well. 

Dr.  Stewart  was  born  at  Penn  Manor,  Hunt- 
ingdon Co.,  Penn.,  October  1,  1819,  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Stewart,  natives  of 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  respectively.  The  pater- 
nal grandparents  always  remained  in  the  former 
country.  They  were  representatives  of  the  old 
Stewart  family,  famous  in  Scottish  history.  Both 
the  maternal  grandparents  were  centenarians  at 
the  time  of  death.  The  parents  of  the  Doctor 
met  and  married  in  Huntingdon  county,  where 
the  father  purchased  from  the  agent  of  William 
Penn  300  acres  of  land,  paying  for  it  seven 
pounds  and  three  shillings.  There  he  remained 
until  his  death  in  1 820,  and  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming.  The  mother  died  on  the  old 
homestead  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years,  she  having,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Stewart, 
married  Elisha  Green.  Their  children  were: 
John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years;  James,  who  died  aged  eighty-two  years; 
David,  who  died  aged  seventeen  years;  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six;  Margaret, 
who  married  Benjamin  Burns,  and  died  at  the 
home  of  our  subject,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three;  and  Miller,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  Dr.  Stewart 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  as  a  clerk  to  the 
prothonotary  of  Huntingdon.  In  1839  he  se- 
cured a  clerkship  in  the  collector's  office  at  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  and  in  the  fall  of  1841  entered  the 
Allegheny  Literary  College,  where  he  pursued 
his  studies  for  a  year.  He  then  went  to  Hunt- 
ingdon, and  in  1842  began  reading  medicine 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  William  Swope,  at 
Huntingdon,  after  which  he  took  a  course  in 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1845.  Re- 
turning to  Huntingdon  county,  Dr.  Stewart  en- 
gaged in  practice  there  until  1849,  then  spent 
one  year  in  traveling  in  the  West,  and  in  185  1 
established  a  home  at  Fairmont,  Marion  Co., 
Va.,  where  he  practiced  until  January,  1854. 
At  that  time  he  came  to  Snow  Shoe  township, 
Centre  county,  and  became  interested  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  lumber  business,  in  connection 
with  his  brother  William,  the  business  relation 
between  them  existing  until  the  latter's  death  in 
1886.  Subsequently  the  Doctor  increased  his 
operations,  conducting  an  extensive  enterprise  in 

14 


that  line  until  1889,  when,  his  labors  having 
brought  to  him  an  ample  fortune,  he  retired  to 
private  life.  In  1879,  while  working  in  a  saw- 
mill, he  had  four  of  the  fingers  of  his  right  hand 
cut  off  by  a  buzz-saw,  after  which  he  learned  to- 
use  his  left  hand  in  writing. 

On  September  29,  1853,  Dr.  Stewart  wedded 
Miss  Patsy  E.  Shaw,  a  native  of  George  Creek, 
AlleganyCo.,  Md.,  born  in  February,  1833.  Her 
parents,  Major  William  and  Patsy  (Burns)  Shaw, 
were  natives  of  Maryland,  and  their  parents  of 
England,  whence  at  an  early  day  they  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Maryland.  Major  Shaw's 
children  were:  William  and  James,  both  de- 
ceased; John,  a  farmer  of  Iowa;  Andrew,  who  is 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Maryland;  Mrs. 
Stewart;  Margaret,  wife  of  Samuel  Rees,  a 
farmer  and  cattle  dealer  of  West  Virginia;  Henry 
C,  a  farmer  of  West  Virginia;  and  Benjamin,  a 
physician,  now  deceased. 

The  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  are 
William,  who  is  engaged  in  the  canning  of  salm- 
on, in  Seattle,  Wash.;  Walter  S.,  a  physician 
of  Wilkesbarre,  Penn. ;  David,  who  is  living  with 
his  parents;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  J.  B.  Miller,  a  phy- 
sician of  Westernport,  Md.;  De  Laune  G.,  a 
dentist;  Margaret  Ann,  who  is  living  with  her 
brother  Walter;  and  Robert  F. ,  of  Seattle, 
Washington.  • 

In  1864  Dr.  Stewart  erected  his  present 
handsome  and  commodious  residence.  He  is 
heavily  interested  in  Pennsylvania  Railroad  stock, 
but  aside  from  looking  after  his  investments  has 
no  active  business  interests.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stalwart  Republican.  The  spirit  of  self-help  is 
the  source  of  all  genuine  worth  in  the  individual, 
and  it  is  this  that  has  brought  to  him  prosperity. 


|JfILLIAM  STEWART,  late  of  Snow  Shoe, 
Centre  county,  was  a  brother  of  Dr. 
Miller  Stewart,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  that  lo- 
cality, and  a  son  of  Robert  and  Margaret  (Miller) 
Stewart,  whose  lives  were  passed  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

William  Stewart  was  born  at  the  Stewart 
homestead  in  Huntingdon  county,  December  1, 
181 1.  He  received  only  a  limited  education, 
and  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a 
general  store  at  Huntingdon  in  the  employ  of 
Thomas  Reed.  From  this  store  of  Mr.  Reed, 
young  Stewart  went  into  the  office  of  the  pro- 
thonotary of  Huntingdon  county,  in  the  same 
county.  He  was  a  good  penman,  became  a 
quick  and  accurate  clerical  man.  and  after  the 
election  of  Governor  David  R.  Porter  to  the  guber- 
natorial chair  was  chosen  by  that   gentleman   as 


210 


00  i/i//.  l/o/;. i  TIVB  HKXiRAl'IIKAL  RECORD. 


his  private  secretary,  which  t< >< >k  him  to  Harris- 
burg,  Penn.  After  years  of  service  in  this  capac- 
ity be  went  to  Nanticoke,  this  Stat'-,  as  business 
manager  of  the  Governor's  affairs.  In  1849  he 
came  to  Snow  Shoe  in  search  of  health,  his  con- 
stitution  having  been  somewhat  impaired  by  pre- 
vious confinement  at  close  office  work.  Here  he 
bought  a  large  tract  of  timber  land  in  connec- 
tion with  John  S.  Miller,  who  sold  out  to  Robert 
Dorsey,  and  it  is  said  built  the  first  Steam  sawmill 
inCentre  county.  These  gentlemen  carried  on  an 
extensive  business  in  the  sawing  of  lumber  and 
in  the  shipment  of  square  timber.  Until  the 
completion  of  the  Snow  Shoe  and  Bellefonte 
railroad  they  rafted  their  logs  and  sawed  lumber 
to  market  via  the  Moshannon  creek  and  Sus- 
quehanna river.  In  January,  1854.1  the  interest 
of  Mr.  Dorsey  was  purchased  by  Dr.  Miller 
Stewart,  and  since  that  time  up  to  the  death  of 
William,  the  Stewart  brothers  conducted  a  most 
extensive  and  successful  lumbering  business,  and 
accumulated  a  large  fortune.  They  usually 
rafted  from  one  to  one  and  one-half  mill- 
ion feet  of  lumber  annually.  William's  death 
occurred  at  his  home  in  Snow  Shoe,  May  5, 
1SS6.  He  was  quite  a  philanthropist,  giving 
liberally  of  his  wealth  where  he  thought  it  would 
do  good  and  relieve  distress.  He  was  most 
kind  and  charitable,  and  died  as  he  lived,  uni- 
versally respected  and  esteemed.  The  older 
Stewarts  were  formed)  Democratic  in  their  polit- 
ical affiliations,  but  with  the  beginning  of  the 
Civil  war  they  became  Republicans,  and  William 
u  as  no  exception.      He  nevei  married, 


A 


r^  LBERT  C  MINGLE,  the  well-known  re- 
tail boot  and  shoe  dealer  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county,  is  a  representative  of  the  best 
type  of  American  citizenship,  his  public  spirit  be- 
ing no  less  noticeable  than  is  his  ability  and  en- 
terprise in  business  In 

The  history  of  the  Mingle  family  is  one  in- 
teresting in  many  respects.  It  dates  back  into 
another  century,  and  is  closely  connected  with 
the  development  oi  the  country  from  that  time 
to  the  present  day.  They  were  among  the  first 
to  settle  in  Pennsylvania,  and,  at  the  time  of 
then  coming  here,  the  State  was  still  under  the 
English  rule.  This  was  in  1732  when  the  first  of 
the  Mingle  familj  settled  in  Berks  county.  In 
1S02,  the  great-grandfather  of  A.  C.  Mingle,  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  located  in  Union  county, 
His  son  David,  who  was  still  quite  young,  ac- 
companied by  a  brother,  joined  the  army  during 
the  war  of  1X12,  David  becoming  a  member  ol 
•    Henry  Miller's  company,  stationed  at  Mar- 


cus Hook.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  learned 
the  art  of  shoemaking,  and  later  married  a  Miss 
Grove,  of  Union  county,  a  member  of  the  fam- 
ily noted  for  their  prowess  in  battling  with  the  In- 
dians. About  the  year  1823  he  settled  in  Mifflin- 
burg,  but  later  moved  to  Haines  township,  Centre 
county,  where  he  lived  until  1854.  He  then 
went  to  Stephenson  county,  III.,  remaining  there 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1S72.  He  had 
tweKe  children,  and  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  dying  in  Centre  county.  The  children  of 
the  tirst  wife  were:  Henry  A.,  the  father  of  our 
subject:  Samuel,  a  boot  and  shoe  maker,  who 
died  some  years  ago  at  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  and 
Susan  Mot/,  who  died  at  Woodward,  Penn.,  De- 
cember 1 1,   1897. 

Henry   A.,  the    father    of  Albert    C.   Mingle. 
was  born  at   MifHinburg   in    the   year    181 8,  and. 
when  he  was  but  two  or  three  years  old,  his   fa- 
ther moved  to   Centre  county.      At   the   age  of 
fourteen  years  Henry  worked  with  his   father  at 
the  trade  of  shoemaking,   going,  as  was  the  cus- 
;  torn  at  that  time,  from    house   to  house,  making 
and   repairing  shoes   for  the  farmers  and   their 
I  families.      When  about  twenty-one  years  old  he 
settled  in  Aaronsburg,  bought  a  home,  and  there 
1  lived  until  the  year  1891,  when  he  died.      He  fol- 
[  lowed  his  trade  as  a  shoemaker  until  1865  when 
i  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  for  a  number  of 
\  years.      While  still    quite   young,  he  was  for  B?i 
years  captain  of  the  Patriotic  Riflemen;  was  jus- 
|  tice  of  the  peace  for  eighteen   years;  held  nearly 
all  of  the  township  offices  during  different  periods 
of  his  life,  and  after  retiring  from  the  mercantile 
business,  was  elected  county  commissioner,  which 
office  he  creditably    filled   for    three  years.     He 
was  a  man  who  had   the    respect  and  confidence 
of  all  who  knew  him,  and    throughout  his  entire 
life  was   a   consistent    member   of  the  Reformed 
Church. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Eve  Bower,  who  still 
survives    him.      Her    family,    who    are   of  Sv. 
origin,  settled    in    Lebanon    county  at    an   eai 
date,  and  from  that  point  the  grandfather  of  Mi- 
Mingle  moved  to   Penn's  Valley,  <  entre   county, 
and  bi  I   the   first    settlers  of  the  Val- 

lej  where  numerous  of  his  descendants  still  live. 
Henry  A.  Mingle  raised  five  children:  Will- 
iam B  ,  who  since  1873  has  been  cashier  of  the 
Penn's  Valley  Banking  Company  at  Centre  Hall; 
Dr.  D.  H.,  a  practicing  physician  at  Maxwell, 
Iowa;  Thomas  J.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.,  at  Minneapolis, 
Minn  ;  Albeit  C,  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  and 
Edward  Ci..  who  lives  with  his  mother  at  the  old 
homestead. 

Albnt    >      Mingle   was    born    at     Varonsburg, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


211 


Penn.,  September  26,  1854.  He  received  a 
thorough  education  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
Aaronsburg  Academy.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
vears  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade 
on  the  Millheim  Journal,  which  at  that  time  was 
published  in  both  English  and  German,  thus 
giving  him  an  excellent  training  in  the  two 
languages.  After  serving  his  time  at  the  case, 
he  abandoned  the  trade  of  printing  and  accepted 
a  position  in  the  mercantile  establishment  of 
William  Wolf,  at  Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  where  he 
remained  for  five  years.  Being  desirous  of  em- 
barking in  business  for  himself,  he  moved  to 
Bellefonte,  and  opened  his  present  establishment. 
Strict  attention  to  business  and  honest  dealings 
have  placed  him  among  the  foremost  of  the  busi- 
ness men  in  Bellefonte.  His  success  in  life, 
however,  has  not  been  achieved  without  hard 
work,  but  with  an  untiring  energy,  and  a  practi- 
cal knowledge  of  what  is  essential  in  his  respect- 
ive calling,  he  has  built  up  for  himself  a  busi- 
ness and  a  name  of  which  he  can  well  feel 
proud. 

In  1882  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Hof- 
fer,  of  Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  and  his  home  is  now 
graced  by  a  charming  wife  and  two  bright  daugh- 
ters, Helen  and  Roxie.  While  never  aspiring  to 
public  office,  he  was  several  years  ago  elected 
mayor  of  the  Republican  city  of  Bellefonte,  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
a  member  of  the  Bellefonte  school  board.  So- 
cially he  is  also  prominent,  being  a  Mason,  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  and  a  Knight  Templar,  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  all  of  these  Societies 
he  is  a  past  officer,  and  has  represented  them  all 
in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania. 


7|NL 


HARTER,  the  able  and  efficient 
_  postmaster  at  Coburn,  Centre  county,  and 
I  president  of  the  Millheim   &  Coburn  Pike  Com- 
I   pany,  is  a  man  whose  exemplary  life  and  upright 
I   dealings  with  his  fellowmen   have  won  for  him 
that  priceless  treasure — a  good  name.      Prosper- 
ous also  in  a  material  sense,    he  stands  among 
the  leading  business  men  of  his  section,  while  his 
j   generous  interest  in  the  progress    of    the    com- 
munity has  been  demonstrated  in    many   ways. 
Mr.    Harter    was    born    in    Penn     township, 
j  Centre  county,  March  7,   1839,  and  is  the  third 
in  direct  and  consecutive  order  to  bear  the  same 
name.    Andrew   Harter,  his    grandfather,   was    a 
1   farmer  in   Haines  township.  Centre  county;   An- 
drew Harter,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  there 
July  31,  1802,  and  was  educated  in  the  German 
schools  of  that  day  and  locality. 

On  arriving  at  manhood's  estate  the  latter  re- 


ceived from  his  father,  who  had  but  little  means 
beyond  his  modest  home,  about  $150  worth  of 
goods,  and  with  this  outfit  he  set  up  a  home  of 
his  own,  taking  unto  himself  a  wife,  Catherine 
Moyer,  who  was  born  in  1808  in  Lebanon  county, 
Penn.  Her  father,  George  Moyer,  a  farmer, 
settled  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  when 
she  was  but  a  child,  and  his  remaining  days  were 
spent  there.  Our  subject's  father  first  rented  a 
farm  in  his  native  township  with  a  brother-in- 
law,  Henry  Moyer,  but  later  removed  to  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  and  rented  land  from 
James  Duncan.  He  was  an  energetic  man  and 
capable  of  much  work,  being  six  feet,  one  and 
one-half  inches  in  height,  and  very  wiry  and  mus- 
cular, and  each  year  saw  an  improvement  in  his 
financial  condition.  In  time  he  purchased  the 
farm  in  the  same  township,  which  is  now  owned 
by  our  subject,  but  he  never  became  very 
wealthy.  He  could  never  refuse  a  favor,  and  his 
generosity  was  often  imposed  upon.  He  and  his 
estimable  wife  were  both  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  in  politics  he  adhered  to  the 
Democratic  faith,  taking  much  interest  in  party- 
work,  and  serving  in  various  township  offices. 
He  died  suddenly  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine,  and  his 
wife  passed  away  when  sixty-four  years  old,  the 
remains    of   both  being  interred   at   Aaronsburg. 

They  had  ten  children:  Polly,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Catherine  (Mrs.  Philip  Shook),  of  Gregg 
township,  Centre  county;  Sarah  (Mrs.  Henry 
Behm),  of  Haines  township,  Centre  county;  John 
M.,  of  Coburn;  Julia  A.  (Mrs.  Henry  Stemm),  of 
Illinois;  Margaret  (Mrs  Jacob  Sanders),  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county;  Andrew,  our  subject; 
Harriet  (Mrs.  Daniel  Geutzel),  of  Gregg  town- 
ship; George  M. ,  of  Potter  township,  Centre 
county;   and  Jacob  M.,  of  Coburn. 

The  schools  in  which  our  subject  received  his 
education  were  not  of  the  best,  and  he  felt  deeply 
the  need  of  wider  opportunities.  But  his  parents 
needed  his  help  on  the  farm,  for  although  not  the 
oldest  he  was  much  depended  upon,  so  he  virtu- 
ally sacrificed  his  future  in  order  to  assist  at 
home.  When  his  father  died,  Mr.  Harter  and  a 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  Shook,  were  appointed  ad- 
ministrators. The  business  affairs  were  in  a 
much  more  complicated  state  than  they  probably 
would  have  been  had  the  sad  event  been  antici- 
pated, and  in  order  to  meet  certain  urgent  obliga- 
tions against  the  homestead,  Mr.  Harter  rented 
it,  and  by  hard  work  and  good  management  se- 
cured the  money  in  time.  Later  he  and  his 
brother  George  bought  the  place,  which  contains 
156  acres,  and  conducted  it  in  partnership  until 
the  brother  sold  his  interest,  purchasing  a  farm 
adjoining.      Since  that   time   Andrew  Harter  has 


212 


00M.VE.V0J1A  VIVE  IIIOGHAI'IIICA  I.   liEColU). 


been  the  sole  owner.  He  has  a  comfortable  com- 
petence gained  by  methods  which  enable-  him  to 
look  any  man  in  the  face  with  no  fear  of  any  ac- 
cusation of  dishonesty.  In  April,  1893,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Coburn,  where  he  owns 
a  good  home,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  place. 

In  April,  1863,  Mr.  Harter  was  married,  in 
Haines  township,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Cath- 
erine Kleckner,  who  was  born  Februar)  g,  1843, 
in  Hartley  township,  I  nion  *  0  .  Penn.  She  was 
the  second  child  and  daughter  in  the  family  of 
seven  children  born  to  Joseph  and  Sail. 
Kleckner.  Her  father  died  during  her  girlhood, 
and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  em- 
ployed as  a  domestic.  Three  children  have  been 
born  of  this  marriage:  (1)  George  A.,  a  physi- 
cian of  Maytown,  Lancaster  Co.,  Penn.,  and  a 
graduate  "1  Susquehanna  University  and  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia;  he  married  Libbie 
Gaugler.  of  Selins  Grove,  Snyder  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jackson  Gaugler,  a  railroad  contractor, 
and  they  have  three  children — Charles  Andrew, 
Marie  Catherine  and  Helen  <■.  (2)  Andrew  J., 
a  music  dealei  and  accomplished  musician  at  Al- 
toona,  Penn.,  of  the  First  Lutheran  Church  of 
which  city  he  is  organist;  he  received  his  musical 
education  in  part  at  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory "f  Music,  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  studied 
two  years;  on  December  4,  1890,  he  married 
Miss  Sallie  I!  Shirk,  who  was  horn  in  Potter 
township  January  8,  1867,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Agnes  (Shires]  Shirk,  farming  people;  Mis. 
Harter  died  December  ro,  1 896,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren— May  Kathleen,  hi  .in  May  1.  [892,  and 
James  Andrew,  born  August  17.  1894.  (3)  [at 
E.  is  a  professorol  musii  al  Coburn;  he  also  was 
a  student  at  the  New  England  (  onservatorj  ol 
Music  at  Boston;  he  married  Jennie  Hosterman 
February  (2,  1  S 9 1 ;  he  is  at  present  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business,  at  Coburn,  Penn.  .  |  I 
ent  tax  collector  of  Penn  township;  and  has  I 
officer  and  organist  in  the  Lutheran  Church  since 
1890.  Mi  Hartei  has  given  his  sons  much  more 
favorable  opportunity  for  education  than  he 
himself  enjoyed,  and  they  have  proven  t  hem-elves 

worthy  of  their  advantages.  All  OCCUp)  honora- 
ble position-  in  their  respectivec munities,  and 

are  active  in  Church  affairs  and  in  all  progressive 
movements  1  >l  the  day. 

Mr.  1 1. uter,  himself,  is  a  leading  workei  in 
the  Lutheran  denomination  in  his  locality.  While 
attending  the  Millheim  Church,  he  held  the  ol 
of  deacon,  and  he  is  now  an  elder  in  the  Coburn 
congregation.  He  has  always  been  a  liberal 
giver,   and  was  the  I  I  toward  the 

new  church  at  Coburn.  He  is  much  interested 
in  local   affairs  ol    even    sort,  and   as  .1    leading 


stockholder  in  the  Millheim  &  Coburn  turnpike 
and  as  president  of  the  company  has  been  a 
factor  in  the  success  of  that  enterprise.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Grange,  and  is  prominent  in  the 
councils  of  the  Democratic  party,  having  held 
numerous  township  offices,  including  those  of 
auditor  and  supervisor.  In  September,  1893,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Coburn,  and  has 
since  discharged  the  duties  of  the  place  with 
characteristic  fidelity .  He  has  always  been  a 
leader  in  musical  advancement,  and  to  his  un- 
tiring efforts  are  due  many  of  the  grand  musical 
successes  for  which  the  community,  in  which  he 
lives,  is  noted.  His  characteristic  energy  and 
determination  have  always  made  of  him  a  leader 
and  not  a  follower,  and  among  his  neighbors  he 
has  many  friends  and  few  enemies. 


L.  CARLISLE,  M.  I).  It  is  not  everj 
A~.L  professional  man  who  finds  in  his  own  na- 
tive place,  and  among  his  old-time  acquaint- 
ances, .the  best  field  lor  the  efforts  of  matun 
yens,  and  that  Dr.  Carlisle,  a  rising  young  phy- 
sician of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  should  thus 
tempt  fate,  and  win  success  under  circumstances 
usually  considered  most  trying,  is  evideno 
more  than  ordinary  ability  and  worth. 

Dr.  Carlisle    was    horn    December    28,    1862 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  (Lorain)  1 
lisle,  who  died    when  he  was  a  child  of  less  than 
three  years,      Samuel    Carlisle  was   a   native  of 
this  State,  and  came  to  Philipsburg  from  Cham- 
bersburg  in  early  manhood  to  engage  in  mercan- 
tile   business.       The    Doctor's   mother,   who   was 
horn  in  Centre  county,  was   a  granddaughtei 
Philipsburg's     honored     pioneer,    John     Lorain 
and  his  wife  Martha,  both   native-  ol    Maryland 
Thomas   Lorain  ra'ndfathei   of   M  rs.  ( 

lisle,  commanded  the  ship  in  which  he  cam' 
America,  and,  locating   in   Maryland  at   an  earl) 
period  in  its  history,  took  a  leading   part   in  tb< 
development  of  the   place,  in  which  he  settl 
Dr.    Henry    Lorain.    Mi-     Carlisle's    father, 
born    in    Maryland,    but    locating    in    Clearfield 
county  be<  ime  one  ol  the  most  prominent  phj 
cians  of  that  section,  his  practice  extending  1 
a    wide    range    of    territory.      He    married    Mi 
l  iylor,  a  native  of  the  county. 

Dr.  Carlisle  being    left   an    orphan    at  such 
tender  age,  was  taken  in  charge  by    his  moth' 
brother.  Major  1  tin,  one  of  the  abli 

and  most  noted  sons  ol   Centre  county.      A  k< 
and    well-balanced    intellect    and   rue  execute 
ability,  combined  with  a  genial  nature  which  won 
the  lasting  I  of  all  sorts   and    conditions'ol 

men,    gave    him    extraordinary    influence      His 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


213 


capabilities  seemed  almost  limitless.  As  soldier, 
teacher,  scientist,  civil  engineer,  and  inventor,  he 
did  work  of  permanent  value.  He  was  born  in 
Philipsburg,  August  5,  1831,  and  during  his  boy- 
hood, while  studying  civil  engineering,  he  was 
offered  a  cadetship  at  West  Point,  which  he  ac- 
cepted. Entering  in  June,  1852,  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  honors  in  1856,  and  received  a  com- 
mission as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Third  U.  S. 
Artillery,  his  duties  taking  him  to  various  points. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  naturally 
took  a  post  of  responsibility,  and  in  one  of  the 
first  battles,  that  of  Blackburn's  Ford,  Va.,  in 
July,  1861,  he  was  severely  wounded.  He  never 
entirely  recovered  (in  fact  his  death  was  the  re- 
sult of  disease  superinduced  by  the  wound);  but 
in  March,  1862,  he  accepted  a  position  as  assist- 
ant in  the  chemical  department  at  West  Point, 
which  he  held  for  over  eight  years.  He  was 
offered  several  volunteer  commands,  but  much  as 
he  desired  to  join  the  army  in  the  field  his  phy- 
sical condition  prohibited  it.  He  received,  how- 
ever, the  brevet  rank  of  captain  for  his  gallant 
conduct  at  Blackburn's  Ford,  and  later  that  of 
major  was  bestowed.  On  leaving  West  Point  he 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Jefferson,  Florida,  as  com- 
mander, and  later  at  Charlestown,  S.  C,  and 
then  he  took  the  chair  of  physics  and  mechanics 
at  Lehigh  University,  at  Bethlehem,  Penn.  His 
liking  for  military  surroundings  and  connections 
led  him  to  resign  this  position,  and  to  refuse 
other  important  posts  in  different  colleges.  For 
a  time  he  served  at  Fort  Hamilton,  New  York 
Harbor,  and  later  became  an  instructor  in  the 
United  States  Artillery  School  at  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, Va. ,  and  remained  until  a  short  time  before 
his  death  which  occurred  March  6,  1882,  at  Bal- 
timore, Md.,  while  on  sick  leave.  While  at  the 
school  he  made,  or  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
about,  many  improvements,  and  he  invented  a 
gunsight,  which  bears  his  name. 

He  left  a  widow,  formerly  Miss  Fannie  Mose- 
ley  McDonald,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  two 
children:  Henry  McDonald,  a  mining  engineer 
in  Philipsburg,  and  Mertie  M.,  wife  of  Lieut.  E. 
A.  Anderson,  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

Under  the  fostering  care  of  this  noble  man 
our  subject  passed  his  most  impressionable 
years.  The  frequent  changes  of  location  had 
their  educational  effect,  and  he  attended  various 
schools  also— one  at  Norfolk,  Va. ,  the  academy 
at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  a  school  at  Gettysburg, 
Penn.  In  1882  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  Philipsburg  Banking  Company,  and  held 
the  position  ten  years,  resigning  in  1892  to  take 
a  similar  place  in  a  coal  company's  office.  He 
had  by   this   time  discovered   his  real   bent,  and 


after  one  year  in  the  last  position  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  1896  received  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  Returning  to  Philipsburg,  where  he  had 
long  been  deservedly  popular,  he  began  his  pro- 
fessional labors. 


ICHAEL  STROHM,  of  Centre  Hill,  Cen- 
tre county,  has  rounded  the  Psalmist's 
span  of  "  three-score  years  and  ten,"  and  in  his 
declining  years  can  look  back  over  a  well-spent 
life,  honorable  in  both  business  and  social  rela- 
tions. Such  a  career  has  won  him  the  unqualified 
respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact. 

Mr.  Strohm  was  born  in  Lebanon  township, 
Lebanon  Co.,  Penn.,  October  29,  18 16,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Susanna  (Graybill)  Strohm. 
His  great-grandfather,  who  was  of  German  birth, 
left  the  Fatherland  to  found  a  home  in  America. 
The  grandfather,  John  Strohm,  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, had  a  family  of  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  John  Strohm,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  married  in  Lebanon  county,  and  in  1835 
removed  to  Centre  county,  locating  in  Potter 
township,  near  Centre  Hill,  the  journey  being 
made  in  a  large  wagon  with  several  horses.  Be- 
ing a  man  of  considerable  means,  he  here  pur- 
chased a  valuable  property  of  270  acres,  which 
he  successfully  operated  until  his  death.  His 
earnest  labor  brought  to  him  a  comfortable  com- 
petence, and  he  was  known  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  community.  In  politics 
he  was  an  Old-line  Whig,  and  manifested  his  re- 
ligious belief  by  his  membership  in  the  Evangel- 
ical Church.  He  died  in  1846,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Egg  Hill 
cemetery,  near  his  wife,  who  had  passed  away  in 
1 841.  Their  children  were  Jonathan  and  Henry, 
who  both  died  in  Stephenson  county,  111.;  Maria 
(wife  of  Peter  Albright),  who  died  in  Mifflin 
county,  Penn. ;  Michael,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
Jacob,  of  Tusseyville,  Centre  county;  Susan, 
widow  of  Jonathan  Kreamer,  of  State  College; 
John,  who  died  in  Potter  township;  and  Lydia, 
wife  of  J.  G.  Meyer,  of  Aaronsburg. 

The  educational  privileges  which  Michael 
Strohm  enjoyed  were  very  limited;  he  lived  in  a 
German  community,  and  the  teaching  was  in  the 
German  tongue.  He  could  not  speak  English 
until,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  came  to 
Centre  county  with  his  parents,  but  by  contact 
with  those  who  used  the  English  tongue,  he  be- 
came familiar  with  the  language,  and  by  ex- 
perience and  observation  he  has  gained  a  good 
practical  education.      His  training  at  farm  labor. 


214 


COMMKMOUA  TIVB  BlOGUM'ItlCM.   RECORD. 


however,  was  not  meager,  (or  at  an  early  age  he 
became  familiar  with  the  duties  that  fall  to  the 
l..t  of  the  agriculturist.  In  [84]  he  drove  a  two- 
horse  team  to  Freeport.  III.,  for  a  man  who  was 
moving  to  the  West.  The  town  of  Freeport  at 
that  time  contained  but  twelve  houses.  Mr. 
Strohm  worked  in  Illinois  for  a  year  and  a  half 
as  a  farm  hand;  but  with  the  exception  of  that 
period  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage. 

In  Potter  township,  October  30.  1845,  Mr. 
Strohm  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Wagner, 
who  was  horn  in  Potter  township,  a  daughter  of 
Bi  rnard  Wagner.  The  young  couple  began  their 
domestic  life  on  the  old  homestead,  and  Mr. 
Strohm  settled  upon  his  father's  estate.  He  aft- 
erward purchased  a  part  of  the  farm,  and  erected 
all  the  buildings  thereon  with  the  exception  of 
the  barn,  which  was  only  partially  completed 
when  he  became  the  owner  On  that  place  he 
lived  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he  came  to 
Centre  Hill,  and  embarked  in  general  merchan- 
dising, which  he  has  since  followed.  He  now 
owns  a  valuable  farm  of  [30  acres,  together  with 
a  house  and  lot,  his  store  room  and  his  stock  of 
goods  in  Centre  Hill.      His  property  is  the  visible 

lit  of  thi  ind  perseverance  which  are 

numbered  among  his  marked  characteristics. 

In  1895  Mr  Strohm  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  March  30, 
and  was  buried  in  Sprucetown,  hei  death  1  iccurring 
only  a  few  months  before  their  fiftieth  wedding 
anniversary.  She  had  been  to  her  husband  a 
faithful  companion  and  helpmate,  and  his  loss 
was  deeply  felt.  Their  children  were:  John. 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  William, 
of  Red  Cloud,  Nebraska,  who  was  accidentally 
shof  while  hunting;  Elmira,  wife  of  W  A.  Kerr, 
of  potter  township',  James  B.,  1  omits-  commis- 
sioner of  I  iellefonte;  Sallie  and  Annie  (twins), 
who  died  in  infancy;  Horace,  who  died  in<  entre 
Hill;  and  Laura,  wife  of  W.  W.  Bayard,  of 
Philadelphia,  The  mother  of  this  family  w 
membei  ol  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
carefully  reared  her  children. 

Mr.   Strohm   is  one  of  the  -   ol    the 

I  ippei  anoe  campaign,  and  cast  his  first  vote  lor 
William  Hems  Harrison.  Since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  he  has  been  one  of 
us  supporters.  He  is  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Mi  thodisf  Episcopal  Church,  has  served  as  trus- 
tee and  a--  a  member  of  the  building  commitl 
and  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  Quarterl) 
Conference.  He  has  been  verj  active  inChurch 
work,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  those 
interests  which  are  calculated  to  promote  the 
moral  welfare  of  the  community.      His  life  has 


been  well  spent,  winning  him  high  regard,  and  he 
is  still  active  in  business  affairs  although  he  has 
passed  the  age  of  four-score  years. 


JOHN  GLEN  HALL  (deceased),  who  in  his 
lifetime  was  an  active,  prominent  and  enter- 
prising citizen  of  Union  township,  Centre 
county,  carried  on  farming  pursuits  on  the  Dick- 
run  road  up  to  his  death.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 10,  1S29.  within  a  couple  of  hundred  feet  ol 
where  he  died  of   pneumonia,   January  31,   1897. 

Robert  Hall,  father  of  our  subject,  first  saw 
the  light  December  26,  1800,  the  first  white  child 
born  at  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  became  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  but  his  later  days  were  spent  in  fann- 
ing on  the  place  where  our  subject  now  resi^ 
There  his  death  occurred  October  10,  1883.  He 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  in  politics  was  a  stalwart 
Democrat.  On  August  2  ;.  1827,  he  was  mar- 
ried, by  K<  \  Amos  Smith,  to  Elizabeth  Hut- 
ton,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren; Aaron,  who  was  born  July  29.  i  s  j S ,  and 
dud  March  11,  1892;  John  G.,  the  subject  >! 
this  sketch;  and  Rachel,  who  was  born  June  12, 
1  S3  1,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Peters,  of 
Minnesota  The  mother,  who  was  born  Januarj 
12,  [806,  passed  away  January  25,  1835.  Sh< 
was  tin-  daughter  of  John  and  Marj  Parsi 
Hutton,  who  also  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Cen 
tre  county  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
Their  parents  were  natives  of  Maryland. 

For  his  second  wife  Robert  Hall  was  married, 
September  15.  [839,  by  Rev.  James  Amos,  to 
Mrs  Mary  1  Vrmgost)  I'.  mm.  who  was  born  in 
Centre  counts.  September  26,  1S11,  and  died 
Jul)  3,  1849.  To  this  union  came  the  following 
children:  William,  born  July  30,  1S40,  1 
fanner  ol  Minnesota;  Eliza,  born  February 
[842,  is   the  wife  of    William   Peters,  of    Mmne- 

Andrew    was    born     September    9,     1 
David  and    Daniel     twins)    were    born  April    27. 
1846,  the    former  being   now  an  agriculturist 
Union  township    and    the  latter    a  blacksmith  of 
Unionville,  Centre  county;   Mar)   1...  born  June 
30,   [849,  is  the  wile  ol    Henry  Holter,  a  car] 
ter  in  the  borough  of  Howard. 

F01  Ins  third  wife.  Robert  Hall  wedded 
Mr-  I  tiln  line  (Kline)  Shaw,  December  11. 
185 1,  and  three  children  graced  this  union: 
Lawrence,  born  March  26,  1853,  died  June  21, 
[871:  Thomas,  born  [uly  12,  1854,  is  a  lutnh  1 
merchant  of  Wisconsin;  and  James,  born  Oi 
her  ji,  [856,  is  a  farmer  of  'entre  counts. 
Penn.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  born 
in  Berks   county,    Penn.,    December   2.    1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


215 


daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth   Kline,  and  now 
makes  her  home  with  our  subject. 

The  parental  grandparents  of  John  G.  Hall 
were  Hon.  John  and  Hannah  (Armont)  Hall, 
natives  of  Delaware  county,  Penn.,  where  they 
were  married  and  remained  until  1896,  when 
they  removed  by  keelboat  and  wagons  to  Belle- 
fonte.  There  the  grandfather  started  the  first 
blacksmith  shop  in  the  place,  conducting  the 
same  until  his  removal  to  the  present  homestead 
of  our  subject,  where  he  and  his  wife  died.  His 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  England,  and  came 
to  America  with  two  brothers,  locating  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  For 
two  terms  Hon.  John  Hall  represented  his  county 
in  the  State  Legislature,  and  was  re-elected,  but 
declined  to  accept  the  office.  He  was  very  fond 
of  hunting,  and  our  subject  now  uses  his  powder- 
horn,  and  the  bone  from  a  turkey's  wing,  with 
which  he  used  to  decoy  those  birds,  imitating 
their  call. 

Mr.  I-fall,  the  subject  proper  of  this  review, 
never  left  the  parental  roof,  but  remained  at 
home,  caring  for  his  parents  until  their  life's 
labors  were  ended.  He  obtained  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and  worked 
some  in  the  lumber  woods  of  the  locality.  Like 
his  grandfather,  he  was  very  fond  of  hunting, 
was  ever  a  good  marksman,  and  the  first  game 
which  he  killed  was  a  deer  a  half  mile  from  his 
home,  bringing  it  down  with  a  flintlock  musket. 
From  that  time  he  killed  many  wild  animals, 
including  bears.  On  January  17,  1882,  he 
married  Miss  Minerva  J.  Hutton,  and  two  sons 
were  born  to  them:  Robert  C,  January  31,  1883; 
and  Joseph  A.,  August  10,  1890.  Mr.  Hall 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party  in  politics, 
but  had  no  aspirations  for  office,  though  he  filled 
several  township  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
As  an  enterprising,  progressive  farmer  he  had 
few  superiors  in  Union  township,  and  as  a  citizen 
he  had  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 

Mrs.  Hall,  widow  of  the  late  John  G.  Hall,  is 
a  native  of  Clarion  county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Martha  (Delp)  Hutton,  who  were 
born,  the  former  on  May  25,  1824,  in  Centre 
county  (about  two  miles  from  the  birthplace  of 
John  G.  Hall),  the  latter  born  in  October,  1829, 
in  Clarion  county,  Penn.,  and  died  April  15, 
1897,  of  pneumonia  and  heart  trouble.  Three 
daughters,  as  follows,  constitute  their  family: 
Minerva  J.  is  the  widow  of  John  G.  Hall; 
Susanna  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Logan,  a  farmer 
and  lumberman,  of  Osceola,  Penn. ;  and  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  John  Gearhart,  of  Clearfield  county, 
Penn.  John  Hutton,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Min- 
erva J.  Hall,  was  born   March  29,  1778,  married 


November  2,  1802,  to  Mary  Parsons,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1779.  The  names  and  dates  of  birth  of 
their  children  are  as  follows:  Hannah,  May  10, 
1803,  died  May  12,  1827;  Thomas,  June  22, 
1804;  Elizabeth,  January  12,  1806;  Mary,  June 
6,  1808;  Amos,  June  22,  1810;  Rachel,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1812;  Catherine,  October  20,  1814;  John, 
March  22,  1817;  Sarah,  October  23,  1819,  died 
May  15,  1897;  and  Joseph,  May  25.  1824.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  September  16,  1833, 
the  mother  on  November  21,  1839.  Of  their 
children,  Elizabeth  was  married  to  Robert  Hall, 
August  23,  1827;  Thomas  was  married  to  Mary 
Bathurst,  January  1,  1828;  Mary  was  married  to 
Aaron  Hall,  August  19,  1828;  Rachel  was  married 
to  Charles  Appleton;  Sarah  was  married  to  Adam 
Smith,  May  10,  1840;  Catherine  was  married  to 
Robert  McCown. 


HW.  KREAMER,  the  leading  merchant  of 
Centre   Hall,    Centre  county,   is  the  senior 

member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Kreamer  & 
Son,  the  owners  and  proprietors  of  an  excellent 
general  store.  He  is  also  one  of  that  beautiful 
little  town's  best  citizens,  and  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  Penn's  Valley's  oldest  pioneer 
families,  which  was  founded  here  over  a  century 
ago,  and  has  since  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  progress  and  development  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Kreamer  was  born  September  28,  [837, 
in  Brush  Valley,  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  village 
of  Kreamerville,  Centre  county,  and  is  the  sec- 
ond child  and  only  son  of  his  parents,  Daniel 
and  Susannah  (Weaver)  Kreamer.  The  father 
was  born  in  Brush  Valley,  November  7,  1815, 
and  he  was  the  youngest  son  of  Jacob  Kreamer. 
He  obtained  such  an  education  as  the  district 
schools  of  that  early  day  afforded,  and  was 
reared  upon  a  farm,  early  becoming  familiar  with 
its  arduous  labors,  as  but  crude  machinery  was 
then  used.  In  Brush  Valley  he  wedded  Susan- 
nah Weaver,  who  was  born  there,  October  6, 
1814,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  (Brun- 
gart)  Weaver.  Five  children  blessed  their  union : 
Sarah  (now  Mrs.  John  Wolf),  of  Miles  township, 
Centre  county  ;  H.  W. ;  Amanda,  who  first 
married  George  Wolf,  and  after  his  death 
wedded  A.  Lukenbach,  of  Bellefonte  ;  Hannah, 
who  married  S.  S.  Wolf,  and  died  in  Brush  Val- 
ley ;  and  Emma,  widow  of  E.  Wolf,  of  Rebers- 
burg,  Centre  county. 

Daniel  Kreamer  followed  farming  near 
Kreamerville  until  his  removal  to  Rebersburg, 
where  for  several  years  he  successfully  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business.  He  died  at  that  place  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years,  his  wife  passing 


216 


COMMi:V<>l:.\  II  YE  mograpiikm.  RECORD. 


away  a  short  time  previously,  at  the  same  age, 
and  they  now  sleep  side  by  side  in  the  Rebers- 
burg  cemetciv  For  years  the  father  was  a 
singing  teacher,  and  served  as  leader  of  the 
choir  <>f  the  Reformed  Church,  of  which  he  was 

insistent  member.  He  was  a  medium-sized 
man,  being  fnc  fret,  eight  inches  in  height,  and 
was  quite  active  and  energetic.  In  politics  he 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  i  Ij  filled  a  number  of  local  offices. 

Mr.  Kreamer,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  obtained  a  fair  education  in  the  district 
schools  near  his  home,  which,  however,  were 
much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present  time  On 
leaving  the  farm   at  the  age  oi    fourteen,  he  en- 

d  the  stole  ol  Gross  Boger  &  *  o.,  in  Rebi 
burg,  where  he  began  clerkingfor  $4  per  month, 
hut  during  the  live  years  he   was   in  the    employ 
■  ■I  1  hat  firm   his    wages    were    increased.      La 
he   embarked    in  general   merchandising  on   his 
own  account  in  the  same  plai  subsequently 

engaged  in  farming  at  Spring  Bank,  Miles  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  for  eleven  years.  Coming 
to  Centre  Hall,  in  1884,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  well-known  and  reliable  linn  "I  Eiarpei  & 
Kreamer,  general  merchants,  who  were  the  lirst 
to  successfully  compete  with  the  did  established 
stores  of  thai  place  In  April,  [896,  hebeca 
sole  owner  of  the  business,  which  is  now  con- 
duct, d  under  the  firm  style  oi  Kreamer  &  Son. 
They  carry  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  and  b\  fair  and  honorable 
deaiiitLT  have  built  up  an  excellent  trade,  which 
is  constantly  increasing. 

Mr.  Kreamer  married  Miss  Emma  Stroh- 
ecker,  of  Rebersburg,  a  daughter  of  Hon  Sam- 
uel Strohecker,  who  represented  *  entre  county 
m  tin-  General  Assembly,  and  was  one  oi  the 
prominent  doctors  of  Brush  Valle)  Three  chil- 
dren were  horn  ol  this  union:  Samuel  S.,  who 
like  his  lather  is  also  an  only  son.  and  is  now  the 
former's  partner  in  business;  [ennie  now  Mrs.  S 
H.  Heckman),  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. ;  and 
racy,  at  home.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren depaited  this  life  in  1886  l"i  Ins  second 
wife  Mr.  Kreamei  wedded  Miss  Maggie  tianna, 
a  successful  teacher  of  Spring  Mills,  Centre 
county. 

lake  Ins  father,    Mr.    Kreamer   is  a  firm 
hereut  of  Democratic  principles,  and  has  served 
with  credil  to  himself,  and   to  the  satisfaction  of 
his  constituents  in  a  number  oi  official    positions 
oi  honor  and   trust,  for  the  past  six  years   bi 
treasurer  of  Centre  Hall.      He   and  his  wife 
sincere    ami    conscientious    Christians,   he 
prominent  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  in 
which  he  has  also  held  various  offices,  includ 


those  of  deacon  and  elder,  she  as  an  equally  prom- 
inent member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  He  owns  an 
elegant  home,  besides  a  half  interest  in  the  1 
business  block  in  Centre  Hall,  and  the  sue 
that  he  has  achieved  is  due  entirely  to  his  own 
energy,  enterprise  and  good  executive  ability. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  methodical,  popular  and 
reliable  business  men  of  Centre  county,  and  in 
social  as  well  as  business  circles  holds  an  envi- 
able position. 


DA  Nil.  I.  /.  KLINE,  ex-sheriff  of  Centre 
county,  is  one  of  Hellelonte's  oldest  and 
mi  1st  highly  respected  citizens,  owning  a  large  and 
valuable  farm  in  the  vicinity,  and  being  identified 
with  the  various  progressive  movements  which 
have  contributed  to  the  welfare  of  the  city. 

Michael  Kline  (h  her),  who  was  of 

German  birth,  was  a  fanner  in  New  York  State, 
but  pun  based  an  extensive  tract  of  land  near 
Watsontown,  in  Union  counts,  Penn.  [ohn 
George  Kline,  our  subject's  father,  was  a  native  of 
Berks  count\.  Penn.,  and  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Union  county  estate  at  an  early  age.  While 
there  he  married  Mi>s  Amy  Zimmerman,  and 
later  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Lock  Haven.  He 
died  at  Howardville  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  His  wife  passed  her  last  days  in  our  sub- 
ject's home,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death  she  was 
eighty-two  years  old.  Her  children  were:  John, 
a  fanner  by  occupation,  died  years  ago;  Daniel 
/.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Samuel  F.  is  .1 
resident  of  Howardville;  Lucinda  married  Daniel 
W.  Hall,  andresides  in  Iowa;  and  Barbara,  Mary 
Ann,   Washington,  and  David  all  died   young. 

Daniel  /.  Kline  was  born  December  I,  l8l8, 
in  Union  county,  but  his  long  and  useful  life  has 
been  mainly  spent  in  Centre  county.  He  at- 
tended the  Union  school  near  Lock  Haven,  and 
latn  assisted  his  father  upon  the  farm  in  How- 
ard township,  Centre  county.  When  ten  y< 
old  he  began  w  01  king  b\    t he  month  for  neighl 

farmers,  and  after  his  marriage  in  1856  to 
his  first  wife.  Miss  Lucetta  Kiester,  he  continued 
this  work  for  a  time,  and  also  taught  successfully 
in  the  country  schools,  making  his  home  in  How- 
ardville. Finally  be  engaged  in  farming  for  his 
own  behalf  on  his  present  propertj  .  one  mile  - 
of  Bel 

l'.\  Ins  first  marriage  hi-  had  a  daughter,  | 
phine,  who  married  Harry  C.  Brew,  who  ism 
ten-  ted  in  the  Fairbanks  scale  works  at  Pi  I 
burg,  but  makes  Bellefonte  his  residence  with 
his  wile,  and  their  children  -Lucetta  and  Austin 
l>  I'm  subject's  present  wife-,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Sarah  Hall,  is  the  mother  of  one  daugh- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


217 


ter,  Nellie,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Judge  Love, 
of  Bellefonte,  and  has  two  children — John  G. 
and  Catherine. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  the  people  of  Centre 
county  called  Mr.  Kline  from  his  agricultural 
labors,  electing  him  to  the  office  of  sheriff,  which 
he  held  three  years,  serving  with  ability  and 
credit.  During  that  time  he  removed  to  Belle- 
fonte, and  he  has  since  left  to  other  hands  the 
active  work  of  his  farm,  which  contains  2 1 7  acres, 
all  in  one  tract.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  Demo- 
crat. His  interest  in  local  affairs  has  been 
evinced  in  practical  ways,  and,  as  one  instance 
among  many,  we  may  note  his  generous  activity 
in  securing  the  collections  for  the  new  M.  E. 
Church  at  Bellefonte.  of  which  Mrs.  Kline  is 
a  member.  Our  subject  is  a  Master  Mason  of 
Bellefonte  Lodge  No.  268. 

Mrs.  Kline  was  born  in  Bellefonte,  January 
8,  1829,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Weaver) 
Hall,  the  former  of  whom,  a  native  of  Delaware 
county,  Penn.,  died  in  1850.  The  mother's 
death  occurred  in  1876.  Of  their  children,  seven 
in  all,  four  are  still  living,  namely:  Daniel,  resid- 
ing in  Iowa;  Hannah,  who  married  Rev.  Thomas 
Barnhart,  and  resides  in  Iowa;  John  N.,  who  re- 
sides near  Howard,  Penn.,  and  Sarah. 


BANIEL  B.  WEAVER,  a  prosperous  miller 
of  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  residing 
near  Wolfs  Store,  is  a  citizen  of  the  best  type. 
In  the  hour  of  our  country's  danger  through  re- 
bellion he  served  gallantly  in  her  defense,  while 
in  peace  he  has  maintained  an  honorable  and 
useful  position  among  his  fellows.  He  was  born 
July  2,  1840,  near  Wolfs  Store,  where  his  father, 
John  Weaver,  a  son  of  John  Weaver,  Sr. ,  also 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light. 

Our  subject's  father  was  reared  as  a  farmer 
boy,  enjoying  but  meagre  educational  privileges 
in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  day,  and 
working  upon  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage. 
His  wife,  Susan  Brungart,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Brush  Valley,  and  her  father,  Jacob  Brungart, 
was  a  well-known  agriculturist  living  east  of 
Wolfs  Store.  After  their  marriage  the  young 
couple  located  on  a  farm  belonging  to  John 
Weaver,  Sr. ,  where  they  resided  many  years, 
and  then  after  a  short  stay  upon  a  farm  south  of 
Wolfs  Store  they  returned  to  the  farm  where 
our  subject  was  born.  There  both  passed  away, 
and  their  remains  now  rest  in  the  burial  ground 
at  Rebersburg.  John  Weaver,  Jr. ,  was  of  or- 
dinary build,  but  of  a  strong  constitution,  and 
usually  enjoyed  robust  health.  He  was  indus- 
trious and   lived   in   comfortable  style,  but  never 


acquired  riches.  His  honesty  was  unwavering, 
and  throughout  the  community  he  was  held  in 
high  esteem.  As  a  Democrat  he  always  took 
keen  interest  in  political  issues,  being  a  regular 
voter,  and  for  two  terms  he  held  the  office  of 
supervisor.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  his  wife  of  the  Lutheran.  They  had 
the  following  children:  Thomas,  a  shoemaker 
at  Tylersville,  Penn. ;  Israel,  who  died  in  boy- 
hood; Daniel  B.,  of  this  sketch;  Mary  (Mrs. 
John  Breon),  of  Miles  township,  Centre  county; 
Chestie  (Mrs.  William  Meyer),  of  Wolfs  Store; 
John  H.,  who  died  in  early  manhood  at  Potters 
Bank;  William  H.,  a  miller  at  Millheim;  Maggie 
(Mrs.  John  Minich),  of  Brush  Valley;  and 
Charles  A.,  a  miller  at  Osceola,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Weaver  (our  subject)  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  neighborhood  during  his 
youth,  his  first  teacher  being  Mrs.  John  DeLong 
at  Wolfs  Store.  The  value  of,  indeed  the  neces- 
sity for,  better  educational  facilities  for  the  peo- 
ple became  impressed  upon  his  mind  at  an  early 
period,  and  the  present  free-school  system  finds 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  did  but  little  work 
away  from  home,  and  practically  lived  there  until 
his  enlistment  at  Rebersburg,  August  22,  1862,  in 
Company  A,  148th  P.  V.  I.  The  company  went 
via  Lewistown  to  Harrisburg,  where  the  members 
were  instructed  in  the  duties  of  a  soldier  and 
equipped  for  service.  Mr.  Weaver's  first  battle 
was  the  memorable  struggle  at  Chancellorsville. 
and  he  took  part  in  all  the  engagements  of  his 
regiment  until  after  the  fight  at  Deep  Bottom, 
where  he  was  wounded  by  an  exploding  shell. 
He  lost  three  months  in  consequence,  spending 
most  of  the  time  in  hospital  at  Philadelphia,  with 
a  thirty-days'  furlough  home.  After  rejoining 
his  regiment  at  Falmouth,  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  His  record  was  a  most  cred- 
itable one,  and  at  his  discharge  in  July,  1865,  he 
held  the  rank  of  sergeant.  On  his  return  from 
the  front  he  spent  a  short  time  at  home,  and  in 
1866  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  rent- 
ing the  farm  where  he  was  born.  In  1867  he 
married  Miss  Mary  C.  Kreider,  born  May  31, 
1842,  in  Penn  township.  Centre  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Kreider,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
merchant.  He  was  born  in  Lebanon  county, 
Penn.,  in  1803,  and  died  in  January,  1842.  In 
December,  1828,  he  married  Leah  Bowman, 
who  was  born  in  Cornwall  township,  Lebanon 
county,  January  3,  1803,  and  died  April  4,  1856. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  them:  Melinda  Ann, 
widow  of  George  W.  Stover,  of  Penn  township; 
William  S.,  who  died  in  1855,  aged  twenty-three; 
Rozanna,  who  died  in  infancy;  John  Philip,  who 
died  leaving  a  family  in  Miles  township;   George, 


218 


ro.VMK.VoJiA  TIVE  lilocUM'lUCM.   UKcnRD. 


deceased  in  infancy;  Reuben  II..  who  died  young; 
J.  B.  Kreider,  M.  I).,  practicing  medicine  in  Bu- 
cyrus,  Ohio;  and  Mary  C.  (Mrs.  Weaver).  The 
father  was  fairly  well-educated  for  his  day  and  op- 
portunities,  and  was  fared  as  a  farm  hoy  by  an 
uncle,  John  Boumberger,  he  being  a  mere  lad 
when  his  father  died.  As  he  grew  t<>  maturity 
he  proved  a  good  business  man,  and  for  several 
years  he  carried  on  a  store,  also  kept  a  hotel  in 
Lebanon.  In  addition  to  this  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  worked  at  same  for  a  time. 
In  1835  he  located  at  Centre  Hall,  and  four  years 
later  moved  to  Penn  township,  where  he  died. 
In  religious  faith  he  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat. 

Daniel  B.  Weavei  bad  only  his  own  savings 
to  depend  upon,  ami  as  has  been  said  he  rented 
a  place  from  his  father  in  order  to  make  his  start 
in  business.  One  year  be  spent  there,  and  he 
then  rented  from  |ohn  Mover  a  farm  near  Penn 
Hall.  His  next  removal  was  to  a  farm  of  his 
own  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  com- 
prising eighty  acres.  For  this  he  went  heavily 
in  debt;  but  through  hard  work  and  good  man- 
agement he  prospered,  and  each  yeai  saw  the 
obligation  decreased,  He  finally  traded  the 
place  for  his  present  property  at  Wolfs  Store. 
rhere  was  a  sawmill  and  a  gristmill  on  this  lat- 
ter estate,  and  a  residence  which  Mr.  Weaver 
occupied  for  some  time;  but  later  he  purcha 
more  land  and  built  a  new  home.  He  now  owns 
about  100  acres  of  land,  improved  with  the 
buildings  mentioned,  and  still  conducts  the  mill- 
ing  business  successfully. 

Mr.  Weaver  and   Ins  wife   are   leading  m 
bers  of  the   Reformed   Church,  and    for    several 
years  be  held  the   office  of   deacon,      They  have 
had  ten   children,  viz.:     Elmer   K.,  who  died  at 
the    age   of    tin-  Edwin    T,   deceased; 

Clayton    D.,  a    miller,  at    home.    Rosa    E.,   who 

die. I     in     childhood;    An 1     I'..     a     successful 

teacher;  Calvin  J.,  a  miller;  Orlando  \\  . .  Me 
linda  A.  and  Susan  1,  .  who  are  at  home,  and 
one  that  died  in  infancy.  Ot  thi  »  .  Edwin  T.  was 
a  highly  respected  young  farmer  oi  Brush  Val- 
ley, but  he  was  cut  off  111  the  prime  of  Ins  useful- 
ness, living  April  25,  1897,  from  injuries  received 
in  a  run-away,  his  team  getting  frightened  when 
they  were  hauling  a  drill;  he  lilt  a  widow.  Ida 
M.  (WalkerJ  Weaver,  and  two  children:  Mi- 
riam Grace  and  Edwin    Then.] 

Our  subject  has  had  his  times   of  discoui 
mint  and   loss    like  most  business   men,   but    pel 
severing  and  well-directed  effort    has  •  arried  him 
through.      He   bears    a  most  enviable   reputal 
(or  integrity  in    his  dealings.       Politically    he   is  a 


Democrat,  and  wherever  he  has  resided  he  has 
taken  an  active  and  influential  part  in  local 
affairs,  serving  as  school  director  and  supervisor 
in  Gregg  township,  and  as  supervisor  in  Miles 
township. 


FRED  S.  DUNHAM,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Weekly  Hornet,  published  at  Howard. 
Centre  county,  was  born  at  Lock  Haven,  Penn  . 
November  7,  1862,  a  son  of  David  S.  and  Mary 
A.  (Blake  1  Dunham,  natives  of  Indiana  counts, 
Penn.,  and  Portland,  Maine,  respectively.  The 
mother  died  in  Beach  Creek,  Clinton  Co.,  this 
State,  in  November,  1876,  but  the  father  is  still 
living. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until  after  the 
death  of  his  mother,  and  then  began  working  in 
apotieiv  it  Howard  in  order  to  pay  off  the  in- 
debtedness on  a  home  which  his  mother  had 
started  to  build.  Out  of  the  fifty  cents  per  day 
which  he  received  for  his  services,  he  drew  out 
only  twenty  eents,  letting  the  remainder  go  on  the 
debt.  Besides  himself  he  also  supported  his 
lather  and  sister,  the-  former  being  an  invalid  at 
that  time.  At  tin  end  of  two  years  he  left  the 
pottery,  and  entered  the  rolling  mills  of  B 
Lauth,  in  Howard,  where  he  remained  for  four 
veais,  a  part  of   the    time   serving  as  watchman. 

Mr.   Dunham   next   became   fireman  in  a  sash 
factory    in    Addison.  Steuben    Co.,  N.  Y. ,  whi 
he   remained  for  one  year,  and  on  the  expiration 
of    that    tune    returned    to    Howard.       For    thl 
years  In-  was  employed  at  painting  and  other  odd 
jobs,  and  then  went  1,,  Altoona,  Penn.,  where  he 
ran   an  engine   in  the  planing-mill  of  John  Cline 
for  a  year,   when    it    was   destroyed  by  tire.       I 
turning  to   Howard,   he    worked    in    a   sawmill  foi 
twelve    months,    and    next    began    learning    the 
printer's  trade  in  the  office  ol  tin    Bellefonte  Re- 
publican, where  in-  was  employed  lor  two  yean 
l-'or    the    following    six    years    he    was    with    the 
Bellefonte  Gazette,  but  in  1894  he  came  to  How- 
ard, and   established    the    Weekly   Hornet,  which 
he  has  since  conducted  with  good  success,  having 
a   circulation   of    about    sixteen    hundred    copies 
He  also  does  job  printing,  and   tin-   work   turned 
out  is  first-class  in  every  particular.      Being  p 
sessed  of  an  energetic  spirit,  good  executive  a 
ity,  and  excellent  judgment,  he   has  met   with 
well-deserved  success  in  this  undertaking. 

()n  August   1.  1883,  Mr.  Dunham  was  married 
to  Miss  Clara  K.  Neff,  and  to  them  were  born  tw 
children:      William    N\,  who  died    at    the  age 
six   veil-,,  and   Alverda   M..  who  died  at  the 
ol    eight.      Mr.   Dunham   is  an   ardent   suppoi 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party ;  sociall) 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


219 


he  is  a  member  of  the  Patriotic  Sons  of  America, 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs,  both 
of  Bellefonte.  Religiously,  he  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Evangelical  Church.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man,  whose  advancement  has  come  through 
his  own  efforts,  and  who  by  industry  and  honest 
toil  has  won  a  place  among  the  representative 
business  men  of  Howard. 


BF.  MILLER,  a  highly-respected  resident 
of  Madisonburg,  was  for  many  years  a 
prominent  agriculturist  in  Miles  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  has  but  recently  taken  posses- 
sion of  his  pleasant  home  in  town.  As  a  native 
of  Centre  county,  he  has  seen  no  reason  to  quar- 
rel with  the  fate  which  cast  his  lot  in  so  desira- 
ble a  spot,  and  throughout  his  life  he  has  re- 
sided there,  and  in  a  quiet  but  effective  way  has 
taken  a  helpful  part  in  the  progressive  move- 
ments of  the  locality.  He  was  born  February 
28,  1844,  in  Ferguson  township,  the  son  of  Elias 
and  Cecelia  (Marsh)  Miller,  of  whom  a  biogra- 
phy appears  elsewhere.  His  first  schooling  was 
obtained  at  the  Glade  school  in  his  native  town- 
ship, and  his  first  teacher,  a  Mr.  Thompson,  was 
of  the  kind  whose  ideas  of  discipline  begin  and 
end  with  a  "  sound  whipping."  This  was  a  dis- 
couraging introduction  to  the  path  of  knowledge 
and  it  speaks  well  for  Mr.  Miller's  innate  ability 
that  he  continued  to  make  the  best  of  the  mea- 
ger opportunities  offered  by  the  country  schools, 
laying  a  foundation  upon  which  his  subsequent 
reading  has  been  carried  on  with  excellent  re- 
sults, making  the  greater  cause  for  regret  that 
so  able  an  intellect  did  not  have  better  opportu- 
nity for  early  development.  Like  all  intelligent 
men  whose  early  aspirations  were  cramped  by 
similar  circumstances,  Mr.  Miller  is  an  earnest 
advocate  of  better  schools  for  the  rising  genera- 
tion, thinking  money  spent  for  good  teachers  and 
suitable  buildings  well  invested.  He  was  but  a 
boy  —  not  yet  in  his  "teens" — when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Madison- 
burg. Work  was,  of  course,  plenty,  and  Mr. 
Miller  acquired  familiarity  with  the  details  of  farm 
management  at  an  early  age.  After  some  years 
his  parents  removed  to  Madisonburg  and  Mr. 
Miller  with  his  brother  Harvey  conducted  the 
farm. 

In  1867  Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  Brush  Val- 
ley, Centre  county,  to  Miss  Hannah  C.  Schmelt- 
zer,  who  was  born  near  Madisonburg,  April  18, 
1S47.  Her  parents,  John  and  Rebecca  (Shaffer) 
Schmeltzer,  moved  to  Illinois  during  her  child- 
hood, but  the  father  dying  there  not  long  after- 
ward   the    family    returned    to   Miles    township. 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  Miller  continued  to  reside 
at  the  old  home  until  March  17,  1896,  when  he 
removed  to  Madisonburg,  where  he  owns  a  home. 
His  farm  consists  of  145  acres  with  100  acres 
cleared,  and  the  elder  of  Mr.  Miller's  two  sons, 
John  E.,  who  was  born  July  27,  1868,  now  has 
charge  of  it.  The  other  son,  Kline  A.,  born  Oc- 
tober 4,  1877,  has  fine  musical  ability  and  is  now 
a  student  in  Warren,  Ohio.  A  third  child,  Will- 
iam D.,  a  promising  boy,  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
years.  Mr.  Miller  met  with  a  sad  accident  when 
about  three  years  old.  He  was  playing  with  his 
brother  Harvey  (a  year  and  a  half  older;,  and  a 
stone  was  thrown  which  injured  his  left  eye, 
causing  its  loss,  and  ever  since  a  few  weeks  after 
the  accident  there  has  been  intense  pain  also. 

Mr.  Miller  and  his  wife  are  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  has 
been  deacon  and  elder,  and  is  at  present  the 
treasurer.  Sunday-school  work  has  always 
claimed  his  active  aid,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  became  superintendent.  He  has  held 
the  office  at  intervals  since,  and  now  fills  it.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  but  although 
he  is  a  regular  voter,  and  has  served  in  various 
township  offices,  he  is  not  a  politician  in  the 
modern  sense  of  the  word.  He  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  local  affairs,  and  in  the  Grange. 
His  sound  judgment  and  integrity  are  valued 
among  his  associates,  as  has  often  been  shown  by 
his  appointment  to  posts  of  responsibility  such  as 
the  guardianship  of  children.  He  has  often 
served  as  a  juror,  both  grand  and  traverse,  and 
in  whatever  capacity  his  abilities  have  been  tested 
he  has  proven  himself  competent  and  faithful. 


JrOHN  W.  CONLEY,  an  influential  and  popu- 
lar agriculturist  of  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  April  3,  1836,  in  Armagh 
township,  Mifflin  Co.,  Penn.  His  father,  Rich- 
ard Conley,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
born  September  2,  1809,  just  six  weeks  after  his 
parents,  John  Conley  and  wife,  had  come  to  the 
United  States  from  the  North  of  Ireland.  In 
their  family  were  eleven  children,  two  sons 
(Richard  and  Joseph  H.)  and  nine  daughters,  of 
whom  only  one  is  now  living  :  Catharine,  wife 
of  P.  W.  McDowell,  of  Mackeyville,  Clinton 
Co.,  Penn.  The  grandfather  died  in  Mifflin 
county,  where  he  had  followed  his  trade  of 
coopering. 

Richard  Conley  was  early  thrown  upon  his 
own  resources  for  a  livelihood,  and  when  a  boy 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  did  not  fol- 
low the  same.  In  the  county  of  his  nativity  he 
married  Mrs.  Hannah  L.  Bryson,  who  was  born 


22(  i 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOUH 


in  Chestei  county,  Penn.,  April  16,  1800,  a 
daughter  "f  William  Cottle,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  By  lu-r  tirst  marriage 
she  had  two  children,  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
three  children  were  born  oi  the  second  union: 
Bethsheba  M. ,  who  married  Robert  Holmes  and 
died  iii  Benner  township,  Centre  county;  fohn 
\\ '..  of  this  sketch  ;  and  Mary  )..  wife  of  |<>lm 
Holmes,  (if  Jacksonville,  Pennsylvania. 

After  Ins  marriage,  Richard  Conley  rented  a 
farm  in  Mifflin  county  for  four  years,  aftej  which 
he  removed  to  Earlystown,  Penn.,  where  fur  the 
next  decade  he  made  his  home,  and  then  [01 
on  a  farm  on  the  Brush  Valley  road  in  Gregg 
township,  Centi  >unty,  near  the  Potter  town- 
ship line,  which  he  operated  until  the  spring  of 
[863.  Upon  that  place  the  mother  of  <>ur  sub- 
ject died  in  August,  1  nd  was  buried  in  the 
Stone  Church  cemeterj  in  Mifflin  counts.  After 
coming  to  Centre  county  she  had  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  although  by  birthright 
she  was  a  Quaker,  and  was  evei  afterward  a 
consistent  membi  1  1  'I  thai   d<  m  minal  ii  m 

In  the  spring  of  1  863  the  father  sold  his  stock 
and  farm  tools,  and  enlisted  in  the  Emergency 
Regiment,  of  which  he  was  appointed  quarter- 
master. It  was  stationed  in  Somerset  and  I 
ford  counties,  this  State,  to  resist  the  Confederate 
invasion,  and  latei  was  sent  to  Gettysburg,  but 
arrived  too  late  to  participate  in  that  battle. 
Vfter  doing  guard  duty  at  fiarrisburg,  the  regi- 
ment was  disbanded.  In  the  fall  of  [863,  Mr. 
Conley  was  elected  sheriff  of  Centre  county,  as- 
suming the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  fourth 
Monday  in  November,  and  acceptably  served  for 
three  years,  during  which  time  In- made  his  home 
in  Bellefonte.  There  he  wedded  Miss  Mar)  A. 
1 1  \  in  by  whom  he  bad  one  child,  Edith,  who 
died  111  infancy.  The  wife  and  mother  died  in 
September,  1  895  On  his  retirement  from  oi 
Mi  I  onley  removed  to  a  farm  in  Benner  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  which  he  hired  a  man  to 
operate,   and  there  made  lii-^  home  until  called  to 

his  final  rest  September  2,  1 88 1 .  His  remains 
were  interred   in   the  cemetery  of    Jacksonville. 

lb     was  a   Mason,   and   for   years    was    an  elder  in 

the  Presbyterian  1  hurch.  He  was  a  fine  speci- 
1 1 1 . 1 1 1  of  physical  manhood,  being  six  feet,  one 
inch  in  height,  and  weighing  215  pounds.  Al- 
though in  youth  his  school  training  was  limited, 
he  acquired  a  good  practical  knowledge  by  read- 
ing and  observation  in  later  \ eai 

When  lour  yeai  [ohn  W.  G  »nli  . 

companied  his  parents  to  Earlystown,  andean 
distinct!)  remember  the  journey.  There  he  be- 
gan his  education,  which  was  all  obtained  in  the 
district  si  bools  until  he  was  twent)  yeai 


after  which  he  attended  the  Boalsburg  Academy 
n  taught  by  Rev.  Austin;  for  two  years.  Be- 
ing the  only  son,  he  rendered  much  assistance  to 
his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  and  thus 
early  became  familiar  with  the  duties  that  fall  to 
the  lot  of  the  agriculturist. 

In  February,  [861,  in  Potter  township,  Mi 
ley  was  married  to  Miss  Catharine  Keller, 
who  was  born  in  that  township.  May  1  I,  1  840,  a 
daughter  of  John  H.  and  Rachel  (Alexand 
Keller.  Three  children  graced  their  union: 
William  |.,  born  in  Gregg  township,  October  [4, 
1,  is  a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  and  bj  his 
marriage  has  one  daughter,  Nellie;  Richard  N  . 
born  January  8,  [864,  died  at  the  age  of  tilt 
months,  and  James  K.,  born  January  I,  1S6.X.  is 
living  in  Freeport,  111.  Mr.  Conlej  engaged  in 
farming  in  Gregg  township  until  1870,  when  he 
removed  to  Centre  Hall,  and  became  connected 
with  the  foundry  of  that  place,  s<  lling  ma<  hinerj 
in  Virginia  and  Maryland.  On  Jul)'  9,  1872,  he 
removed  to  his  present  place,  a  portion  of  the 
old  Kellet  farm,  and  all  ol  the  improvements 
found  thereon  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift 
and  industry.  His  home  being  destroyed  by  tire 
in   1S7X,  he  erected  bis  present  commodious  brick 

Although  not  strictly  partisan,  Mr.  Conlej  bj 
his  ballot  generally  supports  the  Democratic 
party  at  Mate  and  National  elections,  but  at 
other  times  votes  fur  the  man  whom  he  consid- 
1  best  qualified  to  fill  the  office.  A  jovial,  gen- 
ial gentleman,  he  has  made  hosts  of  warm 
friends  throughout  the  county,  and  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  hold  an  enviable  position  in  social 
circles.  Reared  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he 
has  always  adhered  to  that  faith,  while  she  is  u 
consistent  member  of  the  Reformed  Church. 


II. MAM    I.    HARTER,   one  of   the  most 
enterprising  and  prosperous  busin 
of     Eagleville,    t  entre    county,    and    numbered 
among  its  liberal-minded  and  public-spirited  cit 

i/ens.  has  for  some  years  been  engaged  in  tin 
manufacture  and  repair  of  furniture  and  wagons, 
in  which  he  has  achieved  an  enviable  reputation 
One  ol  Ins  leadin  teristics  in  business  al 

is  his  fine  sense  oi  order  and  complete  sys- 
tem,  and  the  habit   of  giving  careful   attention   !• 
the  details,  without  winch  success  in  any   under- 
taking is  never  an  assured  fact. 

A  natnc  of  (  entre  county.  Mr.    I  lai 
bom  in  Mai  ion  township,  June  15,  1853,  and  b( 
Ii mgs  to  a  family  t hat  was  early  established  within 
its    borders       His    paternal    grandfather,    Jai 
1 1  alter,  of  l'eun's  Valley,  removed  to  Nittanj  \ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


221 


ley  in  1835,  locating  on  the  old  Harter  home- 
stead, where  he  followed  farming  for  the  rest  of 
his  life.      He  was  of  German  descent. 

Andrew  Harter,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  born 
June  7,  1823,  and  on  reaching  manhood  married 
Miss  Eve  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Clinton  county, 
Penn.,  January  2,  1823,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Smith,  who  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  that 
county.  His  great-grandfather,  who  also  bore 
the  name  of  Peter  Smith,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Eight  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harter,  namely:  John  S. ,  born 
May  8,  1846,  for  many  years  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, but  now  following  the  carpenter's  trade  in 
Clintondale,  Penn. ;  Mary  E.,  born  April  8,  1848, 
is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Gordon,  a  machinist  of 
Spring  township,  Centre  county;  Susannah,  born 
March  16,  1850,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Buck,  a 
farmer  of  Lycoming  county,  Penn.;  William  I. 
is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Jacob  A.,  born  Novem- 
ber 8,  1855,  is  a  merchant  of  Centre  county; 
Jennie  R. ,  born  April  30,  1857,  is  the  wife  of 
George  Fatzinger,  a  railroad  man  of  Milton, 
Penn.;  Sarah  E.,  born  November  23,  1859,  is 
the  wife  of  Calvin  Woomer;  and  Emily,  born 
April  2,  1862,  is  the  wife  of  William  Dale,  a 
farmer  of  Centre  county.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  in  June,  1862,  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Marion  township,  where  the  father  still 
resides.  He  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics. 

For  his  second  wife  Andrew  Harter  wedded 
Mrs.  Susan  (Arbegust)  Shears,  widow  of  Jacob 
Shears,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following 
children:  Samuel,  who  is  now  living  in  the  West; 
Laura,  wife  of  Eli  Brehen,  a  carpenter  of  Axe- 
mann,  Centre  county;  Bell,  wife  of  Larry  Heil, 
an  engineer  of  Centre  county;  Frank,  who  is  in 
the  bicycle  business  in  Clinton  county;  Clement, 
a  lumberman;  Harry,  a  carpenter  of  Axemann; 
George,  who  is  still  on  the  homestead  with  his 
parents;  and  Cora  and  Bertha,  also  at  home. 

During  the  boyhood  and  youth  of  William  I. 
Harter  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  aided 
his  father  in  the  labor  of  the  farm  until  nineteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  left  home,  and  for  a  year 
a  half  worked  as  a  farm  hand.  Going  to  Jack- 
sonville, Centre  county,  he  began  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  wagon  and  coach  maker's 
trade  under  Ira  C.  Johnson,  who  failed  nine 
months  later,  and  he  then  went  to  Mackeyville, 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  embarked  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  Wishing  to  learn  the 
cabinet  maker's  trade,  he  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness and  went  to  Brush  Valley,  where  he  served 


a  six-months'  apprenticeship  to  that  trade.  He 
then  resumed  business  at  Mackeyville,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years,  and  in  1882  came  to 
Eagleville,  where  he  built  his  present  house  and 
shop.  He  is  a  natural  mechanic,  always  having 
been  handy  with  tools,  and  the  success  that  he 
has  acheived  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  industry, 
perseverance  and  good  management.  Socially  he 
affiliates  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge  at  Eagle- 
ville; is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church;  and  is  an  uncompromising 
Democrat  in  politics.  On  February  9,  1882,  in 
Liberty  township,  Centre  county,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Bitner,  and  they  have  two  in- 
teresting children:  May  C,  born  December  25, 
1890;  and  Norris  I.,  born  February  13,  1893. 
Although  so  young,  the  son  seems  to  have  in- 
herited his  father's  taste  for  mechanics,  and  shows 
a  marked  talent  for  the  use  of  tools. 

Daniel  Bitner,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Harter,  is  a 
retired  farmer  of  Liberty  township,  born  at  his 
present  homestead  September  7,  1822.  His 
parents,  John  and  Susan  (Nestlerod)  Bitner,  were 
natives  of  Germany  and  Centre  county,  respect- 
ively, and  were  married  in  the  latter  place. 
George  Bitner.  the  grandfather,  on  coming  to 
America  was  accompanied  by  his  two  sons,  John 
and  Abraham,  and  they  first  located  in  Lancaster 
county;  but  on  reaching  his  majority  John  came 
to  Centre  county,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of 
shoemaking,  later  engaging  in  farming.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Mennonite  Church,  and  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics.  He  was  born  in  1797  and  died 
in  185  1,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1835,  at 
the  age  of  fifty  years.  In  their  family  were  the 
following  children:  Christian,  John,  Nancy, 
Susan,  Catherine,  Barbara,  Lida,  Martha,  Abra- 
ham, Susan,  Daniel,  Lavina.  Daniel  Bitner  was 
married  February  23,  1843,  to  Miss  Mary  Wen- 
sel,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1823,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Cath- 
erine (Rhumsbutt)  Wensel,  who,  on  coming  to 
America  in  1829,  located  in  Columbia  county, 
Penn.,  but  in  1839  came  to  Centre  county, 
where  both  died,  the  former  in  1846  and  the  lat- 
ter in  1867.  Their  family  numbered  seven  chil- 
dren: Eliza,  Margaret,  Peter,  Mary,  Catherine. 
George  and  Elizabeth. 

The  following  children  graced  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bitner:  Catherine,  wife  of  William 
Scantlin,  a  farmer  of  Liberty  township,  Centre 
county;  John  I.,  a  real  estate  and  insurance 
agent,  of  Hagerstown,  Md.,  who  married  Alice 
Newcomer;  William  N.  (deceased),  who  married 
Mary  Hesing,  and  after  her  death  wedded  Mary 
C.  Lucas,  now  residing  in  Eagleville;  J.  Albert, 
a    farmer    of     Liberty    township,    who    married 


222 


00  VMBMORA  Tl  7E  BIOORAPHIOA  I    UBi  ORD. 


rie    Gardner;    Howard   \V     (deceased),  who 

married  Frances  Johnson,  now  residing  in  Liberty 
township;  Alice,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  Clara, 
wife  of  Thomas  Bechdel,  a  farmer  of  Marsh 
i  reek,  Centre  county,  and  [da  M.,  at  home. 

Mr.   Bitner  still  i  upon  the  farm  where 

his  birth  occurred,  and  to  its  cultivation  and 
improvement  devoted  his  attention  throughout 
his  active  business  career,  but  is  now  enjoying  a 
well-earned  rest.  For  twenty-five  years  he  served 
as  school  director,  and  has  also  acceptably  tilled 
the  offices  ol  overseer  of  the  poor,  supervisor, 
collector  and  treasure)  of  Ins  township.  In 
politics  he  is  a  firm  Demo<  rat,  and  for  forty-five 
years  has  been  a  consistent  and  earnest  member 
of  the  Christian  Church. 


\KT  H.  STIVER,  a  thorough,  energetic  and 
VV  prosperous  farmer  of  Potter  township, 
(  entre  county,  is  a  native  of  the  county,  his  birth 
occurring  in  Boalsburg,  July  l8,  1840.  His  great- 
grandfather, Michael  Stiver,  who  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary hero,  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
the  county,  ami  on  lus  death  was  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Tusseyville  cemetery.  Among  his  children 
was  Samuel  Stiver,  who  was  born  July  3,  1; 
and  became  a  farmer  by  occupation,  at  one  time 
owning  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides. 
On  June  18,  1801,  Samuel  Stiver  was  married 
io  Margaret  Shimp,  of  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  who 
was  born  March  15,  1784,  and  they  became 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Margaret, 
born  January  15,  1802.  married  Hems  Selick 
and  died  in  Ferguson  Valley,  Mifflin  county; 
Thomas  J.,  born  October  10,  1802,  was 
a  farmer  and  died  in  Potter  township;  |olm  S. , 
born  October  31,  1803,  died,  when  a  young  man, 
in  Mifflin  county;  Mary,  born  March  5.  1805, 
wedded  John  Farner.  and  died  in  Potter  town- 
ship; Elizabeth,  born  December  22,  1806,  mar- 
ried Daniel  Shirk  and  died  in  Potter  township; 
[ane,  born  August  9,  1808,  married  Frederick 
Leathers,  and  die. I  m  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Novem- 
ber 11,    1892;  Samuel   was  bom    November   15, 

[809;    Michael,  the  father  of    our  subject,   is  next 

in  order  of  birth;  David,  born  January  18,  1813, 
died  in  Bedford  Springs,  Penn.;  Charlotte,  born 
I une  17,  1815,  died  when  young;  1  atherine,  born 
September  7.  1817,  died  unmarried;  George  W., 

born  January  2.  1X19,  died  in  Pottei  township; 
Martha  P.,  born  July  29,  1820,  married  Henry 
Mower,   and  died    in    Bedford,    Penn.;    James    I', 

born  September  3.   182.4.  is  single  and  lives  near 
Pittsburg,  Penn.;  and   Sarah  A.,  bom   Febri 
io.    1826,  died  when  young.    The  father  of  thi 
children  died  August  13,  1846,  the  mother  August 


13,    1863,  and  they   both   lie  buried   in  a   private 

cemetery  on  the  farm  of  our  subject.     She  was  a 

stent  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

On  the  home  farm  in  Potter  township.  Mi- 
chael Stiver  was  born.  July  26,  1 8 1 1 ,  and 
then  reared  until  old  en. .ugh  to  learn  a  trade 
As  the  family  was  very  large,  and  his  parents  111 
limited  circumstances,  he  was  a  young  man  be- 
he  became  the  possessor  of  his  first  pair  of 
boots.  The  little  farm  not  only  had  to  supplj 
the  family  with  food,  but  from  its  products  which 
were  sold  thej  obtained  the  other  necessaries  of 
life.  Under  John  Stauffer,  Michael  Stiver 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
in  Boalsburg  until  the  fall  of  1852,  whin  be 
■  .one  to  Potter  township.  His  brother  Gei 
owned  the  homestead  farm,  but  being  a  loser  l>\ 
the  failure  of  the  Potters,  to  help  him,  the  father 
of  our  subject  took  the  place.  He  owned  prop- 
erty in  Harris  township,  and  also  a  farm  in  "Trie 
Barrens,''  but  to  assist  his  brother  sold  these  and 
purchased  the  old  home,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
After  coming  to  Potter  township,  he  gradual!) 
abandoned  his  trade,  despite  the  protest  of  his 
former  patrons,  as  he  was  a  thorough  workman. 
and  Ins  work  always  satisfactory  performed.  He 
improved  the  buildings  on  the  farm,  but  took  ni 
active  part  in  the  cultivation  of  the  land. 

On  September  27,  1838,  by  Rev.  Daniel 
Moser,  a  Lutheran  minister,  at  Spruce  Creek, 
Michael  stiver  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Hen- 
neich,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Aaronsburg,  Cen- 
tre county,  September  4,  1816.  They  began 
housekeeping  in  Boalsburg,  where  he  owned  a 
home,  and  four  children  came  to  brighten  the 
household,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest 
Mary  E.,  born  February  1,  1844,  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Barr,  of  Tyrone,  Penn.  Martha  M  ,  born 
January  14,  1848,  is  the  wife  of  Sylvanus  Lane. 
a  Methodist  Episcopal  minister.  Abnei  D 
born  November  4,   1856.  died  on  the  19th  of  the 

e   month.      The   father's  death  occurred  De- 
cember   1,    1888,  and    his    remains  were    interred 
.11  I  entre  Hall.      He  held  membership  with  th< 
Reformed  Church  of   Boalsburg  and  Tusseyville; 
was  first   a  Whig  in   politics,  voting   for  William 
Henry  Harrison,  and  as  a   Republican  supported 
Benjamin  Harrison  for  the  Presidency.      He  took 
<1  uite   an    active    interest    in   the    success   <>f    his 
party,  was  well   posted   on   political  jssues.   and 
although   the   township   is   strongly    Democratic 
was   elected    supervisor,    a   fact    which   indie 
his  popularity.     He  was  a  man  of  ordinary  build 
strong  and    robust,  and    1>\   hard  work  and  g1 
management  secured  a  comfortable  competen© 
though  he  lost  some  money  bj  going  security  for 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


223 


friends.  Of  the  strictest  integrity  and  honor,  he 
commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who 
knew  him.  The  mother,  who  is  also  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  finds  a  pleas- 
ant home  with  our  subject,  and  is  surrounded  by 
many  warm  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Mrs.  Stiver  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in 
the  family  of  six  children  born  to  William  and 
Margaret  (Shreffler)  Henneich,  the  others  being 
Sarah  and  another  daughter  who  died  in  infancy; 
Philip,  a  resident  of  Missouri;  Charles,  who  died 
in  Penn  Hall,  Penn. ;  and  William,  a  prominent 
railroad  man,  who  died  in  Illinois.  The  father 
of  these  children  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty 
years,  and  was  buried  at  Aaronsburg,  but  the 
mother,  who  afterward  married  again,  lies  in  the 
cemetery  at  Millheim.  By  some  of  the  family 
the  name  has  been  changed  from  Henneich  to 
Hennich,  and  Haney.  Mrs.  Stiver  was  only  nine 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death, 
and  as  the  children  became  scattered  she  made 
her  home  with  her  uncle,  David  Dale,  who  lived 
near  Lemont,  and  there  remained  until  her  mar- 
riage. Her  education  was  obtained  in  the  dis- 
trict school  near  Lemont.  The  last  two  years 
of  her  school  life  were  under  Prof.  William  War- 
ing at  Oak  Hall. 

Mr.  Stiver,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch, 
began  his  literary  training  in  the  schools  of  Boals- 
burg,  George  Livingston  being  his  first  teacher, 
and  after  his  removal  to  Potter  township,  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years,  he  attended  the  district 
schools.  Later  he  was  a  student  in  the  academy 
at  Potter's  Mills,  then  conducted  by  Prof.  David- 
son. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
Mr.  Stiver  wished  to  join  the  Union  forces,  but 
as  he  was  an  only  son  and  his  services  were 
needed  at  home,  he  did  not   enlist  until  August, 

1864,  when  he  became  a  private  of  Company 
G,  210th  P.  V.  I.  He  participated  in  all  the 
engagements  in  which  his  regiment  took  part, 
including  the  Weldon  raid  and  the  first  and  sec- 
ond battles  of  Hatcher's  Run,  where  the  regi- 
ment lost  heavily.  On  March  31,  1865,  at  Grav- 
elly Run,  he  was  struck  by  a  bullet  which  passed 
through  the  right  forearm,  shattering  the  bone, 
and  he  was  sent  to  City  Point  hospital,  but  a 
few  days  later  was  transferred  to  a  hospital  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  After  a  short  time  there, 
he  was  sent  to  a  hospital  in  West  Philadelphia, 
where    he  was    honorably    discharged    June    27, 

1865.  Mr.  Stiver's  arm  has  never  fully  recov- 
ered, and  for  two  years  after  his  return  home  he 
was  unable  to  work,  while  later  he  only  assisted 
in  the  lighter  labors  of  the  farm.  At  one  time 
he  made  all  arrangements  to  go  West,  but  as  his 


parents  objected  he  never  left  the  parental  roof. 
Previous  to  his  father's  death  he  bought  the  farm 
tools,  and  engaged  in  the  operation  of  the  land  on 
his  own  account.  He  isia  systematic,  progressive 
farmer,  one  who  ably  manages  his  affairs,  but 
hires  most  of  his  work  done. 

Mr.  Stiver  was  married  in  Hublersburg,  Cen- 
tre county,  in  November,  1886,  to  Miss  Anna 
Carner,  of  that  plac<-,  ,1  daughter  of  John  and 
Barbara  Carner,  who  are  farming  people.  Out- 
subject  is  well  informed  on  the  leading  questions 
and  issues  of  the  day  as  he  is  an  extensive  reader, 
and  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Originally  he  held  membership  with 
Gregg  Post  No.  95,  G.  A.  R. ,  of  Bellefonte, 
but  now  belongs  to  the  order  in  Centre  Hall. 
Since  1858  he  has  been  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  served  as  a 
teacher  in  the  Sabbath-school.  He  holds  a 
prominent  position  among  the  leading  represent- 
ative citizens  of  Potter  township,  is  genial  and 
hospitable,  and  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  needy, 
who  are  never  turned  away  empty-handed  from 
his  door. 


WW.  SPANGLER.  The  name  of  this 
well-known  resident  of  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  has  long  been  familiar  to  the 
people  of  this  section  as  that  of  one  of  their 
most  valued  citizens,  resolute,  energetic  and  en- 
terprising, and  one  who  has  made  his  mark  in 
the  building  up  of  the  township,  socially  and 
financially.  He  belongs  to  an  honored  pioneer 
family  of  Centre  county,  which  made  its  first  set- 
tlement in  Brush  Valley,  Miles  township. 

Mr.  Spangler  was  born  November  30,  1839, 
in  Potter  township,  a  short  distance  east  of  Cen- 
tre Hill,  a  son  of  Jacob  Spangler,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Miles  township,  and  was  the  youngest  son 
of  Christopher  Spangler.  When  a  young  man, 
Jacob  Spangler  came  to  Potter  township  to  work 
as  a  farm  laborer  for  his  older  brother  Samuel, 
and  here  married  Rebecca  Wagner,  a  daughter 
of  Bernard  Wagner,  who  was  one  of  the  leading 
and  prominent  citizens  of  the  township.  Six 
children  graced  this  union,  namely:  Mary,  now 
the  wife  of  M.  L.  Leitzel,  of  Potter  township; 
W.  W. ,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Catharine,  wife 
of  Jacob  Wagner;  Ellen,  who  married  John 
Slack,  and  died  in  Potter  township;  J.  B.,  a 
farmer  of  that  township;  and  Anna,  wife  of 
Aaron  Rishel,  of  Jasper  county,  Missouri. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Jacob  Spangler 
located  upon  a  farm,  and  lived  on  two  different 
places  in  Potter  township  before  he  was  able  to 
purchase  a  farm  of   his   own.      His   first  land    is 


/ 


224 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHIC  A  I.  RECORD. 


that  now  owned  and  occupied  by  our  subject  and 
was  bought  from  Jacob  Bottorf.  He  was  very 
successful  in  his  farming  operation,  as  he  was  in- 
dustrious, energetic  and  progressive,  and  became 
the  owner  of  two  good  farms,  which  he  placed 
under  a  high  state  ol  cultivation.  Although  his 
early  opportunities  were  very  meagre,  he 
tained  a  fair  education  for  his  time,  which  was 
mostly  acquired  in  the  school  of  experience.  In 
later  years  he  was  a  great  reader,  was  well 
posted  on  the  leading  issues  and  current  events, 
and  took  quite  an  active  interest  in  the  success 
,,f  the  Democratic  party,  which  he  always  sup- 
ported by  his  ballot;  he  was  called  upon  to  serve 
a-,  supervisor  of  his  township.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent and  consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church,  in  which  he  held  various  offices,  and  at 
his  death  was  buried  in  Zion  Church  cemetery 
by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years,  while  he  was  sixty-two  when 
called  to  his  final  rest.  Though  not  a  large 
man,  he  was  robust,  seldom  being  ill,  and  was 
very  active  and  industrious. 

In  the  Pine  Grove  school,  taught  by  Jane 
Taylor,  Mi  Spangler,  the  subjei  I  propi  i  of  this 
review,  began  his  education,  and  his  advantages 
were  confined  to  the  district  schools  of  his  time. 
lie  learned  rapidly,  however,  and  as  a  result  ol 
his  fitness,  was  often  selected  as  extra  teacher, 
m  which  capacitj  he  served  for  a  short  time  on 
various  occasions.  He  heartily  endorses  the  im- 
provements that  have  since  been  made  in  the 
public  schools,  is  a  warm  friend  of  a  better  and 
thorough  education,  and  as  a  school  director  has 
done  efficient  service  in  their  interests.  His 
farm  training  and  first  ideas  ol  business  were  ob- 
tained .m  the  I. ii  in  where  he  still  lives,  and,  be- 
ing the  elder  son.  rendered  his  father  valuable 
assistance.  He  never  left  the  parental  roof,  but 
continued  to  aid  in  the  operation  of  the  farm 
during  the  lifetime  of  his  parents.  In  1880  he 
purchased  the  place",  whii  h  comprises  140  a 
of  rich  and  arable  land  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation and  improved  with  good  buildings.  On 
October  1,  1894,  his  barn  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
1 , 1 1 1  on  the  te  a  new  structure  was  raised 

by  the   |i  itb  ol  November. 

At  the  age  ol   thirtj  one  years,  Mr.  Spai 
was  married   in  1  lames  township,  Centre  county, 
to  Miss  Adella  Bollinger,  a  native  ol  Aaronsburg, 

in   the  same  ci tj .  and   a  daughter  of  Gi 

Bollinger.      She  was  the  recipient  of  a  good  edu- 
abling    hei    to    successfully   engage  in 
teaching  foj    ten  or  twelve  j  'dr.  and  Mrs 

Spangler  began  their  domestic  life  upon  his 
present  farm,  which  he  rented  until  1880,  and 
there  the  birth   of  their  four   children  occurred 


Bernard  K  .  the  eldest,  is  a  stenographer  by  pro- 
fession, and  occupies  a  responsible  and  confiden- 
tial position  in  a  wholesale  house  in  Chicago.  111. 
Gertrude  M.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Lock  Haven 
Normal  School,  and  now  follows  teaching.  Will- 
iam E.  is  also  a  stenographer  and  typewriter  of 
Chicago.  Harry  B.  is  at  home.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  noted  families  in  the  township,  and  re- 
flects great  credit  upon  the  parents. 

Mr.  Spangler  is  a  prominent  and  active  mem- 
ber of  the    Democratic  party,  and  although  he 
cares    nothing    for    political   distinction,    he   has 
creditably  served    in    a   number  of   minor  ofti< 
being  at  the  present  time  a   school   director  and 
the  postmaster  at  Potters  Mills.      He  and  his 
timable  wife   hold   membership   in    the   Spn 
town  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  where  he  has 
served  as   class   leader  and    steward,    and   is  at 
present  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Church.      The 
family  is  one  of    prominence,  standing  second  to 
none    in  the   community,  and    is  well  worth] 
honorable  mention  in  a  work  of  this  character 


J,OBERT  JAMES  HAYNES  (decease. 
{_  of  Snow   Shoe,  was  one   of  Centre  counts  - 
most  popular  and  highly  esteemed  citizens.      The 

stors    of    the    Haynes    family    were    alvt 
British    subjects,  and   emigrated  in   the  time 
Cromwell  to  the  Island  of  Barbados,  when   the) 
have    always    been    landed     proprietors.       Ml 
Haynes'  parents,  Thomas  Haynes  (son  of  Roberl 
James  Haynes),  and  Williamina.  his  wife  (dau 
ter  of  William    Everslej   of   Barbados),  cam< 
the  United  States  in  [832  and  settled  in  Geoi 
town  in  the  District   of  Columbia,  where  in  Sep 
te. nber  of  that  year  Robert  James  was  born,  Ohl) 
son  .md  second   child.      His  education   was  ob- 
tained at  Dr.  Smith's   School  at  Alexandria.   Di 
Vollmer'sat  Westchester  and  Bishop  Doan's  ' 
lege  at  Burlington,  N.  J.;  and,  his  parents  ha 
I   to  Philadelphia,  his  youth  was  lar( 
nt  their.      Being  devoted  to  out-do, .1   sports 
llj  to  hunting  and  fishing,  he  was 
traded    to    Central    Pennsylvani  1.      He    was   in 
business  foi    varying    periods  at  Howard,  at  Salt 
1  ii  k,  and  at  Snow  Shoe,  where  for  a   numb 
l  the   "  Mountain   lb  H< 

active    pari    in    politics,   refusing   the    m 
offers  of  his  neighbor  citizens,  serving   onlj 
1  hool  director.      1  Ii 
red   at    Snow    Shoe,   March   3,   [894,  dyinj 
suddenly  and    unexpectedly    while  sitting  talking 
to  Mi    I  ii  ak,  without    a    word   or  indica- 

1    pain.      Commenting    on    his    death 
paper  said:      "No    man    was  ever  kinder,  more 
is  than    Robert  J.  Ha 


. 


• 


ROBERT   J.    HAYHES. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHIC 'AL  RECORD. 


225 


indeed  he  was  the  balancing  wheel  for  the  whole 
community  in  which  he  lived,  with  a  pleasing 
personality  and  a  mind  as  liberal  as  the  mount- 
ains, on  which  he  loved  to  hunt  and  fish,  were 
broad;  he  was  liked  and  respected  by  young  and 
old,  rich  and  poor." 

A  friend  writing  of  Mr.  Haynes  from  Snow 
Shoe  said:  "  When  a  young  man,  fond  of  hunt- 
ing and  fishing,  he  started  for  the  West  branch 
of  the  Susquehanna,  then  abounding  with  fish, 
and  the  forests  along  its  banks  running  through 
Clearfield,  Centre  and  Clinton  counties,  abound- 
ing with  game.  His  first  landing  was  at  Schutac, 
in  Clinton  county;  thence  going  to  Salt  Lick, 
Clearfield  county,  where  he  married  Miss  Martha 
Watson.  After  his  marriage  he  returned  to  Salt 
Lick  and  started  in  the  mercantile  business.  At 
this  time  the  writer's  (a  boy  of  seven  years)  ac- 
quaintance began,  dating  back  to  1857  and  con- 
tinuing up  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  built  a 
large  and  commodious  house  at  Salt  Lick.  The 
friends  he  entertained  were  many,  and  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  accommodated  raftsmen,  so 
that  he  became  known  all  over  Clearfield  coun- 
ty. He  was  kind-hearted  and  of  a  jovial  disposi- 
tion. Well  do  we  remember  the  first  lesson  he 
gave  us,  the  skating  in  our  boyhood  days.  He 
enjoyed  immensely  to  get  a  crowd  of  young  peo- 
ple together  skating  or  playing,  and  he  was  gen- 
erally the  youngest  in  the  part  he  took  in  the 
crowd.  In  the  sick  room  he  was  grand.  His 
jovial  disposition  and  cheerfulness  would  make 
the  patient  forget  all  his  aches  and  pains,  and 
before  he  was  aware  of  it  would  be  sitting  up. 
The  writer  went  through  a  six-weeks'  spell  of 
sickness,  and  he  was  there  most  every  day.  His 
presence  was  worth  more  than  doctor's  prescrip- 
tions. About  twenty-five  years  ago  he  moved 
from  Salt  Lick  to  Snow  Shoe,  and  took  charge  of 
the  '  Mountain  House,'  and  remained  in  charge 
about  ten  years,  and  a  guest  once  stopping  there 
never  passed  the  house  without  stopping  while 
he  was  in  charge.  Such  was  the  reputation  he 
gave  the  house  far  and  wide.  After  leaving  the 
•Mountain  House  '  he  retired  to  private  life,  but 
his  fellow  citizens  called  him  to  office  in  township 
affairs,  justice  of  the  peace,  auditor,  school  di- 
rector, etc.  A  man  of  fine  social  qualities,  finely 
educated,  and  one  who  would  have  graced  our 
Legislative  halls  with  honor,  but  he  was  not  am- 
bitious for  political  honors.  He  was  a  Cyclope- 
dia of  knowledge,  a  great  reader,  and  was  well 
versed  in  transpiring  events.  His  death  brought 
a  public  loss  to  our  town  and  community.  Of 
all  the  men  I  ever  met  his  temper  was  the  most 
even;  always  the  same  kind,  genial  disposition. 
He  was  a  great  favorite  with  little  boys,  always 

15 


a  name  and  a  kind  word  for  them.  Liberal,  no 
subscription  paper  for  benevolent  or  charitable 
purposes  ever  left  his  hand  without  responding  to 
the  call.  His  familiar  face  will  be  missed  upon  the 
street  and  in  public  gatherings." 

On  January  2,  1855,  Mr.  Haynes  was  married 
to  Martha,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza  (Lucas  1 
Watson,  then  of  Karthaus,  Penn.,  and  their  sur- 
viving children  are:  William  Rotherock,  and 
Robert  James;  five  others  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs.  Haynes  was  born  in  Centre  county,  August 
28,  1837,  and  his  parents  were  also  born  there. 
Both  the  Watson  and  Lucas  families  were  early 
settlers  of  Boggs  township,  Centre  county. 


OBERT  J.  HAYNES.  The  thriving  little 
3l  village  of  Snow  Shoe  has  a  full  quota  of 
live,  energetic  and  persevering  business  men, 
among  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  gen- 
eral merchant.  He  is  a  native  of  Clearfield 
county,  Penn.,  born  in  Karthaus  township,  Oc- 
tober 3,  1863,  son  of  Robert  J.  and  Martha 
(Watson)  Haynes,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
above. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  began  working 
in  the  coal  mines  of  Snow  Shoe,  where  he  re- 
mained for  one  year.  During  the  following 
eight  months  he  drove  a  team  for  a  merchant  of 
that  place,  and  then  embarked  in  business  on  his 
own  account,  beginning  with  a  small  stock  of 
confectionery,  to  which  he  added  as  his  financial 
resources  increased,  until  he  had  an  excellent 
general  store,  which  he  successfully  conducted 
for  nine  years.  In  1891  he  opened  the  "  Karthaus 
House  "  in  Clearfield  county,  which  he  carried 
on  for  two  years,  but  on  the  death  of  his  father 
returned  to  Snow  Shoe,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  for  a  year  and  a  half.  On 
February  1,  1895,  he  purchased  the  mercantile 
establishment  of  Gillen  &  Murray,  and  has  since 
successfully  conducted  the  same,  having  by  fair 
and  honorable  dealing  built  up  an  excellent 
trade. 

In  June,  1892,  in  Clearfield,  Mr.  Haynes 
wedded  Miss  Gertrude  Smith,  a  daughter  of 
Squire  Joseph  S.  and  Margie  (Barthurst)  Smith, 
residents  of  Snow  Shoe.  Three  children  bless 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haynes,  namely: 
Elsie,  Eversley  H.  and  George  R.  In  politics 
Mr.  Haynes  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat, 
and  socially  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Lodge  No.  226,  Snow  Shoe,  which  he  has  repre- 
sented in  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  is  one  of  the 
prominent  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
community,    and  deserves  honored  place  in  the 


226 


CO.VMi:.\l')U.\TlVl-;  ISlouiiM'llIfM.   RECORD. 


record  of  the  best  people  of  Centre  county.  He 
is  an  excellent  marksman,  and  his  chief  recreation 
is   hunting. 

Wll  LIAW  K  Haynes,  a  brother  of  Robert  J., 
was  born  in  Howard,  March  23,  1857,  and  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  1S77,  during  which 
time  he  obtained  a  good  education  in  the  public 
schools.  He  began  his  business  career  as  an 
employee  of  the  Snow  Shoe  &  Bellefonte  Rail- 
road Company,  and  subsequently  weighed  coal 
for  Burrell,  White  &  Co.,  for  two  years,  while 
the  following  year  he  served  as  weighmaster  for 
the  Kado  Mining  Co.  In  1892  he  established 
his  present  saloon  at  Clarence,  Centre  county, 
which  he  has  since  carried  on  with  good  success. 
Like  his  brother,  he  supports  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party;  socially  he  holds  a  mem- 
bership with  the  Knights  "I  Pythias  at  Snow 
Shoe.  A  pleasant,  genial  gentleman,  he  has 
made  hosts  of  warm  friends  throughout  the 
county  where  he  is  so  well  known. 

On  August  28,  1877,  William  R.  Haynes  was 
married  to  Mary  E.  Gunsallus,  and  their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  seven  children:  Franklin; 
Robert;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
months;  Bessie;  Eversley,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Ida;  and  Ada,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 


M  se 


I.  KLINE.  Sometimes  "  Dame  Fortune  " 
A~-L  seems  to  test  to  the  utmost  the  courage  and 
endurance  of  her  followers  before  finally  turning 
upon  them  a  smiling  face.  In  the  life  of  Mr. 
Kline,  now  a  successful  merchant  of  Madison- 
burg,  Centre  county,  there  were  surely  hardships 
and  losses  enough  to  dishearten  any  ordinary 
youth,  and  his  history  furnishes  a  remarkable  ex- 
ample of  pluck  and  determination. 

Mr.  Kline  is  still  a  young  man,  having  been 
born  May  15,  1863,  in  the  Russian  province  of 
Finland.  His  parents,  who  were  of  Jewish 
scent,  were  poor,  and  the  death  of  the  father 
when  our  subject  was  but  two  and  one-half 
years  old,  left  the  mother  and  a  family  of  three 
boys  and  three  girls  to  make  a  livelihood  for 
themselves  Mr.  Kline  was  the  youngest  son 
and  fifth  child,  and  began  to  make  himself  use- 
ful at  an  early  age.  At  eleven  he  took  a  small 
stock  of  notions,  and  started  in  business  as  a 
peddler,  and  so  well  did  he  succeed  that  at  six- 
teen he  had  saved  $500.  This  seemed  to  justify 
an  enlargement  of  his  operations,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1879  he  purchased  a  horse  and  wagon  and  a 
stock  of  dry  goods;  but  in  a  few  weeks  after  un- 
dertaking this  new  line,  his  entire  outfit,  includ- 
ing the  horse  and  wagon,  was  stolen  from  a 
country  tavern  where  he  had  made  a  stop.       To 


a  man  such  a  loss  would  be  severe,  and  it  must 
have  been  overwhelming  to  a  boy  of  his  age  and 
inexperience.  He  had  but  $5.00  left,  and  his 
sad  predicament  excited  so  much  sympathy 
among  the  peasants  of  the  neighborhood  that, 
notwithstanding  their  poverty,  they  raised  $80, 
by  popular  subscription,  and  gave  it  to  him. 
With  this  he  bought  a  new  stock,  and  again  be- 
gan carrying  a  pack  on  his  back.  At  the  end  of 
a  year  he  had  $205  saved,  but  he  was  then  (in 
the  fall  of  1880)  compelled  to  enter  the  Russian 
military  service,  in  which  he  remained  five  years. 
The  pay  was  so  small  that  his  savings  were  ex- 
hausted before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  and 
when  he  was  again  free  to  enter  business  life  he 
decided  to  seek,  in  the  United  States,  a  better 
chance  than  his  own  country  afforded.  He  had 
a  brother,  Julius  Kline,  in  New  York,  who  sent 
him  $40  and  a  ticket,  and  thus  provided  for,  Mr 
Kline  sailed  from  Hamburg,  after  thirteen  days 
on  the  ocean  landing  in  New  York  in  the  latter 
part  of  March,  1885.  For  a  time  he  made  hi- 
home  with  his  brother,  a  fish  merchant  in  Hester 
street,  who  employed  him  as  a  clerk,  but  city  air 
and  life  proved  uncongenial,  and  Mr.  Kline  began 
to  long  for  the  country.  At  first  the  brother  was 
unwilling  to  let  him  go;  it  was  agreed,  however 
after  a  time  that,  Mr.  Kline  should  resume  hi> 
former  business  of  peddling.  He  could  not  yet 
speak  a  work  of  English,  but  in  June,  1885,  h< 
left  New  York  with  a  stock  of  goods  worth  forty 
dollars  which  his  brother  had  helped  him  to  pro- 
cure. His  destination  was  Kant/  P.  ().,near 
Selins  Grove,  Snyder  county,  where  a  cousin, 
Mr.  Milner,  resided,  but  naturally  the  young 
stranger,  ignorant  both  of  the  language  and  the 
countrv,  had  no  little  difficulty  in  finding  the  way 
there.  Mr.  Milner,  who  was  a  merchant,  en- 
couraged him  in  his  enterprise,  and  taught  him 
how  to  greet  people  whom  he  would  meet,  and 
to  say  "good  bye,"  and  although  for  some  t 
Mr,  Kline  was  apt  to  use  the  words  of  salutation 
in  a  hap-hazard  way.he  gradually  became  famil- 
iar with  their  use  and  added  others  to  his  vocah- 

Mr  Kline  Lit  Kant/  P.  O.  with  his  pack  on 
his  hack,  and  started  for  Centre  county;  but  not 
being  very  strong  the  weight  soon  told  upon  him. 
To  add  to  his  discomfort  he  contracted  ague,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1886,  while  at  Madisonburg,  ha 
was  taken  seriously  ill.  It  being  evident  that  he 
could  not  continue  to  carry  a  pack,  some  kind 
friends  assisted  him  to  get  a  horse  and  wagon. 
The  former  cost  $22.50  at  a  sale  in  lVnn  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  and  the  wagon  was  pur- 
chased from  L.  B.  Stover,  of  Madisonburg, 
$15,      With  this  equipment   Mr.   Kline  made  an- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


227 


other  start  and  fortunately  no  more  reverses 
were  met,  and  in  the  spring  of  1894  he  had  be- 
come so  prosperous  that  he  decided  to  open  a 
store.  During  the  first  year  in  the  United  States 
he  bought  his  goods  from  Mr.  Milner,  as  he  had 
not  the  ready  cash  with  which  to  purchase  in 
New  York  to  the  amount  that  he  desired;  but 
later  he  readily  secured  loans  from  substantial 
citizens  of  this  section  and  was  enabled  to  buy 
his  goods  to  better  advantage.  On  establishing 
himself  in  Madisonburg,  Mr.  Kline  spent  several 
months  in  settling  up  his  accounts,  and  Septem- 
ber 20,  1894,  he  opened  a  general  store,  where 
he  has  already  built  up  a  large  and  profitable 
trade.  His  establishment  is  a  model  of  neatness, 
comparing  favorably  with  any  in  this  section,  not 
even  excepting  those  in  the  largest  towns.  It 
speaks  well  for  his  honesty  and  fair  dealing  with 
the  past  that  he  could  settle  among  his  former 
patrons  and  command  their  custom,  and  his 
straightforward  yet  courteous  manner  wins  the 
confidence  of  all  who  meet  him.  Considering 
the  short  length  of  time  that  he  has  been  in  the 
locality,  his  rise  to  a  place  among  the  leading 
merchants  of  Brush  Valley  is  extraordinary. 

Mr.  Kline's  prosperity  has  not  caused  him  to 
forget  his  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  old  country. 
He  has  helped  them  in  a  substantial  way,  send- 
ing several  hundreds  of  dollars  at  various  times. 
Three  of  the  family  are  now  in  the  United  States 
— a  sister,  Gussie  (Mrs.  Jacob  Goldstein),  being 
a  resident  of  Paterson,  N.  J.  On  October  7, 
1897,  Mr.  Kline  was  married  to  Miss  Rachel 
Paris,  of  Altoona,  Penn.  As  a  public-spirited 
citizen  he  is  interested  in  political  questions,  but 
he  is  not  an  active  worker.  While  sympathizing 
in  the  main  with  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  he  votes  for  the  "best  man"  as  occasion 
arises. 


EjMJWARD  ALLISON.  If  the  title  of  "  lead- 
__^  ing  farmer"  can  consistently  be  given  to  any 
one  agriculturist  of  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  certainly  de- 
serves it.  He  belongs  to  one  of  the  prominent 
and  representative  families  of  Penn's  Valley, 
which  has  borne  an  important  part  in  the  upbuild- 
ing and  development  of  this  region,  and  has 
done  much  to  promote  its  moral  and  material 
welfare.  On  the  farm  which  is  still  his  home  Mr. 
Allison  was  born,  August  2,  1855,  a  son  of  Hon. 
William  and  Sarah  A.  (McNitt)  Allison,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  1877,  the  latter  on 
December  18,   1896. 

In    a  subscription   school   at    Potters    Mills, 
our  subject  began    his   education    under    the   in- 


struction of  Frank  Hess,  and  continued  to  pur- 
sue his  studies  in  the  district  schools  until  the 
fall  of  1871,  when  he  entered  the  State  College, 
where  he  was  a  diligent  student  for  three  years. 
The  knowledge  that  he  thus  acquired  has  been 
greatly  supplemented  by  extensive  reading  and 
observation  in  later  years,  and  he  is  well-informed 
on  all  the  leading  questions  and  topics  of  the 
day.  On  leaving  the  school  room,  Mr.  Allison 
returned  to  the  home  farm,  which  he  has  since 
successfully  operated,  and  is  also  engaged  in  look- 
ing after  the  extensive  interets  of  the  family  in 
and  around  Potters  Mills,  his  sister  Lillie  Eliza- 
beth living  with  him.  In  addition  to  his  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  he  was  connected  with  his  broth- 
ers, William  and  Archibald,  in  a  woolen-factory 
up  to  about  1892,  which  proved  a  paying  invest- 
ment. He  is  a  wide-awake,  energetic  business 
man,  a  progressive  farmer,  and  always  secures 
the  best  results  from  his  labors. 

Since  casting  his  first  vote,  Mr.  Allison  has 
been  a  firm  adherent  of  Republican  principles, 
taking  a  deep  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party, 
but  is  no  politician  in  the  sense  of  office-seeking. 
He  always  attends  and  supports  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  "Ed,"  as  he  is  familiarly  known  by 
his  hosts  of  friends,  is  unassuming,  and  well 
liked  by  all  who  know  him,  and  is  a  worthy  rep- 
resentative of  the  honored  family  to  which  he 
belongs. 


HEZEKIAH  K.  HOY,  who  is  prominently 
identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Benner  township,  Centre  county,  was  born  in 
1835,  a  son  of  John  and  Susannah  (Hoy)  Hoy, 
who  came  from  Union  county,  Penn.,  as  did  also 
the  grandparents  of  our  subject.  By  trade  the 
father  was  a  miller,  which  occupation  he  con- 
tinued to  follow  until  1840,  when  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Benner  township,  on  a  portion  of  which 
Hezekiah  H.  now  resides.  He  died  in  1864,  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  forty-six. 

Their  family  comprised  eight  children,  in  or- 
der of  birth  as  follows:  Henry,  born  in  1829, 
died  in  1895,  in  Arkansas,  where  his  family  still 
make  their  home;  Lydia  married  Jacob  Hartman, 
and  died  in  1893,  leaving  a  family  who  reside  in 
Illinois;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  John  Rishel,  a 
farmer  of  Centre  county,  Penn. ;  Hezekiah  K.  is 
next  in  order  of  birth;  Catharine  is  the  wife  of 
John  Houser;  Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Mil- 
ler; Susannah  is  the  wife  of  Michael  Corman,  of 
Walker  township,  Centre  county;  and  Emeline  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Fravel,  of  College  township. 
Centre  county. 


228 


<<im.vi:m<>i;a tivr  biographical  record. 


The  boyhood  and  youth  oi  our  subject  were 
passed  after  the  manner  of  most  farmers  sons, 
he  aiding  in  the  labors  of  the  fields  and  attending 
the  district  schools  when  his  services  were  not 
needed  at  home.  He  chose  tanning  as  his  life 
occupation,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  old 
homestead,  a  tract  of  1 38A  acres.  The  well 
tilled  fields  and  neat  appearance  of  the  place 
show  his  careful  supervision,  and  the  neat  and 
commodious  building  are  models  of  convenience. 
In  i860  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Fishburn,  and 
eight  children  have  come  to  bless  their  union, 
namely:  Ettie,  born  in  1861,  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Austin  Shuey,  of  Prospect,  Ohio;  Anna  M.  is  the 
wife  of  Grant  Pifer,  a  clerk  in  a  railroad  office  in 
Wilkinsburg,  Allegheny  Co.,  Penn.;  Catharine 
and  Harry  (twins),  the  former  being  the  wife  of 
Rev.  W.  J.  Wagner,  of  Muncy,  Lycoming  Co., 
Penn.,  while  the  latter  married  Sally  Garbrick; 
Jacob  and  Minerva  (twins)  are  next  in  order  of 
birth;  Ursinus  11  married  Blanche  Dale,  and 
lives  in  Benner  township,  Centre  county;  and 
1  aroline  is  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr  Hoy  has  ever  been  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  principle's  ol  the  Democratic 
party,  and  favors  the  free  coinage  of  silver.  He 
is  a  valued  citizen  of  the  community,  has  been 
an  active  agent  in  promoting  the  various  schemes 
for  its  advancement,  and  has  taken  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  administration  of  public  affairs.  He 
is  an  earnest  and  useful  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  upright  and  honorable  in  all  th> 
lations  of  life. 


FELIX  BURKHOLDER  (deceased,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  prominent  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  "I  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  where  his  memory  is  held  in  reverence 
and  honor.  A  native  of  the  Keystone  State,  he 
was  born  January  4,  1806,  in  Annville  township, 
Lebanon  county,  and  was  a  son  of  Felix  Burk- 
holder,  Sr. ,  who  never  lived  in  Centre  county, 
but  often  visited  his  son  after  his  removal  to  the 
county.  In  the  family  were  four  sons  and  three 
dan  if  whom,  out  subject    is   the  fourth  in 

order  of  birth.  His  father  being  111  comfortable 
circumstances  he  was  provided  with  fair  educa- 
tional advantages,  but  generally  attended  schools 
where  only  German  was  taught. 

On  February  7,  [833,  in  the  county  of  his  na- 
tivity, Mr.  Burkholder  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mi>s  Elizabeth  Meyer,  who  w'as  born  in 
Annville  township,   Lebanon    county,    December 

[807,  and  was  the  fourth  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Elizabeth  Meyer.  They  began  their  domestic 
life    in    Dauphin   county,    this   State,  where    Mr. 


Hurkholder  engaged  in  milling  for  a  number  o! 
years,  and  where  were  born  to  them  the  follow- 
ing children:  Mary,  born  Jannary  9,  1835,  died 
on  the  29th  of  the  following  February.  John, 
born  April  13,  1836,  was  a  miller  by  trade,  and 
died  September 23,  1893,  in  Miami  county,  Ohio, 
where  his  family  are  still  living.  The  next  child 
died  unnamed.  Catharine,  born  September  6, 
1838,  is  a  resident  of  Centre  Hill,  Centre  coun- 
ty. Felix  M.,  born  September  24,  1839,  died 
May  24,   1893.      Elizabeth  is  the  youngest. 

In  the  spring  of  1*40  the  family  migrated  to 
Centre  county,  traveling  by  boat  through  the 
canals  to  Lewistown,  and  thence  by  wagon  tp 
their  destination.  Mr.  Burkholder  rented  what 
is  known  as  the  Red  Mill  in  Potter  township, 
which  he  successfully  conducted  until  the  spring 
of  [860,  when  he  purchased  the  William  Milh- 
gan  farm  near  Centre  Hill,  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits  for  the  first  time, 
having  engaged  in  milling  for  over  thirty  years 
with  good  success.  Upon  that  farm  he  spent  his 
remaining  days,  dying  on  the  7th  of  May,  1883. 
and  now  lies  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Tussey- 
ville.  His  wife,  who  survived  him  for  some  time, 
passed  away  |nlv  26,  1S93,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
by  his  side. 

After  coming  to  Centre  county,  the  family 
circle  was  increased  by  the  birth  of  four  children, 
the' oldest  of  whom,  a  son,  died  in  infancy,  un- 
named; Michael  M  ,  born  March  5,  1843,  is  a 
farmer  of  Potter  township;  Elizabeth,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1844,  married  Daniel  Seltzer,  by 
whom  she  had  one  child— Elmer  B.,  who  was 
born  September  12,  1868,  and  died  October  1; 
1876  (she  and  her  sister  now  make  their  home  to 
gether  in  Centre  Hill,  where  they  have  mam 
warm  friends);  Mary,  the  youngest  in  the  family. 
was  born  August  12,  1849,  and  died  September 
10,  1887. 

Mr.  Hurkholder  was  an  energetic,  hard-work- 
ing man,  who  met  with  success  in  his  business 
ventures  by  honest  and  fair  dealing,  and  whose 
word  was  ever  considered  as  good  as  his  bond. 
His  wife  was  ,1  consistent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  although  not  connected  with 
any  religious  denomination  he  was  a  great  Bible 
student,  and  gave  liberally  to  the  support  I 
Churches.  In  politics  he  was  an  ardent  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party. 


FM.  BURKHOLDER   (deceased)  was  one 
the  valued   and   highly  esteemed   cit 
Potter  township,  Centn    county,      lb-   was  born 
September  24,  1839,  in  Derry  township.  Dauphin 
I  1    .   Penn.,  but  in   infancy   was   brought  to 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2l>9 


tre  county  by  his  parents,  Felix  and  Elizabeth 
(Meyer)  Burkholder.  Although  he  never  served 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  miller's  trade,  he  learned 
that  business  while  assisting  his  father  in  the 
operation  of  his  mill,  but  throughout  his  early 
life  was  principally  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits upon  the  home  farm. 

While  cradling  wheat  during  the  harvest  of 
1 86 1,  Mr.  Burkholder  sprained  his  left  leg  in 
such  a  way  as  to  necessitate  its  amputation  five 
years  later,  and  for  two  or  three  years  during 
that  interval  he  suffered  untold  agony  and  was 
obliged  to  use  crutches.  His  early  education 
was  somewhat  limited,  but  after  the  loss  of  his 
limb  he  resolved  to  further  continue  his  studies 
in  order  to  support  himself  by  teaching,  and  at- 
tended school  at  various  places,  including  Penn 
Hall,  Millersville  and  Potters  Mills.  Obtaining 
a  certificate,  he  successfully  engaged  in  teaching 
some  nine  years,  and  became  one  of  the  leading 
educators  of  Potter  township. 

In  Centre  Hall,  September  7,  1876,  Mr. 
Burkholder  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Mc- 
Clintock, who  was  born  in  Potter  township,  June 
11,  1845,  an<f  's  one  °f  *ne  four  children  of 
Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Reichlev)  McClintock, 
the  others  being  Sarah  C. ,  wife  of  William  H. 
Mapes,  of  Camden  county,  N.  J.;  Samuel  K., 
of  Harris  township,  Centre  county;  and  Ann  E. , 
who  died  in  childhood.  '  The  McClintock  family 
is  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Burkholder  being  a  native  of  the 
North  of  Ireland.  Her  grandfather,  Samuel 
McClintock,  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer.  The 
father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  in  Potter 
township  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  the  mother 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  and  they  now  rest  in 
the  Sprucetown  cemetery.  In  religious  belief 
they  were  Methodists,  and  were  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  community  in  which  they  made 
their  home. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Burkholder  located  on 
the  same  property  where  his  widow  still  resides. 
He  remodeled  the  house,  erected  a  good  barn,  and 
made  that  place  his  home  until  his  death  on  May 
24,  1893.  His  remains  were  interred  intheTus- 
seyville  cemetery.  About  1873  he  commenced 
the  sale  of  agricultural  implements  throughout 
Centre  county,  and  became  quite  a  successful 
agent.  This  business  gave  him  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance, and  his  circle  of  friends  was  extensive. 
His  funeral  was  the  largest  ever  held  in  Centre 
Hill,  people  coming  from  miles  around  to  pay 
their  last  tribute  to  the  deceased,  whom  all  hon- 
ored and  respected  for  his  sterlingworth  and  many 
excellent  traits  of  character.  He  was  a  success- 
ful business  man,  leaving  to  his  family  a  comfort- 


able competence;  a  kind  husband  and  a  loving  fa- 
ther, whose  interests  centered  around  his  home. 
An  earnest  Christian,  he  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  was  serving  as 
elderat  the  time  of  his  death.  His  political  sup- 
portwas  given  the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Burk- 
holder still  resides  at  the  home  left  her,  and  in 
the  settlement  of  her  husband's  affairs  displayed 
excellent  business  ability.  She  is  a  lady  who  has 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  her,  and  her  circle 
of  friends  is  only  limited  by  her  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Burkholder,  their  names  and  dates  of  birth  being 
as  follows:  EffieE.,  March  13,  1878;  Morris  A., 
October  20,  1879;  Wilbur  E.,  July  4,  1881; 
Harry  F. ,  May  13.  1883;  and  Amnion  R.,  April 
3,  1886 — all  at  home  except  Morris,  who  is  work- 
ing on  a  farm,  and  Wilbur,  who  is  attending 
school. 


SOLOMON  PECK,  senior  member  of  the  well- 
known  mercantile  firm  of  Peck  &  Son,  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  commercial, 
industrial  and  agricultural  interests  of  Huston, 
Centre  county,  and  vicinity  for  many  years.  His 
honorable  business  methods  and  untiring  energy 
have  brought  to  him  a  well-merited  success,  and 
have  been  of  material  benefit  to  the  community 
by  advancing  its  interests. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  born  in 
Dauphin  county,  September  21,  1837,  and  in 
1846  was  brought  to  Centre  county  by  his  par- 
ents, Simon  and  Mary  Ann  (Singer)  Peck,  the 
former  a  native  of  Dauphin  county,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Perry  county,  Penn.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents, Conrad  and  Barbara  (Lyter)  Peck,  were 
also  born  in  Dauphin  county. 

Our  subject  is  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  as  follows:  (1)  Sarah 
A.  is  the  wife  of  George  Rossman,  a  laborer  of 
Illinois,  to  which  State  they  removed  in  1888, 
and  they  have  five  children.  (3)  Anna  M.  is 
the  wife  of  Ira  C.  Walker,  a  farmer,  by  whom 
she  has  one  child,  and  they  removed  from  Cen- 
tre county  to  Illinois  in  1865.  (4)  Conrad, 
born  April  23,  1 84 1 ,  married  Lydia  Arney,  of 
Centre  Hall,  Centre  county,  by  whom  he  has 
three  daughters,  and  they  have  made  their  home 
upon  a  farm  in  Kansas  since  1883.  (5)  Cath- 
arine, born  September  6,  1843,  is  the  wife  of 
Nathaniel  Bowersox,  a  farmer  of  Brush  Valley, 
Centre  county,  and  they  have  eight  children. 
(6)  Anna  E.  is  the  wife  of  J.  I.  Jones,  a  farmer, 
by  whom  she  has  two  children,  and  they  have 
lived  in  Kansas  since  1887.  (7)  Joseph,  born 
August  15,   1848,  married  Minerva  Spangler,    by 


280 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


whom  he  has  two  daughters,  and  is  a  farmer  of 
Kansas,  to  which  State  he  removed  in  1878. 
Barbara,  born  May  II,  1851,  married  Sam- 
uel Leopold,  of  Sugar  Valley,  Penn.,  but  they 
now  live  on  a  farm  in  Missouri.  (9)  Martin, 
born  December  3,  1853,  married  Magdalene 
Weaver,  by  whom  he  has  two  daughters,  and  on 
leaving  Centre  count)-  in  1880  went  to  Kansas, 
but  finally  located  upon  a  farm  in  Missouri.  (IO) 
Austin,  a  farmer  of  Illinois,  born  June  25,  1857, 
married  Alice  Snyder,  by  whom  he  has  one  son. 
(iii  Myron,  born  May  20,  i860,  is  married  and 
living  upon  a  farm  in   Kansas. 

After  obtaining  a  good  practical  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Centre  county,  Mr.  Peck, 
the  subject  of  this  review,  learned  the  cabinet 
maker's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  1885, 
when  he  embarked  in  merchandising  in  Huston; 
he  is  also  engaging  in  undertaking  and  fanning. 
He  is  a  wide-awake,  enterprising  business  man, 
of  known  reliability,  and  his  straightforward, 
honorable  course  has  gained  him  the  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He 
married  Miss  May  E.,  daughter  of  John  Wolf, 
of  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Edwin  J.,  who  was  born  June  18, 
i860,  and  is  now  connected  with  his  father  in 
business.  On  May  23,  1893,  the  son  was  wed- 
ded to  Miss  Tillie  E.  Yearick,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Yearick,  a  retired  farmer  of  Marion,  Cen- 
tre county.  One  child  blesses  this  union  —  Earl 
Henry,  born  June  24,    1894. 

A  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views,  well  in- 
formed on  the  leading  issues  and  questions  of  the 
day,  our  subject  is  one  of  the  prominent,  influen- 
tial citizens  of  Walker  township.  In  connection 
with  his  store  in  Huston,  he  also  owns  a  fine 
farm  just  a  half  mile  from  the  city  limits,  but 
makes  his  home  in  the  village.  A  strong  1  >emo- 
crat  in  politics,  he  has  been  honored  by  Ins 
party  with  several  official  positions  of  honor  and 
trust,  including  those  of  county  auditor,  overseer 
of  the  poor,  school  director,  and  justice  of  the 
peace  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  ami  it  is  needless 
to  say  that  bis  duties  were  ever  promptly  and 
faithfully  performed.  Religiously,  he  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  German  Reformed  Church.  He 
bears  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  Governor 
Altgeld,  of  Illinois. 


G^EORGE  SHAFFER,  one  of  the  few  surviv- 
__\  orsof  the  brave  bind  of  pioneers  who  took 
an  active  part  in  transforming  Brush  Valley  from 
a  primitive  wilderness  to  a  region  of  fertile  farms, 
is  now  the  oldest  citizen  in  the  vicinity  oi  Madi- 
sonburg.   Under  his  observant  eyes  great  changes 


have  taken  place,  and  it  is  interesting  to  listen  t< 
his  reminiscences  of  the  early  days,  his  clear  and 
active  mind  retaining  well    the   memories  of  bis 
youth. 

Mr.  Shaffer  is  a  native  of  Brush  Valley,  hav- 
ing been  born  at  the  old  Shaffer  homestead  near 
Madisonburg,  December  1,  1 8 1  1 ,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  well-known  pioneer  family.  Hi^ 
grandfather,  John  Adam  Shaffer,  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  October  31,  1752,  and  did 
gallant  service  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  He 
was  second  lieutenant  of  a  company  of  Associa- 
tors,  during  the  campaign  of  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton in  1776-77,  and  was  noted  for  his  Herculean 
fame,  being  the  strongest  man  in  the  company. 
He  came  from  York  county,  Penn.,  with  a 
brother,  Nicholas,  and  settled  in  Brush  Valley 
about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  pur- 
chasing the  interest  of  Valentine  Ertle's  in  a  tract 
of  land  one-half  mile  east  of  Madisonburg,  where 
he  passed  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occurring 
January  14,  1840.  He  was  married  in  York 
county  to  Elizabeth  Klinefelder,  a  native  of  that 
county,  born  December  27,  1760.  She  died  in 
November,  1835,  an<^  tne  remains  of  both  v. 
interred  at  Madisonburg.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  record  is  given: 
John  died  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county; 
Michael  in  Walker  township,  Centre  county; 
Ceorge  in  Indiana;  Jacobin  Ohio;  Adam  and 
Samuel  in  Pennsylvania;  Barbara  in  Ohio; 
Catherine  in  York  county,  Penn. ;  Lizzie  in 
Indiana;  live  in  Venango  county,  Penn.,  and 
Magdalena  in   Ohio. 

fudge  John  Shaffer,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  York  county,  [anuary  31,  1780,  and 
a  young  man  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Brush  Valley,  where  he  made  his  permanent 
home,  his  death  occurring  at  the  farm  near  Madi- 
sonburg,  September  21,  1851.  He  was  well 
known  throughout  Centre  county,  and  was  in- 
fluential politically  as  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  served  four  terms  as  count) 
commissioner,  and  was  associate  judge  of  Centre 
county  from  1 84 1  to  1 846.  At  one  time  he 
owned  five  thousand  acres  of  mountain  land 
which  he  sold  in  portions  at  different  times.  He 
was  prominent    in    the  Lutheran  Church, 

deacon  and  elder,  and  in    fact  took  an  active 
part  in   all    progressive    movements   of  that 
and    locality.       Well  built     physically,    he    t 
pride  in  the  fact    and   in  the  resemblance   ol  all 
his  sons  in  this  respect.      He    was   married  (fit 
in  Penn  s   Valley   to    Miss    Eve    Frank,  daugh 
of     Philip    Frank,    of    Aaronsburg.     The    tl 
children  of   this  union  —  John,   Daniel,  and  Eli 
beth  1  Mrs.  Frederick  Johnsonbaugh) — all  did  10 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


231 


Indiana.  Their  mother  died  and  was  buried  at 
Rebersburg,  and  Judge  Shaffer  afterward  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Kren,  who  was  born  October  9, 
1778,  and  died  January  16,  1867.  Of  their  fam- 
ily, our  subject  was  the  eldest;  (2)  Catherine, 
widow  of  Edward  Houtz,  resides  in  Gregg  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  (3)  Adam  will  be  mentioned 
elsewhere;  (4)  Sarah  married  Michael  Hazel,  and 
died  in  Brush  Valley;  (5)  Andrew  died  at  Madi- 
sonburg;  (6)  Joseph  resides  in  Nittany  Valley; 
17)  Philip  died  in  Illinois;  (8)  Hannah,  widow  of 
Samuel  Royer,  lives  in  Indiana;  (9)  Susanna, 
widow  of  Samuel  Winter,  resides  at  Kramers- 
ville. 

George  Shaffer,  our  subject,  passed  his  youth 
upon  his  father's  farm,  his  time  being  largely  em- 
ployed in  clearing  and  burning  brush.  There 
were  no  free  schools  in  his  time,  and  he  never  had 
a  day  in  an  English  school.  At  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-four he  married  Miss  Lydia  Wolfe,  who  was 
born  in  November,  1807,  the  daughter  of  Anthony 
Wolfe.  Three  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
(1)  Daniel  E.  served  in  the  Civil  war  in  Company 
A,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  as  first  lieutenant,  but  was 
taken  ill  while  at  the  front  and  returned  home, 
where  he  died  September  12,  1864;  (2)  Rosetta 
married  Abraham  Lukenbach,  and  died  at  Rock- 
ville,  Penn. ,  April  23,  1862;  and  (3)  George  W. 
died  in  Missouri.  The  mother  of  this  little  fam- 
ily, who  was  a  devout  Lutheran  in  faith,  died 
November  10,  1862,  and  her  remains  lie  in  the 
cemetery  at  Madisonburg.  Mr.  Shaffer  for  his 
second  wife  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Peter 
Rodebaugh  and  widow  of  William  Bair,  who  was 
at  one  time  a  merchant  and  hotel  keeper  at  Madi- 
sonburg. She  was  born  October  16,  181 5,  and 
died  at  Madisonburg  November  29,  1894,  leaving 
no  children  by  this  union.  She  belonged  to  the 
Reformed  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Shaffer  is  a 
leading  member,  having  held  various  offices.  To 
one  Church  he  has  given  $1,000,  including  the 
bell  and  other  fixtures  donated  by  himself  and 
his  wife. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Shaffer  remained 
five  years  at  the  old  home,  and  then  bought  a 
portion  of  the  farm  and  put  up  suitable  buildings 
for  his  use.  He  followed  agriculture  there  until 
i860  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  near  Madison- 
burg and  continued  his  work.  In  1889  he  gave 
up  the  active  management  of  the  estate,  and  in 
his  eighty-third  year  he  ceased  to  do  the  various 
chores  with  which  he  had  whiled  away  a  portion 
of  his  time.  Thus  the  evening  of  his  life  is  spent 
in  peaceful  contemplation  of  the  past,  and  the 
hope  of  the  future  reunion  with  his  loved  ones 
who  have  preceded  him  to  the  "better  land." 

Mr.  Shaffer  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has 


voted  for  every  Presidential  candidate  of  his  party 
from  Andrew  Jackson  down.  He  has  always 
been  a  valued  counselor  in  the  local  organization, 
and  has  held  various  township  offices. 


S\AMUEL  HOOVER,  a  leading  citizen  and 
)  extensive  farmer  and  cider  manufacturer,  re- 
siding at  Hannah  Furnace,  Taylor  township. 
Centre  county,  was  born  February  21,  1838,  in 
York  county,  Penn.,  of  which  county  his  parents, 
Philip  and  Lena  (Grenewolt)  Hoover,  were  also 
natives,  the  former  born  July  27,  18 10,  and  the 
latter  February  3,  18 16.  In  1841  they  removed 
to  Huntingdon  county,  where  they  remained  un- 
til the  spring  of  1850,  when  theywent  to  Tyrone, 
Blair  Co.,  Penn.,  and  in  the  spring  of  i860  came 
to  Centre  county,  locating  on  the  farm  where 
our  subject  now  resides.  The  father  was  a 
prominent  and  wealthy  farmer,  and  held  several 
local  positions  of  honor  and  trust  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned.  Politically,  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  attended  the  Lutheran  Church,  in 
which  his  wife  held  membership.  Both  died  on 
the  farm  at  Hannah  Furnace,  the  father  on  De- 
cember 23,  1871,  and  the  mother  on  April  20, 
1888.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Henry  Hoover,  and  the  maternal  grandfather 
were  of  German  descent,  and  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  York  county,  this  State. 

Samuel  Hoover  is  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  ten  children,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows: Susan,  born  January  22,  1833,  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months;  Henry,  born  July  1,  1835, 
died  in  Texas  while  serving  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war;  Daniel,  born  May  4,  1840, 
died  from  effects  of  fever  contracted  in  the  army; 
Philip,  born  October  29,  1843,  was  a  Union  sol- 
dier, and  is  now  engaged  in  the  butchering  busi- 
ness in  Arizona;  John,  born  April  6,  1845,  con- 
ducts a  meat  market  in  Blair  county,  Penn. ;  Zach- 
ariah,  born  October  25,  1847,  died  at  Tyrone, 
Penn.,  by  being  thrown  from  a  mule;  George  M., 
born  April  4,  1850,  died  of  fever;  James  F.,  born 
April  14,  1853,  died  of  typhoid  fever;  and  Alex- 
ander, born  November  27,  1855,  is  a  farmer  of 
Centre  county. 

While  quietly  an  inmate  of  his  father's  house, 
the  storm  of  civil  war  broke  over  the  country, 
and  in  response  to  the  call  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment for  men,  Samuel  Hoover  enlisted  in 
1861,  in  Company  C,  14th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Cap- 
tain Crouder,  and  remained  in  the  service  until 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  three  months.  Re- 
turning home,  he  there  remained  until  1863, 
when  he  embarked  in  the  dairy  business  at  Al- 
toona,  Penn.,  but  in  1864  enlisted    for   one   year 


282 


COMMEMOBA  TIYF  BIOO R M-ll KM.   RECORD. 


In  Company  C,  208th  P.  Y.  I.,  which  was  or- 
ganized   at    Harrisburg,    Penn.,    September    13, 

I.  and  u;^  assigned  to  the-  First  Brigade, 
Third  Division,  Ninth  Army  Corps.  He  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at  Camp 
1  mini,  and  participated  in  many  battles  and 
skirmishes,  including  tiie  engagements  .it  I  orl 
Steadman,  Petersburg  and  Appomattox.  He  was 
never  wounded,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he 
received  an  honorable  discharge  and  returned 
home,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 

On  December  25,  1862.  Mr.  Hoover  was  mar- 
1 1'  I  t<>  Rosanna  V.  Rush,  who  was  born  in  1839, 
and  died  in  1869.  Three  children  graced  this 
union:  William  T.,  now  engaged  in  the  imple- 
ment busim  ss  at  Port  Matilda,  Penn,  ;  Sallie,  at 
home;  and  Philip  A.,  also  at  home,  who  married 
Flora  Heckwith,  and  has  one  son,  Samuel  L.  On 
February  9.  1872,  Mr  Hoover,  (<>r  his  second 
wife,  wedded  Mrs.  Maria  Keys  Benn,  widow  of 
[osiah  Benn,  by  whom  she  has  one  daughter, 
Anna,  now  the  wile  of  Harry  Chaney,  general 
managerof  a  coal  mine  at  Broadtop,  Penn.  By 
bis  second  marriage,  Mr  Hoover  had  two  chil- 
dren: Olga  F.,  now  deceased:  and  Linnie  K.. 
at    home. 

Mrs.  Hoover  is  a  nativi  ol  (  entre  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  George  O.  and  Mm  David- 
Keys.  The  former  was  bom  m  New  York, 
January  ;.  1 788,  was  a  scholarly  gentleman,  a 
school  teacher  by  profession,  and  an  artist  of 
considerable  prominence.  He  held  membership 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  a 
pronounced  Republican  in  politics.  His  death 
occurred  August  4,  1855,  and  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Hoover  departed  this  life  June  21,  1874.  She 
was  born  in  Centre  county,  Penn.;  September  18, 
1800,  and  was  a  daughter  ol  [ames  and  Rebecca 
Brown)  Davidson,  natives  of  Ireland  anil  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  Penn.,  respectively.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  Mrs.  Hoover  were  Jacob  and 
Jemima  Keys,  who  came  to  America  from  Eng- 
land, and  located  in  New  York  City,  where  the 
grandfather  engaged  in  merchandising  through 
out  his  remaining  days. 

To   I  O    and    Mar)      Davidson)    Keys 

were  born  nine  children:  Andrew  |.  is  deceased. 
Dr.  William  S.  H.  was  bom  111  Centre  county, 
in  1826,  and  attended  the  Lewistown  Academy. 
He  became  a  minister  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  and  in  recognition  of  his  scholarship  and 
theological  eminence  the  degrees  of  .\  M,  and 
1).  I)  were  conferred  upon  him  by  Otterbein 
University  of  Lebanon,  Penn.  In  1S78  he  left 
that  Church  and  joined  the  Presbyterian,  of 
which  he  was  ever  afterward   a    prominent   min- 


ister.     He    died    at   the   age  of  sixty-six   ye; 
Rebecca  J.,  the  third  child,  is  now  the  widow  of 
George    Sharrer,  of  Philadelphia.      David   is  de- 
ceased.     Maria  is   the  wile   of   our   subject.       \1- 
mira  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Condo,  a  carpenter  of 

i.  1'.  1111.  Harriet  ( ).  married  Adam  <  i 
but  both  are  now  deceased.  [ames  W.  is  a  pat- 
ternmaker of  Harrisburg.  Penn.  The  father  of 
this  family  was  twice  married,  his  first  union  be- 
ing  with  Eliza  Funk,  who  was  born  April  28, 
[788,  and  died  August  27.  1822.  Two  children 
wire  born  to  them:  Henry  K  .  now  deceased; 
and  George  \\  ..  now  a  fanner  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  and  Mrs    11 ei    occupy  a  most  eh 

residence,  situated  on  an  elevation  and  com- 
manding a  hue  view  ol  the  surrounding  beautiful 
country.  There  they  delighl  to  entertain  their 
many   friends,   their   latchstring    alw  ing 

out.  Politically,  he  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and 
socially  is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  Post 
at  I'vrone,  and  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at  Port 
Matilda,  Penn.  A  man  of  unquestioned  in' 
rity  in  business  and  social  circles,  be  stands  de- 
servedly high,  and  has  tin-  happy  facult)  "t 
easily  making  friends  and  always  retaining  them. 


THOMAS  BOWMAN  BUDINGER.  The 
industrial  and  commercial  history  of  Centre 
county  would  be  very  incomplete  and  unsatisfac- 
tory without  a  personal  and  somewhat  extended 
mention  of  those  whose  lives  are  interwoven 
closely  with  the  business  development  of  tin 
State.  Mr.  Budinger  has  been  prominentl) 
identified  with  various  enterprises  of  Centre 
county,  and  his  business  record  is  one  that  an) 
man  might  be  proud  to  possess  Beginning  at 
the  very  bottom  round  of  the  ladder,  he  has  ad- 
vanced steadily  step  by  step  until  he  now  occu- 
pies a  position  of  prominence. 

Mr    Budinger  was  born  in    Lycoming  count) 
Penn.,   December  13,    1832.  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and   Lucretia    1  Hoffman)    Budinger,    natives 
ol  Luzerne  counts.    Penn.      Emigrating   to   Ly- 
coming countv.  they  located   near  Williamsport, 
where  the  father  engaged  in    the  lumber  business 
ami  farming.       His  wife  died   there    in    1894,  but 
he  is  still  residing  on  tin-  old  homestead.     Their 
children    are:      Sarah  E.   is   the   deceased  wife  of 
D.    Y.    Plummer,    who   is  engaged  in    the  mail 
service   in    Williamsport,    Penn.;    Johanna  L.    is 
the  wife   of  James  O'Brien,    proprietor  of 
••  Llkins  Hotel,"  at  Elkins,  W.    Va.;Thomas  B 
comes  next  in  the  order  ol    birth,    Philip   is   now 
engaged  in  fruit  growing  in    Los    Angeles,    Cal 
and  William  is  engaged   in  the  livery  business  in 
that  city. 


I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


233 


Mr.  Budinger  is  one  of  Centre  county's  self- 
made  men,  one  of  her  most  prominent  citizens, 
and  his  business  interests  are  to-day  extensive. 
From  the  time  he  was  thirteen  years  old  until  he 
was  twenty-one,  he  worked  in  his  father's  saw- 
mill in  the  summer  time  and  attended  public 
school  in  the  winter.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  hired  out  tohis father  at  $20.00  per  month;  but 
after  working  for  one  year  he  concluded  to  start 
in  business  for  himself,  so  he  obtained  $10.00  from 
his  father  and  went  upon  the  road  securing  or- 
ders for  enlarging  pictures.  He  traveled  through 
Cameron  and  McKean  counties,  and  during  the 
first  trip  of  three  months  he  cleared  $375.00;  he 
then  remained  at  home  for  a  short  time,  after 
which  he  went  on  the  road  and  traveled  through 
Elk  and  Jefferson  counties,  and  during  this  sec- 
ond trip  cleared  about  $400.00  in  cash.  He  then 
went  to  Salladasburg,  and  while  visiting  his  father 
met  with  a  severe  accident,  by  having  his  ankle 
broken,  which  caused  him  to  put  all  business 
aside  for  one  year;  when  he  had  recovered,  how- 
ever, he  endeavored  to  travel  and  sell  pictures 
again,  but  the  injury  he  had  received  from  his 
broken  leg  made  it  impossible  to  continue  in 
that  business.  He  then  obtained  employment 
in  a  sawmill  at  Williamsport,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed taking  charge  of  a  lath  mill  for  about 
three  years.  He  then  purchased  from  his  father 
nine  acres  of  land  and  a  small  home,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  about  four  years,  and  during 
that  time  he  received  employment  from  the  Tide 
Water  Pipe  Co.,  first  as  a  day  laborer  for  a  few 
months,  and  he  then  secured  the  contract  from 
the  Tide  Water  Pipe  Co. ,  to  bury  their  pipe  three 
feet  under  ground.  During  the  first  three  months 
he  cleared  $700. 00,  and  lived  in  tents  and  boarded 
his  own  men. 

Mr.  Budinger  then  contracted  to  lay  the  pipe 
between  Williamsport  and  Muncy,  and  during 
the  six  weeks  thus  engaged  he  cleared  $750.00. 
The  oil  was  running  through  the  pipes  at  the 
time,  and  it  was  a  very  difficult  matter  to  bury 
the  pipe  underground  without  breaking  it,  but 
he  was  so  successful  in  burying  over  fifty  miles  of 
pipe  for  the  Tide  Water  Pipe  Co.  without  an  ac- 
cident or  the  loss  of  a  single  barrel  of  oil,  whilst 
other  parties  who  were  employed  at  the  same 
business,  broke  the  pipe  and  lost  several  thou- 
sand barrels  of  oil  at  one  time.  He  was  then 
employed  by  the  Standard  Oil  Co. ,  to  bury  pipe 
through  a  section  of  Clinton  county,  at  a  salary 
of  $100.00  per  month.  After  finishing  this  work, 
he  was  out  of  employment,  and  meeting  a  gen- 
tleman in  Jersey  Shore  he  was  induced  to  come 
to  Snow  Shoe,  Centre  county,  Penn. ,  with  a 
promise  of  a  position  on  the  Beech  Creek  rail- 


road; but  after  remaining  in  Snow  Shoe  for  sev- 
eral days  he  learned  that  the  party  had  no  au- 
thority to  hire  him,  and  that  the  salary  offered 
by  the  contractors  was  not  sufficient  to  induce 
him  to  engage  in  that  business. 

A  successful  business  man  is  he  who  is  quick 
to  recognize  and  take  advantage  of  opportunities, 
and  this  element  Mr.  Budinger  possesses  in  a 
high  degree,  and  it  has  been  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant factors  in  his  prosperity.  While  in  Snow 
Shoe  he  noticed  that  potatoes  were  being 
sold  at  $1.00  per  bushel,  so  he  went  to  Wat- 
sontown,  Penn.,  and  purchased  a  carload  of 
that  vegetable,  then  shipped  them  to  Snow 
Shoe  and  sold  them  at  a  good  profit.  He  also 
noticed  that  large  quantities  of  bread  was  being 
shipped  to  Snow  Shoe,  and  believing  that  he  could 
make  that  article  of  food  cheaper  than  it  could 
be  sent  there,  he  rented  an  old  oven,  and  in  an 
old  shed,  the  best  accommodation  that  could  be 
secured,  he  embarked  in  the  bakery  business, 
and  his  expenditures  for  rent  and  improvements 
for  the  first  year  amounted  to  over  $475.00;  but 
by  hard  work  and  strict  attention  to  business,  he 
made  a  clear  profit  of  $2,000.00  the  first  year. 
He  continued  in  that  line  of  business  until  1886, 
when,  the  railroad  being  completed,  he  aban- 
doned the  bakery  business  and  established  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store,  which  he  successfully  op- 
.erated  until  the  first  of  May,  1887;  and  as  the 
property  he  then  occupied  was  wanted  by  its 
owner  for  other  purposes,  he  purchased  a  lot  and 
put  up  the  buildings  he  now  occupies,  and  his 
trade  has  steadily  increased  until  the  volume  of 
his  sales  are  very  large.  He  carries  on  two 
stores — one  at  Clarence,  Penn.,  and  the  other  at 
Snow  Shoe,  Penn.,  with  a  stock  of  fully  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  (the  store  at  Clarence, 
Penn.,  he  purchased  of  W.  B.  Masters  on  Janu- 
ary 1,   1892). 

In  1 89 1  Mr.  Budinger  began  operating  in  the 
coal  business  in  a  small  way  on  the  land  owned 
by  Potter  &  Co.,  hauling  the  coal  on  wagons, 
that  had  to  be  shoveled  into  the  railroad  cars, 
and  he  contrived  an  ingenious  invention  to  dump 
a  three-ton  load  of  coal  from  an  ordinary  road 
wagon  into  the  cars,  which  operated  very  success- 
fully; but  in  1895  the  price  of  soft  coal  became 
so  low  that  it  became  unprofitable  to  load  coal 
in  that  way,  and  on  September  1.  1895,  in  con- 
nection with  Kelley  Brothers,  he  purchased  the 
property  of  the  Snow  Shoe  Mining  Co.,  and  he 
is  now  treasurer  of  the  company.  Under  the 
capable  management  of  the  present  officers,  the 
output  of  the  mines  have  been  largely  increased. 

In  July,  1874,  at  the  home  of  the  bride,  at  Mt. 
Eagle,   Centre  county,    Mr.    Budinger  was   mar- 


284 


OOMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ried  to  Miss  Alice  Leathers,  and  they  had  twelve 
children:  Delia  and  Emma  Blanche  are  grad- 
uates  of  the  Birmingham  Seminary,  of  Blair  Co., 
Penn.;  Samuel  and  Arthur  are  students  in  the 
Dickinson  Seminary  at  Williamsport;  Effie  is  at 
home;  Alice  is  deceased;  Edith,  Maud,  Thomas 
J.,  Philip,  Robert  and  Sarah  are  all  still  under 
the  parental  roof. 

In  his  social  relations,  Mr.  Budinger  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He 
holds  membership  with  no  religious  denomina- 
tion, but  his  wife  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  man  of 
great  energy,  one  who  carries  forward  to  success- 
ful completion  whatever  he  undertakes.  Through 
his  entire  business  career  he  has  been  looked 
upon  as  a  model  of  integrity  and  honor,  and  his 
life  to-day  is  an  example  of  what  can  be  accom- 
plished by  a  man  of  natural  ability  and  strength 
of  character.  He  is  respected  by  the  community 
at  large,  and  honored  by  his  business  associates. 


SoUIRE  JOSEPH  M.  GREEN,  one  of  the 
1  eldest  citizens  of  Milesburg,  Centre  county, 
win-re  he  has  passed  an  active,  busy  life  of  nearly 
three-score  and  ten  years,  is  a  descendant,  on 
both  sides,  of  prominent  families  in  the  history 
of  the  State. 

Born  December  I,  1829,  at  Milesburg,  Squire 
Creen  is  the  son  of  Joseph  Creen  and  Catherine 
(Miles),  both  natives  of  Milesburg,  and  the  grand- 
son of  Joseph  Creen,  Sr.,  and  of  Joseph  Miles, 
and  thi'  great-grandson  of  Gen.  Samuel  Miles,  of 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  mention  of  all  of  whom 
appears  in  the  sketch  of  (i.  Dorsey  Green,  to  be 
found  elsewhere.  Joseph  Green,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  1800.  He  became  a  clerk  for  Hamilton 
Humes  at  Bellefonte,  going  there  to  take  charge 
of  Centre  Furnace  as  manager.  He  was  the 
manager  of  the  Milesburg  Iron  Works  for  Irvin, 
dp  111  &  Co.  In  1830,  in  connection  with  his 
father-in-law,  Joseph  Miles,  he  opened  a  store  in 
Milesburg.  On  the  death  of  the  latter,  in  1840, 
Mr.  Green  carried  on  the  business  alone  until 
1852,  then  took  as  a  partnei  a  son,  Joseph  M. 
lie  served  several  times  as  burgess  ol  Milesburg. 

Politically  In-  was  first  a  Whig,  then  a  Republic- 
an. He  was  identified  with  the  Baptist  Church. 
His  death  occurred  in  May,  1S79.  His  wit 
also  deceased.  Their  children  are:  Joseph  M.. 
our  subject;  Edward  A.,  who  is  living  on  the  old 
furnace  property  on  Mill  creek;  and  F.  Potts 
1  ireen,  a  druggist  of  Bellefonte. 

Joseph  M.  Creen  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  began  and  subsequently  served  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  machinist's  trade.      Later  he  was 


engaged  in  lumbering  and  merchandising  in  part- 
nership with  \Y.  M.  McMeen,  a  cousin,  under  the 
firm  name  of  W.  M.  McMeen  &  Co.  The  firm 
later  became  Joseph  Green  &  Son,  and  was  so 
continued  until  in  1861.  On  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Green  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  49th  P.  V.  I.,  and  was  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  While  on  the  Peninsula  campaign  he 
was  taken  sick  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  and  owing  to 
the  nature  of  the  disease  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  the  service,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  returned  to  Milesburg,  where  he 
was  disabled  for  a  number  of  years  as  the  result  of 
his  military  service.  Later  he  took  charge  of  the 
gristmill  at  that  point,  and  has  at  periods  from 
that  time  to  this  operated  the  same.  For  many 
years  he  has  served  the  people  of  Milesburg  in 
various  capacities,  and  has  a  clear  and  good  rec- 
ord, as  one  will  readily  judge  when  he  learns  that  it 
has  been  "Squire"  Green  now  for  thirty  years, 
as  his  service  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  is  Hearing 
the  third  of  a  century  milestone.  He  has  filled 
all  the  borough  offices — member  of  the  council, 
of  which  he  has  been  the  president,  burgess,  etc. 
He  is  a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason,  being  a 
member  of  Lodge  at  Bellefonte.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican. 


JINDREW  HARTER,  who  follows  general 
_  J\  farming  in  Marion  township,  Centre  county, 
is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  Penn's  Valley,  whose  identification  with  its  in- 
terests has  proved  a  material  factor  in  its  devel- 
opment and  upbuilding.  He  was  born  in  Harris 
township,    Centre    county,    June    7,    1823.      His 

paternal   grandparents,  Andrew  and (Roop) 

Harter,  natives  .of   Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  re- 
moved at  an  early  day  to  Penn's  Valley,  where  the 
grandfather  followed   farming  throughout    his  n 
maining  days.      The  maternal  grandparents,  An- 
drew and (Kramer)  Kern,  were  also  born  in 

Pennsylvania,  ami  came  to  Penn's  Valley   at  an 
early  period  in  its  development.      They  too, 
fanning  people. 

Jacoh  and  Elizabeth  Kern:  Harter,  the  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  were  both  natives  of  Haines 
township.  Centre  county,  whence  they  removed 
to  Marion  township.  The  father  became  otic 
the  leading  farmers  of  that  community,  and  took 
a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  serving  in  sev- 
eral  local  offices,  including  those  of  supervisor 
and  tax  collector.  He  and  his  wife  were  n 
bers  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  early  life,  after- 
ward uniting  with  the  Evangelical  Church. 
Jacob  Harter  died  in  the  spring  of  i860,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-four  years,  and  his  wife  passed  awaj 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


235 


in  1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  Their  chil- 
dren were  as  follows:  John,  of  Hamburg,  Clin- 
ton Co.,  Penn.,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Johns- 
town flood;  Jacob  (twin  brother  of  John),  who 
died  at  his  home  in  Illinois  in  1895;  Sarah,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Garbrick  (now  a  re- 
tired farmer  of  Marion  township),  and  died  in 
1896;  Andrew,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Ann,  wife 
of  George  Danberman,  of  Illinois,  where  both 
died;  Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Illinois;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; David,  a  resident  farmer  of  Marion  town- 
ship; William,  a  merchant  of  Tylersville,  Penn., 
and  Daniel,  of  Jacksonville,  Pennsylvania. 

Quietly  passed  the  early  boyhood  days  of  An- 
drew Harter,  who  remained  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  during  which  time  he 
worked  on  the  farm  and  also  followed  carpenter- 
ing. On  leaving  home  he  assisted  in  the  devel- 
opment of  land,  by  grubbing  out  the  roots  and 
other  labors  incident  to  the  improvement  of  tim- 
ber tracts.  After  three  years  he  rented  a  farm 
in  Marion  township,  and  continued  its  cultiva- 
tion for  eight  years,  but  he  did  not  meet  with  the 
success  that  he  had  anticipated,  and  in  conse- 
quence turned  his  attention  to  the  sawmill  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  at  Hoy's  Gap,  for  three 
years,  and  then  sold  out.  In  the  spring  of  i860, 
he  purchased  his  present  home,  and  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

On  June  10,  1845,  in  Clinton  county,  Mr. 
Harter  married  Miss  Eve  E.  Smith,  a  native  of 
Clinton  county,  who  died  June  28,  1862,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine  years  and  five  months.  By 
her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  John  S.,  now  of  Clinton  coun- 
ty, justice  of  the  peace  and  school  teacher;  Mary 
E. ,  wife  of  Daniel  Gordon,  of  Clinton  county; 
Susanna,  wife  of  Frank  Buck,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  William  I.,  a  wagonmaker  of  Centre 
county;  Jacob  R.,  merchant,  of  the  same  county; 
Rebecca  J.,  wife  of  George  Fatzinger,  a  baggage 
master  in  Northumberland  county;  Sarah  E., 
wife  of  Calvin  Womer,  who  is  employed  as  a 
cook  in  Chicago,  111. ;  and  Emily,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Dale,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county. 

On  March  5,  1863,  Mr.  Harter  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Susan  (Arbegust)  Sharer,  who 
was  born  in  Perry  township,  Snyder  Co. ,  Penn. , 
December  4,  1836,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Polly 
(Dutter)  Arbegust,  natives  of  Snyder  county, 
where  they  were  married,  and  where  they  made 
their  home  for  many  years.  The  father,  who  was 
a  potter  by  trade,  died  in  1883  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years;  the  mother  died  in  1851,  at  the 
age  of  forty.  Their  children  were  Sarah,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Joshua  Roush,  and  both  are 
now  deceased;   Harriet,  deceased  wife  of  Jacob 


Howard,  of  Juniata  county,  Penn. ;  Savilla, 
deceased  wife  of  George  Myers,  a  miller, 
residing  in  Coburn,  Penn. ;  John,  a  miller  of 
New  Berlin,  Penn.;  Mrs.  Harter;  Eva,  deceased 
wife  of  Joseph  Rifter;  Jacob,  a  shoemaker 
residing  near  Freeburg,  Penn. ;  Peter,  who  was 
killed  in  the  army;  and  Aaron,  deceased.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Harter  were  Nich- 
olas and  Eva  (Metz)  Arbegust,  farming  people  of 
Union  county,  Penn.  Her  maternal  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Ireland. 

The  children  by  Mr.  Harter's  second  marriage 
are:  Laura,  wife  of  Elias  Breon,  a  carpenter  of 
Centre  county;  Lucy  B.,  wife  of  Lawrence  Hyles, 
an  engineer  of  Mine  Bank,  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre 
county;  Samuel,  a  carpenter  of  Indiana;  Frank- 
lin P.,  a  machinist  of  Renovo,  Penn.;  Clemen- 
tine, a  carpenter,  residing  at  home;  Harry  E. ,  a 
carpenter  of  Axemann,  Penn-;  George,  a  miner 
of  Centre  county;  Albert,  at  home;  Cora,  wife  of 
George  Aikey,  a  farmer  residing  in  Centre  county; 
and  Edna  S. ,  at  home. 

Mr.  Harter  votes  independently,  supporting 
the  candidates  whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for 
office.  His  fellow  townsmen  have  manifested 
their  confidence  in  his  ability  and  worth  by  elect- 
ing him  supervisor  for  two  terms,  school  director 
two  terms,  and  auditor  one  term.  He  was  also 
assistant  assessor  under  Harry  McDowell,  and 
was  elected  constable,  but  declined  to  serve.  He 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Evangelical  Church, 
but  now  holds  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Church. 


JOSEPH  C.  BIERLY.  The  Bierly  family  has 
held  for  so  many  years  a  prominent  place  in  this 
section,  that  the  purpose  of  this  work  would 
not  be  fulfilled  if  the  part  which  they  have  taken 
in  local  .history  were  not  given  a  place.  Like 
most  of  the  early  settlers,  they  are  of  German  ex- 
traction, the  name  having  been  formerly  written 
Bherly.  The  founder  of  the  line  in  this  region, 
Melchoir  Bierly,  came  from  Bavaria,  Prussia, 
with  his  wife,  before  the  Revolutionary  war, 
probably  before  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
and  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  lo- 
cated in  Snyder  county,  near  Mahantango  creek. 
During  that  war  they  were  obliged  to  flee  from 
the  Indians,  probably  at  the  time  of  the  "Run 
away"  in  1778,  which  has  become  a  historical 
event,  and  they  never  returned, -as  Melchoir  Bierly 
found  employment  in  the  iron  works  of  Lancas- 
ter county,  and  made  his  home  there.  He  met 
his  death  while  crossing  the  mountains  to  visit 
friends.      He  had  two  sons,  of  whom   the   elder. 


286 


COMME  WORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Nnholas,  settled  in  Ohio;  and  Anthony  was  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject. 

Anthony  Bierly  was  the  progenitor  of  all  the 
Bierlys  in  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county,  and 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county.  He  came  from 
the  region  of  tin-  Mahantango,  near  McKee's  Hali 
Falls  (now  in  Snyder  county  ,  in  1791  or '92,  and 
leased  from  Col.  Samuel  Miles  a  tract  of  300 
acres  of  land  a  short  distance  north  of  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Rebersburg.  Tradition  says  that  he 
was  the  tirst  man  to  travel  over  the  Brush  Valley 
Narrows  with  a  team  after  the  completion  of  tin 
road  there,  and  a  tedious  journey  it  was,  accord- 
ing to  all  accounts,  the  \\.i\  I  tremelj 
rough,  and  for  lack  of  other  accommodations 
party  was  compelled  to  camp  out  at  night.  On 
arrival  at  their  destination  a  log  cabin  \\ o->  con- 
structed, and  the  work  of  subduing  the  wilder- 
ness and  creating  a  home  was  begun.  Natur- 
ally, Anthony  Bierly  bei  ame  a  lea. lei  among  the 
pioneers  "I  the  locality,  and  his  foresight  and 
public  spirit  deserve  recognition  at  this  day.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  building,  in 
1804,  of  the  first  church  in  Rebersburg  He  died 
\pi  il  7.  1  825,  aged  about  eighty-two  years,  and  his 
wife.  Anna  Maria  Warner,  who  was  horn  No- 
vember 15.  1752,  passed  awaj  April  3,  1S44.  the 
remains  of  both  being  laid  to  rest  in  the  Luth- 
eran and  Reformed  cemeteries  at  Rebersburg. 
I'h.  \  had  twelve  children:  1)  Margaret  main.. I 
(first)  John  Phillips,  (second  Peter  Greninger,  and 
(third  a  Mr.  Cartel,  and  died  in  Venango  county, 
Penn.;(2)  Nicholas  died  neai  Rebersburg,  |uly 
25,  i  S4X,  m  his  sei  1  (his  w  i 
Lucy  (Buchtel),  died  March  jo,  1851);  (3)  Liz- 
married  Peter  Berry;  (4)  Catherine, a  tailoress 
by  occupation,  never  married;  5)  John,  who  was 
born  m  Northumberland  county,  February  8, 
1779.  married  Catherine  Berry,  and  died  in  1870 
m  Siir.n  Valley,  neai  I  ylersville;  (6)  Sarah  mar- 
ried 1  firsl  |  1 1,  nrj  <  ireninger,  and  (sei  ond)  <  •> 
Lesh;  (71  Eva  married  Michael  Ketr 
Rosina  married  Christian  Gramly,  and  died  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county;  01  Barbara  mar- 
ried Fred  Womeldorf,  and  died  in  Sugar  Valley, 
Anna  married  PhilipGlantz,  of  Sugar  Valley; 
and  her  death  occurred  there;  ( 1  \)  Anthony.  |r  , 
is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  and  (12)  Mary 
iMrs  Michael  Kahl)  died  in  Brush  Valley,  and  is 
buried  at  Rebersburg. 

\  m  1 1 1.  >i  1  \  Bierly,  Jr.,  the  father  ol  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  Sep- 
tembers, 17S7,  and  was  hut  a  child  at  the  time 
of  the  removal  to  Centre  county.  He  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Aaronsburg,  and  fol- 
lowed it  for  many  years  in  Brush  Valley  and  latei 
in  Rebersburg.     His  parents  were  well-to-do,  and 


gave  a  liberal  start  in  life  to  all  the  other  chil- 
dren; hut  owing  to  some  misunderstanding  he  re- 
ceived but  little    if    any   assistance   from    them 
11.    succeeded,    however,  and    had   an    extensive 
busii  mploying   several    hands.     Of    lai 

build  and  active  temperament,  he  was  capable  ..f 
doing  an  immense  amount  of  work;  but  although 
he  made  a  j^reat  deal  of  money  he  never  became 
wealthy,  as  his  kind  and  generous  disposition  was 

ii  imposed  upon  to  his  loss.  He  was  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  a  leader  in  many  local  movements. 
serving  for  some  time  in  the  Home  Militia  as 
chief  musician. 

In  1814  In  married  Mi--  Maria  Kratzer,  who 
was  born  near  Shamokin",  Penn.,  in  February. 
1793,  and  died  February  9,  i860;  his  own  death 
occurred  July  18,  1857.  Both  were  devout  mem- 
bers  oi  tin-  Evangelical  Church  of  Rebersbuii,'. 
where  their  remains  now  rest.  They  had  eijj,ht 
children,  as  follows:  Melchoir,  horn  |ulv  20, 
1815;  John  is  a  blacksmith  at  Tylersville,  Penn.; 
William,  born  September  19,  1818.  is  a  farmer 
and  shoemaker  at  Rebersburg;  Susan,  horn  June 
20,  1824,  is  now  Mrs.  Joseph  Miller,  of  Rebers- 
burg;  Rachel,  born  in  [826,  married  Rev.  Gei 
Young,     an     i  1.   who    died    at 

Baltimore;  George  is  a  blacksmith  and  miller  in 
Nittany  Valley;  Daniel,  born  September  9,  1828 
(now  deceased),  was  a  blacksmith  at  Tylersville. 
and  Joseph  C,  horn  February  22.  1  834,  is  referred 
to  below. 

Joseph  C.  Bierlv  is  one  . .|  the  substantial  cit- 
izens of  Brush  Valley,  and  the  history  of  his  lite 
reveals  a  character   which  is   well    worthy    of   re- 

t.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the  schools  of  Re- 
bersburg but  with  no  regularity.  From  eight  to 
twelve  years  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the  black- 
smith s  trade.  Few  men  of  his  standing  have 
had  mi.  h  meagre  opportunities,  and  knowing  as 
he  does  the  value  of  an  education  he  has  ever 
been  a  firm  friend  of  progress  in  our  common- 
school  system,  and   his  two    sons    have  enjoyed 

\  advantage  that  he  could  procure  for  them 
in  il..  ii  preparation  for  life's  duties.      Mr.  Bierly 

ud  hi-  trade  in  Rebersburg  with  his  brother 
Melchoir,  receiving  at  the  end  of  a  three-years' 
apprenticeship  one  pair  of  shoes  and  a  Ken- 
tuckv  jean  "womise."  His  annual  vacation 
of  two  week-  he  spent  in  the  harvest  field,  earn- 
ing a  little  money  for  clothes,  and  other  neces- 
saries, hut  when  his  term  as  an  apprentice  e\- 
pired  he  was  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  $30.  He 
began  work  at  Tylersville  as  a  journeyman  at  $1  ? 
a  month;  later  he  worked  elsewhere,  and  being  a 
thorough  master  of  the  trade  he  commanded  ex- 
cellent wages.  After  saving  a  considerable  sum 
of  money,  he  returned  to  Rebersburg  and  formed 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


i>37 


a  partnership  with  his  brother  Melchoir;  later, 
however,  he  built  a  shop  of  his  own  and  carried 
on  his  trade  successfully  for  several  years. 

In  February,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Judith  Meyer,  a  native  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, born  March  20,  1835,  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Hannah  (Bierly)  Meyer.  Desiring 
the  wholesome  surroundings  of  farm  life  for  his 
family,  Mr.  Bierly  purchased  first  from  S.  S. 
Wolfe  a  farm  of  140  acres  near  Rebersburg,  and 
has  since  resided  there,  except  during  four  years 
spent  on  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  east  of 
the  same  town.  Building  a  shop  upon  his  prop- 
erty, which  now  includes  more  than  200  acres, 
he  followed  his  trade  for  some  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1879  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  left 
arm  by  accident,  a  fall  entangling  him  in  the 
machinery  of  a  thresher;  but  this  handicap  has 
not  prevented  him  from  continuing  his  habitual 
activities,  seeming  in  fact  to  stimulate  him  to 
greater  efforts.  For  thirty-seven  years  he  gave 
much  attention  to  veterinary  practice,  being  a 
friend  and  admirer  of  that  noble  animal,  the 
horse,  of  whose  fine  points  he  is  an  excellent 
judge.  His  success  in  this  line  of  work  has  been 
marked,  his  services  being  often  sought  from  a 
distance. 

Despite  his  shrewdness  and  caution  in  busi- 
ness affairs,  Mr.  Bierly  has  at  times  met  with  re- 
verses, one  individual  alone  causing  him  a  loss 
of  $5,000,  which  would  have  been  greater  had 
he  not  sought  the  protection  of  the  courts.  Quiet 
and  unassuming  in  manner,  he  yet  impresses  one 
as  a  strong  character,  and  his  influence  among 
those  who  know  him  is  great.  He  is  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  in  local  affairs  he  disclaims  the  neces- 
sity for  partisan  bonds,  and  votes  for  the  best 
man.  He  speaks  with  manly  pride  of  the  help- 
ful influence  of  his  estimable  wife,  attributing  no 
small  portion  of  his  success  in  life  to  her.  Their 
two  sons  are  a  credit  to  them,  and  the  money  so 
freely  spent  in  giving  them  a  thorough  education 
was  well  invested. 

Prof.  H.  E.  Bierly  was  born  in  the  house  now 
owned  by  Hon.  Henry  Meyer,  Rebersburg,  Penn. , 
January  28,  1866.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Miles  township,  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  not  having  a  chance  to  attend  the 
summer  schools  on  account  of  too  much  work  on 
the  farm.  He  then  determined  to  get  a  better  edu- 
cation, and  in  1884  entered  Union  Seminary  (now 
Central  Pennsylvania  College),  New  Berlin,  Penn. 
This  institution  he  attended  most  of  the  time  be- 
tween the  years  1 884-1 888,  during  which  time 
he  nearly  completed  the  classical  course  and  pre- 
pared himself  for  Princeton  University,  which  he 


entered  in  1888  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  '92. 
He  spent  five  years  at  Princeton  University,  four 
as  an  under-graduate,  taking  the  "A.  B.  course," 
and  one  year  as  a  post-graduate,  studying  physi- 
ological psychology  under  Prof.  Ormond,  also  the 
philosophy  of  religion,  under  the  same  professor. 
The  next  year,  1893-94,  ne  was  unanimously 
elected  "Professor  of  the  Natural  and  Physical 
Sciences"  in  Belleview  Collegiate  Institute,  at 
Caledonia,  Mo.,  where  he  taught  one  year,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time  the  Institute  was  par- 
tially closed.  The  next  year  he  attended  Har- 
vard and  Boston  Universities,  studying  metaphys- 
ics under  Prof.  Royce  and  cosmology  under  Prof. 
James,  of  Harvard  University,  and  comparative 
theology  and  history  of  religious  history  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  in  the  School  of  Theology,  of  Bos- 
ton University.  It  was  then  that  he  became 
acquainted  with  Pres.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  John 
Fiske,  Joseph  Cooke,  Professors  Carpenter  and 
Davids,  of  Oxford  University.  This  year  in  Bos- 
ton, and  as  a  student  of  both  of  these  Universi- 
ties, was  of  the  greatest  value  in  his  educational 
history.  The  next  year  he  was  "Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Science"  in  Missouri  Military 
School,  Mexico,  Mo.,  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire  at  the  expiration  of  that  year.  During  the 
following  year  he  was  engaged  in  writing  a  thesis 
on  the  "  Origin  and  Development  of  the  Concep- 
tion of  God",  also  in  child-mind  investigations  in 
central  Pennsylvania,  in  connection  with  Pres.  G. 
Stanley  Hall,  of  Clark  University,  Mass.,  and 
Prof.  Earl  Barnes,  of  Leland  Stanford  University, 
Cal.  At  present  (1898)  he  is  professor  of  phil- 
osophy and  science  in  Virginia  College  for  Young 
Ladies  at  Roanoke,  Va. ,  one  of  the  best  of  the 
Southern  female  colleges,  in  which  he  occupies  a 
very  responsible  position,  next  to  the  presidents 
thereof. 

As  a  student  Prof.  Bierly  became  intensely- 
interested  in  philosophy,  through  Sir  William 
Hamilton's  lectures  on  metaphysics,  the  various 
works  and  writings  of  James  McCosh,  primarily-, 
and  through  the  edited  works  of  Kant,  Fichte, 
Schellingand  Hegel,  having  a  natural  inclination 
to  speculative  studies.  At  the  same  time  he  is 
greatly  interested  in  biology,  through  a  Natural 
History  Society,  which  was  organized  by  Prof. 
H.  N.  Conser,  Ph.  D.,  at  Central  Pennsylvania 
College,  and  which  led  him  to  reading  of  nearly 
all  the  works  of  Darwin,  Huxley,  Romanes  and 
Herbert  Spencer.  It  was  the  works  of  James 
McCosh  that  took  him  to  Princeton  University, 
whose  lectures  on  metaphysics  he  attended  in 
his  freshman  year,  this  being  the  last  course  on 
that  subject  given  by  McCosh,  with  whom  he  as 
a   student    was   very    well    acquainted,  and  upon 


(  OMMEMORATIVB   BI00RAPB10AL   RECORD. 


whom  lie  called  quite  often,  having  received  spe- 
cial recognition,  encouragement  and  kindness 
from  McCosh  while  alive.  While  a  student  of 
Princeton  University  he  made  a  special  study  of 
philosophy  and  biology,  having  taken  all  the 
branches  the  university  offers  on  both  philosophy 
I  [e  took  li  mors  in  the  latter  sub- 
ject, and  was  offered  a  fellowship  in  osteology  by 
the  Chicago  University,  which  he,  however,  did 
not  accept,  as  he  did  not  desire  to  give  so  much 
time  in  that  particular  line  of  investigation,  hav- 
ing derided  to  make  the  study  ol  philosophy  a 
life  vocation.  He  attended  and  was  a  member 
of  the  World's  Congress  of  Philosophy  held  at 
Chicago  during  the  World's  Fair,  at  which  time 
lie  became  personally  acquainted  with  Prof. 
|osiah  Royce,  professor  of  philosophy  in  Har- 
vard University,  who  has  been  his  private  ad- 
viser and  director  in  philosophy  ever  since. 

Prof.  Bierly  is  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
German  Society,  and  of  several  Psychological 
and  Scientific  Associations.  He  contributes  a 
series  of  articles   on   the  various  ptions  ol 

Cod  for  "The  Preachers  Helper."  just  now 
1898)  he  is  more  extensively  engaged  in  child- 
mind  investigations  than  ever,  with  Pres.  Hall, 
Prof.  Earl  Barnes,  Prof.  Royce,  also  contributing 
a  series  of  articles  on  child-mind  study  for  sevi 
child-study  magazines.  He  has  also  addressed 
and  lectured  before  quite-  a  number  of  teachers' 
associations  and  institutes  in  Missouri,  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia  on  various,  but  mostly  psycho- 
logical, subjects.  During  the  Bryan  campaign  in 
[896,  on  account  of  not  being  hard  pressed  for 
work,  he  became  ver)  much  interested  in  pol- 
itics, through  bis  cousin,  Hon.  Willis  R,  Bier- 
ly, of  North  Dakota.  On  acceunt  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  splitting,  Mr.  Bierly  was  requested 
by  the  foremost  politicians  of  the  county  to  take 
a  hand  in  politics  and  rally  the  Silver  forces,  as 
he  did,  and  has  done  valuable  service  for  his  Val- 
ley and  the  county,  having  been  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Bryan  and  Sewall  Club  of  Brush 
Valley,  which  was  composed  of  about  two  hun- 
dred  members,  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  which  lie  joined  while  a  student  of 
Princeton  University.  He  was  one  of  the  three 
firsl  members  of  the-  M.  F.  Church  at  Kreamer- 
ville,  and  rendered  very  effectual  services  in  the 
building  up  ol  the  Methodist  Church  at  this 
place,  having  been  appointed  for  this  especial 
work,  lasting  several  years,  by  the  <  Hiarterly  Con- 
ference (Methodist). 

Edwin  S.  Bierly,  the  younger,  was  born  at 
Rebersburg,  Penn.,  in  [869.  A  few  years  after 
his  birth  bis  parents  moved  on  a  farm  two  miles 
southwest  of   Rebersburg,    where    his   early  boy- 


hood was  spent.  After  attending  the  schools 
of  Brush  Valley  he  in  1 888  spent  one  winter  term 
at  Central  Pennsylvania  College  with  his  brother 
Elmer.  Here  he  completed  the  junior  year  of 
the  I  tv     Normal)   Department   with  the 

class  of  1891.  Being  unable  to  pursue  his  stud- 
ies until  January  of  [891,  he  then  was  admitted 
into  the  Junior  class  of  the  State  Normal  at  Lock 
Haven,  \t  the  middle  of  the  spring  term  he 
was  compelled  to  leave  the  Normal  through  sick- 
ness (the  measles)  contracted  through  his  chum. 
He  then  returned  to  Central  Pennsylvania  Col- 
and   completed  the  ''1!  try  (Normal) 

irse "  with  the  large  class  of  1S92.  Aft- 
ter  attending  Central  Pennsylvania  College  sev- 
eral more  terms  as  a  student  of  the  scientific 
course,  he,  on  the  following  year,  entered  Dick- 
inson College,  Carlisle,  Penn.,  where  he  remained 
during  the  winter  term  of  1895;  but  had  to 
illege  on  account  of  sickness  before  the 
expiration  of  the  college  year.  He  then  remained 
at  home  the  greater  part  of  the  year  on  ac- 
count o|  sickness  and  then  entered  Dickinson 
Seminary  at  Williamsport;  but  after  being  there 
six  weeks  he  was  again  compelled  to  leave  school 
through  lack  of  health.  Shortly  afterward  he 
was  appointed  general  book  agent  for  the  "  Min- 
ter  Book  Company",  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  and 
was  quite  successful  in  this  work  in  the  summer  of 
1896.  On  October  8,  1896,  he  was  married  by 
Rev.  Fans,  his  M.  E.  pastor,  to  Miss  Sadie  Er- 
hard,  a  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Catherine  Er- 
hard,  of  Rebersburg.  Mrs.  E.  S.  Bierly  was 
and  is  a  dressmaker  by  trade,  but  worked  almost 
all  the  time  in  Lock  Haven.  She  is  a  very  in- 
dustrious and  ambitious  young  woman,  and  high- 
ly respected  by  all.  She  has  a  good  common- 
school  edm  at  i'  m,  having  attended  the  Normal  Se- 
lect School  conducted  by  Supt.  C.  L.  C.ramley, 
at  Rebersburg.  The  following  year  he  and  his 
wife  spent  with  his  parents  until  January,  [8 
when  he  regained  his  health  and  returned  to  Dick- 
inson Seminary  as  a  student  of  the  Theological 
irtment. 

In  politics,  he  too  is  a   "  chip  off  the  old  block" 
namelv  a  !>  He  is  a  member  of  the  M 

I".  Church,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  part 
In  Church  work  at  Kreamerville,  his. home  Church, 
as  one  of  the  principal  officials. 


BRAM    V.   MILLER.      Among  the  citizens 

L.   of  mark   in  Centre  county  no  one   is   more 

worthy    of    consideration    than     the    gentleman 

whose  name  introduces  this  biography.      In  days 

I  of  peace  he  has  not  only  proved  a  valued  membei 

of  society,  but   on  Southern  battle  fields  during 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


239 


the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion  he  fearlessly 
fought  for  the  old  flag  and  the  cause  it  repre- 
sented. He  is  now,  however,  living  retired  at 
his  pleasant  home  in  State  College,  surrounded 
by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
who  delight  to  show  their  appreciation  of  his 
sterling  worth  and  many  excellent  traits  of  char- 
acter. 

The  Miller  family  was  among  the  very  earli- 
est settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  locating  on  the  banks 
of  the  Delaware  river  about  1675,  several  years 
before  William  Penn  took  up  his  residence  here. 
Later  members  of  the  family  made  their  home 
at  what  is  now  Downingtown.  Reuben  Miller, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  resident  of 
Chester  county,  this  State,  and  was  a  miller  by 
trade  as  well  as  by  name.  He  married  Thoma- 
zine  Valentine,  and  had  eight  children:  William, 
who  became  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Kentucky,  and 
whose  daughter  is  now  living  in  Harrisburg, 
Penn.;  Robert  V.;  Isaac;  Mordica,  who  also 
lived  in  Kentucky;  Mrs.  Eliza  Thomas;  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Harris;  Mrs.  Jane  Harris;  and  Mrs. 
Rachel  Miles. 

Robert  V.  Miller,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  Chester  county,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  father  he  went  to  Alexandria,  Va., 
and  lived  with  his  uncle,  Mordica  Miller,  until 
1815,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Centre  county 
with  his  uncles,  Valentine  Bros.,  and  worked  in 
an  iron  store  at  Bellefonte.  He  hauled  iron  from 
that  city  to  Pittsburg,  thence  carrying  it  by  rafts 
and  arks  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to 
Louisville  (Ky.),  Natchez  and  New  Orleans. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  and 
there  kept  an  iron  store  for  Valentine  &  Thomas, 
of  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  and  was  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting for  a  time;  he  also  for  a  brief  space  kept 
an  iron  store  in  Louisville,  Ky.  Returning  to 
Centre  county,  he  for  some  time  prior  to  1827 
was  proprietor  of  the  Mill  Hall  Iron  Works  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Isaacand  his  brother- 
in-law,  Joseph  Harris,  but  on  October  29,  that 
year,  he  joined  the  regular  army,  enlisting  in 
Company  A,  First  Regiment  of  Artillery,  U.  S. 
A.,  and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Holback,  under 
Capt.  (later  Gen.)  W.  J.  Worth,  and  First  Lieut. 
W.  A.  Patrick  (who  was  provost  marshal  general 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during  the  Civil  war), 
until  the  fall  of  1830,  when  he  returned  to  Centre 
county,  and  engaged  in  the  iron  business  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  was  also  the  owner  of  300  acres 
of  valuable  land  in  the  county  near  Pleasant  Gap, 
which  he  left  to  his  children.  He  died  from  ex- 
citement on  the  7th  of  July,  1863,  three  days 
after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  in  which  two  of 
his  sons  participated. 


Robert  V.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Lytle,  a  native  of  Centre  county, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
as  follows:  Reuben,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
months;  one  that  died  in  infancy  unnamed;  Will- 
iam, a  civil  engineer,  who  died  while  surveying 
for  a  railroad  in  Honduras,  Central  America; 
Eliza,  a  resident  of  Bellefonte;  Abram  V.,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Isaac,  who  is  living  retired 
near  Bellefonte;  Thomazine,  a  resident  of  Phila- 
delphia; Jacob,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
South  Mountain,  September  14,  1862,  and  was 
buried  at  home;  Mary  Ann,  who  is  living  with 
her  brother,  Robert  V.  ;  Clarissa,  wife  of  Henry 
Pennington,  of  Abilene,  Kans. ;  Jane,  wife  of 
Alfred  Russell,  who  is  also  a  resident  of  Abilene, 
and  is  serving  as  county  clerk;  and  Robert  V., 
a  contractor  of  Bellefonte. 

Our  subject  was  born  April  24,  1838,  in 
Spring  township,  Centre  county,  and  there  se- 
cured a  good  practical  education.  After  leaving 
the  schoolroom  he  engaged  in  teaming  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  On  April  15, 
1 861,  spurred  on  by  a  spirit  of  patriotism,  he  be- 
came the  second  to  enlist  in  the  Bellefonte  Fen- 
cibles,  and  took  part  in  the  first  battle  of  the  war, 
that  of  Falling  Waters,  July  2,  1 86 1 .  On  the 
26th  of  July  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
turned home,  where  he  recruited  for  the  45th  P. 
V.  I.,  the  Second  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  and  the 
57th  P.  V.  I. 

In  the  winter  of  1861  Mr.  Miller  again  en- 
listed, becoming  a  member  of  the  First  Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Falmouth,  Strasburg,  Mt.  Jackson,  Cross  Keys 
and  Fort  Republic.  While  on  picket  duty  in 
1862  he  had  an  ar.m  and  several  ribs  broken, 
which  caused  his  confinement  in  the  hospital  at 
Washington,  D.  C. ,  for  some  time.  Rejoining 
his  regiment,  he  took  part  in  the  engagements  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Gettysburg,  and  was  dis- 
charged December  28,  1863.  On  the  29th  of 
the  following  February,  however,  he  again  en- 
listed, this  time  in  the  184th  P.  V.  I.,  and  with 
that  command  was  in  the  battles  of  Bethesda 
Church.  Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg.  In  the 
first  attack  on  the  Weldon  Railroad  he  received 
a  shot  in  the  shoulder,  one  in  the  leg,  one  in  the 
head,  and  a  piece  of  shell  took  off  a  part  of  his 
lower  jaw,  together  with  eleven  teeth.  For 
twenty-four  hours  he  lay  on  the  battle  field  in 
this  condition,  when  he  was  finally  found  and 
taken  to  City  Point,  Va.,  and  thence  to  Camp- 
bell Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.  On  May  12, 
1864,  he  had  been  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
of  Company  E,  184th  P.  V.  I.,  and  with  that 
rank  was  mustered  out.      His  army  record  is  one 


240 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1866, 

in  in- 

1868, 

are  at 


of  which  he  may  be  justly  proud,  for  he  was  ever 
found   at   his   post   of  duty  and  in  the  thickest  of 

the  fight.  . 

On  September  29,  1865,  Lieut.  Miller  was 
married  to  Miss  Jane  Potter,  and  of  the  four 
children  born  of  their  union,  the  births  of  t 
occurred  in  Iowa.  John,  born  March  18. 
and  Robert,  born  July  23,  1867,  both  died 
fancy;  and  Elizabeth,  born  October  13, 
and   George   P.,   born    October    1,    1871, 

home.  .  , 
Since  1874,  Lieut.  Miller  has  served  as  United 
States  gauger  and  store  keeper  for  his  collection 
district,  and  in  the  fall  of  1895  was  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  prothonotary.  Although  the 
county  was  Democratic,  by  800,  he  was  beaten 
by  only  69  votes.  In  1 896  he  was  the  candidate 
for  sheriff  of  Centre  county  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  was  beaten  by  only  16  votes  with  the 
largest  vote  ever  polled  in  the  county.  He  is  a 
noble  type  of  the  citizen  soldier,  equally  true  to 
his  country  on  the  battle  field  or  in  the  peaceful 
surroundings  of  his  home,  and  his  family  may 
well  feel  proud  of  his  honorable  and  manly  rec- 
ord.                                           . 


JOHN  M.  DALE,  of  Bellefonte,  is  of  the  fifth 
generation  of  the  Dale  family  who  have  lived 
in  Centre  county. 

Christian  Dale  (1),    his  great-great-grandfa- 
ther, came  to  this  country,  arriving  at  Philadel- 
phia'in  1749.     In  1772  he  cleared  and  was  living 
on  that   part  of   a    tract   of  land    known  as  Col. 
Slifer's  farm,  near  the  iron  bridge  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lewisburg,  the  land   in  1772   being  owned  by 
Ludwig  Derr.      Mr.   Dale  .resided  in  Buffalo  Val- 
ley, in  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  dur- 
ing" the  stirring  times  of  the  Revolution.     In  1790 
he  removed  to  the  end  of  Nittany  Mountain  (now 
College  township.  Centre  county  1,  where,  in  1796, 
he  built  a  gristmill   and   a  sawmill.      He  was  one 
of  those  sterling  old  Germans  to  whom  Pennsyl- 
vania owed  so  much,  and  whose  walk  in  life  was 
measured  by  the  rule— "Be  just  and  fear  not." 
He  died  in    July,  1805,  aged  seventy-two  j 
his    wife,    Rachel,    passed    away    in    December, 
08,  aged  seventy-six  years,  and  their  remains 
1  m  the  old   Dale  burying  ground,  on  the  hill 
back  of  Lemont.      These  pioneers  came  to  a  vasl 
wild,  rn        poor,  and  di(  d  comparatively  wealthy, 
leaving  to  their  children   fine  farms,  and  the  in- 
heritance of  names  made  noble  by  a  long  life  of 
toil  and  hardships.      Their  children  were  Henry, 
Philip,    Felix,    Frederick,    Christian,    Cornelius, 
Mary  (she  marrfed  Nicholas  Straw,  a  soldiei  ol  the 
Revolution),   Eve  (she   married    Pi  ter  ] 
aml  Ra(  rried  Lewis  Swinehart).     Of 


these,  Christian  and  Frederick  removed  to  Ohio. 
Henry  was  bom  in  Northampton  county,  August 
-9    1758;  he    was    a   soldier   of  Washington  at 
Trenton  and  Princeton  in  1 776-1777,  and  sen 
in  military  tours  under  Capt.  Forster,  of  Buffalo 
Valley.      Felix    Dale,  son   of   Christian    (1),   w 
horn  February  2,  1767,  and  died  March  12.  1833, 
in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age;  his  wife,  who 
was  <  atherine  Dorothy  Pinogel,   died  April  15, 
[844,  aged  seventy  years,  and  both  lie  buried  in 
the   Dale  graveyard.      By  their  side  is   a  stone 
bearing  the  inscription: 

Maria  Elizabeth  Bindnogle, 

died  August  11.  1822, 

aged  86  years. 

She    was    Likely     the    mother    of     the     wife 
Felix    Dale.       The    Pinogels    were    from    neai 
Harrisburg,    Penn.,    where   there    was    a    settle- 
ment    bearing     the     family     name.       We     find 
the    name    Pinogel    on    record    in    Londonderry 
township,    Dauphin    county,   as    early    as    1780. 
Felix  Dale  inherited  from  his  father's  estate  the 
mill  property,  and  by  occupation  was  a  miller  and 
farmer.      He    had   two    sons,    David    and    Felix. 
David   Dale   was   born   in  the  vicinity  of  Dales 
Mills  in  January.  1 798-      He  received  such  school- 
ing as  the  neighborhood  schools  of  his  youth  af- 
forded, and  became  a  miller  by  occupation,  also 
carrying   on    agricultural   pursuits   in   connection 
with   the    nulling   business.      He   was  a   man 
practical  ideas  and  a  genius  in  a  mechanical  line 
building  Ins  own  carding  machine,  which  branch 
of  the  woolen-mill  business,  together  with  a  hemp- 
mill  he  added  to  the  grist  and  saw  mill  business 
that   had    descended    from    his   forefathers       He 
was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and  business   qual- 
ifications, and  made  a  success  of  life.      1  he  1  >ales 
[or  generations  were   Lutherans,  and  David  was 
not  an  exception  to  the  rule.      He  married    \A 
garet    a    daughter  of  Maj.    Frederick    Hennign, 
who   resided   below  Aaronsburg.  Centre    county 
Both   lie   buried  in  the  cemetery  at   Boalsburg, 
David   dying    (uly    13.  '854.  i"  the   fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  and  his  wife.  Margaret,  on  Jan- 
uary 11,   [864,  aged  sixty-five  years.     Of  the  nin< 
children,    William,  the  eldest,  was  the  father  ol 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

William  Dale  was  born  at  the  home  tarm. 
where  he  grew  to  ma  assisting  in  the  worl 

on  the  farm  and  about  the  mill.  Subsequently 
was  employed  in  the  woolen-null  at  Oak 
II  ,11,  where  he  learned  the  business  under  Join 
Irvin  In  [860  he  was  married,  ;uid  in  cornier 
tion  with  a  Mr.  McCarns,  located  at  Neshao 
k,  Lawrence  Co  ,  tins  State,  where  they 

,,1  years  engaged   in   carrying  on  a  vt 


9fJL^,  &lAs 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


241 


en-factory.  Mr.  Dale  then  returned  to  Dales' 
Mills,  and,  in  connection  with  his  brothers,  con- 
verted the  old  flouring-mill  at  that  point  into  a 
woolen-mill,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business 
for  several  years;  then  sold  his  interest  and  lo- 
cated at  Lemont,  where  his  widow  now  resides, 
and  where  his  death  occurred  December  20! 
1 87 1,  when  he  was  in  his  forty-seventh  year.' 
Like  his  father  and  forefathers,  he  was  an  indus- 
trious, upright  and  honest  man,  and  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen.  He  was  a  Christian  man,  ad- 
hering to  the  faith  of  his  ancestors,  that  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. His  wife  was  Mary  M.  (daughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  Thompson  Mitchell),  born  in  the 
neighborhood  where  she  now  resides,  and  their 
children  were:  John  M.,  born  November  10, 
1861;  and  Edgar,  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  Mitchell  and  Thompson  families  were 
of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  and  have  resided  in  Cen- 
tre county  for  nearly  a  century.   John  Mitchell 
(I),  the   grandfather  of    Mrs.    Dale,    presumably 
from   Scotland 'or   Ireland,  lived  for  many  years 
in  Mifflin  county,    and   died  there.      His  children 
were:     Susannah  married   Frank  McCoy  (grand- 
father of  the   present   Frank   McCoy,  of  Belle- 
fonte);  Mary  married  William  Thompson;  Eliza- 
beth married   a   Roderick;  Samuel;  David;  Rob- 
ert; William;  James  and  John.      The  latter  and 
David,  during  the   war  of  T812,  located  in  Cen- 
tre county,  John  on  a  farm   in  the  vicinity  of  the 
present   village   of   Lemont,    where  he  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  frTroughout  life,  dying  Jan- 
uary 18,   1865,    in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his 
age;   and    David,  in    Ferguson    township.     John 
Mitchell   married    Sarah    Thompson,    and    their 
children  were:      Moses  Thompson  married  Maria 
Lock,  of  Mifflin   county;   John   Hutchinson   mar- 
ried   Nancy  Johnson,  of    Boalsburg;  Nancy  Cul- 
bertson   died   young;   William    also  died  young- 
Misan  Margaret,  unmarried;  and   Mary  M.  (Mrs. 
Dale),  all  of  whom  are  now  dead  excepting   the 
last  named.     John   Mitchell,  after  the  death  of 
his  wife  (which   occurred    March    5,  1832)    mar-  , 
ned 1  again,  the  second  wife  being  Letitia  Patton 
ol   his  neighborhood,  but  formerly  from  Lancas- 
tar  county.      The   Mitchells   were   men   of  influ-  1 
ence   in  the   county,    and    the    best  of    citizens.    I 
Uav.d   married    a   daughter   of    John    Barron     a 
woman  of    rare   intelligence    and    much  ability.    ! 
jonn  b.,  one  of  her  sons,  was  treasurer  of  Centre  I 

Shn  I  Srjtch-Irish  P^entage,  the  elder 
Mitchells  Presbyterianism  was  inherited  from  a 
°ng  l>ne  of  ancestors.  The  father  of  Sarah 
Thompson)  Mitchell  emigrated  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  about  the  year  1745,  and  Matthew 
Louden,  her  maternal  grandfather,  was  one  of  the 


Scotch  Covenanters  who  were  driven  from  home 
by  persecution.  The  Thompsons  were  residents 
of  Mifflin  county  before  coming  to  Centre  county 
early  in  the  present  century. 

John  M.  Dale  was  born  at  Neshannock  Falls, 
Lawrence  Co.,  Penn.,  on  the  nth  of  November, 
1 86 1.  His  parents  removed  from  there  to  the 
old  homestead  in  Centre  county  about  three 
years  afterward,  and  continued  to  reside  there. 
He  entered  The  Pennsylvania  State  College  in 
1878,  and  graduated  with  the  class  of  1882.  The 
same  year  he  began  the  study  of  law  and.  in 
1883,  entered  the  law  offices  of  Beaver  &  Gep- 
hart  at  Bellefonte,  and,  under  their  direction, 
read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Centre 
County  on  the  1st  of  January,  1886.  Directly 
after  his  admission  to  the  Bar,  he  went  to  Lock 
Haven,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
in  connection  with  Capt.  W.  C.  Kress,  of  that 
place,  now  the  State  Law  Reporter. 

On  April  12.  1886,  Mr.  Dale  returned  to  Belle- 
fonte and  entered  the  office  of  his  former  precep- 
tors, and,  on  the  election  of  Gen.  Beaver,  in  the 
fall  of  1886,  to    the   gubernatorial  chair,  he   be- 
came  a    member  of  the   firm,  which   was  styled 
Beaver,  Gephart  &  Dale.      This  partnership  con- 
tinued  until   November  1,   1893,  when  Mr.  Gep- 
hart withdrew,  in  order  to  give  his  entire  time  to 
the   Valentine    Iron    Co.,  and    the   new    Central 
Railroad  Co.,  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which   he  was 
chosen    general    superintendent.      Gen.     Beaver 
having  returned   to  Bellefonte  upon  the    expira- 
tion of  his  official   term,  and   once  more  actively 
engaged  in  the  practice   of  law,  a  new  firm  was 
formed  under  the  name  of  Beaver  &  Dale.     This 
firm  continued  the  practice  of   law  until  the  first 
of  July,   1895,  when,  owing  to  the  fact  that  Gen. 
Beaver  was  appointed  to  the  Bench  of  the  Supe- 
rior Court  of  Pennsylvania,  it  was  dissolved,  and 
Mr.  Dale   has  since   been    practicing  law  alone. 
Mr.  Dale   has  always  been   a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics, and  has   taken  considerable  interest    in  the 
success  of  the  Republican  party.      He  was  con- 
nected with  the  County  Committee   in  1889  and 
1890,  and  in  1891  was  elected  chairman    of   the 
County  Committee,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
for  one  year. 

On  the  1 8th  of  October,  1888,  he  married 
Miss  Florence  G.  Fox,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  }. 
E.  Fox,  of  Leesburg,  Virginia,  and  their  chil- 
dren are:  Virginia  Dale,  who  was  born  in  1891. 
and  John  M.   Dale,  Jr.,  who  was  born  in  1893. 


ISRAEL  WEAVER,  one  of  the  progressive  and 
J  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Haines  township, 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  one  of  the  honored 


242 


aOMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGBAPEICAL  BBOOBD. 


pioneer  families  of  Centre  county,  his  grand- 
father, John  Weaver,  having  located  in  that 
town-hip  at  a  very  early  day  in  its  history,  and 
re  reared  a  large  family.  He  was  a  weaver 
by  trade,  and  also  engaged  in  farming,  owning  a 
valuable  and  well-improved  farm  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

Frederick  Weaver,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
is  born  in  Haines  township,  in  1803,  and  being 
the  youngest  of  seven  sons,  according  to  the  old 
sa)  ing,  "should  be  a  doctor.  "  Strange  enough, 
naturally  possessed  a  talent  for  the  medical 
profession,  and  from  youth  was  called  "Doc- 
tor." Although  he  never  studied  medicine,  he 
used  to  bleed  many  people  when  the  custom  was 
in  vogue,  and  manufactured  and  dealt  in  medi- 
cine, selling  throughout  the  township.  He  was 
reared  to  farm  labor,  but  when  quite  young 
learned  stocking  weaving  at  New  Berlin,  Penn., 
and  later  engaged  in  general  weaving,  manufact- 
uring carpets,  bed  spreads,  cloth,  etc. 

In    Haines   township    Frederick  Weaver   was 
married  to  Catharine  Mark,  who  was  born  there 
in  1798,  a    daughter   of    Rudolph    and    Margaret 
Walterbarger)  Mark,  in  whose  family  were  eight 
children —four    sons    and    four   daughters.      Her 
father    was    a    farmer    by  occupation.      To   Mr. 
and  Mrs    Weaver  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren:     William,    a    farmer    of    Gregg  township, 
Centre   county,    Mary,  who    became    the  wife  of 
Jesse    Wert,    and    died    in    Aaronsburg,    Centre 
county;  Israel,  the  subject  of   this  sketch;  Aaron 
1). ,  a  resident  of  Aaronsburg;  and  Frank  J.     The 
mother  of  these  children    died    in   [876,  and   the 
father   afterward   wedded    Mrs.    Elizabeth    Krull 
{nee    Lutenbach),   who    is   still    living   in    Haines 
township. 

Frederick  Weaver  and  wife  began  housekeep- 
ing in  Haines  township,  where  he  had  erected  a 
small  dwelling    upon   a  couple   of   acres  of  land, 
and  there  followed  his  trade  of  weaving  until  the 
ing  of  1834,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  he  had 
purchased  one  mile  east  of  Aaronsburg,  compris- 
ing sixty  acres.     This  he  cultivated  in  connection 
with   weaving,    and    added    to    the   original   tract 
until    he    had   128    acres  of   excellent    land       Al- 
though his  father's  estate  was  quite  large,  it  had 
to  be  divided  among  so  many  children  that  each 
eived  only  a  small  amount.      According  to  the 
provisions  of   the  will,  the    next   to   the  youngest 
son  received  the  farm,  and  was  to  pay  each  of 
the   fourteen  children  $200,  at   intervals  of  two 
years  each,  beginning  with  the  eldest,  so  that  it 
was  thirty  years  before   Frederick   received   In, 
$200.      He  therefore  had  to  start  out  in  life  with 
no  capital,  and   the  success  which   he   achieved 
was   due  to  his  own   unaided  efforts.      He  died 


upon  hi-  farm  ueai  Aaronsburg,  in  January,  18: 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  that 
place.  His  political  support  was  given  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  until  the  formation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  when  he  joined  its  ranks.  Religious- 
ly, both  he  and  the  mother  of  our  subject  Wi 
consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  they  were  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
community. 

li  1  Weaver  was  born  in  Haines  township. 
March  2S,  1K31,  and  in  the  subscription  schools 
acquired  a  limited  edm  ation,  his  first  teacher  be- 
ing  |ames  Polly.  As  soon  as  old  enough  to 
handle  a  plow  he  began  to  assist  in  the  labors  of 
the  farm,  which  he  continued  until  seventeen 
vea,  ,  when   he  entered   the   shop  of  hi- 

cousin,  John  Weaver,  in  Haines  township,  and 
learned  carpet  and  coverlet  weaving.  On  attain- 
ing his  majority  lie  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father  in  that  business,  which  he  continued  until 
his  marriage. 

In  August,  1853,  Mr.    Weaver    married   Miss 
Luzetta,  daughter  of   Solomon  Confer,  a   farmer 
by   occupation,    and    they  began  their    domestr 
life  in  an  old  log  house  upon  his  present   farm,  a 
tract   of  sixtv-nve   acres,  for  which  he    went    w 
debt.      Upon  the  place  stood  a  sawmill  which  he 
has  since  conducted  in  connection  with  the  labors 
of  the  farm,  and   ha-   made   many   valuable    and 
useful  improvements  upon  his  land,  including  the 
erection  of  a  fine   residence,  which   cost  $3,000 
Mr.    and    Mrs.  Weaver    have   no   children  of 
their  own,  but  have  given   homes  to    several,  u 
eluding  Lucetta,  now  the  wife  of  B.  F.  Edmunds, 
who  was  taken  when  a  child  and  reared   in    their 
home,  as  was  also  her  mother,  Agnes,  and  made 
her  home  with    them    from   three  years    of    a 
At  the  present   time    they    have    a  boy,  Wea 
Edmunds,  now  eleven  years  of  age.     They  have 
not  only  given  homes  to  the  children,  hut  treated 
them  as  if  they  were  their  own,  providing   them 
with    excellent   advantages.       Kind    hearted     and 
generous  almosl  to  a  fault,  no  couple   in   Ha 
township  are  held  in  higher  regard  or  have  more 
friends.      They   are  earnest,   devoted   Christians, 
faithful  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  with 
which  he  has  been  officially  connected  for  years. 
Like   his  father,    Mr.    Weaver    was  originally   I 
Democrat,  hut  now  gives  his  unwavering  support 
to    the   men    and    measures    of    the    Republican 
party. 


MATH  AN  ILL    BEERLY,  who    for    eighl 
y,  lts  past  has  held  the   office  of  justice  of 
the   peace  in    and    for    Hoggs    township,  Centre 
counts,  is  a  typical  American,  and  has  record  as 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


243 


a  soldier  and  a  successful  business  man,  who  as 
a  public-spirited  citizen  commands  admiration 
and  esteem.  He  possesses  rare  talent  for  music 
also,  and  this  gift  has  been  devoted  to  the  public 
service  in  the  leadership  of  the  Milesburg  band, 
which  under  his  able  direction  won  the  first  prize 
in  the  famous  tournament  at  Hecla  Park,  August 
30,  1894,  as  the  best  band  in  central  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  biography  of  this  gentleman  is  of  unusual 
interest.       He  was  born  September  28,   1843,  in 
Clinton  county,  and  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
most  prominent  pioneer  families.      The  name  was 
originally  written  Bierhley,  later  Bierly,  and  this 
form  is  still  adhered  to  by  other  branches  of  the 
family;    but    our  subject's    father,  Peter  Beerly 
chose  to  adopt  the  new  spelling,  which  has  been 
continued   by  his  children.      The    first  ancestor 
of  whom  there  is  authentic  record,  was  Melchoir 
Bierly  our  subject's  great-great-grandfather,  who 
came  from   Bavaria,    Prussia,  in    Colonial  times 
with  his  wife  and  two  sons— Nicholas,  who  set-  | 
tied  in  Ohio  and  was  never  married,  and  Anthony 
our  subject's  great-grandfather.      Melchoir  Bierly  ' 
located  in   what   is   now   Snyder   county,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mohantango   creek,  but  during  the 
great  ««  Runaway  "  caused  by  the  Indian  troubles 
of  1778  he  left  that  locality  and  went  to  Lancas- 
ter county,  where  he  remained.   His  wife  brought 
from  the   old  country  a    beautifully  ornamented 
bottle,  which    is    now    a    cherished  relic    in  the 
family  of  a    great-grandson,  Melchoir  Bierly    of 
Kebersburg.  ' 

Anthony  Bierly,  our  subject's  great-grandfa- 
ther, was  a  man  of  note  in  his  day,  possessing  an 
unusually  keen  intellect  and  forceful  character 
He  was  versed  in  the  ancient  science  of  Astrology' 
and  practiced  it  for  a  time  at  Guy.  In  1791 
probably  m  the  spring,  he  came  to  Brush  Valley 
and  settled  with  his  family  upon  a  tract  of  300 
acres   which  was  leased  from  Col.  Samuel  Miles. 

franH?1^  Y  T^  hl'S  SOn  Nicho1^,  our  subject's 
J"'  fad    c°™  to  the  place   in  the  fall 

for  rh.  ♦  ^  a  P°rti0n  °f  Jt  and  P'ant  ^in 
ZeljT  !,UTer'S  harV6St  About  half  an 
who  Ia    I"6    u3'  b,6en  Cleared  ^  Mr-  Strawbridge, 

Bierlv  fir  1 °   bU,Uua   hut  there*  and   when   Mr 
in ThJ  firSt"Te'  there  were  a  ^  huts  standing 
m  the  woods  through  other  parts  of  the  Valle/ 

between  tV  T  SitUated  ab°Ut  half'way 

thon ^  Bierly  PrThnt  "^  °f  ^  S  and  A°" 
apple  tZl'  J  v .  G  are  Up°n  the  Place  several 
home    anH  ^    ***  br°Ught   fr0m   the    °W 

halTtr  ^  n°Wt  measure*  thirteen  and  one- 
naif  feet  ,n  circumference.      During  the  Revolu- 

MoharnyfaWar  Anth°ny  Bier)y  whil/living  on  the 
Mohantango  served  in  the  militia,  but  it  is  not 


known  what  engagements  he  took  part  in.      On 
one  or  two  occasions,  he  with  other  parties  fol- 
lowed Indians  who  had  murdered  white  families 
When  he  brought  his  family  to  Centre  county  he 
came  through   Brush   Valley  Narrows,  over  the 
road  which  Col.  Samuel  Miles  had  opened  but  a 
short  time  before,  and  it  is  said  that  Mr.  Bierly 
was  the  first  man,  who    traveled  over  it  in   a  ve- 
hicle.     He  took  an  active  part  in  the  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  his  locality,  and  was 
especially  interested  in  the  village  of  Rebersburg 
which  was  established  upon  his  tract  of  land       He 
died  in  1825  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  he  and 
his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Warner,  were 
both  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Reformed  Cemetery 
at  Rebersburg.      Neither    has  a   tombstone  with 
an  inscription.      Their   children,  none    of   whom 
are    now    living,  were:      Nicholas,  our    subject's 
grandfather;  John;  Anthony,  Jr.:  Margaret,  who 
married    John    Philips;    Mary,    wife    of   Michael 
Kehl;  Sarah,  who    married    (first)    Henry    Gren- 
mger,  and  (second)   George  Lesh;  Anna,  wife  of 
Philip  Glantz;  Barbara,  wife  of  Frederick  Wom- 
eldorf;  Rosina,  who  married   Christian   Gramley 
Elizabeth,    wife    of    Peter    Berry;  Eva,    wife    of 
Michael  Ketner,  and  Catherine,  who  never  mar- 
ried. 

Anthony  Bierly,  Jr. ,  made  his  home  upon  a 
portion  of  the  original  tract,  and  died  there  July 
l8.  l857.  aged  sixty-nine  years,  ten  months  and 
ten  days.  He  married  Maria  Kratzer,  and  had 
the  following  children:  Melchoir;  John;  William- 
Susan,  who  married  Joseph  Miller;  Rachel,  wife 
of  Rev.  George  Young,  a  minister  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  who  died  many  years  ago;  George- 
Samuel;  and  Joseph. 

John   Bierly,  second  son    of  Anthony  Bierly 
Sr.    was  born  February  8,  1779,  in  Northumberl 
land  county,  Penn.,  and  was  about  twelve   years 
of  age   when    he    came    to    Brush   Valley.      His 
mother  used  to  tell  him  how  she  secreted  him  in 
a  sugar   trough  in  the  wood  when   he  was  a  few 
months  old,  while  the  rest  of  the  family  fled  on 
account  of  an  attack  upon  the  settlement  by  the 
Indians.      The  savages  did  not  discover  him,  and 
he  was  found  uninjured  on  the  return  of  the  fam- 
ily when  the  danger    had   passed.      He    married 
Miss    Catherine   Berry,   of  Lancaster,  and    lived 
near  Rebersburg  for  forty-five  years,  but  later  re- 
moved to  Sugar  Valley,  where  he  died  in  1870  at 
the  age  of  ninety-one.      Most  of  his  children  set- 
tled in  Sugar  Valley.      Hon.  Willis  R.  Bierly,  his 
grandson  and  a  son   of    Peter  S.    Bierly,  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  from  Lycoming 
county. 

Nicholas  Bierly,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, located  upon  the  original  tract,  and  passed  his 


I'll 


inuui  VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   UECORD. 


life  there,  dying  Jul)  ;S,  at  the  agi 

enty-tln  His  wife  Lucy  was  a  daughter  of 

[ohi    Buchtel,  who  came  to  t  entre  county  about 
the  same  time  as  th<     Bierlys       She   died   March 
[851,  ag     I  •  •  1 1 1 \ -three    years,    and   both 

were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Lutheran  Reformed  cem- 
eter)  at  Rebersburg.  They  had  ten  children. 
whose  names  with  dates  <>f  birth  are  as  follows: 
Nicholas,  February  12,  1 799,  died  in  Sugai  Val- 
ley, aged  seventy-eight;  Hannah,  M  1  Soo, 
married  Henry  Meyer;  Michael,  Novembei  -i, 
1801  ;  John,  September  25,  1  81  ,  Dei  ember 
6,  1805,  moved  to  Ohio;  Anthony,  August  26, 1 807; 
Reuben,  March  s,  1809,  moved  to  Missouri;  Pe- 
ter, April  1  ^,  1814,  is  mentioned  more  fully  be- 
low ■;  Simeon,  March  25,  1817;  George,  Julv  17, 
I  S  lo.    Settled  111   <  >hlo. 

Petei  Beerly,  our  subject's  father,  was  a 
wagonmaker  in  Clinton  county  until  [847,  when 
he  moved  to  Boggs  township,  (entre  county, 
and  continui  d  ili.it  business  throughout  his 
remaining  years,  He  was  a  man  of  influence, 
and  in  his  last  \  1  ai  s  was  ,1  Republican  m  politics. 
His  death  occurred  December  7,  [868.  His 
wife,  Sarah  Karstetter  daughter  of  Rudolph  and 
Margaret  Karstetter,  was  born  |une  2(1.  1814, 
and  died  March  30,  1887.  The}  were  married 
February  19,  [837,  and  had  eight  children,  whose 
names  with  dates  ol  birth  are  here  given:  Rob- 
ert, December  2,  1837,  is  a  wheelwright  and 
manufacturer  at  Central  City,  and  a  leading  citi- 
zen, of  whom  a  biography  appears  elsewhere; 
Rebecca,  April  2,  [839,  widow  of  David  Wat- 
son, resides  m  Boggs  township,  i  entre  county; 
Messulan,  September  14.  1841,  enlisted  in  the 
army  during  the  Civil  war.  ami  died  a  soldi 
death  Febru  r\  8,  1 863 ;  Nathaniel,  September 
28,  1843,  is  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch; 
Tartulious,  June  20,  1846;  Agnes,  September  J4, 
1849,  married  Byron  Teller,  a  pumpmaker  in 
1  h.<^'s  town-hip,  Centre  county;  Newton,  Sep- 
tember Jo.  1852,  died  March  4.  1853;  and  I 
uel,   May  30,    1858,  who  is  also  a  musician. 

Squire  Beerlj  began  Ins  business  career  in  his 
father's  hop,  but  at  the  age  of  nineteen 

he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  1  t8th  1'  V.  [.,  under 
Col  James  1'  Weaver.  He  spent  three  years 
m  tin-  service,  and  was  detailed  as  membei  of  a 
biass  band.  He  fortunately  escaped  all  wounds, 
although  he  took  part  in  man)  hotly  contested 
battles,     including    those    of     the     Wilderness, 

ttsylvania,  Gettysburg  and  Petersburg.      Not 
until  peace  was  1  |  did  he  return  home.    He 

woiked  with  his  father  for  three  years,  and  al 
the  death  ol   the  latter  continued  the  business  in 
partnership    with    Robert     Beerly,    the    brother 
menl  until    1891.      They  were  also 


iged  foi  .>ome  time  in  cider  making       In  , 
Squire   Beerly   became  interested   in   mercantile 
business  at  Central  City  with  Louis  F.  Wetzler, 
his  present  partner,  and    has  since  conducted  it 
successfully. 

On  June  1.  1874,  Squire  Beerly  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Heaton,  but  no  chil- 
dren blessed  their  union.  Mrs.  Beerly  was  born 
February  ij,  1853,  a  daughter  ol  Andrew  and 
Liddie  (Poorman)  Heaton.  Politically  the  Squire 
is  a  Republican,  with  a  decided  leaning  tow 
free  silver;  and  in  religion  he  favors  the  doctrines 
of  the  Presbyterian  Chun  h  Si  icially  he  belongs 
to  the  Grange,  the  (1  A  R.  and  the  Veteran 
League,    and    at    times    held    various    township 

offices,    having    been   a     justice  of    the  peace  sil 

[879 

As  director  ol  the  Milesburg  band  Mr.  Beerl) 
has  achieved  a  success  in  which  every  one  in  the 
community   feels   personal    pride.      On  the  00 
sion  of  the   band  tournament  referred   to   ahc 
the  citizens  of   Milesburg  sought  to  giv<    expi 
sion  to  the    popular   feeling  by  giving  an  ovation 
to  the  hero   of   the   hour,  Squire   Beerl).     The 
borough  council  took  appropriate  action,  and  an 
elegant  banquet  was  prepared  by  the  ladies  of  tin 
town  at    Bogg's  Hall.       The  affair  was  a  surprise 
to  the  Squire,  who,  on  his  arrival  at  Central Cit) 
from  Bellefonte,  was  met   by  the  constable  and 
given  to  understand  that  he  was  wanted  in  Miles 
burg  to  answer   to   a   serious  charge.      Much  be- 
wildered, but  willing  as  a  loyal  citizen  to  submit 
to  the    authority   of   the    law,  he    entered  one  ol 
the  carriages   in  waiting   and  soon  found  himself 
the  chief  figure  in  a  triumphal  procession  hea'' 
b)   the  Milesburg  band,  the  chief  burgess  and  t h<- 
members   of   the   borough   council.      On  arriving 
at  the  banquet  hall    in   Milesburg  the  assembl 
was  called  to   order  by  the  clerk  of  the  council. 
and  various  speeches  were  made  during  the  even 
ing,  the  Squire    being   presented  with  a  beautiful 
gold-mounted   ebony  baton,  which  he   modestly 
received  with  a  few  well-chosen  words. 


DiR     I      k    WHITE  was   born    Novembei 
1866,  m  Mechanicstown,  Frederick  county, 
Md.,  and  is  a  descendant  of  a  well-known  fan 
of  that  state      His  grandfather,  [ohn  White,  v 
was  of    Irish    stock,  owned    and   cultivated   a  I 
estate  in  Carroll  county,  Md.      The  Doctor's 
ther.  William  White.    M.    IX.  was  born    in   tbat 
Mate  in  1824,  at  Taneytown,  and,  alter  gra 
ing  from  the  1  lepartment  of  the  Univer- 

sity   of    Mar)  land.    I01  ated    at    M 
where  he  followed  his  profession  with  signal  suc- 
cess until  his  death  in  1S85.       He  served  foi 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


245 


time  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State. 
His  wife,  Emily  J.  Cover,  who  was  a  German  by 
descent,  was  born  in  Ladiesburg.  Md.,  in  1835, 
and  died  in  1880.  They  had  seven  children: 
John  and  Thomas  died  in  childhood;  William  P. 
resides  in  Baltimore,  Md.;  Minnie  E.  at  Thur- 
mont  (formerly  Mechanicstown);  F.  K. ,  our  sub- 
ject, was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth;  May  E.  re- 
sides in  Philipsburg;  Howard,  a  graduate  in  den- 
tistry, is  practicing  his  profession  at  Cuero, 
Texas. 

Until  the  age  of  fourteen  Dr.  White  remained 
at  home,  then  attended  Pennsylvania  College, 
Gettysburg.  He  prepared  for  his  profession  at 
the  Baltimore  Dental  College,  graduating  March 
5,  1885,  and  since  1887  he  has  been  established 
at  Philipsburg. 


MOBERT  JONES  HEPBURN,  whose  indus- 
try and  prudent  management  in  business 
affairs,  and  many  excellent  qualities  as  a  citizen, 
long  ago  gained  for  him  the  esteem  of  the  people 
of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  a  native  of  Ly- 
coming county,  Penn.,  born  September  7,  1822. 
He  is  of  pioneer  stock,  his  grandfather,  John 
Hepburn,  an  Irishman  by  birth,  having  settled 
in  Lycoming  county  when  that  region  was  as  yet 
but  sparsely  populated.  Samuel  Hepburn,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  there,  and  spent 
a  long  life  as  a  farmer  near  Jersey  Shore,  where 
he  was  numbered  among  the  leading  adherents 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics  as  a  Democrat.  He  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-one  years,  three  months  and  one 
day,  and  his  wife,  Mary  Crawford,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  also 
attained  a  good  old  age,  passing  away  in  her 
eighty-seventh  year.  Nine  children  of  this  es- 
timable couple  lived  to  maturity,  viz.:  (i)Will- 
iam,  who  after  two  years  of  gallant  service  in 
the  Union  army  died  a  soldier's  death  at  Suffolk, 
Va. ;  (2)  R.  J.,  our  subject;  (3)  Margaret  (de- 
ceased), formerly  the  wife  of  Ira  Martin,  of  New 
York  State;  (4)  Mary  (Mrs.  John  Gheent),  of  Jer- 
sey Shore;  (5)  Martha  (deceased),  who  married 
Warren  Clark,  of  Limestone  Valley;  (6)  Nancy, 
now  the  second  wife  of  Warren  Clark;  (7)  Jane, 
who  married  Robert  Davidson,  of  Jersey  Shore; 
(8)  Charles,  who  resides  at  Lovel  Corners,  near 
Jersey  Shore;  and  (9)  John,  a  resident  of  Linden, 
Lycoming  county. 

As  a  farmer's  son,  Mr.  Hepburn  had  an  op- 
portunity to  acquire  industrious  habits  in  youth. 
At  eighteen  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  after  working  at  it  several  years  he 
moved  from  Lycoming  county  to  Centre  county, 


1848,  died  in  infancy. 
1 85  1,  is  a  carpenter 
married  February  4, 
they  have  no  children. 


locating  at  Bellefonte,  where  since  1844  he  has 
been  employed  by  the  Valentine  Iron  Co.,  in  the 
fashioning  of  the  wood  work  required  in  then- 
business.  He  is  an  expert  in  this  line,  and  for 
years  has  done  the  work  of  three  men.  On  De- 
cember 3,  1846,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  E.  Wonsley,  who  was  born  March  28, 
1828,  in  Monongalia  county,  W.  Va.  (then  part  of 
the  Old  Dominion),  and  came  to  Bellefonte  with 
her  foster  parents  when  she  was  about  eighteen 
years  old.  After  nearly  half  a  century  of  wedded 
life  she  passed  away  January  26,   1895. 

Ten  children  blessed  this  union.  The  first 
two,    the    younger    of    whom    was  born   May  4, 

(3)  J-  W.,  born  July  20, 
near    Bellefonte;  he    was 

1875,  to   Miss  Betty  Fall; 

(4)  Thompson,  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1855,  was  married  in  September, 
1877,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Walker;  he  died  May  10, 
1886,  leaving  one  daughter,  Maude.  (5)  IraM., 
born  May  15,  1858,  died  August  21,  i860.  (6) 
Charles  E.,  born  May  4,  1861,  died  October  17, 
[864.  (7)  Alpheus,  born  April  12,  1864,  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  married  Miss  Jennie  Gushing,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born  July  4,  1863.  (8)  Sanford 
S.,  born  March  12,  1867,  died  February  24, 
1872.  (9)  Carmina,  born  June  2,  1870,  married 
Robert  Fry,  a  painter.  (10)  Samuel  E.,  born 
November  23,  1872,  married  Miss  Emma  J. 
Bridge,  who  was  born  near  Bellefonte  in  January, 
1867,  and  they  have  two  children — Mary  E.  and 
Pearl  C. ;  he  was  formerly  in  the  grocery  business 
but  is  now  a  carpenter. 

Mr.  Hepburn  has  been  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  all  his  children  have 
followed  this  worthy  example.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  Democrat. 


SAMUEL  BURRELL.  When  one  reaches 
„)  the  age  of  three-score  and  ten  there  can  be 
no  more  keener  satisfaction  than  that  given  by  a 
review  of  a  life  of  usefulness,  spent  in  contented 
labor  in  one's  appointed  sphere,  and  marked  by 
the  approval  of  one's  own  conscience  and  the  re- 
spect and  affection  of  those  with  whom  one's  lot 
has  been  cast.  To  an  agricultural  worker  living 
"close  to  Nature's  heart,"  such  a  retrospect 
must  show  long  years  of  peaceful  routine  toil, 
and  assuredly  this  is  the  case  with  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  in  a  hale  and  hearty  old  age  is 
now  living  in  retirement  at  Penn  Hall,  Centre 
county. 

Mr.  Burrell  is  a  native  of  George's  Valley, 
Centre  county,  born  March  22,  1827.  His  fa- 
ther, John  Burrell,  a  native  of  Shamokin.  Penn., 


246 


COM  VEMORA  T1VE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


born  April  20,  1798.  was  married  in  early  man- 
hood at  Sunbury,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Rachel  McKin- 
ney,  daughter  <>f  Abraham  McKinney.  They 
came  to  George's  Valley  soon  after  this  event, 
accompanied  by  Samuel  Burrell,  an  uncle  of  our 
subject.  For  some  time  both  brothers  followed 
the  mason's  trade,  which  they  had  previously 
learned,  and,  in  company  with  George  [Igen, 
they  purchased  a  tract  of  timbered  land  on  I 
Hill,  where  John  Burrell  cleared  a  farm  and 
built  a  home  for  himself.  Samuel  finally  settled 
in  Nittany  Valley,  and,  giving  up  his  trade,  fol- 
lowed farming  exclusively  until  his  death. 

John  Burrell  continued  his  trade  for  many 
is,  the  work  ot  his  farm  being  left  to  others 
while  he  was  thus  employed.  He  often  had  a 
large  fori  e  oi  men  at  work  foi  him,  and  he  was 
himself  a  most  industrious  man.  Although  not 
remarkably  tall,  he  was  known  as  "Big  John 
Burrell,  "  because  of  his  great  muscular  power, 
his  feats  of  lifting  at  "  raisings  "  being  extraor- 
dinary. Despite  his  hard  work  he  never  accumu- 
lated much,  but  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had 
a  comfortable  home  and  175  acres  of  land,  prac- 
tically clear  of  indebtedness.  For  some  years 
previous  to  his  death  he  had  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  [arming.  He  was  much  given  to  driving 
a  fractious  team,  and  was  considered  an  excellent 
horseman;  but  on  December  19,  1S50,  while  re- 
turning from  a  trip  to  Bellefonte  with  a  load  of 
mill  feed,  he  stopped  at  Spring  Mills  and  loos- 
ened his  horses,  intending  to  lead  them  to  tin 
mill,    hut    a   sin. it  away.      They  took 

fright  at  something,  and  made  a  spring  which 
broke  the  bridle  bit,  so  that  he  was  thrown  under 
their  hoofs  and  so  injured  that  he  died  the  fol- 
lowing day  at  10  A.  M.  His  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  in  George's  Vallej  He 
was  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  locality,  and  a 
leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  hold- 
ing various  offices  ami  contributing  liberalh 
the  work  of  the  society  Politically  he  was  a 
Wing,  but  his  abolition  principles  led  him  to  en- 
ter the  Republican  party  on  its  organization,  and 
at  tin-  election  just  prior  to  his  death  he  voted 
for  Fremont 

1  lur  subject  was  tin  child  of  John  and 

Rachel  Burrell.  Of  the  other  children  by  this 
marriage:  (2)  John  went  to  Illinois,  and  during 
the  Civil  war  enlisted  from  that  State,  and  was 
wounded.  He  returned  home,  but  later  rejoined 
the  army,  and  in  May.  1864,  In-  mel  a  soldier's 
death.  (3)  Mary  A.  married  Jacob  Breon,  of 
Altoona,  Penn.  (4)  A.  Gregg  is  a  farmer  in 
Gregg  township,  Centre  county  (5)  David,  who 
served  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  [48th  P.  V  I  ,  is 
a    mason    at    Centre    Hall.      (6)   Rebecca    (Mrs. 


Janus  Yeakley)  resides  at  Cleveland.  Ohio.  \j^ 
William  H.  H.  enlisted  in  the  uSth  P.  V.  I.. 
ami  was  killed  at  Gettysburg.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  in  1844,  and  was  buried  in  Heck- 
man  Cemetery,  and  for  hissecond  wife  thefather 
married  Mrs.  Polly  (Gill  Dunkle,  widow  of  Jacob 
Dunkle.  she  died  111  [889.  The  children  of 
this  union  were:  Thomas,  who  died  in  infai 
and  Bii/.a,  now  Mrs.  Benjamin  Smith,  of  Belle- 
fonte. 

The  free-school  system  had  not  been  inaugu- 
rated when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  I 
and  he  attended  only  the  subscription  schools  of 
the  day,  a  Mr.   Kannedy   being  his   first  teacher 
As  the  eldest  son  In-  was  obliged  to  assist    in  tl)> 
farm  work  from   an   early  age,  and   owing  to  his 
father's  frequent  absences,  while  working  at   his 
trade,  much    responsibility  devolved   upon    him 
In  those  days   farm    labor   was  not    lightened  by 
machinery,  and  then-  was  plenty  to  do  the  year 
round.      Before  Mr.  Burrell  attained  his  majority 
he  learned  the  mason's  trade,  working  first  under 
his  la t  In  r's direction,  and   completing  his  appren- 
ticeship  with    "Big  John    Kmern  k  When   he 
came  of  age  he  began  working  at  his  trade  on  his 
own  account.      In  November,   [848,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  George's  Valley  to  Miss  Lydia   Hetting 
who  was  born  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county, 
in    August,   1829,   a    daughter   of    Isaac  and    Max) 
(Bartges)  Hettinger.      For  the  first  year  after  lis 
marriage  Mr.    Burrell  lived  at  the  home  of  hi 
ther-in-law,  farming,  and   working   at   his  tradi 
He  then  rented    a  farm  in    Haines   township,  and 
at    the  end  of  seven   years   had   saved  $230,  and 

[uired  also  a  lot  of  farming  implements,  mostly 
of  a  cheap  grade,  purchased  second  hand  at  - 
in  the  neighborhood,  and  Stocked  the  farm  U 
this  tiint  In  bought  the  farm  which  he  had  hecii 
renting,  and  having  but  a  small  proportion  oi 
pun  hast  price,  he  went  m  debt  to  secure  the 
place       Industry,  thrift,  and  shrewd  management 

bled   him    to  pay    the    obligation,  and    in 

spring  oi  [881  he  1 ght  another  farm,  th 

David  Musser  farm",  in  Gregg  township 

tnty,  contracting  a   debt  of  $7,0011.  which 

1  paid  oft  in  due  time.  He  has  retained  both 
estates,  and   is  now    pos  d   oi   a  tine  compe- 

tence.     In  the  spring  of  [891  he  removed  to  Peno 
Hall,  where  he  owns  a  comfortable  home;  b 
although  hi  is  supposed  to  have  retired  from  act ive 
business,  he  may  be  found  almost  an)  da)  work- 
ing as   busil)  as  it   his  livelihood  depended  Upon 

efforts,  his  industrious  habits  not  losing  thnr 
force  with  advancing  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Burrell  have  had  >i\  children: 
John,    who    died    at     twenty-two    years    of 

ly  M.,  now  Mrs.  David  Gentzel,  of  Califon 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


247 


Harriet,  now  Mrs.  Samuel  Ulrich,  of  Millheim; 
Mary,  now  Mrs.  John  Wagner,  of  Haines  town- 
ship; Ida,  at  home;  and  Speer.a  farmer  of  Gregg 
township.  Mr.  Burrell  was  a  Democrat  until 
recent  years,  but  he  now  votes  the  Prohibition 
ticket  from  principle.  He  has  always  been  active 
in  local  affairs,  and  has  served  as  supervisor  of  both 
Gregg  and  Haines  townships.  He  served  three 
times  as  judge  of  election  in  Haines  township,  and 
was  also  overseer  of  the  poor  there.  He  and  his 
wife  are  both  devout  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  is  at  present  an  elder. 
Years  ago  he  began  to  give  $30  a  year  to  foreign 
missionary  work,  and  added  $5.00  each  year  un- 
til the  donation  became  $105,  when  he  dropped 
back  to  $100,  and  this  amount  he  has  given  an- 
nually for  several  years.  In  addition  to  this,  he 
has  always  given  liberally  to  other  branches  of 
Church  work.  His  time  has  been  bestowed 
freely  in  the  same  good  cause,  and  for  twenty 
years  he  was  either  superintendent  or  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school  at  Pine 
Creek  School  House,  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  original  pass, 
from  Germany  to  America,  given  to  Antonius 
Bourrell,  ancestor  of  our  subject: 

We,  the  graciously  appointed  magistrate  of  His  Serene 
Highness,  the  Duke  of  Wittenburg,  in  the  princely  borough 
and  ducal  village  of  Dornsletter,  hereby  announce  and 
affirm  to  all  whom  it  may  concern  to  read  this  that — Where- 
as Antonius  Bourrell,  burger  and  tailor  of  said  borough, 
and  legitimate  son  of  Paul  Bourrell,  late  burger  of  Perrose, 
duly  declared  to  us  that  he  was  determined,  with  the  help  of 
God  and  in  the  hope  of  a  fairer  fortune,  to  emigrate  to  the 
territories  of  America,  there  to  settle  in  domestic  life,  and  — 
Whereas  he  confirmed  testimony  as  to  his  legitimacy  with 
freedom  and  conduct  and  in  due  form  requires  us  to  give  him 
the  necessary  certificate  therefor;  and — Whereas  we  deem 
his  desire  to  be  fully  justified  and  in  account  with  the  most 
recent  laws  of  the  Kingdom — Therefore,  for  the  sake  of 
truth  and  for  the  love  of  it  by  means  of  this  open  and  pub- 
lic letter,  and  in  virtue  of  our  present  office  we  declare  of  the 
aforesaid  Antonius  Bourrell  from  evidence  placed  before  us, 
from  the  Church  and  Baptismal  register  that  he  was  begot- 
ton  in  lawful  wedlock  of  the  aforementioned  Paul  Bourrell 
and  of  his  lawful  wife,  Anna  Felicetas,  as  true  and  natural 
parents,  that  he  was  born  into  the  world  on  the  5th  of  May, 

;  in  the  year  1716,  and  was  brought  to  holy  baptism  here. 
Thus,  that  no  reproach  can  be  brought  against  his  family, 
and  its  posterity,  but  rather  that  a  true  and  honorable  birth 
is  Ins,  and  that  he  was  never  held  in  servitude  by  any  man. 

j  Furthermore  as  far  as  we  know  he  has  conducted  himself  in 
daily  life  and  deed  in  such  wise  that  we  can  testify  all  things 
kind,  honorable  and  good  of  him.  To  all  magistrates,  high 
and  low,  our  humble  and  dutiful  request  is  that  they  will  be 

I,  pleased  to  receive  Antonius  Bourrell  kindly  and  graciously 

I  together  with  his  25-year-old  wife,  Anna  Maria  Barbara  Hin- 
demachin,  and  their  three  children,  Johannes,  aged  ten; 
Christina  seven,  and  Elizabeth  seven  years,  professors  of  the 
Lutheran  faith,  and  in  servitude  to  no  man.  In  consequence 
of  these  presents  we  desire  that  they  (the  family)  be  indeed 
permitted  to  enjoy  prosperity.  Such  service  we  will  re- 
quite gladly,  and  as  in  duty  bound  in  all  cases  of  a  similar, 
or  of  any  other  nature,  and  further  testimony  whereof  we 
have  begged  and  interested  the  worthiest,  the  most  learned 
and  venerable  of  His  Serene  Highness'  bailiffs,  Mr.  Ludwig 
Achatius  Wohren,  openly  to  affix  hereunto  his  seal  of  office. 


Given  in  Dornstetter,  the  12th   of   May,  1752.     Ducal  Wurt- 
emburgish,  bailiff  and  officers  in  Dornstetter. 

[Signed]  Ludwig  Achatius  Wohren. 


WILLIAM  KREAMER  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  substantial  citizens  of  the 
pleasant  little  town  of  Millheim,  Centre  county, 
and  his  history  shows  that  he  possesses  the  char- 
acteristic qualities  of  the  typical  business  man. 
He  is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  and  was  born 
June  5,  1839,  in  Miles  township,  where  his  fa- 
ther,   John  Kreamer,    was   a  prominent   farmer. 

John  Kreamer  was  born  in  Berks  county, 
Penn.,  and  when  he  was  a  boy  of  twelve  sum- 
mers accompanied  his  parents  to  a  new  home 
upon  a  farm  near  Rebersburg.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood there,  and  married  Miss  Sally  Weaver,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children:  Jonathan,  a  resident 
of  Jefferson  county,  Kans.  ;  Reuben,  of  Rebers- 
burg; Mary,  who  died  unmarried  in  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  William,  our  subject;  Jes- 
tie  Ann  (deceased),  who  did  not  marry;  and  Jerad, 
a  resident  of  Potter  township.  Centre  county. 
The  father  was  an  industrious  man  and  prospered 
in  his  affairs.  He  was  influential  in  local  and 
religious  movements  as  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  was  active  in  politics  as  well,  bein<; 
elected  to  various  township  offices  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket.  He  attained  the  good  old  age  of 
eighty-six  years,  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  devout 
member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  passed 
away  at  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  the  remains 
of  both  being  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Rebers- 
burg. 

William  Kreamer's  early  opportunities  for 
schooling  were  none  of  the  best,  being  limited 
to  the  country  schools  of  the  time  and  locality, 
and  this  is  probably  one  cause  of  his  earnest  ad- 
vocacy of  improved  methods  for  the  training  and 
instruction  of  the  youth  of  to-day.  His  inter- 
est has  been  shown  by  his  many  years  of  service 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  and  for  six  consecutive 
years  he  was  the  secretary  of  that  body. 

Mr.  Kreamer  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm 
where  he  was  born,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
he  was  married  in  Rebersburg  to  Miss  Annie  M. 
Ruhl,  who  was  born  in  the  same  township,  July 
14,  1839,  a  daughter  of  John  Ruhl.  Mr.  Kreamer 
took  his  bride  to  the  old  homestead,  where  they 
resided  until  the  spring  of  1895,  when  they  re- 
moved to  their  present  home  in  South  Penn 
street,  Millheim. 

He  has  not  only  been  a  most  successful  farmer, 
but  has  been  largely  interested  in  buying  and 
selling  stock,  having  paid  out  thousands  of  dol- 
lars to  stock  raisers  in  his  county  and  those  ad- 


248 


'  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


At  present  he  is  retired  from  active 
business  with  the  exception  of  the  'arc  of  certain 
and  loans  Mi-  home  in  Millheim 
is  both  comfortable  and  tasteful,  making  a  pli 
anl  spot  in  which  to  spend  the  leisure  which  his 
prosperitj  gives  He  and  Ins  wife  are  prominent 
members  ol  the   Lutheran   Church,  and  have  be- 

ie  identified  with   its  varied  helpful  activil 
They  have  one  daughter,  Ida  V.,  now  the  wife  of 
W      II      Klepper,    a     teacher    in    the    Grammar 
School   at    Lock   Haven,    Penn.;  thej    have  had 
lour  children:      Lee   R. .  Paul    K..   Fairy   G. 

ed  in  l  892     and  Anna  M 

Politically,  Mr  (Creamer  is  a  Democrat,  but, 
while  he  is  a  stanch  and  inHuential  supporter  of 
his  party,  he  lias  never  been  a  politician  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  term.  The  different  town- 
ship offices  which  he  has  held  from  time  to  time 
have  been  tilled  most  creditably,  the  same  shrewd 
judgment  and  energetic  management  which  have 
won  him  his  success  in  the  business  arena  having 
been  devoted  to  the  discharge  of  his  official  du- 
ties 


THLO  S  (  HRIST,  M  1)..  oi  State  College, 
(  cntre  county,  is  a  physician  of  wide  repu- 
tation and  large  experience.  His  skill  as  a  sur- 
geon has  won  for  him  the  appreciative  recogni- 
tion of  the  profession  at  large  a  supreme  test  of 
merit  — and  his  contributions  to  medical  litera- 
ture, and  the  reports  ol  notable  cases  in  his  prac- 
tice,   mark  a  degree  of   success  seldom  attained. 

f)r  Christ  is  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  and 
belongs  to  a  well-known  pioneer  family,  hisgreat- 
grandfather  Christ  having  come  from  Germany 
111  earlj  manhood  with  two  brothers  Jacob 
Christ,  our  subject^  grandfather,  was  bom  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  became  prominent  in  the  trans- 
portation business  long  before  the  days  of  rail- 
roads, He  hauled  goods  on  contract  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Pittsburg,  making  use  of  a  large 
wagon  drawn  by  six  black  horses.  He  had 
three  children:  Levi  B  .  mentioned  below; 
Eliza,  who  married  William  Dellaven.  of  Miners- 
ville,  Schuylkill  county,  Penn. ;  and  Jacob,  who 
met    a  soldier's  death  at   Gettysburg. 

Levi  B".  Christ,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
11  Philadelphia,  fuly  4,  1804,  and  when  a  boy 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Lewisburg,  Union 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  throughout  the 
later  years.  He  became  a  successful  merchant 
and  foundryman,  and  was  highly  esteemed  as  a 
citizen.  His  wife,  Hestei  (Sterner),  was  a  na- 
tive of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1797.  and 
came  to  Union  county  in  childhood  with  her  par- 
ents.     She  died  in  August,  1863,  and  the  father's 


death  occurred  in  1876.      Of  their  six  children  1 
did  not  live  to  adult  age.      The  others  are:     in 
Theo    S  ,  subject  of  this   sketch;     (2)     Edward 
B.,   a    merchant    at    Murphy.     Cal.;     (3)    M 
Pi    cilia       ii'      I  Daniel  S.    Kremer,    ol  Philadel- 
phia,  and     141     Emily,  who  married    [ohn  I 
wait,  ol  Freeport,    111.      She    is   an  aunt  of  Mr- 
William    Mckinley,   wife  of   tin     President  of    the 
United  States. 

hi     1  hrist  was   reared   in  the   city  of    Lt 
burg,   where  he  was  born  April  21,  1S30.      Heat 
tended  the  academy  there    in    boyhood,  and  a 
made  himself  useful  in  his  father's  store.      Hav- 
ing decided  upon  the  medical  profession  as  a  lift- 
calling,  he  began  his  preparation  under  a  precep- 
tor at  Lewisburg,  Penn.;  and  later  took  a  course 
in  the  Medical  Department   of  the   University  of 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  in   March,    i860.     Es- 
tablishing an  office  at  Lewisburg,  he  commenced 
his  practice  with    flattering   prospects;  but  at  the 
first  call  to  arms  in  1861  he  responded,  enlisting 
April   iS,  and  was  made  assistant  surgeon  of  the 
4th  Regiment  P.  V.  I.      He  assisted  to  raise  thi 
company,  and  was  to  have  been   its  captain,  but 
being  advised  to  go  in   his  professional  capacin, 
he  in  preference  accepted  a  commission  as  assist 
ant  surgeon.      On  April  21,   1861,  he  saw  acti\< 
service,  his    regiment    going   first    to  Harrisb 
then      to     Philadelphia,     where     they     marched 
through  the   streets   in    silence    at  night.      From 
there  they  went  to  Perry  ville,  where  they  guarded 
the   ferry    some    ten   days;   thence   proceeded 
Annapolis,  Md.,  helping  there  to  build  a  railroad, 
later  moving  to   Washington,    1).    C.     After  tin 
death  of  Col.  Elsworth,  the  regiment   went   int" 
Virginia,  and  was  stationed  at  Alexandria,  the: 
marching    to    Hull    Run.        At    the   end    of   their 
three-months'  term  of  service  they  were  muster.  I 
out  at  Alexandria. 

Dr.  Christ  remained  at  home  for  two  months 
after  his  return,  but  on  receiving  notice  of  an  - 
amination  at  Harrisburg  for  army  physicians,  he 
entered  it  and   secured  one  of  the  thirteen  p> 
t ions  offered,    there   being    20K    applicants 
October  u,  1S61.  he  was  made  assistant  surgeon 
ol  the  45th  P.  V.  Vol. .which  regiment  went  1 
to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  it  embarked  for  Hil' 
Head    Island,  S.   C  .  arriving   Decembers,    1- 
Here  it  wis  divided,  part  moving   awa\    to  (' 
Island,  while  the  part   to  which    Dr.  Christ  v 
attached    remain.  .1    on    the    Island    under   CO 
inand    of     Lieut.-Col.    (afterward     Gen.)  Jan 
\      Beavei         Though    the     Doctor     was    only 
assistant  surgeon,    yet    he   tilled  the  position  of 
medical  director  on  the  Island,  and  had  his  hands 
full,  as  smallpox  had  broken  out  severe!) 
both  nun  of  the  regiment  and  the  negroes  living 


2rY>uu^_J^v^^^         iwjfe, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


249 


on  the  Island.  In  one  day  he  vaccinated  as 
many  as  97  colored  people.  In  July,  1862,  the 
regiment  returned  to  Fort  Monroe,  where  it  en- 
camped. On  August  4,  1862,  it  was  assigned  to 
the  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Ninth  Army 
Corps,  and  it  was  afterward  attached  to  the 
First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  of  the  same  corps. 

On  August  4,  1862,  Dr.  Christ  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  surgeon,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  was  made  brigade  surgeon.  On 
September  6,  the  regiment  moved  by  water  to 
Washington,  D.  C. ;  on  the  9th  proceeded  to 
Brookville,  Md. ;  thence  to  Frederick  City  on  the 
1 2th,  and  to  Middletown  on  the  13th.  On  the 
14th  it  fought  the  battle  of  South  Mountain, 
and  had  129  men  killed  and  wounded;  then 
Antietam,  where  it  lost  30  killed  and  wounded. 
On  October  19th,  they  pitched  thei|  tents  op- 
posite Fredericksburg,  Va. ,  and  were  engaged  in 
the  fight  there  December  13,  14  and  15.  On  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1863,  they  were  ordered  to  Newport 
News,  and  remained  there  until  the  22d  of  May. 
The  regiment  was  then  sent  to  Baltimore,  Md., 
then  by  rail  to  Kentucky,  June  4th.  When  an 
order  came  to  Gen.  Burnside,  to  re-inforce  Gen. 
Grant,  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  it  moved  at  once  by 
rail,  via  Lebanon,  Louisville  and  Cairo  (111.), 
and  then  by  boat  to  near  Vicksburg,  19th.  On 
July  4th,  Vicksburg  was  captured  by  Gen.  Grant. 
In  the  afternoon  of  same  day,  the  regiment  went 
in  pursuit  of  Gen.  Joe  Johnston's  forces,  whom 
it  chased  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  on  the  10th,  form- 
ing line  of  battle,  fighting  began,  frequent  as- 
saults being  made  daily.  On  the  17th  the  enemy 
retreated  across  Pearl  river,  destroying  part  of 
their  bridge.  The  regiment  then  destroyed  about 
fifteen  miles  of  M.  C.  railroad,  and  returned  to 
Jackson,  on  the  20th.  Next  morning  it  started 
back  to  its  old  camp  near  Vicksburg,  arriving 
there  on  the  23d,  having  suffered  much  from  the 
heat  and  want  of  water.  On  August  4th,  it 
embarked  on  steamer  for  Cairo,  111. ;  from  Cairo 
it  proceeded  to  Cincinnati;  thence  to  Covington, 
Ky.,  thence  to  Crab  Orchard  Springs,  where  it 
was  recruited,  and  was  fitted  for  hard  and  active 
service.  It  then  started  for  Knoxville  (East 
lenn.),  via  Cumberland  Gap;  here  it  surprised 
the  Rebel  Gen.  Frazer,  and  captured  him  and 
his  active  command — some  2,500  officers  and 
men — guns  and  supplies.  The  men  of  the  Doc- 
tor's regiment  all  enjoyed  their  marching  out 
of  quarters  much  more  than  they  (the  Rebels) 
did.  The  regiment  arrived  at  Blue  Springs 
(Tenn.),  October  8th,  had  a  battle  there,  and 
drove  the  enemy  away  so  hurriedly  that  they 
left  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 

On  the  13th  the  regiment  moved   by  rail  to 


Knoxville  (Tenn.j,  where  it  remained  for  two 
weeks,  then  moved  twenty-five  miles  southwest 
of  Knoxville,  to  near  Loudon.  On  the  16th,  it 
fell  back  to  Knoxville,  to  protect  that  place  from 
the  enemy,  and  there  remained  until  January  1, 
1864,  when  426  men  of  the  45th  Regiment  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers  re-enlisted  "  for  three  years 
or  during  the  war,"  thus  securing  to  themselves  a 
veteran  furlough.  Being  mid-winter,  with  scanty 
provisions  upon  which  to  subsist,  it  became  a 
question  with  the  officers  in  command  whether  to 
remain  and  longer  wait  for  rations,  or  take  up  the 
line  of  march  and  forage  on  the  way.  The  lat- 
ter alternative  was  chosen.  An  example  of  heroic 
endurance  and  patriotic  devotion  to  the  flag 
worthy  of  imitation  was  manifested  in  the  conduct 
of  the  men  on  the  march.  With  only  a  quart 
of  meal  and  five  pounds  of  fresh  meat  per  man, 
and  no  certainty  of  obtaining  more  on  the  road, 
barefooted  and  poorly  clad,  it  required  a  patriot- 
ism as  earnest,  and  a  purpose  as  fixed,  to  pa- 
tiently endure  the  privations  and  hardships  of 
the  march,  as  to  achieve  victory  in  the  face  of 
the  enemy.  At  one  time  during  the  engagement 
with  Longstreet,  the  Doctor  was  glad  to  get  any 
sort  of  food,  and  often  ate  corn  roasted  on  the 
cob,  from  which  they  made  their  coffee;  it  was 
also  their  bread  for  days  at  a  time.  At  the  end 
of  this  term  of  service  in  1863,  he  was  re-mus- 
tered as  a  veteran  for  three  years,  or  during  the 
war,  and  came  home  on  a  thirty-days'  furlough 
before  resuming  duty. 

On  January  16,  1864,  the  regiment  com- 
menced this  perilous  march,  via  Cumberland 
Gap.  On  the  2 1  st  it  arrived  at  Barboursville, 
where  the  men  received  full  rations  and  were 
supplied  with  shoes.  On  the  8th  of  February  it 
arrived  at  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  and  were  granted 
a  veteran  furlough.  It  was  the  first  regiment  to 
re-enlist  for  the  war,  and  reported  as  such  to 
Gov.  A.  G.  Curtin.  This  Veteran  Regiment, 
with  many  new  recruits,  proceeded  on  the  19th 
of  March  to  Annapolis,  Md.,the  place  of  rendez- 
vous for  the  veterans  of  the  9th  Army  Corps.  It 
was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade,  Second  Divi- 
sion, and  moved  to  Washington,  passing  on  the 
25th  in  review  before  the  President,  and  en- 
camped near  Alexandria,  Va.  On  the  27th,  via 
Fairfax  Court  House,  and  the  Bull  Run  battle 
field,  it  encamped  at  Bristoe  Station,  on  the 
evening  of  the  28th,  and  remained  guarding  the 
station  until  May  4th.  On  the  5th  the  Wilder- 
ness campaign  opened.  The  regiment  marched 
through  dense  woods  and  almost  impenetrable 
thickets,  bivouacking  at  night  in  line  of  battle. 
At  one  A.  M.  of  the  6th  the  men  were  aroused, 
and  the  battle    opened    at    daylight    with  great 


250 


COMMBMORA  T1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


fury.  The  fighting  was  most  desperate.  Night 
coming  on,  the  contest  closed.  The  regiment 
lost  145  men  killed  and  wounded.  Then  it  pro- 
ceeded to  Chancellorsville,  Spottsylvania  (Curt 
House,  Po  River,  North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor, 
1st,  2d  and  3d  of  June.  In  the  three  days  of 
fighting  here  its  loss  was  [63  killed  and  wounded, 
oul  of  the  >oo  who  were  engaged  in  battle. 

The  45th  Regiment  participated  in  all  the 
movements  of  the  army  until  it  reached  the 
[ames  river,  on  the  evening  of  the  14th.  Cross- 
ing on  the  following  morning,  it  moved  on  to  in 
front  of  Petersburg  (Va.  |,  arriving  there  on  the 
[6th  at  10  A.  M.  —  at  two  P.  M.  it  formed  line  of 
battle,  then  fighting  began,  and  lasted  a  number 
nt  days;  the  loss  of  the  regiment  was  small — 
three  killed  and  eighteen  wounded.  On  the  25th 
the  48th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  as- 
sisted  at  times  by  the  45th  Regiment,  began  the 
work  of  excavation  under  the  Rebel  fort  in  front 
of  the  45th's  division,  and  the  explosion  took 
place  on  the  morning  ol  the  30th.  It  was  a  grand 
success.  The  Doctor  witnessed  it  in  front  of  the 
fort  Here  his  regiment  lost  twenty-eight  men 
in  killed  and  wounded.  Thus  it  went  on,  battle 
after  battle, until  the  final  surrender  at  Appomat- 
tox, April  9,    1865. 

The  Doctor  says  he  always  loved  the  offi 
and    nun   of   the  noble   45th  Regiment    Pennsyl- 
vania Veteran  Volunteers.      Everywhere  the  1 
iment   performed   manful  and  soldierly    servi 
and  won  for  itself  and   its  State    an    honorable 
lame,    having   been   engaged    in    forty-one   reg- 
istered battles,  besides  a  great  number  of  heavj 
and  light  skirmishes,  and  was  one  of  the  twelve 
regiments  that  were   the  heaviest    losers   during 
the  war.      It  helped  to  carry  our  country  through 
the  hour  of  its  extreme   peril,  and   prosed   to  all 
nations  of  the  world  that  "the   government  of 
the  people,  by  the   people  and  for   tin    people" 
was  not  to  ••  perish  from   tin-  1  arth.  " 

During  the  1  rvice,  Dr.  Christ 

was  medical  director  on  the  staff  of  Major-Gen. 
Robert  l'>.  Potter,  and  was  surgeon-in-chief  of 
tin  Second  Division,  'ah  A.  ('.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  October  20,  [864,  expiration  of 
term,  and  returned  home,  resuming  his  practice  in 
May,  1865,  .11  (  hester<  ity,  Delaware  <  0.,  Penn., 
w  here  he  remained  thirteen  years,  before  locat- 
ing at  his  present  home  in  Centre  county.  He 
purchased  a  farm  ol  187  acres  about  a  mile  from 
I  ■  mont,  and  has  since  spent  his  time  in  agricult- 
ure and  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  homestead  he  owns  2 10 
timber  land  in  the  Valley,  and  he  also  had  an 
interest  in  a  store  at  Lemont,  since  sold. 

On  December  6,   1  87  1 ,  Dr.  Christ  was  united 


in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Irvin  Thomps 
who  was  born  in  Centre  county,  July  4,  1839, 
and  died  February  20,  1X87.  Four  children 
blessed  this  union:  M.  Thompson  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years,  six  months  and  seventeen  daj  5; 
Then.  S.,  Jr.,  lived  only  eight  months  and  seven 
days;  Hester  S..  born  December  5,  1875,  was  ed- 
ucated at  Birmingham  Seminary,  and  Mary  Irvin, 
born  March  15.  1878,  was  graduated  from  the 
same  institution  June  10,  1896.  The  1  >•■■ 
and  his  daughters  are  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church;  socially,  he  affiliates  with  the  1 
,md  A.  M  .  and  has  been  a  Master  Mason  since 
1853,  and  a  Knight  Templar  since  1865.  In  pol- 
itics he  has  been  a  Republican  since  1850,  and 
while  in  Chester  City  he  was  president  of  the  city 
council.  As  may  he  supposed  from  his  war  1 
ord,  Dr.  Christ  is  a  member  of  the  G.  \  K  .  and 
indeed  lie  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  that  gallant 
band.  Before  its  organization  he  helped  to  form 
a  Soldiers'  Union  at  Cluster  City,  Penn.,  which 
was  incorporated  with  the  G.  A.  K.  as  Post  N 
2;.  and  he  was  made  Post  Surgeon.  On  his  re- 
moval to  Centre  county,  he  helped  to  rganize 
Post  No.  197,  at  Lemont,  and  has  held  the  rank 
of  commander  for  fifteen  consecutive  years.      He 

member  of  the  Veteran  Legion,  Encampment 
No    59,  Belief onte. 

Dr  Christ  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  va- 
rious medical  societies  of  the  regular  school,  and 
belongs  to  the  American  Medical  Association  and 
to  the  State  and  County  Medical  Societies. 
For  several  years  he  served  as  president  of  the 
board  ol  stockholders  of  Pennsylvania  Military 
Academy  at  (luster,  and  for  six  years  he  was  sur- 
geon-in-charge  of  the  institution.  He  waselected 
the  first  Burgess  of  State  College.  Penn  He 
contributed  generously  to  the  medical  and  surgical 
history  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  honor- 
able mention  is  made  of  thirteen  difficult  opera- 
tions made  by  him,  while  his  work  receives 
well-merited  notice  also  in  Atkinson's  ' '  Physicians 
and   Surgeons  of  the  United  Stab 


'(AMES   A.  KELLER,  secretary  of  the  (  entre 

tnty  Mutual  Insurance  Co.,  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  businessmen  and  well-known 
ns  of  Pottei  township,  his  acquaintaiii 
tending  all  over  (entre  county.  He  was  horn 
June  10,  184;,  mi  the  farm  where  he  still  re- 
sides, which  is  located  a  short  distance  ea 
Centre  Hall,  his  parents  being  John  H.  and 
Rachel  (Alexander)  Keller.  The  father  was  born 
September  2,  1813,  in  Potter  township,  a  son  of 
Christian    and    Catharine     Hanevi   Keller.      The 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


251 


great-grandfather,  Jacob  Keller,  who  was  born 
February  15,  1753,  came  to  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  in  1806,  from  Bethel  township, 
Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  and  purchased  what  is 
known  as  the  Red  Mill  property.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  militia  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  after  serving  two  months  was  discharged  at 
Lebanon,  Penn.,  November  2,  1777.  His  dis- 
charge papers  are  still  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants.  Of  his  large  family  the  sons  were 
Jacob,  John,  Christian,  Philip  and  Peter. 

The  first  of  the  Keller  family  to  locate  in  the 
portion  of  Potter  township  where  our  subject 
now  resides  was  Christian  Keller,  his  grandfa- 
ther, who  secured  a  tract  of  land  from  the  Potters 
in  1828.  By  trade  he  was  a  miller.  He  died 
August  12,  183 1,  at  middle  age.  An  interesting 
incident  in  his  life  is  related  in  Linn's  History  of 
Centre  County,  as  follows:  "In  1806,  when 
Christian  was  but  a  boy,  Conrad  Dillman  lived 
near  Potter's  Fort,  and  had  a  beautiful  farm, 
which  excited  the  admiration  of  all.  Mr.  Dill- 
man  was  an  adept  at  extracting  teeth,  and  young 
Christian  one  day,  with  some  companions,  among 
whom  was  Catharine  Haney,  his  future  wife, 
called  at  Dillman's  to  have  a  tooth  pulled.  After 
the  completion  of  their  errand  the  party  started 
for  home.  Their  path  lay  over  the  hill,  and 
when  Christian  reached  the  top,  he  looked  back 
over  Dillman's  fine  farm,  and  made  the  remark 
to  Catharine,  at  the  same  time  pointing  back  to 
the  farm,  'If  you  and  I  had  that  place  it  would 
be  all  I'd  wish  for.'  She  smiled,  but  said  noth- 
ing. Twenty-five  years  later  he  related  the  cir- 
cumstance, and  during  the  meantime  his  wish 
had  been  realized."  In  his  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children:  William,  who  died  while  serv- 
ing as  county  commissioner;  John  H.,  the  father 
of  our  subject;  Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Amos  Alexander;  Catharine,  wife  of  John 
Boozer;  Lydia,  wife  of  Peter  Hoffer;  Rebecca, 
wife  of  Watson  Pennington;  Sarah,  wife  of  Isaac 
Pennington;  Leah,  wife  of  John  Hoffer  (de- 
deased);  David  C,  who  died  in  1854;  and 
Christian,  deceased  in  1895.  Of  these  children, 
but  two  are  now  living. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  much 
the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys,  and  his  educa- 
tion was  limited  to  a  course  in  the  district  schools 
of  that  early  day.  In  Potter  township  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Rachel,  a  daughter  of 
James  Alexander,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the 
old  and  highly  respected  families  of  the  town- 
ship, that  originally  came  from  Maryland.  Of 
the  children  born  to  this  union,  three  grew  to 
adult  age,  namely:  Catharine,  now  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Conley,  of  Potter  township;  James  A. ;  and  Mag- 


gie  E.,  who  married  Levi   Murray,  and    died    at 
Centre  Hall;  the  others  died  in  infancy. 

On  the  death  of  his  father,  John  H.  Keller 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  the  large 
family  in  connection  with  his  brother  William, 
and  provided  for  their  support  for  a  number  of 
years.  Afrer  his  marriage  he  located  on  the 
farm  where  our  subject  now  resides,  and  there 
made  his  home  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to 
Centre  Hall,  and  became  connected  with  the 
Centre  Hall  Manufacturing  Co.  Ten  years  later 
he  returned  to  the  farm,  where  the  mother 
suffered  from  paralysis  and  died  April  7,  1878. 
The  father's  death  occurred  at  the  same  place, 
June  7,  1895,  and  he  was  laid  by  her  side  in  the 
cemetery  of  Centre  Hall.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stalwart  Democrat,  and  held  various  offices  in  his 
township.  When  a  boy  of  sixteen  years  he 
united  with  the  Reformed  Church,  and  contem- 
plated studying  for  the  ministry;  but  as  his  serv- 
ices were  needed  at  home  he  gave  up  the  idea, 
though  he  always  took  an  active  part  in  Church 
work,  and  no  matter  what  the  condition  of  the 
weather  his  familiar  face  was  always  seen  in  the 
house  of  worship  on  Sundays.  He  held  various 
offices  in  the  Church,  and  represented  the  same 
in  the  Synod  and  elsewhere.  To  all  good  works 
he  was  a  liberal  contributor,  and  had  the  confi- 
dence and  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him.  His 
wife  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

James  A.  Keller,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  first  attended  the  Plum  Grove  school, 
which  was  then  taught  by  J.  H.  Shoemaker, 
and  later  pursued  his  studies  in  the  Tuscarora 
Academy  and  Dickinson  Seminary.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  obtained  a  teacher's  certi- 
ficate, which  he  held  for  eight  years,  and  for  a 
short  time  engaged  in  teaching  in  Boggs  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  but  after  his  return  from 
Dickinson  Seminary,  he  aided  his  father  in  the 
work  of  the  farm  as  the  war  was  then  in  prog- 
ress and  help  was  scarce. 

On  January  8,  1867,  in  Mifflinburg,  Penn., 
Mr.  Keller  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Charlotte  Kleckner,  who  was  born  in  Union 
county,  in  November,  1844,  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Esther  (Wingard)  Kleckner.  She  is  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  nine  girls,  all  of  whom  were 
school  teachers  with  the  exception  of  herself  and 
eldest  sister.  Six  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Keller:  Esther  R.,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Annie  M.,  an  accomplished  musician,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Frank  Fisher,  of  Penn  Hall, 
Centre  county;  David  K.,  a  well-educated  young 
man,  who  resides  at  home  and  has  engaged  in 
teaching  since  the    age  of  seventeen  years;  John 


COMMRMORA  TIVE  BIOO UM-ll It  M.   1!F.<  ORD. 


11..  who  is  attending  Franklin  and  Marshall  Col- 
lege; and  Christian  I),  and  William  F..  both  at 
h"nie. 

For  eif^ht  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Keller 
rented  the  home  farm,  and  then  purchased  MJ 
acres  of  the  same  for  $ i oo  per  acre.      In  [877  he 

ted  his  present  substantial  brick  resident  e, 
has  made  main  other  valuable  improvements 
upon  the  place,  and  now  has  a  highly  cultivated 
tract  of  116  acres.  He  is  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  business  capacity,  is  shrewd  md  ener- 
getic, and  of  the  strictest  integrity.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  farming  operations  he  is  also  secre- 
tary of  the  Centre  County  Mutual  Insurance  Co.. 
which  office  he  has  now  held  for  three  years. 
while  lu  was  president  of  the  company  eight 
years  and  vice-president  three  years.  He  is  also 
.1  member  of  Penn's  Valley  Banking  Co.  at  Cen- 
tre Hall,  and  in  business  circles  stands  deservedly 
high. 

Politically,  Mr.  Keller  has  always  been  a  firm 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  bis  fel- 
low citizens  recognizing  his  worth  and  abilit) 
have  elected  him  to  various  official  positions  of 
honor  and  trust,  including  those  of  school  di- 
rector, overseer  of  the  poor,  tax  collector,  asses- 
soi  and  registration  assessor.  For  eight 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  registration 
board,  and  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  hut 
refused  to  qualify.  Both  himself  and  wife  are 
earnest  and  active  members  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  during  the  erection  of  their  new 
church,  which  was  completed  in  1896,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee;  and  at  one 
time  he  took  a  verj  active  part  in  Sabbath- 
school  work.  Socially,  he  affiliates  with  the 
Grange  and  the  Masonic  fraternity  Understand- 
ing the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  a  good  ed- 
ucation, he  has  provided  his  children  with  exi 
lent  opportunities  alone  that  line,  so  that  thej 
might  be  fitted  for  any  position  in  life.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  progressive  and  wide-awake 
business  men  of  Potter  township,  but  is  unas- 
suming and  in  no  waj  seek'-  notoriety.  He  is  a 
worth)  representative  of  one  of  the  most  illustri- 
ous and  popular  families  of  Centre  county,  and 
is  universally  held  in  high  esteem. 


GEORGE  W.  KREAMER  one  ol  the  most 
reliable  and  promising  young  businessmen 
of  Centre  county,  now  conducts  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  in  the  little  village  of  Kreamerville. 
Joseph  Kreamer,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  near  Pine  Grove,  Schuylkill  Co.,  Penn., 
whence  when  two  years  old  he  was  brought  by 
his    parents   to    Centre   county,  they  locating    at 


what  is  now  known  as  Kreamerville.  The  grand- 
father became  an  extensive  land  owner  and 
farmer  of  that  place,  where  he  spent  his 
maining  days.  He  bore  the  name  of  Jacob 
Kreamer.  and  his  wife  in  her  maidenhood  was 
therine  Geisler.  In  their  family  were  eight 
children:  John,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  Rebers- 
burg;  Daniel,  a  hotel  keeper  and  farmer  of  the 
same  place,  where  his  death  occurred;  Elizabeth, 
deceased  wife  of  George  Harper,  a  farmer  of  Re- 
bersburg;  Catherine,  who  married  Henry  Smull, 
and  died  at  Rockville,  Miles  township.  Centre 
county:  Mary,  deceased  wife  of  Frederick  Burk- 
ert,  a  merchant  of  Rebersburg;  Hannah,  who 
married  Daniel  Dubbs,  a  farmer,  and  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Rebersburg:  and  Sarah,  wife  of  David 
Wolfe,  who  makes  her  home  near  that  village. 

The  elementary  education  of  Joseph  Kreamer 
was  received  in  the  common  schools  near  his 
home,  and  for  a  time  he  was  a  >tudent  in  "Wolf's 
Store  school."  When  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age  his  father  died,  and  the  year  following  he  left 
school,  completing  his  education  with  a  short 
course  in  the  Muney  high  school.  Returning 
home,  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  which  his  fa- 
ther had  left  him.  and  although  quite  young  was 
ver\  successful,  as  he  was  honest  and  industrious 
Being  of  an  amiable  disposition,  he  naturally 
found  many  who  would  help  him  in  various  ways, 
either  by  their  advice  or  security  when  buying 
hi  irses,  stock,  etc. 

In  1834,  Joseph  Creamer  wed. led  Miss  Re- 
becca Reit/el.  and  to  them  were  born  two  chil- 
dren: Catherine,  horn  April  7.  1835,  is  the  wife 
of  William  Wolfe,  of  Buena  Vista,  III. ;  and  Mary, 
horn  in  1837,  is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Reifsnyder, 
of  Millheim,  Centre  county.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  in  1856,  and  March  14.  1861, 
Mr.  Kreamer  married  Miss  Maria  Haine,  by  whom 
he  had    four  children       «  \V  .whose  nami 

introduces  this  sketch ;  Margaret,  wife    of    W 
Musser,  ol  Centre  county;  Ada  K.,  wife  of  Hart] 
Brown,  foreman  of   a  large  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment in  Colchester,  111.:  and  Harry  H.,  book- 
keeper foi  the  Sterling  Bicycle  Works  of  Chicago. 
Mrs.   Kreamer  was  reared  and  educated  in  Read- 
ing, Penn.,  and  is  th  th  in   order  of  birtl 
in  the  family  of   twelve   children     if    Samuel  and 
Margaret    (Hoff)    Haine.      Her  father  was  a  tan- 
ner   of    Fine   Grove,   Schuykill    county.      Shi 
Still  living  in    Millheim  with   her  son-in-law,  W 
S.    Musser,  and  is  a  highly  respected  lady  who  ha- 
niany  warm  friends. 

The  father  continued  the  operation  of  th< 
farm  now  owned  by  our  subject  until  his  death 
which  occurred  at  Kreamerville,  October  1 1 
1892.  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years.     H 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J5H 


was  a  liberal,  kind-hearted  gentleman,  a  true 
friend,  and  lost  many  thousands  of  dollars  by  go- 
ing security  for  others.  He  made  no  enemies, 
hut  had  the  love  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  and  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  he  was  a  gen- 
erous contributor.  Politically  he  was  an  ardent 
Democrat,  and  was  well  posted  on  the  questions 
and  issues  of  the  day,  always  voting  intelligently. 

George  W.  Kreamer  is  a  native  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, born  near  the  present  village  of  Kreamer- 
ville,  January  I,  1862,  and  in  the  district  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  obtained  his  education.  He 
began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  general 
store  of  Harter  &  Loose,  of  Rebersburg,  and  was 
later  with  C.  C.  Loose,  of  the  same  place.  Sub- 
sequently he  worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  tak- 
ing contracts  for  getting  out  lumber,  and  oper- 
ated the  home  farm  for  some  time.  In  the  fall 
of  1893  he  erected  his  present  building,  and  be- 
gan dealing  in  general  merchandise  in  Kreamer- 
ville.  Courteous  and  obliging,  he  has  built  up 
an  excellent  trade,  his  customers  coming  from 
miles  around. 

In  September,  18S5,  in  Brush  Valley,  Mr. 
Kreamer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rachel  Hartman,  a  native  of  Rebersburg,  and  a 
daughter  of  Fred  and  Abigail  ( Bierly)  Hartman. 
They  have  one  child,  Earl  T. ,  born  June  13, 
1889.  Mr.  Kreamer  follows  in  the  political  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  supporting  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  served  as 
inspector  of  elections,  and  constable  of  his  town- 
ship five  years.  Socially,  he  affiliates  with  the 
Grange,  and  religiously  he  and  his  wife  are  both 
faithful  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  while 
he  has  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  for  several  years.  His  uprightness,  in- 
tegrity and  public-spiritedness  have  won  him  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  neighbors,  and  he 
is  classed  among  the  most  respected  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Centre  county. 


WILLIAM  THOMAS  LEATHERS,  a  well- 
known  and  reliable  business  man  of  How- 
ard township,  Centre  county,  is  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  W.  T.  Leathers  &  Son,  roof 
painters  and  dealers  in  the  Excelsior  Graphite 
Roofing  paint  for  iron,  tin,  shingle  and  paper 
roofs,  with  headquarters  at  Howard.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Mount  Eagle,  December  25, 
1844,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Rebecca  (Working) 
Leathers,  who  spent  their  lives  upon  that  farm. 
His  paternal  grandparents,  Jacob  and  Mary 
Slick)  Leathers,  were  natives  of  York  county, 
Perm.,  where  they  were   married,  but  as  early  as 


1795  they  became  residents  of  Howard  township. 
Centre  county.  The  maternal  grandparents,  la- 
cob  and  Christina  Working,  made  their  home  111 
Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  whither  they  had 
removed  by  ox-teams  when  the  place  was  an  un- 
broken wilderness. 

Frederick  Leathers  was  three  times  married. 
his  first  wife  being  Nancy  Barthurst,  of  Mount 
Eagle,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Hannah, 
who  married  James  Antes  (both  are  now  de- 
ceased); Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  Reuben  Id- 
ings,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Martha,  win. 
wedded  Eastings  Guthrie  (both  are  now  de- 
ceased); and  Mary,  wife  of  John  N.  Barnhart,  a 
retired  school  teacher  living  in  New  Jersey.  For 
his  second  wife,  Mr.  Leathers  wedded  Rebecca 
Working,  who  died  December  25,  1849,  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years,  leaving  four  children: 
James  K.,  a  farmer  of  Howard  township;  Nancy 
E.,  widow  of  James  Antes,  of  Jersey  Shore, 
Penn. ;  William  T.,  our  subject;  and  Frederick 
M. ,  a  fanner  of  Farnhamville,  Iowa.  The  third 
wife  of  Mr.  Leathers  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Jane  D.  Stiver,  and  was  a  native  of  Penn's  Valley, 
Penn.  She  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years,  and  her  husband  passed  away  April 
1,  1877,  when  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

At   the  age  of  sixteen  years,    on  August  [6, 

1 86 1,  young  Leathers  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
45th  P.  V.  I.,  then  commanded  by  Capt.  John 
I.  Curtiri  (later.  Gen.    Curtin),  and  until  in  July, 

1862,  the  command  served  under  Sherman.  It 
participated  in  the  battle  of  James  Island  and  in 
many  skirmishes.  The  command  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  Md.,  on  September  17, 
1862,  after  which  engagement  Mr.  Leathers  was 
transferred  to  the  6th  U.  S.  Cavalry,  Troop  I, 
in  which  he  served  until  September,  1864.  He 
was  engaged  at  Beverly  Ford  and  in  other  minor 
battles,  and  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  almost 
his  entire,  regiment  was  captured,  he  narrowly 
escaping.  After  the  battle  he  served  principally 
as  a  messenger  at  the  headquarters  of  Gen.  Sher- 
idan. Mr.  Leathers  was  twice  wounded,  once 
while  with  the  infantry  and  again  while  carrying 
a  dispatch  from  Gen.  Sheridan  to  Gen.  Kilpat- 
rick,  receiving  a  bullet  in  the  left  thigh,  which 
he  carried  some  six  months  or  more.  On  Septem- 
ber 21,  1865,  Mr.  Leathers  was  married  in  Cana- 
da, Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Hughes, 
who  was  born  in  Howard  township,  July  22. 
1844,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Mary  A. 
(Goodfellcw)  Hughes,  natives  of  Blair  and  Centre 
counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  When  a  small 
boy  her  father  had  come  to  Centre  county  with 
his  parents,  Corney  and  Margaret  (Brown) 
Hughes,  who  were  born  in  Ireland.      His  mother 


L'.r.  1 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


I  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn  .  buthis  tail 
death  occured  in   Centre  county.     The  maternal 
grandparents    of    M  thers,    Thomas    and 

Marj  A  <  .r.iliam)  Goodfellow,  were  also  natives 
of  Ireland,  but  at  an  early  age  became  residents 
ij  I  low  arc  1  township,  Centre  county,  Perm. .  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  and 
where  foi  several  years  the  grandfather  enga 
in  farming,  and  then  lived  reti 

Rev.   [ohn   Hughes  was  iut  (  hristian, 

and  a  local  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  quite  prosperous  in  his  business 
undertakings,  and  was  an  extensive  dealer  in  coal 
and  wood  He  departed  this  life  in  Canada, 
Centre  county,  February  14,  1876,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years;  his  wife  died  in  the  same  house 
Maj  14,  1871,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  In 
their  family  were  three  daughters:  Eliza,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  one  year;  Martha,  wife  of 
George  D.  [ohnson,  who  is  operating  the  old 
homestead  farm  il  da;  and   Mary    I. 

Twelve     children   graced     the   union    of   Mr. 

and    Mrs.    Leathers:       1     Mary    A.    died  at  the 

of   six    years.    (j|  James  L. .  a  roof    painter, 

"I  Mt.  Eagle,  married  Edith  Leathers  December 

pi,   iSSS,     (3)  Frederick    resides    at  home,   and 

ists  Ins  father  in  roof  painting;  141  Lott  II. 
died  in  infancy;  Luc)    I  '•.  is  at  home;  Ida  R.  was 

married  to  Howard  1'.  Nell  October  14,  1897; 
Mattie  M.  is  at  home;  <  leorge  H.  travels  for  his 
father;  Gilbert  <  died  when  fourteen  months 
old;  and  Cookman  A  ,  Jessie  and  Milton  W.  are 
all  three  at  home.      Foi  ears  after  his  mar- 

riage, Mr  Leathers  lived  with  his  wife's  parents. 
and  then  located  on  the  old  Leathers  homestead, 
where  he  resided  until  April  7,  1807.  when  he  re- 
moved to  Howard.  In  1S84  he  began  the  paint 
business,  and  July  2.  1805.  patented  the  Excel- 
sior Graphite  Roofing  Paint,  which  is  highly 
commended  by  those  who  have  used  it.  He 
has  some  excellent  testimonials  from  prominent 
citizens  of  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  New  York  State, 
etc.,  among  whom  maj  be  mentioned  President 
McKinley  (all  of  whose  roofs  in  Canton  the  firm 
covered  in  September,  1897),  Lieut-Gov.  Jones. 
The  business  of  \Y.  T.  Leathers  &  Son  has  ever 
been  conducted  on  the  strictest  principles  of 
honesty,  and  their  prosperity  cannot  be  attribute  I 
to  a  combination  of  lucky  circumstances,  but 
rather    to  their  well-directed  energy,  enterprise, 

integrity  and  intellectual  effort. 

In  February,  1895,  Mr.  Leathers  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  has  also  held  other 
local  positions,  which  he  has  tilled  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Veteran  Legion  of  Bellefonte,  the 
Grange,    and    Grand    Army    Post     No.    262,    of 


Howard,  while  politically  he  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  tlie  Republican  party.  He  and  his 
amiable  wife  are  consistent  and  worthy  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  occup\ 
a  high  social  position  among  the  residents  of  the 
community. 

PETER  BREON  (deceased),  who  in  his  life- 
time was  a  well-known  agriculturist  of  I 
ter  township,  justly  deserves  to  be  ranked  among 
the  self-made  and  prominent  citizens  of  Centre 
county,  where  his  entire  life  was  passed,  lb 
was  born  in  Gregg  township,  where  his  father, 
Peter  Breon,  Sr.,  was  also  born.  The  family 
was  founded  in  Centre  county  by  his  grandfa- 
ther. Valentine  Breon,  of  Berks  county,  Penn.. 
who,  with  his  brother,  Jacob,  located  here  at  an 
early  day,  and  from  these  two  are  descended  all 
who  bear  the  name  of  Breon  in  Perm's  Valley. 
By  trade  the  grandfather  was  a  shoemaker.  His 
death  occurred  in  Confer  Valley,  Gregg  town 
ship,  and  lie  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Mountain 
Cemetery  of  that  place.  In  his  family  were  th' 
following  children:  Peter,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject; Daniel  and  George,  who  both  died  in  Gregg 
township;  Valentine,  who  lives  in  Illinois;  Cath- 

i  erine,  who  married  John  Wenerich,  and  died  it; 

I  Centre  county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Ripka,  of  Gregg  township;  Hannah,  widow  of 
John  Crater,  and  a  resident  of  Gregg  township, 
and  Sally,  who  married  Simon  Weaver,  and  died 
near  Centre  Hill,  Centre  county. 

After  acquiring    a    limited    education    in   the 
German  language,  Peter  Breon,  Sr. ,  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  at  which   he  worked  through 
out  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  never  accumula- 
ting   much    property,     however,    having    only    a 
small  home  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  over  seventy  years  of  age. 
II     was  buried  in  Cross  Roads  Church  Cemet 
by  the  side  of  his  second  wife.      In  his  youn 
years  he  was  a  robust  man,  politically  was  a  life- 
long Democrat,  and   in   religious  faith   he  was  a 
member    of    the   Reformed    Church.      In    Gr< 
township  he  married    Miss   Rebecca  Sunday,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren:     Daniel,     who    died     in    Gregg    township 
George,  oi  Su^.u  Valley,  Clinton  county;  Peter, 
th.    subject  of  this  sketch,  born   April  16,  18s 
Sally,    who  married    Jacob  Crater,   and  died  in 
Haines    township,     Centre    county;     Betsy,    de- 
ceased; Hannah,  widow  of  John  Smelzer,  of  Pot- 
ter   township;   Caroline,    who  married  Jonathan 
Yeagly,    and     died     in    Gregg     township.        I 
mothei  of  these  children  passed  away  in  Gr< 
township,    and     her    remains    were     interred    in 
Heckman  Cemetery.      Later  the  father  wedded 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


255 


Rebecca  Ream,  and  to  them  were  born  seven 
children,  namely:  John,  of  Gregg  township; 
Henry,  of  Penn  township;  Samuel,  who  died  in 
Centre  Hill;  Valentine,  of  Sugar  Valley;  Will- 
iam, of  Kansas;  Rebecca,  who  married  Daniel 
Decker,  and  died  in  Gregg  township,  and  Annie, 
who  married  Abraham  Alters  and  removed  to 
Kansas,  where  he  died,  and  where  she  has  since 
married  and  now  lives. 

His  parents  being  in  very  limited  circum- 
stances, Mr.  Breon,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
was  unable  to  attend  school  until  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  then  pursued  his  studies  in  the  school 
house  that  stood  over  the  hill  from  Tusseyville 
toward  Colyer.  During  the  first  winter  he  had  his 
feet  frozen  as  his  shoes  were  very  poor,  and  from 
that  injury  did  not  recover  until  the  following  har- 
vest. He  was  at  that  time  living  with  Judge  W. 
W.  Love,  and  continued  to  make  his  home  with 
different  farmers  until  his  father's  second  mar- 
riage, therefore  his  school  privileges  were  very 
meagre.  After  his  return  home  he  assisted  his 
father  for  one  year,  and  then  again  worked  for 
others,  including  John  Grove  who  resided  in  the 
east  end  of  George's  Valley,  and  with  him  he  re- 
mained some  nine  years,  during  which  time  he 
worked  very  hard,  but  his  wages  were  poor. 
Later  he  was  with  William  Grove,  in  George's 
Valley,  and  subsequently  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  under  Daniel  Lose.  During  the  sum- 
mer he  would  work  for  $5  per  month,  while 
throughout  the  winter  season  he  worked  for  his 
board  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do.  After 
serving  a  three-years'  apprenticeship,  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  one  year,  and  then'turned  his  at- 
ention  to  farming. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  Mr.  Breon 
married  Miss  Catharine  Grove,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Grove,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children: 
Rosetta,  now  Mrs.  James  Runkle,  of  Snyder 
county,  Penn. ;  Amanda,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
seven  years;  and  Henrietta,  who  married  Adam 
Ripka,  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  father.  (Ripka 
lived  in  the  same  house  where  she  died  a  few 
years  later).  The  wife  and  mother  died,  and  was 
buried  in  Cross  Roads  Church  cemetery  in 
George's  Valley,  and  for  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Breon  wedded  Catharine  Ripka,  a  native  of 
Gregg  township,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Ripka. 
Five  children  blessed  their  union:  Howard,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Perry  W.,  a  farmer  of  Potter 
township;  Lavina,  wife  of  William  Flory,  of 
Centre  Hall,  Centre  county;  Savilla,  wife  of  Rob- 
ert Foreman,  of  Centre  Hall;  and  Celesta,  wife 
of  Gotleib  Strohmeier,  of  the  same  place. 

For  sixteen  years  Mr.  Breon  rented  the  Dr. 
Smith  farm,  near  Centre  Hill,  then  lived  on  the 


Spangler  farm  above  Tusseyville  for  one  year, 
and  for  the  following  twelve  years  operated  the 
Samuel-  Huston  farm.  On  leaving  the  last  place 
in  1888,  he  purchased  his  late  home,  and  contin- 
ued to  live  a  semi-retired  life,  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  former  toil.  He  died  November  29,  1897, 
at  the  age  of  69  years,  7  months  and  13  days.  He 
had  ever  been  a  hard  working,  industrious  man, 
and  the  success  that  came  to  him  was  assuredly 
well  merited.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  in- 
tegrity and  honor,  his  word  being  considered  as 
good  as  his  bond,  and  he  lived  peaceably  with  his 
fellow-men,  having  never  been  engaged  in  a  law- 
suit. As  a  tenant  farmer  he  worked  for  some  of  the 
most  particular  and  precise  land  owners  in  Centre 
county,  but  his  labors  always  proved  satis- 
factory. 

An  incident,  which  plainly  indicates  the  con- 
fidence and  trust  reposed  in  him,  is  as  follows: 
During  the  war  he  was  drafted,  and  being  poor 
his  wife  and  little  ones  would  have  been  left  des- 
titute had  he  gone  to  the  front.  However,  he 
had  not  a  penny  with  which  to  hire  a  substitute, 
nor  a  single  dollar's  worth  of  property  to  give  as 
security.  He  had  concluded  to  join  the  army, 
but,  without  his  solicitation,  Reuben  Keller,  a 
merchant  of  Centre  Hill,  offered  to  furnish  him 
with  $1,000,  not  even  asking  an  individual  note, 
and  declining  the  same  when  Mr.  Breon  offered 
it.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  money  was 
in  due  time  returned.  He  enjoyed  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 
in  the  various  walks  of  life,  and  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Although  he 
usually  supported  the  Democratic  party,  he  was 
not  strictly  partisan,  and  at  one  time  he  effi- 
ciently served  as  supervisor  of  Potter  township. 
He  sleeps  his  last  sleep  in  the  Centre  Hall  cem- 
etery. 

WILLIAM  ROTHROCK  GARDNER.  The 
prosperity  and  advancement  of  a  com- 
munity depends  upon  its  commercial  activity, 
which  is  the  result  of  the  enterprising  efforts  of 
its  business  men.  One  of  the  leading  and  influ- 
ential citizens  of  Howard  borough,  Centre  coun- 
ty, is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  proprietor  of  the  Howard  Handle  & 
Spoke  Company,  located  at  Howard. 

In  that  village,  Mr.  Gardner  was  born  Octo- 
ber 24,  1861,  a  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Catherine 
(Lucas)  Gardner.  The  father  is  also  a  native  of 
Howard  borough,  he  having  been  born  Novem- 
ber 12,  1 82 1,  in  Howard  township,  of  which 
Howard  borough  was  formerly  a  part.  His  par- 
ents, Washington  and  Jane  (Austin)  Gardner, 
were  natives  of   Sherman's  Valley,  Cumberland 


256 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


county  and  Centre  counts ,  respectivel)  Wash- 
ington Gardner  was  born  March  3,  1791,  and 
was  a  sou  of  |<>lm  and  Nancj  [Thornton)  Gard- 
ner, natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1795.  while  his  wiiV  was  burn  April  4, 
1796,  and  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  |ane 
Austin,  Datives  of  Pennsylvania  and  early  set- 
tlers of  Centre  county.  To  the  grandparenl 
our  subject  were  born  the  following  child 
Hannah,    wife   of  Jacob   C.    Smith,    a    farmer  of 

Centre    c ity;    Nancy,    widow    of    Nathan    II. 

Lucas,  of  Lagleville,  Centre  county;  Andrew  J.; 
Caroline,  wife  of  Daniel  Smith,  a  retired  carpen- 
ter of  Illinois;  John  1).,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  Washington,  who  died  when  young; 
Anthonj  W,  a  farmer  of  Howard;  Bersheara, 
widow  of  Joseph  Williams,  of  Eagleville;  Ellen, 
deceased  wife  of  fames  DeLong,  a  merchant  oi 
the  same  place;  William,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  and  Matilda,  who  died  in  early  life. 
The  parents  of  these  children  have  both  passed 
away,  the  lather  dying  March  3,  (872,  ami  the 
mother  on  December  25.  (883,  They  were 
highly-respected  farming  people  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ 

In  1845,  Andrew  J.  Gardner  began  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  Howard 
township,  but  since  1894  he  has  lived  retired  in 
the  village  of  that  name,  enjoying  a  well-earned 
rest.  On  December  18,  1849,  '"'  married  Miss 
Catherine  P.  Lucas,  and  the  following  children 
grace  their  union:  Frances  D.,  born  December 
$1,  [851,  is  the  wife  of  Roland  Leathers,  a  deco- 
rator and  general  laborer,  of  Mt  Eagle,  Penn.; 
Jane  A.,  born  August  3 1 ,  1854,  is  the  wife  ol 
K.  G.  Shutt,  a  carpenter  and  millwright  of  Kane, 
Penn.;  Wickliffe  H.,  born  July  21,  1S56,  is  a 
bookkeeper  for  the  A.  French  Spring  Co.,  Pitts- 
burg, Penn.;  Mitchell  I.,  born  August  <>,  [858, 
is  bookkeeper  for  the  Valentine  Iron  Co. .  of 
Bellefonte,  Penn.;  William  K.  is  next  in  order 
of  birth;  and  Ira,  born  December  14,  1866,  died 
February  21,  1S67.  I '"or  the  past  forty-eight 
years  the  father  has  been  a  consistent  and  ear- 
nest member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  with 
the  exception  of  three  years  of  that  time  has 
served  as  elder  His  well-spent  life  justly  en- 
titles him  to  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  uni- 
|]\     held. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  a  most  estimable 
lady,  was  born  in  Centre  county.  February  23, 
1825,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anna 
(Peters)  Lucas,  natives  of  New  York,  who  early 
became  residents  of  Centre  county,  where  they 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Her  father  died 
Manh  i),  iSji.atthi  nty-two,  and  her 

mother  on  July  7,   IKS},  at   tin    age   ol 


nine  years.  A  family  of  twelve  children  were  born 
to  them,  ot  whom,  Catharine  P.  was  the  third. 
The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Gardnei  Bap- 
tist and  Anna  (Erskin)  Lucas,  were  natives  ..( 
Inland,  whence  in  an  early  day  tn  . 
Centre  county.  Pennsylvania. 

William  R.  Gardner  was  married  December 
16,  1896,  to  Mi~  Gertrude  McKean  Bennison, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Margaret  Mi  Kean) 
Bennison       On  October  6,   1897,  a  son     Donald 

n — was  born   to  them.      Mr    Gardm 
widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  com- 
munity      During  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  aided 
in  the   labors   of   the   farm,  and    for  three  yea 
after  starting  out    in    life   for   himself,  he  was  in 
the  postal  service  on   the   Pennsylvania  and  Erie 
railroad,    his   route   lying   between    Williamsport 
and  Lrie.      For  a  time  he  was  also  operator  for 
the  Pittsburg  &  Lake  Erie  railroad  at  New  Ca 
[unction,  Lawrence  Co.,  Penn.      Thebusines- 
which    he   is  now   proprietor  was  organized   by 
Shutt  &    Poulson    in    1S79;  in    1893  our  subject 
purchased  an  interest  bom  K.  G.  Shutt,  and  ha^ 
since  served   as  manager.      It  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing   industries  of   the    locality,  and    much   of   it> 
success  is  due  to   Mr.  Gardner,  whose  courteous 
atment  of    patrons  and    honorable  dealing  in- 
sure   future    prosperity.        Politically,    he    is 
earnest    supporter   of  the   Democratic  party;  in 
religious  faith    he    is    a    faithful    member  of  the 
(  hurch  of  Christ. 


HARRY    P.    KELLEY,  a  successful  and  ; 
perous  coal  operator  of  Snow  Shoe,  Centre 
county,  and  a  member  of  the  Snow  Shot-  Mining 
Company,  was  born  in   Howard,  Centre  count) 
Penn.,  February   5,   1856,  a  son  of  Patrick  and 
Sarah  (Flack)   Kelley.      He  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  and  continued  undei 
the  parental  roof  until  twenty-two  years  of  a 
when    In     went    to    Marion   county,   Iowa,  wl 
for  seven  months  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines 
He  was  next   employed   in   the  John   Deer  pi 
factory    at    Moline,    111.,    but    at   the   end   of 
months    was   called    home    bv    the    death    of    h 
brother,  who    was   killed   while   unloading    -■ 

I'oi   seven  months  after  his  return.  Mr.  K* 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  and   then   result 
mining,    which   he  continued  to  follow  uninl 
rupted  from  1881  t<>  [889.     In  the  latter  yeai 
bei  inie  (  onnei  ted  with  the  firm  ol    robin  A  ^ 

m   Snow    Shoe  township,  of  which  firm  hi- 
father  w  r,  but  the  latter  died  in  M 

[889,  and  m  the  following  (uly  our  subjei  I 
chased    the   interest   of   Mr.  Tobin,  the  firm 
coming  Kelley  Brothers.     Under  that  nan 


r  <&. 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


257 


ness  was  continued  until  1894,  when  a  number  of 
their  mines  gave  out.  The  year  previous  they 
had  purchased  the  Gansallus  property  (which 
they  are  now  operating),  comprising  sixty-eight 
acres  of  excellent  coal-land  in  Snow  Shoe  town- 
ship. In  1895  was  organized  the  Snow  Shoe 
Mining  Company,  of  which  M.  D.  Kelley,  a 
brother  of  our  subject,  is  president;  T.  B.  Bud- 
inger,  treasurer;  W.  D.  O'Bryan,  secretary;  and 
William  F.  Holt,  manager.  They  are  doing  an 
excellent  business,  much  of  which  is  due  to  the 
capable  management  of  our  subject,  who  has 
charge  of  the  Snow  Shoe  Colliery  Mines  Nos.  1, 
2  and  3. 

On  May  24,  1882,  in  Cooper  township,  Clear- 
field county,  Penn. ,  Harry  P.  Kelley  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Mosebarger,  and  to  them  were 
born  six  children,  whose  names  and  dates  of 
birth  are  as  follows:  John,  June  3,  1883;  Logan, 
September  21,  1884;  Thomas,  September  3, 
1886;  Paul,  May  30,  1889;  Mary,  April  20,  1892; 
and  Justina,  June  19,  1895.  All  are  still  living 
with  the  exception  of  Paul,  who  died  on  August 
22,   1892. 

Mrs.  Kelley  is  a  native  of  Clearfield  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eva  Mosebarger, 
who  were  born  in  Germany,  where  they  married, 
and  whence  in  [857  they  emigrated  to  America, 
locating  in  Clearfield  county,  Penn.  There  the 
father  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  3,  1893;  the  mother  is  now  re- 
siding at  Peale,  in  that  county.  They  had  four 
sons  and  three  daughters:  John,  who  is  operat- 
ing the  old  homestead  farm;  George  (deceased); 
Frank,  who  is  conducting  the  "Coal  Exchange 
Hotel"  at  Philipsburg,  Centre  county;  Frederick, 
who  is  in  the  hotel  business  in  Grassflat,  Clear- 
field county;  Lizzie  (the  eldest  daughter)  is  mar- 
ried to  John  McGowan,  a  prosperous  farmer  in 
Moshannon;  Mrs.  Mary  Kelley,  the  second 
daughter,  taught  school  five  terms  in  Clearfield 
county,  and  one  term  in  Centre  county;  Annie 
(the  youngest)  is  married  to  Richard  Sheehe,  who 
is  proprietor  of  the  "  Columbus  House  "  at  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Kelley  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  Demo- 
cratic principles,  and  has  served  for  three  years 
as  school  director  in  the  village  of  Snow  Shoe; 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Hibernians  of  that  place,  while  in  religious 
faith  he  is  a  Roman  Catholic. 


BjAVID  H.  SHIVERY,  of  Benner  township, 
Centre  county,  was  born  in  1859,  on  the 
farm  tin  which  he  now  makes  his  home,  a  son  of 
Andrew  J.  and  Jane   (Wilson)    Shivery,  both  of 


whom  were  of  German  descent.  The  father, 
also  a  native  of  Centre  county,  was  born  in  1828, 
and  spent  his  entire  life  here  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  He  was  called  to  the  home  beyond 
in  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  but  his 
wife,  who  was  born  in  1828,  is  still  living.  They 
had  a  family  of  four  children,  namely:  David 
H.  ;  George  B.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Wood- 
land, Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  who  married  Bessie 
Dale,  and  has  two  children;  and  Margaret  E. 
and  Sallie  E.,  who  reside  with  their  mother  in 
Bellefonte. 

The  boyhood  days  of  David  H.  Shivery  passed 
quietly  and  uneventfully.  He  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  and  assisted  his  father  in  the 
development  of  the  home  farm  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  while  in  the  winter  season  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  completing  his  educa- 
tion in  an  academy  in  Bellefonte.  The  occupa- 
tion to  which  he  was  reared,  he  has  made  his  life 
work,  and  his  early  experience  well  fitted  him  for 
his  present  duties.  His  landed  possessions  aggre- 
gate 140  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  latest  improved 
machinery  is  used  in  planting  and  caring  for  his 
crops,  substantial  outbuildings  shelter  his  grain 
and  stock,  and  a  comfortable  residence  forms  the 
hospitable  home  of  his  family.  He  is  progressive 
in  his  methods  of  farming,  systematic  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  affairs,  and  energetic  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  business.  Enterprise  and  industry 
are  the  predominant  traits  in  his  character,  and 
have  been  the  stepping  stones  on  which  he  has 
risen  to  a  place  among  the  substantial  citizens  of 
the  community.  He  has  only  been  once  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  summer 
of  1893  visiting  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion at  Chicago.  A  man  of  intelligence  and  genu- 
ine worth,  he  is  recognized  as  a  valued  citizen  of 
the  community. 

On  February  16,  1882,  Mr.  Shivery  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Etta  Marshall, 
a  native  of  Centre  county,  as  were  also  her  par- 
ents. They  had  three  children:  Joseph  Law- 
rence, Andrew  J.  and  Russell  Burton.  The  last 
named  died  February  11,  1895  (at  the  age  of 
four  years),  of  congestion  of  the  brain  caused  by 
an  attack  of  measles.  On  November  23,  1897, 
Joseph  Lawrence,  the  elder  of  the  other  two, 
had  climbed  a  tree  in  pursuit  of  squirrels,  but 
while  standing  on  a  decayed  limb  it  broke,  and 
he  was  precipitated  to  the  ground,  a  distance  of 
some  forty  feet,  whereby  his  neck  was  broken, 
death  ensuing  instantly.  He  was  born  August 
30,  1884,  and  was  consequently  thirteen  years, 
two  months  and  twenty-four  days  old  at  the  time 
of  the  fatal  accident. 


17 


MoUATlVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in   MEMORY  OF   JOSEPH    I  \v.  SHIVERY 

autumn  leaves  w<  re  gold  and  red, 
summer  birds  bad  flown, 
When  Lawrence's  spirit  took  its  (light 
I  ..  worlds  ol  joy  unknown. 

He  was  dashed  down  so  i  ruelly; 
\\  i  gathered  by  Ins  side — 

'  In  agony  we  Stood  about 

When  we  found  that  he  had  died. 

\\  tun  smoothing  down  his  glossy  locks, 
We  laid  his  hands  to  rest. 

From  all  the  cares  and  toils  of  earth, 
I  pon  his  manly  Dp 

His  voice,  his  Step,  no  more  we  hi 

At  morning's  early  gleam; 
But  on  his  face  a  farewell  smile. 

As  if  in  pleasant  di 

His  body  sleeps  upon  a  hill. 
Beside  his  little  brother, 

And  may  his  spirit  rest  in   peace 
h  orever  and  fori 


We  miss  thee  from  our  home,  dear— 
We  miss  thee  from  thv  place; 
A  shadow  o'er  our  hi' 
We  i  sunshine  of  thy  face. 

We  miss  thy  kind  and  willing  hand. 
I'hv  fond  and  earnest  care; 
Our  home  is  dark  without  thee 
We  miss  thee  everywhere. 


EMANUEL  MUSSER  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  intelligent  men  and  skillful  farm- 
ers of  College  township.  Centre  county,  though 
he  is  now  practically  living  a  retired  life.  H 
pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  as  an  honest 
man  and  good  citizen,  furthering  the  good  of  his 
community  as  he  has  opportunity,  and  enjoying 
the  respect  of  his  neighbors.  Almost  his  entire 
life  has  been  passed  in  Centre  county,  his  early 
home  being  in  Gregg  township,  where  he  was 
born  June  i,  1834. 

The    paternal    grandfather     of     our    subject, 
Michael    Moser,    who    was  born    in  that    part   of 
Northampton  county,  now    Lehigh  county,  early 
in  the  latter  half  of   the  eighteenth  century,  was 
twice  married,  having  by  his   first  wife  five  chil- 
dren:     George  and  Jonathan,  residents  of  Gregg  1 
township;    Mrs.     Betsy    Kepler   (deceased  1,    Mrs 
George    Haring,   of    Gregg    township;  and    Mis 
John    ('infer,   of    Illinois       At    an   early   day  the 
father  of  these   children    came   to   Centre  county 
and    took   up  government    land     in    Haines  (now 
Gregg)  township,  where  he   passed   away    about 
1859  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

George    Moser,  who    was    horn  July  7,  1804, 
attended  school  at   the  Cross  Road  school  house 
in  Gregg  township,  but  his  educational  privileges  1 
were  very   limited.      After  operating  his   father's  | 
farm  for  a  few  years  he  purchased  161  acres,  on 

•This  name  ha»  been  changed  by  local  custom.     The  original  name 
haring  been  Motor,  U  a  Oppoojl  farther  00  in  tin-  reriew 


which  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  life,  dying  on 
the  2nd  of  February,  i  846,  when  our  subject 
was  only  eleven  years  old.  He  was.  of  the 
Christian  faith,  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  a  Whig  in  politics,  casting  his  Pres- 
idential vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  October  10,  181 1,  was  a 
daughter  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Ilgen)  Moser, 
and  died  in  Gregg  township,  January  7,  1846. 
In  their  family  were  eight  children,  namely:  Ro- 
setta,  widow  of  John  W.  Krumrine,  late  of  State 
College,  Centre  county;  Elias,  a  farmer,  who 
died  in  Gregg  township,  in  1888;  Emanuel,  of 
this  review;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Wolf,  who  died  in 
Logansville.  Penn..  in  1883;  Maria,  wife  of 
Henry  Gramley,  of  Iowa;  George  M.,  who  died 
in  childhood;  William  H.  H.,  of  Mercer,  N.  Dak.: 
and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Isaac  Gates,  of  Illinois. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  in  Gregg  township 
Emanuel  Musser  passed  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  Cross- 
road and  Heckman  schools  of  the  same  township, 
which  he  attended  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  started  out  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  as 
a  farm  hand  at  $6.00  per  month.  After  one  year 
spent  in  this  way  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  four  years  in  Boalsburg, 
Harris  township.  Centre  county.  On  the  expir- 
ation of  that  period,  he  went  to  Illinois,  where 
for  six  months  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade;  but  failing  health  caused  him  to  return 
home,  and  for  four  years  he  again  followed 
farming.  After  his  marriage  he  operated 
his  father-in-law's  farm  two  years,  at  Buffalo 
Run  Valley,  and  then  rented  a  place  for  the 
same  length  of  time  in  Pine  Grove,  after  which 
he  purchased  sixty-seven  acres  near  Houserville. 
\ft(  r  cultivating  that  tract  for  nine  years  he  sold 
out  and  bought  164  acres  of  good  land  near  State 
College,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since 
1874.  He  has  intde  many  noticeable  improve- 
ments upon  the  farm  which  add  to  its  value  and 
attractive  appearance,  including  an  extensive 
dairy,  which  he  has  conducted  for  fifteen  years 
with  excellent  success. 

The  lady  who  now  bears  the  name  of  Mrs. 
Musser  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Katharine 
Bottorf,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  (Ans- 
pach)  Bottorf,  and  was  born   in   Centre    county, 

ruarj  29,  1836  By  her  marriage  she  has 
become  the  mother  of  nine  children:  Luther 
Willis,  a  teacher  in  the  borough  of  State  College; 
Lillie  Curtis,  wife  of  David  O.  Ktters,  superin- 
tendent of  public  schools  of  Bellefonte;  George 
Frederick,  insurance  agent,  of  that  city;  Jacob 
Arthur,  who  has  charge  of  agents'  furnishing  de- 
partment   in    Allegheny;  James  Franklin,   a  ma- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


259 


chinist  of  Williamsport,  Perm. ;  Boyd  Anspach, 
assistant  principal  in  the  Bellefonte  High  School, 
Bellefonte;  Lydia  Catherine,  wife  of  Roger  Bow- 
man, commission  merchant  of  Philadelphia;  and 
Nanie  Lingenfelter  and  Helena  Dale,  at  home. 
The  children  have  been  given  good  collegiate 
educations,  and  now  occupy  honorable  positions 
in  society. 

Mr.  Musser  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  sup- 
port of  the  Democratic  party,  but  supported 
Abraham  Lincoln  when  he  was  the  Presidential 
candidate.  He  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  a  charter  member  of  Oak 
Hall  Grange.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
most  energetic  and  industrious  farmers  of  the 
community,  but  to  a  certain  extent  has  laid  aside 
business  cares,  and  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned 
rest  at  his  elegant  home,  which  is  situated  on  a 
prominence  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  State 
College.  Surrounded  by  many  warm  friends 
and  acquaintances,  he  and  his-estimable  wife  are 
passing  their  declining  years  in  the  rest  and  re- 
tirement that  should  always  follow  useful  and 
well-spent  lives.  They  are  valued  members  of 
society,  their  intelligence,  pleasant  and  courteous 
manners  making  them  welcome  guests  wherever 
they  visit. 


JOHN   SHAFFER,    who  for  many  years   past 
has  been  a  leading  citizen  of  Miles  township, 
Centre    county,   is    known  far    and   near  as 
"Uncle  Shaffer,"  his  genial,  kindly  nature  hav- 
ing   won    the    affectionate    regard     of    all    who 
knew  him. 

Born  November  i,  1825,  on  the  farm  adjoin- 
ing that  upon  which  he  now  resides,  he  is  now 
passing  an  honored  old  age  amid  the  scenes  upon 
which  he  first  opened  his  eyes,  and  where  his  ances- 
tors were  among  the  earliest  settlers.  He  erect- 
ed his  present  commodious  residence  upon  the 
site  of  a  house  built  and  occupied  by  his  grand- 
parents, John  Adam  and  Catherine  (Klinefelder) 
Shaffer. 

Adam  Shaffer,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
November  22,  1796,  and  was  a  mere  child  when 
his  parents  settled  in  Brush  Valley,  where  he  was 
reared  as  a  farmer  boy,  and  afterward  engaged 
in  agriculture  on  the  old  homestead  as  he  was 
one  of  the  youngest  of  a  large  family  of  children. 
Later,  he  purchased  the  property  from  his  father, 
and  his  death  occurred  there  April  4,  1862,  his 
remains  being  interred  at  Madisonburg.  He  pos-' 
sessed  great  mechanical  skill,  and  could  turn  his 
hand  to  various  trades  without  special  instruction. 
He  was  greatly  respected  in  the  community  and 
was  a  leading  Democrat,  holding  various  town- 


ship offices.  In  Church  affairs  he  was  also  prom- 
inent, being  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Lutheran 
society  in  his  locality,  and  helping  to  build  the 
church  in  Madisonburg  which  preceded  the  pres- 
ent structure.  He  was  married  three  times.  By 
his  first  wife,  a  Miss  Musser,  of  Penn's  Valley, 
he  had  one  daughter,  Rebecca,  who  married  (first) 
John  Schmeltzer,  and  (second)  John  Hoy,  and 
died  in  Madisonburg.  The  second  wife,  Miss  Lydia 
Bailey,  our  subject's  mother,  was  born  in  1801  at 
White  Deer,  Penn.,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Bailey. 
She  came  to  Brush  Valley  before  her  marriage,  and 
made  her  home  with  a  sister,  Mrs.  John  Ruhl. 
She  died  in  1847,  and  six  children  survive  her, 
our  subject  being  the  eldest.  (2)  Eliza  married 
John  Yearick,  and  died  in  Clinton  county;  (3) 
Abigail  married  Rev.  Samuel  Yearick,  a  Meth- 
odist minister,  and  died  in  Brush  Valley;  (4) 
Henry  lives  in  Indiana;  (5)  Adam  F.  died  in 
Madisonburg  March  21,  1862,  aged  twenty-three 
years,  eight  months  and  two  days;  (6)  Aaron 
resides  in  Illinois.  By  his  third  marriage,  with 
Miss  Lydia  Shull,  Adam  Shaffer  had  two  children: 
Annie,  now  Mrs.  David  Bacher,  of  Centre  Hall, 
and  another  daughter  who  died  at  an  early  age. 
Like  other  members,  Uncle  John  Shaffer's  early 
educational  opportunities  were  extremely  limited, 
the  free  schools  of  the  present  time  not  being 
heard  of  until  his  school  days  were  about  ended. 
As  the  eldest  son,  there  was  plenty  of  work  found 
for  him  at  home,  and  many  days  were  spent  in 
riding  the  horses  which  tramped  out  the  wheat  in 
the  barn  after  the  old-fashioned  way.  A  bright, 
observant  mind  can  learn  much  outside  of  books, 
however,  as  any  one  will  discover  who  talks  with 
Uncle  Shaffer.  As  a  young  man  he  visited  Indi- 
ana, Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  making  the 
return  journey  from  Indiana  to  the  vicinity  of 
Wheeling  upon  a  horse  which  he  sold  at  that 
point,  continuing  the  trip  by  stage  and  by  water. 
Since  that  time  he  has  made  three  other  visits  to 
the  West,  stopping  in  Missouri,  Kansas,  Iowa, 
Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  he 
has  also  seen  the  principal  points  of  interest  in 
the  East.  In  order  to  cure  him  of  any  early 
attack  of  the  "  Western  Fever,"  his  father  offered 
him  the  home  farm  under  advantageous  circum- 
stances, and  Mr.  Shaffer  accepted  the  offer  under 
conditions  which  were  complied  with. 

In  1848  he  married  Miss  Frances  Schmeltzer, 
who  was  born  December  3,  1825,  the  daughter 
of  George  and  Margaret  (Beckle)  Schmeltzer,  a 
sketch  of  whom  is  given  elsewhere.  Over  forty 
years  of  happy  wedded  life  were  spent,  but  on 
November  18,  1892,  the  beloved  and  loving  wife 
passed  over  the  borders  of  the  unseen  world 
there  to  await  the  coming  of  her  dear  ones.      Of 


280 


'  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


her  six  children,  four  are  still  living:  (i)  Ed- 
mund F..  born  March  28,  1 849,  died  Februar)  c8, 
1858;  (2)  Johanna  married  fohn  Roush.ofGr 
township,  Centre  county;  5)  Washington  is  a 
farmer  in  Miles  township;  (4)  Emma  married 
Wilson  Hazel,  of  Madisonbu  Thomas  re- 

sides in  Dakota,  111.,  and  (6)  Mary   \  .  born  May 
8,   1863,  died  August  1  3,  1867. 

Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Shaffer  has  made  his 
home  on  the  old  farm  near  Madisonburg,  with 
the  exception  of  live  years  in  Clinton  counts.  It 
formerly  contained  200  acres,  hut  Mr  Shaffer 
sold  about  sixty  acres  to  his  son,  Thomas.  The 
farm  is  in  excellent  order  with  good  buildings, 
and  in  all  portions  shows  the  progressive  man- 
agement of  its  owner,  who  has,  however,  ^-'^ 
ted  the  active  work  to  othei  hands  for  nearly  six 
years  past.  Possessing  rare  mechanical  ability, 
he  has  always  delighted  in  working  at  the  black- 
smith's trade,  also  in  coopering,  and  in  two 
shops  which  he  has  fitted  up  on  his  farm  he  has 
carried  on  t!  les  as  occasion  offered,  doing 

the  work  more  for  pastime  than  for  anything 
else.  Foi  years  he  had  done  most  of  his  own 
blacksmithing.  Jolly  and  good  natured,  he  en- 
.1  hearty  laugh  even  at  his  own  expense,  and 
he  has  a  host  of  friends  among  young  and  old. 
His  wealth  has  not  been  gained  through  penuri- 
ousness  ami  self-denial;  he  has  enjoyed  life,  and 
has  tried  to  make  those  around  him  do  the  same. 
Whatever  he  does  is  done  well,  and  the  best  is 
none  too  good  for  his  own  use.  while  in  choosing 
foi  his  family  or  friends  the  same  spirit  is  shown. 
A  liberal  giver  to  every  worthy  cause,  he  has 
been  for  years  a  "pillar"  in  the  Lutheran 
(lunch,  and  has  held  "  about  ever)'  office  except 
thai  ol  preacher."  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
first,  last  and  all  the  time,  but  he  has  nevei 
cared  for  office,  although  for  twelve  years  he 
was  overseer  of  the  poor. 


WILLIAM  KISIIEL,  one  of  the  honored 
and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  Tus- 
seyville,  was  for  many  years  actively  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  and  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
a  prominent  pioneei  family  th.it  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  progress  and  development 
of  central  Pennsylvania. 

The  grandfather  ol  our  subje<  t  >  ame  from  the 
southern  part  ol  the  Mate  to  what  is  now  Centre 
county,  long  before  it  was  <>:  and  the  fa- 

ther, George  Rishel,  was  horn  in  Gregg  township 

in  the  latter    part    of    the     past   century        When 

hut    a    boy    he    came   to    Potter    township,  and 

'ied  and  developed  a  good  farm  near  Centre 


Hill,  where  bis  death  occurred  when  he  was  over 
nty  years  of  age.  As  a  farmer  he  was  highly 
successful,  owning  three  large  farms  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  adhered  to  the  principles  ol 
the  Democratic  party,  and  in  religious  faith  was 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Catharine  Ream,  who 
died  when  past  her  eightieth  birthday,  and  to 
them  were  born  eleven  children — five  sons  and 
six  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  ninth 
in  order  of  birth.  One  son,  David,  wis  an  Evan- 
gelical minister,  and  three  daughters  were  married 
to  Evangelical  ministers,  viz.:  Rebecca  to  Rev 
Daniel  Ken.  Susan  to  W.  W.  Orwig,  and  Sarah 
to  John  Kreamer. 

In  George's  Valley,  Centre  county.  William 
Rishel,  the  subject  proper  of  this  review,  was 
born  July  25,  1820,  and  was  reared  in  much  the 
usual  manner  of  farmer  boys,  assisting  in  the 
work  of  the  home  farm,  and  obtaining  such  an 
education  as  the  district  schools  afforded  at  that 
early  day.  He  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Heltinan,  who 
was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  in  January. 
iXjo  One  chihl  blessed  their  union:  Mar)  J.. 
now  the  wife  of  Samuel  Swartz,  of  Tusseyville. 
After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Rishel  operated  the 
old  home  farm  in  connection  with  his  brother 
John,  until  1862,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  near 
Tusseyville,  hut  in  i860  removed  to  his  present 
excellent  farm,  to  which  he  has  added  until  at 
present  it  comprises  over  240  acres,  divided 
into  two  farms,  for  which  he  paid  $20,000.  To 
its  care  and  cultivation  he  devoted  his  entire 
time  and  attention  for  many  years,  but  has  now 
practically  laid  aside  business  cares,  and  is  en- 
joying a  well-earned  rest.  He  was  not  only  a 
thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  but  also  a  shrewd 
and  reliable  business  man,  whose  success  in  life 
was  due  to  his  own  untiring  and  persistent  efforts, 
guided  by  sound  judgment.  Having  purchased 
different  farms,  he  would  improve  and  cultivate 
them  for  a  short  time,  and  then  sell  at  a  hand- 
some profit.  By  this  means  he  has  become  one 
of  the  most  substantial  agriculturists  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Mr.  Rishel  is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  been  elected  to  official  positions,  but  re- 
el to  qualify.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent  and 
hading  members  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  and  to  the  erection  of  their  new  hoi 
of  worship  he  wa  of   the   most    liberal  con- 

tributors,     lie  has  faithfully  filled  various  Church 
offices,  and  is    an    active  as  well  as  devout   mein- 
mgregation.      His  name  is  a  synonym 
foi   honesty,  his  dealings  have  been  characterized 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


261 


by  a  straightforward,  honorable  business  policy, 
and  he,  therefore,  merits  and  receives  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  His 
noble  wife  has  shared  his  trials  and  hardships, 
and  to  her  no  little  credit  is  due  for  the  success 
he  has  achieved. 


JOHN  HOFFA,  Jr.,  a  grain  dealer  and  coal 
merchant  of  Coburn,  Centre  county,  is  one 
of  the  most  energetic  business  men  of  that 
thriving  town.  He  was  born  in  Kelly  town- 
ship, Union  county,  Penn. ,  April  4,  1870, 
a  son  of  Cyrus  Hoffa,  who  is  a  wealthy  and 
prominent  business  man  of  that  locality,  the 
present  manager  of  the  Buffalo  Milling  Co.,  of 
Lewisburg.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob 
Hoffa,  was  a  native  of  Berks  county,  Penn. , 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  cabinet  making, 
and  also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  He 
died  in  Reading,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
two  years. 

Cyrus  Hoffa  was  born  in  1838,  about  four 
miles  east  of  Milton,  Penn.,  and  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of  four  sons  and 
one  daughter.  He  secured  a  good  education, 
being  a  student  for  a  time  at  Gettysburg  College. 
On  reaching  man's  estate  he  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet Auten,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Auten,  and  to 
them  were  born  seven  children:  Regina,  at 
home;  Franklin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years;  Carrie,  wife  of  Dr.  Ralph  Steans,  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  Mifflinburg,  Penn.,  Hattie  A. 
and  Maize  E.,  at  home;  John,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Robert  A.,  bookkeeper  in  a  bank  of 
Lewisburg.  The  mother  of  these  children  de- 
parted this  life  in  1872,  and  was  buried  in  Fall- 
mer  Church  cemetery,  in  Northumberland  county, 
Penn.  For  his  second  wife  the  father  wedded 
Lizzie  Angel.  After  his  first  marriage  Mr. 
Hoffa  located  upon  the  farm  where  our  subject 
was  born,  and  where  he  still  makes  his  home. 
Upon  the  place  was  standing  a  gristmill  of  forty- 
barrel  capacity,  which  he  operated,  and  he  later 
became  identified  with  the  grain  business  at 
Lewisburg,  carrying  same  on  in  connection  with 
his  farming  and  milling  interests.  He  is  con- 
nected with  other  enterprises  in  Lewisburg, 
although  he  still  makes  his  home  in  Kelly  town- 
ship, being  director  of  the  Union  National  Bank, 
and  also  of  the  Milton  Trust  Company  of  Mil- 
ton, Penn.  Prominent  in  milling  circles,  he  is 
the  efficient  secretary  of  the  State  Millers  Asso- 
ciation, and  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
reliable  business  men  of  Union  county.  His 
political  support  is  always  given  the  men  and 
measures  of   the    Democratic    party.      In    May, 


1896,  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  spending  sev- 
eral months  in  visiting  its  principal  cities  and 
points  of  interest. 

The  primary  education  of  John  Hoffa  was  se- 
cured in  the  district  schools,  after  which  he  at- 
tended a  select  school  at  Bloomsburg,  Penn. , 
for  a  time,  and  completed  his  education  by  a  busi- 
ness course  in  the  Eastman  Business  College,  at 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  During  his  vacations  he 
aided  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm,  and  while 
still  in  his  "  teens  "  engaged  in  the  flour  and  feed 
business  in  Lewisburg.  In  August,  1891,  he 
came  to  Coburn  to  take  charge  of  the  grain  ele- 
vator for  the  Buffalo  Milling  Co. ,  of  Lewisburg, 
and  has  since  been  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  the  place.  He  is  also  successfully 
engaged  in  dealing  in  coal  on  his  own  account, 
and  although  young  in  years  is  one  of  the  most 
energetic  and  enterprising  business  men  of  the 
community. 

On  January  17,  1892,  in  Mifflinburg,  Penn., 
Mr.  Hoffa  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Altha 
M.  Reedy,  a  native  of  Buffalo  Cross  Roads, 
Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Levi  Reedy.  To  this 
union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Margaret,  March 
23,  1895.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffa  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  hold  a  high 
position  in  social  circles.  Mr.  Hoffa  is  a  strong 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  cast  his  first  Presiden- 
tial vote  for  Cleveland  in  1892. 


C CHARLES  EDWIN  DORWORTH,  ex-editor 
J)  of  the  Bellefonte  Daily  News,  and  at  pres- 
ent a  newspaper  correspondent  and  story-writer, 
of  Bellefonte,  was  born  in  Bellefonte,  Centre 
Co.,  Penn.,  September  9,  1876.  Of  German- 
Welsh  extraction,  Mr.  Dorworth  inherits  the 
perseverance  of  the  former  with  the  ingenuity  of 
the  latter  class  of  people.  He  is  the  third  of 
four  children,  and  from  youth  has  had  a  talent 
for  writing. 

Dr.  E.  S.  Dorworth,  his  father,  was  born  at 
Emaus,  Lehigh  Co.,  Penn.,  February  19,  1834, 
and  is  of  German  descent.  He  was  graduated  in 
medicine  from  the  Universities  of  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  since  1865  has  been  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  Bellefonte.  Mrs.  Hannah  J. 
Dorworth,  wife  of  Dr.  Dorworth  and  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  a  daughter  of  William  Reese 
Jenkins,  and  was  born  in  Blaina,  South  Wales, 
in  1845.  In  1852  she  came  to  this  country 
with  her  father,  who  was  an  extensive  iron  man- 
ufacturer up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1886, 
the  Jenkins  name  being  still  associated  with 
some  of  the  extensive  iron  foundries  and  ma- 
chine shops  in  central  Pennsylvania. 


262 


cnMMF.MoiiATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Charles  Edwin  Dorworth  received  his  tirst 
scholastic  training  in  the  Hellefonte  public 
schools.  During  his  senior  year  at  the  Belle- 
fonte  High  School  he  left  that  institution  to  take 
a  three-years'  elective  course  at  the  Bellefontr 
Academy  to  prepare  himself  especially  fur  jour- 
nalism. In  1S91  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Keystone  Gazette,  at  Hellefonte,  and,  realizing 
that  he  must  have  a  practical,  as  well  as  a  theo- 
retical, knowledge  of  newspaper  work,  began  at 
a  case.  In  this  way  he  soon  became  thoroughly 
conversant  with  all  the  details  of  newspaper 
making.  Occasionally  he  was  sent  out  on  as- 
signments in  order  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to 
do  reportorial  work.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
until  he  did  nothing  else,  and  the  summer  of 
1893  found  him  the  regular  correspondent  of 
several  large  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia  dailies. 
He  continued  doing  local  work  for  the  city  pa- 
pers until  the  fall  of  1894,  when  the  Philadelphia 
Inquirer  detailed  him  to  report  the  Hastings 
gubernatorial  campaign  itinerary  He  traveled 
with  the  party  all  over  the  State,  and  his  stories 
in  the  Inquirer  made  that  journal  one  of  the 
most  interesting  reflectors  of  what  was,  in  many 
respects,  the  most  noted  political  battle  ever 
fought    m  Pennsylvania. 

In  September,  1895,  he  was  tendered  and 
accepted  the  editorship  of  the  Hellefonte  Daily 
News.  His  conduct  of  that  paper  revived  it  at 
once  from  a  state  of  almost  total  dilapidation  to 
a  bright,  newsy  daily,  ranking  with  any  of  the 
inland  publications.  A  year  later  he  resigned 
this  position  to  pursue  his  studies  in  journalism 
further,  and  at  the  present  time  is  again  em- 
ployed by  several  Pastern  dailies,  doing  news 
correspondence  and  story  writing.  Mr.  Dor- 
worth  is  a  pleasing  writer,  and  does  not  lack 
that  force  which  makes  forethought  in  the  pro- 
duct of  his  pen.  Socially  he  is  bright  and  popu- 
lar with  all  classes,  and  embodies  a  rare  com- 
bination of  good  nature  with  good  common 
sense 


MOBERT    J.   YOUNG,    M.    D.,  an    eminent 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Snow   Shoe,  < 

tre  county,  was  born  January  15,  [862,  in 
Broomhill,  Northumberland,  England,  a  son  ol 
Thomas  and  Isabella  Wood)  Young,  natives  of 
Scotland  and  England,  respectively.  Thepater- 
nal  grandfather,  James  Young,  a  tailor  by  trade, 
spent  his  entire  life  in  s<  otland,  Thomas  Wood, 
the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  mountain) 
living  among  the  Cheviot  Hills,  on  the  dividing 
line  between  England  ami  Scotland  Through- 
out life  he  principally  engaged   in  cattle  dealing 


In  Kelso,  Scotland,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  the  parents  of  the  Doctor,  who  brought 
their  family  to  America  in  18S3,  and  located  at 
Snow  Shoe,  where  the  father  died  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  at  the  age  of  forty-six. 
The  mother,  who  was  born  in  1834,  now  makes 
her  home  in  Punxsutawney,  Penn.  As  washer 
husband,  she  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  her.  In  their  family 
were  five  children,  namely:  James,  who  was 
born  in  1859,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years; 
Robert  J.,  of  this  sketch;  Thomas,  a  coal  opera- 
tor of  Oshanter.  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn. ;  William, 
an  engineer  of  Punxsutawney,  who  resides  with 
his  mother;  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Frederick 
Wilson,  also  an  engineer  of  that  place. 

In  the  land  of  his  nativity.  Dr.  Young  at- 
tended a  high  school,  where  he  acquired  a  good 
practical  education.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  locating  at  Irwin 
Station,  Westmoreland  Co.,  Penn.,  in  1881. 
For  some  time  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  at 
various  other  occupations  by  which  he  could 
earn  an  honest  dollar,  until  1886,  when  he  be- 
gan reading  medicine  with  Dr.  L.  C.  Harmon, 
of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county.  At  the  end  of 
two  years  he  attended  the  University  of  Mary- 
land for  one  session,  and  then  entered  the  Col- 
lege  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Baltimore,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1889. 
He  at  once  "hung  out  his  shingle'*  in  Sii"W 
Shoe,  when'  he  now  has  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  medicine, 
and  his  skill  in  surgery  have  won  for  him  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people,  and  he  therefore  enjoys  an 
excellent  patronage. 

I  >i  Young  was  married  in  Baltimore,  J anu- 
aiv  20,  1891,  to  Miss  Minnie  M.  Yarnell,  who  de- 
parted this  life  February  17.  1895.  She  was  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  born  October  15.  1871, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  James  I.  and  Barbara  K. 
(Fetzer)  Yarnell,  also  natives  of  Centre  county, 
who  now  reside  in  Snow  Shoe,  where  the  lather 
served  as  postmaster  from  1888  to  1893.  He  is 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Phoebe  (Akley)  Yarnell, 
early  settlers  of  Centre  county,  where  were  born 
John   A.    and     Mar)     A    Fetzer,     the    maternal 

idparents    of    Mrs.    Young.      Four    children 
wen-    horn    to    Mr.   and    Mrs.    Yarnell:      John     1 
and    Jesse   H  .  lumbermen,  who  are  living   with 
their  parents  in  Snow   Shoe;  Nora    M  .   who    died 
November  17,    [895;  and  Minnie  M 

Fraternally,  l>r  Young  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  both  of  Snow  Shoe;  politically,  he 
is   1  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party.      He  is  a 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPniCAL  RECORD. 


263 


progressive  physician,  possessed  of  that  true  love 
for  his  work,  without  which  there  can  be  no  suc- 
cess; is  constantly  improving  on  his  own  and 
others'  methods,  and  gaining  further  encourage- 
ment and  inspiration  from  the  performance  of 
each  day's  duties. 


HENRY  N.  TWITMYER.  There  is  prob- 
ably no  man  in  Spring  township,  Centre 
county,  more  widely  or  favorably  known  than 
the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view, and  who  is  now  successfully  following  the 
carpenter's  trade  in  Pleasant  Gap.  Throughout 
his  entire  life  he  has  been  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  county,  his  birth  occurring  in 
Walker  township.  His  parents,  Emanuel  and 
Lucy  (Gephart)  Twitmyer,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  Centre  county,  died  in  that  township,  the 
former  passing  away  in  1882,  and  the  latter  in 
1894. 

To  them  were  born  the  following  children: 
Henry  N.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  Mercer  county,  Penn.,  who 
married  Donah  A.  Hull;  Aaron,  who  died  in 
childhood;  George  W.,  principal  of  the  public 
schools  of  Honesville,  Penn.,  who  married  Jo- 
hanna Reese;  Jeremiah,  a  contractor  and 
builder,  residing  in  Illinois,  who  married  Ger- 
trude McCalmont;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Albert 
Shreffler,  of  Mill  Hall,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.;  Ed- 
win, principal  of  the  high  school  of  Seattle, 
Wash.;  Harvey  B.,  who  is  married,  and  is  a 
teacher  in  a  seminary  near  Pittsburg,  Penn. ;  and 
Nancy  M.,  wife  of  Samuel  Decker,  of  Zion,  this 
State. 

During  the  dark  days  of  the  Civil  war,  our 
subject  bade  adieu  to  home  and  its  influences, 
and  went  to  the  front  to  aid  in  the  preservation 
of  the  Union,  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  4th 
P.  V.  I.,  commanded  by  Col.  Hartranft,  Capt. 
Austin  B.  Snyder,  First  Lieut.  William  H.  Blair 
and  Second  Lieut.  William  Raphile.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  his  term  he  veteranized,  re-enlisting  in 
September,  1864,  and  serving  until  hostilities 
had  ceased.  He  was  honorably  discharged  and 
mustered  out  in  July,   1865. 

On  February  1,  1866,  Mr.  Twitmyer  mar- 
ried Miss  Elmira  M.  Brooks,  and  to  them  were 
born  eight  children:  Delia  B.,  wife  of  Abner 
Noll,  a  merchant  of  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre 
county;  Cora  B.,  at  home;  Rosa  J.,  wife  of 
Harry  Hile,  a  plasterer  of  Pleasant  Gap;  Ella 
E. ,  wife  of  James  Coral,  a  school  teacher  of  the 
same  place;  and  Harry  E.,  Mary  G.,  Minnie  A. 
and  Lillie  E.,  who  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof.     The  family  occupy  a   beautiful   home  in 


Pleasant  Gap,  where  they  are  surrounded  by 
many  warm  friends  and  acquaintances.  Politic- 
ally, Mr.  Twitmyer  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
strongly  upholding  those  principles  for  which  he 
was  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life  in  the  early  days 
of  the  party.  He  is  a  true  citizen  in  every  re- 
spect, and  has  an  excellent  reputation  as  a 
straightforward,  upright  man.  A  conscientious, 
earnest  Christian,  he  is  a  faithful  member  of  the 
United  Evangelical  Church. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  H.  FRY,  one  of  the  in- 
_'  dustrious  and  thorough  agriculturists  of  Fer- 
guson township,  Centre  county,  was  born  July 
18,  1843,  on  the  farm  where  he  still  resides,  and 
is  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Mary  Ann  (Custenbauder) 
Fry.  His  paternal  great-grandparents  were  na- 
tives of  Germany,  while  his  grandparents  were 
born  in  Easton,  Northampton  Co.,  Penn.  The 
grandfather,  Conrad  Fry,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  18 1 2. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  nine 
children,  and  in  order  of  birth  was  followed  by 
Jonas,  who  was  born  in  1845,  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  during  the  Civil 
war;  Stephen,  who  died  in  childhood;  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  E.  E.  Young,  a  carpenter  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county;  Polly  A.,  wife  of  G.  W.  Ward, 
of  Bellefonte;  Hannah,  who  died  in  infancy; 
George  W. ,  who  died  in  childhood;  another  child 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Robert  B.,  who  is  mar- 
ried, and  is  a  carriage  painter  of  Bellefonte. 

Capt.  Fry,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  secured  a  good  education  in  the  Pine 
Grove  Academy,  of  Centre  county.  On  October 
1,  1 861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  45th  P.  V. 
I.  At  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.,  he 
had  his  skull  fractured  by  a  bullet,  and  was  left 
on  the  field  for  dead.  By  careful  treatment, 
however,  he  recovered,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Baltimore,  April  24,  1863,  after 
which  he  returned  home.  For  a  number  of 
terms  he  taught  the  Pine  Grove  Grammar 
School,  and  he  still  takes  an  active  part  in  every- 
thing tending  to  the  advancement  and  promotion 
of  education. 

On  September  12,  1865,  Mr.  Fry  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sally  E.  Laurimore,  and  to  them 
were  born  seven  children,  namely:  John  W. ; 
Mary  R. ,  wife  of  Charles  Dale;  S.  E.  ;  Bella  C.  : 
Conrad  M. ;  Mabel  L. ;  and  W.  H.  After  the 
death  of  this  wife,  Mr.  Fry  wedded  her  sister, 
Rebecca  C.  Laurimore,  December  25,  1883. 
Three  children  grace  this  union:  Hugh  L. ; 
George  B.  McClellan;  and  A.  F.  Reno.  The 
second   was  named  for  a  noted  general   in    the 


264 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  REC<  >/;/). 


Union  army,  and  the  last  for  Gen.  Reno,  who 
was  killed  in  the  Civil  war. 

Our  subject  is  the  owner  of  the  old  home- 
stead  farm,  a  valuable  place  of  110  acres,  which 
is  located  in  the  garden  spot  of  the  Valley.  It 
is  beautifully  and  tastefully  laid  out,  adorned 
with  evergreens  and  ornamental  shrubbery  of  all 
kinds,  making  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  farms 
in  the  locality.  To  its  cultivation  he  devotes 
his  time  and  attention  with  st  gratifying  re- 
sults. In  public  affairs  he  takes  a  prominent 
and  influential  part,  and  has  been  called  upon  to 
serve  in  several  official  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  He  has  been  assessor  for  the  last  fifteen 
years;  overseer  of  the  poor;  was  secretary  ol  the 
school  board  before  attaining  his  majority;  was 
re-elected  director  secretary,  and  was  census 
'•numerator    in     [88o.  asting     his     first 

Presidential  vote  for  Gen.  McClellan  in  1864,  he 
has  been  a  patriotic  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
has  served  as  chairman  of  the  County  Demo- 
cratic Central  Committee,  a  position  he  still 
holds.  He  has  been  commander  of  J.  O.  Camp- 
bell Post  No.  272,  (..  A  K  .  of  Pine  Grove 
Mills,  Centre  county,  has  been  a  delegate  to  the 
State  Encampment,  and  is  its  present  quarter- 
master. He  assisted  m  organizing  Grange  No. 
252,  of  which  he  is  past  master,  and  is  also 
prominently  identified  with  the  I  O.  O.  P.. 
filling  all  the  principal  chairs  in  the  local  lodge, 
and  was  a  d(  ,i:md    Lodge;  he   be- 

longs also  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Hepta- 
sophs;  and  is  the  captain  of  the  Jr  0  A  M. 
II      was  also  a    charter    member    and  nl    of 

Companj  B,  Fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Na- 
tional Guard,  in  which  organization  he  served 
his  term  of  enlisl  ment. 

1  ipt.  Fry  is  a  man  of  good  address,  genial 
in  disposition,  hospitable  in  Ins  home,  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  him.  A  fluent  writer, 
he  is  correspondent  for  \anous  newspapers.  He 
is  now  serving  as  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  a  faithful  member,  and 
is  secretary  of  the  Sunday-schoor,  also  set  retary 
of  the  Church  council.  Besides  general  farming, 
he  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  in  the  prac- 
tice of  veterinary  surgery.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Centre  County  Vet- 
erinary Association,  of  which  he  is  vice-president 
and  member  of  the  executiv(  committei  .  and  is 
president  of  the  Pine  Grove  Academy  Alumni 
ociation.  His  associates  are  the  young  peo- 
ple, as  his   general    deportment    and  appeara 

those  of  a  man  much  younger  in  years.  His 
name  has  frequently  been  mentioned  as  a  candi- 
date for  county  office,  but  thus  far  he  has  de- 
clined the  honor. 


ICHAEL  DAVID  KELLEY.     While"the 

L  race  is  not  always  to  the  swift  nor  the  bat- 
tle to  the  strong  ",  the  invariable  law  of  destiny 
accords  to  tireless  energy,  industry  and  ability  a 
successful  career.  The  truth  of  this  assertion  is 
abundantly  verified  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Kelley,  who 
is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  progressive  busi- 
ness men  of  Centre  county.  He  is  an  extensive 
mine  owner  in  the  vicinity  of  Snow  Shoe,  where 
he  makes  his  home,  and  is  a  member  of  several 
different  mining  companies. 

Mr.  Kelley  was  born  May  20,  1861,  in  the 
village  where  he  still  resides,  and  is  a  son  of  Pat- 
rick Kelley,  a  native  of  Ireland,  in  which  country 
his  mother  died.  In  [842  Patrick  accompanied 
his  father,  Michael  Kelley,  to  the  United  States, 
as  did  also  his  brother  and  sister,  Thomas  and 
Mar\  They  are  all  now  deceased,  Thomas  be- 
ing killed  while  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  crossed  the  At- 
lantic and  located  in  Centre  county,  where  he  first 
worked  in  the  iron  mills.  Later  he  removed  to 
Snow  Shoe  township,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment in  the  woods,  subsequently  engaged  in  min- 
ing for  ten  years,  and  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  His  death 
occurred    May  }o,    1889. 

In  Centre  county  Patrick  Kelley  was  married 
to  Sarah  Flack,  who  was  born  in  Howard  town- 
ship, that  county,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Catherine  Flack,  and  is  now  residing  in  Williams- 
port,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn..  By  her  marriage 
she  became  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Harry  P.,  an  extensive  coal  operator  of  Snow 
Shoe;  John,  who  was  killed  while  unloading  a  car 
in  [880;  Mary,  wife  of  William  Casher,  who  is 
op<  rating  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Snow  Shoe 
township;  Michael  I)  ;  Annie,  widow  of  James 
Tobin,  and  a  resident  of  New  York;  Sadie,  wife 
of  James  McGilley,  a  chemist  for  Sweet  &  Co., 
of  Williamsport,  Penn. ;  and  Catherine  and  Mil- 
lie, who  are  with  their  mother  in  Williamsport. 

Mr.  Kelley,  of  this  review,  began  attending 
school  as  soon  as  he  had  reached  a  sufficient  age, 
and  when  thirteen  years  old  entered  the  mines. 
where  he  worked  throughout  the  year  with  the 
exception  of  the  winter  months,  which  he  spent 
in  school  until  he  was  eighteen.  He  then  de- 
voted his  entire  time  and  attention  to  mining 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  re- 
turned home  and  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the 
farm  tor  two  years.  Since  that  time  he  has 
nsively  interested  in  mining, 

On  June  1  1,  iXSS,  Mr.  Kelley  and  his  brother, 
Harry  P.,  formed  a  partnership  with  James  To- 
bin, and  leased  a  mine  known  as  the  Snow  Shoe 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


265 


Colliery,  No.  i,  which  they  continued  to  operate 
until  July  31,  1889,  when  the  brothers  purchased 
Mr.  Tobin's  interest,  and  the  firm  became  Kelley 
Brothers.  They  operated  the  mines  Nos.  1  and 
2,  until  November  I,  1891,  when  they  bought 
the  interest  of  Charles  Watson  in  the  Tacoma 
colliery  mine,  known  as  the  Watson  &  Morgan 
mine,  and  the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  to 
Kelley  Bros.  &  Morgan.  They  are  the  owners  of 
a  tract  of  160  acres  of  excellent  coal  land  which 
they  operate,  while  the  firm  of  Kelley  Bros, 
have  200  acres.  The  Snow  Shoe  Mining  Co.,  of 
which  our  subject  is  president,  has  a  valuable 
tract  of  433  acres  three  miles  northwest  of  the 
village  of  Snow  Shoe,  in  Snow  Shoe  township. 
The  other  stockholders,  besides  our  subject,  are 
H.  P.  Kelley,  T.  B.   Budinger   and  W.  F.  Holt. 

Mr.  Kelley  was  married  in  Snow  Shoe,  Janu- 
ary 13,  1884,  to  Miss  Sarah  Haggans,  who  was 
born  in  1868,  a  daughter  of  James  Haggans, 
who  died  there  from  the  effects  of  exposure  while 
at  work  in  the  woods.  Her  mother  now  resides 
at  Houtsdale,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.  There  were 
only  two  children,  of  whom  John  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelley 
have  been  born  six  children.  May,  James,  Pat- 
rick, Edward,  Leo  and  Theresa,  and  the  family 
circle  yet  remains  unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death. 

Politically,  Mr.  Kelley  is  a  stanch  Democrat, 
and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Catholic.  The  record 
of  his  life  is  that  of  a  man  who  has  by  his  own 
unaided  efforts  worked  his  way  upward  to  a  po- 
sition of  affluence.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
industry  and  perseverance,  and  the  systematic 
and  honorable  business  methods  which  he  has 
followed  have  won  for  him  the  support  and  con- 
fidence of  many.  Without  the  aid  of  influence 
or  wealth,  he  has  risen  to  a  position  among  the 
prosperous  business  men  of  the  county,  and  his 
native  genius  and  acquired  ability  are  the  step- 
ping-stones on  which  he  has  mounted. 


HERBERT  D.  MEEK,  one  of  Centre  county's 
intelligent  and  energetic  sons,  is  a  success- 
ful druggist  and  pharmacist  at  State  College,  and 
his  prospects  for  the  future  are  most  promising. 
He  was  born  March  7,  1869,  inPatton  township, 
Centre  county,  where  his  parents,  D.  L.  and  M. 
E.  (Waddle)  Meek  have  for  many  years  been 
prominent  and  highly  respected  residents. 

The  district  schools  of  that  locality  furnished 
Mr.  Meek  an  elementary  education  during  boy- 
hood, and  he  was  also  trained  to  habits  of  indus- 
try upon  his  father's  farm.  Excellent  as  were 
his  surroundings,  discontent  found  lodgment  in 
his  youthful    mind',    and    he  decided    to  seek  a 


wider  range  of  activity.  Four  years  were  spent 
in  State  College  in  the  Mechanical  Engineering 
Departments,  and  then  the  ambitious  young  man 
went  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  employed  by 
the  Westinghouse  Machine  Company  for  two 
years;  but  the  Homestead  strike  had  a  demoral- 
izing effect  upon  the  business  of  the  firm,  and 
Mr.  Meek  found  his  occupation  gone.  At  this 
junction  he  determined  upon  his  future  business, 
and  entering  the  National  School  of  Pharmacy  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  he  took  a  complete  course, 
graduating  in  1894.  For  some  time  he  was 
employed  as  a  pharmacist  with  J.  W.  Drew,  of 
Washington,  and  in  April,  1896,  he  went  to 
State  College  and  opened  his  present  drug  store. 
His  store  of  drugs  is  complete,  and  their  arrange- 
ment and  neatness  of  all  the  appointments  of  the 
store  show  the  characteristic  precision  which  Mr. 
Meek  carries  into  all  his  business  operations. 

Mr.  Meek  was  married  October  22,  1896,  to 
Nannie  M.  Campbell,  daughter  of  Ex-Commis- 
sioner Campbell,  of  Fairbrook,  Penn.,  and  they 
have  one  child,  born  December  8,   1897. 

A  typical  American  in  thought,  our  subject 
has  always  taken  great  interest  in  public  ques- 
tions, and  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Democratic  party. 


Kir  F.  ROCKEY,  who  is  successfully  engaged 
in  buying  and  shipping  produce  in  Potter 
township,  Centre  county,  has  from  an  early  age 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  unaided  by  cap- 
ital or  influential  friends,  but  by  industry,  per- 
severance and  good  management  he  has  stead- 
ily worked  his  way  upward  until  to-day  he  is  do- 
ing a  large  and  prosperous  business  and  has  se- 
cured a  comfortable  home. 

fn  Nittany  Valley,  Mr.  Rockey  was  born, 
September  10,  1854,  a  son  of  Jacob  Rockey, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Centre  county,  born 
May  15,  1825,  in  Penn  Hall,  and  his  grand- 
father, John  Rockey,  was  an  early  settler  of 
Penn's  Valley.  At  Penn  Hall,  Centre  county, 
in  1853,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Jacob 
Rockey  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Rossman,  who  was 
born  in  Potter  township,  January  11,  1835,  and  is 
the  eldest  daughter  and  third  child  in  a  family 
of  twelve  children — five  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters— whose  parents  were  Jonathan  and  Mar- 
garet (Fye)  Rossman.  Her  mother  was  born 
June  26,  181 1,  and  died  October  23,  1875,  while 
her  father  was  born  March  22,  1808,  and  died 
March  26,  1863.  As  they  were  quite  poor  she 
was  forced  to  earn  her  own  living  during  her  girl- 
hood, and  therefore  lived  much  among  strangers. 
After  his  marriage.  Jacob  Rockey  made  his  home 


l'66 


-  OMMBMOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in  Nittany  Valley,  where  he  worked  as  a  (arm  la- 
borer, and  in  that  way  secured  enough  capital 
with  which  to  purchase  a  small  home  near  Tus- 
seyville,  where  his  death  occurred  March  8,  1873, 
and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  of 
th.it  village.  He  was  a  Union  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  a  member  of  the  2 10th  1'.  V,  I.,  and  his 
arduous  service  left  him  in  poor  health  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Politically,  he  was  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  patty,  and  in  religious 
faith  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of 
our  subject,  namely:  W.  F. .  of  this  review; 
Sarah  C. ,  wife  of  John  Xugard,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  Mary  R.,  wife  of  Wilson  Kline,  of  the 
same  city;  Margaret  E.,  wife  of  John  Davis,  of 
Altoona,  Penn. ;  Flora  A.,  wife  of  C.  H.  Perkins, 
of  Cleveland;  Elizabeth  S.,  wife  of  Samuel  Jor- 
dan, of  Lewistown,  Penn.;  and  Jacob  J.  R. ,  an 
employee  of  our  subject  in  the  produce  business. 
As  the  father  left  little  property  at  his  death,  the 
family  soon  became  scattered,  as  the  children 
were  obliged  to  earn  their  own  livelihood.  Later 
the  mother  married  William  From,  now  de- 
ceased, and  she  finds  a  pleasant  home  with  her 
son,  W.  F.  Like  the  father,  she  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  she  is  a 
most  estimable  lady. 

Mr.  Rockey,  the  subject  proper  of  this  review, 
was  but  a  mere  child  when  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Potter  township,  and  in  its  district 
schools  he  obtained  his  education;  but  at  the 
early  age  of  twelve  years  he  had  to  laj  aside  his 
books  and  assist  his  parents  in  the  support  of  the 
family.  The  first  wages  that  he  received  was 
$50  for  eight  months'  work,  winch  was  used  to- 
ward paying  for  their  little  home.  For  some 
time  he  was  employed  by  different  fanners  in 
Potter  township,  and  with  the  money  thus  earned 
paid  off  the  few  outstanding  debts  left  at  his  fa- 
ther's  death. 

In  1872,  Mr  Rockey  embarked  in  his  present 
business    On    a    small    scale,    in    com  a  it'll 

t  reorge  Meese,  and  at  first  was  obliged  to  borrow 
a  horse  with  which  to  gather  up  the  produce  pur- 
chased. This  lie  sold  in  Bellefonte  at  a  good  ad- 
vantage, and  was  soon  able  to  buy  a  horse.  As 
his  business  prospered  he  needed  two,  one  for 
use  m  buying  the  butter,  eggs  and  other  produce 
from  the  farmers,  and  the  other  in  selling   the 

is  in  the  cities  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  deal- 
ers  along  this  line  in  Potter  township,  and  his 
straightforward,  honorable  business  poltC)  has 
gained  him  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  pat- 
ronage. 

After  making  his  home  for  several  years  with 
his  uncle,  Michael  Rossman.  of   Potter  township. 


he  in  the  spring  of  1888  purchased  fifteen  acres 
of  land  from  Abraham  Horst,  of  which  he  has 
since  sold  two  and  one-half  acres,  paying  for  the 
tract  $i,OO0.  The  old  clovermill  standing 
thereon  he  converted  into  a  dwelling,  but  this 
has  since  been  replaced  by  an  elegant  home;  and 
he  also  erected  a  cold  storage  warehouse  and 
other  substantial  outbuildings.  After  secunn. 
home,  Mr.  Rockey  naturally  wished  some  one  to 
preside  over  it,  and  in  December,  1889,  in  Har- 
ris township,  Centre  county,  he  married  Miss 
Jennie  Mayer,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Almira 
(Bryman)  Mayer.  Four  children  were  born  to 
them:  Mvra  E. ;  Verna  M..  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years;  Margaret  C,  at  home;  and  William 
Henry.  The  parents  are  both  active  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  is  serving 
as  elder.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  deserves  great  credit  for  the 
success  that  he  has  achieved  in  life,  and  certainly 
is  entitled  to  a  place  among  the  honored  and 
valued  pitizens  of   Potter  township. 


Jt'HN  \\  .  STUART  is  a  prosperous  business 
man  and  influential  citizen  of  State  College, 
Centre  county,  and  the  following  brief  bi- 
ography is  interesting  as  showing  in  outline  the 
influence  anil  events  which  have  marked  his  life. 
Mr.  Stuart  had  the  advantage  at  the  outset 
of  a  name  which  has  been  held  in  high  esteem  in 
this  section  from  pioneer  times,  his  paternal 
grandfather,  Rev.  William  Stuart,  a  well-beloved 
minister  of  the  Presbyterian  faith,  having  in  early 
days  come  from  Donegal.  Ireland,  to  make  his 
home  in  Centre  county.  An  able,  fearless,  and 
devoted  preacher,  the  effect  of  his  labors  at  that 
formative  period  cannot  be  estimated.  His  cir- 
cuit extended  from  the  Susquehanna  at  Lewi-- 
burg  to  Clearfield,  the  entire  region  being  then 
know  11  as  Union  county.  Of  his  three  children: 
Priscilla  married  Dr.  Montgomery,  and  resided 
in  Lycoming  county,  Perm.;  Isabella  died  in  early 
womanhood;  and  David  (our  subject's  fatlv 
who  was  born  in  Harris  township.  Centre  count). 
in  1812,  is  now  living  in  Boalsburg.  His  life 
has  been  -pent  quietly,  agriculture  being  his 
main  pursuit,  although  he  has  also  been 
in  lumbering  His  patriotism  is  of  the  stalwart 
type,  and  he  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  doc- 
trine ol  "America  for  the  Americans  in  Know- 
nothing  tunes  Later  he  became  a  Republican. 
and  in  1862  was  one  of  the  emergency  nun 
who  volunteered  to  protect  the  State  from  the 
invasion  of  the  Rebel  army,  while  in  local  affair.- 
he  has  always  exerted  much  influence  in  .1  quiet 
way.      His  wife,  Martha  (Johnson  .  was  born  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


267 


Harris  township,  Centre  county,  in  1813,  and 
passed  from  earth  in  1885.  Col.  James  John- 
son, her  father,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
Penn.,  was  a  prominent  merchant  and  hotel 
keeper  at  Boalsburg.  Mrs.  Stuart  was  one  of 
eight  children,  the  others  being:  George,  a 
prosperous  iron-master,  who  held  the  offices  of 
sheriff  and  associate  judge  of  Huntingdon  county; 
James,  who  died  in  1862  or  1863;  Nancy  (Mrs. 
J.  H.  Mitchell,  of  College  township),  who  died 
about  a  year  ago;  Ann,  who  married  a  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery; Ellen,  who  married  Alexander  Johnson, 
of  Boalsburg,  and  are  both  now  deceased;  Han- 
nah, the  widow  of  the  late  Judge  Birchfield,  of 
Centre  county;  and  Margaret  (deceased),  who 
was  the  first  wife  of  Judge  Birchfield. 

Seven  children  blessed  the  union  of  David 
and  Martha  Stuart:  Priscilla  Ann,  who  has 
never  married;  Col.  James  T.,  a  resident  of 
Boalsburg;  Esther  E.  (Mrs.  Samuel  B.  Wilson), 
deceased;  William,  who  died  in  infancy;  John  W., 
our  subject;  George,  who  died  in  childhood;  and 
Harry  S.,  now  residing  in  Boalsburg. 

John  W.  Stuart  was  born  August  23,  1844, 
in  Harris  township,  Centre  county,  and  his  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of 
that  section,  and  in  Pine  Grove  Academy.  When 
the  Civil  war  broke  out,  he  was  only  a  boy  in 
years,  but  the  stirring  events  of  that  time  brought 
quick  development  to  natures  which  were  capa- 
ble of  high  resolution  and  courageous  action.  In 
1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  148th  P.  V.  I., 
and  served  until  mustered  out  June,  9,  1865. 
Entering  with  the  rank  of  private,  he  was  soon 
made  sergeant,  and  January  I,  1864,  he  was 
commissioned  lieutenant.  For  three  months  he 
served  as  quartermaster  of  his  regiment,  but  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  was  spent  at  more  dan- 
gerous work,  as  he  participated  in  all  the  impor- 
tant engagements  of  the  regiment  from  Chancel- 
lorsville  to  Appomattox  Court  House.  On  May 
10,  1864,  he  was  wounded  at  Poe  river,  necessi- 
tating his  absence  from  duty  until  Septeitiber  1, 
1864,  when  he  rejoined  his  comrades  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  Virginia. 

After  his  return  to  peaceful  avocations,  our 
subject  followed  agriculture  for  ten  years,  and 
then  spent  three  years  in  the  hotel  busines  at 
State  College.  Since  that  time  he  has  con- 
tinued in  business  there,  as  a  general  mer- 
chant for  eight  years,  and  later  as  a  dealer  in 
coal  and  grain.  He  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  these 
lines,  and  owns  two  elevators,  one  at  State  Col- 
lege and  one  at  Oak  Hall,  Penn.  On  December 
23,  1869,  Mr.  Stuart  married  Miss  Margaret 
Ellen  Musser,  a  native  of  Boalsburg,  born  August 
>.  1850,  and  they  have  five  children.      Elizabeth 


Musser,  a  young  lady  of  fine  intellectual  gifts, 
was  educated  at  State  College;  William  A.  is  at 
home;  George  died  at  the  age  of  six  months; 
Daniel  is  a  student  at  State  College;  and  Maggie 
Johnson  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Stuart's  gallant  record  as  a  soldier  entitles 
him  to  membership  in  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  he  be- 
longs to  Capt.  Foster  Post,  No.  197,  at  Lemont. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Union  Veteran  Le- 
gion at  Bellefonte,  holding  the  rank  of  colonel. 
He  served  as  postmaster  through  the  Garfield- 
Arthur  administrations,  and  was  again  appointed 
postmaster  by  President  McKinley  in  1897,  in 
which  capacity  he  is  now  serving. 


OBERT  H.  REED  is  one  of  the  native  sons 
of  Centre  county,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Patton  township,  April  26,   1848. 

William  Reed,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Ireland,  in  18 10,  and  married  Rose  Ann  Han- 
nah, also  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  They 
were  married  in  that  country,  and  soon  afterward 
came  to  America.  The  mother  died  in  1873, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Gray's  cemetery,  Patton 
township;  the  father  has  now  reached  the  ad- 
vanced age,  of  eighty-six  years.  They  had  seven 
children — five  sons  and  two  daughters:  William 
H.  carries  on  agricultural  pursuits  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Penn. ;  Jane  is  the  widow  of  Christ  Hart- 
sock,  who  died  leaving  two  children;  Nicholas 
E.,  who  in  early  life  was  a  railroad  engineer,  and 
is  now  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Kansas,  married  Anna 
Hartsock,  and  has  eight  children;  Catherine  E. 
is  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Kline,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn.;  David  J.,  who  mar- 
ried Amelia  Irvin,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, is  a  wealthy  farmer  of  Kansas,  owning  sev- 
eral hundred  acres  of  land  (during  the  Civil  war 
he  was  a  faithful  Union  soldier,  and  was  wounded 
while  fighting  for  his  country);  Robert  H.  is  the 
sixth  in  order  of  birth;  and  John  E.  is  a  farmer 
of  Huntingdon  county,  and  has  had  a  family  of 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living. 

Robert  H.  Reed  has  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Patton  township,  Centre  county,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  years  passed  in  Stormstown.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  Waddle  school,  and 
is  a  well-informed  man  whose  practical  knowl- 
edge and  business  experience  have  enabled  him 
to  secure  a  comfortable  competence.  His  life 
has  been  one  of  earnest  industry,  and  he  is  now 
the  owner  of  135  acres  of  good  land,  situated 
about  a  mile  from  the  Scotia  mines.  His  farm 
is  well  improved  with  substantial  buildings,  and 
his  land  is  richly  cultivated.  In  his  methods  of 
farming  he  is   progressive   and   enterprising,  and 


268 


COMStEMOItA  TIYF.    HlnOHAl'llUM    RECORD. 


the  success  which  he  has  achieved  is  richly  mer- 
ited. 

On  February  22,  1877,  Mr.  Reed  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  C.  Kelley,  a  daughter  of  Jere- 
miah Kelley,  of  Benner  township  Centre  count}'. 
They  have  seven  children — four  sons  and  three 
(laughters — ami  the  family  circle  yet  remains  un- 
broken by  the  hand  of  death.  Their  names  and 
dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  William  G.  Clif- 
ford, August  19,  1878;  Irvin  G. ,  May  5,  1880; 
Katrine,  January  23,  1S84;  Anna  M.,  September 
16,  1885;  Ethel  J.,  August  26,  1S90;  John  E., 
July  26,  1893;  and  Robert  E.,  March  23,  1897. 
In  his  political  adherency  Mr.  Keed  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  genial  and 
kindly  in  disposition,  affable  in  manner,  and  pos- 
sessing that  true  nobility  of  character  which 
everywhere  commands  respect  and  confidence. 


SYLVESTER  Kill's  PRINGLE,  a  leading 
merchant  and  undertaker  of  Fort  Matilda, 
Centre  county,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  burn 
December  13,  1  8  ^9,  in  Summer  Hill,  Cambria 
county,  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Elizabeth 
(Ritts)  Pringle.  The  father  was  born  in  Cam- 
bria county,  January  29,  18]  ,,  and  in  earl}-  life 
followed  mercantile  pursuits  in  Summer  Hill  and 
Claysburg,  Penn.,  hut  later  turned  his  attention 
to  farming.  His  parents  were  Philip  and  Marj 
l'ringle.    who   were  of   Scotch-Irish    origin.      In 

politics,   Philip  Pringle,  Jr.,  was  a  Dei rat  until 

1860,  after  which  he  gave  his  support  to  the  Re- 
publican party,  and,  being  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  community  where  he  made  his  home, 
served  in  several  official  positions,  lb'  and  his 
wife  were  earnest  Christians,  faithful  member--  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  horn  in  Mian 
county,  Penn.,  November  23,  1820,  a  daughter 
el  Thomas  and  Catherine  (Lower)  Ritts,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  Taylor  township, 
Blair  county,  then  part  of  Bedford  county.  Bj 
occupation  her  father  was  a  farmei  and  saddler. 
In    1870    Mrs.     Pringle,    her   hu  ind    one 

daughterall  diedof  typhoid  fever;  the  father  pas 
away  September  21,  and  the  mother  on  October 
16.  Six  children  wen-  1m, in  to  them:  Sylvester 
K.,  of  this  sketch;  M,u\  *  and  Sarah  A.,  who 
died  unmarried;  John  S.,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Jane,  wife  of  James  Dively,  of  Altoona,  Penn., 
and  David  A  .  a  residi  nl  ol  Mahaffey,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  "t  Sylvester  K. 
l'ringle  were  spent  upon  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  remained  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
began  clerking  in  the    mercantile  establishment 


of  his  uncle  at  Sharpsburg.  Owing  to  ill  health 
he  resigned  his  position  two  years  later  and  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm,  where  he  remained  till 
he  was  twent)  years  old,  and  then  entered  the 
employ  of  Hasting  &  Coolbroth,  from  Portland, 
Maine,  who  were  engaged  in  the  shook  business  in 
Blair  county,  and  served  as  their  foreman  for 
twelve  years,  during  which  time  he  got  out  tim- 
ber in  Blair,  Bedford,  Cambria,  Clearfield  and 
Centre  counties.  In  1872  he  embarked  in  the 
shook  business  and  the  manufacture  of  staves  in 
Centre  county  on  his  own  account,  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  three  years.  Purchasing  a  farm  in 
Taylor  township,  he  operated  the  same  until 
1 88 1,  when  he  removed  to  Port  Matilda  in  order 
to  better  educate  his  children,  and  in  1884  he 
erected  his  present  comfortable  home  and  neat 
store  building.  He  has  met  with  success  in  mer- 
chandising, and  is  one  of  the  representative  and 
prominent  business  men  of  the  place. 

In  Blair  count},  December  29,  1859,  Mr. 
Pringle  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Ickes, 
who  was  born  August  7,  1837,  in  what  was  then 
Bedford  county,  but  is  now  pari  ol  Blair  county. 
Penn.,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eve  (Emler) 
[ekes.  Ten  children  graced  this  union,  namely: 
Lloyd  S.,  a  merchant  ol  Mahaffey,  Penn.;  Mary 
\  .  wile  of  S.  K.  Mansfield,  of  Bedford  county; 
Clara  \  .  who  dud  in  infancy;  Amanda  ]..  wife 
of  William  Lingerfelder,  of  Altoona,  Perm.,  who 
works  in  the  railroad  shops;  Arthur  C...  deceased; 
Minnie  B.  and  Effie  L.  (twins),  the  former  at 
home,  and  the  latter  the  wife  of  Martin  McKel- 
vey,  who  is  employed  in  the  railroad  shops  in 
Altoona;  [ohn  I  .  <>f  Altoona;  and  Elizabeth  and 
Chestei  M  .  at  hi  >me. 

John    Ickes,  the   father  of   Mrs.   Pringle,  was 
born  August  2,   1802,  at  what  is  known  as  Dutch 
Corner,  Bedford  county,  and  was  a  son  of  Philip 
and  Elizabeth  Ickes,  who  spent  their  entire  1: 
111  that  count}',  engaged    in   agricultural    pursuits. 
At  Dutch  Corner,  John   Ickes  married    Eve  Em- 
ler, a    daughter  of  Jacob  and   Christina    Emler, 
also  fanning  people  of  Bedford  county.      The  fol- 
lowing children  were  burn  of  their  union:   Polly 
who    married    11.   Walter,  but    both   are   now  de- 
ceased; Elizabeth,  wife  of  A.  |.  Berget,  a  farmer 
u|  Blair  county;  SallieS.,  wife  of  Jacob  Diebert 
a    merchant    and    farmer    of   Claysburg,    Penn.. 
Mary  A  ,  deceased  wife  of  H.  Hedrick,  a  retired 
farmer    of  Blair  county;  Catherine,    wife  of  our 
subject ;    Adam,  a  resident   of   Cambria   count} 
Christina,  wife  of  Moses  Barkcomer,   a    farm' • 
ol  Blair  county;  Hannah,  wife  of  Jacob  Dotson. 
a  farmer  of  Blair  county;  John,  who  operates  th 
homestead    farm;    Rosanna    and     Lucinda,    d< 
ceased;  Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Alexander  Butler;  Eve, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


269 


wife  of  Samuel  Smith,  a  miner  of  Lilly  Station, 
Penn. ;  Harrison,  a  railroad  employee;  and  Beckie, 
wife  of  Alexander  Butler,  of  Blair  county.  The 
father  of  this  family  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
to  which  his  wife  also  belonged.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 14,  1896.  In  his  family  were  fifteen  chil- 
dren, 106  grandchildren,  1 39great-grandchildren, 
and  seven  great-great-grandchildren. 

During  President  Harrison's  administration, 
Mr.  Pringle  was  the  efficient  postmaster  at  Port 
Matilda,  and  has  ably  filled  several  other  local 
offices.  He  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  Society,  No.  845,  at  Stormstown,  and 
with  his  family  holds  membership  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  He  started  out  in  life 
with  nothing  but  his  indomitable  energy,  and 
his  accumulation  of  this  world's  goods  is  attrib- 
utable to  his  sound  judgment  and  persevering  ef- 
forts. His  word  in  business  transactions  is  con- 
sidered as  good  as  his  bond,  and  he  is  justly 
recognized  as  one  of  the  energetic  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Centre  county.  He  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  always 
lending  his  influence  to  promote  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  community  where  he  resides. 


BD.     BIERLY,    a    leading    contractor    and 
builder  of  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  is 

a  member  of  a  family  that  has  been  so  promi- 
nent in  this  section  from  the  pioneer  days  as  to 
need  no  introduction  to  our  readers. 

Mr.  Bierly  is  a  great-grandson  of  Anthony 
Bierly,  the  famous  old  pioneer,  and  a  grandson 
of  Nicholas  Bierly,  who  was  born  in  1775,  and 
came  to  Brush  Valley  with  his  father.  As  the 
latter's  health  became  impaired,  the  support  of  a 
numerous  family  devolved  upon  the  two  elder 
sons,  Nicholas  and  John,  the  former  naturally 
taking  the  lead.  He  married  Lucy  Buchtel,  who 
was  born  in  1778,  the  daughter  of  John  Buchtel, 
an  early  settler  of  Brush  Valley.  For  many 
years  this  worthy  couple  lived  in  Rebersburg, 
where  both  died,  he  on  July  25,  1848,  and  she 
on  March  26,  1851,  their  remains  being  interred 
in  the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  cemetery  at  Re- 
bersburg. They  had  ten  children,  whose  names 
with  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Nicholas,  Jr. , 
February  12,  1799,  died  in  Sugar  Valley,  in  1877; 
Hannah,  May  26,  1800,  married  Henry  Keyer, 
and  died  in  Miles  township;  Michael,  September 
25,  1801,  and  John,  September  25,  1803,  died  in 
Miles  township  after  reaching  adult  age;  David, 
December  8,  1805,  lives  in  Montgomery  town- 
ship, Wood   county,  Ohio;  Anthony,  August  26, 


1807,  is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  Reuben, 
March  8,  1809,  removed  to  Missouri;  Peter, 
April  13,  1 8 14,  died  near  Milesburg,  Centre 
county;  Simeon,  March  25,  1817,  is  also  de- 
ceased; and  George,  July  17,  18 19,  resides  in 
Montgomery  township.  Wood  Co.,  Ohio. 

Anthony  Bierly,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  August  26,  1807,  at  the  old  Bierly 
homestead,  near  Rebersburg,  and  after  attending 
for  a  time  the  local  schools,  such  as  they  were, 
he  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  completing  his  ap- 
prenticeship under  Robert  Smith,  of  Penn's  Val- 
ley. He  was  married  in  Miles  township,  Centre 
county,  to  Miss  Rachel  Ruhl,  a  native  of  York 
county,  Penn.,  born  in  February,  181 1.  Her 
father  died  when  she  was  a  child,  and  an  uncle, 
John  Ruhl,  who  died  in  Lock  Haven,  brought 
her  to  Brush  Valley,  where  she  grew  to  woman- 
hood. Neither  of  the  young  couple  had  any  as- 
sistance from  home  to  give  them  a  start  in  life, 
but  Anthony  Bierly  made  a  comfortable  living  at 
his  trade,  which  he  followed  during  his  active  life. 
As  his  boys  became  old  enough  for  work,  he  kept 
them  busy  upon  a  farm  which  he  owned,  but  he 
did  not  devote  his  own  time  to  it,  farther  than  to 
direct  their  labors. 

On  retiring  from  business  Anthony  Bierly  re- 
moved to  Kreamerville  to  a  comfortable  residence 
built  by  our  subject,  who  traded  it  as  part  pay- 
ment on  the  home  farm,  agreeing  as  a  further 
consideration  to  support  his  parents  as  long  as 
they  should  live.  The  mother  died  October  2  1 , 
1886,  and  the  father  on  July  2,  1890,  both  de- 
vout members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  never 
acquired  more  than  a  fair  competence,  and  was 
disinclined  to  contend  for  his  rights,  preferring 
to  lose  an  account  rather  than  sue  any  one. 
This  peaceable  disposition,  together  with  his 
unshaken  integrity,  won  him  friends  among  all 
classes,  and  he  was  highly  esteemed  throughout 
the  community.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  in  early  life  voted  regularly,  but,  as  old  age 
came  on,  his  feeble  health  prevented  him  at 
times  from  getting  to  the  polls.  He  had  nine 
children,  namely:  Catherine,  who  married  (first) 
John  W.  Barker,  and  (second)  Elijah  Sharp, 
who  died  at  Kreamerville;  Hannah,  now  the 
widow  of  Michael  Krape,  of  Clintondale,  Penn. ; 
Lydia  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  Loose),  of  Rebersburg; 
Abigail,  who  married  Frederick  Hartman,  and 
died  in  Clinton  county,  Penn. ;  Cornelius,  a 
farmer  and  plasterer  of  Bradner,  Ohio;  Mar- 
garet, the  widow  of  Gideon  Kreamer,  of  Brush 
Valley;  R.  D.,  our  subject;  Paulina  (now  Mrs. 
Jacob  Wolheiser),  of  Kreamerville;  and  Fauette 
(now  Mrs.  David  Meyer),  of  Miles  township. 

R.    D.    Bierly's   birth   occurred   February   3, 


270 


COMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


1844,  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  and  he 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that  lo- 
cality, improving  his  opportunities  so  well  that 
before  he  was  twenty-one  he  taught  successfully 
at  the  Gramley  school.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
work,  but,  as  he  possessed  unusual  mechanical 
skill,  he  decided  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  aft' 1  one  summer  at  the  work  was  as  com- 
petent as  most  app  1  full  term. 
For  one  year  he  was  employed  as  a  skilled 
workman,  and  then  went  into  business  on  his 
own  account,  his  reputation  increasing  with  the 
progress  of  time  until  he  holds  to-day  a  foremost 
place  among  the  workers  in  that  line  in  his  sec- 
tion. As  a  contractor  he  is  noted  for  his  hon- 
esty and  fair  dealing,  and  he  has  built  many  of 
the  best  residences  in  Centre  county,  including 
some  of  the  most  elegant  homes  in  Millheim  and 
Rebersburg.  Other  buildings  which  stand  as  ev- 
idences of  his  skill  are  the  Lutheran  churches  at 
Millheim  and  Rebersburg,  and  the  school  houses 
there  and  in  Coburn.  Financially,  he  has  pros- 
pered, and  he  owns  tsvo  houses  in  Rebersburg, 
as  well  as  115  acres  of  timber  land  and  forty 
acres  of  cleared  land.  His  home  in  Rebersburg, 
built  in  1*97,  is  a  model  of  tasteful  architecture. 
In  1 867  Mr.  Bierly  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline 
Frank,  only  daughter  oi  Samuel  and  Saloma 
(Brungart)  Frank.  After  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Bierly  in  ule  his  home  in  Kreamerville  for  some 
time  before  removing  to  Rebersburg.  Seven 
children  have  blessed  his  marriage:  Sally,  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Auman,  of  Rebersburg;  Willis 
I-  .  residing  at  Rebersburg;  Charles  C,  a  car- 
penter at  Rebersburg;  Melvin  C. ,  who  died  June 
10,  1882,  at  the  age  of  four  years;  and  Curtis  M., 
Samuel  A.  and  Raymond  S.,  who  are  at  home. 
As  a  citizen,  Mr.  Uierly's  influence  is  felt  in  every 
progressive  movement  as  a  helpful  force.  He 
and  In--  wife  are  leading  members  of  the  Luther- 
an Church,  in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of 
deacon  for  many  years;  lie  is  also  identified  with 
the  Grange,  being  master  for  several  years  of 
Miles  Grange.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but 
he  is  not  at  all  bigoted,  and  when  occasion  seems 
to  demand  it  he  votes  independently.  He  has 
never  sought  office,  his  attention  being  confined 
to  other  matters. 


MJ.  DECKER,  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
and  self-made  men  of  Potter  township. 
Centre  county,  has  made  his  home  upon  his 
present  farm  since  November,  1892.  Under  his 
able  management  the  land  yields  bountiful  har- 
vests, and  the  excellent  improvements  seen  there- 


on stand  as  a  monument  to  his  thrift  and  enter- 
prise. He  started  out  in  life  for  himself  with  no 
capital  save  a  pair  of  willing  hands  and  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed,  and  by  the  exercise  of  per- 
severance, industry  and  economy  is  now  the 
possessor  of  a  handsome  competence. 

Mr.  Decker  was  born  in  George's  Valley,  Cen- 
tre  county,  April  26,  1833,  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Barbara  Price)  Decker.  The  father's  birth 
occurred  December  15,  1795,  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  State,  where  his  father,  Casper  Decker, 
died.  When  a  young  man,  Michael  Decker 
came  to  Centre  county,  accompanied  by  his 
mother,  who  lived  with  him  for  some  time.  Here 
he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  and  millwright's 
trades,  or  in  fact  anything  by  which  he  could  earn 
an  honest  dollar.  In  Centre  county  he  married 
Barbara  Price,  who  was  born  in  George's  Yall 
May  7,  1800,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Price.  In  the 
place  of  her  birth  they  spent  their  entire  married 
life,  and  from  its  primitive  condition  the  father 
developed  a  farm,  but  never  accumulated  much 
property.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
at  one  time  served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  His 
death  occurred  in  March,  1880,  that  of  his  wife 
in  August,  1  87  1,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Sprucetown  cemetery.  After  her  death  he  was 
again  married,  and  by  the  second  union  had  five 
children,  of  whom  one  died  in  childhood. 

Mil  hael  J.  Decker,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
is  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of 
ten  children  born  of  the  first  marriage,  namely 
Mary,  born  December  12,  1818,  wedded  Nicholas 
Sheriff,  and  died  in  Juniata  county,  Penn.;  Ann, 
born  September  9,  1821,  married  John  Gall,  and 
died  in  Ohio;  Casper,  born  June  28,  1824,  died 
in  boyhood;  Elizabeth,  born  March  t8,  1826,  is 
the  wife  of  Lot  Evans,  of  Stephenson  county, 
111.;  Margaret,  born  September  12,  1829,  is  the 
widow  of  John  McNeal,  and  lives  in  Chicago, 
III.;  Barbara,  born  July  9,  1831,  married  Samuel 
Leitzel,  and  died  in  George's  Valley;  Michael  J.; 
J.  Thomas,  born  December  12,  1835,  died  in 
Flemington,  Penn.;  Catharine,  born  August  -'. 
[837,  died  February  13,  1897  (she  hail  been  a 
mute  from  the  time  she  was  two  yeats  old);  and 
ne  V.,  born  October  25,  1839,  is  a  resident 
of  Gregg  township,  Centre  county 

In  George's  Valley  our  subject  was  reared  to 
manhood,  and  his  education  was  such  as  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  locality  afforded  at  that  earlv 
day.  During  the  winter  time  he  assisted  his  fa- 
ther in  the  sawmill  at  the  expense  of  his  school- 
ing, while  his  summer  months  were  passed  in 
farm  work  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  handle  a 
plow  or  be  of  any  service  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  land.      He  remained   at  home   until  his  mar- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


271 


riage,  giving  his  father  the  benefit  of  his  labor. 
On  October  17,  i860,  in  Millheim,  Centre  coun- 
ty, he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Stahl,  who  was  born  in  Crawford  township, 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  September  7,  1837,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Nancy  (Shaw)  Stahl.  Her  fa- 
ther, a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  in  White 
Deer  Valley,  near  New  Columbia,  Penn. ,  and 
when  a  young  man  removed  to  Clinton  county, 
where  he  purchased  land  and  made  his  home  un- 
til his  death.  Mrs.  Decker  was  the  second  in  a 
family  of  ten  daughters,  and  at  the  age  of  ten 
years  left  home  and  lived  with  relatives  until  her 
marriage.  Like  her  husband  she  obtained  her 
education  in  the  district  schools.  They  have  six 
children,  whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as 
follows:  Nannie  W. ,  October  29,  1862;  Barbara 
E.,  May  3,  1866;  Francis  W.,  May  4,  1868; 
Anna  May,  May  9,  1871;  James  L. ,  May  20, 
1874;  and  Maurice  J.,  March  19,  1885.  Of 
these,  Barbara  E.  is  the  wife  of  W.  O.  Rearick, 
of  Centre  Hall,  and  Anna  May  is  the  wife  of 
Hiram  Lee,  of  Potter  township,  the  others  being 
at  home. 

For  three  years  and  a  half  after  his  marriage, 
Mr.  Decker  lived  upon  his  father's  farm  in 
George's  Valley,  and  the  first  property  he  owned 
consisted  of  sixty  acres  in  Nittany  Valley,  near 
Hublersburg,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  un- 
til able  to  sell  at  an  advantage.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Potters  Mills,  where  for  a  short  time  he 
conducted  a  store,  and  on  disposing  of  his  inter- 
ests there  he  bought  land  in  George's  Valley, 
where  he  resided  for  some  time.  Subsequently 
he  engaged  in  the  grain  business  in  Coburn,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  was  very  successful  along  that 
line,  continuing  the  same  until  his  removal  to  his 
present  farm,  which  at  that  time  was  not  in  a 
very  flourishing  condition.  He  has  erected  sev- 
eral new  buildings  upon  the  place,  and  made 
other  valuable  and  useful  improvements.  He  is 
the  owner  of  two  fine  farms,  aggregating  230 
acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  and  his  accumula- 
tions are  but  the  just  reward  of  his  own  untiring 
labors. 

Mr.  Decker  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  sup- 
port of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  is  at  present  serving  as  overseer  of  the 
poor.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of  school  di- 
rector, but  declined  to  serve  a  second  term. 
Both  himself  and  wife  are  faithful  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  was  steward 
for  several  years,  and  is  at  present  trustee.  The 
family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community, 
holding  a  high  position  in  social  circles,  and  their 
pleasant  and  hospitable  home  is  always  thrown 
open  for  the  reception  of  their  many  friends. 


JOHN  MULHOLLAN,  who  was  born  in  1800, 
and  died  on  the  11th  of  June,  i860,  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens 
of  Clearfield  county.  Carlisle  wrote  that  "biog- 
raphy is  the  most  universally  pleasant  and  prof- 
itable of  all  studies."  and  in  the  life  record  of  this 
gentleman  there  is  certainly  much  of  interest 
and  of  benefit.  He  was  a  self-made  man,  one 
whose  energy  and  perseverance  enabled  him  to 
pass  on  the  highway  of  life  many  who  had  a  more 
advantageous  start.  His  labors  brought  to  him 
a  handsome  competence,  and  by  his  well-spent 
life  he  won  not  only  success  but-  the  high  regard 
of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a 
son  of  Rudolph  and  Mary  M.  (Werham)  Mulhol- 
lan,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland,  the  latter  of 
Ohio,  of  Irish  and  German  extraction,  respect- 
ively. Their  children  were  James,  Rudolph, 
George,  Mrs.  Mary  Schwitzer,  Alfred,  Nancy 
(who  died  in  infancy),  John,  Mrs.  Nancy  Clark, 
and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Bowers,  all  now  deceased. 

John  Mulhollan  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Centre  county,  where  he  made  his  home  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  his  days.  In  early  life  he  en- 
gaged in  rafting  on  the  river,  and  developed  an 
extensive  lumber  trade  which  brought  to  him  a 
handsome  income.  In  later  life  he  turned  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  thus 
engaged  at  the  time  of  his  deatn.  His  business 
career  was  characterized  by  great  energy,  well 
regulated  and  guided  by  sound  judgment.  He 
would  brook  no  obstacles  which  could  be  over- 
come by  determined  purpose  and  honorable 
effort,  and  thus  worked  his  way  upward  to  pros- 
perity, leaving  at  his  death  a  large  estate.  On 
February  20,  185  1,  in  Union  county,  Penn.,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  Betlion,  who  was 
born  in  Perry  county,  Penn,,  October  3,  1821,  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Rafter)  Betlion, 
natives  of  the  Keystone  State  and  of  German  de- 
scent. Both  are  now  deceased.  The  father 
was  a  farmer,  also  a  pilot  on  a  boat  that  plied 
between  Lock  Haven  and  the  ocean.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In 
their  family  were  the  following  children:  Will- 
iam (deceased);  Barbara;  John  (deceased);  Mary, 
wife  of  Christian  Burns;  Andrew  (deceased); 
Joanna,  wife  of  Cornelius  Kaylor,  a  farmer  of 
Union  county,  Penn. ;  Louisa,  widow  of  John 
Richardson,  also  of  Union  county;  Montgomery 
(deceased);  and  Kate,  wife  of  Frank  Speaker,  a 
merchant  of  Montandon,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Mulhollan  also  gave  his  political  support 
to  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  widow  is  a 
warm  advocate  of  the  principles  of  that  party. 
He   was   a   leader   in    business  circles,  and  alto- 


272 


'  OMMBMORATIVB  lilOURAI'llirM    HEcoliD. 


gether  a  prominent  citizen  of  Centre  county. 
Industrious  and  persevering,  he  made  the  most  of 
his  opportunities,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life 
was  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  honor.  Ill- 
widow  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  which 
is  a  valuable  property,  the  land  being  underlaid 
with  coal  and  oil.  With  the  many  womanly 
qualities  which  bring  to  her  friends,  she  combines 
excellent  executive  ability,  and  capably  looks 
after  hei  property  interests.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mul- 
hollan  had  children  as  follows.  Elizabeth  E., 
born  October  31,  1851,  died  October  4,  i860; 
David  R.,  bom  March  24,  1854,  is  a  farmer  of 
Burnsides  township;  William  O.,  born  March  23, 
[856,  died  January  5,  1880;  John  A.,  born  No- 
vember  16.  1S57,  is  now  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Cath- 
erine A.,  twin  sister  of  John  A.,  is  living  with 
her  mother. 

David  R.  Mulhollan,  the  eldest  son,  whose 
home  is  only  a  short  distance  from  that  of  his 
mother,  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
agriculturists  of  Burnside  township.  Hewasmar- 
ried  June  4,  1873,  to  Miss  Alice  J.  Flegal,  of 
1  .oslten  township,  Clearfield  county,  and  they 
have  had  nine  children,  namely:  Ida  1  deceased), 
John  P. ,  Millie  C. ,  Ella  V.  (deceased),  |ames  R.. 
\Y.  0.,  Preston  E.,  Bernice  E.  and  l'.riiest  M. 
They  have  a  pleasant  home,  and  are  highly  es- 
teemed people  of  the  community. 

The  Mulhollan  family  is  especially  worthy  of 
mention   in   this   volume.      Mrs.  John   Mulhollan 
and  her  children  all  rank   among   the  best  rep 
sentatives  of  tins  section  of  the   county,  and  did 
also  Mr.   Mulhollan,  her  deceased  husband 


MARTIN  B.  CARMAN.  Leisure,  the  cum 
of  an  undisciplined  intellect,  is  to  the  intel- 
ligent and  cultured  an  opportunity  for  continued 
advancement.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a 
prominent  resident  of  Bellefonte,  is  one  of  the 
favored  few  who,  having  a  taste  for  the  refine- 
ments of  life,  have  also  the  wealth  to  make  their 
ideals,  in  some  measure,  realities. 

Mr.  Carman  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  hav- 
ing first  seen  the  light  in  the  "City  of  Brotherly 
Cove,"  September  4,  1875.  His  father,  the  I 
Martin  Garhan,  was  horn  in  Dauphin  county, 
Penn.,  in  1820,  and  in  early  manhood  went  west, 
engaging,  when  he  was  about  twenty-one,  in  the 
management  of  a  trading  boat  on  the  Mississippi 
river.  He  continued  the  husmess  for  many  years, 
but  at  the  approach  of  the  Civil  war  his  trips  up 
and  down  the  stream  were  interfered  with,  and 
life  itself  became  unsafe  Suspending  his  oper- 
ations, he  returned  to  hi-  native  State,  and  alter 
looking  about    for  a  suitabli    business  opening  lie 


decided  to  locate  in  Philadelphia,  where   he   pur- 
chased the  old  "  Blue  Anchor  Inn,"  famous  as  the 
hostelry  where  William  Penn  first  stopped  when 
he  came   to    America.      This  investment. proved 
extremely   profitable,  a  handsome  fortune  being 
realized  under  the   wise  management  of  the  new 
owner       Mr.  Carman  was  a  member  of  the  epis- 
copal Church,  and  in  politics  adhered  to   Dem- 
it ic  principles.      His  death  occurred  in    1 
Our  subject's   mother,  whose   maiden   name 
Lydia   Scott,  passed   from   earth   in    1879  at   the 
age  of  thirty.      She  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia 
and   a   daughter  of  William    Scott,  who  was  for 
many  years  the  manager  of  the    Asylum  for   the 
Blind  at  that  city.      Being  blind   himself,  he   un- 
derstood the  peculiar  difficulties   under  which  his 
charges  labored,  and  had  overcome  them  as  to  be 
able  to  do    most    artistic   work   in    various   lines, 
specimens  being  now   preserved  among  his  rela- 
tives as  precious  souvenirs.      He  lived  to  the 
of  eighty  years.     Of  his  three  daughters--Mrs. 
William  Wood,  Mrs.  Carman  and   Mrs.  Roach- 
the  eldest   and   the   youngest  reside  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

Martin  1  \.  Carman  was  the  only  child  of  his 
parents.  His  youth  was  spent  in  his  native  city, 
his  education  being  obtained  there.  After  com- 
pleting his  studies  with  a  course  in  LaSalle  Busi- 
ness College,  he  settled  at  the  beautiful  little  cit) 
o!  Bellefonte,  the  ample  income  from  his  father's 
estate  enabling  him  to  make  his  home  wherever 
he  chose,  and  to  secure  the  books,  the  compan- 
ionships, the  artistic  surroundings  which  were 
most  congenial.  He  is  a  genial  host,  and  his 
residence  is  a  center  of  social  life.  On  January 
16,  1896,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mis- 
Grace  Lukinbach,  a  native  of  Indianapolis,  [nd., 
born  in  November,  1875,  who  was  reared  in 
Bellefonte  and  graduated  from  the  high  school 
there.  Mr.  Carman  takes  keen  interest  in  the 
various  questions  of  the  day,  and  in  political 
faith  is  a  Democrat. 


JOHN    M     WAGNER    was  for  many  years  a 
prominent    citizen    of    Centre  county,  and  .1 

leading  representative  of  its  business  interests 
His  thoroughly  American  spirit,  his  resolute  pur- 
pose and  unfaltering  industry,  enabled  him  to  1 
from  a  lowly  position  to  one  of  affluence.     He 
connected  with  the  nulling  interests  ot  the  count) 
and  his  name  was  a  synonym  for  honorable  busi- 
ness dealing.       The    record  of   such    a    man  fur- 
nishes its  lessons  of  incentive  and  inspiration, 
his  life  is  one  worthy  of  emulation. 

Mi     Wagner   was   born   in    Lebanon    county, 
Penn.,    August     Ji,    1823,    and    died    in    Cento 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


273 


county,  May  23,  1892.  His  parents  were  David 
and  Catherine  (Maulfair)  Wagner,  natives  of 
Lebanon  county,  where  they  spent  their  entire 
lives,  the  father  following  the  occupation  of 
farming.  Their  family  included  the  following 
named:  Mrs.  Mary  Siegler  (a  widow),  of  Goshen, 
Ind. ;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Jacob,  David  and 
John  M.,  who  have  passed  away;  Henry,  a  farmer 
of  Lebanon  county;  Sarah,  wife  of  Charles 
Fritz,  of  the  same  county;  Amanda,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  living  in  the  West;  Fannie,  wife  of  Ste- 
phen Bolts,  of  Annville,  Penn. ;  Gideon,  of  Leb- 
anon county;  Daniel,  of  Dauphin  county,  Penn.; 
and  Joseph,  of  Lebanon  county. 

John  M.  Wagner  spent  his  childhood  in  his 
parents'  home,  and  acquired  a  fair  education  in 
the  public  schools.  He  came  to  Centre  county 
in  1848,  locating  in  Bellefonte,  where  he  worked 
for  his  brother  for  several  years.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  later  rented 
the  mill  known  as  the  Wagner  &  Thomas  Mill  at 
Bellefonte.  He  afterward  became  proprietor  of 
the  Central  City  Rolling  Mill  at  Central  City, 
erecting  the  same  in  1875.  It  was  supplied  with 
all  the  latest  improved  machinery  and  most  im- 
proved processes  for  manufacturing  flour,  and 
was  successfully  operated  by  Mr.  Wagner  until 
his  death.  It  was  one  of  the  leading  industrial 
concerns  of  the  county,  and  the  capable  manage- 
ment, well-directed  effort,  honorable  dealing  and 
business  ability  of  the  owner  brought  to  him  a 
large  patronage."  He  was  thoroughly  reliable  at 
all  times,  and  his  extensive  business  yielded  him 
a  handsome  income. 

On  January  2,  1849,  Mr.  Wagner  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Susanna  Hahn,  who  was  born 
in  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  February  1,  1824, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Shrack)  Hahn, 
also  natives  of  Clinton  county,  where  they  spent 
their  entire  lives.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  and  also  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat.  His 
death  occurred  in  1847.  when  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years,  and  his  wife  died  in  1837, 
at  the  age  of  forty  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children  namely.  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  David  Stover,  of  Clinton  county;  Kath- 
erine,  widow  of  T.  Bailey,  of  Centre  county;  Mrs. 
Susanna  Wagner;  Sarah,  widow  of  Samuel  Get- 
tich,  of  Centre  county;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of 
John  Fenstermaker,  of  Lycoming  county,  Penn. ; 
John,  of  Ohio;  and  David,  of  Clinton  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  are  the  parents  of  ten 
children — three  sons  and  seven  daughters — as 
follows:  William,  proprietor  of  the  old  roller 
mill  in    Central   City;     Frank,    deceased;    Marv, 

18 


wife  of  Frank  Weaver,  of  State  College,  Penn. ; 
Sarah,  wife  of  John  Keichline,  of  Bellefonte; 
John  C,  a  general  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Jen- 
nie, wife  of  Peter  Keichline,  of  Bellefonte;  Allie, 
wife  of  James  Weaver,  of  Milesburg,  Centre 
county;  Annie,  deceased  wife  of  James  Williams, 
of  Bellefonte;  Carrie,  wife  of  Louis  Wallace,  of 
Milesburg;  and  Ella,  at  home. 

In  connection  with  his  milling  operations, 
Mr.  Wagner  carried  on  farming.  Improving  his 
opportunities,  he  worked  his  way  steadily  up- 
ward, and  became  the  possessor  of  a  handsome 
estate,  which  he  left  to  his  family.  In  1871  he 
erected  a  beautiful  brick  residence,  two  stories 
and  a  half  in  height,  and  surrounded  the  home 
with  many  excellent  improvements,  which  added 
both  to  its  value  and  attractive  appearance.  He 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  town  and  county,  and  gave  a  liberal  support 
to  measures  calculated  to  prove  of  public  bene- 
fit. His  death  was  deeply  regretted,  and  caused 
the  loss  to  Centre  county  of  one  of  its  valued 
citizens.  Mrs.  Wagner  and  her  daughter,  Miss 
Ella,  occupy  the  home  place,  extending  its  cor- 
dial hospitality  to  their  many  friends. 


JESSE  D.  REARICK  (deceased)  in  his  life- 
time was  a.  representative  agriculturist  of 
Centre  county,  his  farm  being  finely  located 
in  Union  township,  where  he  maintained  his 
place  among  the  progressive  and  intelligent  citi- 
zens around  him. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Rearick  was 
born  in  Union  county,  August  5,  1830,  a  son  of 
George  and  Mary  C.  (Sterne)  Rearick,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  county,  the  former  born  in 
July,  1796,  and  the  latter  on  October  13,  1805. 
In  1840  the  family  removed  to  Clinton  county, 
Penn. ,  but  two  years  later  came  to  Centre  coun- 
ty, where  the  mother  passed  away  February  7, 
1869,  and  the  father  on  April  15,  1876.  He  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but  also  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. His  political  support  was  given  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  both  himself  and  wife  were 
consistent  members  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  John 
and  Maria  Rearick,  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  on  coming  to  America  first  located  in  New 
Jersey,  but  later  removed  to  Union  county, 
Penn.,  where  the  grandfather  engaged  in  black- 
smithing  until  his  death;  there  his  wife  also  de- 
parted this  life.  The  maternal  grandparents, 
David  and  Catharine  Sterne,  both  died  in  Clinton 
county,  where  the  grandfather  had  followed  the 
tailor's  trade  for  many  years. 

Jesse  D.  Rearick  was    the  third    in  order  of 


274 


OOMMBMORA  T1VB  BIOGRAPirKM.  UEColU). 


birth  in  the  family  of  six  children,  tl  be- 

ing: William  B.,  born  September  20,  1824. 
died  in  September,  1891.  David,  born  January 
25,  1820.  died  in  October,  1867.  Mary,  born 
January  6,   [833,  wedded  John  Sheckler,  now  of 

gs  township,  Centre  county,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 9,  1874.  Rachel,  born  September  29,  [843, 
died  in  April,  1844.  Hannah,  born  November 
22,  1K44,  married  Daniel  l'>.  Malone.  of  Beach 
Creek,  Penn.,  and  died  March  9,  1895.  When 
our  subject  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age  light- 
ning struck  the  team  which  his  father  was  driving 
and  so  injured  him  that  he  was  unable  to  per- 
form any  manual  labor,  while  for  seven  years 
before  his  death  he  was  totally  disabled,  Jesse 
I),  therefore  remained  at  home,  taking  care  of  his 
parents  and  managing  the  home  farm  until  he 
was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  indebted 
to  the  common  schools  for  his  educational  privi- 
leges. 

On  January  30,  1858,  Mr.  Rearick  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Leah  Hassenplug,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  five  children:  George,  born  Oc- 
tober 24,  1858,  is  at  home;  Mary  C,  born  Feb- 
ruary 10.  1 861,  is  also  at  home;  Hannah  M . , 
born  January  1  1,  1863,  is  the  wife  of  Calvin  Lu- 
cas, a  fanner  of  Centre  county;  John  A.  C. ,  born 
|anuary  12,  1865,  is  also  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county,  and  Ella  B.,  born  August  2,  1867,  died 
December  26,    1  S 7  1 . 

Mrs.  Rearick  was  born  September  23,  [828, 
in  Union  county,  where  her  parents,  Henry  and 
Catherine  (Stem)  Hassenplug,  spent  their  entire 
lives.  The  father  was  a  saddler  by  trade,  but 
spent  his  later  life  in  farming.  He  died  in  [86l, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  and  her  mother 
passed  away  in  [83J,  at  the  age  of  thirty;  they 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  their 
family  were  the  following  children:  Amelia,  de- 
ceased wife  of  Reuben  Spotts;  Charles,  a  farmer 
of  Ohio;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years;  Susanna,  wife  of  Edward  Hendricks,  of 
Union  county,  Penn. ;  Israel,  a  miller  and  farmi  r 
of  the  same  county;  Leah,  wife  of  our  subject; 
and  Zacharius,  deceased.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife,  Mr.  Hassenplug  wedded  Miss  Mollie 
Frock,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Matilda, 
wife  of  John  Cline,  of  Mifflin  counts',  Penn.; 
I  lenry  I '.. .  a  farmer  of  Indiana;  Sarah  J. ,  deceased . 
Samuel  F.,  of  Tyrone,  Penn.;  and  Jane,  wit 
Isaac  Shirk,  a  tanner  of  Tyrone.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  Mrs.  Rearick,  John  and  Rebecca 
Hassenplug,  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  aftei 
coming  to  the  United  States  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  in  Union  county,  Pennsylvania, 

For  several  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Rearick  engaged  in  teaming,  and    then   rented   a 


farm  near  Milesburg,  in  Boggs  township,  Centre 
county  for  two  years.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  in  the  Union  service,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  200th  1'.  V.  I.,  which  was  organized 
at  Harrisburg,  September  1,  1864.  He  served 
under  Capt.  Franklin  K.  Hoffman,  First  Lieut. 
Thomas  C.  Crawford,  and  Second  Lieut.  Joseph 
Miles,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Steadman  and  Petersburg,  as  well  as  in  various 
skirmishes.  He  was  several  times  slightly 
wounded  during  the  nine  months  he  was  in  the 
service,  and  while  on  the  Warrenton  raid  in 
North  Carolina  was  wounded  in  the  head,  which 
caused  the  loss  of  his  left  eye.  He  was  then  hon- 
orably discharged  and  returned  home.  Subse- 
quently for  five  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  galvanized  iron  at  the  Milesburg  Iron 
Works,  and  then  purchased  his  late  farm,  a  valu- 
able tract  of  187  acres,  which  he  brought  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  well   improved. 

Mr.  Rearick  passed  from  earth  March  12, 
1897.  He  was  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  of  the 
Grand  Army  Post  No.  262,  of  Milesburg.  In 
his  home  he  was  ever  an  indulgent  father,  kind 
and  devoted  husband,  and  his  genuine  worth  and 
many  manly  virtues  were  and  still  are  widely 
recognized.  His  wife,  who  is  noted  for  her 
excellent  cooking,  proved  a  most  faithful  helpmeet 
to  him, and  with  him  shared  in  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  all  who  knew  them.  He  valiantly  went  forth 
in  the  defense  of  his  country  during  her  hour  of 
peril,  and  in  times  of  peace  manifested  the  same 
loyalty  that  characterized  his  army  career.  For 
the  injury  sustained  in  the  service  he  received  a 
I"  usion. 


Gl  I'kcl  1'.  RFARICK  (deceased),  who  in  his 
lifetime  was  one  of  the  systematic,  progress- 
ive  and  intelligent  fanners  of  Gregg  township, 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Centre  county,  and  was 
prominently  identified  with  its  agricultural  in- 
t>  tests.  He  was  born  in  Potter  township,  near 
Potters  Mills,  March  8,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of 
Philip  Rearick,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  whose 
father  was  bom  in  Germany 

Philip   Rearick  came  to   Centre  county,  and 
foi  some  years  was  employed  as  a  teamster   by 
Mr.   Potter,  at  Potters   Mills.      He    married   M 
Jane  Feath,  daughter  of  James   Feath,  a  nai 
of  Inland,  and  a  tailor  by  trade.      Mrs.   Rearick 
also  worked  at   the  tailor's  trade,  and  after  her 
marriage  made  the  clothing  for  her  family.      Mr 
Rearick    died    when  our  subject  was  only  eight 
years    ol    age,  and   was   buried   at   Centre    Hill. 
During  the   later  years   of   his    life  he   follov 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


275 


farming,  and  he  left  his  family  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  While  teaming  he  hauled  goods 
and  grain  to  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg  and  Pitts- 
burg, two  weeks  often  being  required  in  making 
the  trip.  In  the  family  were  five  children:  Mary, 
wife  of  David  Hoover,  who  resides  near  Belle- 
fonte;  George  P. ;  William  F.,  of  Gregg  township; 
0.  P.,  of  Webster  county,  Mo.;  and  Margaret, 
who  was  born  after  the  father's  death,  and  is  now 
the  widow  of  Jonathan  Royer,  of  Bellefonte.  For 
a  few  years  the  family  lived  in  Gregg  township, 
and  then  removed  to  The  Loop  in  Potter  township. 
For  some  years  the  mother  resided  with  our  sub- 
ject, but  died  at  the  home  of  her  youngest 
daughter,  at  the  age  of  sventy-seven  years,  and 
was  buried  at  Centre  Hill. 

George  P.  Rearick  began  his  education  in 
Colyer,  and  his  advantages  were  only  such  as 
the  common  schools  afforded.  He  was  the  eldest 
son  of  a  widowed  mother,  and  much  of  the  sup- 
port of  the  family  devolved  upon  him.  During 
his  early  boyhood  he  began  working  for  his  board 
and  clothing,  and  when  he  was  first  given  money 
for  his  services  he  received  only  $2  per  month. 
When  working  for  $3  per  month  he  gave  his 
earnings  to  help  his  mother  buy  a  cow.  Until 
he  had  attained  his  majority  his  wages  went  to- 
ward the  support  of  the  family,  and  most  of  the 
time  he  received  $10  per  month.  He  began 
farming  on  his  own  account  in  Gregg  township, 
in  what  was  known  as  the  George  Woods  farm, 
and  his  live  stock  consisted  of  a  few  head  of  cat- 
tle, about  fifteen  sheep  and  two  horses.  He  had 
gone  in  debt  for  these;  but  his  economy  and  in- 
dustry enabled  him  soon  to  pay  off  all  indebted- 
ness. In  this  humble  manner  he  got  his  start  in 
life.  After  a  year  he  rented  the  Peter  Wilson 
farm,  which  he  operated  nine  years,  and  in  1864 
purchased  a  farm  in  George's  Valley,  thus  be- 
coming owner  of  205  acres,  for  which  he  paid 
$10,000.  He  lived  there  until  the  spring  of 
1888,  and  during  that  time  made  many  excellent 
improvements,  erecting  good  buildings  and 
transforming  the  land  into  richly  cultivated 
fields.  In  the  spring  of  1888  he  removed  to  his 
late  home,  whereon  he  built  an  excellent  house 
and  barns. 

Mr.  Rearick  was  married  December  5,  1861, 
in  Potter  township,  to  Miss  Mary  Heney,  who 
was  born  April  24,  1841,  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Mary  A.  (Rishel)  Heney.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  Adam  Heney,  and  the  maternal 
grandfather  was  George  Rishel.  Mrs.  Rearick 
was  the  sixth  child  and  fourth  daughter  in  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children.  Her  educational  privileges 
were  limited  in  early  life,  but  she  made  the  most 
of   her   opportunities,    pursued    her    studies    in 


Aaronsburg,  and  when  about  eighteen  years  of 
age  entered  school  in  New  Berlin,  Penn.  Subse- 
quently she  engaged  in  teaching  for  one  term. 
Mrs.  Rearick  has  had  seven  children:  William 
O.  born  September  27,  1862,  is  engaged  in  deal- 
ing in  agricultural  implements  in  Centre  Hall, 
Centre  county;  Ida  V.,  born  December  12,  1863, 
is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Y.  Moyer,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  Ora  Jane,  born  October  4,  1865,  died 
March  12,  1889,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  she 
had  been  attending  school,  after  a  few  days'  ill- 
ness from  fever  and  heart  trouble,  and  was  buried 
in  Centre  county;  David  H.,  born  October  14, 
1867,  is  living  in  Farmers  Mills,  Penn.;  Mollie, 
born  December  11,  1869,  died  at  the  home  of 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Isaac  Moyer,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
June  20,  1895,  after  a  brief  illness  from  cerebro- 
spinal menengitis,  and  was  buried  in  Centre  Hill 
cemetery  (a  tribute  of  respect,  and  condolence 
for  her  untimely  removal  from  the  field  of  her 
labors  was  passed  by  local  members  of  the  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  of  the  Sinking  Creek 
Presbyterian  Church);  Calvin  A.,  born  Decem- 
ber 10,  1871,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years; 
Maggie  R. ,  born  January  21,  1874,  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years;  John  E.,  born  Aug- 
ust 21,  1876,  Jesse  P.,  born  October  14, 
1878,  George  Leroy,  born  March  16,  1881,  and 
Savilla  B.,  born  April  24,  1884,  are  at  home. 
Mrs.  Rearick  is  a  member  of  the  Sinking  Creek 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  is  highly  esteemed  in 
the  community. 

Mr.  Rearick  died  at  his  residence  on  the  farm 
February  19,  1897,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years, 
eleven  months  and  eleven  days.  His  illness  was 
of  about  four  months'  duration,  and  the  cause  of 
his  death  was  an  ulceration  or  catarrh  of  the 
stomach,  and  he  suffered  much,  but  bore  it  all 
bravely.  He  was  able  to  be  about,  and  it  was 
only  about  ten  or  twelve  days  before  his  death 
that  he  was  compelled  to  take  to  his  bed.  Con- 
sciousness did  not  desert  him  until  near  the  end, 
and  his  death  was  calm  and  peaceful.  He  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Centre  Hill.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  having 
united  with  that  body  some  forty  years  ago. 
For  about  fifteen  years  he  was  an  elder  in  the 
Church,  and  always  contributed  liberally  to  its 
maintenance.  Resolutions  of  respect  and  con- 
dolence were  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Session 
of  the  Sinking  Creek  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  was  senior  member. 

In  politics  Mr.  Rearick  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, but  steadily  refused  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office,  though  frequently  urged  to  do  so.  He 
was  a  warm  friend  of  education  and  all  interests 
which  tend  to   uplift   mankind   and  advance  the 


276 


<().\lME.\tmiA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


welfare  of  the  community.  His  success  in  farm- 
ing was  the  result  of  his  own  well-directed  ef- 
forts, and   he   may  truly   be  called   a  self-made 

num. 


DANIEL  BRUNGART  (deceased)  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of 
Brush  Valley,  their  settlement  dating  back  a  full 
century.  The  family  originated  in  Germany, 
where  our  subject's  great-grandfather  was  born. 
Martin  Brungart,  the  grandfather  <>f  our  subject, 
was  the  tirst  to  settle  m  <  entre  county,  Penn., 
having  left  his  former  home  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Hanover,  York  count}-,  Penn.,  in  1798  to  locate  in 
the  east  end  of  Brush  Valley,  where  he  died,  his 
remains  being  la*id  to  rest  in  the  old  graveyard  at 
Rebersburg.  He  had  a  large  family  of  children\ 
namely:  Martin,  Jacob,  Johan  George,  John  ' 
and  several  daughters,  two  of  whom  remained  in 
York  county. 

Johan  George  Brungart  (commonly  known  as 
George),  our  subject's  father,  was  born  July  20, 
178X.  in  Manheim,  York  county,  and  was  but  a 
lad  when  Ins  parents  removed  to  Centre  county. 
He  was  married  April  9,  1S11,  to  Salome  Kahl, 
who  was  born  January  14,  17X7,  at  Heidelberg, 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Catherine  Kahl.  Seven  children  were  born  of 
this  union,  the  names  with  dates  of  birth  being 
as  follows:  Catharine,  January  20,  1812,  mar- 
ried [acob  Erhard,  and  died  in  Miles  township. 
Centre  county;  [acob,  [anuary  9,  1814,  died  in 
Rebersburg;  Johannes,  March  9,  [817,  died  in 
January,  [£25;  Susan,  March  10.  i  X  1  o,  married 
Jeremiah  Haines,  and  is  deceased;  George,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  [821,  lives  at  Rebersburg;  Daniel,  [uly 
4,  1823,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Sai 
April  22,  1825,  married  Samuel  Frank;  and  Mar- 
garet. March  15,  [827,  married  John  Hosterman, 
and  died  in  Miles  township. 

George  Brungart  was  a  farmer,  also  an  ex- 
tensive laud  owner,  and  was  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  his  time.  In  1S20  he  built  on  his 
farm  a  tannery,  which  was  superintended  by  Ja- 
cob Steffy,  also  from  York  county,  and  the 
leather  he  took  to  Philadelphia  by  team,  bring- 
ing back  goods  for  the  merchants,  the  trip  occu- 
pying three  weeks.  He  never  learned  the  trade, 
but  was  a  most  skilled  mechanic,  and  spenl  most 
of  his  time  in  a  shop  on  his  farm,  where  he  n 

Is  and  instruments  of  various  kinds.    He  n 
a  plow   which    was   an    improvement    over    the 
clumsy  ones  then  in  use,  and  which  became  well 
known.       It    was    the    one    alluded    to    in    the  old 
saj  ing  1  in   Hi  u-li  Valley,  that  "  no  man 

was  much  unless  lie  owned  a  long-barrelled  shot- 


gun, a  red  wamus,  and  a  Brungart  plow."  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  held  an  influen- 
tial place.  Tall  and  slender  in  person,  he  pos- 
sessed much  vitality,  and  lived  to  see  his  ninetieth 
year,  dying  December  21,  1X77.  His  wife  died 
some  years  previously,  being  over  seventy  years 
of  age,  and  both  were  buried  at  Rebi  rsburg. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  but  meager 
educational  privileges,  and  attended  the  old-time 
subscription  schools  for  a  few  weeks  in  winter 
each  year.  Reared  as  a  farmer  boy,  he  always 
followed  that  occupation,  and,  after  working  for 
his  father  several  years  in  early  manhood,  he 
bought  the  old  farm  in  Miles  township.  Centre 
county.  In  May,  1846,  he  was  married  in  Miles 
township,  to  Miss  Ph<ebe  A.  Royer,  who  was 
born  in  that  township,  February  19,  1X25,  the 
daughter  of  Col.  Henry  and  Polly  (Gross)  Royer. 
Col.  Henry  Royer  came  from  Berks  county,  and 
at  one  time  owned  much  of  the  land  around  Re- 
bersburg, as  well  as  a  large  tract  of  mountain 
land.  In  1877,  Mr.  Brungart  removed  to  Re 
bersburg,  where  he  built  the  present  substantial 
brick  residence.  He  had  two  children:  Elmira 
E.,  born  February  6,  1847,  died  February  15, 
[850;  and  Jasper  R.,  born  June  17,  1851,  of 
whom  special  mention  will  presently  be  made. 
Daniel  Brungart  died  April  8,  1897,  and  is  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Rebersburg. 

Politically,  Mr.  Brungart  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  held  several  minor  offices  in  his  township, 
but  was  never  a  politician.  He  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  as  is  his  widow, 
and  he  was  at  one  time  an  elder  therein.  He 
owns  an  excellent  farm  containing  over  165  act- 
am!  two  valuable  lots  in  Rebersburg.  While  he 
r  posed  as  a  philanthropist,  he  contributed 
to  almost  every  worthy  movement  seeking  aid, 
and  lie  and  his  estimable  wife  were  noted  for 
their  kindness  of  heart. 

[asper  R    Brungart,  the  only  living  child  oi 

Mibject,  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  the  township,  after  which  he  followed  teach- 
ing some  live  years.  In  1879  he  entered  mer- 
cantile business  in  Rebersburg,  busing  out  J. 
Spiglemyer,  and  continued  same  for  five  years, 
at  the  end  o|  which  time  he  commenced  farm- 
ing, which  vocation  he  followed  up  to  1X90,  when 
he  built  his  pleasant  home  at  Rebersburg,  wbi 
he  has  smce  lived  retired.  In  December,  1X04. 
be  graduated  from  the  Chautauqua  Universit)  at 
Syrai  use,  N  Y  .  and  is  at  present  taking  a  read- 
ing course  from  that  institution. 

On  October  3,   [876,  Jasper  R.  Brungarl 
married    in    Union    county.    Penn.,    to    Mary    I 
Long,  who  was  born  June   28,    1850,    a  daughter 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


277 


of  Ephraim  and  Margaret  (Slear)  Long,  highly 
respectable  farming  people.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  born  April  8, 
1 8 14.  and  died  January  13,  1856,  a  son  of  Lud- 
wig  and  Hannah  Long,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
Ephraim  Long  was  twice  married,  first  time  to 
Sarah  Snook,  by  whom  he  had  two  children — 
Esther  and  Isaac — who  lived  to  maturity.  For 
his  second  wife,  Ephraim  was  married,  May  12, 
1848,  to  Margaret  Slear,  and  three  children  were 
born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
Mary  E.  (Mrs.  Brungart).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eph- 
raim Long  are  both  deceased,  he  having  passed 
away  January  13,  1856,  and  she  on  July  27, 
1863. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jasper  R.  Brungart  are  active 
members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  filled  various  township 
and  school  offices. 


PHILIP  W.  BARNHART  (deceased),  late 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  an  honored  resi- 
dent of  Boggs  township,  Centre  county.  Prom- 
inent among  the  pioneers  of  Centre  county  who 
have  witnessed  most  of  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  this  section  of  the  State,  and  who,  by 
honest  toil  and  industry,  have  succeeded  in  ac- 
quiring a  competency,  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch.  He  was  born  just 
one  mile  from  his  late  home,  April  13,  18 13,  a 
son  of  Judge  Henry  and  Isabella  (Holt)  Barn- 
hart,  who  were  also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
married  in  Centre  county.  For  many  years  the 
Barnhart  family  have  made  their  home  in  the 
county,  and  five  generations  now  lie  buried  in 
the  Eagle  Cemetery,  Boggs  township. 

Judge  Henry  Barnhart  was  quite  prominent 
and  influential  in  public  affairs;  in  1832  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Cen- 
tre county,  serving  two  terms,  and  was  also  as- 
sociate judge  for  ten  years.  He  was  a  stanch 
supporter  of  Democratic  principles,  and  during 
the  war  of  1812  was  commissioned  a  colonel  in 
the  militia.  He  was  an  extensive  lumber  mer- 
chant, and  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the 
county,  as  well  as  one  of  its  representative  and 
most  public-spirited  citizens.  Although  not  a 
member  of  any  religious  organization,  he  regu- 
larly attended  the  services  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life 
was  upright  and  honorable.  He  died  in  1874, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His  parents, 
Philip  and  Elizabeth  (Antis)  Barnhart,  were  na- 
tives of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Mrs.  Barnhart,  the  mother  of  our  subject, 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 


copal Church,  and  died  in  that  faith  in  1877,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Col.  John  and  Sarah  (Milligan)  Holt,  who 
were  born  in  England,  but  came  to  Pennsylvania 
at  an  early  day,  locating  first  in  Cumberland 
county  (now  a  part  of  Dauphin  county).  In 
1779  they  removed  to  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Centre 
county,  locating  on  a  farm,  where  Mrs.  Barnhart 
was  born  July  4,  1790,  and  there  her  death  also 
occurred.  She  was  descended  from  Thomas 
Holt,  a  brother  of  Lord  Chancellor  Holt,  who 
became  a  resident  of  Carlisle,  Penn.,  at  an  early 
period  in  its  history.  The  records  of  the  Holt 
family  were  destroyed  by  the  burning  of  the 
court  house  of  Cumberland  county. 

On  May  17,  1809,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  the  parents  of  our  subject,  and  to  them 
were  born  twelve  children,  five  of  whom  died  in 
infancy;  the  others  are  as  follows:  Julia  is  the 
deceased  wife  of  John  Curtin,  a  resident  of 
Bellefonte,  Penn. ;  Philip  W.  is  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Sarah  married  Thomas  R.  Sellers, 
but  both  are  now  deceased;  Henry,  who  married 
Mary  Joslin,  deceased;  Nancy  married  D.  Kim- 
port,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  Irvin  Davis,  of  Hollidaysburg,  Penn. ; 
and  Katherine  is  the  wife  of  James  M.  Kimport, 
of  West  Virginia. 

In  the  common  schools  of  Centre  county 
Philip  W.  Barnhart  acquired  a  fair  education, 
and  for  two  terms  engaged  in  teaching,  receiving 
a  salary  of  $18  per  month,  and  boarding  himself. 
He  began  his  business  career  as  a  farmer  and 
lumberman,  following  the  former  occupation 
during  the  summer  months,  and  working  in  the 
lumber  woods  during  the  winter  season.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  marriage,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  when  he  located  upon  a  rented 
farm,  which  he  operated  for  four  years.  He 
then  purchased  a  small  portion  of  his  late  farm, 
the  boundaries  of  which  he  extended  from  time 
to  time,  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  a 
valuable  place  of  230  acres. 

On  September  17,  1840,  Mr.  Barnhart  wed- 
ded Miss  Rebecca  Leathers,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  ten  children — four  sons  and  six 
daughters — namely:  Mary  I.  is  the  deceased 
wife  of  Samuel  H.  Orris,  a  decorator,  of  Miles- 
burg,  Centre  county;  Lucy  is  at  home;  Warren 
is  deceased;  Joseph  is  a  resident  of  Renovo, 
Clinton  county,  Penn.;  Amanda  is  at  home; 
Julia  is  the  deceased  wife  of  H.  H.  Harshburger, 
of  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  Laura  is  the  wife  of  J.  C. 
Weaver,  a  merchant  of  Bellefonte;  Harry  lives 
in  Punxsutawney,  Penn. ;  Alice  is  the  wife  of  H. 
G.  Herd,  of  Farnsville,  Penn. ;  and  James  K.  is 
bookkeeper  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Belle- 


278 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRM'HI'AL  RECOlil). 


MARTIN  LUTHER  RISHEL.  About  the 
year  1800  there  came  to  Centre  county,  as 
a  pioneer  settler,  Henry  Rishel,  a  young  man  of 
German  descent  and  probably  of  German  birth. 
He  settled  in  Green  Grove,  near  the  present  site 
of  Penn  Hall,  Gregg  township  (then  Haines 
township),  purchasing  130  acres  of  land  where  he 
and  his  wife  Maria  Hull,  made  their  home  until 
about  1S24,  when  they  moved  to  a  farm  of  100 
acres  in  the  same  township,  near  Farmers  Mills. 
Henry  Rishel  was  fairly  educated,  and  was  suc- 
cessful as  an  agriculturist  and  prominent  as  a 
citizen.  He  died  July  25,  1847,  of  apoplexy,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  the  Union  cemetery 
near  Farmers  Mills. 

His  son,  Col.  John  Rishel,  the  father  of  the 
gentleman  whose  name  opens  this  sketch,  was 
born  near  Penn  Hall,  December  26,  1808,  and 
attended  the  schools  of  that  pin  e  until  the  age 
of  sixteen,  when  the  family  removed  t"  the 
present  Immestead  near  Farmers  Mills.  His 
education  was  good  for  the  time,  and  his  excel- 
lent judgment  and  practical  knowledge  of  affairs 
gave  him  much  influence  in  trie  community.  His 
title  was  gained  by  long  service  as  colonel  of  a 
Regiment  in  the  Pennsylvania  National  Guard. 
He  was  a  heavy-set  man,  weighing  about  200 
pounds,  and  had  a  full  round  face.  Like  his  fa- 
ther, he  followed  farming  as  an  occupation. 
Occupying  the  homestead  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  8,  1878.  He  never  ac- 
cumulated a  fortune,  but  he  added  sixty-one 
acres  to  the  original  one  hundred,  and  built  an 
elegant  residence  which  is  still  used  by  his  heirs. 
His  liberality  and  public  spirit  were  showy  in 
many  ways,  andfoi  years  he  w  as  a  leading  worker 
in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  al  Farmers 
Mills,  holding  all  the  various  offices  at  different 


fonte.  The  family  holds  a  high  position  in 
social  and  intellectual  circles,  and  is  one  of  prom- 
inence in  the  community  where  they  are  so 
widely  known. 

'Squire  Barnhart  departed  this  lift-  November 
4,  1896.  For  the  long  period  of  forty  years  he 
most  acceptably  served  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  in  1895  was  again  elected  by  every  vote  1 
in  Boggs  township,  but  declined  to  further  accept 
the  office.  For  three  years  he  also  served  as 
county  commissioner.  Politically,  he  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party,  in  religious  be- 
lief was  a  Methodist,  and  socially  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange  of  Pennsylvania.  In  manner 
he  was  pleasant  and  genial,  in  disposition  kindly, 
and  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  universally 
held  was  well  deserved. 


tunes.  In  1872  he  was  sent  by  the  Central  Penn- 
sylvania Conference  as  a  delegate  to  the  Luth- 
eran Synod  at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  When  the 
building  of  St.  John's  Church  near  his  home  was 
proposed,  he  gave  the  movement  his  hearty  sup- 
port, donating  all  the  ground  necessary,  and 
many  other  Churches  were  assisted  by  him.  In 
local  politics  his  influence  was  marked,  and 
throughout  his  career  he  was  one  of  the  chief 
supporters  of  the  Democratic  party  in  his  sec- 
tion, holding  numerous  offices.  He  served  as 
county  commissioner  for  two  terms,  from  184910 
1855,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Gregg  town- 
ship from  1845  to  1863,  and  again  from  1867  to 
1S78 — a  total  of  thirty-one  years  and  one  month, 
his  death  interrupting  his  service.  At  the  time 
of  his  decease  he  also  held  the  office  of  jury  com- 
missioner. 

On  November  22,  1832,  he  married  Miss 
Rachel  Reynolds,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: Henry,  born  August  9,  1833,  died  April 
9,  1835,  and  twins,  born  February  28,  1836, 
of  whom,  the  elder,  a  son,  never  breathed,  and 
the  younger,  Sarah  Ann,  died  February  22,  1894. 
The  mother  passed  away  March  14,  1841,  and 
on  January  10,  1842,  Col.  Rishel  married  Miss 
Catherine  Homan,  who  died  February  18,  1807. 
of  pneumonia,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  nine 
months  and  nineteen  days,  while  living  with  her 
son,  our  subject,  at  the  old  homestead.  There 
were  four  children  by  this  union:  Mary  Eliz- 
abeth, born  November  13,  1842,  died  November 
12,  1 881;  Samuel,  born  April  18,  [846,  died 
April  25,  1850;  Martin,  who  is  mentioned  more 
fully  below;  and  Kosetta,  born  November  27. 
1853,  who  married  E.  F.  Smith,  a  professor  of 
music  at  Dakota,   Illinois. 

Martin  Luther  Rishel  was  born  at  the  old 
homestead  January  3,  1850,  and  was  reared  to 
farm  life,  his  education  being  limited  to  an  attend- 
ance at  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood  for  about 
two  months  and  a  half  each  year.  He  began 
his  schooling  at  the  age  of  four,  with  W  1 
Plotner  as  his  first  teacher,  and  did  not  discon- 
tinue entirely  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  conducted 
the  farm  two  years  in  partnership  with  his  lather, 
receiving  one-fourth  of  the  value  of  the  prodi 
sold,  and  furnishing  nothing.  Later  he  rented 
the  place  on  shares,  and  he  afterward  managed 
it  on  the  same  plan  by  an  arrangement  with  the 
other  heirs.  [Since  this  was  written,  the  afore- 
said homestead  has  been  sold  through  proceed- 
ings of  court,  and  about  1 1  2  acres  of  the  original 
homestead  are  now  owned  and  occupied  bj  M. 
L.  Rishel  and  family.  | 

On    January    12,    1 87 1,   Mr.   Rishel   was   mar- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


279 


ried  to  Catherine  Houtz,  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Catherine  A.  Houtz,  and  this  union  has  been 
blessed  with  five  children:  John  E.,  Carrie  E. , 
William  F.,  Elizabeth  J.,  and  Rosa  I.,  who  are 
all  at  home.  His  family  also  includes  his  wife's 
mother,  who  is  quite  infirm,  and  was  eighty-four 
years  of  age  December  17,  1897.  Edward 
Houtz  died  April  7,  1884,  at- the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years  and  one  month. 

Since  his  father's  death  Mr.  Rishel  has  taken 
his  place  in  local  affairs,  assisting  with  the  same 
liberal  spirit  in  all  progressive  movements.  He 
is  active  in  the  support  of  the  same  Church,  and 
during  his  twenty-five  years  of  membership  has 
held  all  the  various  offices  therein,  including 
those  of  deacon  and  elder.  He  differs  from  his 
father  only  in  outward  appearance,  being  six 
feet,  one  inch  in  height,  and  very  slender.  As 
a  worker  in  the  Democratic  party,  he  has  cer- 
tainly fallen  heir  to  his  father's  influence,  and  he 
has  filled  numerous  township  offices  with  char- 
acteristic ability  and  faithfulness.  As  school  di- 
rector he  has  sought  to  improve  the  usefulness  of 
the  local  schools.  In  the  spring  of  1879  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  to  succeed  his  father, 
and  has  served  ever  since,  even  occupying  the 
same  room  formerly  used  by  his  father  as  a  court 
room,  making  forty-eight  years  that  the  duties  of 
that  office  have  been  discharged  by  one  family  in 
one  room.  Mr.  Rishel  is  fond  of  reading,  keep- 
ing well-informd  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  and 
his  sterling  qualities  of  character  have  won  the 
respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


DAVID  FORCEY,  the  well-known  and  popu- 
lar proprietor  of  a  leading  drug  store  at 
Philipsburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  is  a  man  whose 
sound  judgment  and  ready  tact  have  won  him 
success  in  many  lines  of  business,  and  who  holds 
a  high  and  enviable  position  among  the  progress- 
ive citizens  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Forceyis  a  native  of  this  section,  having 
been  born  in  Clearfield  county,  November  20, 
1837,  one  of  the  family  of  seventeen  children 
born  to  Mathew  and  Margret  (Murry)  Forcey. 
His  youth  was  spent  mainly  at  his  birthplace 
and  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.  On  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at 
Green  Tree,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.  While 
there  he  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Myton,  a  native  of  Huntingdon  county,  Perm., 
and  in  1862  they  moved  from  Green  Tree  to 
Clearfield  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile and  lumbering  pursuits  for  about  eighteen 
years.  Mr.  Forcey  is  the  father  of  two  sons: 
Mathew  J.  and  William  W. 


The  Forcey  family  is  of  German  and  Irish 
lineage,  and  has  been  represented  in  this  section 
since  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Thomas  Forcey,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
having  about  the  year  1790  come  from  Delaware 
to  settle  upon  a  farm  in  Clearfield  county.  He 
lived  to  the  patriarchal  age  of  ninety-nine  years, 
and  consequently  the  greater  part  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  Clearfield  county.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Arnola,  and  had  five  children:  Jane,  Cath- 
erine, Tamar,  Nancy  and  Mathew. 


JAMES  IRWIN  KUNES,  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  S.  H.  &  J.  I.  Kunes,  is  one  of  the  leading 
and  enterprising  business  men  of  Eagleville, 
Centre  county,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  general  merchandising  and  in  the  lumber  trade. 
His  success  has  come  to  him  not  as  a  result  of 
propitious  circumstances,  but  as  a  reward  for  far- 
sighted  dealing,  executive  ability  and  discrimina- 
tion. With  a  laudable  ambition  he  has  grasped 
eagerly  every  opportunity  for  raising  himself  to 
the  level  of  the  high  standard  he  has  set  up,  and 
his  resolute  purpose  and  commendable  diligence 
have  secured  for  him  the  goal  of  his  hopes. 

Mr.  Kunes  was  born  June  17,  1839,  in  the 
village  which  is  still  his  home,  and  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Mary  (Bechdel)  Kunes,  the  former  a 
native  of  Eagleville  and  the  latter  of  Liberty 
township,  Centre  county.  During  his  early  life 
the  father  engaged  in  farming,  later  conducting 
a  hotel  in  Eagleville  for  many  years,  but  spent 
his  last  days  in  retirement  there,  where  his  death 
occurred.  His  wife  died  near  Beach  Creek, 
Centre  county,  in  1847,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six 
years.  Both  were  earnest  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church;  in  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later 
a  Republican. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  the 
following  children:  David,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Samuel  H. ;  Joseph  B.,  who  died  in  1894;  Ma- 
hala,  deceased  wife  of  William  Clark,  a  farmer 
of  Marsh  Creek,  Penn.;  James  Irwin;  Daniel  B., 
a  brief  sketch  of  whom  follows;  Fannie  P.,  wife 
of  Mills  Linn,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  county,  Penn. 
After  the  mother's  death  the  father  wedded 
Elizabeth  Potts,  of  Millheim,  Centre  county,  who 
is  still  residing  in  Eagleville. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject, 
Daniel  and  Hannah  (Roerbanck)  Kunes,  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  among  the  founders 
of  Eagleville,  while  the  great-grandfather,  who 
also  bore  the  name  of  Daniel  and  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  made  his  home  in  Centre  county, 
and  died  at  Eagleville.      David  and  Susan  (Hell- 


280 


00  VMBMORA  I IVE  BIOGi;.\rill<  M.   BBGOBD. 


man)  Beckdell,  the  maternal  grandparents,  made 
their  home  on  Marsh  creek,  Centre  county,  where 
the  grandfather  engaged  in  farming  and  the  dis- 
til 1 1-  r \  business. 

At  the  age  ol  sixteen,  James  I.  Kunes  began 
life  for  himself  b)  working  on  the  farm  of  his 
brother,    Samuel    IL,    with    whom    he   remained 

s ■  four  years,  and   for  the  following  six  years 

engaged  in  boating  on  the  canal.  Subsequently 
lit*  conducted  the  "  Kunes  Hotel"  for  three  years, 
and  then  purchased  a  farm,  which  he  operated 
at  intervals  some  five  years.  In  1873,  m  part- 
nership with  his  brother.  Daniel  B.,  he  engaged 
in  merchandising  in  Eagleville  for  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  sole  owner, 
but  since  1 894  he  and  his  brother,  Samuel  H., 
have  conducted  a  general  store  at  that  place, 
and  have  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
business.  In  connection  with  his  mercantile 
pursuits,  our  subject  is  also  interested  in  lumber- 
ing and  farming,  in  which  he  has  met  with  a 
well-deserved  succes-. 

On  October  14,  1867,  in  Eagleville,  Mr. 
Kunes  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Graham, 
and  to  them  was  born  one  daughter,  who  died 
when  only  nineteen  days  old  Kight  vears  ago 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  I.  Kunes  adopted  a  bright 
two-year-old  boy,  Charles  Graham,  a  nephew. 
He  is  a  smart  little  lad,  learning  very  fast,  and  a 
source  of  much  gladness  and  pleasure  to  his 
adopted  parents.  Their  residence,  which  is  the 
finest  in  Eagleville,  is  a  two-story-and-a-half 
brick  building,  and  their  hospitality  reigns  su- 
preme; there  their  many  friends  are  always  sure 
to  find  a  hearty  welcome.  As  will  have  been 
seen,  the  family  has  long  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  business  interests  of  Eagleville  and 
vicinity,  and  the  name  of  Kunes  deserves  an 
honored  place  in  a  work  of  this  character.  Our 
subject  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party; 
is  a  public-spirited,  progressive  man,  giving  his 
influence  and  support  to  all  worthy  enterprises 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community;  and  is  a  faith- 
ful and  consistent  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

Daniel  B.  Kunes,  brother  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Liberty  township,  Centre  county,  Feb- 
ruary 1  1,  1841,  and  on  the  28th  of  March,  1869, 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  I).  Mapes,  by  whom 
h<'  has  three  children:  Lloyd  B.,  bookkeeper  for 
the  Berwick  Stove  Company  (limited),  "1  Ber- 
wick, Penn. ;  Josephine  at  home;  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy.  For  the  past  sixteen  years  Mr 
Kunes  has  acceptably  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Eagleville,  and  he  is  one  of  its  most 
highly  respected  and  valued  citizens. 


EJ.  DESHLER,  M.  D.  (deceased).  OnSep- 
tember  2j.  [890,  there  passed  away  at  his 
home  in  Aaronsburg,  a  well-beloved  physician, 
whose  many  years  of  faithful  toil  m  his  professi.  .11 
made  his  name  a  household  word  in  that  commu- 
nity. Nor  had  his  influence  and  his  efforts  been 
confined  to  professional  lines  only,  for  in  all  the 
varied  activities  of  our  common  life  he  had  taken 
a  helpful  part  as  a  loyal  citizen,  devoting  his 
abilities  to  the  cause  of  progress. 

Dr.  DesliKr  was  born  at  Weaversville,  North- 
ampton county.  Penn.,  April  7,  1826,  the  son  of 
Jacob  Deshler,  and  the  grandson  of  Peter  Desh- 
ler. Jacob  Deshler  was  a  native  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania,  as  was  his  father  before  him,  and 
several  years  of  his  early  life  were  spent  in  Phil- 
adelphia. His  educational  advantages  were  bet- 
ter than  those  of  the  average  youth  of  his  time, 
and  he  became  prominent  as  a  civil  engineer. 
For  years  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  which  in  that  day  was  filled  by  appoint- 
ment and  carried  much  honor  with  it.  In  his 
later  years  he  moved  from  Northampton  county, 
where  he  had  an  elegant  home,  and  settled  upon 
a  fine  farm  near  Milton,  Penn.,  to  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Of  his  four  children,  our 
subject  was  the  youngest;  Mary  M.  married  Dr. 
Edward  Martin,  and  died  at  Weaversville, 
Northampton  county;  Joseph  died  in  Northum- 
berland county,  Penn. ;  Elizabeth  married  George 
Stahl,  and  died  in  Northumberland  county.  Ja- 
cob Deshler  and  his  wife  were  members  of  and 
active  workers  in  the  Reformed  Church. 

Dr.  Deshler's  early  education  was  obtained  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  he  was  a 
young  man  at  the  time  of  the  removal  to  Milton. 
He  attended  Marshall  College  before  its  consol- 
idation with  Franklin  College,  at  Lancaster. 
Penn.,  and  at  one  time  thought  of  studying  for 
the  ministry,  but  concluded  to  enter  the  medi- 
cal profession.  His  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Martin, 
was  his  first  preceptor,  and  he  also  studied  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  Charles  Dougal,  of  Milton,  before 
beginning  his  course  in  the  Pennsylvania  Medical 
College  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  graduated  in 
1 8  5  3  lor  a  few  months  he  located  at  Buffalo 
Cross  Roads.  Penn.,  and  then  moved  to  Turbut- 
ville,  Penn.,  where  he  continued  to  practice  until 
1858,  when  he  settled  permanently  in  Aarons- 
burg. 

As  a  practitioner  he  was  very  successful,  keep- 
ing well  abreast  of  the  advance  of  modern  science 
by  his  extensive  reading.  Unassuming  in  man- 
ner, he  never  indulged  in  self-praise,  but  his  in- 
nate worth  and  thorough  intellectual  training 
were  readily  recognized  among  the  best  people 
He  possessed  a  knowledge  of  surveying,  and  at 


Ic^u^c  «77<^W^r 


QOMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


281 


one  time  was  elected  without  any  effort  on  his 
part  to  the  office  of  county  surveyor.  For  five 
years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  having 
been  chosen  to  that  position  without  his  solicita- 
tion. He  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  an  active 
member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was"  trustee  about  twenty  years,  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  had  foryearsbeen 
a  leading  member.  He  joined  the  Church  when 
a  young  man,  and  was  among  its  foremost  work- 
ers, donating  toward  it  liberally  both  of  time  and 
money.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  Sabbath-school 
up  to  within  some  fourteen  years  prior  to  his 
death,  when  owing  to  impaired  health  he  was 
obliged  to  give  way  to  younger  people,  although 
he  never  missed  attending  divine  service,  even  to 
the  last  Sabbath  before  his  death,  he  dying  sud- 
denly of  heart  disease. 

On  September  22,  1853,  the  Doctorwasmar- 
ried  at  Tusseyville,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Maria 
Jordan,  a  native  of  Spring  Mills,  Penn.,  born 
March  4,  1829.  Four  children  blessed  this  union: 
Elizabeth  died  in  infancy;  J.  Jordan  is  a  physi- 
cian at  Glidden,  Iowa;  M.  Emma,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  was  a  highly  accomplished 
young  lady  and  a  graduate  of  Bethlehem  Mora- 
vian Female  Seminary;  and  Ellanora  died  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years. 

Mrs.  Deshler  still  occupies  the  comfortable 
home  which  her  lamented  husband  left  her,  and 
her  fine  social  gifts  and  well-stored  mind  make 
her  a  favorite  in  the  most  cultured  circles  of 
Aaronsburg  society.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  as  were  also  her  parents  and 
grandparents.  Her  parents,  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Bair)  Jordan,  were  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  Centre  county,  and  she  was  the  eldest  of 
a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  five — two  sons 
and  three  daughters — lived  to  adult  age.  She 
attended  the  country  schools  of  her  time  in  her 
girlhood,  and  later  pursued  her  studies  in  the 
seminary  at  Jacksonville,  Penn.,  while  a  con- 
tinued course  of  reading,  guided  by  a  fine  liter- 
ary taste,  has  given  her  an  unusually  wide  range 
of  information  upon  current  topics,  making  her  a 
most  interesting  conversationalist.  She  has 
spent  much  of  her  time  in  travel,  and  has  visited 
various  cities  in  both  the  East  and  the  West. 


R 


A.  BUMILLER,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
_  the  Millheim  Journal,  is  a  well-known 
journalist  of  Centre  county,  and  one  of  Millheim's 
foremost  citizens.  He  was  born  January  1,  1855, 
in  Munich,  Bavaria,  the  only  child  of  Francis  and 
Creszentia  (Von  Kepple)  Bumiller.  The  father 
was  a  well-educated  man,  of  scholarly  tastes,  who 


served  as  district  surveyor  in  Munich,  and  also 
occupied  the  position  of  instructor  in  surveying 
in  the  government  schools  of  that  city,  where  his 
death  occurred.  The  mother,  who  belonged  to 
a  noble  family  of  Germany,  is  still  living  in 
Munich. 

Our  subject  was  provided  with  excellent  edu- 
cational privileges,  being  educated  in  one  of  the 
gymnasiums  for  which  Munich  is  justly  famed, 
and  continuing  his  studies  in  that  institution 
until  he  had  attained  his  eighteenth  year.  In 
the  summer  of  1873  he  left  his  native  land  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  United  States,  sailing  from 
Bremen  on  the  1  ith  of  July,  and  arriving  in  New 
York  City  two  weeks  later.  His  destination  was 
Millheim,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  where  his  uncle, 
Adolph  Miller  (Bumiller),  was  living,  and  here  he 
entered  the  printing  office  of  George  W.  Foote, 
editor  of  the  Centre  Berichter,  which  paper  was 
established  at  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  in 
1827. 

During  the  winter  of  1873-74,  Mr.  Bumiller 
conducted  an  evening  school,  where  the  German 
language  was  taught,  being  well  equipped  for 
this  task  by  his  previous  scholastic  training  in 
Germany,  where  he  had  acquired  a  thorough 
mastery  of  his  mother  tongue.  This  instruction 
was  all  given  in  addition  to  his  duties  in  the 
printing  office.  The  years  1874  and  1875  were 
spent  in  Bellefonte  in  the  office  of  the  Republican, 
where  he  gained  a  good  practical  knowledge  of 
the  art  of  printing,  and  on  his  return  to  Millheim, 
in  the  latter  part  of  1876,  became  German  editor 
of  the  Berickter,  which  at  that  time  was  pub- 
lished half  in  English  and  half  in  German.  In 
1880  the  paper  became  entirely  English,  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Millheim  Journal,  at 
which  time  Mr.  Bumiller  became  half  owner  and 
associate  editor.  Three  years  later  he  purchased 
the  paper,  of  which  he  has  since  been  editor  and 
proprietor,  and  under  the  able  management  the 
circulation  has  been  greatly  increased,  and  the 
plant  newly  equipped  with  the  latest  improved 
machinery,  run  by  steam  power. 

In  Millheim,  Mr.  Bumiller  was  married  April 
4,  1876,  to  Miss  Ella,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
Squire  B.  O.  Deininger,  one  of  Millheim's  lead- 
ing citizens,  and  they  have  two  children:  Ida  A. 
and  Frances  C. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bumiller  gives  his  unwaver- 
ing support  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  has 
served  as  councilman  and  school  director.  In 
October,  1894,  he  was  also  appointed  notary 
public  by  Gov.  Pattison,  and  during  the  Centen- 
nial celebration  of  Millheim  was  a  member  of 
the  committee  to  which  was  mainly  due  its  grand 
success.       He    affiliates    with    the    Odd  Fellows 


CO  VMBMORA  TIVH  BWaRAPlWA  I.   RECORD. 


Lodge  of  Millheim,  and  is  a  prominent  and  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  now  serving  as  secretary  of  its  Sunday- 
school.  He  ranks  among  the  leading  journalists 
of  the  county,  and  as  a  citizen  also  holds  an  en- 
viable position. 


J.  CARLIN,  one  of  the  representative 
business  men  and  prominent  citizens  of 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  ami  a  leading  mer- 
chant of  Kebersburg,  was  born  February  23, 
1S30,  at  Potters  Mills,  in  Potter  township,  Cen- 
tre county. 

George  Carlin  (father  of  our  subject),  who  was 
weaver  by  trade,  was  employed  in  the  woolen- 
factory  at  that  place.  He  was  a  native  of  the 
North  of  Ireland,  whence  when  quite  young  he 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  who 
located  in  Philadelphia,  where  both  died.  They 
possessed  but  limited  means,  and  the  father 
dying  when  the  children  were  yet  small,  much 
responsibility  rested  upon  George,  who  was  the 
eldest.  The  others  were  James,  a  railroad  en- 
gineer, who  served  in  the  Confederate  army  as 
colonel  of  an  Alabama  regiment,  and  died  at 
Carthage,  Mo. ;  William,  also  a  railroad  engineer. 
running  on  the  Pennsylvania  Central  between 
Harrisburg  and  Philadelphia,  who  was  a  skilled 
mechanic  and  constructed  an  engine  from  the 
metal  contained  in  a  gold  dollar;  and  Jane,  who 
became  the  wife  of  John  Hoyt,  and  died  in  Reeds- 
ville,  I'enn.  John  Hoyt  was  bookkeeper  for  Will- 
iam Mann,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  axe  makers.  He  was 
killed  by  the  cars  while  crossing  the  tracks  at  the 
axe  factory,  in   1  872. 

In  Philadelphia  George  Carlin  learned  to 
weave  carpets,  blankets,  cassimeres,  etc.,  and 
when  a  young  man  came  to  Potters  Mills,  (  .  11 
tre  county,  in  order  to  obtain  work  at  his  trade. 
There  lie  married  Miss  Catherine  Toner,  also  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  with  her 
parents,  Thomas  Toner  and  Catherine  bis  wife. 
A^  the  Potter  Mills  had  closed  down,  Mr  Carlin 
removed  to  Mifflin  county,  I'enn..  in  1X50,  and 
obtained  employment  in  Mann's  axe  factory  as  a 
temperer,  which  position  he  held  until  i8< 
when  he  returned  to  Centre  counts,  and  pur- 
chased a  home  in  Sprucetown,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1875,  when  he  wis  aged  6S  years. 
He  was  a  large  and  powerful  man,  weigh- 
ing about  200  pounds,  and  his  death  was 
caused  by  a  third  stroke  o)  paralysis.  His 
wife  was  called  to  her  final  home  in  1X84, 
and  was  laid  by  his  side  in  Sj >i  ucetown  cemei 
He  was  an  intelligent,  well  educated  man  and 
fine  penman,  and  during  his  early  life  engaged  in 


teaching  in  Chester  county,  Penn.     Politically  he 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Our  subject  is  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  seven  children,  a  brief  record  of  the 
others  being:  John  T.  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany A,  46th  P.  V.  I.,  during  the  Rebellion,  hut 
after  serving  eighteen  months  was'  discharged  in 
1863,  on  account  of  disability;  he  later  became 
ticket  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany at  Spruce  Creek,  Hollidaysburg  and  Indi- 
ana, Penn.,  respectively,  and  died  at  Yeagertown, 
Mifflin  Co.,  Penn.,  in  1869;  Sarah  died  at  Pot- 
ters Bank,  Penn.;  Mary  died  in  infancy;  Maria 
died  at  Potters  Bank,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years.  George  died  at  the  same  place;  and  Jane 
died  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

W.  |.  Carlin  was  an  infant  when  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Mifflin  county,  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  Reedsville  he  obtained  his  primary  ed- 
ucation, which  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in 
the  Lewistown  Academy,  where  he  paid  his  own 
tuition,  earning  the  money  as  an  employee  in 
Mann's  axe  factory.  After  the  return  of  his  par- 
ents to  Centre  county,  he  attended  the  schools 
of  Potters  Mills  for  a  time,  his  teacher  being 
George  Peters.  He  then  began  teaching  in  Ty- 
lersville,  and  successfully  followed  that  profes- 
sion for  six  years.  In  Boalsburg,  Centre  coun- 
ty, he  married  Miss  Emma  Leitzell,  a  daughter 
of  Aaron  and  Alvina  (Hackman)  Leitzell.  Mr. 
Carlin's  tirst  experience  m  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness was  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Reedsville  when 
small  but  a  boy,  and  later  he  held  a  similar  position 
in  the  store  of  W.  J.  Thompson  &  Brother  at  Pot- 
ters Mills,  while  for  a  time  he  served  as  bookkeeper 
for  J.  S.  Shipman,  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Titus- 
ville,  Penn..  with  whom  he  remained  through 
the  year  1872  until  the  spring  of  1873.  Pre- 
viously, however,  he  had  also  served  as  clerk  in 
the  establishment  of  R.  H.  Duncan  at  Spring 
Mills.  On  leaving  Mr.  Shipman  he  came  to  Ke- 
bersburg, where  for  a  time  he  taujdit  school.  aiu\ 
was  also  agent  for  various  sewing  machines.  In 
1st.  [893,  he  purchased  the  general  store  ol 
I.  B.  Frank,  which  he  has  since  successfully 
conducted,  now  having  the  leading  mercantile 
establishment  in  the  place. 

In  politics  Mr.  Carlin  is  a  stanch  Democrat, 
and  is  a  leader  and  counsellor  of  his  party  in  his 
locality,  taking  a  keen  interest  in  its  suc<  ■ 
F01  three  years  he  ably  served  as  constable  of 
Miles  township,  and  since  [882  hasserved  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  lie  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  Society,  No.  1031,  of  Rebers- 
burg,  which  he  represented  in  the  grand  lodge  at 
Pittsburg,  in  May.  [896,  and  both  himself  and 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


283 


while  he  has  also  served  as  secretary  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school for  ten  years.  They  have  a  comfort- 
able home  in  Rebersburg,  whose  latch-string  is 
always  out,  and  their  many  friends  are  always 
sure  to  receive  a  hearty  welcome.  A  man  of 
known  reliability,  Mr.  Carlin  has  often  been 
called  upon  to  act  as  administrator  of  estates, 
and  as  agent  in  settling  other  business  transac- 
tions, the  duties  of  which  he  has  always  promptly 
and  faithfully  discharged.  In  connection  with 
his  mercantile  pursuits  and  official  duties,  he  also 
acts  as  agent  for  W.  B.  Rankin,  of  Bellefonte, 
who  represents  various  insurance  companies.  He 
isa  careful,  methodical  business  man,  whose  suc- 
cess is  due  entirely  to  his  own  perseverance,  en- 
terprise and  good  management.  "  Squire  Car- 
lin," as  he  is  familiarly  known,  is  one  of  Rebers- 
burg's  best  citizens,  and  stands  high  in  the  esteem 
of  all  who  know  him. 


TEMPEST  SLINGER,  a  well-known  hotel 
keeper  at  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  fur- 
nishes in  his  career  an  admirable  example  of 
British  pluck  and  enterprise.  He  was  born  in 
England,  December  23,  1847,  and  is  a  descend- 
ant of  an  old  Yorkshire  family. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  for  whom  he  was 
named,  was  a  native  of  Slaidburn,  in  that  county, 
and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  there  all  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  in  1847  when  he  was 
aged  seventy-five  years.  He  married  a  Miss 
Wilkinson,  and  reared  a  family  of  eight  or  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 
Nicholas  Slinger,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Yorkshire  in  1816,  and  after  a  busy  life  as  a 
farmer  is  now  enjoying  his  declining  years  in  well- 
earned  leisure.  His  wife,  Jane  Seed,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Yorkshire,  was  born  in  1820,  and  is  still 
living,  the  fifty-sixth  anniversary  of  their  mar- 
riage being  celebrated  in  November,  1896.  She 
is  of  a  long-lived  family,  her  father,  Thomas 
Seed,  having  attained  the  age  of  eighty-four. 
Our  subject  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren: (1)  William  died  at  seven  years  of  age; 
(2)  Ann  died  at  twenty-six;  (3)  Jane  is  the  widow 
of  Henry  Slater,  of  England;  (4)  Tempest  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  (5)  John  Thomas,  who  is 
married,  is  superintendent  for  T.  Barnes,  of 
Philipsburg;  (6)  Elizabeth  Alice  is  the  wife  of 
Major  Nutter,  of  the  English  army;  (7)  Mary 
Ellen  is  the  wife  of  William  H.  Heath;  (8)  Emma 
G.  is  not  married;  (9)  Margaret,  who  married 
Robert  Hindle,  lives  in  the  old  country;  (10) 
George  N.  is  an  attorney  at  law  in  England;  (11) 
Nancy  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Slinger  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 


place  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  he 
was  early  trained  to  practical  work  upon  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  where  dairying  was  an  especial  feat- 
ure. His  active  and  aspiring  mind  was  not  sat- 
isfied with  the  outlook  for  business,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  seek  a  more  promising  field  for  his  ef- 
forts. On  January  1,  1884,  he  landed  at  Phila- 
delphia, and  in  the  course  of  a  prospecting  tour 
he  visited  Philipsburg,  but  after  four  months  he 
went  to  Cuba  and  became  interested  in  the  man- 
agement of  a  sugar  plantation,  remaining  four 
months.  He  then  returned  to  Philipsburg,  where 
for  a  time  he  was  engaged  at  a  coal  mine  as 
weigh  boss,  but  later  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
hotel  business  with  a  diligence  that  has  won  him 
success.  In  April,  1893,  he  took  unto  himself  a 
life  partner,  Miss  Elizabeth  Ann  Goshorn,  a  resi- 
dent of  Philipsburg.  They  are  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Slinger  has 
always  shown  an  active  interest  in  local  progress, 
and  in  the  political  problems  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try, voting  the  Democratic  ticket. 


LS.    BRICKER    is   a    representative   of    the 
1  mercantile    interests   of    Boalsburg,    Centre 

county,  and  in  his  life  there  is  an  exemplification 
of  what  can  be  accomplished  through  diligence 
and  earnest  application,  guided  by  sound  judg- 
ment. He  is  now  conducting  one  of  the  best 
groceries  and  general  provision  stores  in  the  place, 
and  by  courteous  treatment  of  his  customers  and 
fair  dealing  has  built  up  a  good  trade,  receiving  a 
liberal  share  of  the  public  patronage. 

The  Bricker  family  has  long  been  identified 
with  the  interests  of  Centre  county.  Joseph 
Bricker,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  came 
from  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  and  was  a  carpen- 
ter of  Millheim  at  an  early  day  in  its  history. 
There  his  death  occurred  in  1855.  In  his  family 
were  the  following  children:  Henry  (now  de- 
ceased), who  was  a  blacksmith  at  Salona,  Penn. ; 
John  C,  the  father,  of  our  subject;  William,  a 
farmer;  Samuel,  a  tailor  and  merchant;  Joseph, 
a  farmer — all  of  Fremont,  Ind.;  Mrs.  Louisa 
Hoffnagle  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lingle,  also  of 
Fremont,  Ind.  ;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Miller,  of  Mill- 
heim, Penn.;  Mrs.  Malinda  Best,  of  Kansas;  and 
Catherine,  wife  of  John  McGill,  of  Lock  Haven, 
Pennsylvania. 

John  C.  Bricker,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Millheim,  August  18,  1827,  where  he 
obtained  a  meagre  education  in  its  public  schools, 
and  at  an  early  age  served  an  apprenticeship  to 
the  shoemaker's  trade.  About  1840  he  estab- 
lished a  shop  in  Boalsburg  which  he  conducted 
a  number  of  years,  when  he  moved  to  Pine  Grove 


284 


COMMEMORA  TIVR  BIOQ ltM'HKM.   RECORD. 


Mills,  Penn.,  and  in  i860  bought  a  farm  two 
miles  west  of  Boalsburg,  where  he  lived  till 
1S74,  when  he  removed  into  Boalsburg,  and 
died  there  in  1N77.  He  married  Rosanna  Condo, 
who  still  lives  in  Boalsburg.  and  by  her  he  had 
six  children,  two  of  whom  dud  in  infancy,  the 
others  being  as  follow-  Emma,  now  the  wife 
of  B.  l'>.  Cramer,  an  inn  keeper  oi  Punxsutawney, 
Penn.;  Mitchell,  a  coachsmith,  living  in  Lewis- 
town,  Penn. ,  who  married  Sarah  1  [assinger;  Laird. 
0  a  coachsmith,  who  married  Clara  Wirtz, 
and  died  of  typhoid  (ever  Februarj  9,  1880;  and 
L.   S.,  the  subject  of   this  review. 

Our  subject  was  born  May  12.  1859,  at  Pine 
Grove  Mills,  Ferguson  township.  Centre  county. 
While  at  the  Branch  school  in  College  township 
he  obtained  his  primary  education,  his  first 
teacher  being  John  Bathurst.  As  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  he  immi 
ately  took  up  the  shoemaker's  trade  under  Rob- 
ert  Gunsollus,  of  Boalsburg,  and  continued  to 
follow  the  same  in  that  place  for  eleven  years. 
In  1889  he  was  appointed  postmastei  al  Boals- 
burg, which  position  he  satisfactorily  filled  for 
four  years  and  a  half,  when  he  wai  removed  for 
political  reasons,  and  he  left  the  office  as  he  had 
entered  it  with  the  confidem  e  and  respect  of  all, 
and  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his 
office  was  one  of  five  fourth-class  offices  in  Cen- 
tre count} .  graded  as  "excellent."  Since  1893 
he  has  successfully  conducted    Ins  present  store. 

Mr.  Bricker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Laura  E.  Stover,  a  native  of  Unionville,  Centre 
county,  and  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth  in  the 
family  of  twelve  children  born  to  William  and 
Sophia  (Richard)  Stover,  the  former  a  native  of 
Hartslog  Valley,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  the 
latter  born  at  "Rattlesnake  Inn,"  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  For  a  time 
Mrs.  Bricker  was  a  student  in  Eden  Seminar] 
(since  dissolved),  but  completed  her  literary  edu- 
cation in  the  Boalsburg  Academy,  after  which 
she  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  the 
village  of  Unionville  and  Union  township,  Cen- 
tre county.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become 
the  mother  of  three  children:  Maud,  who  was 
born  February  9,  [881,  and  died  November  3, 
1883;  John  W.,  born  November  27,  1883;  and 
Howard,  born  October  22,  1888, 

Mr.  Bricker  is  a  recognized  leaders  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Republican  party  in  his  community, 
and  for  ten  years  served  as  chairman  of  the 
township  committee,  while  in  1896  he  was  a 
candidate  on  that  ticket  for  the  office  of  treas- 
urer of  Centre  county.  His  honorable  business 
methods  and  his  upright  life  have  gained  him  pres- 
tige in  the  community  where   he   has  long  made 


his  home,  and  his  genial  manner  enables  him  to 
make  friends  easily,  and  when  once  a  friendship 
is  gained  it  is  always  his. 


QOTTLIEB  HAAG,  a  well-known  resident  of 
Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  one  of  the 
prosperous  German-born  citizens  of  that  thriving 
town,  and  his  success  is  the  more  notable  from 
the  fact  that  at  the  time  of  his  landing  in  New 
York,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-five  years, 
he  had  only  two  dollars  in  his  pocket. 

Mr.  Haag  was  born  in  Wittenberg.  Mehrstet- 
ten,  German}-,  June  14.  1829,  the  son  of  George 
Haag,  and  grandson  of  George  Haag,  Sr.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  the  same  place,  born  in 
1804,  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  mar- 
ried Catherine  Mant/..  who  was  born  in  Hunder- 
sengen  111  1S05.  Both  were  devout  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  The  father  died  at  sev- 
enty years  of  age,  and  the  mother  lived  to  be 
fifty-six.  Of  their  ten  children,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  the  eldest.  George  is  a  lockmaker 
111  Switzerland.  Magdalene  married  Mr.  Ruse, 
and  resides  in  Germany.  Ludwig  was  killed  b) 
an  accident  in  Germany.  Margaret  married  John 
Scheidenberger,  a  miller  at  Warrensburg,  Mo 
Philip  resides  at  Williamsport,  Penn.  Christina 
met  her  death  by  accident  at  the  age  of  seven 
years.  Llizabeth,  widow  of  John  Reutter,  re- 
sides at  the  old  home.  The  youngest  child  died 
at  an  early  age. 

Gottlieb  Haag  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  his  native  land,  and  in  1854  he  came  to 
America  in  search  of  better  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement in  life.  Naturally  he  had  to  spend 
some  time  in  prospecting  for  a  suitable  field  for 
his  labors,  and  he  worked  at  West  Hoboken. 
N.  J.,  and  Union  Hill,  N.  J.,  before  locating  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Penn,  where  he  remained 
twelve  years.  He  then  passed  a  number  of  years 
at  Cressona  and  Pottsville,  and  several  years  at 
Williamsport,  when  he  established  himself  in 
business  at  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county,  build- 
ing a  hotel  and  distillery  there,  the  latter  being 
put  into  operation  June  24,  1874,  for  the  whole- 
sale whiskey  trade.  In  addition  to  this  distiller] 
he  owns,  at  that  place,  a  gristmill  and  ten  acres 
of  land.  Mr.  Haag  is  an  adept  in  the  hotel 
business,  having  been  engaged  in  it  some  thirtv 
years  altogether,  at  Pottsville,  Pleasant  Gap  and 
Bellefonte.  For  nine  years  past  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Bellefonte,  where  he  bought  tw 
valuable  lots,  upon  which  he  erected  two  double 
houses  and  a  commodious  stable,  with  other 
first-class  improvements.  He  also  is  the  owner 
of  the    "Hotel   Haag"    property  at  Bellefonte 


I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


285 


He  adheres  to  the  religion  of  his  parents,  being  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and,  in  his 
political  views,  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Free- 
silver  type. 

On  November  13,  1854,  Mr.  Haag  married 
Miss  Catherine  Treyz,  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  September  7,  1828,  about  fifteen  miles 
from  his  early  home.  They  have  had  no  chil- 
dren of  their  own,  but  have  reared  two  boys, 
who  are  now  like  sons  to  them:  John  C.  Mul- 
finger,  who  was  born  February  3,  1859,  was 
taken  into  our  subject's  home  at  the  age  of  six 
years,  and  at  present  has  charge  of  the  hotel 
and  distillery  at  Pleasant  Gap.  He  married 
Miss  Kate  Mundreich,  and  has  had  eight  chil- 
dren: Kate,  Maggie,  John,  Gertrude,  Gottlieb, 
David  (deceased),  Edward  and  Frederick.  Harry 
Haag,  who  was  formally  given  the  name  of  his 
adopted  parents,  is  in  charge  of  the  stable  de- 
partment of  the  "Hotel  Haag"  at  Bellefonte, 
under  Daniel  C.  Keller,  who  keeps  the  hostelry. 
He  married  Miss  Maggie  Noll,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren:    Mabel.  Ralph,  Gottlieb  and  Philip. 


D 


t,ANIEL  FLISHER,  one  of  the  old  and  hon- 
ored residents  of  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  June  12,  181  1,  in  Lower  Pax- 
ton,  Hanover  township,  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn. ,  a 
son  of  Daniel  and  Catharine  (Keller)  Flisher. 
He  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  their  family 
of  seven  children — three  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters— the  others  being  as  follows:  Elizabeth, 
who  married  John  Osman,  and  died  in  Centre 
Hall, Centre  county;  Michael,  who  died  in  Stone 
Valley,  Huntingdon  Co., Penn.;  Polly,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  From,  and  died  in  Nebraska;  Susan, 
who  married  Dr.  James  Powley,  and  died  at 
East  Liverpool,  Ohio;  John,  who  died  in  Car- 
rollton,  Ohio;  and  Katy,  widow  of  John  Gentzle, 
of  Penn  township,  Centre  county. 

The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
died  about  18 18  in  Upper  Paxton,  Lykens  Val- 
ley, Dauphin  county,  whither  he  had  removed 
during  the  infancy  of  our  subject.  He  left  a 
good  farm  of  160  acres,  but  a  small  debt  of  $900 
rested  upon  it,  and  the  times  being  hard  had  to 
be  sold  for  $1,000,  and  afterward  was  sold  for 
$90  per  acre  by  the  sheriff.  His  death  was 
caused  by  falling  from  a  hay  mow,  which  in- 
jured him  internally.  He  was  a  brave  and  loyal 
man,  and  had  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  About  1823  the  mother,  with  her  children, 
came  to  Centre  county,  where  her  brother,  Jacob 
Keller,  had  previously  located.  They  came  the 
entire  distance  in  a  covered  wagon,  and  narrowly 
escaped  being  drowned  while    crossing  the  Sus- 


quehanna river  at  Liverpool,  Penn.,  after  a 
freshet  when  the  water  was  very  high.  The  few 
dollars  that  the  family  possessed  was  invested  in 
a  small  tract  of  land  near  Tusseyville.  The 
mother  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter  in 
Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years. 

The  privileges  afforded  our  subject  for  se- 
curing an  education  were  very  poor.  He  had 
just  begun  the  study  of  arithmetic  when  he  was 
forced  to  lay  aside  his  books  and  aid  in  the  sup- 
port of  the  family.  By  experience  and  observa- 
tion, however,  he  has  acquired  a  good  practical 
knowledge.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  was 
hired  out  by  his  mother,  at  first  receiving  only 
fifty  cents  per  month,  although  he  did  all  the 
plowing  on  the  farm.  When  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  began  learning  the  shoemaker's  trade  in  Pot- 
ter township,  under  his  brother,  Michael,  and 
after  mastering  the  business  worked  at  the  same 
for  about  fifteen  years  in  that  locality. 

Before  he  had  attained  his  majority,  Mr. 
Flisher  was  married  near  Spring  Mills,  Centre 
county,  to  Miss  Polly  Boone,  who  was  born  in 
Berks  county*  Penn.,  in  1812,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years;  Jared, 
a  resident  of  Jamestown,  N.  Y. ;  Eliza  J.,  now 
Mrs.  William  Jordan,  of  Adams  county,  Ohio; 
Isaiah,  a  traveling  salesmen  of  Philadelphia, 
Penn.;  Catharine,  at  home;  Uriah  S..  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal. ;  and  Ellen,  who  married  Julian 
Fleming,  and  died  in  Centre  Hall,  Centre  coun- 
ty. The  wife  and  mother  died  in  January,  1876, 
and  was  buried  in  Tusseyville  cemetery.  On 
April  10,  1879,  in  Centre  Hall,  Mr.  Flisher  was 
again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Shirk, 
a  native  of  Potter  township,  and  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Eliza  (Benner)  Shirk.  Before  her 
marriage  she  successfully  carried  on  dressmaking. 
She  is  a  most  excellent  woman,  and  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

After  his  first  marriage,  Mr.  Flisher  lived  for 
a  short  time  with  his  widowed  mother,  and  later 
rented  a  small  house,  which  was  so  meagerly 
supplied  with  household  goods  that  his  young 
wife  had  not  even  a  dough  tray.  For  several 
years  he  gave  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
his  trade,  and  after  embarking  in  fanning  also 
did  odd  jobs  at  shoemaking.  The  first  property 
he  owned  consisted  of  forty  acres  of  land  in  Pot- 
ter township,  near  Colliers,  which  he  operated 
until  1844,  when  he  sold  the  same  and  purchased 
eighty-five  acres,  known  as  the  Flisher  home 
farm.  Upon  that  place  he  continued  to  reside 
until  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Centre  Hall  and 
bought   his  present    comfortable    home.      He  is. 


286 


I  OMMEMORATIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  owner  of  two  fine  farms  in  Potter  township, 
aggregating  over  two  hundred  acres,  one  of 
which,  a  tract  of  over  one  hundred  acres,  cost 
him  $105  per  acre;  he  also  has  450  acres  of  tim- 
ber land. 

Mr.  Flisher  has  been  a  stanch  Democrat  in 
politics  since  casting  his  first  Presidential  vote 
for  Andrew  Jackson,  and  has  never  missed  a 
Presidential  election.  His  recollection  of  the 
issues  of  the  various  campaigns  is  remarkable, 
and,  for  his  years,  not  one  man  in  a  thousand  re- 
tains their  mental  faculties,  or  is  as  active  in 
body  as  our  subject.  As  a  systematic  farmer  he 
was  foremost  among  the  best  of  Potter  township, 
and  still  continues  to  manage  his  business  inter- 
ests. He  has  held  different  township  offices,  and 
at  the  present  time  is  serving  as  overseer  in  Cen- 
tre Hall.  When  a  young  man  he  was  elected 
captain  of  a  militia  company,  but  being  of  a  re- 
tiring nature  he  declined  the  honor.  Reared  by 
a  Christian  mother,  religious  influences  have 
clung  to  him,  and  he  has  long  been  a  faithful  and 
active  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  of 
which  for  years  he  has  been  elder,  and  has  also 
served  as  deacon.  The  object  of  respect  by 
\  1  >img  and  old,  Mr.  Flisher  is  greeted  with  affec- 
tion and  esteem,  and  in  his  declining  years  is  en- 
joying the  reward  of  a  well-ordered  life,  and  one 
in  which  he  has  exerted  himself  to  do  good  to 
those  around  him. 


DANIEL  DAUP,  one  of  the  most  skillful  and 
thorough  farmers  of  Potter  township,  be- 
longs to  an  honored  and  highly  respected  family 
■  if  Centre  county.  His  father,  Joseph  Daup,  a 
native  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  was  born  March 
9,  1 8 16,  and  is  one  of  the  eight  children  (six  of 
whom  grew  to  adult  age)  born  to  Xavier  and 
Christina  Daup.  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  fam- 
ily to  come  to  the  United   States. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  Joseph  Daup  be- 
1  learning  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  later 
worked  as  a  journeyman  in  various  country  shops 
and  towns  until  he  received  letters  from  friends 
in  America,  telling  him  of  the  excellent  opportu- 
nities here  afforded  poor  young  men.  Saving 
his  money  until  he  had  enough  to  pay  his  pass.! 
he,  in  March,  [849,  embarked  on  a  schooner  at 
Bremen  for  New  York,  which  port  he  reached 
after  a  long  and  stormy  voyage  of  sixty-live  days, 
during  which  time  the  vessel  was  driven  as  far 
north  as  Greenland.  For  a  short  time  he  re- 
mained with  acquaintances  in  New  York  City, 
and  then  went  to  New  Jersey  where  his  friends 
were  living,  but  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  work. 
He  was  first  employed  in   Lewistown,  Penn.,  on 


the  construction  of  the  canal  and  in  the  stone 
quarries,  where  he  contracted  ague,  and  the  few 
dollars  that  he  had  saved  went  for  board.  As 
!  soon  as  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  travel  he 
crossed  the  Seven  Mountains  to  Potters  Mills, 
Centre  county,  where  he  arrived  October  14, 
1849,  and  secured  his  first  work  at  his  trade  in 
the  United  States,  being  employed  by  John  Haney 
at  $7  per  month  and  board.  After  working  for 
others  for  two  years  he  started  a  shop  of  his  own. 

In  the  fall  of  1850,  at  Potters  Mills,  Joseph 
Daup  was  united  in  marriage  with  Catharine 
Decker,  who  was  born  at  the  Loop,  in  Potter 
township,  November  6,  1823,  adaughter  of  Nicho- 
las and  Mar)  1  l'echt)  Decker,  in  whose  family 
were  five  children,  the  others  being  Sarah,  widow 
of  Daniel  Auman,  of  Potter  township;  Henry, 
who  died  in  that  township;  John,  who  died  near 
Boalsburg,  Centre  county;  and  Mary,  a  resident 
of  Pottertownship.  The  father  of  these  children 
was  a  mason  by  trade,  but  the  later  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  farming.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  seventv-one  \ears,  his  wife  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-three, and  the}'  were  buried  in  the  Tussey- 
ville  cemetery.  Six  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daup:  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife  of 
Aaron  Zerby,  of  Penn  township),  Centre  county. 
Amelia,  wife  of  A.  C.  Ripka,  of  Potter  township; 
Daniel,  of  this  sketch;  Sarah,  wife  of  William 
Ertel,  of  Penn  township;  Ellen,  wife  of  Jefferson 
Heckman,  of  Gregg  township;  and  Hettie,  wife 
of  Charles  Leister,  of  Sprucetown,  Centre  county. 

After  his  marriage,  Joseph  Daub  located  in 
Centre  Hill,  where  he  owned  his  first  shop,  and 
carried  on  business  there  some  four  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  Penn  township,  and  bought 
another  shop  and  several  acres  of  land.  Two 
years  later,  however,  he  sold  out,  and  from  1858 
made  his  home  in  Sprucetown,  where  he  followed 
his  trade  continuously  until  recent  years,  when 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  abandon  it.  He 
died  April  27,  1897,  aged  eighty-one  years,  one 
month  and  eighteen  days.  For  many  years  he 
was  an  active  member  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  in  which  he  acted  as  class  leader,  ex- 
horter  and  trustee,  and  enjoyed  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  In  politics  be 
was  a  Democrat,  but  never  cared  for  official  dis- 
tinction. He  and  his  estimable  wife  reared  a 
family  of  which  tluy  were  justly  proud,  all  occu- 
pying honorable  positions  in  society. 

Daniel  Daup  was  born  March  17,  1856,  in 
Penn  township,  and  when  a  child  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Sprucetown,  where  he  was  reared 
tn  manhood.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
at  the  Egg  Hill  school,  where  his  first  teacher 
was  Mary  Hennigh.      At   an  early  age  he  began 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


287 


assisting  his  father  in  the  shop,  where  he  soon 
acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  the  trade,  though 
he  never  served  a  regular  apprenticeship.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven,  to  Miss  Jennie  A. 
Evans,  a  daughter  of  Evan  and  Anna  (Miller) 
Evans,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  best  families 
of  Potter  township.  They  began  their  domestic 
life  in  Sprucetown,  where  Mr.  Daup  was  em- 
ployed by  his  father  for  one  year,  and  then 
removed  to  the  Rankin  farm,  in  George's  Valley, 
which  property  he  rented  for  two  years.  He 
then  took  up  his  residence  upon  the  Dauberman 
farm,  in  Potter  township,  where  he  was  a  tenant 
until  the  spring  of  1897,  when  he  returned  to  the 
Rankin  farm,  which  he  had  purchased  in  1895. 
It  comprises  1 1  5  acres  of  excellent  land,  which 
he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  made  many  useful  improvements  thereon. 

Mr.  Daup  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  yet  no  poli- 
tician or  office-seeker,  content  with  regularly 
casting  his  vote  for  its  men  and  measures  at  State 
and  National  elections,  but  on  local  affairs  he 
votes  independent  of  party  ties.  He  and  his  wife 
are  earnest  members  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  steward  and 
trustee,  and  also  as  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school. 
He  is  one  of  the  steady-going,  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  Potter  township,  one  who  has  made  his 
own  way  in  the  world,  whose  integrity  is  unques- 
tioned, and  who,  as  a  citizen,  holds  a  prominent 
place  in  the  estimation  of  his  neighbors  and 
friends. 


^/  D.  THOMAS,  of  Aaronsburg,  Centre  coun- 
MUl  ty,  is  well  known  as  a  successful  educator 
through  twenty-two  years  of  faithful  and  efficient 
service.  Although  he  has  recently  retired  from 
that  profession,  his  work  will  not  readily  be  for- 
gotten by  the  many  who  have  been  helped  by 
him  in  the  steep  and  sometimes  weary  paths  of 
knowledge. 

Prof.  Thomas  was  born  in  Haines  township, 
Centre  county,  April  26,  1851,  and  so  far  his  life 
has  been  spent  mainly  in  that  locality.  Jacob 
Thomas,  his  grandfather,  was  born  December  9, 
1767;  confirmed  April  12,  1795,  by  Rev.  Loch- 
man  (Lutheran);  married  in  1797  to  Christiana 
Ensminger,  and  died  December  31,  1824.  His 
wife  Christiana  was  born  about  1768,  and  died 
1855  or  '56;  both  are  buried  in  the  vicinity  of 
Annville,  Lebanon  Co.,  Penn.,  where  they 
resided.  Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Dutwiler)  Thomas, 
parents  of  our  subject,  were  both  natives  of 
Lebanon  county,  Penn.  The  father  was  born 
April  24,  1808,  and  received  his  early   education 


in  the  German  schools  of  that  day,  his  knowledge 
of  English  being  "picked  up"  incidentally.  Be- 
ing bereft  of  his  father  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
found  himself  obliged  to  assume  the  manage- 
ment of  his  mother's  farm,  which  he  continued 
until  his  marriage  to  Miss  Dutwiler,  who  was 
born  near  Palmyra,  September  14,  181 1,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Anna  Mary  (Williams)  Dutwiler, 
who  resided  on  a  farm  near  Campbelltown,  Leb- 
anon Co.,  Penn.,  and  are  both  buried  at  Camp- 
belltown. Mrs.  Thomas,  who  lost  her  father 
when  she  was  fourteen  years  old,  received  fair 
educational  advantages  for  that  day,  and  was  a 
woman  of  fine  mental  ability.  For  a  time  after 
their  marriage  they  remained  in  Lebanon  county, 
and  one  child  was  born  there:  Elizabeth,  who 
married  George  Y.  Stover,  and  died  in  Stover, 
South  Dakota. 

In  1832,  Jacob  Thomas,  of  Annville  town- 
ship, Lebanon  Co.,  Penn.,  in  company  with  two 
other  gentlemen,  started  to  seek  a  place  whereon 
to  locate.  Land  in  Lebanon  county  having  ad- 
vanced in  price  beyond  his  means  of  acquiring  a 
farm  (he  having  only  limited  means),  and  hav- 
ing in  view  the  western  part  of  Ohio,  they  trav- 
eled as  far  west  as  Dayton,  but  for  some  reason  not 
finding  a  satisfactory  place  to  locate.  On  their 
way  home  they  came  to  Centre  county,  Penn., 
their  first  point  of  observation  being  Boalsburg; 
from  there  they  came  to  Haines  township  and 
bought  the  farm  upon  which  Mr.  Thomas  located. 
He  had  traveled  the  whole  distance  of  1,060  miles 
on  horse-back,  being  gone  about  six  weeks,  and  in 
April,  1833,  Jacob  Thomas  and  his  wife  settled 
upon  this  farm  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county. 
There  nine  children  were  born  to  them,  our  sub- 
ject being  the  youngest  of  the  family.  The 
others  were  John,  now  of  Clinton  county,  Penn. ; 
Christiana,  who  married  George  Hoover,  and 
died  in  Shingletown,  Penn.;  Anna  M.,  who  re- 
sides in  Aaronsburg;  Rebecca,  who  married  Jesse 
Snyder,  and  died  near  Penn  Hall,  Penn. ;  Jacob 
D.,  a  resident  of  Illinois;  Adam  J.,  a  carpenter 
at  State  College;  Jeremiah,  now  of  Illinois;  and 
Aaron,  a  carpenter  at  Centre  Hall. 

Jacob  Thomas  made  farming  his  lifelong  oc- 
cupation. He  was  over  six  feet  in  height,  and 
enjoyed  excellent  health,  even  his  last  ailment, 
rheumatism  of  the  heart,  afflicting  him  only  a 
short  time.  He  was  very  industrious,  and  while 
rearing  a  large  family,  managed  to  secure  a  fair 
competence.  His  death  came  just  at  the  time 
when  he  was  in  a  position  to  realize  the  benefits 
of  his  labors.  While  he  was  a  firm  believer  in 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  he  did 
not  allow  his  partisan  prejudice  to  blind  him,  and 
at  times  voted  independently.    Never  a  politician 


:'>- 


I  0  !/.»/ i:\10RAT1VE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  he  yel  took  an 
active  interest  in  local  affairs  and  held  the  office 
of  school  director  several  times,  as  well  as  other 
township  offices.  He  was  also  active  in  religious 
work  as  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
holding  various  official  positions.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  the  old  homestead  March  29,  1864;  his 
wife  passed  away  January  7,  1884,  and  the  re- 
mains of  both  are  interred  at  Aaronsburg. 

As  a  boy  the  subject  of  this  sketch  found  the 
outlook  for  an  education  most  unpromising.  The 
schools  near  the  homestead  were  none  of  the 
best,  but  he  made  good  use  of  the  facilities  which 
they  offered.  His  first  teacher  was  Thomas 
Frhart,  and  Mr.  Thomas  has  had  the  satisfaction 
of  presiding  over  the  same  school  room  in  which 
he  spent  his  first  day  as  a  pupil.  He  remained 
at  home  until  his  widowed  mother  removed  to 
Aaronsburg  and  then  as  she,  though  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,  was  not  able  to  spare  the 
funds  necessary  to  secure  him  better  educationa 
advantages,  he  determined  to  secure  them  him- 
self. For  several  years  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  leading  agriculturists,  his  first  employer 
being  Clay  Allison,  ol  Nittany  Valley,  who  paid 
him  $8  per  month.  With  the  money  thus  earned 
he  attended  the  academy  at  Aaronsburg,  also  the 
County  Normal  at  Centre  Hall,  alternately  work- 
ing and  studying. 

In  his  twentieth  year,  Mr.  Thomas  began  his 
successful  career  as  a  teacher  in  the  St.  Paul  dis- 
trict of  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  one  term  in  Miles  township, 
the  entire  twenty-two  years  of  work  were  spent 
in  the  former  locality,  six  successive  years  being 
passed  at  Aaronsburg.  He  was  never  content 
to  merely  "  keep  school,"  the  responsibilities  of 
his  position  as  a  guide  to  those  entrusted  to  him 
were  too  keenly  realized  for  that,  and  the  inces- 
sant care  incident  to  the  work  when  conscien- 
tiously done  caused  him  to  retire  in  [894  from  the 
profession,  A  taste  for  carpentering  jseems  to  be 
hereditary  in  the  family,  and  many  <>f  Mr 
Thomas' vacations  have  been  given  to  that  work. 
One  summer  was  spent  in  Efhingham  county, 
111.  He  owns  a  house  in  Centre  Hall,  but  since 
the  death  of  his  mother  he  has  made  his  home  in 
Aaronsburg,  where  he  owns  a  residence  and 
several  lots.  I  lis  success,  won  a-  n  has  been  by 
his  own  efforts,  is  will   deserved. 

Mr.  Thomas  is  a  Republican  on  national 
issues,  but  does  not  believe  that  party  allegiance 
should  extend  to  local  affairs,  and  lie  has  at  tii 
supported  other  candidates  for  township  and 
county  offices.  He  is  no  place  seeker  himself, 
but  has  held  some  minor  positions.  As  .1  mem- 
ber of  the   Reformed   Church,  he  contributes  to 


the  work  of  that  society,  and   as   a  good  citizen 
takes  a  loyal  interest  in  all  that  tends  to  promote 

progress. 

SAMUEL  FOSTER  LYTLE,  M.  D.,  de- 
'  ceased  October  9,  1  S96,  occupied  for  a  score 
of  years  a  prominent  position  in  his  profession, 
and  was  recognized  by  his  colleagues,  far  and 
near,  as  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Centre 
county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  County,  State 
and  National  Medical  Associations.  President  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  and  State  Health  Inspector 
for  his  District.  Esteemed  as  he  was  by  the 
members  of  his  profession,  the  people,  whose 
good  fortune  it  was  to  be  subject  to  his  ministra- 
tions, loved  him  for  his  sympathetic  nature,  and 
venerated  him  for  his  rare  ability  and  skill. 

Possessing  as  an  inheritance  the  qualities  of 
an  ancestry  whose  lineage  was  noble  in  the 
highest  sense,  not  because  of  descent  from  pro- 
genitors of  rank  and  title,  but  because  of  that  in- 
trinsic strain  of  valor,  firmness  and  fineness  of 
character,  and  integrity  of  purpose  which  is  the 
measure  of  worth  and  constitutes  true  nobility 
and  gentility.  He  was  also  richly  endowed  by 
nature  with  a  talent  for  the  profession  he  loved 
and  to  which   his  life  was  devoted. 

The  remote  history  of  Dr.  Lytle's  family  goes 
back  to  County  Donegal.  Ireland,  where  the 
name  still  adheres,  honored  and  respected,  and 
begins  in  this  country  with  the  settlement  of  a 
branch  of  the  family  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.. 
more  than  a  century  ago,  where  they  became 
distinguished  for  their  patriotism  during  the 
period  of  the  Revolution.  Foremost  in  loyalty 
was  Col.  Andrew    Lytle.  who  was  commissioned 

olonel  of  the  8th  Pennsylvania  Regiment  in 
the  Revolutionary  army,  July  23.  1 78 1,  in  com- 
mand of  which  he  served  with  distinction,  re- 
ceiving the  personal  commendation  of  Cen. 
Washington,  and  honorable  mention  in  the 
Archives  of  the  State.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Order  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  died  in  1784 
of  camp  fevei  His  son,  Isaac  Lytic,  grandfa- 
ther of  Dr.  Lytle,  was  born  in  Lampeter.  Lan- 
caster county,  in  1772,  and  was  married  in 
1802,  to  Jane,  daughter  of  Xaccheus  Piersol.  of 
a  Valley,  a  descendant  of  an  ancient  and 
honorable  Scotch  family  in  direct  line  from  Archi- 
bald Douglas.  He  removed  to  Harris  township, 
Centre  e,  unity,   in    1S14,   where    he  died    Septem- 

[854       Hi-  eldest  son,  Griffeth,  fathei 
Dr.  Lytle,    was    born  in    1806,  coming  with  his 
father  to  1  entre  county    in    [814,    where  he  en 
riculture,      lb-  married  Susan  Foster, 
born  in  Huntingdon  county  in  1S12,  a  woman  of 
remarkable  beauty  of  charater  and  refinemen; 


/^L£*-^- 


Mfr  A:^,  A  i? 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


289 


manner.  Purchasing  a  farm  near  Lemont, 
which  is  still  the  home  of  his  eldest  son,  William, 
he  resided  there  until  1855,  when  he  bought  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  State  College,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1875,  his  wife,  Susan,  surviv- 
ing him  fifteen  years.  Of  their  ten  children.  Dr. 
Lytle  was  the  youngest  son. 

Dr.  Lytle  was  born  March  14,  1851,  and 
from  early  childhood  evinced  a  decided  trend  of 
mind  toward  medicine  and  surgery,  which  in- 
creased with  years  until  in  early  manhood  it  be- 
came his  passion  and  determined  his  career. 
Graduating  from  State  College,  he  pursued  the 
study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  J.  Y.  Dale,  of  Le- 
mont, with  the  eagerness  and  intensity  of  one 
whose  aspiration  was  to  master  the  science.  En- 
tering Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  as  the 
next  step  forward  in  his  profession,  he  graduated 
honorably  in  1875.  Still  bent  on  the  acquire- 
ment of  learning,  he  pursued  a  post-graduate 
course  at  Columbia  College  before  entering  upon 
the  active  duties  of  a  physician.  At  this  time  he 
received  an  appointment  as  surgeon  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  but  the  death  of  his  father  led  him  to 
decline  the  position.  In  the  autumn  of  1875  he 
came  to  Philipsburg,  rapidly  acquiring  a  prac- 
tice. Four  years  later  he  married  Nannie, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Crissman  (deceased)  and 
Margaret  Crissman,  whose  family  still  occupy  a 
position  of  high  standing  in  the  community. 

With  the  increase  of  his  clientage  as  the  Doc- 
tor's popularity  increased,  the  demands  upon  him 
became  so  great  that  his  health  suffered  from  the 
strain;  but  through  his  deep  sympathy  with  others 
and  his  great  fortitude,  he  bore  his  own  suffering 
silently  and  bravely,  ministering  to  the  sick  when 
needing  help  himself,  and  struggling  against 
physical  disability  that  would  have  broken  a  less 
heroic  spirit.  Gentle  and  generous  to  the  last, 
courteous  and  brave,  he  died  literally  with  har- 
ness on,  coming  from  the  bedside  of  a  patient 
where  with  all  his  skill  he  was  fighting  for  the 
life  of  another  against  the  dread  destroyer,  to 
yield  suddenly  his  own  life  up  to  that  relentless 
hand. 

Dr.  Lytle  was  a  man  of  broad  culture,  studi- 
ous habits,  in  touch  with  the  most  advanced 
movements  in  the  science  of  medicine,  and  a 
type  of  the  scholarly  professional  gentleman,  be- 
loved and  mourned  by  the  community  which  he 
served  and  healed. 


DjAVID  F.  BOWERSOX,  a  prominent  agri- 
culturist of  Haines  township,  Centre  county, 
is  also  known  throughout  that  section  as  a  suc- 
cessful veterinary   surgeon,  and  for  years  his  serv- 


19 


ices  have  been  in  demand  whenever  an  injury  or 
ailment  of  any  live  stock  required  skillful  treat- 
ment. He  possesses  mechanical  ability  of  a  high 
order,  and  with  no  instruction  has  mastered  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  being  an  expert  at  horse  shoe- 
ing, and  he  has  repaired  rifles,  guns  and  other 
fire-arms,  and  in  many  ways  displays  unusual 
talent  in  this  line. 

Mr.  Bowersox  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  Centre  county,  his  great-grandfather, 
George  Bowersox,  a  native  of  Hanover,  Penn., 
having  settled  in  Potter  township  as  a  pioneer, 
following  the  blacksmith's  trade  and  farming. 
He  and  his  wife,  Catherine  Kister,  each  lived  to 
be  more  than  eighty  years  old,  and  they  reared 
a  family  of  six  children:  Jacob,  David,  George, 
Catharine,  Elizabeth  and  Susan. 

David  Bowersox,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Centre  county,  and  being  reared  to 
farming  followed  that  occupation  all  his  life.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Stover,  of  Haines  township, 
Centre  county,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Catherine 
(Weaver)  Stover.  In  his  later  years  he  purchased 
the  Stover  homestead,  and  settled  there.  He 
was  short  and  spare  in  build,  and  died  at  the 
comparatively  early  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  In 
politics  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  he  be- 
longed to  the  Lutheran  Church.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  with  two  sons,  John  (our  subject's  fa- 
ther) and  Philip  (who  died  in  Woodward,  Penn  ). 
The  widow  made  her  home  for  twenty-eight  years 
with  her  son  John,  and  died  in  Coburn  when  more 
than  eighty  years  old,  her  remains  being  laid  to 
rest  beside  those  of  her  husband  at  Stover's 
Chapel, 

John  Bowersox,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  April  13,  1825,  in  Haines  township. 
Centre  county,  and  is  now  living  in  retirement 
at  Coburn.  His  education  was  that  which  the 
schools  of  the  time  and  locality  afforded,  being 
confined  to  an  attendance  for  a  few  months  of 
each  year  at  the  log  school  house  at  Stover's 
Chapel.  A  family  lived  in  one  part  of  this  build- 
ing. The  work  at  home  was  plentiful  at  all 
seasons,  as  in  winter  he  could  ride  the  horse 
while  tramping  out  the  grain  in  the  barn,  and 
the  summer  brought  an  increase  of  outdoor  work. 

At  eighteen  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
cigar  maker  and  tobacconist  with  James  Powley, 
in  a  shop  that  stood  where  the  Coburn  toll-gate 
has  since  been  built.  After  finishing  his  appren- 
ticeship he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  year,  but 
it  did  not  agree  with  him,  and  he  learned  the 
tanner's  trade  in  Aaronsburg  with  George  Royer. 
This  business  he  followed  successfully  for  thirty- 
five  years,  devoting  especial  attention  to  prepar- 
ing leather  for  gloves,  which    were   made   by  his 


290 


<  OMMEMORATIVB  BIO0 HM'llIiM.   RECORD. 


employei  -.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Frederick,  has  been  ol  ^t'eat  assistance  to 
him.  and  at  that  time  she  made  hundreds  of 
dozens  of  pairs  of  gloves  which  our  subject 
would  take  about  the  country  for  sale.  Their 
marriage  was  celebrated  October  8,  1846,  in 
Hartley  township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  where  the 
bride's  birth  occurred  May  14.  1 S 23.  Her  fa- 
ther, |ohn  Frederick,  was  a  weaver  by  trade, 
and  depended  upon  his  earnings  for  the  support 
of  his  family  of  ten  children — five  sons  and  five 
daughters.  He  and  his  wife,  Barbara  Catherman, 
were  each  nearly  eighty-four  years  old  at  death, 
and  both  win-  buried  at  Laurelton,  Penn.  Our 
subject's  mother  was  the  third  child  and  third 
daughter.  Her  educational  advantages  were 
meagre,  but  a  bright  and  active  mind  has  enabled 
lur  to  gather  much  practical  information  on  va- 
rious subjects. 

After  the  death  of  David  Bowersox,  our  sub- 
ject's father  took  the  old  homestead  and  followed 
farming  there  for  several  years;  but  in  the  spring 
of  1883  he  removed  to  Coburn,  where  our  sub- 
ject built  for  him  a  residence.  He  owns  a  farm 
ol  121  acres  and  a  great  deal  of  timber  land. 
His  industry  and  thrift,  with  the  help  of  his 
economical  wife,  have  won  a  notable  success, 
and  both  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  past  la- 
bors in  well-earned  leisure.  An  excellent  mem- 
ory enables  him  to  review  the  incidents  of  his 
life  with  remarkable  precision,  and  he  recalls 
events  that  occurred  in  his  third  year.  Our  sub- 
ject is  the  eldest  of  three  children,  the  others  be- 
ing Chestie  A.,  who  married  (first  Henry  J. 
Musser,  and  (second)  A.  P.  Maize,  of  Aarons- 
burg;   and  J.  A.,  who  resides  in  Coburn. 

David  F.  Bowersox  was  born  December  2 1 , 
1849,  at  the  old  home  in  Haines  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  the  district  schools  of  tin-  tune 
furnished  him  his  elementay  instruction.  Between 
the  farm  and  the  tannery  there  was  plenty  of 
work  for  him  to  do,  and  forty  days  of  schooling  in 
winter  was  considered  a  liberal  amount  for  him. 
I  very  opportunity  for  study  was  eagerly  seized 
by  the  bright  boy,  and  as  his  patents  permitted 
him  to  sit  up  late  at  night  he  was  able  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  a  good  practical  education. 
Throughout  his  life  he  has  been  a  warm  friend 
of  good  public  schools,  his  own  experience  em- 
phasizing their  \ 

On  March  11,  1  S 7 J .  Mr.  Bowersox  was  mar- 
ried, in  Aaronsburg,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Swanger, 
a  native  of  Penn    township,  born    Di  1    19, 

1852.      Her  father,  Philip  Swanger,  was  a  shoe- 
maker,  and   he  and    his   wife.    Sarah   (Won 
reared  a   family   of  eight   children    to  adult 

twelve  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Bower- 


rented  the  home  farm  from  his  lather,  and 
although  he  then  removed  to  another  rented 
farm  he  returned  later  to  the  old  place.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1885,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  twenty  acres, 
where  he  now  resides,  going  in  debt  for  it,  and 
to  this  he  has  since  added  some  mountain  land, 
making  a  fine  estate.  Under  his  careful  man- 
I  ageinent  the  farm  has  been  greatly  improved, 
J  the  barn  having  been  remodeled  and  some  new 
buildings  put  up.  His  extensive  veterinary  prac- 
tice began  in  November,  1872,  when  the  epizootic 
was  prevalent,  and  his  attention  being  once 
turned  in  that  direction,  his  success  in  treating 
horses  and  other  live  stock  was  so  great  as  to 
create  a  constant  call  for  his  services.  While  he 
has  never  graduated  from  a  school  in  which  this 
science  is  made  a  specialty,  he  has  read  all  the 
authorities  on  the  subject,  and  with  his  wide  ex- 
perience in  practical  treatment  is  now  an  author- 
ity himself. 

Mr.  Bowersox  and  his  wife  are  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  holds 
the  office  of  deacon.  He  also  takes  an  active 
part  in  Sunday-school  work.  Two  children. 
Sarah  and  John  F.  D.,  brighten  their  home. 
Courteous  and  intelligent,  Mr.  Bowersox  is  a 
pleasant  companion,  socially,  his  conversation 
being  always  interesting,  while  in  business  cir- 
cles he  is  equally  esteemed  as  a  reliable,  success- 
ful man.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat  until  a 
constitutional  amendment  upon  the  temperance 
issue  was  called  for,  when,  having  long  been  a 
foe  to  intoxicants,  he  became  a  pronounced  Pro- 
hibitionist. While  deeply  interested  in  political 
questions,  he  is  not  an  office  seeker,  but  has 
served  as  a  judge  of  election. 


BB.  HARTMAN.      In  the  career  of  this  gen- 
tleman    we    lind    an  excellent  example   for 

young  men  just  embarking  in  the  field  of  active 
life,  of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  man  be- 
ginning  poor,  but  honest,  prudent  and  industri- 
ous. He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Heidelburg  township,  Lehigh 
county,  April  19,  1820,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Simon 
and  Elizabeth  (Bysell)  Hartman.  The  father, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  married  in  the  same 
county,  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Hartman,  who 
there  died.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject  w as  Peter  I lysell. 

About     [824    Simon     Hartman     removed    to 
Hartley   township,   Union  Co.,    Penn  .    where   he 
in  1  11  in  .   time,  when  there  were 

a  great  many  wild  animals  in  the  forests,  such  as 
wildcats,  wolves,  panthers  and  bears,  who  would 
approach  the  house  and  carry  off  sheep  and  hogs 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


291 


as  their  prey,  arid  could  often  be  heard  at  night. 
Later  Mr.  Hartman  followed  weaving  in  the 
town  of  Hartleton,  in  the  same  county,  where 
his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  and 
he  was  there  buried.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics, 
and  an  earnest  member  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  as  was  also  his  wife.  She  passed  away 
in  Millheim  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  there.  In  their  family  were 
the  following  children:  Lydia,  who  married  Will- 
iam Hazel,  and  died  in  Wooster,  Ohio;  Saloma, 
who  married  George  Catherman,  and  died  in 
Union  county,  Penn. ;  Peter,  who  died  in  Woos- 
ter, Ohio;  R.  B.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  John  Royer,  and  died  in 
Hartleton,  Penn.;  Rebecca,  who  married  John 
Swartz,  and  died  in  Millheim;  Caroline,  who 
married  James  Rouch,  and  died  in  Clearfield 
county,  Penn.;  and  Henry,  and  another  that  died 
in  infancy. 

The  early  educational  privileges  which  our 
subject  received  were  not  of  the  best,  and  his 
teachers  often  permitted  the  scholars  to  play 
rather  than  study.  He  was  reared  in  much 
the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys,  and  on  leaving 
home  worked  at  farm  labor  for  others.  In  1839 
he  started  out  to  fight  life's  battle,  and  on  the 
19th  of  May  of  that  year  arrived  in  Millheim 
with  all  his  possessions  on  his  back,  his  capital 
being  his  ambition.  He  first  worked  for  John 
Harter,  the  pioneer  carriage  and  wagon  maker  of 
the  place,  with  whom  he  remained  for  several 
years. 

During  that  time,  Mr.  Hartman  was  married, 
June  1,  1843,  to  Margaret  Harter  (a  daughter  of 
his  employer),  who  was  born  in  Millheim,  De- 
cember 12,  1824,  and  whose  mother  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Mollie  Shreffler.  Eleven  chil- 
dren blessed  this  union:  Sarah  J.,  who  died  in 
infancy;  C.  W.,  a  molder,  of  Millheim;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  John  Harshbarger,  of  the  same  place; 
Anna  M.,  wife  of  Willis  Weber,  of  Rebersburg, 
Centre  county;  Amelia  M.,  wife  of  Leonard  Sto- 
ver, of  Haines  township,  Centre  county;  Lydia 
R.,  wife  of  Philip  P.  Leitzel,  of  Millheim;  John 
H.  B. ,  who  is  in  partnership  with  our  subject; 
William,  a  machinist,  of  Millheim;  Minnie,  wife 
of  Adam  Harter,  of  the  same  place;  and  Thomas 
and  Gertie,  who  died  in  infancy, 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Hartman  began 
peddling  the  old  Hathaway  cook  stoves,  manu- 
factured by  Search  &  Rockey,  selling  them 
throughout  several  counties  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
later  became  foreman  in  their  foundry.  After 
acquiring  considerable  experience,  he  in  company 
with  his  brother-in-law,  J.  D.  Foote,  purchased 
the  foundry  then  owned  by  Haupt,  Cummings  & 


Haupt,  which  they  conducted  under  the  firm 
style  of  Foote  &  Hartman,  manufacturing  stoves, 
implements,  mill  gearings,  plow  points,  and  cast- 
ings in  general.  At  the  end  of  seven  years,  Mr. 
Hartman  sold  out  and  made  a  trip  to  Illinois, 
with  the  view  of  locating  in  the  West,  but  soon 
returned  to  Millheim.  He  stopped  at  Bellefonte 
on  his  way  back,  and  at  a  sheriff's  sale  purchased 
the  property  which  he  now  owns.  To  the  coach 
shop  already  standing  he  added  a  foundry,  with 
which  he  has  since' been  connected;  but  is  now 
practically  living  retired,  leaving  the  active  busi- 
ness management  to  his  son.  Besides  his  own 
comfortable  residence  he  has  also  erected  five 
others  for  his  children.  Always  willing  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  to  those  in  need,  he  has  sold  many 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods  on  credit  to  men 
who  were  unable  to  pay  for  them  at  the  time, 
and  much  of  which  he  never  collected.  Integrity, 
honesty  and  fair  dealings  have  characterized  all 
his  transactions,  and  his  word  has  ever  been  con- 
sidered as  good  as  his  bond. 

Mr.  Hartman  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  un- 
til 1892,  since  which  time  he  has  voted  the  Pro- 
hibition ticket  at  State  and  National  elections, 
but  on  local  affairs  votes  independent  of  party 
ties.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  council 
and  school  board  of  Millheim,  but  cares  nothing 
for  official  preferment.  Socially  he  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  while,  religiously,  both  himself  and  wife 
have  been  active  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  since  1842,  and  for  half  a  cen- 
tury he  has  served  as  class  leader.  They  are 
earnest,  sincere  Christians,  and  their  home  has 
ever  been  the  headquarters  for  visiting  ministers. 
During  the  fifty-three  years  that  have  passed 
since  they  were  made  man  and  wife,  they  have 
been  true  to  the  vows  taken,  and  Mrs.  Hartman 
has  proved  a  true  helpmeet  to  her  husband,  cheer- 
ing him  in  hours  of  sorrow  and  adversity,  and 
aiding  in  securing  their  present  prosperity,  which 
is  so  richly  merited. 


JOHN  WOLF,  a  representative  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Potter  township,  Centre  county, 

was  born  August  21,  1824,  upon  a  farm  near 
Sprucetown,  where  the  birth  of  his  father  oc- 
curred October  22,  1796. 

The  family,  which  is  quite  numerous  in 
Perm's  Valley,  was  founded  in  Centre  county,  by 
Peter  Wolf,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject, 
who  came  from  Carlisle,  Penn.,  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  had  previously 
visited  what  is  now  Centre  county,  and  being  im- 
pressed with  the  locality  returned  to  Cumberland 
county,  where   he    owned  considerable  property, 


I  0MMEM0BAT1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


which  he  at  once  disposed  of  with  the  intention 
of  buying  in  Centre  county.  He  received  Conti- 
nental money  for  his  property  in  Cumberland, 
and  by  the  time  he  got  to  Perm's  Valley  he  found 
it  was  worthless  to  paj  for  his  land  there.  He 
located  in  the  portion  of  Potter  township  which 
was  known  as  Wolf's  Den.  wild  wolves  being 
very  plentiful  in  that  neighborhood,  and  with  the 
aid  of  his  family  succeeded  by  improvement  in 
securing  a  home.  The  deed  to  the  land  was  ob- 
tained by  Abraham  Wolf,  June  iS,  1S10  (after 
the  death  of  his  father),  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  a  portion  of  it  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  John  Wolf,  the  subject  of  this  review. 

Abraham  Wolf,  who  throughout  life  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming,  was  married  in  Cum- 
berland county.  Penn.,  to  a  Miss  Shauffner,  and 
to  them  were  born  seven  children  —three  sons 
and  four  daughters  namely:  in  Cathari 
who  married  (first)  John  Hennigh,  ;md  (second  i 
Phillip  Grove.  Their  was  one  daughter  by  her 
second  marriage,  who  when  about  seventeen 
years  of  age,  along  with  two  other  children,  dur- 
ing the  absence  ol  their  parents  in  Penn's  Valley, 
at  ,i  camp  meeting,  was  burned  to  death,  their 
house  it  is  supposed  being  set  on  tire  by  some 
men  who  were  fishing  at  night  by  the  aid  ofliejit 
from  pine  knots.  Mrs.  Grove,  some  years  after 
her  husband's  death,  went  to  live  with  her  son, 
Jacob  Hennigh,  in  Illinois,  and  there  died  (2) 
Peter  was  the  father  of  our  subject.  (3)  Peggy 
married  fohn  Decker,  and  died  in  Potter  town- 
ship. (4)  Jacob's  death  occurred  in  Illinois. 
Polly  K.  married  James  McBride,  and  died  in 
Ven  inty,  Penn.       6)  [ohn,  who  was  twice 

married,  died  in  Kansas.  His  first  wife  was 
Mi  \  Wagner,  .1  cousin  oi  our  subject  (daughter 
of  his  mother's  sistei  |;  she  died  when  her  first 
child,  a  daughter,  was  born,  and  both  were 
buried  in  one  coffin.  They  resided  at  Spruce- 
town,  Penn.,  and  the  interment  was  made  in 
etery,  the  second  grave  made  there. 
(7)  Elizabeth  married  Samuel  Friese,  and  resides 
in  Wisconsin.  The  parents  ofthis  family  passed 
away  in  Centre  county,  and  lie  buried  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Tusseyville  cemetery  (then  the 
Loop  cemeten  |,   Potter  township. 

Peter  Wolf,  the  father,  was  a  weaver  by 
trade,  which  occupation  he  followed  through  the 
winter  seas, ui,  while  in  the  summer  he  engaged 
in  farming.  He  married  Sally  Ream,  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  COUnty,  alter  which  he  located 
upon  the  old  home  farm  ol  lus  lather  (at  thai 
time  deceased  1.  taking  the  larm  at  the  appraise- 
ment. Here  his  wife  died  in  1831,  and  her 
remains  were  interred  in  Tusseyville  cemeti 
To  this  marriage  there  were  born   five  children: 


Mary,  who  married  Samuel  Harter,  and  died  in 
Iowa;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  George  Newcomer, 
of  Iowa;  John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  George, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Freeport,  111.,  who  served 
for  one  term  as  judge  in  Stephenson  county,  and 
died  in  September.  1896;  and  Peter,  a  resident 
of  Dakota,  111.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
the  father  married  Catharine  Karr,  of  Union 
county,  Penn.,  who  also  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  lies  buried  at  Egghill.  Two  children 
were  born  to  this  union:  Leah,  who  died  when 
young;  and  Catharine  (now  Mrs.  Thomas  To 
of  Bellefonte.  Penn.  After  the  death  of  his 
second  wife,  the  father  broke  up  housekeeping, 
and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Peter,  near 
Dakota,  111.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He 
was  a  tall,  robust  man,  and  was  successful  in  his 
farming  operations,  succeeding  in  accumulating  a 
comfortable  competence.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
Lutheran,  but  later  joined  the  Albright  Church; 
in  politics  he  regularly  supported  the  Democratic 
party. 

John  Wolf  began  his  education  at  the  Long 
Bridge  school,  in  Potter  township,  under  the  in- 
struction of  Timothy  Ladd,  who  came  from  the 
State  of  Maine.  He  was  a  cripple,  and  had 
always  to  keep  his  seat,  being  unable  to  walk. 
Mr.  Ladd  returned  to  Maine,  and  lived  to  be 
ninety-six  years  ol  age  This  was  a  subscription 
school.  The  first  free  school  that  Mr.  Wolf 
attended  was  at  Egghill,  one  of  the  best  country 
schools  of  the  township,  his  teacher,  at  that 
time,  being  William  Toner.  When  about  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  he  left  home  to  learn  the 
cabinet-maker's  trade,  in  Millheim,  under  Samuel 
Harter.  During  his  apprenticeship  of  two  and 
half  years,  he  received  only  lus  board  and 
clothes  and  a  two-weeks'  vacation  in  harvest,  at 
which  interval  he  worked  for  fifty  cents  per  day, 
thus  securing  spending  money.  For  some  time 
he  continued  to  follow  that  trade,  and  when  it 
was  dull,  he  w< irked  at  carpentering.  He  went  to 
Pittsburg,  Penn.,  after  the  big  fire  there,  in  the 
spring  of  I  S 4 5 ,  but  not  finding  desirable  employ- 
ment, he.  along  with  five  other  men  and  a 
woman,  went  by  boat  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio.  Thi 
fare  from  Pittsburg  to  Cincinnati  was  seventy-five 
cents  each,  and  provisions  twenty-five  cent- 
each,  tin  trip,  which  occupied  two  days  and  two 
nights,  thereby  costing  the  party  one  dollar 
apiece,  the  woman  doing  the  cooking  for  them. 
and  at  the  end  of  their  journey  they  still  had 
some  provisions  left  1  >\  1  1 

While  in  Cincinnati  Mr.  Wolf  worked  for  on< 
week  for  his  board;  then  he  worked  two  weeks  in 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  after  paying  for  his  board  had 
just  $2.25  left.      Later  he  found  employment  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


293 


the  harvest  fields  in  Perry  county,  Ohio,  at  fifty 
cents  per  day.  From  Ohio  he  went  with  another 
man,  helping  him  for  his  expense  in  taking  horsesto 
Washington,  D.  C. ,  where  he  had  the  pleasure' of 
seeing  President  Polk,  and  from  there  he  re- 
turned on  foot  to  his  old  home  in  Potter  town- 
ship. To  this  Mr.  Wolf  adds  the  following: 
"On  my  way  from  Ohio  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
I  traveled  through  Maryland  and  Virginia,  and 
was  there  an  eyewitness  to  some  of  the  effects  of 
slavery.  I  saw  one  woman  and  her  daughter 
(about  eight  years  old)  driven  away,  while  the 
husband  and  father  had  to  remain  behind.  The 
little  girl  cried  for  her  'papa'  to  go  along,  but 
not  being  sold  with  the  Tot',  he  could  not  go. 
It  was  this  selling  and  breaking  up  of  families 
that  was  so  hard  for  the  poor  slaves,  otherwise 
they  were  cared  for  better  than  the  free  negroes, 
or  even  most  poor  white  people  are  ".  While  on 
this  trip  Mr.  Wolf  saw  the  first  railroad  cars  that 
his  eyes  ever  beheld.  They  were  on  the  road 
from  Baltimore  to  Cumberland,  Md.  In  the 
spring  of  1846  he  went  to  Freeport,  111.,  in  com- 
pany with  his  sister  Margaret,  and  her  husband, 
finding  board  and  doing  the  cooking  on  the  way, 
the  journey  being  made  in  a  wagon.  Their  trip 
was  one  that  took  them  six  weeks  to  make.  This 
route  was  by  way  of  Chicago,  in  which  city  they 
passed  along  Lake  street,  which  was  the  muddiest 
piece  of  road  on  the  route  from  Centre  Hill,  Penn. , 
to  Freeport,  111.  During  the  summer  at  Freeport 
he  assisted  in  roofing  the  first  brick  house  in  the 
city.  During  the  following  winter  and  spring  he 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Plainfield, 
Will  Co.,  111.,  for  $10  per  month  and  board,  and 
in  1847  went  with  surveyors  to  the  Black  river 
valley  in  Wisconsin,  before  that  State  had  been 
admitted  to  the  Union,  and  while  there  were  still 
Indians  there.  The  country  was  very  wild,  the 
party  walking  for  days  and  days  through  dense 
pine  forests  and  over  swamps. 

In  the  fall  of  1847  Mr-  Wolf  returned  to  Pot- 
ter township,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  where,  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca 
P.  Sankey,  who  was  born  in  1828,  in  Nittany 
Valley,  Clinton  county,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Rebecca  (Pennington)  Sankey.  Three  children 
blessed  their  union:  (1)  Virginia,  wife  of  David 
R.  Sweet  wood,  of  Potter  township;  they  have 
four  children — Charles  M.,  Franklin  W.,  Jennie 
A.  and  Verna  C.  (2)  James,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years.  (3)  Sally,  who  was 
twice  married,  the  first  time  to  James  Lee,  by 
whom  she  had  one  son — Rufus  Lee;  her  second 
husband  is  Jacob  Kamp,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn., 
by  whom  she  has  two  children — Edna  C.  and 
John  W.      The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  De- 


cember, 1876,  and  was  buried  in  the  Sprucetown 
cemetery.  Later,  the  father  married  Miss  Jen- 
nie E.  Kohler,  and  they  have  one  child — Mary 
M.,  at  home.  Our  subject  had  purchased  prop- 
erty near  the  Sprucetown  Church,  where  for  two 
years  after  his  first  marriage  he  made  his  home, 
working  at  carpentering,  then  removing  to  a 
farm  owned  by  his  father,  and  located  in  the 
northwest  part  of  Potter  township.  On  this 
farm,  years  before  the  Indians  left  the  Valley, 
they  killed  a  white  man  and  took  a  young  lady  a 
prisoner.  During  the  eleven  years  he  resided 
on  that  place,  Mr.  Wolf  followed  farming  ex- 
clusively. In  1865  he  purchased  a  portion  of 
the  old  Wolf  homestead  near  Sprucetown 
Church,  and  erected  thereon  good  and  sub- 
stantial buildings,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  removal,  in  1890,  to  his  present  place 
adjoining  the  farm.  Renting  his  farm,  he  has 
now  practically  laid  aside  business  cares,  and  is 
enjoying  a  well-earned  rest.  Mr.  Wolf  began 
life  without  means,  and  may  properly  be  num- 
bered among  the  self-made  men  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, who  have  attained  a  good  position  among 
their  fellow-citizens  by  the  exercise  of  their  na- 
tive resolution  and  industry.  At  the  time  he 
started  for  Illinois  he  had  just  thirteen  dollars  in 
money  to  go  on.  To  secure  a  competence  he 
has  also  kept  in  view  the  good  of  the  community, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  first  men  to  be  approached 
in  the  inauguration  of  any  enterprise  tending  to 
build  up  the  township  and  the  welfare  of  its  peo- 
ple. He  cast  one  of  the  only  two  votes  deposited 
in  Potter  township  for  Fremont  in  1856,  and  also 
supported  Lincoln  at  each  election;  but  for  the 
past  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  Prohibitionist. 
During  the  Civil  war  (in  the  last  draft  made  in 
1865)  he  was  drafted,  but  sent  another  man  in 
his  place,  paying  him  $550.  He  keeps  himself 
well  posted  in  regard  to  current  events,  espe- 
cially matters  pertaining  to  prohibition,  and 
justly  deserves  to  be  numbered  among  the  hon- 
ored and  valued  residents  of  Centre  county.  He 
has  never  united  with  any  Church. 

The  following  account  of  a  trip  made  by  Mr. 
Wolf,  as  one  of  a  surveying  party,  from  Free- 
port,  111.,  into  Wisconsin  in  1847  when  the  coun- 
try was  new,  in  thus  graphically  described  by 
him:  "We  started  from  Freeport,  111.,  went 
on  foot  with  two  horses  with  pack-saddles  to  the 
Mississippi  river,  which  we  crossed  on  a  ferry- 
boat to  Dubuque,  Iowa.  We  had  to  wait  there 
nearly  a  week  before  there  was  any  boat  going 
up  the  river.  While  there  I  saw  the  first  Indians 
coming  east  to  Indiana,  where  they  had  a  Re- 
serve. The  chief  could  talk  some  English  and 
told  us  there  was  no  game  in  Iowa,  and  couldn't 


294 


'  OMMRMOBATIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL  UKioilD. 


live  there.  They  crossed  the  river  on  the  ferry- 
boat, which  required  several  trips.  After  the 
first  load  had  gone  the  chief  knew  what  the 
price  was  for  each  Indian,  pony  and  soon.  He 
then  got  his  money  ready  for  the  next  load,  and 
he  appealed  to  Mr.  Strohm,  who  was  also  from 
Centre  county,  Perm.,  and  myself  to  see  whether 
he  was  correct  in  his  count,  and  said  to  us 
1  whiteman  will  cheat  Indian.'  We  finally  got 
a  chance  to  goon  a  steamboat  as  far  up  the  river 
as  LaCrosse,  Wis.,  which  was  as  far  as  the  boat 
went.  We  had  to  stay  there  several  days  (as 
boats  seldom  went  farther  up  the  river).  At 
that  point,  and  at  that  time  there  were  seven 
little  buildings  only,  in  all  were  kept  Hour, 
whiskey  and  some  few  groceries.  The  day  after 
we  arrived  at  LaCrosse,  we  were  looking  around. 
and  were  told  by  those  keeping  one  of  the  larg- 
est stores  there,  that  all  of  them  were-  out  of 
flour  and  whiskey.  The  day  before  when  the 
boat  came  they  all  got  a  new  supply,  and  he  had 
retailed  one  barrel  of  whiskey  and  half  a  band 
of  flour,  mostly  to  the  Indians,  as  there  were 
scarcely  any  white  people  at  that  place.  The 
bossof  our  party  hired  a  small  boat,  about  thirty 
feet  long,  which  we  pushed  along  with  long 
poles,  which  reached  the  bottom  of  the  river. 
There  was  one  place  the  water  was  so  deep  that 
we  could  not  reach  the  bed  ol  the  river  and  we 
had  to  i  ross  over  to  the  Iowa  side,  and  had  to 
paddle  the  boat  with  our  hands  and  with  little  bits 
of  boards  that  happened  to  be  on  the  boat.  We 
were  taken  some  distance  down  stream  and  the 
same  occurred  in  getting  back  to  the  Wisconsin 
we  found  the  mouth  of  the  Black 
river. 

"The  second  evening  after,  on  Black  river, we 
stopped  to  get  our  supper,  there  came  a  few  Indians 
to  us  and  wanted  some  whiskey,  but  we  had  none. 
We  had  two  barrels  of  mess-pork,  which  they 
thought  were  barrels  of  whiskey,  so  we  had  some 
trouble  to  make  them  understand  the  situation 
as  they  could  not  speak  English,  and  wecouldn'1 
talk  to  them  only  by  motions.  They  could  say 
'whiskey.'  and  would  point  to  the  barrels 
and  to  their  mouths.  They  went  away, 
but  soon  returned  and  brought  a  few  more  In- 
dians with  them,  and  a  large  fish  weighing  about 
thirty  pounds,  and  also  about  a  gallon  of  whor- 
tleberries which  they  wanted  to  trade  for  whis- 
key. We  showed  them  the  barrel  of  porkthatwe 
had  opened,  but  they  insisted  for  us  to  open  the 
other  barrel.  Finally  we  got  them  convinced 
that  we  had  no  whiskey.  We  gave  them  some 
pork,  bread  and  some  money  for  the  fish  and 
berries,  and  then  the)'  left  in  peace.  After  we 
got  up  the  river  we  stopped   at  a    lumber   camp 


and  then  we  went  about  seven  miles  south  of  the 
river  where  some  surveyors  had  been  before  we 
want  there.  They  had  run  the  land  into  town- 
ships, and  we  were  to  run  the  section  lines.  At  one 
place  we  got  on  a  high  ridge,  one  side  of  which 
was  straight  up  and  down,  and  on  looking  around 
to  see  the  sights  I  stepped  on  a  big  rock  that  lay 
nearly  on  a  balance  over-hanging  the  other 
rocks.  This  nearly  pitched  me  over,  hut  I 
st(  pi"  1  back  and  told  Strohm  that  it  wouldn't 
take  much  to  tumble  it  over,  which  we  did  with 
verylittle  lilting,  and  when  it  struck  below,  it 
broke  into  many  pieces,  which  we  could  see  roll- 
ing down  into  the  valley.  I  just  thought  we 
would  put  it  out  of  the  way  for  somebody  might 
go  there  some  time,  and  step  on  it  as  I  did,  and 
tumble  over.  Well  we  did  not  finish  the  sur- 
veying as  one  of  our  men  got  hurt  in  one  of  his 
legs,  and  we  had  nothing  with  us  to  doctor  him 
with,  so  the    bo-  him    to    the    river,  and 

lit  went  home  Alter  this  I  did  his  work  (which 
was  that  of  flagman)  and  my  own,  too  (which 
was  marking  lines  and  corners).  About  a  week 
later  one  of  the  chain  carriers  ran  away.  He 
went  to  the  Black  river, where  he  picked  up  a  little 
boat  and  went  back  to  Galena,  111.  Mr.  Strohm 
and  I  helped  him  away  without  the  boss  knowing 
it,  we  were  both  tired  of  the  job;  then  we  could 
not  go  on  with  the  work.  lour   oi    us   that 

were  left  started  for  Freeport,  111.,  on  foot  with 
the  two  horses.      W<  our  days  ingetting  to 

the  first  little  settlement,  and  we  had  only  taken 
provision  for  three  days,  the  distance  hemi;  so 
ninety  miles,  so  the  last  day  we  had  nothing  but 
coffee.  The  settlers  were  out  of  flour,  but  had 
a  little  cornmeal  and  milk,  s,,  we  hail  mush  and 
milk  for  supper.  Thesettlers  had  sixty  miles  to 
For  tlour.  The  next  day  we  got  to  another 
settlement  and  soon  ware  provided  for. " 

I  lie  reason   for  Mr.  Wolf's  going    t<>  Illinois 
was  that  in  the  east  there   was   little  work   to   be 

id  at  such  wages  as  would  satisfy  him     Wages 
were  low.      He    had    been    offered    work    at    his 
trade  at  eight   dollars  per   month,  but  he  was 
furnish    his   own    tools,  and   was   required  to  ; 
his  board  on  Sundays,  and  his  laundry       He  had 
been  offered  six   dollars    a   month   and    board 
drive  a  team,  but   this    he  declined  as  the  hours 
were  long     from  6  a.  m.  to  6  p.  m.      with  other 
unsatisfactory    features   about   it.      This   was   in 
the  spring  ot    [846.       That    same   sear,  while  in 
Chicago,  he  applied  to  a  cabinet-maker  for  work, 
and  was  offered    employment    at    piece  work 
follows:    for  making  a    breakfast  table,  seventy- 
five    cents;   for  making    a  bedstead,  forty  cents; 
and  all  other  kinds  of  work    in   proportion.      At 
that  time  it  took  a  workman  two  days  or  longer 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


295 


to  make  a  table,  so  Mr.  Wolf  figured  that  at 
such  prices  he  could  make  about  thirty-eight 
cents  per  day.  These  prices  were  without  board 
and  lodging,  which  was  three  dollars  per  week. 
On  Mr.  Wolf's  stating  that  he  did  not  see  how 
men  could  work  for  such  prices,  his  reply,  in 
substance,  was  that  foreigners  coming  to  that 
city  would  do  it  as  they  could  live  on  about  five 
cents  a  day.  Mr.  Wolf  could  then  do  about  as 
much  work  as  any  other  man,  but  he  could  not 
live  on  five  cents  a  day  or  compete  with  men 
who  did. 

C\HARLES  GUMMO  is  numbered  among  the 
'  leading  and  enterprising  farmers  of  Patton 
township,  Centre  county,  and  is  also  a  stone 
mason  by  trade.  He  comes  from  "over  the 
sea,"  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Wittenberg, 
Germany,  March  24,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Behrer)  Gummo,  both 
now  deceased,  the  former  dying  in  1830,  and  the 
latter  in  1888.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  the  others  being  Madaline,  wife  of  B. 
Ruskin;  Caroline,  who  married,  and  reared  a 
family;  and  John,  who  married,  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  the  Fatherland. 

In  the  land  of  his  nativity  Charles  Gummo 
was  reared  and  educated,  and  in  1852  he  married 
Frederica  Bardt.  In  the  following  year  he  sailed 
with  his  wife  for  America,  landing  in  New  York 
May  19,  1853.  He  was  the  only  one  of  his  fam- 
ily who  ever  sought  a  home  in  the  New  World, 
but  here  he  has  prospered,  and  is  the  owner  of  a 
good  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Patton  township, 
Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  which  is  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  well  improved  with  good  and 
substantial  buildings.  Before  coming  to  this 
country  he  had  served  for  four  years  in  the  Ger- 
man army,  was  therefore  well  drilled  and  dis- 
ciplined, and  during  the  dark  days  of  our  Civil 
war,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  September  14, 
1864.  On  the  battle  field  he  was  a  brave  and 
fearless  soldier,  and  for  meritorious  conduct  was 
promoted  to  lieutenant  in  the  spring  of  1865. 
Among  the  important  engagements  in  which  he 
participated  was  the  battle  of  Stony  Creek. 
When  the  war  was  over  and  his  services  were  no 
longer  needed  he  was  honorably  discharged  June 
7,  1865,  and  returned  home. 

Thirteen  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gummo,  namely:  Charles  F.,  who  is  mar- 
ried, and  living  in  Wisconsin;  Frederick,  who  is 
married,  and  is  a  farmer  of  Pine  Grove  Mills, 
Centre  county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel  Dun- 
lap,  also  of  Pine  Grove  Mills;  Andrew,  married, 
and  engaged  in  farming  in  Patton  township.  Cen- 
tre county;  George,   married,  and   also  a  farmer 


of  the  same  township;  William,  a  resident  of 
Wisconsin;  John,  who  is  married  and  is  an  agri- 
culturist'of  Pine  Grove  Mills;  Emma,  wife  of  Ed- 
ward Louck,  a  farmer  of  Ferguson  township, 
Centre  county;  David,  who  is  married  and  is 
fireman  in  a  sawmill  in  Patton  township;  Katha- 
rine, now  a  resident  of  California;  Minnie,  at 
home;  and  two  children  who  died  in  early  child- 
hood. 

Since  casting  his  first  vote  in  i860,  Mr. 
Gummo  has  been  a  stalwart  Democrat  in  politics. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Grange,  while 
in  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church.  That  he  is  true  and  loyal  to  the 
interests  of  his  adopted  country  was  manifest 
by  his  service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  for  injuries 
sustained  in  that  struggle  he  now  receives  a  pen- 
sion of  $12  per  month. 


/*V\EORGE  B.  WEAVER,  a  valued  and  es- 
VJI  teemed  resident  of  Rebersburg,  was  formerly 
an  agriculturist  of  Miles  township,  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  enjoyed  more  than  ordinary  success,  but 
has  now  laid  aside  the  caresv  and  responsibilities 
of  active  business  life,  and  is  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  rest.  He  was  born  in  Miles  township,  in 
August,  1 82 1,  a  son  of  John  Weaver,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Centre  county,  whose  father  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  Brush  Valley,  coming  from 
southern  Pennsylvania  to  Centre  county  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  reared  a  large  family,  several  of 
whom  died  in  Brush  Valley,  others  being  scat- 
tered over  the  West. 

John  Weaver  for  his  first  wife  wedded  a  Miss 
Fallgate,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Sally, 
who  became  the  wife  of  John  Kreamer,  and  died 
in  Brush  Valley.  After  the  death  of  the  mother, 
Mr.  Weaver  wedded  Polly  Brungart,  and  to  them 
were  born  five  children:  Jacob,  who  died  un- 
married at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years;  John,  who 
died  in  Brush  Valley  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years;  Henry,  who  died  in  the  same  place; 
George  B.,  of  this  review;  and  Susan,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  Kreamer,  and  died  in  Rebersburg. 
The  father  was  a  distiller  and  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  was  very  successful  in  his  business 
ventures,  owning  three  valuable  farms.  He  was 
a  man  of  about  five  feet,  eleven  inches  in  height, 
very  robust  in  his  younger  days,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  had 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years,  he 
was  still  well  preserved,  retaining  his  vitality  to  a 
remarkable  degree.  His  second  wife  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven,  and  was  laid  by  his  side  in 
the  cemetery  of  Rebersburg.     They  held   mem- 


296 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


bership  in  the  Reformed   Church,  and  in  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat. 

Upon  the  home  farm  George  B.  Weaver  was 
reared,  his  education  being  obtained  in  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  the  neighborhood,  which  he 
was  only  able  to  attend  about  three  months  dur- 
ing i  ir  as  his  services  were  needed  on  the 
farm.  Alter  the  plowing,  sowing  and  reaping 
were  completed,  the  grain  had  to  be  threshed  by 
tramping  it  out,  and  tins  was  done  during  the 
winter  season,  so  that  it  left  little  time  for  him 
to  attend  school.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  be- 
gan hauling  wood  by  ox-team  for  his  father's  dis- 
tillery. In  January,  i  S4  ^.  he  was  married,  in 
Miles  township,  to  Miss  Sallie  Harper,  who  was 
born  in  Brush  Valley,  in  1822,  a  daughter  of 
mil  Elizabeth  (Kreamer)  Harper.  They 
became  the  parents  of  three  children:  Fietta 
(now  Mrs  S.  Krumrine);  Joanna,  wife  of  Prof, 
1     I..  Gramley;  and  Delia,  at  home. 

Mr.  Weaver  began  his  domestic  life  upon 
oi  Ins  father's  farms,  which  he  later  pur- 
chased  and  still  owns.  In  the  early  days  he  had 
to  haul  all  his  grain  and  produce  t"  Lewisburg, 
and  it  took  two  or  three  days  to  make  the  round 
trip  as  the  road  was  very  rough  and  steep,  and 
often  tour,  or  mx  horses  were  required  to  haul  a 
load  of  fifty  or  sixty  bushels  of  grain.  Mr. 
Weaver  remained  upon  the  farm  until  April  4, 
[868,  when  he  removed  to  Rebersburg,  where 
he  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  the  pleasant  and 
comfortable  home  which  he  there  purchased. 
However,  lie  --till  owns  an  excellent  farm  in 
Miles  t'  ivt  nship. 

In  his  political  view-  Mr    Weaver  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and    has   served    his   fellow   citizens    in  the 

icityof  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  is  a  genial, 
jovial  gentleman,  always  cheerful,  and  therefore 
an  excellent  1  ompanion.  He  has  endeavored  t" 
live  peaceably  with  all  men.  having  never  had 
but  two  lawsuits,  both  of  which  he  won.  Straight- 
forward and  honorable  in  all  things,  he  enj 
tin  1  onfidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens 
in  a  high  degree.  For  man)  years  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  have  been  active  members  ol  the 
Reformed  Church  of  Rebersburg,  to  which  the\ 
have  been  liberal  contributors,  and  Mr.  We 
served  on  the  building  committee  at  the  time  of 
the  erection  ■  >!  the  house  of  worship.  They  have 
celebrated  their  fiftieth  wedding  anniversary,  and 
during  the  many  years  that  have  come  and  gone 
since  they  started  out  on  life's  journey  together 
they  have  shared  with  each  other  its  joys  and  sor- 
row s,  and  faithfully  born  their  part  of  its  trials,  so 
that  now  in  their  declining  years  they  can  look 
back  over  a  useful  and  well-spent  life  with  no  re- 
grets. 


w 


ILLIAM  WALKER.  But  few  men  live 
beyond  their  eighth  decade,  and  fewer 
still  attain  that  age  with  faculties  unimpaired  and 
a  memory  that  records  vividly  the  events  of  the 
past.  The  gentleman  whose  name  opens  thi> 
sketch,  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Rebersburg. 
Centre  county,  enjoys  this  distinction,  and  he 
and  his  estimable  wife,  now  seventy-six  years  of 
age,  are  spending  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  wedded 
life,  free  from  the  ills  which  too  often  accompany 
ad va need  age. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
prominent  pioneer  family,  and  was  born  in  Brush 
Valley,  Centre  county.  March  24,  1  S  1 6,  the  son 
of  John  Walker,  who  died  in  1858,  at  the  ag< 
eighty-six,  and  his  wife,  Mar)  M.  (Gramley),  who 
lived  past  the  limit  of  three  score  and  ten,  dying 
in  1852.  John  Walker  was  a  native  of  North- 
ampton county,  l'enn..  and  came  to  this  section 
about  1790,  as  a  young  man,  finding  employ- 
ment at  driving  a  team  for  the  furnaces  of  Nit- 
tany  Valley.  He  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
come  to  Centre  county,  but  later  his  brother 
Philip  settled  there  and  became  prominent  as  a 
pioneer.  Walker  township  being  named  in  his 
honor. 

John  Walker's  marriage  took  place  in  Brush 
Valley,  where  his  wife's  father,  Francis  Gramley, 
was  a  leading  citizen.  Soon  after  this  event  Mi. 
Walker  returned  to  his  old  home,  and  spent  a 
short  time  before  settling  permanently  in  Centre 
county.  He  chose  agriculture  as  an  occupa- 
tion, and  his  first  farm,  in  Brush  Valley,  is 
now,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  century,  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  Thomas  W 
Walker,  a  son  of  our  subject,  owning  and  occu- 
pying it  at  present.  John  Walker  also  became 
the  owner  of  a  farm  in  Sugar  Valley,  and  his  in- 
dustry and  systematic  and  judicious  management 
of  his  property  gained  him  a  substantial  fortune. 
He  was  a  heavy-set  man.  and  our  subject  re- 
sembles him  greatly  in  build.  His  interest  in 
public  affairs,  national  and  local,  was  keen,  and 
his  regard  for  the  Democratic  party  was  second 
only  to  that  which  he  felt  for  his  Church,  the 
Lutheran.  He  and  his  wife  were  both  devout 
followers  of  that  faith,  and  he  held  office  in  tin 
Church  for  many  years.  Their  remains  w 
laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Rebersbur- 

Our  subject  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  "' 
six  children,  and  is  the  only  survivor.  Catherine 
(Mrs.  Jacob  Snyder)  died  in  Clinton  county  in  hi 
ninety-fourth  year;  John,  a  farmer,  died  in  Illi- 
nois; Daniel,  who  died  in  Miles  township  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two.  was  one  of  the  wealthy  farm- 
ers of  his  time;  Rebecca  married  George  Neff,  ami 
died  in  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county;  and    Mary 


09V  OfaJjfa^- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


297 


married  Benjamin  Wheland,  and  lived  to  be 
more  than  eighty  years  of  age,  her  death  occur- 
ring in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Walker,  of  this  review,  was  educated  ac- 
cording to  the  customs  of  the  early  day,  attend- 
ing school  for  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter  season 
in  a  small  log  house  that  stood  on  one  corner  of 
his  father's  farm.  Threshing  was  then  a  winter 
occupation,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  guide  the 
horses  as  they  tramped  out  the  grain  on  the 
barn  floor.  Only  when  this  annual  task  was 
completed  could  he  secure  an  opportunity  for 
study  at  school.  His  life  was  that  of  the  typical 
pioneer  farmer,  with  home-spun  clothes,  plain  but 
abundant  food,  and  plenty  of  work.  He  devel- 
oped into  a  stout,  healthy  youth,  and  at  sixteen 
could  work  beside  any  hired  man,  and  "  keep  up  " 
without  difficulty.  His  liking  for  system  in  his 
work  was  early  shown,  and  even  when  a  boy  his 
furrows  when  plowing  were  always  straight.  His 
father  was  not  active  in  farm  work,  and  the  elder 
sons  left  home  as  they  reached  manhood,  and 
thus  much  responsibilty  fell  to  our  subject,  who 
at  sixteen  had  practically  assumed  the  manage- 
ment. In  1849  he  bought  the  place,  which  con- 
tained about  165  acres.  He  was  unusually  suc- 
cessful financially,  and  at  one  time  owned  three 
large  farms,  one  of  140  acres,  being  in  Stephen- 
son county,  111.  At  present  he  owns  172  acres 
near  Rebersburg,  and  several  town  lots  aside  from 
that  upon  which  his  handsome  residence  stands. 
This  he  bought  in  1872  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  the 
lot  covering  five  acres,  and  since  that  date  he  has 
resided   there. 

In  January,  1840,  Mr.  Walker  was  married, 
in  Miles  township,  to  Miss  Polly  Smull,  who  was 
born  near  Rebersburg  in  1821,  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Royer)  Smull.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  union  were  Amanda  (now  Mrs.  Peter 
Kessler,  of  Rebersburg);  Ira  J.,  a  farmer  of  Ste- 
phenson county,  111.,  married  Maria,  daughter  of 
Simon  Peck;  Jestie  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  years,  unmarried;  Wilson  T. ,  residing 
near  Dacotah,  111.,  married  Kate  Zimmerman; 
Thomas  W. ,  of  Miles  township,  living  on  a  farm 
which  has  been  in  the  Walker  family  over  one 
hundred  years,  married  Annie,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel and  Elizabeth  Loose,  of  Rebersburg,  Penn. ; 
Emma  (now  Mrs.  A.  F.  Vonada,  of  Coburn); 
Mary  M.  (now  Mrs.  J.  F.  Garthoff,  of  Coburn). 
Mr.  Walker  is  justly  proud  of  his  children,  and 
has  given  nearly  $5,000  to  give  them  a  start  in 
life.  The  mother  departed  this  life  in  May,  1 897, 
aged  seventy-six  years. 

Mr.  Walker  has  always  been  prominent  in 
local  affairs,  and  has  held  various  township  offi- 
ces.    He  is  a    Democrat,  and    votes    regularly, 


having  missed  but  one  election  since  1837.  He 
and  his  wife  are  leading  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  deacon,  elder 
and  trustee.  He  is  a  liberal  giver  to  the  cause, 
and  donated  $400  when  the  church  was  built  at 
Rebersburg. 


GEORGE  DURST  is  now  retired  from  the 
active  labors  of  life,  and  occupies  a  com- 
fortable home  in  Centre  Hall,  Centre  county. 
His  has  been  a  long  and  busy  career,  with  little 
time  for  idleness  along  the  thoroughfare  of  life, 
where  he  has  left  his  mark,  and  may  truly  feel 
that  he  has  not  lived  in  vain.  He  is  a  native  of 
Centre  county,  born  January  3,  1832,  in  Potter 
township,  where  for  many  years  he  was  exten- 
sively and  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 

George  Durst,  Sr.,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  October  12, 
1 80 1,  whence  when  a  boy  he  was  brought  to 
Centre  county  by  his  parents,  Peter  and  Barbara 
(Peters)  Durst,  also  natives  of  Lebanon  county. 
They  located  in  Potter  township,  one  mile  west 
of  Earlystown,  where  Peter  Durst  followed 
farming  throughout  his  active  business  life,  own- 
ing at  one  time  three  good  farms.  He  lived  to 
be  quite  old,  and  was  buried  at  Tusseyville  by 
the  side  of  his  wife,  Both  were  devout  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  their  family  were 
the  following  children:  Peter,  who  died  in  Cen- 
tre Hall;  John,  who  died  in  Mercer  county, 
Penn.  ;  George;  Daniel,  who  died  in  Potter  town- 
ship; William,  who  died  in  Kansas;  Maria,  who 
married  Daniel  Musser,  and  died  in  Freeport, 
111. ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Smith,  and  died 
in  Union  county,  Penn. ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
George  Smehl,  and  died  in  Clearfield  county, 
Penn. ;  and  Catharine,  who  married  John  Neff, 
and  died  in  Centre  Hall. 

When  a  boy,  George  Durst,  Sr.,  began 
learning  the  wagon  maker's  trade,  but,  not  liking 
it,  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  in  which  he 
met  with  excellent  success.  After  his  marriage 
he  located  upon  a  place  his  father  owned  in  Pot- 
ter township,  and  later  purchased  a  farm  one 
mile  west  of  Earlystown,  where  our  subject  was 
born.  There  he  continued  to  live  until  the 
spring  of  1848,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  in 
Potter  township,  near  the  Gregg  township  line, 
having  purchased  the  same  of  Col.  Andrew 
Gregg.  There  he  made  his  home  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  active  business  career,  and  going 
to  Centre  Hall  lived  retired  for  several  years. 
Trading  his  town  property  for  country  land,  he 
lived  upon  the  place  for  a  short  time,  but  again 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


returned  to  Centre  Hall,  where  his  death  occurred 
March  8,  1882.  He  was  buried  at  that  place,  as 
was  also  his  wife,  who  died  while  visiting  her  son 
Hiram  in  Gregg  township,  June  25,  1878.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  while 
Mr.  Durst  held  membership  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  In  politics  he  was  always  a  Democrat, 
but  cared  nothing  for  official  distinction.  He 
was  a  robust  man,  of  powerful  build,  and  being 
industrious,  energetic  and  progressive,  met  with 
remarkable  success  in  his  undertakings,  owning 
at  <>ne  time  five  excellent  farms.  When  his  chil- 
dren started  out  in  life  for  themselves  he  also 
ted  them  very  materially. 

In  Harris  township.  Centre  county,  Gi 
Durst,  Sr  was  married  to  Catharine  Meyers,  who 
was  born  in  Canipbelltown,  Penn.,  January  16, 
1804.  and  in  1S23  came  to  Centre  county  with 
her  parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Hurst) 
Meyers.  They  located  near  Boalsburg,  where 
her  father  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land.  He 
was  born  in  1767,  and  died  April  19,  1844.  He 
was  a  representative  of  the  third  generation  of 
this  numerous  family  in  the  United  States,  his 
lather  being  Christopher  Meyers.  The  grand- 
father came  from  Germany  and  located  perma- 
manently  neaj  the  source  of  Mill  creek,  in  what 
is  now  Lancaster  county,  Penn  Mrs  Meyers 
was  born  in  1779,  and  died  May  22,  1859.  She 
was  the  mother  of  six  children:  Philip,  Jacob, 
the  mother  of  our  subject  1,  Henry, 
Joseph    and  Mary. 

Mr.  Durst,  the  subject  proper  of  this  review, 
is  the  fourth  in  ord<  1  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eight 
children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Josepl 
.1  retired  farmer  living  neai  Mifflinsburg,  Penn. 
t  \  1  us  is  a  retired  farmer  living  neai  Boals- 
burg.  Centre  county;  Priscilla  married  Henry 
Dale,  and  died  in  Ferguson  township,  Centre 
county:  Elizabeth  makes  her  home  in  Centre 
Hall; John  II..  who  was  a  member  of  the  148th 
P.  V.  I.  during  the  Civil  war.  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  died  at  the  hospital 
in  Harrisburg,  Penn,  Philip  is  an  agriculturist 
of  Potter  township,  and  Hiram  is  a  farmer  of 
<  'i egg  township,  Centi inty. 

Our  subject  began  his  education  at  the  Fair- 
field school  house  in  Potter  township  under  the 
direction  of  Uriah  Slack,  but  as  his  services 
were  needed  on  the  home  farm  hiseducation  was 
limited.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accompanied 
Ins  parents  to  Gn  gg  township,  where  he  assisted 
in  the  development  and  cultivation  of  his  father's 
extensive  farm,  comprising  over  400  acres,  and 
continued  under  the  parental  roof  until  his  mar- 
riage, giving  his  parents  the  benefit  of  his  serv- 
ices even  after  he  had  attained  his  majority. 


In  Juniata  county,  Penn.,  February  8,  1859, 
Mr.  Durst  wedded  Miss  Sabina  Shellenberger, 
who  was  born  in  Fayette  township,  that  county, 
July  26,  1828,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catharine 
(Kiester)  Shellenberger,  the  former  also  a  native 
of  Fayette  township,  and  the  latter  of  Buffalo 
Valley,  Union  Co.,  Penn.  By  occupation  the 
father  was  a  tanner  and  farmer.  Mr-;  l)nr>t 
was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
nine  children — four  sons  and  five  daughters — 
and  obtained  a  fair  education  for  her  time.  By 
her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  two 
children:  William  H.,  born  April  9,  1861,  is  a 
farmer  of  Potter  township;  and  Adda  J.,  born  in 
April,  1 863,  is  the  wife  of  A.  P.  Krape,  of  Cen- 
tre Hall. 

Mr.  Durst  began  housekeeping  upon  a  part 
of  his  father's  large  farm,  which  had  been  sold  to 
his  brother,  Joseph,  who,  at  that  time,  was 
desirous  of  selling  out.  The  house  was  an  old 
log  structure,  which  served  as  a  dwelling  until 
1887,  when  our  subject  built  as  good  a  residence 
as  is  to  be  found  in  Potter  township  In  1886  he 
removed  to  a  small  house,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased, near  his  farm,  while  his  son-in-law 
operated  the  home  place;  but  in  1889  he  returned 
to  the  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1894,  however,  he 
came  to  Centre  Hall,  where  he  is  now  enjoying  a 
well-earned  rest,  free  from  the  cares  and  respon- 
sibilities of  business  life.  However,  he  -till  owns 
a  farm  of  125  acres  in  Potter  township,  and  nine 
acres  adjoining  Centre  Hall.  Although  he  has 
ever  been  a  hard-working  man,  he  is  still  well- 
preserved.  Politically, he  is  a  supportei  ol  Dem- 
ocratic principles;  in  religious  faith  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  Church.  He  takes  a  genu- 
ine interest  in  the  enterprises  set  on  foot  for  the 
progress  and  welfare  of  his  adopted  county,  and 
takes  high  rank  among  the  leading  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  the  community. 


J  At  OB  S  MEYER,  a  leading  citizen  and 
farmer  of  Penn  town-hip.  Centre  county,  is  a 
representative  of  one  ol  the  nd  most 

highly  respected  families  of  central  Pennsylvania. 
The  first  of  the  family  to  cross  the  Atlantic 
to  America  is  supposed  to  have  borne  the  Dame 
of  Henry  Meyer,  who  was  a  native  of  Palatin 
Prussia,  and  arrived  here  some  time  between  the 
years  1721  and  1725.  The  spelling  of  the  name 
has  often  been  changed,  and  the  Mayers  and 
Mayers  of  Centre  county  belong  to  the  same 
family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  member.  His 
father  has  always  spelled  the  name  Mover,  which 
practice  had  its  origin  in  rather  a  peculiar  way. 
While    at    school,   a    copy    was  written    by    his 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


299 


teacher,  in  which  the  name  was  spelled  Moyer, 
and  the  pupils  told  that  such  was  correct.  Im- 
pressed with  the  knowledge  of  their  teacher,  they 
have  retained  the  spelling  until  recent  years, 
when  the  error  was  rectified,  and  the  proper 
spelling  adopted  by  quite  a  number,  including  our 
subject.  An  extensive  genelaogy  of  the  Meyer 
family  has  been  compiled  by  Hon.  Henry  Meyer, 
of  Rebersburg,  Centre  county — a  volume  which 
reflects  credit  upon  the  author,  as  it  has  required 
years  of  research  and   much  travel  to  complete. 

On  coming  to  the  New  World,  Henry  Meyer 
located  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Lebanon 
(then  Lancaster  county),  Penn.,  near  the  beau- 
tiful spring  which  forms  the  source  of  Mill  brook. 
In  his  family  were  four  sons  and  one  or  two 
daughters,  but  nothing  is  known  of  the  latter. 
John  lived  upon  the  old  farm  in  Lebanon  county,, 
where  he  died  December  11,  1786.  Jacob  left 
Lebanon  county  in  1768,  and  with  his  family 
located  in  that  part  of  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  which  is  now  Snyder  county,  where  he 
died,  and  he  now  lies  buried  in  Freeburg,  Penn. 
Christopher  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject.      Michael  never  married. 

Christopher  Meyer  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  near  Campbelltown,  Lebanon  county, 
where  he  made  his  home,  and  there  died  August 
2,  1 8 10.  His  children  were  Henry,  John,  Mi- 
chael, Jacob,  Christopher,  George,  Catharine, 
Christina  and  Mary.  Of  this  family,  Jacob 
Meyer  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  He 
was  born  March  25,  1774,  and  on  reaching  man- 
hood married  Anna  Sheller,  who  was  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  December  25,  1775,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Adam  Sheller.  Eight  children 
graced  their  union,  namely:  Elizabeth,  born 
February  26,  1801,  married  Henry  Witmer,  and 
died  in  Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  in  1868;  Jacob,  born 
August  5,  1802,  died  September  14,  1867,  at 
Penn  Hall;  Nancy,  born  September  14,  1S04, 
married  Samuel  Kryder,  and  died  September 
23,  1886;  Catharine,  born  January  I,  1806,  died 
in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  in  March, 
1894;  Mary,  born  December  7,  1807,  married 
Jacob  Fisher,  and  died  in  Illinois;  Susan,  born 
November  30,  1808,  died  in  Penn  township, 
August  13,  1873;  Christopher,  born  in  October, 
18 1 2,  was  a  farmer  of  Penn  township,  where  he 
died  June  2,  1 873 ;  and  John,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, completes  the  family. 

In  March,  1828,  the  grandfather  came  to 
Penn  township,  locating  on  the  pike  west  of 
Millheim,  and  became  one  of  the  most  substan- 
tial farmers  of  Penn's  Valley.  On  coming  to  the 
county  he  had  practically  laid  aside  active  busi- 
ness cares,  but  purchased  270  acres  of  fine  land 


for  the  benefit  of  his  children,  whom  he  left  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  His  death  occurred 
September  25,  1853,  while  his  wife  died  March 
25,  1850,  and  both  were  interred  in  the  Heck- 
man  cemetery.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  physique, 
over  six  feet  in  height,  of  a  most  kindly  dispo- 
sition, making  no  enemies,  and  always  sacrificing 
himself  to  avoid  a  quarrel.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Penns  Creek  Church,  Reformed  and 
Lutheran,  to  which  he  was  a  liberal  contributor, 
and  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics. 

The  birth  of  John  Meyer  occurred  in  Annville 
township,  Lebanon  county,  September  14,  1814, 
and  he  was  therefore  fourteen  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  removal  with  his  parents  to  Centre 
county.  In  school  he  learned  very  rapidly,  and 
was  soon  able  to  read  and  write  both  English 
and  German,  whilst  in  mathematics  he  surpassed 
most  of  the  scholars  who  were  several  years  his 
senior.  When  a  young  man  he  clerked  in  the 
store  of  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Witmer,  at 
Aaronsburg,  but,  aside  from  this  and  several 
terms  passed  in  teaching,  his  life  has  been  that 
of  a  farmer.  He  taught  the  Cross  Road  school, 
in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  in  1842,  when 
seventy-five  pupils  were  enrolled,  some  studying 
German,  the  others  English.  Teachers  were 
then  required  to  pass  an  examination  only  in 
reading,  writing,  orthography  and  arithmetic, 
and  never  but  once  was  he  examined  in  geogra- 
phy. For  four  terms  he  engaged  in  teaching  at 
$17  per  month,  out  of  which  he  had  to  board 
himself. 

On  June  16,  1853,  in  Penn  township,  John 
Meyer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eleanor 
Smith,  who  was  born  October  1,  1827,  in  what 
was  then  Gregg  but  is  now  Penn  township.  Her 
parents,  Francis  and  Anna  (Koons)  Smith,  were 
natives  of  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  but  were  mar- 
ried in  Centre  county,  and  had  seven  children: 
John,  who  died  in  Smithtown,  Penn  township; 
Joseph,  who  lives  in  Gregg  township;  Eleanor, 
mother  of  our  subject;  William,  who  died  in 
Penn  township;  Mary,  wife  of  Eli  Smith,  of 
Penn  township;  Robert,  who  died  in  Gregg  town- 
ship; and  Jacob,  formerly  a  resident  of  Potter 
township,  Centre  county,  now  deceased.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  when  over  eighty  years 
of  age,  while  his  wife  had  passed  her  eighty-fifth 
birthday.  Both  were  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church,  and  politically  he  was  a  Democrat.  By 
trade  he  was  both  a  mason  and  cooper.  To  the 
parents  of  our  subject  were  born  but  two  chil- 
dren, the  other  being  John  F. ,  who  was  born- 
December  12,  1856,  and  died  December  16, 
1863. 

After  his  marriage,  John  Meyer  located  on 


800 


"i'     MOHATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  farm  where  he  has  since  resided,  it  being  the 
li'imestead  of  his  father,  who  left  it  to  his  three 
sons,  John,  Jacob  and  Christopher,  while  to  his 
daughters  he  gave  money.  For  many  years  John 
operated  the  place  in  partnership  with  Jacob,  but 
on  the  latter's  death  purchased  the  entire  amount, 
to  which  he  has  since  added  the  farm  of  his  fa- 
ther-in-law, makinga  valuable  tract  of  275  acres. 
Ili-  political  support  has  always  been  given  the 
l'einocracy,  and  he  has  been  called  upon  to  fill 
almost  every  township  office,  being  assessor  for 
three  terms,  school  director,  tax  collector,  over- 
seer of  tin  poor,  supervisor,  auditor  and  clerk  of 
election.  On  Octobor  23,  [880,  he  was  elected 
elder  of  the  Salem  Reformed  Church,  of  which 
In  has  been  a  prominent  member  for  years,  and 
he  not  only  contributed  liberally  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  the  house  of  worship,  but  boarded  the 
mechanic--  during  its   construction    at   the  lowest 

-ible  priii  Previouslj  to  being  made  elder 
he  served  as  deacon  of  the  congregation.      He  is 

pi  ionally  well  preserved  for  a  man  of  his  a 
in    full   possession   of  his  mental    faculty,  and  as 
his   tastes    have    always   inclined    him   to  reading 
and  study,  he  1-  well  informed  on  the  current  is- 
ind  questions  ol  the  day. 

Upon  the  farm  which  is  still  his  home,  Jacob 
S  Meyer,  the  subjei  t  proper  of  this  review,  was 
born  April  13,  1854,  and  in  the  country  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  he  obtained  his  elementary 
education,  his  first  teacher  being  Mary  Stephen. 
Alter  completing  his  literary  course  in  the  acad- 
emy at  Penn  Hall, 'he  was  licensed  to  teach,  and 
for  one  term  had  charge  of  the  Murray  school  in 
1  iregg  ti  iwnship. 

On  December  20,  1874,  in  Aaronsburg,  Mr. 
Meyer  was  married,  by  Rev,  Cyrus  H.  Keiter,  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  to  Miss  Susan  C.  Ritner, 
who  was  born  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county, 
September  7,  1854,  and  was  the  fourth  in  order 
ol  birth  in  the  family  of  eight  children  of  ]acob 
and  Catharine  Catherman)  1  inner,  farming  peo- 
ple. The  Catherman  family  was  a  remarkable 
one,  Mrs  Bitner  attending  are-union  when  the 
entire  family  of  seventeen  were  all  present,  and 
this  hem-  aftei  they  had  reached  adult 
Five  children  have  been  horn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Meyer:  1  John  F.,  born  March  11.  1875,  is  a 
very  bright  and  promising  young  man,  a  graduate 
o|  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  which  he  en- 
tered  at  tin  age  of  fifteen,  in  September,  1 
He  graduated  in  June,  1894,  having  taken  first 
honor  of  his  class.  He  then  turned  his  attention 
to  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  in  September, 
1894,  was  elected  principal  of  the  public  schools 
of  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.  In  the 
fall  of  1896  he  resigned  his  position,  being  elected 


assistant  principal  of  F.  and  M.  Academy,  where 
he  taught  one  year,  but  resigned  in  June.  1897. 
Not  being  satisfied  with  the  standard  of  his  pro- 
fession, he  entered  Johns  Hopkins  University, 
Baltimore.  Md.in  September,  1897.  (2)  Harry 
N..  born  May  19,  1877,  is  a  successful  teacher 
with  a  bright  future  before  him.  Not  being  sat- 
isfied with  what  he  received  in  the  public  schools 
at  home,  he  entered  the  Millersville  State  Nor- 
mal, Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  in  September, 
1897,  in  order  to  fit  himself  for  the  profession  of 
teaching.  (3)  Eleanor  B.,  born  September  26, 
1.S79,  has  inherited  a  taste  for  music,  possessing 
great  natural  talents  for  the  art,  which  are  stim- 
ulated to  rapid  development  by  the  atmosphere 
of  music  prevading  her  father's  home.  (4)  Cath- 
erine, born  January  18,  1 890,  and  (5)  Helen  G., 
born  July  20,   1892,  are  also  at  home. 

ng  a  fine  vocalist.  Mr.  Meyer  has  engaged 
in  teaching  singing  during  the  winter  seasons. 
He  is  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
and  has  serv  sor  five  terms,  supervisor 

and  school  director.  In  the  Salem  Reformed 
irch,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  hold  member- 
ship, he  is  at  present  secretary  of  the  Consistory, 
and  leader  of  the  choir;  is  very  active  in  all 
Church  work,  and  in  fact  gives  his  earnest  sup- 
port to  all  worthy  objects  which  are  tor  the  ben- 
efit of  the  community.  A  great  reader,  he  is 
well  posted  on  all  the  questions  of  the  day,  and 
does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  educational 
interests  of  the  township  by  elevating  the  stand- 
ard of  its  schools. 


Jt'HN  A.  DALEY,  an  enterprising  and  pro- 
-sive  agriculturist  of  Centre  county,  now 
living  in  Curtin  township,  was  born  in  Spring 
township,  April  19,  1S42.  Ilw  father,  Jeremiah 
Daley,  was  a  native  of  County  Donegal,  Ireland, 
whence  he  came  to  Centre  county,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1830.  His  parents,  John  and  Bridget 
(Mennan)  Daley,  also  natives  of  County  Done- 
gal, crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1834,  and  the  grand- 
father and  father  were  employed  in  an  iron  in- 
dustry mar  Rcllefonte.  John  A.  Daley's  grand- 
uncle,  Jerry  Mennan,  was  a  member  of  the  town 
council  of  Bellefonte  that  extended  to  Gen.  La- 
Fayette  an  invitation  to  visit  that  town  on  his 
second  trip  to  America  as  he  passed  through  to 
Lake  Erie  from   Philadelphia. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  engaged  in 
iron  working,  for  Valentine  &  Thomas,  until 
1852,  when  he  located  on  the  farm  where  John 
A.  Daley  now  resides.  It  was  then  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  but  he  continued  to  improve  it  until 
his   death    in  1 866,  when  he  was  sixty-six  years 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


301 


old.  He  married  Isabella  Mungen,  also  a  native 
of  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  as  were  her  par- 
ents, Patrick  and  Isabella  Mungen,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  there,  the  father  following  the 
occupation  of  shoemaking.  Jeremiah  Daley, 
after  two  years  spent  in  America,  sent  for  Miss 
Mungen,  to  whom  he  was  betrothed  in  his  native 
land,  and  who  came  to  Centre  county  with  his 
friend,  John  Love.  They  were  married  in  Belle- 
fonte,  and  Mrs.  Daley  died  in  1844,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight  years.  They  had  two  children — 
Bridget  M.,  deceased  wife  of  William  Lunnen; 
and  John  A. 

Mr.  Daley,  the  subject  proper  of  this  review, 
lost  his  mother  when  he  was  only  two  years  of 
age,  but  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until 
the  latter's  death,  and  assisted  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  old  homestead;  also  attended  school.  He 
continued  on  the  farm  until  1861,  when,  the 
Civil  war  having  broken  out,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  45th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  John  I.  Cur- 
tin,  who  afterward  became  a  general.  On  Jan- 
uary 1,  1863,  he  re-enlisted,  and  remained  at 
the  front  until  July  18,  1865,  when  the  war  hav- 
ing ended,  he  was  mustered  out.  Three  times 
he  was  wounded,  receiving  a  flesh  wound  in  the 
nose  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain;  on  June 
3,  at  Cold  Harbor,  he  was  wounded  in  the  left 
side,  and  was  obliged  to  remain  in  the  hospital 
until  September  28,  when  he  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment; two  days  later  he  was  shot  in  the  right 
hip,  where  the  ounce  ball  still  remains.  At  the 
time  of  his  discharge  he  was  serving  with  the 
rank  of  sergeant.  He  participated  in  twenty- 
eight  battles,  including  the  engagements  at  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Vicksburg, 
Crab  Orchard,  ■  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  Blue 
Springs,  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  others. 
On  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Daley  resumed 
farming,  and  has  cleared  one  hundred  acres  of 
his  land,  transforming  it  into  rich  and  fertile 
fields,  which  yield  to  him  a  handsome  income. 
His  methods  are  progressive,  his  labors  con- 
ducted with  system,  and  his  careful  manage- 
ment and  enterprise  have  brought  to  him  success. 

On  Christmas  Day  of  1867  Mr.  Daley  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Haines,  who  was  born 
in  Liberty  township,  Centre  county,  February 
18,  1849,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Rachel  (Baker) 
Haines,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
the  latter  of  Centre  county.  The  father  came  to 
Centre  county  at  an  early  day,  and  made  it  his 
home  until  his  enlistment  in  the  Union  army. 
He  died  in  Andersonville  prison  in  1864,  at  the 
age  of  forty-six  years,  thus  giving  his  life  in 
defense  of  his  country.  His  widow,  who  was 
born  June    12,    1826,    is  still    living   in    Liberty 


township.  Their  children  are:  Mrs.  Daley; 
Emeline,  wife  of  Joseph  Bechdel,  of  Liberty 
township;  Kline  S. ,  who  is  living  with  his  mother 
on  the  old  homestead;  Annie  M.,  who  died  in 
1895;  William,  who  served  as  deputy  sheriff  in 
Kansas,  and  is  now  a  school  teacher  of  Liberty 
township,  Centre  county;  Lea  M.,  a  school 
teacher  and  seamstress;  and  Fannie,  wife  of  John 
Boone,  a  lumberman  of  Howard,  Penn.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Daley  were  John 
and  Jane  (Packer)  Haines,  natives  of  Centre 
county,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The 
maternal  grandparents,  Jacob  and  Mary  (Boon). 
Baker,  were  also  natives  of  the  same  county,  and 
the  former  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daley  were: 
Jeremiah,  who  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the 
Record  and  Pension  division  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, was  killed  in  the  Ford  Theatre  disaster  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  June  9,  1893,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years  and  ten  months;  Charles  C.  is 
at  home;  Robert  C.  is  now  auditor  of  Curtin 
township;  William  H.  died  of  typhoid  fever  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  1889;  Mary  B.  is  the 
wife  of  William  A.  Everley,  a  lumberman  of 
Curtin  township;  James  died  in  his  parents' 
home;  Franklin,  Anna  L.  and  Sarah  M.  are  still 
under  the  parental  roof;  and  Nellie  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  Daley  has  been  honored  with  a  number 
of  local  offices,  and  in  1889  received  an  appoint- 
ment to  a  clerical  position  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  Department,  where  he 
remained  four  years,  four  months  and  four  days. 
He  then  returned  to  his  farm,  which  he  is  now 
successfully  operating.  He  is  a  valued  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  Society  of  Howard,  also  of, 
the  Grand  Army  Post  at  Milesburg,  Penn. ,  and 
belonged  to  the  Union  Veterans  Union  in  Wash- 
ington. In  religious  faith  he  is  a  member  of  the 
River  Brethren  Church.  He  takes  quite  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs,  giving  his  sup^ 
port  to  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a  man  whom, 
to  know  is  to  esteem  and  honor. 


JOSEPH  ROSS  KESSINGER  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  merchants  of  Hublersburg,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  his  activity  in  business  has 
been  of  material  benefit  to  the  village  as  well 
as  to  himself.  Gifts  of  money  may  be  used  in 
beautifying  or  adorning  a  town,  but  the  real  bene- 
factors of  a  corporate  community  are  those  who 
promote  its  business  interests,  for  prosperity  de- 
pends upon  the  exchange  of  commodities,  where- 
by men  are  employed,  and  thus  secure  the  means 
of  establishing  homes  and;  caring  for  their  fam-. 


802 


I  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   BEl  ORD. 


ilies.      Mr.   Kessinger  is  ;i  wide-awake,  enterpris- 

business  man,  and  well  deserves  mention 
among  the  representative  citizens  of  Centre 
county. 

( )ur  subject  was  born  in  Clinton  county. 
March  18,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Eliza- 
beth (Hunsicker)  Kessinger.  The  father  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  and  was  mar- 
i  there  to  Miss  Hunsicker,  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, who  came  to  America  when  about  fifteen 
years  of  age.  About  182X  they  removed  to  Cen- 
tre counts,  and  Mr  Kessinger  built  the  Lamar 
furnace  for  the  firm  of  Kurtz  lV  Irvin.  He  finally 
located  in  Mill  Hall,  Clinton  county,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1S5S  Just  thirty-six  years  be- 
fore, to  the  day  and  hour,  he  was  married,  and 
bv  that  union  were  born  ten  children:  (1)  De- 
Witt  Clinton  wedded  Miss  Mary  Ann  Fetterhaff, 
and  has  six  children.  He  served  through  the 
Civil  war,  and  now  receives  a  pension  in  com- 
pensation for  injuries  sustained.  His  trade  is 
that  of  an  iron  molder,  and  he  lives  in  Lock 
Haven,  Penn.  (2)  Thomas  M.  also  served  in  the 
Civil  war;  he  was  an  iron  molder,  but  is  now  re- 
tired; he  is  married,  and  resides  in  Mill  Hall. 
1  j  i  Joseph  K.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  (4) 
Francis  M  ,  who  is  married  and  has  a  family  of 
six  children,  served  throughout  the  Civil  war,  and 
is  now  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  house  of 
Strickler  \  Co.,  of  Mifflinburg,  Penn.  (5)  Fan- 
nie R.  is  the  widow  of  ( icorge  Roffe,  of  Mill  Hall, 
Penn.,  and  has  a  family  of  eight  children. 
Marv  P.  is  the  wife  of  George  Bowers,  an  axe- 
maker  of  Mill  Hall,  where  they  live  with  their 
family.  (71  Jacob  G.  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Cold  Harbor  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
Three  of  the  children  died  in  infancy. 

I'nder  the  parental  roof  Mr.  Kessinger,  the 
subject  of  this  review,  spent  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood, and  is  indebted  to  the  common  schools  for 
his  educational  privileges.  Like  his  father  he 
learned  the  foundry  business,  becoming  a  profi- 
cient workman  in  that  line.  His  life  has  been  a 
busy  and  useful  one,  and  from  humble  surround- 
ings he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  to  a 
position  of  affluence,  overcoming  the  difficulties 
and  obstacles  in  his  path  by  resolute  and  honora- 
ble purpose.  He  is  now  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing in  Hublersburg,  and  his  enviable  reputation 
as  a  straightforward  business  man  insures  him  a 
liberal  patronage. 

On  May  22,  [857,  Mi  Kessinger  married 
Miss  Julia,  daughter  of  Peter  Heller,  a  promi- 
nent citizen,  who  served  for  more  than  thirty 
\  ears  as  justice  of  the  peace  of  Walker  township, 
Centre  county.  Thej  have  eight  children: 
William    I'...    who    was    born    October  30,    [858, 


and  is  an  iron  molder  by  trad.-,  wedded  Mary 
linker,  and  has  eight  children;  (2)  Thomas  L.. 
born  October  6,  1862,  is  also  an  iron  molder  by 
trade,  but  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  the 
store  j  Laura  B.  is  the  wife  of  James  H. 
Rathmell,  a  bookkeeper  residing  in  Germantown, 
near  Philadelphia,  Penn.;  (4  Harvey  A.,  born 
May  27,  1866,  married  Minnie  M.  Decker,  by 
whom  he  has  a  daughter,  and  now  resides  in  Pit- 
cairn,  Penn.,  where  he  follows  the  machinist's 
trade;  (5)  George  C,  an  iron  molder,  married 
Gertrude    Struble,    and    has    two    children; 

h  |.  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Emerick.  a  farmer 
of  Walker  township.  Centre  county,  by  whom 
she  has  two  children;  (7  Maud  A.,  born  in  July. 
[878,  and  (8)  Arthur  1>..  born  in  August,  [883, 
are  still  at  home. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Kessinger  is  a  Re- 
publican. Loth  he  and  his  wife  hold  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Church,  and  are  people  of 
sterling  worth.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  indus- 
trious and  intelligent,  his  sterling  worth  gaining 
him  the  confidence  of  all,  while  his  genial  man- 
ner has  made  him  a  popular  citizen. 


JB.  REAM,  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and 
highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Penn's  Cave,  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  November  28,  1 
His  father,  Michael  Ream,  was  a  native  of  Penn 
township,  and  a  son  of  Abraham  Ream,  who 
came  to  Centre  county  at  a  very  early  day,  and 
made  one  of  the  first  settlements  in  Haines  town- 
ship. There  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  devel- 
oped a  farm,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Penn 
township,  where  he  opened  up  another  farm,  up- 
on which  his  last  days  were  spent.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  had  quite  a  large  family  of 
children.  By  the  second  union  there  were  three 
sons:  George,  David  and  Michael. 

The  last  named  learned  the  weaver's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  some  time.  Afterward  he 
purchased  a  farm  on  the  Brush  Valley  road  in 
Gregg  township,  and  gave  his  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  passed  away  in  November, 
[884,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  was  buried 
in  Green  Grove  cemetery.  His  first  wife  was 
Lydia  Musser,  daughter  of  Philip  Musser,  and 
their  children  were:  George;  John  Bangaman; 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Daniel  Homan,  of  Penn's  Cave; 
Lydia,  wife  of  Jacob  Henn,  of  Des  Moines,  [owa; 
Hannah,  wife  of  A.  P.  Lose.  ofCentre  Hall;  and 
George  Philip,  married  to  Liny  Houts,  and  liv- 
ing at  Green  Grove.  The  mother  of  these  died 
about  1843,  and  was  buried  in  Union  cemetery, 
ther  afterward  married  Catharine  Mark, 
and  their  children  were:   Susan,  wife  of  Samuel 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


303 


Long,  of  Perm's  Cave;  Samuel,  married  to  Sarah 
Musser,  and  living  at  Madisonburg,  Penn. ;  and 
Michael,  married  to  Canses  Weaver,  and  living 
at  Millheim,  Penn.  The  father  was  a  successful 
farmer,  and  left  his  family  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. He  not  only  cultivated  his  land,  but 
during  the  winter  season  also  engaged  in  weav- 
ing. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  In  his 
early  life  he  adhered  to  the  faith  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  but  afterward  became  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church,  and  took  a  very  active  part 
in  its  work,  also  served  in  many  official  positions 
connected  therein. 

J.  B.  Ream  began  his  education  in  a  school 
that  stood  on  the  site  of  Union  cemetery,  in 
Gregg  township,  and  his  first  teacher  was  George 
Consort.  His  school  privileges  were  somewhat 
limited,  but  practical  experience,  observation  and 
extensive  reading  in  later  years  have  made  him 
a  well-informed  man,  and  he  is  not  only  familiar 
with  current  events  but  also  has  quite  a  wide 
knowledge  of  classical  literature.  During  his 
boyhood  he  spent  considerable  time  at  the  home 
of  his  grandfather  Musser  in  Penn  Hall.  His 
time  was  largely  devoted  to  farm  work,  and  he 
had  little  leisure  for  enjoyment. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Mr.  Ream 
married  Miss  Susan  Rishel,  who  was  born  in  No- 
vember, 1829,  on  the  farm  where  our  subject 
now  resides,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Eliza- 
beth (Phone)  Rishel.  They  began  their  domestic 
life  in  George's  Valley,  Gregg  township,  where  the 
lady's  father  owned  a  farm  and  there  lived  until 
1 85 1,  when  they  removed  to  a  farm  owned  by 
Mr.  Ream's  father  in  Gregg  township.  In  1856 
he  purchased  the  farm  which  he  yet  owns  in 
Brush  Valley,  and  there  continued  to  reside  until 
1883,  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Penn's 
Cave.  He  now  owns  175  acres  of  valuable  land 
upon  which  are  two  sets  of  substantial  farm 
buildings.  His  life  has  been  a  busy  and  useful 
one.  A  heavy  indebtedness  rested  upon  him 
after  the  purchase  of  his  farm,  but  he  worked 
early  and  late,  and  in  course  of  time  this  was  not 
only  paid  off  but  a  comfortable  competence  was 
secured  to  keep  him  and  his  family  through  his 
declining  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ream  had  ten  children,  as 
follows:  (1)  Lucetta,  born  September  12,  1850, 
married  William  Losie,  January  9,  1873,  and 
they  had  three  daughters;  but  in  March,  1892, 
the  husband  and  father  and  the  three  children 
all  died  of  diphtheria  within  the  space  of  sixteen 
days.  (2)  Susan  Alice,  born  August  14,  1853, 
married  Emanuel  White,  of  Axemann,  Centre 
county,  August  24,  1871,  and  they  have  three 
sons  and  two  daughters.      (3)     George  W. ,    of 


Penn's  Cave,  born  April  24,  1855,  married  Anna 
Shrackangost,  August  24,  1879,  and  they  have 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  (4)  Sarah  Emma, 
born  February  25,  1857,  died  May  6,  1857.  (5) 
Mary  L. ,  born  May  22,  1858,  married  Isaiah 
Prossman,  of  Penn's  Cave,  August  19,  1869,  and 
they  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  (6)  John 
Benjamin,  born  September  17,  i860,  died  Janu- 
ary 26,  1866.  (7)  Magdalene  Catherine,  born 
April  4,  1863,  married  Israel  Spade,  of  Madison- 
burg, Centre  county,  May  19,  1889,  and  they 
have  one  son  and  one  daughter.  (8)  Noah,  of 
Penn's  Cave,  born  October  4,  1865,  married 
Maggie  Weaver,  October  27,  1885,  and  they 
have  three  daughters.  (9)  Julia  Caroline,  born 
November  18,  1867,  married  Samuel  Frederick, 
of  Farmers  Mills,  May  24,  1885,  and  they  have 
one  son  and  one  daughter.  (10)  Hannah  Mar- 
tha, born  April  1,  1870,  died  March  14,  1892; 
she  also  was  a  victim  of  that  terrible  diphtheria, 
having  caught  the  disease  while  attending  the 
sick  ones  at  her  sister's  (Mrs.  Losie)  home,  and 
dying  in- about  one  week  from  the  time  she  was 
attacked. 

In  his  political  adherency,  Mr.  Ream  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  has  served  as  overseer,  super- 
visor and  school  director,  in  all  of  which  offices 
he  has  discharged  his  duties  with  a  promptness 
and  fidelity  that  has  won  him  high  commenda- 
tion. He  holds  membership  in  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
denomination.  He  is  now  serving  as  elder  in 
Union  Church,  and  is  one  of  its  most  active  and 
influential  workers.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the 
Grange.  His  high  personal  character,  his  prob- 
ity and  his  fidelity  to  duty  have  won  him  the  un- 
qualified regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact. 


JTRIAH  D.  OSMAN,  who  is  now  practically 
f)  living  retired  upon  his  farm  in  Potter  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  was  born  September  22, 
1 83 1,  near  Millersburg,  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Flisher)  Osman. 
The  grandfather,  Andrew  Osman,  was  a  farmer 
of  Dauphin  coun  y,  where  his  death  occurred. 
The  family  was  originally  from  Ireland,  but  was 
founded  in  this  country  at  a  very  early  date  in 
its  history. 

In  the  fall  of  1837,  John  Osman,  with  his 
family,  removed  to  The  Loop,  in  Potter  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  making  the  journey  in 
four-horse  wagons,  via  Lewistown  and  over 
Seven  mountain.  They  stopped  with  the  ma- 
ternal grandmother  while  the  father  was  look- 
ing up   a    location,   and    decided  to   make  their 


804 


ciiMMI   MoIiATlVt:  BIOGRAPHICAL   UFjORD. 


home  in  Potter  township.  By  trade  the  father 
was  a  weaver,  at  which  he  worked  to  some  ex- 
tent after  coming  to  Centre  county.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife  February  12,  1875,  he  resided 
with  our  subject  in  Centre  Hall,  and  there  passed 
away  December  28,  of  the  same  year.  Their 
remains  were  interred  in  the  Centre  Hall  ceme- 
tery. They  were  faithful  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  them  for  their  sterling  worth.  In  politics 
the  father  was  a  Democrat 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Amanda,  wife  of  William  Au- 
inan,  of  Spring  Mills,  Centre  county;  Mary  A . , 
widow  of  David  Rhue,  of  Wallace  Run,  Penn.; 
Uriah  1).;  Jeremiah,  a  resident  of  Iowa;  Israel, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  210th  P.  V.  I.  during 
the  Rebellion,  and  is  now  living  in  Millhall, 
Penn.;  Hiram,  who  was  also  a  Union  soldier, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Altoona,  Penn.  ;  James, 
who  belonged  to  Company  I),  [48th  P.  V.  I., 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Michigan;  Daniel,  who 
belonged  to  the  same  company  as  James,  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville;  Catharine, 
widow  of  Lewis  Muselman,  of  Centre  Hall;  John, 
of  Lamar,  Penn.;  and  Canada,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  years. 

The  first  school  which  Uriah  D.  Ostium  at- 
tended was  held  in  what  was  known  as  the  Sink 
school  house  at  The  Loop;  but  his  educational 
advantages  were  very  meagre,  lor  at  the  tenderage 
of  eight  years  he  began  to  earn  his  own  living.  Aft- 
erlivingfoi  six  weeks  with  James  Powley,  a  fanner, 
he  began  learning  the  tailors  trade  under  Henrv 
Holtzman,  of  Centre  Hall,  and  during  his  appren- 
ticeship received  only  his  board  and  clothes. 
When  he  had  mastered  the  trade, .his  employe! 
left  Centre  Hall,  and  Mr.  Osman  assumed  charge 
of  the  business  at  the  same  stand.  For  over 
twenty  years  he  was  the  leading  tailor  of  the 
place,  and  only  laid  aside  his  trade  when  com- 
pelled to  do  so  by  ill  health,  removing  to  his 
present  farm  in  February,  1871.  It  comprises 
sixty  acres,  which  he  purchased  for  $6,000,  and 
to  its  cultivation  and  improvements  devoted  his 
time  and  attention  for  many  years  with  n 
gratifying  results. 

Mr.  Osman  married  Dorothy  Stover,  who 
lived  near  Centre  Hall,  and  to  them  were  born 
three  children:  William  F. ,  now  a  resident  of 
Worth  county,  Mo.;  Clara  A.,  wife  of  Horace 
Zerlev,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  and  John  A.,  a 
bricklayer  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county.  For 
his  second  wife  he  wedded  Catharine  Rover,  of 
Potter  township,  by  whom  he  had  one  son, 
Thomas  M..  a  teacher,  of  Mercur,  Utah.  In  In- 
political  views,  Mr.  Osman  is  a  Democrat,  but  is 


not  radical,  reserving  his  right  to  support  the  best 
men  regardless  of  party  affiliations.  He  is  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  whose  educa- 
tion has  been  almost  wholly  self-acquired,  and 
through  his  own  untiring  labor  he  has  secured  a 
comfortable  competency,  which  enables  him  to 
spend  his  declining  years  in  ease  and  retirement 
from  active  labor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  in  which  he  has  filled  various 
offices,  and  he  has  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
who  know  him. 


EMMA  JORDAN.  One  of  the  pleasantest 
homes  in  the  beautiful  little  city  of  Aarons- 
burg,  Centre  county,  is  the  Jordan  homestead, 
now  the  property  of  the  lady  whose  name  open- 
this  sketch,  and  whose  admirable  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart  have  endeared  her  to  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  Miss  Jordan's 
ancestors  settled  in  Lancaster,  Penn.,  main- 
years  ago.  Her  great-grandfather  was  Elias 
Jordan,  of  Lancaster;  his  wife  {nee  Bruner)  was 
1  native  of  Holland.  To  them  were  born,  Oc- 
tober 31,  1761,  twin  sons  (the  only  sons  .Casper 
and  Martin. 

Casper  Jordan,  grandfather  of  Miss  K  Emma 
Jordan,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county.  Penn  . 
October  31,  1761,  and  died  in  1820.  at  the  a^e 
of  sixty-five  years.  In  1820  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Union  county,  Penn.,  to  pass  his  re- 
maining years,  and  he  and  his  wife,  Mary  {nee 
Bender,  the  daughter  of  a  highly  respected  mer- 
chant of  Lancaster  city),  who  died  in  1851,  aged 
ninety-two  years,  are  buried  at  Mifflinburg.  They 
had  six  sons — Isaac,  David,  John,  Henry,  Adam 
and  Joseph—  and  four  daughters — Elizabeth, 
Marie,  Susan  and  Sarah.  Of  this  family,  Isaac, 
who  was  twenty-five  years  older  than  his  brother 
Joseph,  moved  to  Ohio,  and  died  at  the  ag< 
eighty-two  years;  David  went  south;  John  v 
killed  while  tearing  down  a  building  at  Mifflin- 
burg, Penn.  ;  Henry  and  Adam  moved  with  their 
families  to  Clyde  and  Bellevue,  Ohio,  respectively; 
Joseph  moved  to  Centre  county;  Elizabeth 
twice  married, (first)  to  a  Mr.  l.owry,  (second)  to 
a  Mr.  Moore,  and  died  in  Lewisburg;  Marie  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Parmer,  and  moved  to  Toledo.  Ohio; 
Susan  died  in  infancy;  Sarah  was  twice  married, 
(first  1  to  a  Mr.  Goode,  (second)  to  a  Mr.  Maver. 
and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  at  Fayette, 
Fulton  Co.,  Ohio. 

Joseph  Jordan,  the  youngest  son  in  the  above 
mentioned  family,  and  the  father  of  Miss  Emma 
Jordan,  was  born  at  New  Holland.  Lancaster 
Co.,  Penn.,  November  17,    1804,  and   bein^   still 

outh  when  the  family  came  to  Union  county 


OtMnJh.       Jkr-davx 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


305 


he  spent  some  years  there  with  his  father.  At 
twenty-three  years  of  age  he  went  to  Gregg  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  and  purchased  a  farm;  a 
year  later  he  was  married  in  Rebersburg  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Bair,  a  native  of  Brush  Valley,  born 
September  23,  1806,  a  daughter  of  Squire  George 
Bair,  who  for  years  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  Valley. 

Mr.  Jordan  made  his  home  upon  his  Gregg 
township  farm  for  some  time,  and  two  of  his 
children  were  born  there:  Maria  J.,  the  widow 
of  Dr.  E.  J.  Deshler,  of  Aaronsburg;  and  Eliza- 
beth, widow  of  Rev.  D.  O.  Shoemaker,  and  now 
residing  at  Lock  Haven  with  a  daughter,  the  wife 
of  T.  M.  Stevenson,  Esq. 

Mr.  Jordan  was  an  excellent  judge  of  lands, 
and  found  it  profitable  to  buy  farms,  which  he 
would  improve  and  dispose  of  at  an  advance, 
and  in  this  way  it  came  about  that  the  family 
residence  was  changed  about  a  number  of  times. 
He  removed  from  Gregg  township  to  Sugar  Val- 
ley, and  one  son,  George  B.,  now  a  merchant  of 
Chicago,  was  born  there;  he  is  married  to  Miss 
Henrietta  J.  Leitzell.  The  next  home  was  in 
Nittany  Valley,  and  there  a  son  was  born,  Will- 
iam F.,  who  is  a  farmer  at  North  Liberty,  Adams 
county,  Ohio;  he  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Flisher. 
Later  the  family  removed  to  Tusseyville,  Potter 
township,  Centre  county,  where  two  children 
were  born:  R.  Emma,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch,  and  James  I.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen. 

The  various  deals  in  real  estate  made  by  Mr. 
Jordan  brought  him  a  profit  (except  his  last  pur- 
chase of  two  farms  just  previous  to  the  deprecia- 
tion of  land  values),  proving  him  to  be  all  in  all 
a  successful  man,  and  he  was  considered  unusually 
shrewd  and  "long-headed."  In  1859  he  settled 
in  Aaronsburg,  where  he  died  September  6,  1893. 
His  estimable  wife  (lovely  in  person  and  charac- 
ter) had  passed  to  the  unseen  life  January  8, 
1889,  and  the  remains  of  both  now  rest  side  by 
side  in  the  Reformed  Church  cemetery  at  Aarons- 
burg. They  had  passed  together  over  sixty 
years  of  married  life  in  unbroken  harmony  and 
affection.  Both  were  devout  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church  (in  which  Mr.  Jor- 
dan has  been  an  elder  over  fifty  years),  to  which 
he  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors,  and 
his  advice  in  Church  affairs  was  much  valued. 
Being  extremely  fond  of  reading,  especially  works 
on  theology,  he  was  well-informed,  and  on  sev- 
eral occasions  while  attending  the  Church  Synod 
he  spoke  with  much  effectiveness,  and  displayed 
such  thorough  knowledge  as  to  attract  consider- 
able attention.    He  took  much  pleasure  in  travel, 


also,  and  in  his  early  days  made  extensive  jour- 
neys, visiting  points  of  interest  in  the  United 
States. 

Although  Mr.  Jordan  was  a  firm  believer  in 
the  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  at 
times  held  township  offices,  he  was  never  a  poli- 
tician as  that  word  is  usually  understood.  "  He 
was  honorable  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow- 
men,  and  his  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond." 
One  notable  feature  of  his  character  was  his  pro- 
gressive, liberal  view  of  life  and  affairs;  he  was 
always  advancing,  keeping  fully  abreast  of  the 
times,  and  showing  keen  appreciation  of  new  in- 
ventions. His  home,  which  his  abundant  means 
enabled  him  to  supply  with  every  comfort,  bore 
evidence  of  the  trait  mentioned  in  its  convenient 
arrangements  and  appliances.  His  children  have 
done  credit  to  the  pious  home  training  of  their 
youth,  and  all  are  occupying  honorable  stations 
in  life.  Martin,  the  twin  brother  of  Mr.  Jordan's 
father  (Casper  Jordan),  passed  all  his  life  in  the 
city  of  Lancaster,  Penn.  His  wife  (nee  Hoof- 
nagle),  who  at  the  time  of  her  death  had  been 
a  widow  fifty  years,  requested  that  her  body 
should  be  buried  in  the  grave  of  "her  Mar- 
tin," and  their  remains  lie  in  the  Reformed 
Cemetery  at  Lancaster,  Penn.  They  had  an 
only  son,  Casper,  who  was  on  his  way,  on 
the  ocean,  to  some  foreign  country,  when  the  ship 
he  was  on  sank  in  a  storm,  and  he  was  drowned 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  His  sisters 
married,  and  had  large  families,  of  whom  the  fol- 
lowing named  are  now  the  only  survivors:  Mrs. 
James  H.  Cochran,  of  Broad  street,  Philadelphia; 
Mrs.  Dr.  Barton,  of  the  same  locality;  Harry  J. 
Wentz,  also  living  in  Philadelphia;  Miss  Hattie 
Wentz  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Longenecker,  both  of  Lan- 
caster county,  Penn.,  and  George  M.  Frame,  a 
dentist  in  New  York  City. 

The  grandchildren,  now  living,  of  Joseph  Jor- 
dan are:  J.  Jordan  Deshler,  M.  D.,  of  Glidden, 
Iowa;  Edwin  Jordan,  Esq.,  of  Chicago;  Howard 
C.  Jordan,  of  Nebraska;  Emma  K. ,  wife  of  Rev.  J. 
F.  Kerlin,  of  Williamsport,  Penn.;  Margaret, 
wife  of  T.  M.  Stevenson,  Esq.,  of  Lock  Haven; 
Dr.  D.  E.  Shoemaker,  of  Washingtonville,  Penn. ; 
H.  P.  Shoemaker,  of  Watsontown,  Penn. ;  and 
Miss  Grace  Jordan,  of  North  Liberty,  Ohio. 

Miss  R.  Emma  Jordan  was  born  January  1 1, 
1842.  Her  health  was  not  sufficiently  strong 
during  girlhood  to  permit  her  to  gratify  her  wish 
for  a  collegiate  education,  but  after  completing  a 
course  in  the  common  schools  she  attended  the 
academy  at  Aaronsburg,  and  her  fine  mental 
powers  have  assimilated  through  reading  and  ob- 
servation an  unusual  amount  of  information. 
She  is  highly  accomplished,  and  was  at  one  time 


806 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


especially  proficient  in  music,  in  which  she  gave 
lessons.  During  the  last  years  of  her  parents'  lives 
she  gave  them  the  most  devoted  and  watchful 
care,  ministering  to  theii  every  need,  and  bright- 
ening their  hours  of  pain  or  weariness  with  her 
filial  love.  Her  kindliness  of  heart  has  found  a 
wide  field  of  expression  in  generous  assistance  to 
different  charities,  and  she  has  done  much  for 
the  Reformed  (  hun  h,  of  which  she  is  a  consistent 
member.  Always  active  in  its  various  lines  of 
i  ..  she  was  especially  helpful  at  the  time  of 
building  of  the  new  church  edifice,  being 
me  oi  the  leaders  in  the  Ladies  Aid  Society, 
winch  work  had  been  effective  and  successful, 
after  a  career  of  six  years  succeeding  in  raising 
funds  to  the  amount  of  $1,093.  Neither  is  she 
lacking  in  practical  business  ability,  her  man 

it  of  her  father's  estate,  as  executrix  under 
the  will,  showing  rare  tact,  discretion  and  firm- 
m  ss  of  character. 


El  ETTEROLF,    a   well-known    and    highly 
j  respected    citizen    of   Spring    Mills,    Centre 
county,  is  now  enjoying,  in  well-earned  ease,  the 
reward  <>l  previous  years  of  toil.      He  is  a  native 
of    this    section,    having  been    born   October  3, 
[830,    at   Troxelville,   in    what    is    now    Snyder 
■count \ .      His  family  has  been  identified  with  that 
ilitj  since  the    time  of    Ins  grandfather,  who 
was  a  pioneer  settler.       The  grandmother,   Mrs. 
therine  I'etterolf,  attained  the  age  of  ninety- 
years,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  later 
generations    in    the  community    which    she  had 
seen  arise  upon  the  spot  where  stood  the  forests 
that  her  contemporaries  cleared  away. 

Peter  Fetterolf,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  then-  in  1S01,  and  always  made  his  home 
in  the  same  locality,  farming  being  Ins  occupa- 
tion until,  having  acquired  a  comfortable  fortune. 
he  retired  to  Troxelville  to  pass  his  declining 
\i  ars,  purchasing  a  lot  and  building  a  residence. 

He   was  six  feet,  ■   inch    in    height,  bony  and 

muscular,  and  in  his  day  was  a  powerful  man. 
Quiet  and  unobtrusive  in  manner,  he  never 
sought  publii  office  or  official  position,  but  his 
neighbors  were  not  blind  to  his  abilities,  and  he 
was  called  upon  to  fill  the  office  of  supervisor. 
He  took  much  interest  in  polities,  first  as  a 
Whig,  and  later  as  a  Republican,  and  was  promi- 
nent in  religious  work,  be  and  his  wife  being 
leading  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mrs. 
Fetterolf,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sail}  Swartz, 
was  also  a  native  of  Snyder  county,  born  in  1802. 
Both  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  the 
father  dying  in  1870  and  the  mother  in  the  \ 
following.       Their    children     were:       Henry,    a 


fanner  in  Kansas;  Susan  (Mrs.  John  Hendricks), 
of  Snyder  county;  Polly,  who  married  George 
Kara,  ind  died  soon  afterward;  Hannah  S.,  who 
married  George  Huffman,  and  died  in  Sioux  City, 
Iowa;  Catherine  (Mrs.  Jacob  Bingerman),  who 
died  in  Snyder  county;  E.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Philip,  who  died  in  Snyder  county,  leav- 
ing a  family;  Daniel,  who  died  (unmarried)  in 
Snyder  count}-;  and  Elizabeth  iMrs.  Frederick 
Schrayder),  of  Selinsgrove. 

As  the  son  of  a  busy  farmer,  Mr.  Fetterolf's 
education  was  subordinate  to  the  demands  of  the 
farm  work,  which  during  his  boyhood  was  unre- 
lieved by  labor-saving  machinery,  and  often  oc- 
cupied a  large  part  of  the  winter  season  as  well 
as  the  summer.  The  schools  were  not  of  the 
best,  either,  the  community  where  he  then  lived 
retaining  the  old-fashioned  subscription  schools, 
until  after  his  time,  notwithstanding  the  eff 
of  his  father  and  a  few  other  progressive  citizens 
to  secure  the  modern  system.  A  remarkably 
retentive  memory,  which  enables  him  to  recall 
certain  events  that  happened  when  he  was  but 
two  years  old,  has  given  Mr.  Fetterolf  a  wide 
range  of  information,  and  his  intelligent  views  of 
men  and  things  reveal  an  active  mind  which 
would  have  made  effective  use  of  a  thorough 
education. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  Mr.  Fetterolf  began  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  blacksmith's  trade  with 
John  Kessler,  seven  miles  from  Selinsgrove, 
receiving  at  the  end  of  two  years'  work  the  sum 
of  $25.00.  In  1850  he  went  to  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  and  worked  "The  Loop"  as  a 
journeyman  blacksmith,  and  later  he  was  simi- 
larly employed  at  Milroy,  Troxelville  and  Laurel- 
ton,  where  he  finally  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  After  a  year  and  a  half  there  he 
moved,  in  1853,  to  Spring  Mills,  and  rented  a 
shop,  which  he  conducted  lor  some  time.  Two 
years  he  then  spent  in  Nittany  Valley,  Benner 
township,  Centre  counts,  but  he  returned  to 
Spring  Mills  later,  and  after  continuing  his  trade 
a  short  time,  he  decided  to  give  it  up  and 
in  agriculture.  The  change  was  made  in  1856, 
Mr  Fetterolf  renting  a  farm  in  Gregg  township. 
Centre  county,  from  William  Allison.  As  pros- 
perity smiled  upon  his  efforts,  he  purchased  some 
adjoining  land,  which  he  cultivated,  while  still 
occupying  the  other  farm  as  a  tenant.  In  1886 
he  sold  his  property,  and,  relieved  from  business, 
removed  to  Spring  Mills,  where  he  bought  a  sub- 
stantial buck  residence. 

Mr.  Fetterolf  was  married  in  Union  county, 
in  the  fall  of  1850,  to  Miss  Rachel  Wyand, 
daughter  of  George  Wyand,  a  prosperous  fanner 
She  was  a  native   of   Snyder  county,  born  July 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


307 


27,  1829.  After  nearly  half  a  century  of  wedded 
life,  she  passed  away  February  11,  1896, 
lamented  by  all  who  had  come  within  her  sphere 
of  helpful  influence.  Her  remains  were  interred 
in  the  cemetery  at  Spring  Mills.  Seven  children 
blessed  this  union:  Edward,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Mary  E.,  now  Mrs.  George  Crawford,  of  Spring 
Mills;  Sarah  M.  (Mrs.  Philip  Meyer),  of  Boals- 
burg;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  J.  K.  Bittner),  of  Gregg 
township,  Centre  township;  Birdie  (Mrs.  C.  A. 
Krape),  of  Spring  Mills;  R.  F. ,  a  Lutheran  min- 
ister, stationed  at  Millersburg,  Dauphin  Co., 
Penn. ;  and  Priscilla  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years.  Mr.  Fetterolf  has  reason  to  be 
proud  of  his  children,  and  he  has  given  them  the 
best  educational  opportunities  which  his  means 
enabled  him  to  secure,  his  own  experience  teach- 
ing hiin  the  value  of  such  privileges. 

Upright  in  character,  and  honest  in  dealings, 
Mr.  Fetterolf  has  won  the  respect  of  his  asso- 
ciates wherever  he  has  gone.  Since  1850  he  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  has  been  almost  continuously  in  office.  For 
eight  consecutive  years  he  served  as  elder,  and 
for  eight  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school,  to  which,  in  his  younger  days,  he 
devoted  much  of  his  time  and  attention.  His 
political  allegiance  was  first  given  to  the  Whig 
party,  but  in  the  readjustment  which  followed 
the  discussion  of  the  slavery  question,  he  became 
a  Republican,  and  has  ever  since  supported  the 
principles  of  that  organization. 


JEREMIAH  E.  WALKER.  Among  the  pio- 
neer families  of  Centre  county  none  holds  a 
higher  place  in  the  esteem  of  the  public  than 
does  the  Walker  family,  which  was  established  in 
Brush  Valley  about  a  century  ago,  our  subject's 
grandfather,  John  Walker,  having  gone  there 
from  Northampton  county,  Penn.,  as  a  young 
man,  settling  permanently,  and  marrying  Miss 
Mary  M.  Gramley,  a  member  of  another  well- 
known  family. 

Their  son  Daniel,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Brush  Valley,  July  9,  1807,  and  was 
reared  to  manhood  at  the  old  farm.  He  married 
Hannah  Erhard,  a  native  of  Brush  Valley,  born 
October  9,  1807,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Anna  Mary  (Wildeson)  Erhard,  well-known  resi- 
dents of  Miles  township,  Centre  county.  Six 
children  were  born  of  this  union:  Samuel,  an 
ex-teacher  now  residing  in  Salona,  Penn. ;  Jere- 
miah E.,  our  subject;  Jonathan,  of  Brush  Valley; 
Harriet,  who  married  Samuel  Brungart,  and  died 
in  Miles  township;  Mary,  who  married  Ruben 
Snook,  and  died  in  Nittany   Valley;  and  Sarah, 


now    Mrs.  James   Carman,  of  Rebersburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Daniel  Walker  was  by  occupation  an  agricult- 
urist, and  passed  his  active  life  upon  the  first 
farm  he  ever  owned.  Although  of  small  stature 
he  was  an  industrious  man,  and  was  successful 
for  his  day.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
over  500  acres  of  land  in  Brush  Valley,  200  acres 
in  Nittany  Valley,  and  other  tracts  elsewhere. 
In  politics  he  was  a  steadfast  Democrat,  but  no 
office  seeker.  He  took  much  interest  in  relig- 
ious work  as  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church;  his  wife  was  identified  with  the  Re- 
formed Church.  She  died  May  26,  1884,  and 
his  death  occurred  Ma}'  27,  1887,  the  remains  of 
both  being  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Rebers- 
burg. 

J.  E.  Walker  was  born  at  the  old  home  in 
Brush  Valley,  July  18,  1837,  and  his  education 
was  acquired  at  the  Brungart  school  house,  his 
opportunities  being  decidedly  inferior  to  those  of 
the  present  time.  His  father  owned  a  sawmill 
and  gristmill  in  connection  with  his  large  farm, 
and  was  able  to  find  plenty  of  work  for  his  boys. 
The  consciousness  of  the  value  of  a  good  educa- 
tion has  made  Mr.  Walker  an  advocate  of  a  more 
liberal  school  system  than  was  common  in  his 
youth.  On  February  5,  i860,  he  was  married 
in  Brush  Valley  to  Miss  Anna  Brungart,  a  native 
of  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  born  December  16, 
1838,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Barner)  Brun- 
gart. Her  father  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer 
and  a  well-known  citizen.  Mrs.  Walker  was  the 
tenth  child  and  seventh  daughter  in  a  family  of 
twelve  children — three  sons  and  nine  daughters, 
and  her  educational  opportunities  were  limited 
to  the  schools  of  that  locality. 

Mr.  Walker  established  his  home  in  his  na- 
tive township,  at  Walker's  Mills,  and  conducted 
the  gristmill  for  his  father,  having  learned  that 
business  in  Mill  Hall  when  about  seventeen 
years  old.  He  spent  twenty-five  years  as  a 
miller  in  Miles  township,  operating  only  two  dif- 
ferent mills,  and  yet  he  has  made  thousands  of 
barrels  of  flour  and  sawed  thousands  of  feet  of 
lumber.  Hard  work  and  careful  management 
have  gained  him  a  comfortable  competence, 
while  he  is  highly  respected  among  his  associates 
for  his  honesty  and  uprightness.  Failing  health 
compelled  him  to  give  up  milling  for  agricultural 
work,  and  a  few  years  later,  in  the  spring  of 
1890,  he  removed  to  Rebersburg.  He  still  owns 
a  farm  of  fifty-eight  acres  in  Miles  township, 
which  he  oversees. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  have  had  six  children, 
of  whom  five  are  living,  and  make  a  family  of 
which  any  parent  might  be  proud.   Jane  married 


Hi  ^ 


COMMKM<)J;a  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  liKcoRD. 


Newton  Brungart,  of  Sugar  Valley;  Emma  C. 
died  in  childhood;  Emma  resides  in  Bellefonte; 
and  Lewis  E.,  Elizabeth  M.  and  Meta  O.  are  at 
home.  Mr.  Walker  and  his  wife  are  Lutherans 
in  faith,  and  have  always  been  in  sympathy  with 
the  various  progressive  movements  in  their  vicin- 
ity. As  a  steadfast  believer  in  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, Mr.  Walker  takes  keen  interest  in  his 
party,  but  he  has  neither  sought  nor  held  office. 


JOSEPH  W.   FOLMAR,  a  skillful  farmer,  and 
the  present  efficient  supervisor  of  Boggs  t<  iwn- 
ship.   Centre   county,  residing  in  Bald  Eagle 
Valley,  was  born   March   8,   1839,  at    Milesburg,   j 
Centre  county,  and  within    the    borders    of   that 
county  has  always  made  his  home.      His   father, 
John  Folmar,  was  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  was  a  j 
son  of  Joseph  W.  Folmar.      The  former  was  a 
soldier  under   Napoleon,  and    on    coming  to    the 
New  World  located  at   Bellefonte,  Penn.,  where  I 
he  married  Cresintha   Windelin,    who  was  born 
in  Switzerland,   and  came    to    America  with    her 
parents,   Joseph   and    Ocello    Windelin,  also   na- 
tives oi   that  country.      They    located   at   Clear- 
field, Penn.,  where  hei  tnothei  s  death  occurred,   j 
but  her  father  died  in  Centre  county, 

John  Folmar  and  his  wife  began  their  domes- 
tic life  in  Milesburg,  where  they  remained  until 
1851;  when  they  went  to  Clearfield  enmity, 
Penn.  There  both  died,  the  father  on  June  20, 
isss,  at  the  age  of  seventj  eight  years,  and  the 
mother  on  January  10.  [888,  at  the  age  of 
enty-seven  years,  Both  held  membership  m  the 
Catholic  Church.  In  early  life  the  father  fol- 
lowed the  trade  ol  blacksmithing,  but  later  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering.  In  his  family 
were  the  following  children:  Joseph  \\  . ,  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch 'Jacob  and  John  /.  ,of  Clearfield 
county;  Andrew  C  of  Peale,  Penn.;  Francis,  a 
farmer  of  Clearfield  county;  James,  a  carpenter 
and  wheelwright  of  Peale  City,  Penn.;  William, 
a  farmer  of  Clearfield,  Penn.;  and  Mary  M..  de- 
ceased wife  of  F.  I).  Volmont. 

At  the  age  of  four  years,  Mr.  Folmar,  the 
subject  of  this  review,  entered  the  schools  of 
Milesburg,  which  he  attended  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  twelfth  \ear,  and  then  went  to  Clear- 
field county,  where  he  was  variously  employed  ; 
until  l86l,  mostly  in  the  lumber  woods  He 
then  became  a  member  of  Company  C,  5th 
Pennsylvania  Reserves,  under  Col.  Simmons. 
Whilecutting  wood  on  duty  at  Camp  Pierpont, 
through  an  accident  of  some  kind  he  cut  himself 
with  an  axe  in  the  right  foot,  and  later  was 
wounded  at  Bethesda  Church,  Virginia,  in  the 
left  hip.      He  participated  in  many  important  en- 


gagements including  the  battles  of  Antietam  and 
Gettysburg,  also  the  seven-days'  fight  at  Rich- 
mond, and  in  1864  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Harrisburg.  On  being  mustered  out,  he  engaged 
in  lumbering  for  nine  years,  and  then  returned  to 
the  old  home  farm,  which  he  operated  until 
1889,  when  he  came  to  Centre  county,  and  has 
since  lived  on  his  present  farm.  He  is  a  stal- 
wart Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  1895  was 
elected  on  that  ticket  to  the  office  of  supervisor 
of  Boggs  township,  which  he  is  now  so  capably 
filling.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 

Mr.  Folmar  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Miss  Catherine  Piffer,  whom  he 
wedded  in  1876,  and  to  them  were  born  two 
children;  Mary  C,  deceased;  and  Catherine, 
deceased  wife  of  John  Hill.  The  mother  of 
these  died  in  October,  1882,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  and  November  8,  1886,  Mr  Folmar 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Rolley, 
who  was  born  in  Paris,  France,  November  19, 
[826,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Jeann< 
Henry  Fontenoy,  who  came  from  that  country 
to  the  New  World  in  1S24,  locating  at  French- 
ville,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  where  the  father 
died  April  28,  1 87 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years,  and  the  mother  on  May  31,  I S 5 3 .  at  tin 
age  of  fifty-seven  years.  In  their  family  w 
three  children:  John,  who  died  March  17,  1894; 
Marj  A  .  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Josephine, 
wife  of  Frank  Jennie,  of  Kast  Farmington,  Wis. 
The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Folmar  were 
Peter  and  Jeanne  C.  Fontenoy,  who  never  left 
France,  their  native  land,  while  the  maternal 
grandparents  were  Louis  P.  and  Mary  Henry. 
also  natives  of  that  country,  where  the  last 
named  died;  the  grandfather's  death  occurred  at 
Frenchville,  Pennsylvania. 

On  April  2  1 ,  1 S 4 5 ,  John  Bronel  was  married  to 
Miss  Mar)  A    Fontenoy,  and  to  them  were  b< 
children    as   follows;    Frank,  of  Osceloa,  Penn.. 
of  Gi  ttysburg;  Leopold,  of  Piano.  111.; 
Jennie,  deceased  wife  of   James   Derr,  of    Belle- 
fonte, Sidonie,  who   makes  her  home  at   West- 
field,   N.   Y.;  Pauline  and  Justin,  at  home:  Man 
wife  of  P.  Hayes,  of  Spangler,  Cambria  count) , 
and    Minnie,    of     Philadelphia       Mr     and    M 
Bronel    removed    to  her  present    home   in    1S64. 
but  six  months  later   he  was  killed  by  a  train  at 
the  Milesburg  cross  road   in  Bald  Eagle  Vallej 
He  had  formed)  resided  at  Frenchville,  and   ■ 
a    lumber    merchant     b)  CU]  ation.       In     1  v 

Mrs    Bronel    married  John    Rolley,  who  died  in 
[882,  at   the  age  of  forty-six   years       He  was 
general    I, inner  and   lumberman.      Two  children 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


309 


blessed  their  union:  Flora,  wife  of  Emil  Lioret, 
of  Michigan;  and  Odilla,  wife  of  A.  M.  Mott,  of 
Bellefonte,  Perm.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Folmar 
are  widely  and  favorably  known,  and  have  many 
friends  throughout  the  community  where  they 
reside. 

iPVEORGE  B.  HAINES,  a  prosperous  agricult- 
1JT  urist  residing  in  Rebersburg,  Centre  county, 
is  one  of  the  progressive  men  who,  taking  a 
broad  and  liberal  view  of  life  and  its  opportun- 
ities, avoid  the  dull  routine  into  which  too  many 
dwellers  in  the  rural  neighborhoods  fall.  Fond 
of  reading,  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues 
of  the  day,  while  the  advantages  of  scientific 
knowledge  are  seen  in  his  successful  management 
of  his  estate. 

His  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  for  at 
least  three  generations  his  ancestors  have  been 
tanners  by  occupation.  His  great-grandfather, 
John  Haines,  was  the  first  to  come  to  America. 
The  grandfather,  John  Haines,  Jr.,  was  in  early 
manhood  a  resident  of  York  county,  Penn. ,  but 
came  to  this  section  about  1816,  locating  at 
Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  where  he  followed 
his  trade  until  his  death. 

Jeremiah  Haines,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  Aaronsburg,  about  1820,  and  was  one  of 
five  children — two  sons  and  three  daughters — 
who  lived  to  adult  age.  He  was  quite  young 
when  his  father  died,  leaving  but  little  means, 
and  his  early  education  was  extremely  limit- 
ed, a  fact  which,  in  view  of  his  later  success 
in  lines  requiring  accurate  knowledge  of  a  kind 
not  commonly  possessed,  indicates  unusual  men- 
tal power.  He  learned  the  tanner's  trade  near 
Woodward,  and  with  a  cash  capital  of  $100 
started  a  tannery  in  the  eastern  end  of  Brush 
Valley,  where  he  remained  until  1855,  when  he 
removed  to  Rebersburg  and  bought  out  a  tannery 
owned  by  Henry  Flickinger,  and  in  connection 
with  this  business  he  followed  farming  on  a  small 
scale,  as  his  purchase  included  sixteen  acres  of 
land.  He  was  a  shrewd  financier,  and  as  a  busi- 
ness man  was  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  550  acres  of 
land,  which  has  been  kept  in  the  family.  His 
extensive  business  required  a  knowledge  of  cer- 
tain legal  points,  upon  which  he  posted  himself 
by  reading.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  for 
twenty  years,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  man  of 
excellent  judgment.  His  reading  covered  a  wide 
range,  and  his  library  contained  many  valuable 
works  on  theology,  in  which  he  was  well  versed. 
For  many  years  he  held  the  office  of  elder  and 
deacon  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  always 
contributed   toward   the  work  of  that   organiza- 


tion.     In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  he  did 
not  seek  official  honors. 

Jeremiah  Haines  was  twice  married,  first 
time  to  Susan  Brungart,  daughter  of  George 
and  Salome  (Kahl)  Brungart,  and  two  children 
were  born  to  this  union:  Emma,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  E.  Royer,  of  Miles  township;  and 
George  B.,  our  subject.  The  mother  died  in 
1862,  and  the  father  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Heckman,  nee  Oswalt,  widow  of  George 
Heckman.  She  was  also  taken  from  him  by 
death,  but  left  no  children.  Squire  Haines  was 
a  man  of  ordinary  build,  but  above  the  average 
height,  and  his  health  was  uniformly  good.  His 
death  occurred  quite  suddenly  in  April,  1893,  his 
remains  being  buried  in  Rebersburg.  He  was 
fond  of  his  home  and  was  of  a  peaceful  disposi- 
tion, conceding  to  every  man  the  right  to  an 
opinion,  and  if  it  happened  to  differ  from  his,  he 
made  no  effort  to  change  it  by  argument.  Many 
of  the  noted  men  of  Centre  county  were  his  per- 
sonal friends,  and  a  visit  to  Rebersburg  by  such 
men  was  also  marked  by  a  visit  to  "Squire" 
Haines. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  August 
6,  1849,  six  miles  east  of  Rebersburg,  and  first 
attended  school  in  that  town  with  Samuel  Gram- 
ley  as  his  teacher.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough 
he  began  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade  under  his 
father,  work  of  various  kinds  being  assigned  him, 
but  his  education  was  fair  for  his  time,  although 
it  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  of  Miles 
township,  and  in  the  Rebersburg  Normal  School, 
which  was  then  in  existence,  he  was  licensed  to 
teach,  but  never  taught.  He  lived  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  the  time  of  his  marriage,  but 
never  entirely  completed  the  trade  of  a  tanner, 
although  he  was  sufficiently  familiar  wi.th  it  to 
perform  work  in  almost  any  department. 

In  December,  1870,  Mr.  Haines  was  married 
in  Miles  township  to  Miss  Emma  J.  .Burkert,  a 
native  of  Miles  township,  born  August  10,  1852, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Burkert  who  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below.  Mrs.  Haines  is  a  lady  of  fine 
intellectual  ability,  and  had  a  license  as  a  teacher, 
although  she  never  entered  the  profession.  After 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Haines  located  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Brush  Valley,  and  followed  agriculture 
for  eighteen  years;  in  the  spring  of  1888  he  re- 
moved to  Rebersburg,  where  he  now  occupies 
the  old  Burkert  homestead,  which  he  greatly  im- 
proved, remodeling  the  house  and  erecting  a 
new  barn  and  other  buildings.  After  the  death 
of  his  father,  he  and  his  brother-in-law  were  ap- 
pointed executors  to  the  estate.  In  addition  to 
his  pleasant  home  in  Rebersburg  he  has  200 
acres  of  farming  land. 


810 


OOMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Haines  and  his  wife  are  leading  members 
cit  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  is  a  trustee  of 
that  society.  Their  children  are  a  credit  to 
them,  all  taking  prominent  places  in  social  life: 
William  B.  is  a  farmer  of  Miles  township. 
Charles  M.    isinglei    resides    in   Baltimore,    Md. 

abeth  L.  is  at  home.  Melville  C,  a  licensed 
teacher,  lives  at  borne  <  >f  these,  William  B. 
was  married  in  1890  to  Lida  J.  Oakes,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Harry  O. ,  born  in  1891.  All  the 
rest  are  single.  Mr.  Haines  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and,  while  not  radical,  is  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  his  party,  and  has  held  various  offices 
in  the  township,  his  sound  judgment  .md  well- 
known  public  spirit  making  him  a  populai  candi- 
date 

Jacob  Burkert,  the  father  of  Mis  Haines. 
was  an  excellent  citizen,  noted  for  his  liberality 
and  practical  sagacity.  I  le  was  .1  hatter  by  trade, 
and  before  coming  to  Brush  Valley  had  lived  in 
Berks  county,  I'enn.  Politically,  he  was  .1  stead- 
fast Republican,  and  he  took  a  prominent  part 
in  local  affairs,  serving  ten  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace  of  Miles  township,  Centre  county.  He 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Smull,  died  in  Rebers- 
burg,  each  being  about  seventy-two  years  old, 
and  both  sleep  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place. 
Mrs  Burkert  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burkert  had  the 
following  children:  Cyrus  [.,  a  ministei  of  tin 
United  Brethren  Church,  is  presiding  elder  of 
the  Dayton  (Ohio)  district;  George  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war  with  the  Bellefonte  Invincibles, 
and  died  in  camp  at  Carlisle,  Penn.;  C.  Milton, 
now  of  Germantown,  Ohio,  was  formerly  a  rail- 

i  conductor  on  the  Yandalia  route:  John  (.. 
of  Oskaloosa,  Jefferson  Co.,  Kans. ,  is  probate 
judge  of  his  county;  Edwin  is  a  physician  at 
Dayton,  Ohio;  Clayton  resides  at  Valley  Palls, 
Kans. ;  Charles  AaA  m  childhood;  Elizabeth  died 
in  infancy'  Effinger  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years;  and  Emma  J.  now  Mrs.  Haines)  completes 
the  family. 


CHARLES  LUCAS  is  one  of   the   most   enter- 
prising, industrious  and  most  highl)  respi 
farmers  of    Centre    county,  his    home    being    at 
Wallace   Run,  I  iwnship.      He  was  bom 

one  mile  from  that  place  September  30,  1833,  and 
is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  honored  pioi 
families  of  the   county 

Joseph  and  Mary  (McKibben)  Lucas,  grand- 
parents of  our  subject,  were  natives  of  Merlin, 
Pi  mi.,  and  came  to  Centre  county  at  an  early- 
day.  His  parents,  Charlesand  Elizabeth  Shirk) 
Lucas,  were  natives  of  Centre  county,  spending 


their  entire  lives  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley.  The  fa- 
ther was  the  first  white  man  who  located  there, 
and  crossed  the  Alleghany  Mountains  to  what  is 
now  known  as  Snow  Shoe,  Centre  county.  He 
was  a  ship  carpenter  and  a  millwright,  and  went 
with  Perry  as  ship  carpenter  during  the  war  of 
1812-15,  serving  with  that  commander  when  he 
won  the  famous  naval  victory.  Mr.  Lucas  spent 
his  last  days  at  fanning.  In  politics  he  was  a 
1 ><  mocrat,  but  never  sought  office.  He  died  on 
Wallace  run,  in  1S75,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1865.  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  They  had  live  children: 
fames  M.,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Rebecca. 
wife  of  Jacob  Brovver,  of  Minnesota,  Charles; 
and  Morgan,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  tow  nship 

Charles  Lucas,  our  subject,  spent  his  hoy- 
hood  days  in  his  parent's  home,  and  attended  the 
district  schools.  He  afterward  engaged  111  lum- 
bering and  in  farming,  and  was  connected  with 
the  nurseiv  business  for  live  years.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-seven  he  left  the  old  homestead,  was 
married  and  rented  a  farm  in  Union  township, 
whereon  he  resided  some  eight  years.  He  then 
purchased  the  old  homestead,  where  he  has  since 
lived,  gi\  ing  his  time  and  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  His  life  has  been  one  of  industry  and 
honest  toil,  and  his  1  ml  perseverance  are 

the  factors  which  have  brought  to  him  his  suc- 
cess. On  November  30,  |S;S,  lie  married  Kliza 
Brower,  who  was  horn  in  Union  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  February  4,  1840,  a  daughtei  ol  Will- 
iam and  Hannah  Resides)  Brower,  also  natives 
of  Centre  county,  when  they  spent  their  entire 
lives.  The  father,  who  was  a  manufacturer  of 
charcoal,  died  in  [869,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two; 
the  mother  died  in  1 S 7  j .  aged  seventy-one  years, 
rhey  had  children  as  follows:  Mary  A.,  A  Even- 
son  and  [ohn,  all  dei  '  t,  widow  of 
James    McClincy,    of    Centre  county;  Ellen, 

ed  wife  of  Benjamin  1  '  lizabeth,  widow 

of  Hiram  Talbert,  of  Union  township;  Jacob,  of 
Minnesota;  William,  deceased;  Nancy,  wife  of 
J  M.  Lucas;  Sarah,  deceased  wife  of  Thon 
McClincy,  oi  Oregon;  Philip,  afarmer  "I  Centre 
county;  Kliza;  and  Emeline,  wife  of  Enoch 
1 1  ugg,  a  men  ham  ol  Milesburg. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lucas  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children  five  ions  and  tour  daughti 
Edward,  who  is  living  in  Pleasant  Gap,  Centn 
county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Johnson,  of 
Snow  Shoe:  Hannah,  deceased  wife  of  William 
Rogers,  of  Tyrone;  William  E.,  Mary,  diaries 
S..  James  s  .  Franklin  M.  and  Maggie,  all  at 
home.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  April 
1895,  and  her  taking  off  was  deeply  mourned  by 
many  friends  as  well  as  her  immediate  family 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


311 


Mr.  Lucas  has  served  as  school  director  for 
the  past  five  years,  and  takes  a  deep  and  com- 
mendable interest  in  education,  as  well  as  all 
things  calculated  to  upbuild  the  community  and 
promote  the  general  welfare.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  Religiously  he  is  connected  with  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  is  serving  as  trus- 
tee in  the  congregation  in  which  he  holds  mem- 
bership. He  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  fam- 
ilies of  the  county,  and  his  own  identification 
therewith  covers  a  period  of  almost  two-thirds  of 
a  century.  He  has  not  only  been  a  witness  of 
much  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
county,  but  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the  work 
of  improvement,  and  is  numbered  among  the 
worthy  and  valued  citizens  of  his  section. 


HENRY  C.  WARFEL,  of  Philipsburg,  Cen- 
tre county.  Among  the  only  series  of 
medals  of  honor  granted  by  Congress  for  hero- 
ism during  the  Civil  war  is  one"  inscribed:  "The 
Congress  to  Private  Henry  C.  Warfel,  Company 
A,  First  Pa.  Cavalry."  The  deed  of  valor  thus 
commemorated  was  in  truth  worthy  of  such  dis- 
tinguished notice,  being  the  capture  of  the  colors 
of  a  Virginia  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Paines 
Cross  Roads,  April  5,  1865.  Private  Warfel's 
military  record  is  one  in  which  any  American 
would  take  pride,  and  the  medal  and  the  docu- 
ments relating  to  his  soldierly  achievements  are 
cherished   possessions. 

The  opening  of  the  Civil  war  found  Mr.  War- 
fel a  boy  of  sixteen,  an  apprentice  in  a  tin- 
ner's shop  at  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn., 
and  notwithstanding  his  youth  his  heart  was 
fired  with  patriotic  ardor,  and  he  longed  to  do 
battle  in  the  defense  of  the  Union.  As  the  out- 
look grew  darker,  and  it  was  seen  that  the  strug- 
gle would  be  longer  and  more  deadly  than  was  at 
first  anticipated,  he  prepared  to  go,  and  in  August, 
1862,  enlisted  in  response  to  the  call  for  men  for 
nine  months'  service,  joining  Company  I,  125th 
P.  V.  I.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to  McClel- 
lan's  forces,  and  the  time  was  mainly  spent  in 
Maryland.  His  first  term  of  enlistment  was  sig- 
nalized by  the  fierce  engagements  at  Antietam 
and  Chancellorsville;  but  nothing  daunted  by  this 
baptism  of  fire  he  re-enlisted,  in  1863,  in  the 
195th  P.  V.  I.,  and  was  immediately  transferred 
to  Company  A,  1st  P.  V.  C.  He  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  all  the 
movements  of  his  regiment,  including  the  cam- 
paign before  Petersburg,  and  was  at  Appomat- 
tox at  the  time  of  Lee's  surrender,  also  marched 
in  the  Grand  Review  at  Washington.  After  re- 
ceiving  his  discharge   on  May  27,  1865,  he  re- 


turned to  his  work  as  an  apprentice,  and  when 
his  trade  was  learned  was  employed  by  a  rail- 
road company  for  about  two  years.  A  trip  to 
Illinois  occupied  six  months,  and  in  February, 
1869,  he  went  to  Philipsburg,  where  he  has  ever 
since  followed  his  trade,  and  has  established  him- 
self in  business  as  a  tinner  and  plumber.  On 
May,  15,  1892,  he  was  commissioned  postmaster 
at  Philipsburg,  by  President  Harrison,  and  served 
four  years  with  ability  and  credit.  A  steadfast 
Republican,  he  wields  some  influence  in  the 
councils  of  the  party  in  his  locality,  and  he  has 
also  been  active  in  affairs  in  his  borough,  serving 
as  Burgess  for  four  years.  In  religious  faith  he 
is  a  Presbyterian. 

Mr.  Warfel  was  married  in  Philipsburg,  in 
1874,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Du  Bree,  a  native  of 
Bucks  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1851.  Three  chil- 
dren have  brightened  their  home,  of  whom  the 
eldest,  Emma  D.,  is  the  only  survivor.  (2)  Juni- 
ata F.  died  in  1889  at  the  age  of  eight  and 
one-half  years.  (3)  D.  DuBree  lived  to  the 
age  of  only  three  years  and  two  months. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent  in 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  where  he  was  born 
September  14,  1844,  and  he  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Mill  Creek  district,  His  family  has 
been  long  established  in  Huntingdon  county,  his 
grandfather,  George  Warfel,  having  settled  there 
in  early  manhood.  He  was  of  German  descent, 
but  was  a  native  of  this  State.  He  had  a  nu- 
merous family  of  children,  our  subject's  father 
being  the  eldest,  but  the  names  of  all  are  not  now 
recalled.  John  died  at  Frankstown,  Blair  coun- 
ty; Philip  is  living  in  the  West,  probably  in  Iowa: 
Margaret  married  Jacob  Baker,  of  Alexandria, 
Penn. ;  and  Sarah  (deceased)  was  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Walters,  of  Huntingdon  county. 

Adam  Warfel,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Huntingdon  county  in  181 3,  and  passed 
his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1880.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  blacksmith,  and  he  was  a 
highly  respected  citizen,  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  an  influential  worker  in  the  Re- 
publican party.  In  1863  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner.  His  wife,  Barbara  Foster,  was 
born  in  Bedford  ccunty,  Penn.,  in  1820,  and  is 
now  living  near  Huntingdon,  Penn.  Of  their 
children,  eight  lived  to  adult  age,  viz.:  (1)  Nancy 
is  the  widow  of  Simon  Bales,  of  Huntingdon 
county;  (2)  George  is  a  blacksmith  in  that  coun- 
ty; (3)  Henry  Clay  is  our  subject;  (4)  James  is  a 
clerk  and  bookkeeper  in  Pittsburg;  (5)  Elias  H. 
W.  is  a  tinner  in  the  same  city;  (6)  William  is 
a  blacksmith  at  Pittsburg;  (7)  John  is  a  machin-' 
ist  in  Philadelphia;  and  (8)  Juniata  is  the  wife  of 
H.  H.  Pensyl,  of  Altoona. 


312 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOQRAPMCAL  RECORD. 


DANIEL  PONTIUS  IRWIN  is  an  enterprising 
merchant  of  Julian,  Centre  county,  whose 
systematic  methods,  executive  ability  and  sound 
judgment,  combined  with  energy  and  industry, 
have  made  him  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Huston  township  lb  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  in  Union  county,  December  10, 
iSiS,  and  for  man)  years  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  commercial   interests  of   Centre  i  ounty. 

John  Irwin,  father  of  our  subject,  was  also 
born  in  this  State,  of  English  parentage,  his 
father  coming  to  this  country  from  England  be- 
fore the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  struggle  he 
aided  the  Colonies,  and  died  from  the  effects  of 
wounds  received.  In  Union  county,  l'eiin.. 
John  Irwin  married  Catherine  Pontius,  also  a 
native  ,,f  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Dorothy  Pontius,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  Union  county  Hei  paternal  grandpar- 
ents were  of  German  birth,  and  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  that  county.  In  (835,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  [rwin  came  to  <  entre  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  1850,  when  they  mi- 
grated to   Fayette  county,  Iowa,  he  carrying  on 

icultural  pursuits  there  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1864,  when  he  was  aged  eighty-one 
years.  The  mother  dud  at  West  Union,  Fay- 
ette county,  in  1867,  at  the  age  of  seventy-o 
I  heir  six  children  were  .1-  follows:  Andrew,  a 
farmer,  who  died  in  Centre  county.  Penn. ; 
[ames,  a  farmer  ol  (  edar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where 
he  died;  John,  a  deceased  fanner  of  Iowa;  Dan- 
iel P.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Rachel,  deceased 
wife  of  Hon  1'.  F.  Sturgis,  a  banker  oi  Iowa. 
who  represented  his  district  in  the  Legislature; 
and   Louis,    who  died  in   Iowa 

The  boyhood  of  our  subject  was  spent  in 
Union  county,  he  attending  the  public  schools 
and  assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  until  six- 
years  of  age,  when  he  began  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  busi- 
ness he  followed  lor  live  sears.  He  next  en- 
gaged  in  clerking  in  a  mercantile  establishment 
in  Bellefonte.   Penn.,  where  he  remained  i..i  sev- 

I  years,  and  later  was  in  partnership  with 
John  B.  Awl  in  the  same  business.  Subsequently 
he  was  bookkeeper  for  tin-  Washington  Iron  Co. 
lor  a  few  years,  and  then  again  clerked  in  a  store 
at  Hellefonte.  Still  later  he  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits  at  Milesburg,  Penn.,  until  i860, 
when  he  went  to  West  Union,  Iowa,  where  for 
three  years  he  served  as  bookkeeper.  In  1 863  he 
located  at  Julian,  Penn.,  becoming  railroad  station 
agent  and  conducting  a  general  store,  in  partner- 
ship with  T.  E.  Griest,  which  connection  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  He  then  purchased  his 
partner's  interest,  at  the  same  time  giving  up  the 


station,  and  has  since  successfully  conducted  his 
store  alone. 

On  February  8,  1859,  Mr.  Irwin  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  G.  Underwood,  and 
nine  children  blessed  their  union:  John,  born 
January  4.  i860,  died  January  [2,  1861;  Clara 
M.,  born  May  2,  1862.  died  July  29,  1862; 
William  I'.,  born  July  9,  1863,  is  a  prominent 
physician  of  Julian;  Edwin  P.,  born  October  28, 
1865,  is  a  hardware  merchant  of  Tyrone,  Penn.; 
Louis  O,  born  August  9,  1869,  is  engaged  in  the 
same  business  in  Bellefonte;  Catharine  Alvina, 
born  April  17,  1872,  is  at  home;  James  B.,  born 
April  9,  1875,  died  September  25,  1882;  and 
Alfred  T.,  born  December 23,  1877,  and  Charles 
A.,  born  December  1,   1880,  are  both  at  home. 

Mis  Irwin  was  born  in  Milesburg,  Penn.,  Oc- 
tober 28,  1839,  and  is  the  third  child  in  the 
family  of  Dr.  William  and  Alvina  (Griest  Under- 
wood, the  others  being  as  follows:  Amanda,  de- 
ceased wife  of  Benjamin  Rich,  also  deceased; 
l'lmbe  J.,  deceased  wife  of  Leander  driest. 
Joseph,  deceased;  Newton,  a  lumber  merchant  of 
Elizabeth  City,  N.  C.  ;  and  Hannah  Alvina,  de- 
ceased wife  of  John  G.  Greenleaf,  of  Cleveland, 
t  >hio. 

1  >r.  William  Underwood  was  born  in  York 
county,  Penn.,  October  7,  1811,  and  during  his 
mature  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
at  Unionville,  Penn  He  was  also  an  extensive 
lumber  merchant,  and  built  the  plank  roads  from 
Unionville  to  Tyrone,  and  from  Julian  over  the 
mountains  to  Beaver  Mills,  at  a  cost  of  $50,000. 
He  was  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative 
business  men  of  this  section,  was  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  milling  company  at  Beaver  Mills, 
and  was  the  first  president  of  the  Bald  Eagle 
Valley  railroad.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
preacher  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  Adams 
county,  Penn.,  Dr.  Underwood  married  Alvina 
Griest,  a  native  of  that  counts,  born  7th  mo. 
15th,  1812,  died  3d  mo.  31st,  1853,  and  he 
later  married  her  sister,  Lorana  Griest,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  county,  in  1820.  One  daugh- 
ter was  born  to  them:  Ida,  wife  of  EmmersOD 
Bosworth,  a  railroad  man  of  Buffalo,  New  York. 

Politically,  Mr.  Irwin  affiliates  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic part)-,  and  for  three  years  he  served  as 
postmaster  at  Julian,  while  for  six  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  In  religious  belief 
he  is  a   Presbyterian;  socially  he  has  for  man) 

is  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He 
is  liberal  in  his  support  of  every  worthy  enter- 
prise for  the  good  of  the  community,  is  public- 
spirited  and  progressive,  and  has  the  confidence 
and  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact. 


(Z^Cjci^u/  ?Jt 


Jo^nn^J 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


313 


iOBERT  BEERLY.  In  past  ages  the  his- 
EL  tory  of  a  country  was  the  record  of  wars 
and  conquests;  to-day  it  is  the  record  of  com- 
mercial activity,  and  those  whose  names  are 
foremost  in  its  annals  are  the  leaders  in  business 
circles.  Our  subject  is  unquestionably  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  influential  business  men  of 
Centre  county — the  proprietor  of  a  large  wagon 
factory  at  Central  City — and  the  place  which  he 
occupies  in  business  circles    is  in  the  front  rank. 

Mr.  Beerly  was  born  December  21,  1837,  in 
Clinton  county,  Penn.,  and  traces  his  ancestry 
to  Nicholas  Beerly,  a  German  astrologer.  The 
latter's  son,  Nicholas,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  wedded  Lucy  A.  Buchtel,  also  a  native  of 
this  State.  Both  died  at  Rebersburg.  Their 
son  Peter,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Centre  county.  He  married  Sarah  Karstetter,  a 
native  of  Clinton  counfy,  and  a  daughter  of  Ru- 
dolph Karstetter,  who  died  in  that  county.  To 
this  worthy  couple  were  born  children  as  follows: 
Robert,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Rebecca,  widow 
of  David  Watson,  of  Boggs  township;  Masulam, 
who  died  in  the  army  in  1863;  Nathaniel,  a  mer- 
chant and  justice  of  the  peace  of  Central  City; 
Tartonlius,  deceased;  Agnes,  wife  of  Byron  Tay- 
lor, of  Boggs  township;  Lemuel,  of  Boggs  town- 
ship; and  Newton,  who  died  in  childhood.  The 
death  of  both  parents  occurred  in  Boggs  town- 
ship, the  father  dying  in  1868,  at  the  age  of 
fifty- four  years;  the  mother  in  1889,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years.  He  was  a  wagon  manu- 
facturer by  trade,  working  at  the  same  in  Clinton 
county  until  1847,  when  he  located  in  Centre 
county,  and  in  i860  became  a  resident  of  Boggs 
township,  where  he  carried  on  wagon  making 
and  repairing  until  his  death.  His  political  sup- 
port was  given  the  Republican  party. 

As  a  life  work  Mr.  Beerly  chose  the  occupa- 
tion of  wagon-making,  which  trade  he  learned 
under  his  father's  able  directions,  and  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  he  obtained  his  literary  education, 
which  was  somewhat  meagre,  he  being  the  oldest 
son,  and  obliged  to  assist  in  the  support  of  the 
family.  He  continued  with  his  father  ■  until 
his  marriage,  when  he  removed  to  Milesburg, 
where,  for  five  years,  he  worked  for  Jonathan 
Bullock,  and  then  returned  to  Boggs  township, 
and  here,  for  twenty-one  years,  carried  on  oper- 
ations at  his  father's  old  plant.  In  1890,  how- 
ever, he  erected  his  present  steam  factory,  which 
he  has  since  successfully  operated  with  the  assist- 
ance of  his  two  sons,  Albert  and  Ellis,  and  enjoys 
a  large  and  lucrative  patronage.  He  has  the 
most  complete  wagon  factory  in  the  county,  and 
for  the  past  nineteen  years  has  also  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  cider.     Tireless  energy,  keen 


perception,  honesty  of  purpose,  genius  for  devis- 
ing and  executing  the  right  thing  at  the  right 
time,  joined  to  every-day  common  sense,  guided 
by  resistless  will  power,  are  the  chief  character- 
istics of  the  man,  and  have  been  the  important 
factors  in  his  success. 

In  1 86 1,  Mr.  Beerly  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Hannah  J.  Worts,  and  to  them  were 
born  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows: 
Roland,  who  died  in  childhood;  Laura,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  Albert,  associated  with 
his  father  in  business;  Cora,  who  died  when 
young;  and  Ellis,  also  with  his  father.  Mrs. 
Beerly  was  born  in  Centre  county,  July  20,  1835, 
and  is  one  of  the  thirteen  children  of  Jacob  and 
Annie  (Hanser)  Worts,  also  natives  of  Centre 
county.  In  order  of  birth  the  children  are  as 
follows:  Barbara  married  J.  Moore,  and  both 
are  now  deceased;  John  is  also  deceased;  Eliza 
is  the  wife  of  J.  McGonigle;  Jacob  is  deceased; 
Samuel  lives  in  Houserville,  Centre  county; 
Mattie;  George;  Joe;  Philip,  also  of  Houserville; 
Catherine  is  deceased;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Gross,  of  Centre  county;  Abraham  is  a 
farmer  of  Perry  county,  Penn.  ;  and  Hannah  J.  is 
the  wife  of  our  subject.  The  father  was  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Centre  county,  and  a  stalwart 
Republican  in  politics. 

Since  1864,  Mr.  Beerly  has  lived  at  his  pres- 
ent home,  and  has  been  elected  to  several  town- 
ship offices,  but  has  declined  to  accept  the  same, 
as  political  distinction  has  no  attraction  for  him. 
Until  the  past  nine  years  he  was  a  Republican, 
but  he  now  affiliates  with  the  Prohibition  party. 
His  religious  views  are  those  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  but  at  present  he  is  connected  with  no 
Church  organization.  A  man  of  fine  musical 
talent,  he  has  won  several  prizes  at  musical 
contests,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  a  band 
and  an  excellent  orchestra.  He  is  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  the  community,  held 
in  the  highest  regard  by  all  who  know  him 


ISAAC  BECK.  Prominent  among  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  and  respected  men  of  Half 
Moon  township,  Centre  county,  is  found  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  notice,  who  has  a 
valuable  farm  of  160  acres.  This  is  well  im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated,  and  shows  conclu- 
sively that  the  owner  has  not  mistaken  his  calling 
in  adopting  agriculture. 

Mr.  Beck  was  born  in  Half  Moon  township, 
October8,  1835,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Cryder)  Beck,  who  are  now  deceased,  the 
former  having  died  in  1883,  the  latter  in  1884, 
and  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Lutheran   cemetery, 


314 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGliM'lW M.   UECORD. 


in  Half  Moon  township.  They  were  of  German 
descent,  born  near  the  city  of  Warriors  Mark, 
Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  and  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children.  Our  subject  is  indebted  to  the 
public  schools  of  Centre  county  for  his  educa- 
tional privileges,  and  upon  the  home  farm  be- 
came familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits,  which 
he  decided  to  make  his  life  work. 

On  Octobei.  21,  1859,  Mr.  Beck  married 
Miss  Barbara  Rider,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Barbara  Rider,  of  Gatesburg,  Penn.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  this  State,  Febru- 
ary 18,  1797,  and  died  January  30,  1881,  while 
her  mother  was  bom  November  15,  1799.  m 
Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  and  departed  this  life 
March  9,  1874.  In  their  family  were  twi 
children,  namely:  Mary,  born  August  2,  1817, 
died  August  22,  [869;  Catharine  was  born  Janu- 
ary 29,  1821;  Elizabeth,  born  December  21, 
1822,  died  May  8,  1883;  Lydia,  l»>rn  December 
25,   1824,  died    September    II,    1890;  Sarah    A  . 

11  December  13,  1826,  died  November  23, 
1890;  Jacob  K.,  born  February  15,  1829,  makes 
his  home  in  Gatesburg,  Centre  county;  Michael 
C,  born  March  14,  1832,  lives  in  Nebraska; 
Nancy,  born  August  [3,  (834,  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Musser,  of  Fairbrook,  Centre  county; 
John  (,.,  bom    Mas     15,   [836,  is    a    resident   of 

tesburg;  Barbara,  born  April  22,  1838,  is  the 
honored  wife  of  our  subject ;  Mathias,  born  April 
28,  184(1.  also  makes  his  home  at  Gatesburg; 
and  Ellen,  born  April  2;.  1843,  is  the  wife  of 
William  Hastings,  of  the  same  place. 

Four  children  grace  the  union  of  Mr  and 
Mrs.  Beck,  as  follows:  111  Elmer  E.,  born 
September  3,  1861,  was  married  January  8, 
[891,  to  Alice  Whippo,  bj  whom  he  has  three 
children,  and  is  now  serving  as  superintendent 
of  the  farm  in  connection  with  the  Huntingdon 
Reformatory,  oi  Huntingdon  county,  Penn. 
Mar}  E.,  born  October  1,  [863,  was  married 
June  27,  iNS.,,  to  J.  E.  Corle,  a  clerk  in  the 
postal  service,  and  they  have  two  children:  Sa- 
lome and  Barbara  1.  (3  William  !■'.,  born 
January  i8,  [866,  married  Sarah  Campbell, 
daughter    of   Cornel:  tnpbell,    of    Altoona, 

Blair  Co.,    Penn.;    (4)    Daniel  J.,    born  June   4, 
[869,  is  still  at  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Beck  has  been  an    ardent    Republican    in 

politics  from  the  time  he   voted    for    Lincoln    in 

1,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  success  of 

his  party;  since  the  organization  of  the  Grange  in 

his  community  he  has   been   identified   with  that 

ivement;  in  religious  faith  he  is  an  active  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  citizens  of  Half  Moon 
township,    thoroughly   honest,  upright   and  reli- 


able, and  is  highly  honored  and  respected  by  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  In 
his  beautiful  home  hospitality  abounds,  the  fam- 
ily delighting  to  entertain  their  many  friends 


RB.  B<  ><  IB,  a  leading  blacksmith  of  Aarons- 
burg,  was  born  December  13,  1845.  in 
Hartley  township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  and  is  a 
son  of  Adam  and  Susannah  (Adams)  Boob,  the 
former  born  in  the  same  county  July  14,  1815, 
and  the  latter  in  Dauphin  county,  this  State, 
April  26,  1821.  The  paternal  grandfather  was 
Michael  Boob,  while  the  mother's  father  was 
Samuel  Adams. 

Adam  Boob  was  reared  amid  humble  sur- 
roundings in  the  county  of  his  nativity .  as  his 
parents  were  in  limited  circumstances,  and  after 
his  marriage  located  upoft  a  small  tract  of  land 
near  Laurelton,  Union  county,  when-  h<  worked 
at  the  mason's  trade  and  later  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  is  now  the  owner  of  a  small  farm  in 
that  county,  where  he  still  makes  his  home,  and 
is  well  preserved  for  one  of  his  years.  His  po- 
litical support  is  ever  given  men  and  measures  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  in  religion  he  is  a 
German  Baptist.  His  faithful  wife  was  called  to 
her  final  rest  in  the  spring  of  [895. 

In  their  family  were  the  following  children: 
Hannah,  born  August  24,  1838,  is  the  wife  of 
[ohn  Pick,  of  Union  county;  Levi,  born  April  3, 
1840.  lost  his  arm  in  the  Union  service  while  a 
member  of  Company  A,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  and  died 
in  Union  county  from  accidental  shooting  while 
bear  hunting;  William,  bom  February  13.  1842, 
was  also  a  member  of  Company  A,  148th  P.  V.I., 
was  wounded  and  died  in  a  Rebel  prison;  Na- 
thaniel, born  October  24,  1843,  was  a  member 
ot  the  same  company,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Union  county;  K  B.,  of  this  sketch,  is  next  in 
order  of  birth;  Ellen,  born  July  [6,  1847,  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Hartley,  of  Union  county;  Sarah, 
horn  December  17.  1851,  married  William  Heck, 
and  died  in  Shingletown,  Penn. :  Frank,  born 
November  21,  [854,  is  a  farmer  of  Union  coun- 
ty; Amanda,  born  November  \  '■,.  1857,  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Smith,  of  Juniata  county.  Penn. j 
and  Maria,  born  July  6,  [861.  is  the  wit 
John  Frederick,  of  Union  counts 

The  educational  privileges  of  our  subject 
were  rather  limited,  and  the  schools  which  he 
attended  were  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  pres- 
ent day.  Until  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
mained  upon  the  home  farm,  assisting  in  its  de- 
velopment and  cultivation,  and  then  began  learn- 
ing the  blacksmith  s  trade  at  Mifflinburg,  Penn., 
in  the  shop  of  Miller,  Diehl  &  Co.,  his  compen- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


315. 


sation  to  be  $60  for  two  years,  but  for  the  eight- 
een months  he  was  with  them  only  received  $30. 
The  following  eight  months  he  worked  for  Isaac 
Sellers,  of  the  same  place,  and  then  formed  a 
partnership  with  Perry  Catherman,  but  after 
conducting  a  shop  in  Mifflinburg  for  a  few 
months  the  connection  was  discontinued,  our 
subject  being  alone  for  a  short  time.  Coming 
to  Centre  county,  he  opened  a  smithy  in  the 
country  near  Hartleton,  but  a  year  later  located 
in  Aaronsburg,  buying  out  the  business  of  John 
C.  Stover  in  March,  1871.  He  has  greatly  en- 
larged his  shop,  adding  coachmaking  to  the  reg- 
ular blacksmith  business,  and  has  built  up  a  fine 
trade,  which  his  skillful  work  justly  merits. 

In  Mifflinburg,  September  19,  1867,  Mr. 
Boob  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Sheary,  who 
was  born  in  East  Buffalo  township,  Union  coun- 
ty, September  5,  1844,  a  daughter  of  George  E. 
and  Leah  (Young)  Sheary.  Three  children  have 
come  to  bless  their  union:  William  W. ,  born 
June  15,  1868,  is  a  carriage  hardware  jobber  of 
Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  and  a  wide-awake,  energetic 
young  business  man;  Lewis  E.,  born  December 
24,  1874,  is  also  a  promising  young  man,  pos- 
sessing excellent  musical  talent;  George  C. ,  born 
October  25,   1881,  completes  the  family. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Boob  had 
not  a  dollar  with  which  to  begin  housekeeping, 
and  went  in  debt  for  his  home,  which  cost  $2,300; 
but  being  an  honest,  hard-working  man,  he  soon 
paid  off  the  indebtedness  and  has  secured  a  com- 
fortable competence,  all  through  his  own  unaided 
exertions.  Originally  he  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  but  since  1892  has  supported  the  Prohi- 
bition party,  as  it  embodies  his  views  on  the  tem- 
perance question.  He  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  water  works  trustee,  and  is  a  valued  and 
efficient  member  of  the  school  board.  Since 
1863  his  wife  has  been  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  while  he  is  a  Methodist  in 
religious  belief.  They  have  made  many  friends 
since  coming  to  Aaronsburg,  and  by  all  who  know 
them  are  held  in  the  highest  regard. 


HENRY  CLAY   HOLTER,  a  veteran   of '  the 
Civil     war,    and    a  prominent    resident    of 

of  Howard  borough,  Centre  county,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  three  well-known  pioneer  families.  On  the 
paternal  side,  his  grandfather,  Jacob  Holter,  Sr. , 
who  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1776,  came  to  Cen- 
tre county  in  1800,  and  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop  in  Howard  township,  where  he  later  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  His  first  wife,  who  was  a  Miss  Miller, 
died  leaving  two  children,  and  he  afterward  mar- 


ried Miss  Catherine  Neff,  a  native  of  the  Bald 
Eagle  Valley,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- five 
years. 

By  this  last  union  there  were  eleven  children, 
among  whom  was  a  son,  Jacob,  Jr.,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  who  was  born  January  19,  18 19, 
and  lived  in  Howard  township  until  recent  years, 
having  now  retired  to  Liberty  township,  in  the 
same  county.  In  his  more  active  days  he  was  a 
successful  agriculturist,  and  also  took  an  influen- 
tial part  in  local  affairs  and  in  the  Republican 
party,  serving  as  school  director,  overseer  of  the 
poor  and  supervisor.  He  married  Miss  Cath- 
erine Pletcher,  a  native  of  Howard  township,  and 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Magdalena  (Schenck) 
Pletcher,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  but  located  in  1796 
upon  a  farm  in  Howard  township  and  made  their 
permanent  home.  Mrs.  Catherine  Holter  died 
at  the  old  homestead  September  9,  1889,  aged 
seventy-four  years,  six  months  and  eighteen  days. 
She  was  a  devout  Christian,  and  for  forty-nine 
years  had  been  a  member  of  the  Mennonite 
Church,  to  which  her  husband  has  belonged  for 
about  fifty  years. 

To  Jacob  Holter,  Jr.,  and  his  wife,  Catherine 
(Pletcher),  were  born  children  as  follows:  11) 
Joseph  L.,  a  resident  of  Howard,  married  Mar- 
tha Kaup,  and  has  one  child — Anna  J.  (2) 
Henry  C.  is  our  subject;  (3)  Michael  P.,  a  car- 
penter at  Howard,  married  Susan  B.  Schenck, 
and  seven  children  were  born  to  them — Minnie 
M.,  Lydia  J.  (Mrs.  Pletcher),  Charles  E.,  Albert 
L. ,  James  A.,  Samuel  B. ,  and  Herbert  J.,  who 
died  September  28,  1895.  (4)  John  B.,  a  stone 
mason  and  plasterer,  of  Howard,  married  Carrie 
B.  Smith  (no  children).  (5)  Magdalena  died  in 
1852.  (6)  Catherine  M.  married  Isaac  Williams, 
a  barber  at  Eagleville,  Penn.,  and  has  had  eight 
children  —  Harry  G.,  Shuman  S.,  Eliza  C. , 
Henry  S.,  Dela,  Frankie,  Laura  and  John  J.  (7) 
Nancy  J.  married  Albert  Schenck,  a  farmer  of 
Liberty  township,  Centre  county,  and  had  seven 
children,  all  yet  living  —  Carrie,  May  (Mrs. 
Coder;  she  has  two  children — Albert  and  Rey- 
nold), Elsie,  Wilber,  Catherine,  Irvine  and 
Viola;  Mrs.  Nancy  J.  Schenck  died  March  11, 
1893.  (8)  Christian  died  in  infancy.  (9)  Jacob 
S.,  a  plasterer  at  Howard,  married  Mary  E.  Mil- 
ler, and  has  one  child — Sherman  M.  (10)  Mary 
A.  married  Bower  Schenck,  a  farmer  of  Liberty 
township,  and  they  have  three  children — Charles, 
Morris  and  Lydia.  (11)  Susan  E.  married  J.  Z. 
Loder,  of  Howard,  and  they  also  have  three 
children — Joseph  M.,  Mary  B.  and  Mabel  E. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born   Septem- 
ber 21,  1843,  and  remained    at  the   old    home  in 


816 


COMMKMOItA  TIVK  I!l<><; UM'll KM.   UECORD. 


Howard  township,  Centre  county,  until  he  was 
about  nineteen  years  of  age,  assisting  in  the  farm 
work  and  attending  the  neighboring  schools.  He 
displayed  decided  mechanical  ability,  and  making 
choice  of  the  carpenter's  trade  began  an  appren- 
ticeship in  [862.  The  "dark  days"  of  the  Re- 
bellion were  drawing  on,  and  every  loyal  man 
felt  the  prompting  within  to  aid  as  he  could  in 
the  preservation  of  the  Union.  Young  as  he  was. 
Mr  Holter  left  the  carpentei  s  lunch  after  six 
months  of  his  apprenticeship  had  passed,  and 
went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  I  >. 
45th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  Austin  Curtin.  He 
continued  in  the  service  until  the  army  was  dis- 
banded, and  received  but  one  wound,  and  that  a 
slight  "lie,  although  he  saw  much  severe  fighting, 
especially  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania,  Bethesda  Church,  Cold  Harbor, 
North  Anna,  the  long  struggle  before  Petersburg 
and  the  final  combat  with  Lee's  forces.  He  was 
mustered    out    July   17,   1865.  but    he   has    since 

n  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  46th  Ri 
ment   Pennsylvania   Militia.      In    [876  he  joined 
Centre  County  Veteran  Club. 

On  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Holter  re- 
sumed his  work  as  an  apprentice,  and  completed 
his  preparation  for  his  trade,  which  lie  has  since 

followed  successfully,  six  sawmills  being  ai ig 

Ins  list  of  large  buildings  constructed.  In  [876 
he  added  undertaking;  and  in  this  branch  of 
work  he  formed  a  partnership  in  1892  with  J.  H 
Schenck.  Mr.  Holter  is  highly  esteemed  in  busi- 
ness circles,  but  his  popularity  does  not  end 
there  by  any  means.  To  mention  the  various 
offices  which  he  has  held  would  be  to  enumerate 
all  the  important  places  on  the  local  ticket.  He 
has  been  school  director  nine  years;  town  coun- 
cilman six  years;  overseer  of  the  door  two  years; 
chid  burgess  one  term;  assessor  one  year; 
county  collector  two  years;  supervisor  one  year; 
and  for  three  years  was  secretary  of  the  school 
board.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  Post,  No.  262,  at  Howard,  and  served  five 
years  as  commander  and  three  as  adjutant.  He 
also  held  the  leading  offices  in  the  Patriotic 
Order  Sons  of  America  before  their  disbandment. 
While  he  is  not  identified  with  any  Church,  he 
gives  generous  support  to  all  religious  and  phil- 
anthropic enterpi  i 

On  June  30,  1868,  Mr.  Holter  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Hall,  who  was  born  June  30,  1849,  the 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Armegast)  Hall, 
natives  and  lifelong  residents  of  Union  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holter  have 
a  bright,  clever  family  of  children.  The  eldest, 
Daniel  W.,  born  April  26,  1869,  is  at  home; 
Frank  E.,  born  February  II,   1872,  died  May  5. 


1874;  Nannie  K.,  born  January  16,  1874,  mar- 
ried Lot  Thompson,  of  Liberty  township.  Cen- 
tre county,  and  their  children  were — Annie  M., 
horn  June  2,  1895,  died  November  23,  1895; 
George  C,  born  June  21,  1896;  and  Clarence 
Cameron,  born  December  1 ,  1 897 ;  Lizzie  M. ,  born 
August  1,  1875,  is  a  successful  school  teacher, 
and  resides  with  her  parents;  John  S.,  born 
March  7,  1877,  is  an  intelligent  young  man  with 
fine  literary  taste,  and  is  now  employed  as  clerk 
inthe  "Syracuse  Hotel''  at  Howard;  Robert  B., 
born  January  19,  1879,  is  at  home;  Ella  L.,  born 
May  23,  1881,  died  March  13,  1897  (She  was 
a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  Epworth 
League);  Mary  A.,  horn  June  18,  1883,  is  at 
home;  [acob  L. ,  born  April  12,  1885.  died  De- 
cember 26,  1888;  David  A.,  born  February  19, 
1887,  Philip  C,  born  January  28,  1889,  Simon 
('.  B.,  born  September  4.  1892,  and  Henry  W  . 
born  July  26,    1894,  are  at  home. 


JESSE  CLEAVER,  one  of  the  representative 
ml  prominent  citizens  of  the  borough  of 
Unionville,  Centre  county,  is  a  native  of  that 
county,  born  February  5,  1844,  on  the  banks  of 
tie  Bald  Fagle  creek,  not  far  from  the  present 
site  of  Unionville.      He  traces  his  ancestry  back 

[oshua  (leaver,  who  came  to  America  from 
Wales,    locating    in    New    Jersey.      He   wedded 
net  ,  who  lost  her  membership  in 

the  Society  of  Friends  by  her  marriage,  he  being 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England.  He  died  in 
1783,  at  Philadelphia,  leaving  his  widow  with 
lour  children.  Nathan,  Jesse,  Eunice  and  An- 
drew. 

Tlu'  youngest  of  this  family.  Andrew  1 
was  bound  out  to  Benjamin  Tompkins,  of  Bucks 

ity,  Penn.,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  then  r< 
turned  to  his  mother.  He  married  Hannah 
Clark,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah 
(lark,  and  one  of  their  twelve  children  was  Will- 
iam, the  father  of  our  subject.  The  grandfather 
was  born  December  4,  1783,  and  died  Januan  8, 
[84P,  about  one  mile  east  of  Curwensville,  Penn. 
He  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Friends  cemetery  at 
Grampian  Hills,  Clearfield  county. 

William  (leaver  was  born  in  Clearfield, 
Penn.,  April  20,  181  1,  and  died  March  30,  1857. 
He  was  tour  times  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Anna  Was,  whom  he  wedded  in  Centre  county, 
and  they  had  one  son.  Thomas  W.,  who  was 
born  October  13,  1S34,  and  is  now  a  farmer  of 
Bedford  county,  Penn.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife,  Mr.  Cleaver  married  Keziah  Griest,  of 
Bald  Eagle  Valley,  who  was  born  September  3, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


317 


1810,  and  died  May  14,  1846.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Amos  and  Phoebe  (Swain)  Griest,  natives 
of  Chester  county,  Penn. ,  who  removed  to  York 
county,  where  her  father  spent  his  remaining 
days.  By  this  union  Mr.  Cleaver  had  three 
children:  Charles  G.,  who  was  born  November 
22,  1 84 1,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  in  Bed- 
ford county,  Penn.;  Jesse,  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  For  his 
third  wife,  Mr.  Cleaver  wedded  Hannah  Kirk,  of 
Lumber  City,  Clearfield  county,  and  to  them 
was  born  a  son,  Isaac  K.,  now  residing  in  the 
State  of  Washington,  whose  birth  occurred  March 
28,  1850.  After  her  death  he  married  Louisa 
Garretson,  widow  of  Isaac  Garretson,  and  one 
child  graced  their  union:  William  P.,  born  in 
February,  1857. 

Jesse  Cleaver  obtained  a  good  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  common  and  select  schools  of  his 
day,  and  subsequently  followed  the  profession  of 
teaching  during  the  winter  seasons,  while  the 
summer  months  were  spent  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Soon  after  the  death  of  his  mother  he 
went  with  his  father  to  Clearfield  county,  where 
he  remained  until  the  latter  was  called  to  his  final 
rest  in  1857.  He  then  made  his  home  with 
friends  for  about  thiee  or  four  years,  after  which 
he  served  a  three-years'  apprenticeship  under  a 
carpenter  and  cabinet  maker  of  Curwensville, 
and  later  followed  those  occupations  for  a  time. 
During  the  oil  excitement  he  was  induced  to  go 
to  the  oil  regions,  where  he  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  many  of  the  first  derricks  and  engine 
houses  in  the  famous  Pithole  City,  which  rose, 
flourished  and  faded,  as  it  were,  in  a  day.  Later, 
for  a  time,  he  boated  oil  on  Oil  creek  and  the  Al- 
legheny' river  to  Franklin.  In  the  meanwhile  he 
had  studied  surveying  under  the  direction  of  an 
old  and  competent  surveyor,  and  has  now  for 
over  twenty-two  years  followed  that  occupation. 

On  March  31,  1869,  Mr.  Cleaver  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Edith  Wickersham,  of 
Adams  county,  Penn.,  and  the  names  and  dates 
of  births  of  their  children  are  as  follows:  Eva  W. , 
August  17,  1870;  Florence  N.,  September  9, 
1872;  Bertha  K.,  August  23,  1876;  and  Edgar 
W.,  June  29,  1 88 1.  They  are  all  still  at  home 
with  their  parents,  and  constitute  a  most  inter- 
esting family. 

Mrs.  Cleaver  was  born  in  York  county,  Penn., 
September  22,  1835,  a  daughter  of  Abner  and 
Anne  (Griest)  Wickersham,  who  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  that  county.  The  father  was  born 
September  11,  1788,  and  died  February  9,  1853. 
He  was  married  in  March,  1821,  to  Anna  Griest, 
who  was  born  May  16,  1796,  and  died  April  25, 
1863.      Mr.  Wickersham    studied    medicine,    but 


never  engaged  in  its  practice,  turning  his  atten- 
tion exclusively  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Garrison)  Wick- 
ersham, who  were  born  in  Chester  county,  and 
spent  their  last  days  in  York  county.  The  pa- 
ternal great-great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Cleaver 
was  of  English  birth;  her  maternal  great-grand- 
father, John  Griest,  came  from  England,  and  his 
son  Willing  (her  grandfather)  was  born  near 
Wilmington,  Del.  The  latter  married  Anne  Mc- 
Millan, a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Cleaver 
is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Maria  (born  March  15,  1822, 
died  July  27,  1890),  married  William  Cook,  also 
deceased;  Josiah  (born  May  12,  1825,  died  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1882),  and  Mary  A.  (born  May  15, 
1 831)  is  a  resident  of  Adams  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. From  the  age  of  sixteen  years  until  1891 
(with  the  exception  of  two  years  at  boarding 
school)  Mrs.  Cleaver  successfully  engaged  in 
teaching,  at  different  times  having  charge  of 
both  public  and  select  schools.  She  is  a  highly 
cultured  and  refined  lady,  who  with  her  husband 
belongs  to  the  Society  of  Friends. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cleaver  is  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican, and  is  now  the  candidate  of  that  party  for 
the  office  of  county  surveyor,  for  which  position 
he  is  eminently  fitted,  as  by  private  surveying  he 
is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  lands  of  Centre 
county.  In  all  respects  he  is  accounted  as  a 
useful  and  desirable  member  of  society,  and  is 
universally  held  in  high  esteem. 


JOHN  A.  STOVER,  who  is  probably  one  of 
the  most  highly  respected  agriculturists  of 
Walker  township,  Centre  county,  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  the  development  of  the  com- 
munity, promoting  its  material  and  moral  inter- 
ests. His  parents,  George  and  Catharine  (Welt- 
barger)  Stover,  were  of  German  descent,  and 
born  near  Spring  Mills,  Centre  county.  He  was 
the  eldest  of  their  four  children.  (2)  Benjamin, 
a  farmer,  living  at  Centre  Hill,  Centre  county, 
married  Sadie  Byrd,  and  has  four  children — 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  (3)  Howard,  a 
farmer  of  Madisonburg,  in  the  same  county, 
wedded  Mary  Klinefelter,  and  has  two  children — 
Clark  and  Maud.  (4)  Samuel,  whose  home  is  on 
a  farm  near  Zion,  Centre  county,  married  Emma 
Hull,  and  has  two  children — James  and  Mary. 

Our  subject  was  born  near  Farmers  Mills, 
Centre  county,  and  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer 
boys  he  was  reared  to  manhood.  In  1865  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  Markel, 
who  died  in  1870,  leaving  two  children — one  son 
and  one  daughter:      Catharine,  born    October  7, 


818 


'  OitMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


[867,  is  now  the  wife  of  Noah  Breon.'a  farmer 
of  Walker  township,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren— Elmer  and  Mary;  Samuel  W.,  born  April 
21,  1870,  is  still  at  home  with  his  father.  For 
his  second  wife,  Mi  Stovei  wedded  Johanna 
Dietz,  in  1873.  Her  father,  Jacob  Dietz,  by 
occupation  a  farmer,  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  in  early  manhood  came  to  America,  where  he 
married.  By  Mr.  Stover's  second  marriage  there 
1-  a  son,  Harry,  born  June  2,  1  S 7 5 .  and  married 
to  Kate  rate,  of  Nitt 

Mr.  Stover  has  an  excellent  farm  of  twenty- 
five  acres  in  Walker  township,  near  Hublersburg, 
which  he  has  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  well  improved  with  good  buildings.  Like 
his  ancestors  for  the  last  half  century,  he  is  a 
stalwart  Democrat  in  politics,  always  casting  his 
ballot  with  that  organization.  A  sincere  and 
■conscientious  Christian,  he  is  a  worthy  member 
of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  and  is  in  fa- 
vor  of  any  movement  tending  to  benefit  the  com- 
munity, or  calculated  to  elevate  the  tone  of  so- 
ciety m  general.  By  his  neighbors  he  is  classed 
among  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Walker  town- 
ship, and  by  his  honorable  upright  life  has  gained 
many  friends. 

S.    SHAFFER,  the  able  and  popular  post- 
master   at    Madisonburg,  Centre   county,    is 
a  member  oi   one  of   our  oldest   and  best-known 

families. 

[ohn  Adam  and  Sarah  (Kern)  Shaffer,  grand- 
parents of  our  subject,  were  pioneer  settlers  in 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  and  their  son, 
Adam  Shaffer,  Jr.,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
September  12,  1815,  at  the  "old  Shaffer  hon 
near  Madisonburg,  and  was  in  his  day  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  community,  a  successful 
farmer  and  influential  D  and  a  generous 

friend  to  every  form  oi  local  improvement.  Al- 
though the  late  Adam  Shaffer  was  reared  as  a 
farmer's  boy.  with  but  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages, his  native  abilities  enabled  him  to 
gather  a  goodly  fund  of  practical  information 
upon  various  subjects,  and  his  shrewd  judgment 
and  well-known  public  spirit  caused  him  to  be 
selected  by  his  fellow-citizens  to  different  local 
offices,  including  those  of  overseer  oi  thi 
assessor,  tax  collector,  school  director  and  super- 
visor, notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  cared 
little  for  public  honors.  He  was  a  regular  voter, 
considering  it  every  citizen's  duty  to  register  his 
choice  of  men  and  measures.  He  was  a  large, 
well-built  man,  robust  and  a  hard  worker,  ai 
complishing  much  more  by  his  systematic  man- 
agement than  others  could  in  the  same  time. 
\>ide  from  a  short   trip  in   the  Wesl  his   life  was 


spent  in  his  native  locality,  and  largely  upon  the 
homestead  which  he  rented  for  some  years  pre- 
vious to  his  father's  death,  and  then  purchased 
from  the  other  heirs.  In  1874  he  bought  an- 
other home  in  the  same  locality,  where  he  passed 
his  declining  years.  His  death  occurred  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1889.  and  his  remains  now  rest  in  the 
cemetery  at  Madisonburg. 

<  >n  September  i  j,  1 840,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Schmeltzer,  daughter  of  George  and 
Margaret    fBeckle)    Schmeltzer  (of   whom   more 

tided  mention  is  made  below).  She  still 
occupies  the  home  which  his  thoughtful  care 
prepared  for  her.  Both  united  with  the  Luth- 
eran Church  in  youth,  and  became  devout  and 
consistent  followers  of  its  teachings,  and  liberal 
contributors  to  its  work.  Adam  Shaffer  held 
various  offices  in  the  Church,  and  for  twenty 
years  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 
It  was  never  his  habit  to  say  to  his  children  "Go 
to  Sunday-school  "the  persuasive  "  come  ",  being 
typical  of  his  attitude  in  leading  them  into  paths 
of  right  doitif,'.  to  which  his  own  feet  were  famil- 
iar. ( )f  four  children,  our  subject  was  the  eldest; 
(2)  Maggie  married  C.  F.  Yearick,  and  died  in 
Marion  township,  Centre  county;  (3)  Hmma, 
now  Mrs.  J.  W.  Hazel,  resides  at  Spring  Mills; 
1  1 1    1  ".His  S.  lives  in  Madisonburg. 

U,  S.  Shaffer  was  born  at  the  old  home  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county.  May  21,  18 
and  his  early  education  was  obtained  mainly  in 
Madisonburg,  his  first  teacher  being  Jonathan 
Shaffer.  His  limitations  in  this  respect  have 
made  him  an  earnest  supporter  of  better  facili- 
ties for  the  youth  of  to-day.  At  eighteen  he 
was  examined  and  licensed  to  teach,  and  a  sec- 
ond application  for  a  certificate  proved  success- 
ful also,  but  he  never  taught  school.  Two  trips 
were  taken  to  the  West,  during  which  he   visited 

its  m  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Wisconsin. 
but  he  has  been  too  much  attached  to  the  old 
home  to  leave  it  permanently,  On  December 
25,  1873,  he  was  married  in  Marion  township. 
Centre  county,  to  Miss  Mary  Yearick,  who  was 
born  August  25,  [850,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Catherine  (Linebaugh)  Yearick.  The  young 
couple  settled  at  the  "old  Sclimelt/er  farm,' 
then  the  propertj  oi  our  subject's  parents,  and 
after  renting  for  some  years  he  purchased,  in  1 8f 
the  "old  Shaffer  farm,''  which  he  sold  after- 
ward to  buy  his  present  farm  of  148  acres  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  a  fine  estate 
with  good  buildings  showing  liberal  and  progress- 
ive management.  In  the  spring  of  1890  Mr 
Shaffer  bought  a  pleasant  residence  in  Madison- 
burg, where  he  has  since  resided.  Two  children 
— Estella  A.,  and    Ellis  B. — brighten  the  home; 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


319 


the  latter  had  a  twin  brother,  who  died  in  infan- 
cy, unnamed. 

Mr.  Shaffer  and  his  wife  found  a  ready  wel- 
come in  the  best  social  circles  of  their  new 
home.  Mrs.  Shaffer  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  but  our  subject  is  a  Lutheran, 
at  present  holding  the  offices  of  elder  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school,  and  since  he 
was  sixteen  years  old  he  has  been  an  active 
worker  therein  as  an  official.  He  is  a  great 
reader,  and  keeps  well-informed  upon  the  issues 
of  the  day.  Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  he  has  held  various  positions,  serving 
as  tax  collector  at  his  old  home  and  as  school 
director  in  the  Madisonburg  district.  In  July, 
1893,  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  office  of 
postmaster,  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he 
displays  ability  and  faithfulness.  In  the  councils 
of  his  party  his  advice  is  highly  valued,  and  he 
takes  an  unfailing  interest  in  the  practical  work 
of  the  organization. 

Mrs.  Adam  Shaffer,  our  subject's  mother,  is  a 
member  of  the  well-known  Schmeltzer  family, 
which  is  now  without  a  male  representative  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  where  her  ances- 
tors were  early  settlers.  Her  grandfather,  Con- 
rad Schmeltzer,  was  born  February  27,  1768,  in 
Germany,  where  he  was  married  in  early  man- 
hood to  Miss  Margaret  Cinder,  also  a  native  of 
the  Fatherland,  born  December  17,  1767.  They 
were  poor,  and  in  order  to  make  their  way  to 
the  wider  opportunities  of  this  new  country  they 
mortgaged  their  labor  as  is  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing copy  of  an  indenture  which  is  preserved  by 
U.  S.  Shaffer  as  an   interesting  relic  of  the  past : 

Philadelphia. 

This  indenture  Witnesseth — That  Conrad  Schmeltzer 
and  Margaret,  his  wife,  of  their  own  free  will  have  put  them- 
selves as  servants  to  Henry  and  Fdk.  Spang — for  the  consider- 
ation of  forty-one  pounds,  three-eighths  of  which  paid  George 
Meade  for  their  passage  from  Rotterdam — as  also  for  other 
good  causes  the  said  Conrad  and  Margaret  Schmeltzer  have 
bound  and  put  themselves,  and  by  their  presents  do  bind 
and  put  themselves,  servants  to  the  said  Henry  and  Fdk. 
Spang,  to  serve  them,  their  executors  and  assigns  from  the 
day  and  date  hereof  for  and  during  the  full  term  of  Three 
\ears  and  six  months  from  thence  next  ensuing.  During  all 
which  term  the  said  servants,  their  said  masters,  their  execu- 
tors, or  assigns,  faithfully  shall  serve,  and  that  honestly,  and 
obediently  in  all  things,  as  good  and  dutiful  servants  ought 
to  do.  And  the  said  Henry  and  Fdk.  Spang,  their  executors 
and  assigns,  during  the  said  term  shall  find  and  provide  for 
the  said  servants,  sufficient  meat,  drink,  apparel,  washing, 
and  lodging,  and  at  the  expiration  of  their  terms  they  shall 
give  said  servants  two  complete  suits  of  clothes  (one  whereof 
to  be  new),  or  fifteen  pounds  specie  in  lieu  of  the  new  suits, 
likewise  to  give  them  a  cow.  And  for  the  true  performance 
hereof  both  the  said  parties  bind  themselves  unto  each 
other  by  the  said  present.  Two  witnesses  whereof  they 
have  hereunto  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  seals. 
Dated  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  August,  seventeen  hundred 
ami  ninety-one.  Conrad  Schmeltzer, 

Lewis  Farmer,  Margaret  Schmeltzer. 

Register. 


The  young  couple  arrived  in  the  United  States 
in  the  spring  of  1 791 ,  and  in  February,  1795, 
they  were  free  to  seek  a  home  for  themselves. 
For  some  time  Conrad  Schmeltzer  worked  as  a 
forgeman,  having  previously  become  familiar 
with  that  business,  and  in  this  manner  he  secured 
money  to  buy  his  first  land,  a  new  farm  in  what 
is  now  Kelly  township,  Union  county.  Their 
first  home  was  a  humble  cabin,  but  their  industry 
and  economy  brought  prosperity,  and  it  was  re- 
placed by  a  large  stone  house,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing. He  had  a  good  store  of  gold  and  silver 
also,  and  as  his  sons  grew  to  manhood  he  deter- 
mined to  secure  land  for  them.  A  trip  through 
Ohio  and  Indiana  failed  to  show  a  suitable  loca- 
tion, and  returning  to  Pennsylvania  he  bought  a 
tract  in  Brush  Valley  a  short  distance  west  of 
Madisonburg  and  extending  from  mountain  to 
mountain.  To  this  place  Conrad  and  his  wife, 
with  those  of  their  children  who  were  at  home, 
removed  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  there  the  last 
days  of  the  brave  old  couple  were  spent,  the  wife 
dying  October  8,  1850,  and  the  husband  on 
April  11,  1853.  Both  were  buried  at  Madi- 
sonburg. At  the  time  of  their  settlement  upon 
the  place  a  tenant  was  conducting  a  distill- 
ery, but  Mr.  Schmeltzer  put  a  stop  to  that 
business  at  once.  Six  children  were  born  to 
Conrad  and  Margaret'  Schmeltzer:  (1)  John, 
who  died  at  an  early  age;  (2)  George,  who  is 
mentioned  more  fully  below;  (3)  Margaret,  Mrs. 
Tatusman;  (4)  Mary  (Mrs.  John  Heckle),  who 
died  in  Kelly  township,  Union  county;  (5)  Jacob, 
who  died  in  Ohio,  and  (6)  Katy,  who  never  mar- 
ried, and  was  for  years  prior  to  her  death  her 
father's  amanuensis  and  bookkeeper. 

George  Schmeltzer,  Mrs.  Shaffer's  father,  was 
born  August  3,  1794,  in  Bucks  county,  Penn., 
and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  to 
their  first  farm,  where  as  he  grew  to  manhood 
he  learned  the  business  of  farming,  in  which  the 
greater  portion  of  his  after  life  was  spent.  He 
was  a  man  of  rather  short  stature  and  stout 
build,  very  energetic  as  a  worker,  peaceable  and 
friendly  in  disposition,  and  although  he  talked 
very  little  he  always  meant  what  he  said.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  various  town- 
ship offices  were  creditably  filled  by  him,  while 
he  was  also  active  in  religious  matters  as  a  devout 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  181  5,  in  Bucks  county,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Beckle,  who  was  born  December  27,  1792,  and 
they  had  eight  children,  whose  names  with  dates 
of  birth  are  here  given:  Esther,  July  21,  1816, 
is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Gramley,  of  Rebersburg; 
John,  September  4,  18 17,  was  a  farmer  in  Steph- 
enson   county,    111.,    where  his  death    occurred; 


820 


COMMEMORATIVE  BlOQRAl'UKW  I.   RECORD. 


Mary,  born  in  May,  1819,  is  the  mother  of  our 
subject;  George,  Jr.,  November  1,  1820,  was  at 
one  time  a  practicing  physician  at  Madisonburg, 
but  died  at  the  opening  of  his  career;  Jacob, 
March  5,  1823,  died  in  Dakota,  111  ,  where  he 
was  in  business  as  a  grain  dealer;  Frances,  De- 
cember 3,  1825,  married  John  Shaffer;  Benjamin, 
March  13,  1828,  resides  in  Dakota.  111.;  Hannah 
M.,  November  28,  1832,  married  John  Laurer, 
and  died  in  Stephenson  county.  111.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  December  10,  1845,  and 
on  October  14,  1850,  Mr.  Schmeltzer  married 
Miss  Regina  Wagner,  a  native  of  Sugar  Valley, 
born  June  15,  1806.  She  died  January  25,  1879, 
leaving  no  issue. 

After  his  first  marriage  George  Schmeltzer 
remained  at  his  father's  farm  for  a  few  years,  and 
then  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  White  Deer  Hole 
and  rented  a  farm  on  the  Muncy  river.  At  the 
time  the  dam  was  built  there,  he  took  charge  of 
the  boarding  shanty  for  the  contractors,  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1830  he  had  often  as  many  as 
200  men  to  feed.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
would  have  accompanied  his  father  to  the  new 
home  in  Brush  Valley,  but  extra  inducements 
were  offered  him  to  remain  where  he  was,  and  he 
did  not  rejoin  the  family  until  the  spring  of  1831. 
He  located  on  the  northern  portion  of  the  new 
tract  in  an  old  log  house,  the  ends  of  the  logs 
being  not  yet  sawed  off.  Later  a  dwelling  was 
built,  which  is  still  occupied  by  the  owners  of  the 
farm.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  re- 
moved tn  Madisonburg,  where  he  built  a  new 
residence,  and  his  death  occurred  there  April  26, 
1878. 


71  l'.SALOM  SHADE  TIPTON,  who  departed 
r\.  this  life  February  25,  1884,  was  one  of  the 
leading  and  influential  citizens  of  Howard  town- 
ship. Centre  count\. 

William  Tipton,  his  father,  was  of  English 
origin,  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Penn.,  Jan- 
uary 13,  1773,  and  as  earh  as  1796  came  to 
what  is  now  Centre  county.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Shade,  who  was  born  May  30,  1780,  and 
their  children  were:  Mary,  born  August  -6,  1802, 
married  James  Heverly,  ami  died  December  10. 
1836;  Sarah,  born  February  27,  1806,  married 
Isaac  W.  Meese;  William,  Jr.,  resided  at  How- 
ard, and  died  January  21,  1850;  Washington 
died  April  16,  1839;  Nancy,  born  April  22,  1815, 
married  Samuel  Gardm  r;  Caroline  M  ,  born 
August  16,  1817,  married  George  Spearing,  and 
died  in  1879;  Absalom  S. ,  born  January  26, 
[820;  and  Jemima  E.,  born  June  3,  1S26,  mar- 
ried Levi  Fuller. 


The  old  homestead,  where  our  subject  was 
born  and  lived  to  manhood,  is  now  the  site  of 
much  of  the  town  of  Howard.  In  early  life  he 
was  of  a  delicate  constitution,  and  after  he  re- 
ceived an  education  in  the  neighborhood  schools, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  teaching;  school, 
which  he  followed  several  terms;  but  rinding  it 
too  confining,  he  gave  it  up.  While  yet  young, 
at  his  father's  death  he  assumed  the  management 
of  the  estate,  assisted  by  his  mother  and  sisters. 
In  1846  he  bought  out  the  other  heirs.  He  laid 
out  the  town  of  Howard,  selling  the  first  lot  t.. 
Samuel  Brickley.  After  he  quit  the  occupation 
of  a  teacher  he  became  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  which,  in  connection  with  farming,  he 
carried  on  throughout  life.  He  farmed  exten- 
sively, and  took  a  great  interest  in  the  vocation; 
his  buildings  were  fine  and  modernly  equipped, 
while  all  other  improvements  corresponded,  evi- 
dencing the  neat  and  progressive  farmer  that  he 
was.  In  the  lumbering  business  he  gave  empln>- 
ment  to  many  men,  often  having  on  his  pay  roll 
as  many  as  eighty  men.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  had  arranged  plans  all  drawn  and  much  of  the 
material  purchased,  for  the  erection  of  an  elegant 
residence  on  the  old  Tipton  homestead,  which 
later,  however,  was  abandoned. 

Mr.  Tipton  was  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
citizens  of  the   township,  and  did   much   for  the 
town  of  Howard,  restoring  the  water  privilege  to 
the    place    by    replacing    the    old    canal    banks 
Despite  his  bodily  infirmities  he  was  one  of  the 
most  energetic  men  of  Centre  county,  and   made 
a  success  of  life,  accumulating  a  valuable  estate, 
owning  at  the  time  of  his  death  three  fine  farm- 
on  Marsh  creek,  230  acres  of  timber  land   in   th< 
same  locality,  and  other  property  in  and  arouinl 
Howard.      He  imbibed  from  his  earl)'   surround- 
ings the   principles  of  Jeffersonian    Democracy. 
but  later  became  an   ardent  advocate   in  opposi- 
tion to  Slavery,  and  subsequently  became  a  Re- 
publican.   As  a  citizen  he  was  honorable,  prompt 
and  true  to  every  engagement;   as  a  man  he  held 
the  honor  and  esteem  of  all  classes  of  citizen- 
all  creeds  and  political  proclivities;  as  a  husband 
he  was  a  model  worthy  of  all  imitation.     II 
a  man  of  the  times,  broad-minded,  public-spiril 
and  progressive.      He  was  an  active   and  earnest 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

On  December  i~ ,  1859,  Mr    Tipton  was  mar- 
ried   to    Miss    Rebecca   J.    Garman,  and   to  them 
were  born  the   following  children:    (l)    Mary    I 
born  January  2j ,  [861,  married  Jerr)   Ryan,  wh 
is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in   East  Bufi  • 
N.  Y.;  their  children  are — Ethelyn  A  .  Edward 
Tipton,    and    Ralph    R.        :i  George    W.,    bom 
April    28,    1862,  married    Elizabeth   L.    Cox,  and 


**  **V 

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m           m 

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<FiZ/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


321 


is  a  lumberman  of  Howard;  their  children  are 
Claremont,  Jr.,  Bernice  V.,  Alice  M.,  and  Leon- 
ard W.  and  Lester  (twins).  (3)  Frances  T., 
born  September  12,  1863,  is  the  wife  of  Edward 
C.  Mclntire,  an  attorney  of  Williamsport,  Penn. 
(4)  Sarah  C,  born  April  II,  1865,  died  in  in- 
fancy. (5)  Laura  T. ,  born  July  I,  1866,  is  the 
wife  of  M.  M.  Hunter,  an  attorney  of  Carthage, 
Mo. ;  their  children  are — Harold  T.  and  Frances 
R.  (6)  John  Howard,  born  November  16,  1867, 
is  a  traveling  salesman,  residing  in  Bellefonte, 
Penn. ;  he  married  Anna  Hopton,  of  Tyrone,  and 
has  one  child — Mary  Helen.  (7)  William  F., 
born  January  14,  1870,  graduated  with  honors 
from  the  Eastman  Business  College,  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y. ;  he  married  Sallie  Askey,  and  died 
October  9,  1891,  leaving  one  child — William 
Fuller.  (8)  Isabella  J.,  born  July  18,  1871,  died 
in  infancy. 

The  widow  of  our  subject,  a  most  estimable 
lady,  was  born  in  Salona,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn., 
June  19,  1836,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Margaret  ('Lovell)  Garman,  natives  of  Cumber- 
land and  Huntingdon  counties,  Penn.,  respect- 
ively. They  were  married  in  Mill  Hall,  Centre 
county,  December  24.  1828.  The  mother's 
death  occurred  February  18,  1869,  when  she 
was  sixty-eight  years,  while  a  resident  of  Salona. 
In  their  family  were  seven  children:  William  E., 
born  December  20,  1829,  died  February  7,  1854; 
Foster,  born  February  13,  1832,  died  October 
17,  1857;  Mary  C. ,  born  February  7,  1834,  first 
wedded  William  Martin,  and  after  his  death  mar- 
ried George  Kustenboarders,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  Rebecca  J.  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Mathew  B.,  born  January  5,  1839,  died  August 
30,  1850;  Austin,  born  November  3,  1840,  served 
for  three  years  in  the  Union  army,  and  is  now  a 
carpenter  of  Colorado;  John  M.,  born  December 
2,  1842,  was  under  age  when  the  Civil  war  broke 
out,  but  ran  away  from  home  and  joined  the 
army,  and  died  from  the  effects  of  his  service 
December  26,   1861. 

Michael   Garman,  the  father  of   Mrs.  Tipton, 

was  born  April  15,  1800.      Her  mother  was  Mary 

(Slutterbeck)  Garman.      The   father   died   before 

the    son's    birth,    and    the   latter   was  reared    by 

strangers.      In  1828    he   came  to  Centre  county, 

and  throughout  his  active  business  career  engaged 

in  lumbering  and  farming,  but  in  his  later  years 

he  lived  retired  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Tipton, 

where  he  passed  from  earth  May  24,  1897.  He  was 

an  energetic,  hard-working  man,  and  prosperity 

crowned  his  efforts;  but  through  bad  investment 

he  lost  much  of  his  property,  being  a  stockholder 

in  the  National  Bank  of  Lock  Haven  at  the  time 

it  failed.      A  conscientious  Christian,  he,  during 
21 


the  last  forty-five  years  of  his  life,  was  a  faithful 
and  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  his  was  a  useful  and  well-spent  life. 
He  was  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance,  and 
spent  both  time  and  money  in  the  cause.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  strongly  supported  the 
Union,  giving  of  his  means  to  the  support  of  the 
the  soldiers'  families,  and  using  his  influence  for 
its  suppression. 


fjk  J.  STOVER,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Coburn, 
JkJL  Centre  county,  is  a  retired  agriculturist  who 
after  many  years  of  well-directed  laborcan  gather 
the  rewards  thereof  at  leisure.  He  was  born 
January  27,  1846,  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county,  where  his  ancestors  settled  at  a  very 
early  day,  his  grandfather,  Adam  Stover,  having 
been  a  pioneer  farmer. 

Andrew  Stover,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
and  reared  there  and  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  His  parents  having  a  small  farm  and  a 
large  family,  he  was  obliged  to  make  his  own  way 
in  life  from  the  start.  He  was  industrious  and 
frugal,  and  won  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  the 
community.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  At  an  early  age  he  married  Miss  Polly 
Moyer  (or  Meyer,  as  the  name  was  originally 
spelled),  a  daughter  of  George  Moyer,  a  well 
known  farmer.  They  began  housekeeping  near 
Coburn,  and  for  a  number  of  years  Andrew 
Stover  was  engaged  in  general  carpenter  work, 
but  when  nearly  forty  years  old  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county,  and  followed  farming  until  his  death. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four,  and  his  mortal 
remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  Wolfe's  Chapel 
cemetery.  His  widow,  who  was  born  January 
20,  1 8 14,  and  is  consequently  eighty-four  years 
old,  is  now  living  with  our  subject.  They  reared 
a  large  family,  as  follows:  Julia  is  Mrs.  Enoch 
Kramer,  of  Haines  township,  Centre  county; 
George  M.  is  a  carpenter  of  Aaronsburg;  Daniel 
M.  is  a  carpenter  of  Haines  township,  Centre 
county;  Israel  M.  lives  in  Berrien  county,  Mich.; 
Catherine  married  Franklin  Detwilder,  and  died  at 
Aaronsburg;  John  is  a  resident  of  Berrien  county, 
Mich.;  A.  J.  is  our  subject;  Benjamin  lives  in 
Haines  township,  Centre  county;  Jacob,  Monroe, 
Jeff  and  James,  all  resided  in  Berrien  county, 
Mich. ;  Henrietta  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Henry  Kramer, 
went  west,  and  for  twelve  years  has  not  been 
heard   from. 

A.  J.  Stover's  early  education  was  such  as  the 
common    schools   of    his    day    afforded.      As  his 


322 


(  OliMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


parents  had  but  limited  means  most  of  the  chil- 
dren left  home  earl)  to  make  a  living,  and  he 
was  the  only  one  of  the  boys  who  remained 
until  of  age.  He  was  eighteen  years  old  when 
his  father  died,  and  the  will  confided  to  his  care 
the  mothrr  and  younger  children.  This  com- 
mission he  fulfilled,  all   his    work  at    the  home- 

I  being  done  for  the  motherand  family.  At 
twentj  one  he  was  married  in  Haines  township, 
(  entre  county,  to  Miss  Innie  Stover,  a  native  of 
the  township  and  a  daughter  of  Martin  Sto> 
His  savings  at  this  time  amounted  to  nearly  $i  50, 
and  he  made  a  beginning  as  a  farmer  by  renting 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  where  he  spent  six  years.  Having  pros- 
pered, he  rented  a  larger  farm  in  Haines  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  and  lived  there  three  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1S78  he  purchased  his  first  farm, 
a  tract  of  eighty-seven  acres  in  Haines  township, 

are  county,  and  although  he  went  $3,600  in 
debt,  he  enjoyed  at  last  the  satisfaction  of  hav- 
ing a  home  that  he  could  call  his  own.  He  re- 
mained there  until  the  spring  of  1895,  when  he 
removed  to  his  present  home  in  Coburn.  He 
owns  uver  240  acres  of  land,  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  lo- 
cal it  \ 

Mr.  Stover's  four  children  by  the  first  mar- 
riage are  all  residents  of  Centre  countv:  Amnion 
A  1-  a  farmer  of  Haines  township;  Warren  F.  is 
afarmerof  Gregg  township;  William  resides  in 
Haines  township;  and  Katy  married  John  Hess, 
ol  Haines  township.  The  mother  of  this  little 
family  died  in  February,  [886,  and  was  buried 
in  Wolfe's  Chapel  cemetery.  On  February  16, 
[888,  Mr.  Stover  was  married  in  Haines  town- 
ship to  Miss  Eve  Mover,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife, 
and  there  is  one  child  by  this  union,  Martin  A., 
who  is  at  honn 

Mi  Stover  has  not  only  proved  himself  a 
successful  business  man.  but  he  has  always  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  the  local  work  of  the  Demo- 
cratH  part]  ,  and  has  held  the  office  of  super\ 
for  three  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
(1  rnied  Church,  in  which  he  has  been  a  deacon, 
and  he  is  interested  in  all  that  tends  to  promote 
the  ijood  of  the  community. 


ty.      As  a  business  man  he  has  been  enterprising, 
energetic    and    always    abreast    with  the  tin 
and  has  been  rewarded  with   a  comfortable  com- 
petence. 

Mr.  Williams  was  born  in  Worth  township, 
September  1,  1849,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mar- 
garet (Wagner)  Williams,  in  whose  family  were 
five  children:  Thomas  (deceasedl,  who  was  a 
wagon  maker  by  trade:  Ebenezer,  who  operates 
a  flouring  mill  in  Bald  Eagle,  Penn.;  Wagner 
W.  (deceased),  who  was  a  miller  and  merchant; 
Albert  Y.,  of  this  sketch;  and  Jane,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

The  father's  birth  occurred  in  May,  1809,  in 
Centre  county,  at  the  home  of  his  parents,  Jos- 
eph and  Jane  (Williams)  Williams,  who  were 
natives  of  Wales,  and  were  married  in  Centre 
county,  Penn.,  February  3,  1796.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  the  following  children:  Margaret,  Will- 
iam, Susan,  James,  Mary,  Ellen,  Joseph.  Maria, 
Philip,  Jane.  Nancy  and  Ebenezer.  By  trade 
the  grandfather  was  a  farmer  and  weaver.  The 
parents  of  our  subject  were  married  in  Centre 
county,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days. 
By  occupation  the  father  was  a  farmer,  carpen- 
ter and  lumberman,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  operating  a  water  sawmill  in  Worth  town- 
ship. He  was  Democratic  in  politics,  served  in 
several  local  offices,  and  held  membership  in  the 
Baptist  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belonged. 
He  died  in  May,   1  S56. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Union 
county,  Perm.,  December  22,  1819,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary  (Scherfler)  Wagner, 
who  were  born  and  married  in  Union  county, 
where  they  remained  until  1829,  when  they  took 
up  their  residence  in  Worth  township,  Centre 
county,  and  there  spent  their  last  days.  They 
were  of  German  extraction,  and  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:    Catherine,  Sarah.   Mary. 

Jane,    John  and    Nancy. 
first  husband.   Mrs.  Will- 
Jones,   who   was   born   in 
[821,  and  is  now  a  1 


Leah,  Eliza,  Mai 
After  the  death  ol    her 

lams    married   John    I 
Centre  county   in  May, 


ALBERT  YOUNG  WILLIAMS,  proprietor 
of  the  Port  Matilda  Flouring  Mills,  which 
are  located  at  Port  Matilda,  Worth  township, 
Centre  county,  is  one  of  the  representative  and 
prominent  citizens  of  the  community,  and  has 
done  much  to  promote  the  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial activity,  advance  the  general  welfare, 
and  secure  the  materiavelol  depment  of  the  coun- 


deiit  of  Port  Matilda,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
shoemaking.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, luml  aid  the  manufacture  of 
tile.  Living  with  him  is  Margerie  B. ,  the  only 
child  born  of  the  second  union  of  the  mother  of 
our  subject.  She  passed  away  September  5. 
1896,  leaving  many  friends  as  well  as  her  im- 
mediate family  to  mourn  her  de,.th. 

Albert  Y.  Williams  was  nine  years  of  age 
when  he  became  a  resident  of  Port  Matilda,  and 
for  seven  years  attended  its  schools,  acquiring  a 
good  practical  education.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  left  home,  and    [or   two   years  was  in  the  em- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


323 


ploy  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad,  after 
which  he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  flouring 
mills  of  Irwin  Brothers  at  Curwensville,  Clear- 
field county,  operated  by  William  D.  Smith. 
Eight  months  later  Mr.  Smith  bought  the  Union- 
ville  flouring  mill,  and  our  subject  accompanied 
him  to  that  place,  remaining  in  his  employ  until 
May,  1870.  The  following  two  years  he  worked 
in  a  mill  at  Grahamton,  Penn.,  and  then  came 
to  the  mill  of  which  he  is  now  proprietor,  pur- 
chasing the  same  in  May,  18S6.  Being  a  prac- 
tical and  skilled  miller,  he  has  met  with  a  well- 
deserved  success  in  his  operations,  receiving  a 
liberal  share  of  the  public  patronage,  and  the 
quality  of  flour  turned  out  is  of  a  most  superior 
grade,  commanding  the  highest  market  price. 

On  July  2,  1871,  Mr.  Williams  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Delilah  McDowell,  and 
they  have  nine  children,  whose  names  and  dates 
of  birth  are  as  follows:  Abbie  M.,  June  15, 
1872;  Margaret  B.,  November  19,  1873;  John 
M.,  October  16,  1875;  Florence  E.,  December 
23,  1877;  Edith  W. ,  February  12,  "1880;  Mabel 
E.,  September  11,  1882;  Edgar  W.,  January 
29,  1885;  Belva  L.,  August  5,  1888;  and  Blake, 
December  29,  1891.  All  are  still  at  home  with 
the  exception  of  Abbie  M.,  the  eldest,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Young,  of  Three 
Springs,  Huntingdon  Co. ,  Pennsylvania. 

A  native  of  Clearfield  county,  Mrs.  Williams 
was  born  June  20,  185 1,  in  Graham  township, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Maria  (Snell)  McDow- 
ell, who  were  born  in  the  same  county  and 
died  in  Graham  township,  the  former  in  August, 
1870,  aged  fifty- four  years,  and  the  latter  in  1893, 
aged  seventy-six.  He  was  a  man  of  great  promi- 
nence, a  farmer  and  lumberman  by  occupation, 
and  held  several  official  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  in  his  township.  He  voted  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  in  religious  belief  he  and  his 
wife  were  Methodists.  In  their  family  were  six 
children,  namely :  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Jacob 
Heinhart,  a  farmer  of  Clearfield  county;  John, 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  that  county; 
Sarah,  wife  of  James  Little,  an  agriculturist  of 
Clearfield  county;  Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy; 
.Eliza  J.,  wife  of  E.  Bush,  a  farmer  of  Clinton 
county,  Penn. ;  Catherine,  wife  of  John  Powell, 
a  farmer  of  Clearfield  county;  and  Delilah,  the 
worthy  wife  of  our  subject. 

Mr.  Williams  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  principles  and  candidates  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  most  creditably  served 
as  school  director,  auditor,  and  overseer  of  the 
poor  for  the  past  eight  years.  His  life  has  been  a 
success  owing  to  his  own  perseverance,  industry 
and  good  management,  and   his  career  is  illus- 


trative of  the  fact  that  certain  actions  are  fol- 
lowed by  certain  results.  Honorable  and  up- 
right in  all  his  dealings  he  justly  deserves  the 
high  regard  in  which  he  is  universally  held. 
With  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  he  and  his 
wife  hold  membership,  and  their  standing  in  so- 
cial circles  is  high. 


JOHN  BARNES.  The  history  of  the  able  and 
energetic  men  who  have  participated  in  the 
development  of  this  section  will  always  hold 
a  deep  interest,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a 
well  known  coal  operator  residing  at  Philipsburg, 
Centre  county,  is  a  notable  example  of  success- 
ful effort.  Like  many  of  the  best  financiers  and 
business  men  of  the  country,  Mr.  Barnes  comes 
of  English  stock,  his  family  having  been  estab- 
lished in  Lancashire,  England,  for  many  genera- 
tions. The  authentic  records  go  no  farther  back 
than  to  the  grandfather,  James  Barnes,  and  in 
his  life  we  find  a  romance  which  parallels  the 
most  beautiful  dreams  of  fiction.  He  and  his 
wife  were  born  on  the  same  day  of  the  same 
month,  but  the  grandmother  a  year  later  than 
the  grandfather.  They  were  married  upon  one 
anniversary  of  their  birth,  and  died  on  another 
anniversary  of  their  birth.  From  the  time  of 
their  marriage  they  had  never  been  separated  for 
a  single  day  and  night,  and  their  mutual  sympa- 
thy was  so  remarkable  that  each  shared  pain  felt 
by  the  other.  On  the  day  of  their  death  they 
lay  side  by  side,  and  after  the  devoted  wife 
breathed  her  last  the  children  attempted  to  re- 
move the  lifeless  body,  but  the  husband  waved 
his  hand  as  a  signal  that  they  should  not  disturb 
it,  and  eighteen  minutes  later  his  soul  had  fol- 
lowed hers  to  the  vast  unknown.  They  were 
seventy-five  and  seventy-four  years  old  respect- 
ively. 

This  couple  reared  a  large  family  of  children, 
among  whom  was  a  son,  John,  our  subject's  fa- 
ther, who  became  a  farmer  as  was  his  father  be- 
fore him,  and  lived  and  died  in  Lancashire.  He 
married  Miss  Jennie  Hayes,  and  twelve  children 
were  born  of  their  union:  James  is  deceased; 
Hannah  married  Edward  Riley,  and  lives  in 
England;  Samuel  and  Lawrence  are  both  living 
in  England;  John  is  our  subject;  Henry  died  in 
Philipsburg;  Isabella  is  the  wife  of  James  East- 
wood, of  England;  Thomas  is  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Philipsburg;  William  resides  in  England; 
Alice  Ann;  Jane  married  George  E.  Smith,  and 
also  lives  in  England;  Rachel  is  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  March, 
1836,  and  his  early  years  were  passed  at  the  old 
home  where   he   worked    upon   the   farm   and  in 


824 


COMMKMOHA  TlVi:  BI00BAPSI0A1    RECORD. 


the  neighboring  mines.  On  coining  to  America 
in  1862,  he  found  his  first  employment  at  Powel- 
ton,  Penn.,  in  the  mines,  and  after  spending 
about  two  years  in  work  there  and  elsewhere,  he 
located  permanently  at  l'hilipsburg.  He  had 
only  a  few  dollars  in  his  pocket,  but  he  had  a 
strong  constitution,  and  his  shrewd  judgment 
and  high  ambitions  were  supported  by  untiring 
energy.  He  began  his  career  there  as  a  digger 
in  a  coal  bank,  but  he  had  already  formed  a  deter- 
mination to  make  his  way  to  wealth,  and  after  a 
few  years  he  began  the  more  profitable  work  of 
clearing  away  drift  on  contract.  He  and  his  brother 
Thomas  soon  acquired  a  fund  which  enabled 
them  to  begin  operating  the  Cuba  mines,  and 
they  followed  their  success  there  by  working  the 
Derby  mines  and  then  the  Lancashire  mines 
Nos.  1  and  2,  employing  150  men.  From  this 
point  their  progress  was  rapid,  and  they  are  now, 
recognized  as  leaders  in  their  lines  of  business. 
Their  experience  covers  the  entire  range  of  min- 
ing operations,  from  the  hard  manual  labor  of 
digging  to  the  prospecting  and  purchase  of  coal 
lands. 

Mr.  Barnes  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church;  in  his  political  affiliations  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  was  married  in  April.  1865, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pilkington,  and  their  hi 
has  been  blessed  by  thirteen  children:  fames 
conducts  a  clothing  store  in  Barnesboro  along 
with  his  brother  John;  he  married  Letitia  Laffin, 
and  has  two  children  Edithand  Maggie.  Mag- 
gie married  K.  Miller,  of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and 
has  three  children  John,  Elizabeth  and  Mar- 
1.  Thomas  is  proprietor  of  the  "  Ramsdale 
House,"  Philipsburg;  he  married  Martha  Alice 
Ramsdale,  and  has  one  child  -William  [ohn. 
Jane  Anna  died  at  the  age  of  [our  months.  Will- 
iam lived  only  one  month.  Joseph  is  ;ii  home. 
Alice  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  fohn 
conducts  a  clothing  store  in  Barnesboro,  along 
with  his  brother  James.  Mary  is  at  home. 
Alfred  died  when  eight  months  old.  Harry  and 
it  home.  Arthur  died  at  the  age  ol 
three  months  Despite  their  many  cares,  our 
Subject  and  his  wife  are  models  of  physical 
health  and  vigor.  Mr.  Barnes  owns  valuable 
real  estate  in  Philipsburg,  and,  besides  his  ele- 
gant home,  has  built  a  line  block  on  Main  stri 
Mis  I lai  nes  i-,  also  a  native  1 .1  I  ,am  ash 
England,  and  was  bom  September  12,  1845,  the 
daughtei  "I  John  and  Margaret  Pilkington. 
lb  1  fathei  died  in  I  ngl  ind,  and  when  she  was 
enteen  yens  old  she  was  brought  bj  her 
mother  to   America,  1    with  two  brothers 

and  a  sister.      The)    made   their  home  in  Powel- 
toii,    where    Mrs.    Barm 


The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  The 
other  children  were:  Joseph,  who  lives  in  Kan- 
sas; Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Charles  Cutshaw.  who 
lives  in  Illinois;  and  John,  who  is  deceased. 


JOHN  D.   LONG.      In  the  eye  of  an    American 
there  can  be  no  higher  honor  than  the  record 

of  service  in  the  war  which  established  be- 
yond  further  question  the  permanent  union  of 
tin  States,  and  made  the  country  truly  "one 
and  indivisible  ".  Happily  we  still  have  with 
us  many  of  the  veterans  of  that  struggle,  and 
prominent  among  them  is  the  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Spring  Mills,  Centre  county,  whose 
name  introduces  this  biography.  Mr.  Long  not 
only  served  with  distinction  himself,  his  devotion 
to  the  cause  crippling  him  by  a  painful  ami  p 
manent  injury,  but  he  belongs  to  a  family  which 
sent  live  sons  to  the  front,  and  would  have  sent 
another  had  he  been  old  enough. 

Mr.   Long's  family    is  of  German   extraction. 
and  his  immediate    ancestors    in  this   country  on 
both  sides  were  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
His  father,    George    Long,  was    born    in    Berks 
county,  Penn.,  in   1805,  his  parents  being  fanners 
there    of   limited  means,  his  youth  was   spent    in 
agricultural   work,    except   one   winter   when    he 
worked    at  the  coopei  s trade       He  was   married 
in    his   native   county  to    Miss    Mary    Deck,  who 
was  born  there  in   1807,  the  daughter  of  a  farmer 
and    a  member  of  a   family  which  is  now    largel] 
represented  in  that   section.      After  his  marn 
George  Long  settled  upon  a  rented  farm  in  Berks 
county,  but   in   the  spring   of    1841    he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Centre   county.      Our   subji 
was  then  only  four  years  old,  but  he  rememl 
vividly  the    journey  in  a  covered  wagon  such   as 
was  commonly  used  in  that  early  day  by  travel) 
For  about  five  years  George   Lou-   lived  upon  a 
rented  farm  one    and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
A. n  and    then   he   removed   to  a    rented 

farm   in    Gregg    township  on   the    Brush  Valley 
road.      His   remaining  years  were  passed  in  that 
township.       lie  was  a  small  man,  and  did  no! 
tain  the  ordinary  limit  of   three-score  years  and 
ten.   his  death  occurring  in  March.    [864.     Mrs 
I  ong,  who  was  of  large  build,  and  weighed  about 
200   pounds,   survived   him   until    1871,    maki 
her  home  with  their  son.    Levi;  her  remains  now 
rest  beside  those  of  her  husband  in  Union  cen 

They  belonged   to  the  sect  known   as   the 
River    Dunkards,  and    in  lanci     with    the 

tenets   ol    that    faith   Mr.   I  rained   fi 

participation  in  politics,  and  seldom  or  nevei  vol 
In  early  years  he  sympathized  with  the  Den 
cratic  party,  but    alter   the   opening  of  th 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


325 


war  he  expressed  his  hearty  indorsement  of  Re- 
publican principles.  Although  he  was  a  most 
industrious  worker  he  never  accumulated  any- 
thing beyond  a  meager  competence.  He  and 
his  wife  reared  a  large  family  of  children,  who  in 
character  and  standing  are  a  credit  to  their  par- 
ents. Levi  resides  in  Madisonburg;  William, 
who  served  in  the  war  as  a  member  of  Company 
D,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  is  now  a  farmer  in  Brush 
Valley;  Jacob,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  served 
in  the  205th  P.  V.  I.,  and  being  a  harness  maker 
by  trade  was  detailed  as  brigade  saddler;  Rebec- 
ca, Mrs.  Peter  Zeigler,  died  in  Gregg  township; 
Caroline  is  the  wife  of  H.  J.  Limbert,  of  Madi- 
sonburg; John  D.  is  mentioned  more  fully  below: 
Henry,  who  enlisted  in  Company  D,  148th  P.  V. 
I.,  died  a  soldier's  death  at  Chancellorsville  May 
3,  1863;  George,  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  lives  in 
Stephenson  county,  111. ;  Mary  is  the  wife  of 
John  F.  Breon,  of  Gregg  township;  Polly  (Mrs. 
Johnson)  lives  in  Kansas;  Daniel,  who  served  in 
Company  A,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  was  captured  and 
died  in  a  Southern  prison;  Jonathan  was  too 
young  to  enlist  with  his  brothers,  but  his  patriotic 
zeal  led  him  to  enter  the  army  during  the  recon- 
struction period,  when  he  served  in  Alabama; 
Michael  resides  in  Oklahoma;  and  Lizzie  is  the 
wife  of  George  Greninger,  of  Clinton  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

J.  D.  Long  (our  subject)  was  born  February 
12,  1837,  at  Stouchsburg,  Penn. ,  and  his  expe- 
rience in  youth  was  that  which  the  conditions  of 
farmers'  life  in  those  days  imposed  upon  the  sons 
of  poor  and  hard-working  parents.  He  remained 
at  home  until  the  age  of  nineteen,  receiving  but 
little  schooling  and  that  not  of  the  best,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1856  he  went  to  Spring  Mills  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade  under  Michael  Nofsker, 
his  wages  being  $5.50  per  month  and  board,  his 
washing  not  being  included.  After  becoming  fa- 
miliar with  the  details  of  thetrade  he  worked  two 
years  for  Samuel  Loose,  and  was  also  employed  by 
other  carpenters  in  the  locality,  but  in  the  spring 
of  i860  he  found  similiar  work  in  Montgomery 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  his  re- 
moval, in  March,  1861,  to  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.. 
There  he  enlisted,  June  14,  1861,  in  Company  C, 
15th  Ind.  V.  I.  His  first  battle  was  at  Rich 
Mountain,  West  Virginia,  only  a  portion  of  the 
15th  Regiment  being  engaged,  and  he  took  part 
in  all  the  engagements  of  his  regiment  until  after 
the  battle  of  Stone  River,  where  he  was  wounded 
at  11  a.  m.  December  31,  1862.  His  left  limb 
was  struck  near  the  ankle  by  a  shell  and  instantly 
severed,  the  bone  being  splintered  almost  to  the 
knee.  He  spent  three  weeks  and  a  half  in  the 
field  hospital  and  the  same   length  of  time  in  a 


hospital  at  Nashville,  when  he  was  sent  to  Louis- 
ville and  there,  on  February  24,  1863,  he  was 
honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability. 
Before  returning  to  Centre  county  he  visited 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  but  the  serious  problem  of  a 
livelihood  confronted  him,  and  as  he  could  no 
longer  follow  his  trade  he  decided  to  become  a 
saddler,  his  injuries  not  interfering  with  that 
work.  Accordingly  he  went  to  Petersburg,  Hunt- 
ingdon Co.,  Penn.,  in  January,  1864,  to  learn 
the  trade  with  his  brother  Jacob.  A  few  months 
sufficed  to  give  him  a  knowledge  of  the  business, 
and  in  August  of  the  same  year  he  took  charge 
of  the  shop  while  his  brother  joined  the  army  for 
the  final  desperate  struggle  which  brought  definite 
victory  to  the  Union  cause.  In  the  spring  of 
1866  Mr.  Long  moved  to  Penn  Hall  and  later 
settled  in  Spring  Mills,  continuing  his  trade  suc- 
cessfully in  both  places.  After  a  time  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  at  Spring  Mills,  but 
a  few  years  ago  he  retired,  leaving  his  store  to 
the  care  of  his  son.  A  goodly  competence  has 
rewarded  his  efforts;  he  owns  144  acres  of  land 
in  George's  Valley,  and  a  comfortable  residence 
which  he  built  for  himself  at  Spring  Mills;  another 
dwelling  house  which  he  built  there  was  sold. 

Mr.  Long  is  most  kind  and  generous,  and 
during  his  business  career  he  made  many  friends 
by  whom  he  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  He 
wields  a  potent  influence  in  local  affairs,  and  al- 
though he  has  never  been  an  office  seeker  he  is 
one  of  the  Republicans  of  Penn's  Valley.  Under 
Harrison's  administration  he  held  the  position  of 
postmaster  at  Spring  Mills,  receiving  his  appoint- 
ment June  15,  1879.  Previous  to  the  Rebellion 
he  had  been  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  since  that  time  he  has  been  a  steadfast 
adherent  of  the  G.  O.  P.  On  June  15,  1897,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  at  Spring  Mills,  Penn. 
As  might  be  inferred  from  his  war  record,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
belonging  to  Post  No.  282,  at  Centre  Hall. 

On  February  12,  1865,  Mr.  Long  was  mar- 
ried at  Centre  Hall  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Leitzel,  a 
native  of  Gregg  township,  Centre  county  (born 
May  8,  1839),  and  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Julia 
(Nofsker)  Leitzel.  They  have  six  children: 
Charles  P.  and  George  H.  are  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Spring  Mills;  Philip  P.  is  a  merchant 
at  Potters  Mills;  Susan  E.  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Neese,  of  George's  Valley;  and  Ida  M.  and  Frank 
A.  are  at  home. 


C CHARLES  BEIRLY,  a  prominent  agriculturist 
Jl  of   Brush   Valley,  residing  near  Rebersburg, 
is  a  man  whose  patriotism   has  been  tried  amid 


:::v, 


COMMBMORA  TIVB  BI0QRAPHICA1    RECORD. 


the  hardships  and  exposures  of  the  battlefield, 
the  camp  and  the  march,  and  survived  the  still 
more  trying  test  of  hospital  life.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  in  obedience  to  his  country's  call, 
he  enlisted,  August  22,  1862,  at  Rebersburg.  in 
Company  A,  [48th  P.  V.  I  After  a  short  stay 
at  Camp  Curtin,  Harrisburg,  for  equipment  and 
drill,  the  new  recruits  went  to  the  front,  their 
first  experience  in  battle  being  at  Chancellors- 
ville.  Mi-  Beirly  took  part  in  the  other  eng; 
ments  of  his  regiment  until  he  was  wounded  in 
the  evening  of  the  second  day  at  Gettysburg 
while  he  was  crossing  the  stone  fence.  He  was 
removed  from  the  field  in  an  ambulance,  and 
spent  nine  months  in  a  hospital  in  Philadelphia. 
Nothing  daunted  by  this  1  1  pi  i'1  m  e,  he  deter- 
mined to  remain  in  the  service,  but  being  inca- 
pacitated for  active  work  in  the  field  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Invalid  Corps,  and  for  s< 
time  was  on  guard  duty  in  New  York  City. 
Later  he  was  detailed  for  hospital  work  at  Wash- 
ington, and  he  did  not  leave  the  until  the 
war  was  ended,  being  mustered  out  [une  26, 
1865. 

Mr.  Beirly  is  a  membei  of  a  pioneer  fami 
Brush  Valley  The  name  is  properly  spelled 
Bierly,  but  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment  it  was 
placed  on  the  army  rolls  as  Beirly,  and  he  has 
since  adhered  to  that  form.  lie  is  a  grandson  of 
Anthony  and  Maria  (Kratzer)  Bierly,  and  a  son 
(it  Melchoir  Bierly,  who  was  born  in  Miles  town- 
ship, July  20,  1815,  and  became  a  leading  citi- 
zen there.  At  twelve  year  he  began  to 
learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  his  father's  shop, 
and  always  followed  that              ttion.      Melchoir 

rly  was  married   December  3,   1836,  in   M 
township  to  Catharine   Gephart,    who   was  bom 
in  Berks  county.  Penn.,  November  1.  1811.    Her 
nis,  Daniel  and  Hannah  Gephart,  removed  to 
l  nion  1  ounty  when  Catharine  was  but  a  babe,  .1  mi 
after  nine  years   there   they   settled    at  Madison- 
burg,  Centre  count}.      Mi    Gephart  followed  the 
weavei  s    trade.       Later  they    went    to    Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  and  died   there.      Mrs.  Bierly  was 
the  eldest    oi    ten   children-    six  sons  and    I 
daughters.    Of  the  live  children  of  this  marri: 
two  lived  to  adult    age:     Charles;  and    Mary  [., 
now  the    wife   of   William    Ilium  Nittany 

Valley;  three  children—  one  daughter  and  two  sons 
— died  in  childhood. 

Melchoir  Bierly  was  a  Republican  and  strongly 
loyal,  being  an  ardent  admirer  of  Lincoln  and 
opposed  to  slavery.  In  local  affairs  he  was  in- 
fluential but  he  never  sought  office.  He  was  a 
large  man,  well  built,  a  hard  worker,  and  was 
nearly  eighty  years  when  he  died,  January  11, 
1X114.      He  had  but  fifty  cents  when  he  was  mar- 


ried, and  he  fought  his  own  fight,  winning  a 
comfortable  competence.  He  and  his  wife  both 
united  with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  were  alw 
in  aympathy  with  religious  and  philanthropic 
work.  Mrs.  Bierly  still  lives  in  Rebersburg,  and 
is  well  preserved  for  one  of  her  age.  Since  his 
fatl.  'hour  subject    has   given    his  mother 

a  good   home,  and   has  cared    for   her    with   filial 
dei  otion. 

(  barles  Beirly  was  born  near  Rebersburg, 
April  iS.  1840,  and  attended  the  schools  of  his 
day  at  Rebersburg,  John  Burket  being  his  first 
teacher.  He  had  some  difficulty  in  committing 
his  lessons  to  memory,  but  was  an  apt  scholar 
in  some  respects.  He  began  to  learn  the  black- 
mith's  trade  when  he  was  twelve  year.-  old,  and 
when  not  in  school  he  was  to  be  found  in  his 
father's  shop,  where  there  was  always  plenty  of 
business,  several  men  being  constantly  employed. 
Alter  his  return  from  the  army  he  resumed  work 
at  his  trade. 

Mr.  l'>i  irly  was  first  married  September  10, 
[865,  m  Brush  Valley,  to  Miss  Amelia  Snook, 
the  daughter  of  Levi  and  Mar-. net  1  \\  olford) 
Snook.  They  began  housekeeping  in  Reb 
burg,  and  Mr.  Beirly  became  a  partner  in  his  fa- 
ther's business,  which  they  continued  until  they 
me  to  his  present  farm  in  1X74.  He  rented 
the  place  at  tirst  from  his  father,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, 1893,  acquired  the  title.  The  farm  contains 
res,  and  Mr.  Beirly  has  erected  every 
building  on  it  except  the  residence  and  corn  crib. 
I  le  1  ivi  us  a    home  111    R<  i  and    also   h 

small  tract  of  mountain  land.      The  children  of  the 
first  mat  Margaret  |..  now  Mr-.  C.  0. 

Mayer,  of  Selins  Grove,  Penn.;  Warren  M.,  of 
Franklin  county,  Penn. ;  Alvin  M.,  who  died  at  the 
of  age  sixteen  years;  George  A.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; and  Charles  II.,  a  farmer  of  Brush  Valli 
The  mother,  who  was  a  devout  Christian  and  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  died  in  Novi 
ber,  1874,  and  her  remains  now  lie  buried  at 
Rebersburg. 

For  his  second  wife,  Mr   Beirlj  was  mart 
March    12,   1X76,  to    Miss  Mary  M.  Moyer,  b 
,in  Penn's  Valley,  Penn  township,  Centre  county, 
May    !_•.     1845,    daughter    of   Elias   and    Su 
Young)   Moyer,  who  removed  to  Bo  nty, 

Iowa,  when   she  was   ten   years   old.      SI 
reared    there,  and    taught   a   subscription    5ch 
when  but  seventeen  years  old.      Her  father  died 
there-  in    1X64,  and   soon   afterward  she   returi 
with  some  ot  her  family  to  Pennsylvania,  wh 
she  met  Mr.   Beirly.      She  was  the  eldest  of  nine 
children — six  sons  and  three  daughters — and 
now  the  onlj  one  of  this  family  left  in  Brush  Val- 
ley and  Penn's  Valley.      Two  children  were  born 


I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


327 


of  this  marriage:     Lowell  S.  and  Orpha  C. ,  both 
at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Beirly  is  a  Republican,  but 
while  he  is  a  stanch  member  of  the  party  he  is 
no  office  seeker.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  has 
held  the  office  of  deacon  therein.  Socially  he 
belongs  to  W.  W.  Beirly  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at 
Millheim,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers. 
A  substantial,  industrious  and  honest  farmer,  he 
is  one  of  the  best  of  citizens,  and  he  is  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 


DAVID  H.  RUHL,  proprietor  of  the  "Spring 
Mills  Hotel,"  is  one  of  the  noted  citizens  of 
his  town,  and  one  of  the  best  known  hotelmen 
in  Penn's  Valley,  where  his  genialty  and  social 
disposition  have  won  him  a  host  of  warm  friends. 
He  was  born  in  Warwick  township,  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  December  30,  1840.  His  father, 
Peter  Ruhl,  was  born  in  the  same  county,  June 
11,  1820,  and  was  a  son  of  George  Ruhl,  a 
farmer  in  affluent  circumstances  who  left  to  his 
children  considerable  property. 

Peter  Ruhl  was  reared  in  his  native  county, 
and  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Heagg,  who  was 
born  near  Manheim,  Penn.,  in  April,  1820.  Mr. 
Ruhl  followed  farming  in  Lancaster  county  until 
our  subject  was  five  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Anville  township,  Leb- 
anon county,  and  subsequently  located  near 
Campbelltown  in  that  county,  where  he-operated 
a  rented  farm.  While  residing  there  the  mother 
died,  February  28,  1875,  and  was  buried  in 
Hirschey  Cemetery,  near  Campbelltown.  The 
father  has  since  married  a  Mrs.  Selmire,  and  is 
now  living  a  retired  life  in  Annville.  He  was  a 
stanch  Whig  and  is  now  a  stalwart  Republican. 
By  his  first  wife  he  had  two  children:  David  and 
Abraham,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years.  By 
his  second  marriage  he  has  a  daughter,  Emma, 
at  home.  He  is  highly  respected  for  his  sterling 
worth,  and  has  many  friends  in  the  community 
where  he  lives. 

David  H.  Ruhl  had  meager  educational  priv- 
ileges, for  during  his  boyhood  the  schools  were 
somewhat  primitive  in  character,  and  moreover, 
his  services  were  needed  on  the  farm,  for  his 
parents  were  in  but  limited  circumstances.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  gave  up  school,  and  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  left  home.  Previous 
to  that  time  his  labors  had  all  befcn  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  parents.  Since  early  manhood  he  has 
been  engaged  in  auctioneering,  and  has  added 
not  a  little  to  his  income  thereby.  In  1862  he 
came    to    Centre    county,    and    began    work    as 


a  farm  hand  for  J.  H.  Fishburn,  in  Benner  town- 
ship. On  January  1,  1863,  he  accepted  a  clerk- 
ship in  the  store  of  D.  M.  Wagner,  of  Bellefonte, 
at  a  salary  of  $13  per  month,  but  his  wages  were 
considerably  increased  during  the  seven  years 
which  he  remained  in  the  employ  of  that  well- 
known  merchant.  In  1870  he  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  Samuel  Gault,  purchased  the  grocery 
business  of  Levi  A.  Miller,  of  Bellefonte,  and 
the  firm  of  Ruhl  &  Gault  conducted  the  store  for 
two  years,  when  the  former  became  sole  proprie- 
tor. A  year  later  he  sold  out  and  again  entered 
the  store  of  D.  M.  Wagner,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  six  months. 

On  the  expiration  of  that  period,  Mr.  Ruhl 
came  to  Snow  Shoe,  and  accepted  a  clerkship 
with  May,  Loeb  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  the  store  was  closed  out  a  year  and  a  half 
later.  He  then  conducted  a  licensed  house  in 
Snow  Shoe  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  for  two 
years  conducted  a  temperance  house  in  Snow 
Shoe,  called  the  "Snow  Shoe  House."  In  1879 
he  located  at  Potters  Mills,  Centre  county,  where 
he  conducted  a  licensed  house  until  April  1, 
1887,  when  he  came  to  Spring  Mills. 
1896,  he  purchased  his  present  hotel 
and  now  has  a  popular  hostelry. 

Mr.  Ruhl  was  married  November  13,  1866, 
in  Boalsburg,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Sarah  S.  Poorman, 
of  Benner  township,  where  she  was  born  in 
April,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Henry  (a  farmer)  and 
Hannah  (Friese)  Poorman.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ruhl  are:  Edwin,  born  March  13,  1868, 
now  a  hotel  keeper  in  Centre  Hall;  Lydia,  born 
June  7,  1870,  is  now  the  wife  of  W.  W.  Rishel, 
proprietor  of  the  "Kline  House,"  at  Lewistown, 
Penn.;  William,  born  December  16,  1879;  and 
Harry,  born  June  20,  1885.  Mr.  Ruhl  is  a 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  served  as 
judge  of  election  in  Gregg  township  in  1894  and 
1896.  He  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  party,  but  has  never  been  an  of- 
fice seeker.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  Spring  Mills 
Castle  No.  169,  K.  G.  E.,  and  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion he  and  his  wife  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  They  conduct  one  of  the  best  hotels  in 
Penn's  Valley,  and  the  hospitable  disposition 
and  friendly  manner  of  the  proprietor  have  made 
him  very  popular  with  the  traveling  public,  and 
secured  him  a  liberal  patronage. 


In  July, 
property, 


JOHN  MANN.  On  the  Marsh  Creek  road,  in 
Curtin  township,  Centre  county,  stands  the 
home  of  this  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  the 
most  progressive  agriculturists  and  lumbermen  of 
the  community.      Mr.  Mann  was  born  in  Nittany 


828 


COMMEMOHA  TIYE  1U0U RM'UUM    RECORD. 


Valley,  March  9,  1828.  His  parents,  Robert 
and  Catherine  (Kline)  Mann,  were  natives  of 
Lycoming  ami  Centre  counties,  respectively.     At 

:arly  day  the  father  took  up  his  residence  in 
Nittany  Valley,  where  he  remained  until  1838, 
and  then  removed  to  the  farm  which  is  now 
cupied  by  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  tract 
of  land  i>n  which  he  located  was  then  an  un- 
broken wilderness,  but  he  converted  the  timber 
into  lumber  and  transformed  the  raw  land  into 
richly  cultivated  fields  By  trade  he  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  followed  that  pursuit  until  lo- 
cating upon  the  homestead  farm.  He  died  in 
1864,  at  the  age  of  sixty-fivi  and  his  wife 

passed  away  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 
Then-  children  were  Betsy,  wife  of  Henrv  I 
inger,  both  now  deceased;  Mollie,  wife  of  David 
McClosky,  a  lumberman  and  fanner  of  Curtin 
township,  George,  deceased;  John;  Robert,  de- 
ceased: Anna,  wife  ..f  Fred  Bortley,  of  Hublers- 
bure,.  Penn. ;  Beckie,  wife  of  Michael  Confer,  a 
retired  fanner  of  Centre  county;  and  fames,  de- 
ceased. 

The  paternal  grandparents,  William  and 
Bets)  Mann,  were  natives  of  Ireland,  and  at  an 
early  day  cami  to  America,  locating  in  Lycom- 
ing county,  Penn..  where  the  former  followed 
ultural  pursuits.  The  maternal  grandpar- 
ent-,   William    and    Betsy    Kline,  were   nativi 

itre  county  and  ''I  German  extraction.  Mr. 
Kline  was  a  co<  .per  by  trade 

«  Mi  the  old  homestead  fai  m  \>  ihn  Mann  spent 
the  days  of  his  boyhood,  remaining  with  his  par- 
ents until  twenty-two  years  of  age.  During  that 
time  he  attended  the  common  schools,  worked 
in  the  woods  and  aided  in  the  development  of 
the  fields.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  left 
home  and  began  lumbering  and  teaming.  He 
also  drove  logs  on  Beach  creek  for  eleven  suc- 
cessive years  during  the  spring  season,  and  en- 
ergetically prosecuted  his  labors  until,  as  the  result 
of  his  industry  and  economy,  he  had  accumu- 
lated sufficient  capital  to  purchase  the  old  home- 
stead in  1865.  He  had  previous])  been  working 
■on  contrai  t  at  Sandy  (reek,  and  now  turned  his 
attention  to  the  development  of  his  property  and 
to  lumbering.  So  wild  was  some  portions  of  this 
region  that  since  the  date  of  his  locating  here 
he  has  killed  many  deer,  bears  and  wild  1 
and  on  several  occasions  has  had  narrow  escapes 
from  wild  animals.  The  amount  of  game  that 
he  has  killed  probably  exceeds  that  of  any  other 
man  in  the  county,  and  he  spent  a  portion  of 
each  year  in  hunting  up  to  1895 

On  December  21,  [851,  at  Beach  Creek, 
Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  Mr.  Mann  married  Miss 
Louisa  Huff,  who  was  born  in  that   county  Sep- 


tember 29,  [830.  Her  parents  were  William 
and  Anna  (Barnes  Huff,  the  former  a  native  of 
Williamport,  and  the  latter  of  Lancaster,  Penn, 
The  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  died  in  1886  in 
Grundy  county,  III.,  when  over  ninety-seven 
years  of  age.  In  1852  he  removed  to  the  \\ 
and  was  extensively  I   in   farming  there. 

His  wife  died  in  the  same  county  in  1890,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven.  Their  children  were  James, 
who  died  in  Illinois  Mi^  Mann.  Sarah,  widow 
of  Joseph  Thomas,  of  Oklahoma;  Jonathan;  and 
Silas,  a  farmer  in  Ponca,  Nebraska. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mann  were: 
Beckie,  whodiedin  infancy;  William  T. ,  a  farm- 
er of  Centre  county;  Catherine,  wife  of  John  G. 
Packer,  foreman  of  the  chemical  works  in  McKean 
county,  Penn.;  Robert  J.,  a  farmer  of  Curtin 
township;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Green  Watson,  a  farm- 
er of  Centre  county;  Sarah  I  .  wife  of  Ja 
K.   Frye,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Beckie,  wife 

William  Lyons,  a  lumberman,  of  Castan 
Penn.;  Anna,  wife  of  George  Diet*,  a  farmer  of 
Centre  county;  Carrie,  wife  of  William  Rocken- 
brod.  a  carpenter  of  Castanea,  Penn. ;  and  Susan, 
wife  of  James  Niman,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  town- 
ship, Centre  county. 

In  political  views,  Mi  Mann  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  had  neither  time  nor  inclination  for  pub- 
lic office.  His  life  has  been  a  busy  and  useful  one 
and  all  that  he  possesses  has  been  acquired 
through  his  own  efforts  and  the  able  assistance  of 
his  estimable  wife,  who  has  indeed  been  to  him 
a  true  Helpmate.  Steadily  has  he  worked  his 
way  upward  and  his  tireless  energy  and  resolute 
purpose  are  the  stepping  stones  on  which  he  has 

u.  In  his  hunting  days  he  had  many  exciting 
experiences,  and  is  now  giving  his  attention  to  the 
more  quiet  and  lucrative  pursuits  of  farming  ami 
lumbering. 


JOHN  WITHERRITE  was  called  from  this 
life  June  11,  1896,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Messiah  Cemetery,  Boggs  township.  Centre 
county.  He  was  born  in  that  township.  J  urn 
1821,  and  with  its  interests  was  closely  indenti 
fied  throughout  his  entire  life.  He  was  one  of 
the  family  of  seven  children  born  to  Michael  and 
Mary  Dickson)  Witherrite,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  others  being:  William,  Michael,  Isaac 
and  Elizabeth  (twins),  fames  and  George.  All 
are  now  deceased  with  the  exception  of  James, 
who  makes  his  home  at  Julian,  Pennsylvania. 

Our  subject  was  entirely  a  self-made  man. 
having  started  out  in  life  with  no  capital  save  a 
pair  of  willing  hands  and  a  determination  to  sue  - 
ceed       His   early    days   were   spent    in    the   coal 


MRS.    MARY    WITHERRITE 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


829 


mines  and  in  chopping  wood,  but  later  in  life  he 
turned  his  attention  to  general  farming  and  by 
perseverance,  industry  and  economy  succeeded  in 
accumulating  a  good  property,  owing  at  the  time 
of  his  death  a  fine  farm  of  ninety-four  acres.  His 
political  support  was  ever  given  the  Democratic 
party  and  its  nominees. 

On  February,  20,  1845,  Mr.  Witherrite  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Swagret,  who 
was  born  October  6,  1 8 1 8,  in  Huntingdon  county, 
Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Catherine 
(Walker)  Swagret.  Her  parents  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  that  county,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  farming,  and  in  religious  belief  they  were  Dunk- 
ards.  The  mother  died  in  18 19,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years,  and  the  father  in  1850.  Mrs. 
Witherrite  was  the  only  child  born  of  their  union, 
and  was  reared  by  her  maternal  grandparents,  Ja- 
cob and  Margaret  Walker,  natives  of  Germany 
and  Scotland,  respectively.  On  coming  to  Amer- 
ica they  located  in  Huntingdon  county,  where 
they  continued  to  live  until  their  deaths.  Her 
paternal  grandparents,  John  and  Christina  Swa- 
gret, were  both  born  in  Germany,  and  on  coming 
to  the  New  World  made  their  home  in  Mifflin 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Witherrite,  as  follows:  (1)  Martha  J.,  born  No- 
vember 30,  1845,  was  married  in  September, 
1873,  to  Samuel  Furl,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  town- 
ship, and  they  have  five  children — Sarah,  John, 
Clara,  Alfred  and  Michael.  (2)  Alfred,  born 
March  3,  1848,  was  married  January  18,  1S88, 
to  Ellen  Holderman,  and  they  make  their  home 
in  Boggs  township.  (3)  Mary  M.,  born  December 
7,  1849,  was  married  August  7,  1879,  to  Charles 
Hall,  of  Centre  county,  and  they  have  seven  chil- 
dren— Betsy,  Carrie,  Jessie, Polly,  Toner,  JohnB. 
and  Clara.  (4)  Michael,  born  November  3,  1852, 
was  married  March  14,  1889,  to  Cora  Clark,  and 
they  have  one  son — Arburtis  H.,  born  Octo- 
ber 29,  1893;  they  make  their  home  in  Centre 
county.  (5)  Clara  E. ,  born  July  17,  1865,  was 
married  March  19,  1886,  toHarry  Bottoff,  of  Cen- 
tre county,  and  they  have  one  daughter — Elsie  V., 
born  December  9,   1891. 

Mrs.  Witherrite  is  a  woman  of  more  than  or- 
dinary business  capacity,  and  manages  her  farm 
with  excellent  skill,  displaying  sound  judgment 
and  careful  consideration.  Since  girlhood  she 
has  been  interested  in  bee  culture,  upon  her  place 
has  fifty  hives,  and  three  years  ago  she  secured 
1000  pounds  of  honey.  In  early  life,  like  her 
husband,  she  endured  many  hardships  and  trials, 
and  upon  their  marriage  they  started  out  in  very 
humble  circumstances,  their  household  effects 
consisting  of  a  bed   and  a  skillet  which  she  bor- 


rowed. They  had  no  chairs  and  neither  knives 
nor  forks,  but  together  they  worked,  persistently 
and  earnestly,  until  they  had  secured  a  good  home 
neatly  and  tastefully  furnished.  Mrs.  Witherrite 
has  often  split  rails,  which  she  carried  up  the 
mountain,  and  even  now  she  is  a  great  worker. 
On  removing  to  her  present  farm  it  was  still  an 
unbroken  wilderness,  and  her  home  was  a  small 
cabin,  which  in  1853  was  replaced  by  her  present 
comfortable  residence.  It  is  picturesquely  lo- 
cated in  a  valley  between  two  mountains,  and  on 
the  farm  are  several  elegant  springs,  and  a  beau- 
tiful stream  which  runs  through  its  entire  length. 


X"tL 


W.  ULRICH,  one  of  the  excellent  citizens 
and  well-known  farmers  of  Penn  township. 
Centre  county,  was  born  June  8,  1842,  in  Mill- 
heim,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Yeakley)  Ul- 
rich.  The  birth  of  the  father  occurred  near  the 
old  fort  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county,  April 
17,  1 8 10,  while  his  father,  Christopher  Ulrich, 
was  born  in  August,  1774,  in  Dauphin  county, 
Penn.,  and  became  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
Centre  county,  locating  here  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  For  a  time  he 
conducted  a  hotel  in  Aaronsburg,  later  lived 
upon  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in  Brush  Val- 
ley, but  died  while  a  resident  of  Potter  town- 
ship, August  1,  1 8 1  3.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Catharine  Showers,  was  born  in 
Dauphin  county,  in  March,  1778,  and  survived 
him  many  years,  dying  March  30,  1858.  In 
their  family  were  four  sons:  Adam,  who  died 
at  Millheim;  Samuel,  a  tanner,  who  died  in  Leb- 
anon county,  Penn. ;  Michael,  a  tailor  and  farmer 
by  occupation,  who  died  in  Potter  township;  and 
Daniel,  the  father  of  our  subject.  After  the 
death  of  her  first  husband,  the  mother  of  these 
children  married  a  Mr.  Gilbert,  and  died  near 
Tusseyville,  where  her  remains  were  interred. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Daniel  Ulrich 
went  to  Dauphin  county,  Penn. ,  where  he  had 
numerous  relatives  living,  and  there  made  his 
home  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Centre  county.  In  Aaronsburg  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  with  Henry  Whitmer, 
a  saddler  and  harness  maker,  and  after  learning 
the  trade  established  himself  in  business  in  Mill- 
heim in  1832.  In  that  same  year  he  wedded 
Sarah  Yeakley,  who  was  born  in  Penn's  Valley, 
Penn  township,  in  1809,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Sarah  (Haine)  Yeakley,  farming  people  who 
lived  on  Penn  creek.  For  many  years  Mr.  Ul- 
rich continued  to  follow  his  trade  in  Millheim, 
where   he    later  engaged   in  the   butchering  and 


S330 


COMMl  VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tanning  business.  There  his  death  occurred 
December  18,  1888,  and  when  his  wife  departed 
this  life  in  1891,  she  was  buried  by  his  side  in 
the  cemetery  at  Millheim.  Formerly  he  was  a 
Whig  in  politics,  later  a  strong  Abolitionist,  not 
afraid  to  express  bis  views  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tions, and  when  the  Republican  party  was  formed 
to  prevent  the  further  extension  of  slavery,  he 
joined  it*  ranks.  He  was  a  worth)  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Church,  and  from  her  early  girl- 

rj  his  wile  held  mi  mb<  rship  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  she 
made  her  home  with  her  children  who  tender]) 
cared  for  her  until  she,  too,  passed  away.  The 
father  was  industrious  and  energetic,  and  through 
his  own  unaided  efforts  succeeded  in  accumula- 
ting considerable  property,  but  nearly  the  entire 
amount  was  appropriated  by  unscrupulous  parties, 
so  that  his  hens  received  but  little.  During  the 
dark  days  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  one  of  the 
most  patriotic  and  loyal  citizens,  and  in  every 
respect  was  a  reliable,  trustworthy  man,  univer- 
sally esteemed 

In  the  family  were  the  following  children: 
Maria,  now  the  wife  ol  George  Gramley,  of 
Miles  township.  Centre  county;  Michael,  a  sad- 
dler and  harness  maker  oi  Millheim;  Harriet, 
widow  of  Daniel  Luse,  .nid  a  resident  of  Johns- 
town, Penn.  ;  David,  a  tanner  living  in  Missis- 
sippi; George,  a  harness  maker  of  Millheim,  who, 
during  the  Civil  war,  was  a  member  of  the  tin 
month-  and    later   re-enlisted    in  Ander- 

son's Cavalry,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war; 
Sarah,  widow  ol  Benjamin  Orndorf,  of  Haines 
township.  Centre  county;  A  \\ ..  of  this  sketch; 
Lydia,  who  married  Jacob  Beame,  and  died  in 
Penn  township;  Daniel,  a  harness  maker  of  Mill- 
heim; Catharine,  wife  of  |ohn  Auman,  of  Juniata 
county.  Penn. ;  and  Hettie,  wife  of  Jacob  Cath- 
erman.  of  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania. 

I  n  'in   the   age   of   four   years,  A.  AA     Ul 

le  his  home  with    his  md  aunt.   Samuel 

and  Annie  Yeagly)  Krape,  farming  people  of 
Penn  township,  who  had  no  children  ol  then 
own,  and    upon    In-  farm    he    has  since 

made  his  home.  His  education  was  such  as  the 
country  schools  of  the  locality  afforded  at  that 
time,  his  first  teacher  being  a  Mr.  Bollinger.  At 
intervals  he  was  able  to  attend  school  until  at- 
taining his  majority,  ami,  being  studiously  in- 
clined, has  supplemented  the  knowledge  there 
acquired  by  extensive  reading  and  study  in  later 
years.  On  September  30,  i860,  in  Pine  Grove, 
Centre  county,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Weaver, 
who  was  born  in  Miles  township,  in  1844.  a 
daughter  of  Henrj  and  Maria  Weaver,  and  they 
have  three  children;      Annie,  wife  of  Alvin  Hal 


ter,    of    Penn    township;    Lizzie,    wife    of    John 
by,  of  Gregg  township,    Centre  county;  and 
Charles,  at  home. 

Mr.  Ulrich  brought  his  bride  to  the  home  of 
his  foster  parents,  whom  he  devotedly  cared  for 
until  called  to  their  final  rest.  He  became  the 
ner  of  the  farm,  a  valuable  tract  of  seventy- 
nine  acres,  which  he  has  placed  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  good 
buildings,  and  also  owns  fifty-six  acres  ol  timber 
land.  Politically,  he  is  identified  with  the  Di 
ocratic  party,  and  has  acceptablv  filled  several 
local  offices,  being  assessor  (our  years,  tax  col- 
lector two  years,  overseer  of  the  poor  three 
years,  supervisor  one  year,  and  inspector  of  elec- 
tions one  year.  Earnest,  conscientious  Chris- 
tians, he  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
deacon  for  several  years.  Fraternally,  he  is 
connected  with  the  Grange. 


H' 


AX  gaged  in  general  farming  in  Marion  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  is  a  gentleman  whose  well- 
known  devotion  to  all  the  duties  of  public  and 
private  life  has  made  him  a  valued  citizen  of  the 

imunity.  He  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  political  and  agricultural  interests,  and 
his  upright  career  has  won  for  him  tin-  unqual- 
ified  regard  of  many  friends 

Mr.  W  hiteleather   was   bom    m    ■  un- 

ship. Centre  county,  February  10,  1S42.  and  is  a 
son  ol  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Frazier  White- 
leather,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
the  lattei  of  Centre  county.  The  grandfather, 
Andrew  W  hiteleather.  lived  in  Maryland  until 
alter  the  death  of  Ins  wife,  and  in  1830  he 
accompanied  his  son  Jacob  to  Pennsylvania, 
The  latter  established  a  home  in  Marion  town- 
ship, "ii  the  farm  where  our  subject  now 
and  continued  to  make  it  his plai  de  nnt  1 

1879.      He  died  in  February,  1885,  at  th 
seventy-six    years;    his     wife    passed     awaj     in 
December,     1873,  at    the    age    ol    seventy-thi 

They    were    members    ol    th<     R 
Church,    and    in    politics  he   was    a    Democrat 
Their    children    were:   Elizabeth,    who 
Elias   Mosier,   and   after   his  death   wedded  I 

ig,  who  is  now  living  retu  litre  count)  . 

Julian  Nicholas,  a    grading   gardener  and  fanner 
of    Centre    county;    David,    deceased;  Amos 
Williamsburg,  l'dair  Co.,  Penn.;  and   Henry,  of 

this  review 

Henry  W  hiteleather  was  reared  to  farm  life, 
and  worked  for  his  father  until  twenty-four  y 
of  age.      He  was  then  married  in  Centre  county, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


331 


April  3,  1866,  to  Miss  Catherine  E.  Dorman,  who 
was  born  in  Union  county,  Penn. ,  in  January, 
1848.  Her  parents,  Louis  and  Catherine  (Den- 
nis) Dorman,  were  natives  of  Union  county,  and 
came  to  Centre  county  in  1856,  since  which  time 
they  have  been  residents  of  Penn's  Valley. 
Their  children  are:  John,  a  farmer  of  Nittany 
Valley;  Sarah,  wife  of  John  Orendorf,  a  farmer 
of  Centre  county;  Peter,  who  is  living  retired  in 
Illinois;  Rebecca,  widow  of  George  Geiswhite, 
of  Centre  county;  Mary,  wife  of  Henry  Snavely, 
a  resident  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Lavina,  wife 
of  John  Geiswhite,  an  agriculturist  and  shoe- 
maker of  the  same  county;  Lida,  wife  of  John 
Confer,  who  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Millheim;  Vietta,  wife  of  Newton  Hess,  a  farmer 
of  Centre  county;  Catherine  E.  (Mrs.  White- 
leather)  and  David ;  who  is  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Penn's  Valley. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whiteleather 
are  as  follows:  Emma  J.  (at  home),  John  F.  (a 
lumberman  of  Centre  county),  Sa"rah  L.  (at 
home),  Jacob  (who  is  also  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business),  William  H.,  Catharine  E.,  Clara  R., 
Mary  A.  and  Rosie  B. 

Upon  his  marriage,  Mr.  Whiteleather  rented 
a  farm  in  Gregg  township,  where  he  remained 
for  five  years.  After  he  left  his  home  his  parents 
broke  up  housekeeping  and  went  to  live  with 
him.  On  his  removal  from  Gregg  township,  he 
located  in  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  where 
he  remained  for  eight  years,  and  on  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  rented  of  his  father  his 
present  home.  Seven  years  later,  in  connection 
with  his  brother  Amos,  who  now  resides  in  Will- 
iamsburg, Penn.,  he  purchased  the  old  home- 
stead, which  they  have  since  operated.  He  is  a 
progressive,  enterprising  agriculturist,  and  his 
capable  management  of  affairs  has  brought  to 
him  success.  He  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  Democracy,  and  on  that  ticket  has  been 
elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor  two  terms,  and 
to  the  office  of  tax  collector.  He  has  also  served 
as  school  director,  and  is  deeply  interested  in  edu- 
cation and  all  movements  calculated  to  prove  of 
public  benefit.  He  belongs  to  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen,  whose 
upright  career  commends  him  to  the  confidence 
of  all. 


IPV\EORGE  W.  LONG  is  now  practically  living 
\£  a  retired  life  at  Eagleville,  Centre  county, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  His  has 
been  a  long  and  busy  career  with  little  time  tor 
idleness,  and  through  his  own  untiring  efforts  he 
has    succeeded    in    accumulating    a    competence 


which  enables  him  to  lay  aside  business  cares, 
though  to  some  extent  he  still  engages  in  the  ex- 
press business.  The  money  that  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  saving  he  now  has  out  on  interest. 

On  January  27,  1833,  Mr.  Long  was  born  in 
Bucks  county,  Penn.,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Ann  (Van  Horn)  Long,  natives  of  Selins  Grove, 
Snyder  county,  and  Yarleyville,  Penn.,  respect- 
ively. Both  died  in  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  the  for- 
mer in  1876,  aged  eighty  years,  and  the  latter  in 
1 87 1,  aged  seventy-six.  Throughout  his  business 
career  the  father  served  as  superintendent  of  a 
tannery.  In  their  family  were  the  following 
children:  Joseph,  a  brick  manufacturer  of  Ohio; 
George  W. ,  of  this  review;  Lewis,  who  was 
killed  in  1882,  when  in  the  employ  of  a  railroad 
company;  Jerome  B. ,  a  brick  maker  of  Harris- 
burg, Penn.;  Jacob,  who  died  in  1886;  and  Mar- 
garet, who  is  living  in  Harrisburg.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Joseph  and 
Juliet  Long,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  the  latter  of  Little  York,  Centre  Co.,  Penn., 
where  the  grandfather  located  at  an  early  day 
and  engaged  in  merchandising  and  milling  on 
Penn  creek.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Joseph 
Van  Horn,  was  of  English  extraction. 

George  W.  Long  remained  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  during  which  time 
he  obtained  a  fair  common-school  education,  and 
worked  at  brick-making  in  Harrisburg.  In  1852 
he  came  to  Eagleville,  though  he  did  not  locate 
permanently  there  until  1858.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  spent  the  winter  seasons  in  lumber 
woods,  while  through  the  summer  he,  was  en- 
gaged in  boating,  owning  three  good  vessels. 
On  September  25,  1858,  in  Howard,  Centre 
county,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jane  R.  Courter, 
and  to  them  were  born  eight  children,  namely: 
William,  weigher  and  shipper,  of  Homer,  Centre 
county;  Edward,  who  died  when  young;  George, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years;  Albert,  a 
resident  of  Johnsonville,  Penn. ;  Charles  and 
Eldra,  engineers  of  that  city;  Minnie  U.,  who  is 
with  her  parents,  and  is  serving  as  organist  of  a 
Church;  and  Joseph  H.,  who  is  also  with  his 
parents. 

Mrs.  Long  was  born  in  Liberty  township, 
Centre  county,  where  her  parents,  Abraham  and 
Nancy  (Rogers)  Courter,  who  were  of  English 
descent,  had  located  at  an  early  day.  Both  died 
in  Eagleville,  where  the  father  had  worked  as  a 
laborer.  His  parents,  Abraham  and  Elizabeth 
Courter,  were  natives  of  Lycoming  county,  Penn. , 
and  became  pioneer  settlers  of  Centre  county, 
where  they  spent  the  last  years  of  their  lives. 
Michael  and  Susan  Rogers,  the  maternal  grand- 
parents of   Mrs.  Long,  were  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 


882 


'  tiMMKMoiiATIVE  BIOUHAPHU  M.   BEt  ORD. 


scent.  The  family  of  Abraham  Courter  and 
wife,  were  as  follows:  William,  a  shoemaker 
of  Eagle ville;  Lucinda,  a  widow  of  Hiram  Spang- 
ler,  and  a  resident  of  Eagleville;  Peter,  deceased; 
Charles,  who  died  in  1890;  Mary  A.,  widow  of 
Andy  Kline,  of  Bloomsburg,  Penn. ;  Jane  E., 
wife  of  our  subject;  Lidda,  wife  of  John  W. 
Long,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  county,  Penn. ;  Re- 
becca, wife  ol  Nathan  Minnick,  a  miner  of 
Wilkes  Barre,  Penn.;  David,  who  died  in  infan- 
•  j  ;   and  one  who  died  unnamed. 

In  1864,  Mr.  Long  enlisted  in  Company  B. 
11th  P.  V.  [.,  undei  Capt.  Ben  Haines,  and  at 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  was  shot  through 
the  right  .leg  He  was  tln-n  confined  in  the 
hospital  at  Chester  Hill,  Philadelphia,  until  No- 
vember, 1864.  when  he  rejoined  the  command 
at  Petersburg,  but  two  weeks  later  became  ill. 
though  he  remained  with  his  regiment.  At  the 
battle  ol  Five  Forks,  in  1865.  he  was  shot 
through  the  left  hip  joint,  and  was  confined  in 
the  hospitals  at  Alexandria  and  Washington  until 
honorably  discharged  in  [une,  [865.  On  return- 
ing to  his  home  in  Eagleville,  he  became  fore- 
man in  a  sawmill,  where  he  was  employed  dur- 
ing the  summer,  working  in  the  woods  for  two 
winters.  In  1878  he  purchaseda  boat  which  he 
ran  on  the  river,  and  later  handled  coal  and  en- 
gaged in  general  freighting  at  Eagleville.  A 
straightforward,  honorable  business  man.  he  won 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
mi  in  contact,  and  in  his  declining  years  is  en- 
joying the  reward  of  a  well-ordered  life.  He  is 
a  stalwart  Republican  in  politics,  and  fraternally 
prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  of  the  Patriotic  Order  ol  Sons 
of  America. 


JiMlN  I  LUCAS,  who  is  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  commercial  and  industrial  in- 
terests of  Centre  county,  is  pre-eminently  a 
self-made  man  lie  began  life  with  a  definite, 
purpose  in  view,  worked  faithfully,  honestly  and 
with  a  will  for  its  accomplishment,  and  is  now 
enjoying  a  comfortable  competency.  He  is  now 
the  efficient  and  popular  postmaster  of  Moshan- 
11011,  where  he  is  also  engaged  111  general  mer- 
chandising, operates  both  a  saw  and  (louring 
mill,  and  is  interested  in  the  lumber  business. 
He  is  a  man  of  good  executive  ability,  fair  and 
honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  and  has  thus  gained 
a  liberal  share  of  the  public  patronage. 

Mr.  Lucas  was  born  at  the  Eagle  Iron  Works, 
Centre  county,  September  9,  1842,  a  son  of 
William  H.  and  Margaret  (Bathurst)  Lucas,  also 
natives    of    Centre    county,    where    the     father 


worked  at  his  trades  of  a  mill  and  wheel  wright 
throughout  life.  The  family  was  founded  in 
America  by  Benedict  Lucas,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
who  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his  son, 
Charles,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born.  The  grandparents,  Joseph  and  Abbie 
McMullen)  Luc.'  both  natives  of  Centre 

county,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives. 
Henry  and  Margaret  (Tate)  Bathurst,  the  ma- 
ternal grandparents,  were  born  in  England,  but 
at  an  early  da\  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Centre  county,  as  did  also  the  great- 
grandfather, Lawrence  Bathurst,  who  was  disin- 
herited for  aiding  tin  Colonies  in  the  Revolu- 
iry  war. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  five  children,  the 
others  being:  Margaret,  who  died  in  infani 
Nelson,  who  is  in  the  Pension  Department  at 
Washington,  1>.  C. ;  Andrew  J.,  a  retired  ma- 
chinist of  Altoona,  Penn.;  and  William  H.,  a 
farmer  of  Snow  Shoe  township.  Centre  com 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1852,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  ami  the  father 
afterward  wedded  Mrs  Elizabeth  (Price)  Wat- 
son, who  now  resides  in  Milesburg,  Centre  coun- 
ty He  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine 
years.  He  was  a  fmn  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as 
was  also  the  mother  of  our  subject. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  |ohn  T.  Lucas 
attend*  d  the  local  schools  and  assisted  his  father 
in  his  work,  remaining  with  him  until  Septeml 

1,  when  he  enlisted  iu  Company  1  >.  45th  P. 
V.  I.,  under  (apt.  Curtin,  for  three  years'  serv- 
ice. He  participated  in  many  important  battles 
and  skirmishes,  including  those  of  Fredericks- 
burg, Vicksburg,  Jackson  (Miss.),  Blue  Sprin 
the  siege  of  Knoxville,  and  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the  right 
shoulder,    May    6,    1804,    but    remained   with   his 

ipany,  though  for  two  months  he  was  unabh 
for  active  service.  On  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  service  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
turned   h ,    wlnie   he   was   employed    in  tin 

iron  works  with  his  father  until  his  marriage, 
June  [6,  1800,  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  to 
Mi~-  Num.  P.  Isenberg.  To  them  were  born 
eleven  children,  as  follows:  Edith  L.,  at  home; 
Harry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  ye 
(  lydeC  .  a  merchant  of  Clearfield  county,  Penn.. 
who  married  Minnie  Edmond,  of  Chicago;  Carrie 
I  .  John  F.,  James  W. .  Clarence  T.  and  Anna 
I  .  who  are  with  their  parents;  Marion,  who  died 
in  infancy,  and  Jennie  M.  and  Albert  C  at 
home. 

Mrs.  Lucas  was  born  in  Emlenton,  Venango 
Co.,  Penn.,    December  25,  1843,   a  daughter  of 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


833 


Daniel  and  Caroline  T.  (Taxis)  Isenberg,  natives 
of  Huntingdon  and  Centre  counties,  respectively, 
who  removed  to  Emlenton  shortly  after  their 
marriage,  which  was  celebrated  in  Venango  coun- 
ty. On  coming  to  Centre  county  in  1870,  they 
located  at  Milesburg,  where  they  remained  until 
1884,  when  they  removed  to  Moshannon.  The 
father,  who  was  born  in  March,  181 5,  died  in 
Moshannon,  February  6,  1893.  He  was  a  cooper 
by  trade,  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  consist- 
ent member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
to  which  his  wife  also  belongs.  She  was  born 
August  15,  1820,  and  now  finds  a  pleasant  home 
with  our  subject.  Their  family  consisted  01  two 
daughters:  Annie  P.,  and  Jennie  E.,  wife  of 
William  Lucas,  a  brother  of  our  subject. 

The  Isenberg  family  was  founded  in  the  New 
World  by  Amick  Isenberg,  a  native  of  Germany, 
whose  son,  George,  was  born  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Penn. ,  and  married  Anna  Wise,  also  a 
native  of  that  county,  where  they  made  their 
home  upon  a  farm  throughout  life.  They  were 
the  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Lucas,  while 
her  maternal  grandparents  were  John  B.  and 
Jane  (Stump)  Taxis,  natives  of  Germany,  but 
who  were  married  in  Centre  county,  where  the 
grandfather  worked  at  his  trade  of  cabinet  mak- 
ing. In  their  family  were  the  following  children: 
Joanna  married  John  Mim,  but  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Isenberg  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Penniah  married  John  Cripps,  and  after  his  death 
wedded  John  McGwin,  a  stone  mason  of  Indiana 
county,  Penn. ;  Priscilla,  deceased,  was  three 
times  married;  Gideon  is  a  retired  cabinet  maker 
of  Joliet,  111.,  and  has  served  as  circuit  clerk  of 
his  county;  John  B.  is  a  practicing  physician  of 
Gardner,  111. ;  Maria  wedded  Hugh  Carson,  but 
both  are  now  deceased;  Irene  married  John  Eck- 
ler,  and  after  his  death  wedded  William  Dunlay, 
a  merchant  of  Pepin  county,  Wis. ;  and  Harriet 
married  William  Eckler,  and  after  his  death 
wedded  L.  Place,  a  farmer  of  Wisconsin. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Lucas  worked  in  the 
iron  works  of  McCoy  &  Linn,  and  was  also  em- 
ployed in  the  lumber  woods  until  1870,  when  he 
was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  iron 
works,  which  position  he  continued  to  fill  until 
1873.  He  then  served  as  superintendent  of  the 
Curtin  works  until  1881,  in  which  year  he  came 
to  Moshannon,  where  he  first  operated  a  grist- 
mill. As  his  financial  resources  have  increased 
he  has  added  to  his  business  until  it  has  assumed 
its  present  extensive  proportions  and  embraces 
several  lines  of  trade.  The  success  of  his  life  is 
due  to  no  inherited  fortune,  or  to  any  happy  suc- 
cession of  advantageous  circumstances,  but  to  his 
own  sturdy  will,  steady  application,  studious  hab- 


its, tireless  industry  and  sterling  integrity.  Mr. 
Lucas  gives  his  unwavering  support  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  served 
his  fellow  citizens  as  school  director  and  auditor. 
In  religious  faith,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church;  fraternally,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Royal  Arcanum,  belonging  to  the  lodge 
in  Bellefonte.  He  is  a  man  who  has  ever  been 
found  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  citizens  who  are 
devoted  to  their  country's  best  interests  and  to 
the  welfare  of  their  fellowmen,  and  he  well  de- 
serves the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  universaLly 
held. 


JOHN    J.    ORNDORF,    of    Haines    township, 
Centre  county,  is  a  progressive  and  well-to-do 

agriculturist,  and  a  citizen  of  recognized  in- 
fluence in  political,  social  and  business  life.  His 
ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that 
locality,  and  he  has  the  distinction  of  occupying 
the  same  farm  on  which  his  father,  grandfather 
and  great-grandfather  lived.  The  family  must 
have  been  established  in  this  State  at  a  very  early 
period,  as  the  great-grandfather,  John  Orndorf, 
was  a  farmer  and  storekeeper  in  Berks  county 
during  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  came  to 
Centre  county  and  settled  on  the  old  homestead 
near  Woodward  about  1790,  becoming  owner  of 
an  extensive  tract  of  land,  and  passing  his  re- 
maining days  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

One  of  his  children,  Henry,  our  subject's, 
grandfather,  remained  at  the  homestead  and  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Hess,  by  whom  he  had  seven  chil- 
dren, only  one  of  whom,  Samuel,  is  now  living: 
Henry  was  a  carpenter  at  Jacksonville,  in  the 
Nittany  Valley;  Betsy  married  Mr.  Kleckner,  a 
farmer  of  Union  county,  Penn. ;  Catherine  never 
married;  John,  a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  Centre 
county,  died  when  seventy-seven  years  old; 
Samuel,  a  carpenter,  of  near  Woodward,  Centre 
county,  is  still  living,  now  eighty-eight  years  old; 
•  Benjamin  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter  in  the  same 
locality;  and  David,  our  subject's  father,  lived 
and  died  on  the  old   homestead. 

David  Orndorf  was  a  man  of  good  native 
abilities,  but  his  education  was  limited  to  an 
attendance  of  a  few  months  each  winter  during 
boyhood  at  the  Vonada  school.  Choosing  farm- 
ing as  his  occupation,  he  made  his  start  in  life  by 
purchasing  from  the  other  heirs,  after  the  father's 
death,  sixty-five  acres  of  land,  including  the  old 
homestead  with  the  first  house  that  was  built 
there.  The  land  was  then  held  at  $35  an  acre. 
He  made  many  repairs  and  improvements,  and 
added  more  land  until  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
May  8,   1876,  he  had  249  acres  under  cultivation 


:;:;! 


00  V  VEMOliA  77I7-:   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  a  large  amount  of  forest  land  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  leading  member  of 
St.  Paul's  Reformed  Church,  two  miles 
Woodward.  His  wife  was  Miss  Catherine  Morti- 
mer, of  Pottsville,  and  five  children  were  born  to 
them,  'Hir  subject  being  the  eldest.  William 
died  near  Woodward  in  [887,  leaving  a  widow. 
Isaac  is  a  farmer  in  Haines  township.  Centre 
county.  Alice  married  Isaiah  Boob,  a  farmer  of 
Union  county.  lVnn.  ;  Alfred,  a  graduate  of  State 
College,  became  insane  from  overstudy,  and  is 
now  m  an  asylum. 

subject  of  this  biography  was  horn  on 
the  old  hoi  .  August  (8,  1S47.  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  Yonada  school  dur- 
ing boyh 1.  attending   until   the  age  of  twenty, 

with  the  exception  of   two  years   lost  on  account 

ekness.  On  leaving  school  he  assisted  his 
father  until  his  marriage,  on  April  3,  1866,  to 
Miss  Sarah  I..  Dorman.  He  then  settled  upon 
a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Woodward,  belonging 
to  his  uncle  John,  and  remained  then-  seventeen 
years.  In  1885  Ik-  removed  to  the  old  home- 
stead, and  now   owns    136   acres  of  fine  farming 

land  with  .1  l-sized    tract    which  is  yet  uncul- 

tivated.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orndorf  have  had  si 
children,  whose  names  with  dates  of  birth  are  as 
follows:  Charles,  August  21,  1867,  is  at  home; 
Susannah,  October  28,  1868,  married  Warren 
HoSterman,  and  resides  near  Woodward;  Louis 
D.,  January  8,  1 S 7 2 ,  postmaster  at  Woodward, 
married  Miss  Lydia  Weaver,  and  has  one  child, 
Ray;  Catharine  A.,  twin  to  Louis  D.,  married 
John  Hosterman,  and  lives  near  Woodward; 
Howard  B.,  February  28,  1876,  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty;  Anna  !\..  March  20,  1877,  and  Sadie 
I .  .    \ j >  1 1 1  20,    1885,   are  at  home. 

Mr.  Orndorf  is  a  man  whose  advice  is  sought 
by  his  acquaintances  upon  business  and  legal 
matters,  his  sound  judgment  making  him  a 
leader  in  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America  at  Woodward, 
and  to  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Goodwill 
Grange  No.  1030.  As  a  Democrat  he  is  influ- 
ential and  active,  and  has  repeatedly  held  office 
in  his  township. 


JOHN  ROSSMAN.  The  life  of  this  gentle- 
man, who  is  now  living  retired  in  ("iir™  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  is  a  striking  example  oi 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  perseverance  and 
industry,  when  guided  by  sound  judgment.  He 
has  had  a  somewhat  remarkable  experience 
m  his  struggle  with  the  world.  In  addition  to 
being  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  a  tendei 


he  has  been  the  victim  of  misplaced  confi- 
dence and  treachery  in  business  practices  where 
his  kind-heartedness  induced  him   to  help  others. 

Mr.  Rossman  was  born  in  Walker  township. 
Nittany  Valley,  Centre  county,  September  22, 
1S27,  of  which  county  his  father.  John  Rossman, 
was  also  a  native,  while  his  grandfather,  Henry 
Rossman,  was  a  German  by  birth.  The  last  named 
was  a  highly  educated  man,  who  taught  school 
in  Rebersburg  in  early  life,  and  later  became  a 
licensed  ministei  "I  the  Reformed  Church.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of  this  section, 
known  far  and  near,  and  would  ride  from  charge 
to  charge  on  horseback.  His  death  occurred  at 
The  Loop,  in  Potter  township.  Centre  county, 
when  in  his  eightieth  year. 

John  Rossman,  Sr..  was  the  eldest  in  the 
family  of  four  sons  and  rhree  daughters,  and 
during  his  boyhood  he  learned  the  weaver's  trade, 
which  was  a  more  profitable  business  in  those 
lavs  than  at  the  present  time.  In  Walker  town- 
ship he  married  Miss  Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Margaret  Brown  Walker,  and  in  1833,  with 
his  family,  he  started  for  East  Germantown,  Ma- 
rion Co.,  Ind.  The  journey  was  made  in  covered 
wagons,  the  covers  for  which  he  wove,  and  they 
cooked  their  meals  along  the  road  and  slept  in 
tin  wagons.  On  arriving  at  his  destination,  Mr 
Rossman  was  not  pleased  with  the  prospects;  the 
1  innate  did  not  agree  with  him,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing spring  he  was  taken  ill  and  died,  and  his  re- 
mains were  interred  at  East  Germantown.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

At  the  death  of  the  father,  the  mother  was 
left  with  eight  children  to  care  for  among  stran- 
gers. Subsequently  her  father  came  for  the  fam- 
ily, and  they  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
she  purchased  a  home  near  the  junction  in  Nit- 
tany Valley,  and  kept  the  two  younger  children 
with  her,  while  the  others  were  senl  out  to  make 
their  own  way  in  the  world.  They  were  as  fol- 
lows; Henry,  a  carpenter,  who  died  in  Nittany 
Valley;  Elias,  also  a  carpenter,  who  died  in  that 
place;  Nancv,  widow  of  Reuben  Loveland,  and  a 
resident  of  Yankeetown,  Nittany  Valley;  Sarah, 
who  married  Daniel  Wolf,  and  died  in  Mill  Hall. 
Clinton  county;  John,  subject  of  this  sketch; 
George,  a  carpenter  of  Stephenson  county.  III.; 
Jane,  who  married  Thomas  Shook,  and  died  at 
Washington  Furnace,  Penn. ;  and  David,  a  resi- 
dent of  Pottei  township.  The  mother  passed 
away  at  The  Junction  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Snydertown 
cemetery.  In  early  life  she  was  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  hut  later  united  with  the 
1   \  angelical  Association. 

1  oi  two  years  after  the  return  of  the  family 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


335 


from  Indiana  John  Rossman  lived  with  his  uncle, 
Isaac  Walker,  in  Nittany  Valley.  Robert  Smith 
was  his  guardian;  but  at  the  age  of  eight  years 
he  was  hired  out  for  his  board  and  clothes  to 
Jonas  Pauley,  whose  home  was  distant  one  mile 
from  Penn  Hall,  near  Brush  mountain.  With 
him  our  subject  remained  until  attaining  his  ma- 
jority, during  which  time  he  was  allowed  to 
attend  school  for  only  six  months.  He  worked 
on  the  farm  of  his  employer,  and  when  not  em- 
ployed in  this  way  was  given  the  privilege  of 
learning  the  trade  with  Mr.  Pauley,  who  was  a 
shoemaker.  When  his  term  of  bondage  had  ex- 
pired he  worked  for  his  preceptor  for  three  years 
at  $10  per  month,  with  the  exception  of  one 
month  during  the  harvest  season,  at  which  time 
he  worked  in  the  fields,  where  he  could  earn  fifty 
cents  per  day.  Being  economical,  during  the 
first  year  he  succeeded  in  saving  $100.  He  next 
worked  at  his  trade  by  the  piece  for  two  years, 
which  was  more  profitable. 

While  thus  employed,  Mr.  Rossman  was 
married  in  Gregg  township,  October  2,  1851,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Ziegler,  who  was  born  in  that 
township  February  19,  1832,  the  ninth  in  order 
of  birth  in  the  family  of  thirteen  children  born 
to  Peter  and  Barbara  (Walterparger)  Ziegler. 
Her  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a  native 
of  York  county,  Penn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rossman 
have  four  sons:  Josiah  C,  born  May  10,  1856, 
and  Lewis  E. ,  born  February  6,  1859,  are  both 
residents  of  Gregg  township;  Howard  F.,  born 
March  7,  1862,  has  a  store  in  Spring  Mills;  and 
Harvey  D.,  born  May  16,  1863,  is  a  farmer  of 
Gregg  township.  With  them  resides  a  grand- 
child, Alverta  M.  (the  daughter  of  Josiah),  who 
was  born  April  9,  1878,  and  has  made  her  home 
with  them  since  two  years  of  age. 

Upon  his  marriage,  Mr.  Rossman  rented  a 
house  and  lot  in  Brush  Valley,  Gregg  township, 
until  1853,  when  he  purchased  a  farm,  shop  and 
home  of  sixty  acres  of  Mr.  Pauley,  where  he 
lived  for  fifteen  years.  In  1868,  in  partnership 
with  Edward  Houtz,  he  bought  304  acres,  of 
which  he  has  168  acres  in  the  same  township, 
and  upon  his  share  erected  all  the  buildings.  He 
continued  to  follow  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1884,  when  he  built  his  present  comfortable  res- 
idence on  the  same  place,  and  has  since  lived 
retired,  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  but  not  strictly 
partisan,  and  has  creditably  filled  the  positions 
of  tax  collector,  overseer  of  the  poor,  school  di- 
rector thirteen  years,  and  supervisor  five  years, 
being  for  twenty  consecutive  years  an  office 
holder.  Earnest  and  conscientious  Christians, 
he  and    his  wife  are  active  members  of  the   Re- 


formed Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  dea- 
con and  elder,  and  delegate  to  Classes  twice,  and 
delegate  to  the  General  Synod  at  Akron,  Ohio. 
They  enjoy  the  friendship  of  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintances,  who  esteem  them  highly  for 
their  sterling  worth  and  many  excellent  traits  of 
character. 


iOHN  NEWLIN  HALL.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  stands  second  to  none  among  the 
prominent  agriculturists  of  Howard  township. 
Centre  county,  and  his  record  it  has  been  deemed 
wise  to  preserve  in  this  manner  for  the  perusal 
of  the  coming  generation.  As  a  judicious  tiller 
of  the  soil  he  has  met  with  success,  and  as  a  man 
and  citizen  he  holds  a  good  position  among  his 
neighbors.  He  is  also  one  of  the  honored  pio- 
neers of  the  township,  in  whose  development  and 
progress  he  has  borne  an  active  part.  A  practi- 
cal and  skillful  hunter,  for  forty  years  during  its 
early  history,  he  engaged  in  hunting  and  trap- 
ping with  remarkable  success,  having  killed  many 
buffaloes,  bears,  deer,  wild-cats,  panthers,  etc., 
and  trapping  one  of  the  only  two  black  wolves 
ever  caught  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Hall  was  born  in  Bellefonte,  May  1,  1831, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Weaver)  Hall, 
the  former  a  native  of  Chester  county,  and  the 
latter  of  Berks  county,  Penn.  His  paternal 
grandparents,  Hon.  John  W.  and  Hannah  Hall, 
were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1796  located 
in  Centre  county;  thus  for  a  century  has  the 
family  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
interests  of  that  county.  The  grandfather,  an 
expert  blacksmith  by  trade,  established  one  of 
the  first  smithies  in  the  county,  but  spent  his  last 
days  in  retirement  upon  a  farm.  He  took  a 
prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  and  was  the  first 
member  of  the  Legislature  sent  from  Centre 
county,  being  elected  in  1800. 

The  father  of  our  subject  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Centre  county  and  located  in  Belle- 
fonte. In  his  family  were  seven  children,  namely: 
Joseph  B. ,  who  died  at  Howard,  in  March,  1894; 
Daniel  W. ,  an  extensive  farmer  of  Fayette  county, 
Iowa;  Hannah,  widow  of  Rev.  Thomas  Barn- 
hart,  of  Red  Oak,  Iowa;  Sarah,  wife  of  ex-Sheriff 
Daniel  Z.  Kline,  of  Centre  county;  John  N.,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  William  M.,  an  expert 
blacksmith,  who  died  in  October,  1880,  and  Mary 
J.,  who  died  September  27,   1895. 

Since  the  early  age  of  six  years  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  has  resided  upon  his  present  farm 
in  Howard  township,  whose  well-tilled  fields  and 
neat  appearance  testify  to  his  skill  and  ability  as 
a  practical   farmer.      His   literary  education  was 


886 


co.M.VEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


obtained  in  the  schools  of  Centre  county.  On 
April  17,  1856,  Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Susannah  Allbaugh,  of  Blair  county. 
Penn.,  and  to  them  have  been  born  six  children, 
namely:  John  D.,  of  Bellefonte,  is  a  conductor 
on  the  Pennsylvania  Central  railroad,  and  made 
the  first  trip  on  that  road  in  which  an  accident 
occurred,  the  engine  turning  over  owing  to  the 
rails  being  spread,  but  no  one  was  hurt.  Ida  M. 
is  the  wife  of  D.  N.  Johnson,  a  farmer  of  Marion. 
Linn  Co.,  Iowa.  Sarah  Alice  is  the  wife  of 
George  K.  Sti filer,  and  both  are  school  teachers 
in  Blair  county,  Penn.  Temperance,  who  has 
engaged  in  teaching  for  fifteen  years,  is  at  home. 
Mollie  K.,  who  has  also  taught  for  eight  terms, 
resides  with  her  parents.  William  H.  is  also  at 
home. 

Mrs.  Hall  is  a  native  of  Blair  county,  her 
birth  having  occurred  in  Hollidaysburg,  Novem- 
ber 16,  1829,  and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Snyder)  Allbaugh,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  West  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of 
Blair  county,  Penn.,  where  their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  1814.  By  occupation  the  father 
was  a  farmer  and  miller,  and  he  also  served  as  a 
minister  of  the  German  Baptist  Church.  He 
was  born  August  23,  1776,  and  died  at  the  home 
of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  A  Harris,  in  Cam- 
bria county,  Penn.,  March  4,  1865;  his  wife 
passed  away  in  Blair  county,  January  25,  1855, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  Their  familj 
consisted  of  ten  children:  Sallie,  widow  of  Levi 
Hoover,  of  Linn  county,  Iowa;  Jacob,  John  and 
Thomas,  who  all  died  when  young;  Mary,  widow 
of  William  Harris,  residing  near  Johnstown,  Cam- 
bria county;  Catherine,  who  married  Abraham 
Good,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  Susannah  A  , 
wife  of  our  subject;  Joseph,  who  served  for  three 
years  during  the  Civil  war,  and  is  now  a  gard< 
of  Cambria  county:  David,  who  died  when 
young;  and  Daniel  W.,  who  was  also  a  Union 
soldier,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Nashville. 
The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Hall,  David 
and  Florence  Allbaugh.  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
and  died  upon  a  farm  in  Blair  county,  Penn., 
while   the   materi  ndparents,    Thomas  and 

Mary  Snyder,  were  born  in  Hagerstown,  Md., 
and  also  spent  their  last  days  upon  a  farm  in 
Blair  county. 

Politically,  Mr.    Hall   supports   the   men   and 
measures    of    the     Democratic    party,    and    has 
served  his  fellow  citizens  in  several   official  pi 
tions.      In  1874  he  v  ted  county  conn 

sioner,  and  so  acceptable  was  his  servii  e  thai  he 
was    re-elected   the   following    yeai    lor   a  tin 
y<  ars  term.      After  faithfully  serving  for  six  \. 
as  school  director,  he  retired  from  office  in  1 


during  which  time  he  had  been  secretary  of  the 
board,  and  attended  every  meeting,  108  in  all. 
For  two  years  he  was  also  overseer  of  the  poor. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  at  How- 
ard, and  religiously  holds  to  the  faith  ol  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  possesses  a 
large  share  of  the  benevolence  which  induces 
him  to  take  an  active  interest  in  that  which  is 
going  on  around  him,  and  which  most  nearly  af- 
fects the  welfare  of  the  community. 


DANIEL  A.  MUSSER  (deceased)  Among 
the  sagacious,  farsighted  and  enterpn 
business  men  who  have  contributed  to  the  devel- 
opment of  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  deserves  a  place.  He  was  a 
native  of  that  county,  with  which  throughout  his 
life  he  was  identified,  and  was  a  descendant  of  a 
well-known  pioneer  family.  The  name  was  for- 
merly spelled  Moser,  and  while  the  Penn's  Val- 
ley branch  has  adopted  the  spelling  used  by  our 
subject,  various  forms  are  found  among  the  other 
branches  in  the  different  parts  of  the  United 
Mates. 

Sebastian  Musser,  the  grandfather  ol  our  sub- 
ject, and  the  first  of  this  line  to  settle  in  Centre 
county,  was  born  in  Linn  township,  Northamp- 
ton Co.,  Penn.,  January  3,  1760,  and  his  wife, 
Anna  Maria  Miller,  a  native  of  the  same  town- 
ship, was  born  July  15,  1762.  The}'  had  only 
one  child,  Philip  B.,  born  in  Northampton  coun- 
ty, August  27.  1785,  and  a  few  years  later  th< 
little  family  came  to  this  section. 

Philip  B.   Musser,  our   subject's  father,  vvi 
shrewd  and  successful    business   man  and  a  lead- 
ing  farmer  of  his  day,  accumulating  a  handsome 
competence.      He    was  a  prominent   member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and    an    influential  worker 
in  local  affairs,  serving   at  one  time  as   justice  of 
the  peace.      On  November  4.    1S06,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Centre  county  to  Elizabeth  Ilgen,  whow 
born  August  26,   1790,  the  daughter  o I  Rev.  Lud- 
wig    A     Ilgen,   an    old-time    Lutheran    minister 
Thirteen  children  were  born  to  them,  the  nan 
with  dates  of   birth   being  as  follows:      John  £ 
bastian,   March  29,   1808,  was  a  fanner  and  min- 
ister of  the   Evangelical  Church,  and    his  death 
rred  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,    Jan- 
uary 9,   1887;  Ludwig    \.  W.  (later  W.  I        \ 
gusl   m,   [810,  died  at  Millheim,  Octobers  1 8i 
Maria    11.,    October    10,    181  1,    married 
Mu~  1    died    in  Gregg   township.    Centre 

county;  John  P.,   November  4,    1813,  dud  111 
fancy;  Philip   A.,    December  9,    1816,  a  tarn.' 
died  in    Penn   township,  Centre  county.  Octob 
11,    [894;  Anna    B. ,    July  3,    [818,   married  John 


DAHIEL    A.    MUSSER 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


337 


Hubler,  and  died  in  Brush  Valley;  John  G.,  De- 
cember 12,  1820,  died  in  Millheim;  Daniel  A., 
June  28,  1822,  is  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch;  Maria  C. ,  February  16,  1826,  widow  of 
Thomas  Frank,  resides  in  Millheim,  as  do  also 
Lydia  E. ,  March  16,  1828,  John  F.  Ilgen,  Janu- 
ary 23,  1830,  and  Sarah  C,  now  Mrs.  Frederick 
Catherman,  February  20,  1833;  James  J.,  No- 
vember 19,  1834,  is  a  resident  of  Hartleton, 
Union  Co.,  Penn.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  July  15,  1854,  and  was  buried  at  Aaronsburg. 
The  father,  for  his  second  wife,  married  a  widow, 
but  there  were  no  children  by  this  union.  He 
died  November  29,   1874. 

The  late  D.  A.  Musser  was  reared  as  a  farm- 
er's boy,  attending  only  the  country  schools  of 
his  day.  Early  in  life  he  learned  the  miller's 
trade  at  what  is  now  known  as  Fisher's  Mill,  of 
which  his  father  was  then  the  owner.  In  June, 
1846,  his  parents  removed  to  Millheim,  and  our 
subject  ran  a  gristmill  there  for  some  time.  On 
June  29,  1 85 1,  he  was  married  in  Mifflinburg  to 
Miss  Lydia  A.  Shreffler,  a  native  of  Millheim, 
born  March  5,  1826.  She  was  one  of  the  eight 
children — four  sons  and  four  daughters — of  Daniel 
and  Rachel  (Moyer)  Shreffler,  and  was  educated 
at  Millheim,  her  first  teacher  being  John  Toner, 
a  noted  penman  and  one  of  the  pioneer  educators 
of  this  region. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Musser  had 
$400  saved  from  his  earnings,  and  this  sum  he 
invested  in  mountain  land  in  Poe  Valley,  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  W.  L.  Musser.  The 
venture  proving  successful,  he  built  a  residence, 
and  a  sawmill  which  did  a  profitable  business. 
Later  he  was  associated  with  J.  P.  Gephart  in 
the  same  line,  his  success  continuing  undimin- 
ished. In  1855  he  built  the  present  home  at 
Millheim,  in  which  his  widow  still  resides,  \x\d 
where  he  spent  his  last  years,  his  death  occur- 
ring June  30,  1888,  very  suddenly.  Of  seven 
children,  five  are  living.  The  names  of  all  with 
dates  of  birth  are  here  given:  F.  Pierce,  Octo- 
ber 31,  1852,  resides  at  Millheim;  Junie  A., 
August  5,  1855,  married  A.  Walter,  of  Millheim; 
Elizabeth  A.,  September  16,  1857,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Jane  Mary  Belle,  April  6,  i860,  married 
C.  A.  Sturgis,  and  died  in  Millheim;  Rose  E., 
August  4,  1863,  married  T.  R.  Stam,  of  West 
Union,  Iowa;  H.  Clymer,  September  6,  1866, 
and  Milton  O.,  February  2,  1870,  are  well-known 
shoe  dealers  at  West  Union,  Iowa;  both  are 
married. 

Mr.  Musser  was  so  intimately  connected  with 
the  varied  activities  of  his  locality,  that  his  in- 
fluence seemed  to  touch  all  phases  of  life.      Asa 

business    man   he  identified    himself  with   many 
22 


enterprises,  notably  the  Millheim  Banking  Co. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  two  large 
flouring-mills,  several  farms  and  much  valuable 
real  estate  in  and  near  Millheim,  aside  from  the 
family  residence.  Despite  the  constant  labor 
and  thought  which  enabled  him  to  secure  his 
handsome  fortune,  he  found  time  for  public 
affairs.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  militia  in 
the  "olden  time,"  and  always  took  keen  inter- 
est in  local  politics.  He  was  a  leader  in  the 
Democratic  organization,  holding  many  town- 
ship offices,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
president  of  the  Millheim  borough  council.  In 
county  politics  his  advice  was  sought  and  influ- 
ence felt.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  during  the 
term  of  his  brother,  W.  L.  Musser,  as  sheriff, 
and  in  1875  was  elected  county  treasurer  with  an 
increased  Democratic  majority.  His  son,  Pierce, 
filled  the  office  by  Mr.  Musser's  appointment. 
The  centennial  celebration  of  Millheim  was  an 
event  in  which  he  manifested  great  interest,  and 
it  was  a  source  of  grief  to  all  classes  in  the  com- 
munity that  he  could  not  share  in  the  successful 
realization  of  the  plans  which  he  had  so  warmly 
approved.  In  religious  work  he  was  active, 
'  contributing  both  time  and  means.  In  i860  he 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
until  his  death  was  a  leading  worker  in  the 
Church  and  Sunday-school.  His  chief  recreation 
was  the  chase,  and  he  annually  spent  several 
weeks  in  the  mountains  in  search  of  deer  and 
other  game.  Of  all  his  various  interests,  how- 
ever, his  home  and  family  stood  first  in  his  affec- 
tions, and  throughout  his  wedded  life  the  dearest 
place  on  earth  was  his  own  fireside. 


iyi  M.  MUSSER,  a  well-known  retired  mer- 
iL  chant  of  Aaronsburg,  and  an  honored  veter- 
an of  the  Civil  war,  is  a  representative  of  a  fam- 
ily that  has  been  identified  with  the  development 
of  Penn's  Valley  for  more  than  a  century,  and 
at  a  still  earlier  day  had  become  prominent 
among  the  pioneers  of  Linn  township,  North- 
ampton Co.,  Penn.,  where  the  first  American 
ancestors  settled  on  their  arrival  from  Germany. 
About  1789,  Philip  Musser,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  located  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  was 
engaged  in  agriculture  there  until  his  death,  July 
19,  1804.  Of  his  eight  children,  the  three  sons 
were  named  Philip,  David  and  John. 

John  Musser,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  January  8, 
1793,  and  was  married  May  15,  1822,  to  Miss 
Susan  Fiedler,  a  native  of  Penn  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  born  July    19,    1S01.      He    followed 


:•.:> 


i  OMMBMOBATIVE  BI0GRA1-JIHM,  RECORD. 


the  carpenter's  trade  until  1832,  when  be  moved 
in  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  Jacob  Fiedler, 
but  si  ion  afterward  went  to  Miles  township,  Cen- 
tn  county,  to  start  a  fulling-mill.  This  he  dis- 
posed  "I  after  a  tunc  and  returned  to  Gregg 
township,  the  remainder  of  his  life  being  spent 
in  farming.  In  [842  he  moved  to  Spring  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  and  died  there  April 
[880,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven.  His  wife  passed 
Lway  in  the  same  township,  in  January,  1875, 
ami  both  were  buried  in  the  Union  Cemetery 
.11  Bellefonte. 

John  Musser  was  small  in  stature,  but  heavy 
weighing  about  150  pounds.  While  he  was 
not  a  learned  man,  he  had  excellent  judgment, 
and  was  noted  for  precision  of  thought  and 
speech,  and  for  that  most  uncommon  quality — 
common  sense.  He  was  "self-made,"  and  by 
his  industry   ami   thrift  accumulated   property  to 

■  nsiderable  amount.  In  early  life  he  was  an 
Old-line  Whig,  later  becoming  a  steadfast  Re- 
publican,  and  at  times  he  held  township  offices. 
During  many  years  he  was  an  elder  in  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  to  which  he  and  his  wife  both  be- 
longed, and  hi-  had  a  great  influence  in  the  so- 
ciety . 

lb-  had  ten  children,  whose  names,  with 
dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Philip,  January 
1  w.  1  823,  is  a  carpenter  at  Lena,  111.  ;  Catherine. 
May  6,  1824,  married  Joseph  Keller,  and  died  in 
Rudd,  Iowa;  Molly,  November  6,  1825,  married 
George  Breon,  and  resides  at  Lena,  111.;  Re- 
becca,  March  12,  1827,  married  William  A.  Kes- 
lin,  and  died  at  Rudd,  Iowa;  John,  March  31, 
1N20,  is  a  farmer  in  Spring  township,  Centre 
county;  Susan,  January  26,  [831,  is  the  wile  of 
John  Wetzel,  of  the  same  township;  Samuel,  De- 
cember 7,  1832,  formerly  of  Millheim,  now  re- 
sides in  Scranton,  Penn. ;  M.  M.,  October  11, 
[834,  is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  Israel,  Jan- 
uary 30,  1838,  was  second  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany I),  148th  P.  V.  I.,  and  lost  his  life  in  the 
service,  dying  May  20,  1863,  in  the  hospital  at 
Falmouth,  Va.;  and  Mary,  July  1,  1842,  is  the 
wile  of  Rev.  William  Schoch,  a  Lutheran  minis- 
ter of  New  Berlin,  Pennsylvania. 

M.  M.  Musser  was  born  in  Miles  township. 
Centre  county,  and  he  first  attended  school  in 
the  Beaver  Dam  District,  in  Gregg  township, 
with  John  S.  Price  as  teacher.  He  lived  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-five,  and  during  that 
time  he  attended,  for  one  term,  a  school  at 
Aaronsburg  taught  by  Prof.  Burrell.  His  own 
experience  as  a  teacher  was  limited  to  one  term 
in  the  Koupsburg  District,  in  Benner  township, 
Centre  county ;  but  his  attention  was  soon  turned 
to  mercantile  pursuits,  and  he  began  clerking  in 


Bellefonte  in  the  store  owned  by  David  Wagner, 
John   B.   Awl  and   Isaac  May. 

In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Musser  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K,  1 5th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  better  known 
as  the  •'  Anderson  Cavalry."  Their  first  engage- 
ment was  at  Stone  River,  and  Mr.  Musser  was 
one  of  the  gallant  three  hundred  who  were  sent 
out  by  Gen.  Rosecrans  as  an  advance  guard.  At 
Chickamauga  he  was  one  of  the  orderlies  of  Gen. 
Rosecrans,  with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Promotions 
■  one  in  the  regular  order,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
discharge  at  Nashville  in  June,  1865.  he  held  a 
commission  as  second  lieutenant.  He  never  had 
a  leave  of  absence,  and  never  lost  any  time 
through  wounds  or  sickness. 

In  September,  1865,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried at  Farmers  Mills  to  Miss  Catherine  Fisher, 
who  was  born  in  Heidelberg  township,  Berks 
Co.,  Penn.,  September  9,  1838,  a  daughter  of 
Adam  and  Mary  (Brussman)  Fisher.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  Mr.  Musser  located  at  Farmers 
Mills,  purchasing  a  store  from  his  father-in-law, 
and  in  1867  he  removed  his  stock  of  goods  to  the 
place  now  called  Fiedler  P.  O. ,  in  Haines  town- 
ship. Centre  county.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he 
bought  his  present  property  in  Aaronsburg  from 
J. 11  ob  \\  Me.  and  during  the  next  year  he  remod- 

I  the  building,  making  it  more  convenient  for 
a  dwelling  as  well  as  for  business  purposes.  His 
business  was  continued  successfully  at  that  loca- 
tion until  1894,  when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he 
sold  his  stock  and  retired. 

Mr.  Musser  has  a  refined  and  courteous  man- 
ner, and  through  his  wide  reading  has  kept  well 
informed  on  current  topics.  His  judgment  is 
sound,  and  has  gained  great  influence  for  him 
among  his  acquaintances.  To  his  children  he 
has  given  good  educations,  and  they  have  done 
justice  to  their  opportunities.  William  S.,  who 
was  born  in  Gregg  township,  July  20.  [866,  is 
tion  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  it 
Rising  Spring;  Irene  O.  born  October  8,  1867, 
in  Haines  township,  is  at  home;  Charles  H..  a 
twin  ol  Irene  C. ,  is  in  Kirkbride  Hospital.  Phila- 
delphia; Mary  S.,  born  in  Haines  township. 
April  17,  1870,  married  Mr.  Mertis;  and  Edward, 
of  Bloomsburg,  Penn..  is  an  insurance  agent 
in  Philadelphia.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr 
Musser  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  is 
one  of  the  influential  workers  of  the  party,  rep- 
resenting his  locality  in  the  county  conventions. 
He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
in  which  he  is  a  trustee,  and  has  held  every  office 
except  that  of  minister.  He  helped  to  organise 
the  Grand"  Army  Post  No.  298,  at  Millheim,  and 
at  present  is  its  commander;  and  is  postmaster 
at  his  home,  Aaronsburg. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


339 


B 


O.  BRAUCHT,  the  genial  and  popular 
EL  proprietor  of  the  "Coburn  Hotel,"  is  one 
of  the  prosperous  business  men  of  Penn's  Valley, 
one  who  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  un- 
aided by  capital  or  influential  friends,  and  at  one 
time  served  as  stable  boy  at  the  hotel  of  which 
he  is  now  the  owner.  He  was  born  in  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  September  10,  1865,  a 
son  of  William  and  Harriet  (Geary)  Braucht. 

George  Braucht,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Centre 
county,  his  home  being  previously  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  and  in  Penn  township  married 
Elizabeth  Kersteter,  a  daughter  of  Leonard  Ker- 
steter.  They  lived  upon  the  farm  where  the 
father  of  our  subject  spent  his  entire  life,  and 
there  reared  their  seven  children,  namely:  John, 
of  Penn  township;  Daniel,  of  Coburn;  William, 
who  died  near  Coburn;  Dena,  who  died  near 
Penn  Hall;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Heckman, 
and  died  near  the  same  place;  Lydia,  wife  of  Ja- 
cob Breon,  of  Penn  Hall;  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
William  Neese,  of  Gregg  township,  Centre  coun- 
ty. Upon  the  homestead  farm  the  parents  of 
these  children  spent  their  entire  married  life,  and 
at  their  death  were  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Aaronsburg.  Both  were  earnest  members  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  highly  respected  citizens 
of  the  community. 

William  Braucht  was  born  in  Penn  township, 
January  11.  1838,  and  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools  near  his  home.  In  January, 
1865,  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Geary,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  township,  August  6,  1846,  a 
daughter  of  Reuben  and  Catherine  (Musser) 
Geary,  in  whose  family  were  eight  children:  Sam- 
uel and  Mary  (twins),  the  former  a  resident  of 
Lewisburg,  Penn.,  the  latter  being  the  widow  of 
Andrew  Stover,  and  a  resident  of  Coburn;  Dan- 
iel, of  Penn  township;  Sarah,  widow  of  Michael 
Rishel,  of  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county;  Philip 
and  Catharine,  who  died  in  childhood;  Harriet, 
the  mother  of  our  subject;  and  Diana,  who  mar- 
ried Simon  Wolf,  and  died  in  Sugar  Valley, 
Penn.  The  father  of  these  children,  who  was 
an  agriculturist,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  on  the 
farm  where  he  had  made  his  home  for  many 
years.  He  was  buried  at  Millheim  by  the  side  of 
his  wife,  who  had  died  previously  in  the  faith  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  of  which  he  was  also  a 
member. 

When  a  young  man,  William  Braucht 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and,  although  he 
located  on  a  farm  after  his  marriage,  was  prin- 
cipally employed  at  his  trade.  After  suffering 
for  two  years  from  heart  disease,  he  died  sudden- 
ly in  September,  1873,  and  his  remains  were  in- 


terred at  Aaronsburg.  He  was  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  but  cared  nothing  for  political 
distinction.  In  his  family  were  four  children: 
R.  O.,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Elizabeth;  Abigail, 
who  died  at  the  age  ot  thirteen  years;  and  Will- 
iam, a  resident  of  Glen  Union,  Penn.  The 
mother  continued  to  reside  upon  the  farm  left  by 
him,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Jonathan  Dingles, 
by  whom  she  has  two  children:  Cloy  and 
Frank.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church. 

R.  O.  Braucht  was  but  a  small  -boy  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death,  and  as  his  mother's 
financial  condition  was  not  very  good,  he  was  de- 
prived of  many  privileges  afforded  most  boys. 
Being  robust  and  strong,  he  left  home  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years,  and  began  working  as  a  farm 
hand  for  Daniel  Kramer  for  $2. 50  per  month. 
By  nature  steady  and  industrious,  he  could  always 
find  employment,  and  remained  with  Mr.  Kra- 
mer, of  Penn  township,  for  two  years.  His  edu- 
cational privileges  were  necessarily  limited  to  a 
few  months'  attendance,  at  the  country  schools 
during  the  winter  season,  and  often  he  was 
obliged  to  work  for  his  board.  He  worked  as 
hostler  at  the  hotel  which  he  now  conducts,  and 
also  as  a  farm  hand  for  many  of  the  best  farmers 
of  Penn  township.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
went  to  the  lumber  woods,  where  he  was  vari- 
ously employed,  his  first  contract  being  for 
trucking  logs  at  Poe  Mills,  and  later  worked  in 
the  sawmill  for  Luther  Guiswite,  at  Engleby. 
In  the  spring  of  1886,  he  went  to  Stephenson 
county,  111.,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
one  summer,  and  on  his  return  to  Centre  county 
again  worked  at  Poe  Mills  for  four  years  and  a 
half.  In  the  spring  of  1 891  he  became  connect- 
ed with  the  livery  business  in  Coburn,  buying 
out  the  establishment  of  William  Kremer,  which 
he  conducted  for  three  years,  and  then  purchased 
the  "Coburn  Hotel."  This  property  he  has 
greatly  improved,  making  it  one  of  the  best 
hostelries  of  Penn's  Valley.  Of  an  agreeable 
disposition,  and  unusual  willingness  to  adminis- 
ter to  the  wants  of  his  guests,  his  house  has  be- 
come a  favorite  with  the  traveling  public. 

In  1889,  in  Millheim,  Centre  county,  Mr. 
Braucht  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary 
L.  Gates,  a  native  of  Sunbury,  Penn.,  where 
her  parents,  Amos  W.  and  Louisa  Gates,  still 
reside.  Two  children  grace  their  union:  Bes- 
sie, born  March  5,  1890;  and  Daniel,  born  April 
24,    1893. 

Mr.  Braucht  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  while  fraternally,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at   Millheim,  and  the 


340 


'  i'MMKMOUA  TlYi:  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America  at  Coburn. 
Honest  in  his  business  dealings,  public- spii 
and  liberal,  he  has  won  the  confidence  ami  re- 
spect of  the  entire  community,  and  for  the 
success  that  he  has  achieved  in  lite  he  deserves 
i  credit. 


GREEN  C.  DECKER,  a  prosperous  agricult- 
urist of  (.■  /alley,  Centre  county,  is 
a  man  oi  rei  ognized  influence  in  the  community 
in  which  he,  lives.  His  parents.  Michael  and 
B  rbara  l'rice)  Decker,  were  highly  esteemed 
resM  i  that  locality,  and  our  subject  was 
born  Octobi  i  22,  1839,  on  th  farm  which 
he  now  owns  and  cultivates. 

I  li.  Decker  district  school  in  Gregg  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  was  named  in  honor  of  his 
family,  and    Mr.    Dicker    received   hi  ition 

within  its  walls,  Thomas  Timer  being  his  first  in- 
structor. The  order  and  discipline  of  the  olden 
time  impressed  Mr.  Decker  most  favorably,  and 
he  is  an  advocate  of  a  return  to  the  old  system 
when  the  control  of  the  schools  was  vested  in  the 
directors,  and  county  superintendents  were  un- 
known. As  a  tarn  1,  Mr.  Decker  was 
trained  to  habits  of  industry,  and  his  work  at 
home  was  varied  during  his  boyhood  with  em- 
ployment in  a  sawmill,  where  he  gained  a  knowl- 
edge of  that  business.  Until  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  he  remained  at  home  receiving  nothing  in  the 
way  oi  remuneration  except  his  board  and  home- 
spun clothes,  lie  used  i"  assist  his  mother  in 
preparing  tlax,  as  she  wove  most  of  the  material 

I  in  clothing  the  family,  making  the  green 
baize  cloth  so  common  in  that  day.  as  well  as  the 
linen  required. 

In  1865  Mr.  Decker  was  married  in  Huston 
township,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Keziah  Will- 
iams, daughtei  oi  Scott  Williams,  and  he  took 
his  bride  to  the  old  homestead  which  he  rented 
from  his  father.  In  1 880,  after  his  father's  death, 
he  purchased  the  place,  and  he  has  since  built  a 
new  residence  and  made  other  substantial  im- 
provements, all  the  buildings,  except  the  barn, 
having  been  erected  by  him.  The  farm  com- 
prises [68  acres  of  nt  land,  and  he 
owns  1S0  acres  of  mountain  land.  He  has  a 
handsome  competence  gained  bj  his  own  efforts. 
1  Ivei  confidence  in  others  has  caused  him  losses 
to  the  amount  of  $1,000  orn  bul  fortunately 
he  I  suffered  seriously.  I'  re- 
markable mechanical  ability,  he  has  done  all  of 
his  own  work  in  wood,  iron  and  stone,  and  his 
able  home  displays  many  evidencesof  his 
skill. 

Mr.   1  >e<  ker  is  an  active  member  of  the  Evan- 


gelical Church,  in  which  he  was  class  leader  for 
years.  He  has  always  been  agenerous  supporter 
of  religious  and  philanthropic  movements  and 
before  he  united  with  the  Church  he  helped  to 
organize  the  Sunday-school  at  Locust  Grc 
and  1  .  ed  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  while 

assisting  in  other  ways  to  bring  it  into  its  present 
nourishing  condition.      He  has  always   attended 
the  '•  Locust  Grove  Church,"  where  he  is  equally 
active,  contributing   liberally  of  time  and  means 
to  aid  its  work.      His  first   wife,  who  was  also  a 
devout  and  consistent  member  of  the   Evangeli- 
cal Church,  passed  to  the  unseen  life,  and  her  re- 
mains now    repose  in  the   Sprucetown  cemetery. 
Mr.    Decker  for    his    second    wife    wedded    M 
Allie   Nicolls    (ne'e   Wilcox  .  a    widow,  who 
born  in    New   York    State.      There    were    twi 
children  by   the   hrst    marriage:    Michael    died  in 
infancy;  Ella  and   Scott  are  at   home;  the  fourth 
child,  a  son,  died  in  infancy;  Thomas,  Katy  (Mrs. 
Win.  Rishel),  Co  G.,  foseph,  Densmore  D., 

Edward  I),  and   |ennie  are  at  home,  and    Robert 
died  in  infanc) 

Mr.   Decker    is  much    respected   as   a  man  of 
sound    principles.      He    takes    great    interest    in 

I    affairs,  and    as  a    progressive    fanner    is   a 
member  of  the  Grange.      In  politics  he  is  a  D' 
ocrat,  but  while  he  1  ady  to  assist  in  party 

work     he    has    never    sought  I    in    official 

■  ion. 


IRVIN    M.  HARVEY.      This  gentleman  occu- 
pies no  unimportant  position  among  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  Hoggs  township.      He   was   born 
in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  February  1,   1851, 
a  son  of   Henry  I-    Harvey,  whose  birth  occurred 
September  2.  1X24,  in  Clinton  county,  this  Si 
At  the  age   of  seventeen   years  the    father  went 
tn    Huntingdon    county,    where    he    operated   a 
foundry   and   machine  shop  until    the    spring 
1865,  when  he  came  to  Centre  county,  and  here 
engaged  in  farming  until    1890.      He   now  makes 
his  home  at   Altoona,    Penn.      He    is    a    son   of 
Isaai    and   Catharine    Harvey,  who  were  born  in 
Bi  >ks  county,  Penn.,  but  at  an  early  day  beca 
residents  of  Centre  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Attaining  to  mans  estate,   Henry  L.   Hai 
was  united  in  marriage   with    Miss  Isabella  Irvni 
who  was  born  at  Jersev  Shore,  Penn.,  a  dauj 
ter  of   William   and    Mary    Irvin.  natives   of    I 
land,  who  on  coming  to  the    United    Stat 
ted   in    Lycoming  county,  this  State.      Our  sub 

:   is  the    eldest    of   the    four    children    born 
this  union,    the  others  being   Anderson    1'.  n 
of  Olean,    N.    V. ;    Cilery   B.,    of  Wild 
Penn.;   and    William,  who  died  in  infancv.       I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


341 


mother  died  in  Huntingdon  county,  May  21,  1857, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  and  afterward 
the  father  wedded  Miss  Lizzie  Gardner,  who  was 
born  in  Blair  county,  Penn. ,  and  died  in  1888  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  Six  children  graced 
the  second  marriage:  George  C.  and  Martha  B., 
both  of  Altoona,  Penn. ;  Cora,  wife  of  Frank 
Strunk,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county;  Walter 
C,  deceased;  John  H.,  of  Toledo,  Ohio;  and 
Charles  I.,  deceased. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  Irvin  M. 
Harvey  left  home  and  began  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count. For  two  years  he  operated  rented  land 
in  Clinton  county,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
removed  to  Centre  county,  where  he  also  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  After  renting  for  three 
years,  he  purchased  his  present  valuable  farm  of 
140  acres  in  Boggs  township,  to  the  cultivation 
and  improvement  of  which  he  has  since  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  with  most  gratifying  re- 
sults. 

On  February  24,  1876,  Mr.  Harvey  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Julia  C.  Curtin,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely: 
Joseph  W. ,  Rebecca  A.,  Oscar  C,  Katie,  Isa- 
bella, Harry  and  John  F.,  all  at  home.  Mrs. 
Harvey  was  born  October  9,  1853,  in  Boggs 
township,  at  what  is  now  known  as  Curtin,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Austin  and  Rebecca  (Bathurst) 
Curtin,  also  natives  of  that  county,  the  mother 
born  July  16,  1817.  The  father,  who  was  born 
August  26,  1 80 1,  was  interested  in  the  noted 
Curtin  Iron  Works,  at  Curtin,  but  his  later  days 
were  spent  upon  the  homestead  farm  where  his 
widow  now  resides.      He  died  July  21,   1871. 

Mr.  Harvey  gives  his  political  support  to  the 
Democratic  party,  but  has  never  aspired  to  office. 
Socially,  he  holds  membership  with  the  Grange, 
and  religiously  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  He  holds  a  prominent  place  among 
the  intelligent  farmers  of  the  community,  and 
his  integrity,  manliness  and  true  Christian  char- 
acter have  won  the  respect  of  all. 


lEUBEN  T.  COMLY,  a  thorough  and  skill- 
ful farmer  and  business  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  capacity,  is  a  representative  of  the  agri- 
cultural and  commercial  interests  of  Union  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  his  home  being  on  Dick's 
Run  road.  He  was  born  in  Centerville,  Elk 
Co.,  Penn.,  March  26,  1850,  but  he  has  long 
made  his  home  within  the  borders  of  Centre 
county,  where  he  is  both  widely  and  favorably 
known. 

His  father,  John  T.  Comly,  now  a  saddler, 
harness    and    shoemaker   of    Unionville,    Centre 


county,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Penn.,  No- 
vember 16,  1 822,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Naomi 
(Howell)  Comly,  who  were  born  and  married  in 
Adams  county,  where  they  remained  until  1836, 
when  they  came  to  Centre  county.  They  located 
near  Bellefonte,  where  the  grandfather  engaged 
in  tanning  and  farming.  He  died  in  October, 
1853,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  his 
wife  passed  away  December  24,  1865,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years  and  six  months.  In  their 
family  were  the  following  children:  Jacob,  a 
retired  tanner  of  Centre  county;  Joseph,  de- 
ceased; Benjamin,  who  is  also  living  retired  in 
Centre  county;  Jesse,  who  died  shortly  after  his 
return  home  from  the  war;  Eleanor,  widow  of 
Jerry  M.  Hench,  of  Perry  county,  Penn. ;  and 
John  T. ,  father  of  our  subject.  The  paternal 
great-grandfather  was  of  English  birth,  while  his 
wife  was  born  in  Scotland.  On  coming  to 
America  they  located  in  Centre  county,  where 
they  spent  their  remaining  days.  The  maternal 
great-grandparents  of  our  subject,  who  were 
natives  of  Scotland,  located  in  Union  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

On  March  5,  1848,  John  T.  Comly  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  Green,  who  was  born  in  Elk 
county,  Penn.,  February  13,  1830,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Thompson)  Green, 
natives  of  Centre  county,  but  who  met  and  were 
married  in  Elk  county,  where  they  spent  their 
remaining  days  on  a  farm.  Her  father  was  born 
October  12,  1799,  and  died  October  24,  1883; 
her  mother  was  born  August  9,  1809,  and  died 
September  1,  1889.  In  their  family,  Catherine 
T. ,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  is  the  eldest;  the 
others  are  as  follows:  Rebecca,  born  July  8, 
1 83 1,  married  J.  Nolf,  and  since  his  death  has 
become  the  wife  of  W.  Rudolph,  of  Elk  county; 
Mary,  born  November  2,  1832,  died  July  14, 
1833;  James  R.,  born  July  12,  1835,  is  living  in 
Elk  county;  Reuben  T.,  born  March  12,  1838, 
died  March  26,  1840;  Elizabeth,  born  August  18, 
1 841,  married  Louis  Zimmerman,  and  after  his 
death  wedded  J.  L.  Bonaham,  of  Olean,  N.  Y.  ; 
and  John  C,  born  August  6,  1847,  is  a  farmer 
of  Elk  county. 

John  Green,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Ann  Kyler,  who  was  born  September  15,  1802, 
and  died  July  31,  1827.  To  them  were  born  two 
daughters:  Elizabeth,  born  March  29.  1826, 
died  August  8,  1826;  and  Eliza  A.,  born  July  10, 
1827,  died  January  27,  1861.  John  Green  was 
the  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Green, 
natives  of  Centre  county,  where  her  death  oc- 
curred, but  he  died  in  Elk  county.  The  maternal 
grandmother   of   our  subject  was   a  daughter   of 


342 


COMMI-:MiiU.\  TIVB  l;H>(ll;.\rilirM.   RECORD. 


Robert  and  Catherine  (\Y;mt/i  Thompson,  also 
natives  of  Centre  county,  but  the  former  died  in 
Clearfield  county,  and  the  latter  in  Elk  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

John  T.  Comly  continued  to  engage  in  the  sad- 
dlery business  in  Elk  county  until  September, 
1864,  when  he  came  to  Centre  county,  locating 
first  at  Nittany  Valley,  where  he  followed  fann- 
ing for   three  years,  but  since  that  time  he   has 

cessfully  carried  on  the  saddlery  business  and 
shoemaking  at  Unionville.  He  is  a  valued  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  the  community,  and 
a  Republican  in  politics.  In  his  family  are  two 
children,  our  subject  being  the  elder;  William 
II  .  born  Maj  25,  [854,  is  a  resident  ol  Union- 
ville. He  was  married  July  3,  [879,  to  Mary  A. 
M'-Cune,  and  they  have  two  children:  Raymond 
and  Boyd. 

Reuben  T.  Comly  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  during  which 
time  he  attended  school  and  served  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  saddlery  business  with  his  father. 
He  then  taught  school  on  Dick's  rim,  in  Union 
township,  Centre'  county,  for  one  term,  and  for 
the  same  length  of  time  had  charge  of  a  school 
at  Unionville.  The  following  Christmas  Di 
Cember  25,  1*711,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Amanda  Davidson,  and  they  have  four  children. 
all  at  home,  namely:  |ohn  A.,  born  September 
5,  [S72;  Ella  E.,  born  September  20,  [874; 
Olive  B.,  born  January  26,  1878;  and  T.  I  11- 
wood,  born  February  28,   [887. 

Mrs.  Comly  was  bom  in  1 1. ill  Moon,  Centre 
county,  March  30,  [848,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Alexander  and  Sarah  (Hicks  Davidson,  whose 
births  occurred  at  the  same  place'.  There  her 
parents  were  married  and  remained  for  fifteen 
years,  when  the}  removed  to  Union  township, 
where  the  mother  died  in  1  s 5 1 ,  at  thi 
forty  years,  and  the  father  m  April,    [884,  at  the 

ol  seventy-seven.      He  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  charcoal,  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  with  his  wife  held  membership  in    the    M 
Slab   Church.       In   their   family  v  en   chil- 

dren Martha,  bom  fanuar)  3,  1832,  is  the  wife 
of  W.  Irwin,  a  farmer  of  Union  township;  Mary, 
born    in   1S34,    died    in     (836;     Hannah,     born    in 

tember,  [839,  is  the  widow  of  Harris  Way, 
of  Union  township;  Eliza,  born  January  1  1.  18 — , 
is  the  wife  of  William  Taylor,  of  Centre  county; 
Joseph  II.  and  James  are  both  prominent  farm- 
er-, of  the  same  county;  Amanda  is  next  in  order 
of  birth;  and  one  died  in  infancy.  The  father  of 
this  family  was  a  second  time  married,  Mrs. 
Mary  (Walker)  Watson  becoming  his  wife.  She 
was  the  widow  of  Green  Watson,  by  whom 
had    four    children:   Lemuel;    Roxanna;  Miriam, 


wife  of  a  Mr.  Marshall,  of  Clearfield  county, 
Penn.  ;  and  Green,  who  was  killed  b)  a  falling 
log.  By  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Davidson  had  three 
children:  Michael,  a  butcher  of  Philipsburg, 
Penn.;  Grant,  a  fanner  of  Centre  county ;  and  Ida, 
wife  of  William  Brower,  a  farmer  of  Union  town- 
ship. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Comly  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  Union  township,  and  has  made 
his  home  there  since  1 87 1.  Besides  general 
farming  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  dealing  in 
agricultural  implements,  and  he  is  a  straightfor- 
ward, reliable  business  man  of  unquestioned  in- 
tegrity. Fraternally  beholds  membership  with 
Blooming  Lodge  No.  Oyj,  I.  O.  0.  F.,  of  Union- 
ville, the  Encampment  of  Bellefonte,  No,  72, 
and  with  the;  Grange.  He  is  a  pronounced 
Republican  in  politics,  and  in   1  v  die  can- 

didate of  that  party  for  county  treasurer,  but  was 
unable  to  overcome  the  strong  Democratic 
majority.  He  is  public-spirited  and  progressive, 
and  no  man  takes  a  deeper  interest  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  county,  whose  interests  he  has 
j    promoted. 


DR.  GEARY,  a  prominent  resident  ol   Penn 
township,  Centre  county,    is  a   man  wl 
genuine  worth  has  won  for  him  th  m  of  his 

acquaintances,  while  his  industry  and  judicious 
management  have  brought  a  material  reward  in  a 
handsome  competence.  Born  in  Penn  township, 
March  23,  1830,  he  has  always  made  his  home 
there,  being  engaged  until  recent  years  in  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  and  also  following  agricult- 
ural pursuits  to  some  extent. 

His  grandfather,  Valentine  Geary,  and  lather, 
Reuben  ( learj  .  came  to  Centre  county  from  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  when  the  latter  was  a   child,  the 
family  residing  in  Gregg  township  for  some  time 
after    their    removal.       Valentine    Gear}    wa 
tailor  by  trade,   and  was  remarkably  healthy,  liv- 
ing 1  t  ninet}  year--  ol  age  without  a  ti 
of  disease,  except  for  the    illness  which   resull 
in  his  death.     His  last  days  were  spent  in  Boals- 
burg,  where  his  remains  were   interred.      He  was 
twice  married,  his  second  wife,   Rebecca,  accom- 
panying   him    to    Centre    county.        His  children 
were:   John,    who  died    in   Woodward;    R 
our  subject's  father;  William,  who  died  in  *'i 
township,    Washington,    now  ing    in    Iowa 
Daniel   L.,   a   resident   of    Millheim;   Valentii 
Jr..  who  was  killed   in  Gregg  township  by  a  fall- 
ing tree;    Lucinda,    widow   of  John    Runkle,  of 
Penn    Hall;    Matilda,    widow   of  John    Schitx.  of 

>r   Valley;    Polly   (Mrs.    Michael   Lamy),  of 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


343 


Millheim;  Lydia,  who  lives  in  Iowa;  Rebecca 
(Mrs.  William  Stuart),  residing  near  Bellefonte; 
and  Mary,  who  married  John  Painter,  and  died 
in  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county. 

Reuben  Geary  was  a  son  of  his  father's  first 
wife.  His  training  in  youth  was  similar  to  that 
of  most  country  boys  in  his  day,  and  he  devel- 
oped into  a  robust  man,  six  feet  in  height,  with 
energy  and  ability,  fully  equal  to  the  task  of 
gaining  a  livelihood,  which,  owing  to  the  straight- 
ened circumstances  of  his  parents,  was  laid  upon 
him  at  an  early  age.  As  a  young  man  he  was 
married  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Musser,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Mus- 
ser,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Gregg  township, 
residing  near  Penn  Hall.  For  some  time  after 
his  marriage  Reuben  Geary  worked  as  a  farm 
hand,  but  in  1849  he  bought  a  small  farm  in  Penn 
township,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  years. 
He  was  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  his  wife,  who  was  older 
than  he,  passed  away  a  few  years  before,  the 
remains  of  both  being  buried  at  Millheim.  He 
was  a  steadfast  Democrat,  and  with  his  wife 
belonged  to  the  Reformed  Church.  They  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  the  first  two — Samuel, 
a  resident  of  Union  county,  Penn.,  and  Mary, 
widow  of  Andrew  Stover,  of  Coburn — were  twins. 
D.  B.  is  mentioned  more  fully  below.  Philip 
died  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  Sarah,  widow  of 
Michael  Rishel,  resides  in  Brush  Valley.  Cath- 
erine died  young.  Harriet  married  (first)  William 
Braucht,  and  (second)  Jonathan  Dinges,  of  Penn 
township.  Diana  married  Simon  Wolf,  and  died 
in  Sugar  Valley. 

Two,  or  at  the  most  three,  months'  attend- 
ance in  the  year  at  the  subscription  schools  of  the 
time  was  supposed  to  be  sufficient  for  the  mental 
needs  of  a  boy  when  our  subject  was  seeking  an 
education,  and  this,  with  a  short  attendance  at 
Dr.  Stamm's  school,  save  what  he  received  in 
later  years  at  public  schools,  was  all  the  instruc- 
tion he' ever  had.  He  remained  at  home,  assist- 
ing in  the  work  of  the  farm  until  he  was  seven- 
teen, when  he  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Millheim  with  Samuel  Wiser.  He  worked 
three  years  for  his  board  and  clothes,  acquiring 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  which  he 
then  followed  a  short  time  as  a  journeyman.  He 
owned  three  and  one-half  acres  of  land  near 
Coburn,  and  in  i860  he  began  business  for  him- 
self in  a  shop  there,  boarding  at  a  house  near  by. 
In  1864  he  was  married  in  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  to  Miss  Julia  Zerby,  a  native  of  Gregg 
township,  and  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Susan 
(Snavely)  Zerby. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Geary 


rented  Feidler's  house,  later  a  dwelling  house 
belonging  to  Samuel  Krape,  and  then  built  his 
present  home.  His  farm  is  small,  but  has  been 
well  improved  by  him  with  suitable  buildings,  in 
addition  to  which  he  owns  fifty-six  acres  of  tim- 
ber land  in  the  same  township,  and  in  1877  he 
bought  four  and  one-half  acres  of  farm  land. 
When  he  began  housekeeping  his  mother  gave 
him  an  old  bed,  and  this  was  the  only  help  that 
he  received  from  his  parents  until  his  father's 
estate  was  divided.  He  has  been  very  successful, 
and  notwithstanding  some  losses  through  going 
bail  for  certain  parties,  he  has  a  fair  share  of 
this  world's  goods.  Lung  trouble  interfered  with 
his  business  for  about  eight  years,  but  except  for 
that  he  followed  his  trade  continuously  until  1 89 1 , 
when  he  was  disabled  for  hard  manual  labor  by  a 
fall  of  twelve  feet  into  a  well  which  he  was 
digging,  a  rope  breaking  while  he  was  being 
lowered.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
holds  an  influential  place  in  the  local  organiza- 
tion. For  many  years  he  has  served  as  con- 
stable of  his  township. 

Mr.  Geary's  first  wife,  who  was  a  devout  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
died  in  October,  1894,  her  burial  taking  place  at 
Paradise  Church.  His  present  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Susan  C.  Wise,  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  John 
Wise,  formerly  a  well-known  resident  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county.  John  Wise  was  married 
to  Cathryne  Stover,  of  Hainestownship,  daughter 
of  Valentine  Stover,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
that  township.  Mr.  Wise  built  (1839)  the  shop 
in  which  Daniel  Geary  commenced  work  in  i860. 
Mr.  Wise  died  April  11,  1869,  in  Shelby  county, 
111.,  after  an  illness  of  eleven  days,  of  pleurisy 
and  finally  dropsy  of  the  heart,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years,  seven  months  and  twenty-one 
days.  There  is  a  peculiar  providence  connected 
with  the  above  case.  Mr.  Wise  started  for 
Shelby  county,  111.,  about  the  middle  of  March,  in 
company  with  hisdaughter-in-law,  and  after  being 
with  his  son  (in  said  county)  a  few  weeks,  he  took 
sick  and  died  there.  His  son  brought  the  corpse 
back  (in  compliance  with  his  father's  request 
before  he  died)  to  his  bereaved  family  in  Haines 
township,  Centre  county,  from  which  place,  on 
the  16th  of  April,  his  last  remains  were  followed 
to  the  tomb,  at  Aaronsburg,  by  a  large  concourse 
of  sympathizing  and  weeping  relatives,  friends 
and  neighbors,  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect. 
Cathryne  Wise,  his  wife,  died  January  25,  1887, 
aged  seventy-four  years,  eleven  months  and 
twenty-three  days,  and  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  the  Reformed  Church  at  Aaronsburg. 
She  died  in  the  triumph  of  the  true  Christian 
faith. 


844 


VMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   i:i:<OHD. 


JAMES  II.  HOLMES,  one  of  the  representa- 
tive and  prominent  citizens  of  State  College, 
is  numbered  among  the  self-made  men  of 
Centre  county,  his  accumulations  being  the  re- 
sult of  hi-  own  industry,  obtained  by  self-denial, 
economy  and  the  exercise  of  a  naturally  good 
judgment,  in  regard  to  both  agricultural  pursuits 
and  business  matters.  This  county  has  ever 
been  the  field  of  his  operations  and  the  center  of 
his  interests  and  hopes. 

Mr.     Holmes    traces     his  ancestry    to    I 
Holmes,    a    wealthy    Scotch-Irish    gentleman,    a 
copy  of  whose  will  is  now  in  our  subject's  posses- 
sion.    Hi-  son  Robert  was  the  father  of  Jonathan 
Holmes,  th>  ither  ol  the  gentleman  whose 

name  introduces  this  -ketch.  The  last  named 
was  born  in  the  i  it}  "I  Belfast,  Ireland.  Septem- 
ber 25,  1760,  ami  "ii  1  oming  to  the  New  World 
located  in  Mifflinburg,  Union  Co.,  Penn  ,  where 
he  conducted  an  inn  until  his  death.  He  mar- 
ried [ennet  Laird,  who  was  horn  March  24, 
1764.  and  they  became  the  parents  oi  five  chil- 
dren, whost  ind  dates  of  birth  are  as  fol- 
low- Rachel,  1  1788;  Jennet,  Octo- 
ber 25,  1789;  Elizabeth,- April  26,  1792;  Mary, 
August  9,    1  704  ;  and  Robert,  November  9,   1799. 

K0b.1t  Holmes,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Union  counts,  and  there  acquired 
his  education.  He  worked  al  his  trade  .1-  .1 
millwright  until  forty  years  of  age,  when  he  pur- 
chased 1  50  acres  of  land  neai  Bellefonte,  which 
he  sold  a  later;   then   bought    167  acres  in 

Marion  township.  Centre  counts,  removing  to 
the  same  in  [835,  when  it  was  still  unimproved. 
He  'iice  began  its  development  and  cultiva- 
tion, and  added  to  the  tract  until,  at  his  death, 
September  16,  [874,  he  had  300  acres  of  valu- 
able land.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
an  elder  in  the  Lick  Run  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Jacksonville,  of  which  he  was  a  consistent  and 
devoted  member. 

On  Novembei  5,  [822,  Robert  Holmes  was 
married  to  Mary  Snyder,  who  was  born  August  8, 
1803.  Nine  children  blessed  their  union,  whose 
names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows  Sarah 
Jane,  January  20,  1S24;  Caroline,  December  8, 
1825;  William  Laird,  July  20,  1827;  James,  Oc- 
tober 18,  [831;  Robert,  November  11,  1833; 
Man  Amanda.  March  24,  [836;  Harriet  Eliza- 
beth, November  4,  1838;  John,  August  4.  [840; 
and  Margaretta,  August  31.  1X44.  The  mother 
of  these  children  passed  a  was  on  the  16th  of 
April,  1893,  the  father  on  the  16th  of  Septem- 
ber,  [874. 

The  birth  of  our  subject  occurred  in  Belle- 
fonte, and  in  the  schools  of  Marion  township. 
Centre  county,  he  acquired   his  early  education. 


his  first  teacher  being  Samuel  Kline,  who  is  still 
living  in  Howard.  His  opportunities,  however, 
for  securing  an  education  were  poor,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  laid  aside  his  text  books  to 
sist  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  which  he 
continued  until  he  was  twenty-one,  when  he 
rented  a  farm  for  a  year. 

On  January  2,  1 S 5 4 ,  Mr.  Holmes  wedded 
Miss  Emily  McKibben,  and  to  them  were  born 
twelve  children,  namely  William  J.,  born  No- 
vember 3,  1856,  died  in  infancy;  Robert  E. ,  born 
May  4,  1859,  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Spruce 
Creek;  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Deal,  born  January  7,  1  S64, 
is  living  in  State  College;  Olivia  K.,  born  Si 
tember  18,  1865,  is  deceased;  Clayton  I.,  born 
January  iS.  1  S66,  is  a  dry -goods  clerk;  J.  Laird, 
born  February  17,  1868,  is  a  school  teacher  of 
State  College;  Hamill,  born  September  5,  1S70, 
is  a  carpenter  of  that  place;  and  James  H.,  born 
February  28,  1873,  Emily  Augusta,  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1875,  and  Jennie  Mabel,  bom  November 
9,  1878,  are  all  at  home;  and  Mandella.  born 
March  10,  1881,  died  in  infancy- 
Mr.  Holmes  continued  to  reside  in  Marion 
township  until  his  enlistment  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war,  October  3,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany G,  51st  P.  V.  I.,  and  served  as  corporal 
under  (apt  Snyder  in  the  battles  of  Roanoke, 
Newberne  and  Camden.  He  was  wounded  at 
the  last  named,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital  in 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  where  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged November  S,  186 

In  1865  Mr.  Holmes  purchased  135  acres  of 
land  in  Ferguson  township.  Centre  counts. 
which  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  [888, 
when  he  removed  to  State  College,  where  for 
four  years  he  engaged  in  merchandising,  but  is 
noss  lisiiif;  retired.  He  is  the  owner  of  consider- 
able property,  including  the  Holmes  Block,  a 
beautiful  three-story  business  block  on  Coll' 
avenue,  erected  in  1896.  His  business  dealii 
base  ever  been  characterized  by  a  straightfor- 
ward, honorable  policy,  which  has  won  the  con- 
fidence of  all.  For  forty-five  years  he  has  been 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  <  iood 
remplai  t  Centre  Furnace  for  several  years. 
He  also  holds  membership  in  the  Grand  Army 
Post  No.  57,  of  Lemont.  and  his  political  sup- 
port is  given  the  Republican  party;  but  he  has 
neither  time  nor  inclination  for  public  office,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business  in- 
terests, which  being  well  conducted  along  honor- 
able lines  has.  brought  to  him  a  comfortable 
competen 

Mrs.     Holmes    was    born    July    22.     1839 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Smith)  McKibben. 


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«1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


345 


who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz. : 
Mary  J.,  Sarah  G.,  William  S.,  John  (deceased 
in  infancy),  Margaret  J.,  Nancy  S.  and  Emily 
(Mrs.  Holmes).  Joseph  McKibben  (Mrs.  Hol- 
mes' father)  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Clinton,  Pennsylvania. 


JACOB  and  JOHN  H.  BEHRER.  There 
are  numerous  fine  farms  in  Centre  county 
which  will  compare  favorably  with  any 
others  in  the  State  as  regards  production,  and 
also  as  to  the  improvements  which  have  been 
made  upon  them.  Many  of  these  places  are 
owned  by  men  comparatively  young  in  years, 
but  who  have  succeeded  in  an  eminent  degree  in 
making  their  places  the  most  desirable  in  the 
locality.  As  representatives  of  this  class  of  agri- 
culturists we  take  pleasure  in  presenting  the 
names  of  the  subjects  of  this  notice,  who  have 
a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  in  Patton  township,  near 
Waddle. 

Jacob  and  John  H.  were  both  born  at  Buf- 
alo  Run,  Centre  county,  the  former  on  Septem- 
ber 1 6,  1864,  the  latter  on  May  9,  1872.  They 
are  sons  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Augenstine)  Behrer, 
in  whose  family  were  thirteen  children,  the  others 
being:  Mary,  wife  of  C.  B.  McCormick,  a  farmer 
living  near  State  College,  Centre  county,  by 
whom  she  has  one  son;  Regina,  wife  of  Elmer 
Rumbarger,  a  farmer  of  Stormstown,  Centre 
county,  by  whom  she  has  six  children;  Elizabeth 
E. ,  wife  of  John  Wirtz,  a  farmer  of  Houserville, 
Centre  county,  by  whom  she  has  two  children; 
Lena,  wife  of  Richard  Palmer,  who  is  operating 
a  woolen-factory  at  Oak  Hall  Station,  Centre 
county,  and  by  whom  she  had  one  child;  Amanda, 
who  is  living  with  her  mother  near  Buffalo  Run, 
Centre  county;  Hannah,  who  is  keeping  house 
for  our  subjects;  Kate;  Sallie;  Anna;  David,  who 
married  Eva,  daughter  of  John  Ward,  of  Storms- 
town,  by  whom  he  has  one  child  (he  has  now 
leased  a  farm  near  Tyrone,  Sinking  Valley,  and 
operates  the  same);  and  Charles,  at  home.  The 
father  of  these  children  died  October  17,  1891, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Pine  Hill  Cemetery; 
the  mother  is  still  living.  They  were  both  sin- 
cere and  earnest  Christians,  faithful  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  with  which  their  family 
is  also  connected,  while  in  politics  the  father  sup- 
ported the  Democratic  party,  and  the  sons  also 
give  it  their  allegiance. 

The  family  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  Centre  county,  and  its  members  hold 
a  high  position  in  social  circles,  where  intelli- 
gence and  true  worth  are  received  as  the  pass- 
ports into  good  society. 


JTONATHAN  O.  DEININGER.  It  is  given 
to  but  few  to  attain  eminence  in  political 
life,  but  the  strength  of  the  nation  lies  not 
in  its  political  leaders  but  in  the  citizens  who  in 
the  business  walks  of  life  faithfully  discharge  the 
duties  that  devolve  upon  them.  The  proud  title 
of  a  self-made  man  is  within  the  reach  of  each 
individual  who  has  the  will  to  dare  and  to  do,  who 
will  bravely  face  all  obstacles  and  conquer  them 
by  determined  purpose  and  honorable  effort. 
Such  a  man  is  he  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view, and  his  life  is  in  many  respects  well  worthy 
of  emulation. 

Mr.  Deininger  was  born  in  Womelsdorf,  Berks 
Co.,  Penn.,  April  17,  1830,  a  son  of  August  E. 
and  Johanna  (Obenland)  Deininger,  natives  of 
Germany.  His  grandfather,  Christian  Deininger, 
was  a  man  of  education,  and,  as  was  customary 
in  the  Lutheran  Church  in  those  days,  served  as 
a  school  teacher,  and  as  that  was  a  salaried  posi- 
tion he  earned  his  living  in  that  way.  August 
E.  Deininger  was  born  in  1797,  and  in  18 18 
came  to  America  to  try  his  fortune.  He  was 
married  in  Pennsylvania,  and  for  a  time  supported 
his  family  at  the  weaver's  trade,  but  subsequently 
followed  stone  cutting  and  the  marble  business. 
In  the  winter  of  1843  he  started  with  his  wife 
and  children  for  Millheim,  and  between  Young- 
manstown  (now  Mifflinburg)  and  New  Berlin  the 
sled  in  which  they  journeyed  stuck  in  the  snow, 
and  they  were  thereby  delayed  for  a  day.  The 
father  purchased  property  in  Millheim,  where  he 
followed  the  business  of  marble  cutting  during 
his  active  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1861,  both 
being  interred  in  Millheim  cemetery.  He  was  a 
stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  sought 
office.  He  held  membership  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  was  a  member  of  its  board  of 
trustees.  Five  of  his  children  died  in  infancy, 
and  those  who  reached  mature  years  were:  Anna 
Maria,  widow  of  Jacob  Keen,  of  Millheim;  C.  F. , 
a  minister  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  who  died 
in  York,  Penn.;  Jonathan  O. ;  B.  O.,  a  printer 
and  marble  dealer,  who  died  in  Millheim;  and 
August  O.,  of  Hughesville,  Pennsylvania. 

Jonathan  O.  Deininger  acquired  his  education 
in  the  school  near  his  home,  but  illness  prevented 
his  continuous  attendance.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  began  the  trade  of  cabinet  making  in 
Millheim,  and  served  a  two-years'  apprenticeship 
under  John  Poorman.  He  worked  from  daylight 
until  dark,  and  often  in  the  winter  months  con- 
tinued his  labors  by  the  light  of  a  candle.  In 
compensation  for  his  services  he  received  $1  5  per 
year,  and  was  allowed  two  weeks  time  during  the 
harvest  season  that  he  might  earn  extra  money 


846 


C'OM.M  i:\lni;  A  T1VE  BIOGUA  I'll l<  a  I.  RECORD. 


on  the  farms.  After  his  apprenticeship  he  worked 
for  three  years  as  a  journeyman,  mostly  in  Belle- 
fonte,  and  then  began  business  on  his  own  acc<  mm 
at  that  place.  Later  he  carried  on  a  shop  of  his 
own  in  Millheim,  and  in  April,  185:;,  removed  to 
Centre  Hall,  locating  on  the  present  site  of 
Kreamer's  store,  where  he  purchased  a  small  shop 
and  in  the  same  building  maintained  his  residence 
ami  carried  on  business  until  [857.  lie  then 
erected  a  home  on  tin- site  of  the  post  office.  He 
carried  on  cabinet  making  until  1  S 7 3 ,  when  he 
sold  out  and  established  the  tirst  hardware  busi- 
ness in  the  town.  He  has  since  continued  in 
that  line,  but  is  now  living  in  semi-retirement, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  labors. 

Mi.  Deininger  was  married  October  14,  1S52. 
in  I'.cllefonte,  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Neiman,  who 
was  bom  in  l'.erks  county,  Penn.,  September  2, 
1831.  Her  parents,  William  and  Barbara  Kin- 
sell,  Neiman,  came  to  Centre  counts'  when  she 
was  six  years  of  age,   jourm  ying   in  a  large  coal 

"ii.  They  made  their  home  near  the  Valen- 
tine Works,  ami  her  father  engaged  in  hauling 
coal  from  Snow  shoe  to  that  well-known  furnace. 
Two  years  after  their  arrival  he  was  killed  by  a 
coal  wagon,  and  from  that  time  until  her  marriage 
Mrs.  Deininger  lived  among  strangers,  the  first 
home  that  she  could  really  call  her  own  being 
the  little  one  in  Millheim,  to  which  she  went  as 
a  In 

Mr.  Deininger  at  that  time  had  only  $20  in 
niomy.  About  a  year  previous  his  shop  in  1  ;■ 
fonte  was  destroyed  by  fire,  which  left  him  in 
very  limited  circumstances;  but  his  diligence  has 
enabled  him  to  surmount  all  difficulties,  and  he 
has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  to  prosper- 
ity I  Ie  erected  the  store  room  in  which  Ki  earner 
&  Sou  are  now  doing  business,  and  has  probably 
put  up  mote  buildings  thin  any  other  man  in 
<  ntre  Hall.  He  now  owns  a  business  block  and 
his  own  home,  and  is  also  interested  in  the  hard- 
ware stoic.  His  political  support  was  given  the 
Democratic  party  until  [864,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  unswerving  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Ri 
publican  party,  which  he  evei  supports  by  his 
ballot,  although  he  never  seeks  office  for  him- 
self. 

I  he  children  oi  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Deininger  were 
as  follows:  Lucy,  wife  of  J.  W.  Haney,  of  Cen- 
tre Hall,  by  whom  she  has  one  son — Wilbur; 
Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Shoop,  of  Centre  Hall,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children      Anna  and  William; 

ra  and  Emanuel,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Sarah,  at  home;  Clement  F.,  teller  in  the  bank 
at  Centre  Hall,  and  one  of  the  prominent  and 
popular  young  men  of  that  place;  and  Allen,  who 
died    in   infancy.      Mr.  and    Mrs.  Deininger  hold 


membership  in  the  United  Evangelical  Church, 
and  the  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Deininger  commands  the  higi 
respect  of  all.  He  has  a  genial  nature, 
whole-souled  man  and  delights  in  a  good  joke. 
His  extensive  readinghas  made  him  well-informed, 
and  no  man  has  more  friends  in  the  community. 


JOHN  WEAVER,  a  self-made  man,  whose  en- 
,  and  well-directed  efforts  have  brought 
to  him  a  comfortable  competence,  and  whose 
sterling  worth  has  won  him  the  high  regard  of 
many  friends,  is  now  living  a  retired  life  upon  his 
farm  of  206  acres  at  Dick's  Station,  in  Taylor 
township,  Centre  county.  He  was  born  in  Sink- 
ing Valley,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  March  22, 
1829,  but  almost  his  entire  life  has  been  passed 
in  Centre  county,  where  he  experienced  all 
trials  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life. 

Samuel  Weaver,  our  subject's  paternal  grand- 
father, was  born  in  Pennsylvania   oi   German 

it,  and  at  an  early  day  became  a  residen 
Huntingdon  county,  where  he  followed  farming 
throughout  life.  The  maternal  grandparents, 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  [sett,  wore  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  of  German  extraction,  and  early 
located  in  Huntingdon  county,  there  residing  upon 
a  farm. 

John  and  Rachel  (Isett)  Weaver,  parents  of 
our  subject,  were  also  natives  of  Huntingdon 
county,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrated,  and 
where  they  remained  until  1834,  when  they  came 
to  Centre  county,  locating  near  our  subject's 
tit  home.  For  a  time  the  father  worked  for 
the  Huntingdon  Furnace,  later  engaged  m  char- 
ng    and   choppii  I   wood,  but  spent  his 

last   days    in   farming.      He  was    first    a  Win. 
polil  rward  a    Republican,  and   by  his  I 

low  cit  i/ens  was  called  upon  to  serve  as  supervisor 
and  school  director   in   Taylor  township.      In 
ligious  belief  he   was   a    Presbyterian.      He  died 
June  23,  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  y< 
his  wife   passed  away    March   5,    I  S  5  7 ,  at  the 
of  se\  enty-six. 

Our  subject  is  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth  in 
their  family  of  twelve  children — seven  si 
five  daughters,  as  follows:     Solomon  and  Ja. 
are    both    deceased;    Sallie    married    John   I 
and  both  are  now  deceased;  Samuel  was  seal 
to  death  by  the  explosion  of  a   steamboat;   Bar- 
bara   married   William   Robinson,  and    both 
now  deceased;  Joseph  is  a  farmer  of   Blair  coun- 
ty,   Penn. ;    Margaret    is    the    deceased    wife   of 
Thomas  Hamer,  also  deceased;    |ohn  is  our  sub 
ject;   Franklin  is  deceased;  Rachel  is  the  widow 
of  Adam  Waltermever;   David   is  a   retired   lum- 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


347 


berman,  of  Tyrone,  Perm. ;   and  one  died   in  in- 
fancy, unnamed. 

Until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  John  Weaver  remained  under  the  parent- 
al roof,  assisting  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the 
farm,  and  attending  school  when  the  opportun- 
ity afforded.  For  a  time  he  crossed  the  mount- 
ains into  Huntingdon  county  to  school,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  miles,  through  the  unbroken  for- 
est, and  later  pursued  his  studies  at  a  school  in 
Centre  county,  to  which  he  walked  a  distance  of 
five  miles  through  the  woods.  On  a  winter 
morning  he  would  start  before  dawn  with  the 
other  children,  carrying  pine  lights,  and  they 
would  take  turns  in  breaking  the  path  through 
the  snow.  On  coming  to  Taylor  township  with 
his  parents,  the  country  was  a  dense  wilderness, 
inhabited  by  wild  animals  of  many  varieties,  in- 
cluding bears,  panthers,  wildcats  and  deer,  and 
they  experienced  all  the  difficulties  of  frontier 
life. 

On  leaving  home,  Mr.  Weaver  went  to  Bald 
Eagle  Furnace  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  by 
the  month  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  engaged 
in  chopping  wood  in  Huntingdon  county  during 
the  winter,  and  in  charcoaling  in  the  summer  for 
the  same  length  of  time.  Subsequently  he  was 
employed  in  various  iron  works  in  this  section 
of  the  State,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  old 
homestead,  and  again  engaged  in  chopping  wood 
and  charcoaling  for  some  time.  In  connection 
with  William  Robinson  and  Jacob  Ridering, 
Mr.  Weaver  next  contracted  to  grade  three 
miles  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad,  but  for 
this  work  he  says  they  got  nothing,  ' '  as  the 
head  contractor  ran  away  with  the  funds ". 
After  another  company  had  taken  charge  of  the 
road  Mr.  Weaver  contracted  for  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  of  grading,  and  later  was  made  track 
foreman  over  a  crew  of  men.  When  the  track 
was  laid  he  was  appointed  division  foreman, 
and  continued  his  connection  with  the  rail- 
road service  for  thirty-one  years,  during  which 
time  he  graded  for  the  round  house  at  Tyrone. 
His  faithfulness  to  the  company's  interests  is 
plainly  shown  by  his  long  retention  in  their  serv- 
ice. On  leaving  the  road  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent tine  farm,  which  he  continued  to  operate  un- 
til 1893,  but  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest. 
During  his  service  with  the  P.  R.  R.  Co.  as 
track  foreman,  no  less  than  eleven  men  were  pro- 
moted from  his  subdivision  as  track  foremen. 

On  November  22,  1849,  Mr.  Weaver  was 
married  to  Miss  Nancy  Nearhoof,  and  to  their 
union  came  the  following  children:  The  eldest, 
Mary,  died  when  young;  Jeremiah,  born  Decem- 
ber  3,    185 1,    married   Etta  Woomer,    and    is   a 


merchant  of  Altoona,  Penn. ;  Miles,  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1853,  died  from  the  bite  of  a  rattle- 
snake; Anna  Eliza,  born  October  4,  1854,  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  Sharer,  a  mechanic  in  the  railroad 
shops  of  Tyrone,  Penn. ;  Sarah  J.,  born  July  15, 
1856,  is  the  wife  of  W.  S.  Johnson,  a  farmer  of 
Blair  county,  Penn.;  Samuel,  born  February  22, 
1858,  married  Bertie  Brisbon,  and  is  railroad 
foreman  at  Lemont,  Penn.;  John  W.,  born 
December  10,  1S59,  married  Elizabeth  Walk, 
and  is  still  on  the  home  farm;  Harriet,  born 
October  25,  1 861,  is  the  wife  of  S.  C.  McAlister, 
clerk  at  Morrisdale  Mines,  Penn.;  George,  born 
December  10,  1863,  is  at  home;  Alice,  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1866,  is  the  wife  of  W.  O.  Irwin, 
hostler  at  the  Punxsutawney  (Penn.)  round 
house;  Ellen,  born  May  8,  1869,  is  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  McAlister,  flagman  on  the  Beech  Creek 
railroad,  Penn.;  and  Nannie  B.,  born  July  11. 
1874,  died  young. 

Mrs.  Weaver  was  born  in  Huntingdon  count  v, 
April  2,  1.^25,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Kephart)  Nearhoof,  also  natives  of  that 
county,  who  came  to  Centre  county  in  1835, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death  about  1 87 1 ,  when  he  was  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  His  wife  passed  away  May  30,  1889, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  eleven  months, 
twenty-three  days.  Both  held  membership  in 
the  Dunkard  Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a 
Republican.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  namely:  Nancy,  wife  of  our  subject; 
Mary,  who  wedded  Jacob  Rider,  but  both  are 
now  deceased;  Henry  (deceased)  was  a  farmer 
of  Blair  county ;  Simon  is  an  employee  in  a  planing 
mill  at  Tyrone,  Blair  county;  Eliza  is  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Joshua  Beck,  of  Philipsburg, 
Penn.;  John  is  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  An- 
drew is  a  farmer  of  Taylor  township;  Catherine 
is  the  deceased  wife  of  E.  Lewis,  a  farmer  of 
Blair  county;  George  is  an  agriculturist  of  Cen- 
tre county;  Martha  is  the  wife  of  Fulton  Mc- 
Monagle,  a  butcher  living  near  Pittsburg,  Penn. ; 
and  Abner,  an  iron  worker  of  Mifflin  county, 
Penn.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
Weaver — Henry  and  Mary  Nearhoof — were  early 
settlers  of  Huntingdon  county,  where  they  re- 
sided upon  a  farm,  while  the  maternal  grand- 
parents, Henry  and  Kate  Kephart,  also  farming 
people,  came  to  Centre  county  at  an  early  day. 

Mr.  Weaver  served  his  fellow  citizens  in  the 
capacity  of  school  director  for  many  years,  and 
was  also  elected  supervisor  of  his  township,  but 
got  another  man  to  serve  in  his  stead.  He  was 
drafted  during  the  Civil  war,  but  owing  to  illness 
in  the  family  he  sent  a  substitute.  He  was  ever 
a  hardworking,  energetic    man,  and  the   success 


848 


(  ommemohative  biographical  record. 


that  has  come  to  him  is  but  the  just  reward  of 
earnest,  persistent  effort.  The  obstacles  and 
difficulties  in  his  path  he  overcame,  and  worked 
his  way  steadily  upward  until  he  can  now  spend 
the  evening  of  1  tirement,  surrounded  by 

all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of 
life.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 
though  has  never  aspired  to  public  office.  Him- 
self and  wife  hold  membership  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church,  and  they  have  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


H.  ARNEY,  a  well-known  and  popular  cit- 
izen of  Centre  Hall,  Centre  county,  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  one  of  Potter  town- 
ships best  lamilies.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
county,  born  December  5,  1S40,  in  Gregg  town- 
ship, a  sen  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  \\ Meyers  Arney, 
who  when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  removed 
to  Potter  township,  where  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  has  been  passed.  In  the  Musser  school, 
Gregg  township,  he  began  his  education  undei 
the  guidance  ol  Robert  Cook,  at  which  time  dis- 
cipline and  order  were  the  principal  features  of 
the  school  room.  As  his  father  owned  and  oper- 
ated a  clover-hulling  mill,  in  which  business  win- 
ter is  the  busiest  season,  our  subject  for  two 
years  assisted  him  in  his  work  at  the  expense  of 
his  schooling.  In  [856  he  entered  an  academy 
at  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  where  he  completed  his 
literary  studies. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  school  room,  in  the 
fall  of  [857,  Mr.  Arney  began  clerking  in  the 
store  of  Arney  &  Ro  1  entre  Hill,  his  father 

being  a  member  of  the  firm.  Previous  to  this 
time  he  had  lived  upon  a  farm,  and  had  early 
become  familiar  with  the  duties  that  fall  to  the 
lot    of  the  agriculturist.      Following   his  services 

lerk  .it  Centre  Hill,  he  was  similarly  employed 
in  the  general  store  of  William  Wolfi  .  ll  I  entre 
Hall,  and  Daniel  Hess,  at  Linden  Hall,  both  of 
which  stores  did  a  large  business  at  that  time. 
Subsequently  he  was  lor  two  years  and  a  half 
employed  as  clerk  in  the  dry-goods  establishment 
'■I  Bisel  &  Everett,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  and 
later  byTroxal  &  Bridgens,  of  the  same  place. 

In    1863,   Mr.   Arney  went    west,    and   enl 
the  employ    of    what    was   then   the  Toledo  & 
Wabash  railroad,  serving  in  the  capacity  of  yard- 

ter  at  its  western  terminus  -State  Line,  Ind. 
While  the  business  was  new  to  him,  he  readily 
adapted  himself  to  his  duties,  and  was  made 
ticket  agent  at  Danville,  111.,  after  the  consolida- 
n  of  that  road  with  another,  at  which  time  it 
became  known  as  the  Wabash  railroad.  Having 
contracted  ague  and  malaria,  he   was  forced  to 


abandon  that  section  of  the  country  after  four 
years  of  railroad  life,  and  was  compelled  to 
decline  an  offer  of  a  substantial  salary  to  remain 
with  the  company.  The  business  possessed  for 
him  the  usual  fascination,  and  it  was  with  reluc- 
tance that  he  gave  it  up.  Returning  to  his  native 
state,  the  healthy  mountain  air  hastened  his  recov- 
ery, and  he  was  soon  able  to  accept  the  position 
of  manager  of  the  store  belonging  to  C.  C.  Mc- 
Clelland, at  Round  Island,  Penn. ,  where  he  spent 
one  winter.  About  this  time  his  father  removed 
to  a  farm  near  Centre  Hall,  where,  in  1868,  was 
erected  the  brick  house  now  occupied  by  our  sub- 
ject, and  he  returned  home  in  order  to  assist  his 
father  in  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  the 
place. 

On  July  24,  1S70,  in  Millheim.  Centre  county. 
Mr.  Arney  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A    Ziegler, 
who   was   born   at    that   place    June    1.    1848 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Lydia  (Gephart)  / 
ler.      Her  father,  a  well-known   citizen  of    Mill- 
heim, was  born  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county, 
a  son  of   Peter  Ziegler,  and   belonged   to  oni 
the  prominent  families  of  the  community.      Dur- 
ing   the   Civil    war   he   supplied   the  government 
with  many  hundred  horses.      He  died  in  October, 

14,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years:  his  wife 
in  May,  1877,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  and  both 
were  interred   in   the  cen  t    Millheim. 

their  family  were  the  following  children:   Daniel. 

add  ler,    ol     Millheim;    John,    postmastei 
Swengel,  Union  I  I     nn.;   Sarah,  now  Mrs.  J 

A.    Reeseman,   of  Centre   Hall;   Emma,   wife  o( 

ry  Van  Pelt,  of  Ithaca.  N.  Y. ;  James,  of 
Union  county,  Penn  ;  Mrs  Lydia  Smith,  o( 
Tyrone,  Penn.,  and  Mary  A  ,  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject. In  1871  Mr.  Arney  removed  to  a  par- 
Philip  Foster  farm,  where  he  continued  to 
live  until  [893,  when  he  located  upon  his  present 
place.  It  is  the  old  home  of  his  father,  compris- 
ing 135  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  which  h> 
and  his  brother,  Dr.  G.  F.  Arney,  now  own.  A 
great  reader,  he  keeps  himself  well  informed  on 
the  leading  questions  and  topics  of  the  day, 
is  numbered  among  the  best  and  most  popular 
citizens  of   Centre  Hall. 

Mr.  and  Mrs    Arney   have  one  son,  A.  Miles 
one  of   the  brightest  young  men  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, who  was  born  August  22.  1878,  and  is  DOW 
a  student   in    Pennsylvania  State   College,  tak 
a    four-years'    course    in     electric      engineer! 
The    parents    are    devout    members  of    the   I 
formed  Church,  in   which    Mr.  Arney  has  sen 
as  deacon.      At  State  and   National  elections 
unwavering    support    is    given    the     Democratic 
party,  but  on  local  affairs  he  votes  independent!) . 
endeavoring  to  support  the  best  men  regard! 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


349 


of  party  ties.  At  present  he  is  acceptably  serv- 
ing as  treasurer  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company  of  Centre  County,  also  as 
township  auditor,  and  has  held  other  official 
positions,  including  those  of  school  director  and 
election  officer.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  enterpris- 
ing citizen,  one  who  has  the  good  will  and  high 
regard  of  all  who  know  him. 


BUDOLPH  MULHOLLAN  (deceased),  a  na- 
tive of  Carlisle,  Penn.,  died  at  his  home  in 
Centre  county,  in  August,  1883.  Success  in  busi- 
ness may  be  achieved  by  industry,  perseverance 
and  capable  management,  and  he  who  adds  to 
this  the  record  of  straightforward,  honorable 
dealing,  commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
all.  Such  in  brief  was  the  business  career  of  Mr. 
Mulhollan,  who  possessed  untiring  energy,  quick 
perception  and  the  ability  to  plan  and  success- 
fully execute  business  undertakings.  His  life 
demonstrated  the  truth  of  the  saying  that  success 
is  not  the  result  of  genius,  but  the  outcome  of 
resolute  and  honorable  purpose. 

John  and  Mary  (Werham)  Mulhollan,  parents 
of  our  subject,  natives  of  Ireland  and  Ohio,  re- 
spectively, came  to  Clearfield  county  at  an  early 
day,  making  their  home  near  Pine  Glenn,  in  Burn- 
side  township.  Their  children  were  James, 
Rudolph,  George,  Mrs.  Mary  Schwitzer,  Alfred, 
Nancy  (who  died  in  infancy),  John,  Mrs.  Nancy 
Clark,  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Bowers,  all  now  de- 
ceased. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  dur- 
ing the  boyhood  of  Rudolph  Mulhollan,  who 
divided  his  time  mid  play  and  work,  while  in  the 
public  schools  he  acquired  his  education.  He 
was  married  in  1864,  in  Tyrone,  Penn.,  to  Car- 
oline Swimer,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  Jan- 
uary, 1845.  Her  parents,  Michael  and  Regina 
(Kaltenburger)  Swimer,  were  also  natives  of  the 
Fatherland,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives, 
the  father  following  the  stone  mason's  trade.  In 
the  days  of  her  maidenhood  their  daughter,  Car- 
oline, came  to  America  with  her  aunt,  Mrs. 
Wilds,  who  located  in  Clearfield  county,  but  after 
a  few  years  went  to  Kansas,  and  was  never  heard 
from  again.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mul- 
hollan are  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Emrick,  a  mer- 
chant of  Karthaus;  Martha,  wife  of  Eugene 
Meeker,  who  conducts  a  meat  market  in  Kart- 
haus; Clara,  wife  of  Thomas  Brown,  a  druggist 
of  Belle  Vernon,  Penn.;  Blanche,  wife  of  Dr. 
John  Hays,  of  Karthaus;  and  Nancy  J. 

Rudolph  Mulhollan  at  an  early  day  engaged  in 
hotel  keeping  in  Burnside  township.  He  after- 
ward carried  on  farming  on   an  extensive  scale. 


and  was  also  one  of  the  largest  lumber  dealers  in 
that  section,  his  business  constantly  increasing 
until  it  had  assumed  extensive  proportions.  He 
possessed  keen  sagacity,  and  in  consequence  made 
judicious  investments  on  which  he  realized  hand- 
some returns.  Steadily  his  capital  increased 
until  he  thus  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
of  Centre  county.  In  his  dealings  he  was  always 
honorable,  straightforward  and  true,  and  no  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him  was  ever  betrayed.  After 
his  wife  had  received  one-third  of  the  estate, 
there  still  remained  property  sufficient  to  give 
each  of  his  children  $13,000.  In  his  political 
adherency  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Catholic.  His  wife,  who  died  February 
21,  1897,  held  membership  with  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  was  a  most  estimable  lady,  receiv- 
ing the  warm  regard  of  all.  She  died,  of  dropsy, 
at  her  home  near  Pine  Glenn,  and  was  buried 
Thursday,  February  25,  in  Snow  Shoe  Cemetery. 


BALSER  WEBER.  It  has  been  said  that 
.)  biography  yields  to  no  other  subject  in 
point  of  interest  and  profit,  and  it  is  especially 
interesting  to  note  the  progress  that  has  been 
made  along  various  lines  of  business  by  those 
of  foreign  birth  who  have  sought  homes  in  Amer- 
ica—  the  readiness  with  which  they  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  different  methods  and  customs  of 
America,  recognize  the  advantages  offered,  and 
utilize  the  opportunities  which  the  New  World 
affords.  In  Mr.  Weber  we  find  the  true  type  of 
a  progressive  German-American  citizen. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
July  4,  1829,  the  only  child  of  Paul  and  Cather- 
ine (Roemer)  Weber,  natives  of  the  same  coun- 
try, where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The 
mother  died  in  1832,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years,  and  the  father  was  again  married,  having 
by  the  second  union  five  children,  namely:  An- 
drew, a  lumber  merchant  of  Germany;  John,  who 
died  in  that  country;  Michael,  who  died  a  few 
years  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  in 
1856;  Barbara,  wife  of  Paul  Kammerer,  a  cop- 
persmith of  Germany:  and  Caroline,  wife  of  Mel- 
choir  Krauss,  of  New  York.  The  father's  death 
occurred  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
He  was  a  tanner  by  occupation,  and  a  devout 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Until  twenty  years  of  age  Balser  Weber  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  father,  whom  he  assisted 
in  the  tanning  business,  and  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  land  secured  a  good  education.  For  two 
years  before  leaving  the  Fatherland  he  worked 
for  others.  In  1849  he  sailed  for  America,  ar- 
riving in  New  York  after  being  twenty-eight  days. 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


upon  the  water,  his  possessions  being  a  cash  cap- 
ital of  $3.25.  After  a  short  time  spent  in  that 
city,  he  went  to  Schenectady,  where  he  worked 
in  a  broom  factory  for  two  months  and  in  a  tan- 
nery for  a   month. 

( )n  leaving  that  place  Mr.  Weber  came  to 
Howard,  Centre  county,  Perm.,  m  November, 
[849,  where  he  was  first  employed  by  Abraham 
Sussman,  a  merchant,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
and  was  a  friend  of  our  subject.  1 1  is  work  was 
peddling,  during  two  years  carrying  his  mer- 
chandise, and  for  the  following  four  years  travel- 
ing with  a  horse  and  wagon.  In  1857,  by 
economy  and  persistent  labor,  he  was  able  to 
purchase  the  store  of  Robert  J.  Haynes,  which 
he  successfully  conducted  until  1889,  when  he 
turned  over  the  business  to  his  three  sons — Abra- 
ham, John  Paul  and  William — and  is  now  fiving 
a  retired  life,  enjoying  a  rest  which  he  so  richly 
deserves. 

On  September  30,  1 S 5 j ,  Mr.  Weber  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Fletcher,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  eight  children:  Abra- 
ham; Mary,  wife  of  C.  M.  Muffly,  a  real-estate 
broker,  of  Chicago,  111.;  Caroline,  Laura  and 
Henry,  all  three  deceased;  Clara,  wife  of  Thomas 
I.  Thomas,  of  Howard,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
farming,  and  John  P.  and  William.  The  sons 
will  be  more  fully  spoken  of  farther  on. 

Mrs.  Weber  was  born  in  Howard  township, 
October  28,  1828,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Magdelina  (Schenck)  Plctcher,  natives  of 
Lancaster  county,  l'enn.,  and  married  in  Centre 
county,  where  they  had  come  in  1795,  and  here 
engaged  in  farming.  Her  father  was  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1789,  and  died  January  10,  1876, 
while  her  mother  was  born  September  5,  1786, 
and  died  May  11,  1S61.  In  their  family  were 
eleven  children:  Nathan,  deceased;  Catherine, 
deceased  wife  of  Jacob  Holter,  a  retired  fanner 
of  Liberty  township,  Centre  county;  Michael,  a 
carpenter  of  Howard:  Daniel,  John,  Henry, 
Christ,  and  Jacob,  all  live  deceased;  Mollie,  who 
married  Henry  Holter,  but  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; Anna,  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Joseph, 
deceased.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
W'iber  came  to  Centre  county  from  Lancastn 
county  in  1795,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of 
thnr  lives. 

Mr.  Weber  was  reared  in  the  Catholic  Church, 
to  which  faith  he  has  always  adhered.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  poli- 
tic-, is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  ha>  never  had 
any  inclination  for  public  office,  but  has  faithfully 
served  as  a  member  of  the  town  council,  and  as 
overseer  of  the  poor  for  four  years.  He  has 
made  many  warm  friends  since  becoming  a  resi- 


dent of  Howard,  and  has  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact 
in  either  busines>  or  social  life. 

Abraham  Weber,  the  eldest  son  of  our  sub- 
ject, is  now  the  popular  chief  burgess  of  Howard, 
ane  senior  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  |; 
Weber's  Sons.  He  was  born  in  Howard,  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1853,  and  after  attending  its  public 
schools  for  some  time,  was  a  student  in  the  Iron 
City  School  of  Pittsburg,  Penn  ,  for  live  months. 
He  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  his 
marriage,  January  21,  1879,  to  Miss  Rachel  J. 
Nb>ore.  To  them  have  been  born  six  children: 
Mary,  Anna,  Balser,  Emma  and  Edith,  all  at 
home,  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  Abraham 
Weber  was  first  elected  chief  burgess  of  Howard 
in  1880,  and  was  re-elected  in  1886  and  1894,  so 
that  he  is  now  serving  his  third  term.  His  ad- 
ministration of  the  duties  of  his  high  official  posi- 
tion is  characterized  by  an  enlightened  policy, 
which  is  well  calculated  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  town.  Politically,  he  follows  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  always  voting  the  Democratic 
ticket;  socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F, 
Lodge  at  Howard,  and  of  the  F.  &  A.  M..  at 
Bellefonte. 

John  P.  Weber,  the  second  son,  was  born  at 
Howard,  January  15,  1868,  and  received  a  lib- 
eral common-school  education.  He  married  Kate 
Yearick  on  September  19,  1889,  and  has  three 
children.      He,  too,  is  a  member  of  the  firm. 

William  Weber,  the  youngest  son,  also  a 
member  of  the  firm,  was  born  December  4,  1870, 
and  received  his  education  in  part  at  the  com- 
mon schools,  in  part  at  a  business  college  in 
Lock  Haven,  at  which  he  graduated  July  15, 
18S7.  On  December  S.  1  So  1 .  he  married  Blanche 
Lstella  Hensyl,  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  L.  K 
Hensyl,  of  Howard,  and  to  them  has  been  born 
one  child,  Dorothy  Elizabeth.  Although  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  the  town  council  always  verj 
strongly  Republican,  that  body  elected  him  the 
clerk  of  the  council  three  years  in  succession,  and 
also  elected  him  borough  treasurer  three  years  in 
succession,  which  position  he  now  holds. 


GEORGE  B.  SIMLER,  Sr.  The  meritedand 
J  fitting  reward  of  a  well-spent  life,  and  active 
business  career,  is  an  honored  retirement  in 
which  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  former  toil.  1 
many  years  this  gentleman  was  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  business  interests  of  Philipshurg. 
but  in  [881  he  laid  aside  all  care,  and  is  now 
resting  from  his  labors  in  a  comfortable  home, 
which  was  acquired  through  his  own  efforts.      He 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


351 


is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  Centre  county, 
and  his  name  occupies  a  high  place  on  the  roll 
of  leading  and  influential  citizens. 

The  first  of  the  Simler  family  of  which  there 
is  any  authentic  record  is  John  Henry  Simler.  a 
native  of  Germany,  who  became  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  enlisting  in  France,  in  1780, 
as  a  private  in  Capt.  Bart's  corps  of  the  first 
troops  of  Light  Dragoons,  Free  Legion,  under 
command  of  Col.  Armand.  On  arriving  at  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  the  troops  proceeded  to  Yorktown, 
Va. ,  and  in  the  memorable  siege  and  capture  of 
that  place  Mr.  Simler  took  part,  it  being  taken 
by  the  United  forces  of  America  and  France.  He 
remained  in  the  service  until  regularly  discharged 
at  Philadelphia.  At  Yorktown  he  had  received 
wounds  in  the  left  eye  and  forehead  from  a  sabre 
which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  our  subject, 
and  the  scars  he  carried  to  his  grave.  On  the 
termination  of  the  war  he  located  at  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  married,  and  two  children  were 
born:  George  and  Sarah.  His  first  wife  died 
of  yellow  fever  in  1793,  and  four  years  later  he 
was  again  married.  By  this  union  he  also  had 
two  children,  Charles  and  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Cow- 
fer.  Later  John  H.  Simler  migrated  to  Philips- 
burg,  Centre  county,  where  he  erected  the  first 
house,  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaking. 
Here  his  daughter  married  and  continued  to  make 
her  home  until  her  death.  In  Philipsburg  his  wife 
died  in  1822,  and  two  years  later,  when  his  son 
George  brought  a  flock  of  sheep  to  Centre  coun- 
ty, he  was  persuaded  by  him  to  return  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  his  death  occurred,  October  14, 
1829. 

With  his  father,  Charles  Simler  had  come  to 
Philipsburg,  by  ox-team,  in  1797,  and  here  in 
February,  18 14,  he  had  married  Sallie  Morrow, 
a  native  of  Bellefonte,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Morrow,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Centre  county.  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born 
eleven  children,  as  follows:  John  D.,  born 
March  9,  18 15,  conducted  a  bakery  in  Philips- 
burg, where  he  died  February  2,  1875;  Jane, 
born  December  1,  18 16,  married  Franklin  R. 
Street,  now  deceased,  and  died  in  November, 
1895;  J-  Henry,  born  August  2,  1820,  died  in 
Philadelphia;  George  B.,  born  August  2,  1820, 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  S.  Annie,  born  July 
24,  1822,  married  John  Huston,  now  deceased, 
and  she  died  in  1844;  Charles,  born  November 
10,  1824,  was  a  carpenter  of  Philadelphia,  where 
his  death  occurred  December  28,  1889;  William 
B.,  born  April  15,  1827,  a  painter  by  occupa- 
tion, was  a  Union  soldier  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  came  to  Philipsburg  in  1864,  where  he  died 
July  19,  1874;  Theodore,  born   May  26,   1832,  is 


a  brass  fitter  of  Philadelphia;  Margaret,  born 
March  9,  1835,  is  the  widow  of  Alex  Adams,  and 
resides  in  Chester  Hill,  Penn.;  and  Mary  A., 
born  November  26,  1837,  died  when  young.  In 
1825,  with  our  subject,  the  father  returned  to 
Philadelphia,  his  native  city,  where  he  passed 
away  May  7,   1845,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 

George  B.  Simler  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  His 
early  education  was  rather  limited,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  began  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade  with  William 
Cobb,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Philadelphia, 
receiving  $40  and  board  per  year.  On  attaining 
his  majority  he  started  out  as  a  journeyman,  and 
was  thus  employed  until  twenty-eight  years  of 
age,  when  he  was  appointed  a  policeman  of 
Philadelphia,  which  position  he  acceptably  filled 
for  eighteen  years.  Returning  to  Philipsburg, 
he  here  engaged  in  the  express  business  until 
1 88 1,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired,  his 
son,  George  B.,  now  conducting  the  business. 

On  May  6,  1S47,  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Simler 
was  married  to  Miss  Amanda  Carpenter,  and  to 
them  were  born  nine  children. :  (1)  Harry,  born 
February  25,  1848,  married  Ellen  Tarr,  by  whom 
he  had  thirteen  children,  three  now  deceased;  he 
is  a  constable  of  Philipsburg.  (2)  Charles  L., 
born   April   27,  1850,  died   September  26,  1853. 

(3)  Sallie,  born  June  25,  1852,  is  the  wife  of 
Albert  Jackson,  a  machinist  of  Johnstown,  Penn. 

(4)  John,  born  June  8,   1855,  died   when  young. 

(5)  George  B. ,  born  December  13,  1857,  is  en- 
gaged   in    the    express    business  in    Philipsburg. 

(6)  Hester,  born  January  12,  1861,  died  in  in- 
fancy. (7)  William  N.,  born  August  15,  1864, 
married  Lizzie  G.  Osier,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children,  Charles  Albert  and  Mary  Estella  (the 
wife  and  one  child  are  deceased);  he  is  an  expert 
taxidermist,  and  a  resident  of  Philipsburg.  (8) 
Susannah  A.,  born  February  13,  1867,  is  the 
wife  of  William  Cronover,  a  carpenter  of  Philips- 
burg, by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Clarence.  (9) 
Jacob  R.,  born  May  4,  1871,  is  also  a  taxider- 
mist. With  the  exception  of  George  B.  and 
Jacob  R. ,  who  were  born  in  Philipsburg,  the 
other  children  were  all  born  in  Philadelphia. 

Mrs.  Simler  is  also  a  native  of  Philadelphia, 
her  birth  occurring  April  8,  1829.  There  her 
parents,  Conrad  and  Hester  (Sowers)  Carpenter, 
spent  their  entire  lives,  the  former  dying  August 
2,  1867,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  the  latter  on 
May  12,  1886,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
In  their  family  were  the  following  children:  Con- 
rad (deceased);  Amanda,  wife  of  our  subject; 
William,  a  motorman  on  the  street  cars  of  Phil- 
adelphia; John  (deceased),  Andrew  J.  and  Martin 


:;.".!' 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


V.  (twins),  who  died  when  young;  Elizabeth  and 
Maty,  who  died  in  childhood;  John  N  .  a  detect- 
ive of  Philadelphia;  Wilhelmina,  also  a  resident 
of  that  nd    George  and  Jacob,  who  died 

in  childhood.      The   father  of  this  family  w; 
butcher   by    trade       He  was  a  son  of   Benjamin 
ami  Margaret  (Milli  titer,  natives  of  Eng- 

land   ai  any,    respectively.      The   forn 

was  a  cooper,  and  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.      The   maternal    grandparents   ol    Mrs 

ler,    William    and     Hester    (Miley)    Sowi 
were  also  natives  of  Germany,  and   when  quite 
young  came  to   Philadelphia,    where  the  grand- 
father f •  *  1 1  •  i wed  the  butcher's  trade. 

Mr.  Simler  is  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of 
Philipsburg,  with  whose  interests  his  family  i 
been  identified  since  the  very  beginning  of  the 
city,  anil  have  been  important  factors  in  its  up- 
building and  advancement.  When  he  first  went 
to  Philadelphia  with  Ins  father  in  1825,  the  jour- 
through  the  almost  unbroken  wilderness  re- 
quired nine  days;  but  all  this  has  since  been 
1  hanged,  and  now  i,rood  roads  and  railroads  cm*--, 
and  recross  each  other  all  over  the  country.      In 

tics  Mr.  Simler  is  a  Republican,  and  for  fifty 
years  has  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  0.  1'.. 
joining    I  No.    15    in    Philadelphia.      He   is 

well  known  as  .1  man  whose  integrity  is  above 
question,  whose  word  isasgood  as  his  bond,  and 
is  held  in  the  highest  I   by  his  many  friends 

and  acquaintances.  He  has  filled  with  honor 
man  3  of  trust  in  Philipsburg;  was  burgess 

one  term,  member  of  the  council  two  terms,  and 
president  of  the  board.  In  township  matters  he 
was  assessor  of  Rush  township  two  terms.  I 
following  inscription  is  taken  from  the  headstone 
that  marks  the  last  resting  place,  in  the  old  cem- 
etery, of  our  subject's  maternal  grandmother:  "To 
the  memory  of  Letitia  Morrow,  who  departed 
this   life   thi  April,  A    D.   1 S33,  aged   65 

-,  3  months  and  6  da 


JOHN  C.   MOTZ  (deceased)       <  >n  January  1  7, 
at    his    hom< 
Woodward,  Centre  county,  a  man  who  had 
for  many  years,  1  in  the  development 

of  Penn's  Valley,  his  untirin  •  in  the  : 

motion  1  ial  operations  preparing 

for  him  an  enduring  place  in  the  history  of  that 
on       Progressive  and  clear-sighted,  Ins  work 
was  of  a  nature  to  build  up  tin    community  while 
trging  his  own  fortune,  and  his  shrewd,  ener- 
ind    forceful    management    of    his    \., 

nmanded   the   admiration   ol    the 
public. 


Mr.  Mot/  was  born  June  22.  1832,  at  the  old 
homestead    in    Woodward,    which  had    been  the 

lence  of  two  previous  generations,  his  grand- 
father, John  Motz,  born  in  [758,  having  been  the 
first  settler  in  that  locality,  which,  in  fact,  once 
bore  the  name  of  "  Motz's  Bank.'.'  The  family 
to  which  he  belonged  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
Fatherland  on  account  of  religious  persecutions, 
then  so  prevalent.  The  extensive  collection  of 
books  which  he  left  at  his  death  contained  valu- 
able works  on  Church,  History,  Astronomy  and 
other  subjects.  His  wife,  Mary  (Whitmer),  who 
was  born  October  9,  1767,  was  a  noble  charac- 
ter, devoted  to  the  care  of  the  sick  and  feeble  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  was  so  skillful  in  this  work 
that  her  services  were  esteemed  as  much  as  a 
physician's  would  have  been.  In  17S6  they 
moved  to  the  site  of  Woodward  from  what  is 
now  Snyder  county,  and  spent  their  remaining 

rs  there,  the  grandfather  dying  in  1S02.  and 
the  grand ther  on  March  13.    [839.      They  left 

ii  children  three  daughters  and  four  sons — 
the  names  of  the  latter  being:  Jacob,  John, 
( .n  irge  and  James. 

John  Motz,  |r. ,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
January  6,   1792,  and  lived  and  died  at  the  old 

nestead.      He    was    married     December    11, 
7,  to    Elizabeth    Fisher,  who    was    born    No- 

iber  1,  [800,  at  Fisher's  Ferry,  Northumber- 
land Co..  Penn.,  and  died  January  3,  1  SSj. 
They  had  three  sons  and  four  daughter,  \ 
Daniel  Alexander,  born  June  15,  1S29,  died  Oc- 
tober 1,  1 S33 ;  John  C,  our  subject;  William 
Henry,  born  March  [3,  1839,  died  July  22,  [848; 
Lydia,  Sarah  C,    <  .-th.-rine  A.  and   Mar)    Eliz- 

th.  One  of  the  daughters,  Lydia,  married 
C.  H.  Gutelius,  of  Mifflinburg;  she  was  an  able 
and  active  business  woman,  and  at  one  time 
traveled  600  miles  by  ox-team  from  Omah 
Denver,  where  she  was  successfully  engaged  in 
extensive  real-estate  deals;  she  died  May  .;.  \l 
Sarah  C.    married   Dr.    P.    1>.  Neff,  who  died  at 

itre   Hall.      Catherim    A.  married  Dr.  < 
p.   \  iate  ot    1  lanover,  Penn.,  and  nov 

Philadelphia.       Mary    Elizabeth,    born    Fcbruan 
11.   1  S 4 5 ,  died  November  30,   [861. 

The   common-school   system  of   the   pn 
da\  was  in  its  infancy  during  the  period  in  which 
our  subject  was  acquiring  his  education,  but  his 
studies    in    the    local  schools  were  supplemented 
with  a  course  in  the  academy  at  Mittlinburg.      At 
an  early  age  he    began    to  manil 
ability,  and  at  twenty   he   became  a  merchant 
Woodward.      As    time    passed     he    sought     still 
if    activity,  operating  u  gristmill  and 
distillery,  ami  finally  purchased  the  entin 
left    by    his    father.      His  close  attention  I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


353 


ness,  and  thorough  knowledge  and  supervision  of 
its  details,  made  success  sure,  and  when  an  en- 
terprise was  once  undertaken  he  spared  no  pains 
in  its  prosecution.  His  mill  property  was  im- 
proved atheavy  expense  in  1S52,  and  again  in  1878 
in  order  to  secure  the  latest  machinery  and  meth- 
ods. His  early  success  was  not  won  without 
some  sacrifice,  however,  and  after  fifteen  years 
he  was  compelled  by  impaired  health  to  give  up 
all  care  for  a  time.  A  trip  to  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, in  1867,  greatly  benefited  him,  and  on  his 
return  he  resumed  his  accustomed  activities,  soon 
embarking  in  other  and  larger  enterprises. 

On  March  15,  1872,  he,  with  others,  estab- 
lished the  banking  house  of  John  C.  Motz  &  Co  , 
at  Millheim,  of  which  he  was  the  chief  promoter 
and  first  president.  This  position  he  held  for 
many  years,  and  the  bank  weathered  the  finan- 
cial storms  of  that  time  bravely  under  his  judi- 
cious yet  bold  management.  The  failure  of  Jay 
Cooke  lost  for  the  firm  all  their  Eastern  ex- 
changes; their  credit,  however,  was  sustained  by 
paying  over  their  counters  thousands  of  dollars 
in  cash,  as  the  bankers  would  not  wait  for  the 
ordinary  return  by  mail,  but  sent  special  messen- 
gers with  checks.  For  many  years  he  was  the 
principal  stockholder  in  the  Bellefonte,  Aarons- 
burg  and  Youngmanstown  Turnpike  Co.,  and  as 
its  president  conducted  its  affairs  to  the  great 
advantage  of  the  people  of  the  Valley  as  well  as 
that  of  the  shareholders.  He  was  one  of  the 
capitalists  who  secured  a  charter  in  April,  1879, 
for  the  Millheim  Turnpike  Co.,  of  which  he  was 
the  heaviest  stockholder,  and  his  interests  are 
still  retained  by  his  family.  He  dealt  extensively 
in  lumber  and  grain,  and  shipped  the  first  carload 
of  grain  over  the  Lewisburg  &  Spruce  Valley 
Creek  railway;  and  indeed,  were  we  to  mention 
all  the  enterprises  in  which  he  was  a  leader,  we 
would  bring  in  review  all  the  varied  elements  of 
material  progess  in  his  locality  during  his  time. 
No  project  was  broached  indicating  benefit  to 
the  Valley  that  he  did  not  encourage  in  a  practi- 
cal and  effective  way.  He  left  a  large  estate, 
comprising  several  mill  properties,  extensive 
tracts  of  farm  and  mountain  land  in  this  State, 
valuable  real  estate  in  Kansas,  Colorado  and 
Iowa,  together  with  stock  in  gold  mines  and 
other  interests.  As  a  loyal  friend  to  the  best 
interests  of  his  native  village,  he  gave  especial 
attention  to  its  improvement.  He  was  a  royal 
entertainer,  always  glad  to  see  his  friends,  and 
socially  as  well  as  in  business  circles  he  was  held 
in  high  esteem.  A  stanch  Republican,  he  took 
great  interest  in  the  success  of   his  party,  and  he 

23 


was  also  a  liberal  supporter  of  religious  work, 
giving  not  only  of  his  money  but  of  his  time  and 
personal  influence.  In  1S65  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Association,  and  for  many 
years  was  superintendent   of  the  Sunday-school. 

On  November  14,  1869,  Mr.  Motz  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Maranda  A.  Reigard,  a  lady  of  fine 
intellectual  powers,  and  gracious  womanliness, 
whose  gifts  of  mind  and  heart  have  made  their 
home  a  social  center.  They  had  three  sons, 
who  are  all  taking  prominent  places  in  the  com- 
munity, and  make  a  trio  of  whom  any  parent 
would  be  proud.  [Sketches  of  these  will  be 
found  elsewhere.] 

Mrs.  Motz  is  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Jacob  Reigard 
and  his  wife,  Lucinda  Wagner,  who  are  now  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  in  the  possession  of 
unusual  health  and  vigor.  Dr.  Reigard  prepared 
for  his  profession  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Big- 
elow,  of  Millheim,  and  began  to  practice  when 
only  nineteen  years  old,  locating  at  Orangeville, 
Columbia  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  met  and  married 
Lucinda  Wagner.  Notwithstanding  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  older  physicians,  hesucceeded,  his  skill 
in  surgery  enabling  him  to  perform  some  opera- 
tions with  which  the  others  were  not  familiar. 
Later  he  moved  to  Shirleysburg,  where  he  re- 
mained many  years,  and  then  spent  twelve  years 
on  a  farm  five  miles  from  the  city  of  Doyle's 
Ford.  There  malaria  seized  him,  and  after  suf- 
fering from  ague  for  eighteen  months  he  sought 
a  change  of  air  at  Woodward,  remaining  three, 
years.  During  this  time  his  daughter  was  wooed 
and  won  by  Mr.  Motz.  In  1  852  Dr.  Reigard  and 
his  wife  removed  to  Freeport,  111.,  where  they 
now  enjoy  the  rewards  of  past  labors.  The 
Doctor  amassed  a  considerable  fortune  through 
his  practice  and  by  judicious  speculation,  and  at 
one  time  he  owned  the  only  gristmill  at  Freeport. 

Mrs.  Motz  was  born  May  25,  1835,  in  Col- 
umbia county,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools 
o'f  Shirleysburg.  and  at  a  select  school  in  Dan- 
ville, Penn.  She  was  the  first  born  in  a  family 
of  ten  children;  (2)  Ira  G.  died  at  Shirleysburg, 
aged  eleven  years;  (3)  Francis  M.,  deceased,  was 
a  farmer  at  Freeport,  111. ;  (4)  Shepherd  W.  is  in 
the  clothing  business  at  Freeport;  (5)  Amanda 
M.,  deceased,  married  F.  G.  Welsh,  a  machinist 
at  Chicago;  (6)  Juniata  is  at  home;  (7)  Mary 
Belle,  who  married  Mr.  Welsh  after  her  sister 
Amanda's  death,  is  a  journalist,  and  resides  at 
Williamsburg,  Kans. ;  (8)  Louisa  A.  married  R. 
S.  McWilliams,  a  farmer;  (9)  Scioto  M.  died  at 
Freeport,  111.;  and  (10)  Blanche  Eugenia  is  at 
home  with  her  parents. 


354 


i  u  1/  Ml-:  MORA  Tl  VK  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


J 


'    J.  SHULTZ.      This  highly  respected  gentle- 
man, who  is  one  of  the  most  industrious 


energetic  farmers  of  Miles  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  in  1857,  in  Sugar  Valley,  Clin- 
ton Co.,  Penn.,  and  is  a   son  of  Jacob  and  Re- 
becca (Gramley)  Shultz,  the  latter  of  whom  v 
a  daughter  of  Christian  Gramley.     The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject,    who    also  bore   the 
name    of    Jacob    Shultz,    disappeared    suddenly 
from  home,  and   has   never  been  heard  of  since. 
The  parents  were    married   in    Brush  Valley, 
Centre  county,  whence  they  removed   to   Sugar 
Valley,  where  two  years  and  a  half  were  passed, 
and  they  then,  in  the  spring  of    [861,  returned  to 
the  former  place,  locating  near  Rebersburg.     The 
father  not  only  provided  for  his  own  maintenance 
from  a  very  early  age,  but  also  helped  to  support 
his  parents,  who  were  in    limited    circumstances, 
so  that  at  the  time  of  his  marriage    he  had  only 
one  summer's   wages  with    which   to    begin  life. 
B<  ing  a  hard  worker  and  economical,  he  man- 
aged to  save  some  capital,  which   he  invested  in 
land,  having  at  the  tune  of  his  death  over  150 
acres  of  good  land.     There   his  widow,  an  1 
nest  Chistian  woman,  still   resides.      He   died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four   years,  and    was   laid  to 
i    in   the   cemetery   <»l    Rebersburg.      Like  his 
wife,  he  was  a  consistent   member    of  the  Luth- 
eran    Church;   in    politics   he    was   a    Democrat. 
They  had  nine  children,  namely:      Rebecca,  now 
tlie  wile  of  Ceorge  Miller,  "I    Madisonburg,  Cen- 
tre   county;    |       [.,    of   this    sketch;   Henry,    who 
died  in  infancy;   Hannah,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Bevie,  who  died  in   infancy;   Frank  and  Charles 
twin-  ,  now  t.iriners  of  Brush   Valley  and  Sugar 
Valley,    respectively;    Annie,    wife    of  Jonathan 
Shott,  of   Miles   township;   and    a    son,  who  died 
in  infani  5        In  addition  to   rearing  his  own  fam- 
ily, the  father  also  cared  for  his  widowed  mother 
and  brother.      He  was  an  honest,  straightforward 
man,   whose  word   was  newer  questioned  nor  his 
1  ity  doubted. 
|.   |.  Shultz  was  afforded  but   limited  educa- 
tional privileges,  but   he   made    the   most    of   his 
advantages   and    learned    rapidly,    so    that    In 
now  a  well-informed   man.      As  soon  as   he  was 
large  1  nough  t<i  handle  a  plow  he  began  work  in 
the  fields,   and  continued   to  assist   in    the  labors 
of  the  home  farm  until  he  had  reached  Ins  twen- 
ty-seventh year,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  days 
a't  a  time  when  he  would    find   employment  else- 
where      After  he   had   attained    his    majority  he 
hin  d  out  to  his  fathei    bj    the   year,  and    on  his 
ipital   consisted   oi   what   he  had 
manaped  to  save  from   his  wages.      He   then  lo- 
cated on  the  old    Smull    farm,  which    his   father 
had  purchased,  near  Kreamerville,  and  there  con- 


tinued to  reside  until  coming  to  his  present  farm 
in  the  spring  of  1887.  It  comprises  sixty-seven 
acres,  pleasantly  located  at  Spring  Bank,  in  Miles 
township,  and  under  his  able  management  has 
become  very  productive.  He  married  Miss  Sarah 
I  l'>ressler,  of  Brush  Valley,  and  they  have  two 
children — Ira  E.  and  Ida  M.,  both  at  home. 
Sincere  and  earnest  Christians,  the  parents  are 
faithful  members  of  the  United  Evangelical 
Church,  and  their  genial,  courteous  manners 
have  attracted  to  them  many  warm  friends. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Shultz  is  connected  with  the 
Grange,  and  in  politics  he  is  an  earnest  advocate 
of  Democratic  principles.  He  has  served  his 
fellow  citizens  in  the  capacity  of  election  judge 
and  supervisor  of  his  township  two  terms,  but 
prefers  to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness interests,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with  excel- 
lent results. 


REUBEN  GRIMM,  a  prosperous  retired  farm- 
er residing  in  Madison  burg,  Centre  county, 
is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  that  pleasant 
little  town,  and  takes  an  active  and  helpful  place 
in  the  life  of  the  community,  being  especially 
mt  1  rested  in  furthering  the  work  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  leading  member 
for  many  years. 

Mr.  Grimm  was  born  January  18,  1828,  in 
West  Beaver  township,  Union  county,  now  a 
part  of  Snyder  county.  His  father,  Daniel 
Grimm,  was  born  in  1795  in  Berks  county.  Penn., 
and  was  the  only  son  of  a  German  settler  there, 
who  did  not  succeed  well  enough  in  this  new  land 
to  give  his  sons  a  start  in  life.  Accordingly, 
Daniel  Grimm,  seeing  the  necessity  for  making 
his  own  way,  came  as  a  young  man  to  Union 
county,  and  began  farming  and  lumbering,  in 
which  he  made  a  notable  success.  He  became 
the  owner  of  two  farms  and  a  sawmill,  the  latter 
being  his  chief  source  of  wealth.  He  married 
Miss  Magdalena  Smith,  a  native  of  Beaver  town- 
ship, Union  county,  horn  in  1795,  and  they  had 
thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living:  1  t  \ 
L(  ah,  widow  of  Edward  Kinney,  resides  at  £ 
ins^rove,  Penn.;  Levi,  a  resident  of  Marysville, 
Venango  Co. ,  Penn.,  enlisted  from  that  locality 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  lost  a  leg  in  the 
Daniel  is  a  retired  farmer  at  Orangeville,  Steph- 
enson Co.,  111.;  Catherine  married  Joseph  Shaf- 
fer, of  Walker  township.  Centre  county;  Isaac, 
a  bachelor,  resides  in  Orangeville,  III.;  Susan, 
widow  of  |ohn  Walters,  lives  near  Milesbl 
Penn.  ;  R(  uben  is  mentioned  more  fully  below; 
Mollie  (Mrs.  Weary  lives  in  Missouri;  Mary, 
widow  of  Jacob  Nestlerode,  resides  in  Madison- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


355 


burg;  Christena  married  Lewis  Pellman,  of  Har- 
tleton,  Perm. ;  Adam,  a  farmer  of  Cherokee 
county,  Kans. ,  was  a  soldier  in  Company  A, 
148th  P.  V.  I.,  was  taken  prisoner  and  suffered 
much  before  released;  Louisa  married  William 
B.  Shaffer,  of  Walker  township,  Centre  county; 
John,  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma  Territory,  was  a 
soldier  in  Company  A,   148th  P.  V.  I. 

In  1840  our  subject's  father  sold  his  property 
and  removed  to  Brush  Valley,  where  he  pur- 
chased, from  Jacob  Reber,  a  farm  of  1  50  acres 
adjoining  Madisonburg.  Seven  wagons,  each 
drawn  by  four  horses,  conveyed  the  family  and 
household  goods  to  their  new  home  via  Penn's 
Valley  Narrow,  and  they  arrived  at  Madisonburg, 
April  3,  1840.  Daniel  Grimm  followed  agricult- 
ure until  1856,  when  he  rented  the  farm  to  our 
subject  and  retired  to  Madisonburg,  building  a 
home  there  for  his  declining  years.  He  was  a 
shrewd  yet  honest  business  man,  no  speculator, 
depending  upon  hard  work  and  judicious  manage- 
ment for  his  success.  His  education  was  entirely 
practical,  but  he  acquired  through  observation  a 
goodly  fund  of  information  on  various  subjects. 
Being  opposed  to  slavery,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  join  the  Republican  party,  having  previously 
been  a  Whig.  At  times  he  held  office  in  the 
township,  serving  as  school  director  and  super- 
visor, and  although  not  a  politician  he  never 
missed  a  chance  to  vote.  He  was  very  fond  of 
company,  and  made  an  annual  visit  to  Snyder 
county,  preferring  to  go  always  on  foot.  In  the 
Lutheran  Church,  of  which  he  and  his  wife  were 
both  members,  his  counsel  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem, and  he  was  chosen  to  various  offices,  in- 
cluding those  of  deacon  and  elder.  His  wife 
died  June  2,  1865,  he  passing  away  July  23, 
1882,  and  the  remains  of  both  now  rest  at  Madi- 
sonburg. 

Reuben  Grimm,  the  subject  proper  of  these 
lines,  was  twelve  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  re- 
moval to  Centre  county,  and  his  education,  which 
had  been  begun  in  the  schools  at  the  old  home, 
was  continued  in  Madisonburg,  his  first  teacher 
there  being  William  Yearick,  who  later  became 
a  clergyman.  His  opportunities  did  not  compare 
with  those  which  a  more  liberal  and  judicious 
policy  has  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  youth 
of  to-day,  and  as  a  farmer's  son  much  of  his  time 
was  spent  in  work  at  home.  At  eighteen  he  be- 
gan to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  at  Madison- 
burg under  Edward  Houtz,  his  wages  for  the  first 
year  being  $2.00  per  month,  and  for  the  second 
and  third  years,  $3.00  per  month.  For  a  time 
after  completing  his  trade  he  followed  it  inZion, 
but  in  the  spring  of  1850  he  went  to  Stephenson 
county,  111.,  and  worked  at  his  trade  and  at  farm- 


ing for  seven  months.  News  came  to  him  of  the 
burning  of  his  father's  barn,  and  he  returned 
home  to  help  in  rebuilding  it.  He  spent  three 
years  and  three  months  at  his  trade  in  Zion,  work- 
ing for  a  brother-in-law,  Joseph  Shaffer,  and  then 
assisted  his  father  for  a  year  at  the  old  farm. 
On  February  22,  1855,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Shaffer,  who  was  born  in  Miles  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  July  3,  1835,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  (Bright)  Shaffer.  Mr. 
Grimm's  savings  at  the  time  amounted  to  less 
than  $400,  but,  renting  the  old  homestead  from 
his  father,  he  began  farming  on  his  own  behalf, 
and  continued  successfully  for  thirty-two  years. 
In  1875  he  purchased  the  farm,  and  still  owns 
124  acres  of  farm  land  in  Brush  Valley,  with 
twenty-five  acres  of  timber  land  in  Sugar  Valley. 
In  1888  he  removed  to  Madisonburg,  where  he 
owns  two  lots,  on  one  of  which  he  built  a  new 
home,  one  of  the  best  in  the  place.  Since  re- 
moving to  town  Mr.  Grimm  has  for  four  years 
carried  the  mail  between  Madisonburg  and  Mill- 
heitn,  but  has  not  undertaken  any  other  business. 
Of  his  two  sons,  Lewis  S.  is  a  jeweler  at  Leb- 
anon, Kans.,  and  Charles  L.  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Grimm's  first  Presidential  vote  was  cast 
for  Gen.  Winfield  Scott;  on  the  dissolution  of 
the  Whig  party  he  became  a  Republican,  and  has 
since  remained  steadfast  in  that  political  faith. 
While  never  an  office  seeker,  he  has  at  times 
shown  his  keen  interest  in  educational  progress 
by  serving  as  school  director  in  his  township.  In 
the  Lutheran  Church  he  has  held  various  posi- 
tions, having  been  deacon  for  many  years,  and 
he  is  now  an  elder.  He  has  always  given  liber- 
ally to  the  work  of  the  society,  and  was  one  of 
the  building  committee  when  the  new  church  at 
Madisonburg  was  built. 


DAVID  L.  ZERBY,  teller  of  the  Millheim 
Bank,  Millheim,  Centre  county,  is  one  of 
the  most  substantial  and  conservative  business 
men  of  Penn's  Valley.  He  is  a  native  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  having  been  born  at 
Penn's  Creek,  January  28,  185 1,  the  fourth  son 
and  child  of  Adam  and  Susan  (Snavely)  Zerby, 
well-known  and  highly  respected  residents. 

Mr.  Zerby,  for  a  time,  attended  the  schools 
of  his  district,  W.  E.  Shirk  being  his  first  teacher. 
In  1868  he  attended  the  Aaronsburg  Academy, 
and  later  the  academy  at  Penn  Hall,  receiving 
instruction  from  such  able  educators  as  W.  H. 
Gottwalt,  Prof.  Salm,  George  W.  Ebright  and  D. 
M.  Wolf.  At  eighteen  he  was  competent  to 
teach,  and  undertook  the  management  of  the 
"Mountain  School"  in  Gregg  township,  Centre 


856 


OOMMBMORA  TlVt:  lSIOQRAI'llIf.U.   RECORD. 


county.  Finding  the  work  congenial,  he  decided 
to  continue  it,  and  his  pronounced  success  mak- 
ing it  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  secure  positions, 
he  taught  for  thirteen  years,  or  twenty-six  terms, 
all  but  one  term  being  in  his  native  township. 
Six  years  were  spent  at  Liberty  school,  and  his 
success  there  indicates  his  efficiency  as  both  an 
instructor  ami  disciplinarian.  He  was  especially 
gifted  in  mathematics,  the  most  difficult  prob- 
lems being  solved  by  him  with  ease. 

On  November  5,  1 S 7 4 ,  Mr.  Zerby  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  Keen,  a  native  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  and  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Anna  Mary  (Deininger  Keen,  who  are  men- 
tioned below.  Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Zerby  has 
made  his  home  in  Millheim,  and  on  giving  up 
teaching  as  a  vocation,  he  entered  mercantile 
life  as  a  clerk  for  W.  K.  Alexander  in  his  general 
store.  He  remained  there  some  time,  and  was 
also  employed  at  odd  intervals  in  the  Millheim 
Bank,  in  which  he  took  his  present  responsible 
position  as  teller  in  January,  1893.  Since  enter- 
ing upon  the  duties  of  the  place  he  has  gained 
hosts  of  friends,  the  public  having  learned  that 
in  their  dealings  with  him  they  can  be  sure  of 
courteous  treatment  and  the  most  scrupulous 
honesty.  He  is  a  sell '-made  man,  and,  although 
his  father  assisted  him  in  securing  an  education. 
the  money  was  repaid  from  the  earnings  of  the 
first  term  as  teacher. 

In  1877  Mr  Zerby  purchased  his  residence  in 
Millheim,  and  extensive  improvements  have 
made  it  one  of  the  pleasantest  homes  in  that 
charming  village.  His  only  child,  Stella  E.,  an 
accomplished  young  lady,  is  now  a  teacher  in  the 
high  school  at  Millheim.  The  family  attend  the 
I'niicd  Evangelical  Church,  and  all  are  promi- 
nently identified  with  its  activities.  Mr.  Zerby 
is  a  trustee  and  steward,  and  for  many  years  has 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  His 
zeal  for  the  welfare  of  the  Church  has  been  shown 
in  many  ways,  and  during  the  negotiations  for 
the  transfer  of  certain  properties  in  1'enn's  Val- 
ley to  the  new  Church,  he  has  ably  represented 
the  adherents  of  Bishop  Dubbs.  His  interest  in 
public  affairs  is  not  less  keen,  any  project  for 
the  advancement  of  Millheim  borough  receiving 
his  hearty  support  In  political  affiliations  hi 
.1  Democrat.  He  was  the  first  burgess  of  the 
borough,  and  has  served  on  the  school  board, 
while  in  May.  [889,  and  again  in  1894,  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace.  As  an  official  he 
has  shown  characteristic  efficiency  and  public 
spirit,  winning  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
cl  asses. 

Mrs.  Zerby's  family  is  ol  German  extraction, 
the    name    having    been    Kuhn    originally.        Hei 


great-grandfather,  Johan  Jacob  Kuhn  or  Keen, 
was  the  first  to  leave  the  Fatherland,  and  after  a 
brief  residence  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  he  came 
to  this  section  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Centre 
county,  one  mile  west  of  Millheim.  This  is  still 
known  as  the  Keen  farm,  and  has  been  contin- 
uously in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  since 
his  day.  He  reared  a  large  family  of  children, 
seventeen  in  all.  His  son  George  (Mrs.  Zerby's 
grandfather)  accompanied  him  from  Berks  coun- 
ty, became  a  leading  farmer  of  Centre  counts, 
and  in  later  years  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church.  His  wife,  Saloma  Kramer, 
w  as  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Kramer,  a  pioneer 
settler. 

Nine  children  were  born  of  their  union,  the 
names  with  dates  of  birth  being  as  follows: 
Jacob,  October  22,  1809,  died  at  Millheim  when 
between  seventy  and  eighty  years  of  age;  Re- 
becca, November  5,  1811,  died  while  you 
Elizabeth,  January  15,  1814,  married  Samuel 
Runkle,  and  died  in  Illinois;  Mary,  November 
22,  1816,  married  George  Mark,  and  died  in 
Millheim;  Jacob.  January  11,  1818;  Daniel, 
January  5,  1820,  went  west,  and  all  trace  of  him 
was  lost;  Samuel,  September  24,  1822,  resides 
in  Williamsport,  Penn.;  Peter,  January  20,  1826, 
is  a  resident  of  Cass  counts',  Mich. ;  Katie.  Sep- 
tember 22,  1831,  is  now  Mrs.  John  Gutileus,  of 
MifSinburg,  Penn.  The  father  of  this  family 
died  in  his  seventieth  year,  and  the  mother  in 
her  eighty-fifth  year,  the  remains  of  both  being 
interred  at  Aaronsburg. 

Jacob  Keen,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Zerby,  ob- 
tained a  practical  education,  partly  in  the  local 
schools  of  his  day,  and  partly  through  observa- 
tion. Although  he  was  not  the  oldest  son,  his 
capacity  for  leadership  was  made  evident  at  an 
early  age,  as  he  always  "  went  ahead."  On  Jan- 
uary 5,  [843,  he  married  Miss  Anna  M  Deinin- 
ger. a  native  of  Bernville,  Berks  Co.,  Penn  ,  horn 
December  4,  1823.  Her  parents,  Emanuel  and 
[ohanna  H.  (Obenland)  Deininger,  both  came 
from  Wurtemberg",  Germany,  in  their  youth,  and 
were  married  in  the  United  States.  Emanuel 
Deininger  was  a  well  educated  man,  though  not 
as  familiar  with  English  as  with  German,  and  Bit 
excellent  musician.  By  occupation  he  was 
marble  cutter  and  candle  maker,  the   latter  husi- 

-  prosing  especially  profitable.  He  moved 
with  his  family  to  Philadelphia  when  Mrs.  Keen 
Was  a  young  lady,   and  after  a  shorl  stay  cairn 

New  Berlin,  Union  Co.,  Penn. .  where  he  remained 
ten  months  before  locating  permanently,  in  1  -s43- 
at   Millheim.       His  wife  died  in   [861,  aged    -|X'^ 
two  years,  and   he  passed  away  in    1876  at  th< 
age  ot   sevent)  seven,  both  being  laid  to 


1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


857 


the  cemetery  at  Millheim.  Of  ten  children,  five 
lived  to  maturity:  Anna  M.  (Mrs.  Keen);  C.  F., 
an  Evangelical  minister,  who  died  at  York,  Penn. , 
in  July,  1888;  Jonathan,  a  resident  of  Centre 
Hall;  Benjamin  O. ,  who  died  in  Millheim;  and 
Augustus  O.,  a  resident  of  Hughesville,  Lycom- 
ing Co.,  Pennsylvania. 

Jacob  Keen  and  his  bride  began  housekeep- 
ing at  the  old  homestead,  and  lived  there  until 
1882,  when  he  removed  to  Millheim,  retiring 
from  business  cares.  His  death  occurred  Novem- 
ber 11,  1890,  and  his  remains  were  buried  there. 
He  was  a  lifelong  Democrat,  but  no  politician, 
although  he  took  much  interest  in  local  affairs, 
and  at  one  time  served  as.  constable  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Millheim.  In  religious  belief  his  sympa- 
thies were  with  the  United  Evangelical  Church, 
to  which  his  entire  family  belonged.  He  left  a 
large  estate,  including  the  old  homestead  farm  of 
more  than  100  acres  and  some  mountain  land,  as 
well  as  the  comfortable  home  in  Millheim,  where 
his  widow,  a  highly  respected  lady,  still  resides. 

There  were  thirteen  children,  whose  names 
with  dates  of  birth  are  here  given:  Sarah, 
October  28,  1844,  now  Mrs.  Christopher  Alexan- 
der; John  D. ,  October  7,  1845,  a  farmer  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county;  Justina  J.,  February 
28,  1847,  now  Mrs.  A.  F.  Kramer;  Rebecca, 
August  1 6,  1848,  who  died  in  infancy;  E.  D., 
July  26,  1849,  a  minister  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical Church  at  Red  Lion,  Penn.  ;  Anna  M. , 
January  14,  1852,  Mrs.  Zerby;  Henry  Franklin, 
March  30,  1853,  residing  near  Curtin,  Centre 
county;  George  W.,  May  13,  1855,  a  stock 
farmer  of  Lee  county,  111.;  William  E. ,  March  7, 
1857,  a  resident  of  Millheim;  Mary  A.,  June  14, 
i860,  who  died  in  childhood;  Rosa  E.,  April  4, 
1862,  wife  of  Rev.  M.  I.  Jamison;  and  Katie  E., 
May  30,  1866,  and  Ada  O.,  January  17,  1869, 
both  at  home  at  Millheim.  Mr.  Zerby  is  a  char- 
ter member  of  Providence  Grange  at  Millheim. 
was  its  secretary  some  twelve  years,  and  is  its 
present  master.  John  Snavely,  his  maternal 
grandfather,  was  a  soldier  in    the    Mexican    war. 


BENJAMIN  JONES.  In  a  brief  sketch  of 
any  living  citizen  it  is  difficult  to  do  him 
exact  and  impartial  justice,  not  so  much  from 
lack  of  space  or  words  to  set  forth  the  familiar 
and  passing  events  of  his  personal  history  as  for 
want  of  the  perfect  and  rounded  conception  of 
his  whole  life,  which  grows,  develops  and  ripens, 
like  fruit,  to  disclose  its  true  and  best  flavor  only 
when  it  is  mellowed  by  time.  Daily  contact 
with  the  man  so    familiarizes  us   with    his  many 


virtues  that  we  ordinarily  overlook  them,  and 
commonly  underestimate  their  possessor.  With 
the  business  interests  of  Philipsburg,  Centre 
county,  Mr.  Jones  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied for  many  years,  and  has  also  done  much 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  city  while  pro- 
moting his  own  interests. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Chester  county, 
Penn.,  December  10,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (Waters)  Jones,  also  natives  of 
that  county,  where  they  remained  until  the  spring 
of  1824,  when  they  removed  to  Huntingdon 
county.  In  connection  with  his  brother  Samuel, 
the  father  operated  a  large  farm  which  they  had 
inherited,  and  which  they  later  divided.  He 
also  engaged  in  hauling  iron  to  Pittsburg,  and 
while  on  one  of  these  trips  contracted  a  fever, 
from  which  he  died  September  21,  1828.  He 
was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential man  of  the  community  where  he  made 
his  home.  He  was  born  November  28,  1781,  a 
son  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Jones,  of  Ches- 
ter county,  who  were  of  Welch  extraction.  They 
were  farming  people,  and  members  of  the  So- 
sciety  of    Friends. 

The   mother  of  our   subject   was  born   June 

19,  1786,  and  died  November  23,  1872.  Her 
father,  Jacob  Waters,  was  a  soldier  under  Wash- 
ington during  the  Revolutionary  war.  From  his 
old  home  in  Chester  county,  Penn.,  he  removed 
to  Newark,  Ohio,  at  an  early  day,  where  the 
parents  of  our  subject  visited  him,  riding  the 
entire  distance  from  Rockville,  Chester  county, 
on  horseback. 

Mr.  Jones,  of  this  review,  is  the  ninth  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  as  follows: 
Ann,  born  June  26,  1806,  married  James  Hunter, 
but  both  are  now  deceased;  Samuel,  born  January 
23,  1808,  married  Betsy  Matren,  who  died  in 
1896,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1894;  Caleb, 
born  May  28,  1809,  married  Catherine  Matren, 
and  both  died  in  Minnesota;  Hannah,  born  April 

20,  181 1,  married  John  D.  Bell,  and  they  have 
also  passed  away;  Mary  A.,  born  May  3,  181 3, 
is  the  deceased  wife  of  John  Laport,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Spruce  Creek,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn. ; 
Sarah,  born  April  9,  181  5,  died  in  infancy;  Eliza- 
beth, born  December  2,  18 17,  also  died  in  in- 
fancy; Jacob  W.,  born  November  30,  18 19,  is  a 
retired  contractor  of  Tyrone,  Penn. ;  Sarah,  born 
December  18,  1825,  is  the  wife  of  W.  O.  Myers, 
a  retired  potter. 

After  his  father's  death,  and  at  the  age  of 
eight  years,  Benjamin  Jones  went  to  live  with  his 
sister  Hannah,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority.  When  fourteen  he 
began  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's 


858 


\toliATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   HKiOItD. 


trade  with  his  brother-in-law  in  Huntingdon 
county,  and  on  leaving  the  home  of  his  sistei 
went  to  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  where  he  worked  at 
that  trade  for  a  few  months.  Later  he  was 
again  with  his  brother-in-law  until  forming  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Jacob  \\\,  in  the 
business  of  contracting  and  building.  About  the 
same  time  the  city  of  Tyrone  was  being  laid  out, 
and  there  the  brothers  purchased  a  couple  of  lots 
and  erected  homes  of  their  own  in  the  fall  of  1851, 
when  only  about  three  houses  adorned  the  pres- 
ent site  of  that  now  nourishing  city. 

Coming  to  Philipsburg  in  r86l,  Mr.  Jones  be- 
came superintendent  of  the  planing-mill  of  D.  J. 
McGan,  in  which  capacity  he  served  furtive  years, 
and  then,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Hoops  and  Mr. 
Munson,  built  the  planing-mill  operated  under  the 
firm  name  of  Munson,  Jones  cc  Co.  A  fewyi 
later  be  sold  out  his  interest,  bul  continued  to 
serve  as  superintendent  for  the  firm  of  Munson  & 
Hoops.  Subsequently  he  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Jones,  Mullen  &  Co.,  but  in  (890 disposed 
of  his  share,  and  has  engaged  in  th'e  manufacture 
of  shingles  in  Rush  township,  Centre  county.  He 
has  also  dealt  and  operated  in  coal  quite  exten- 
sively. He  is  a  progressive,  wide-awake  business 
man,  and  his  success  has  come  as  a  just  reward 
for  honest  toil. 

On  January  5,  [848,  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  A.  Rye.  and  the)' be- 
came the  parents  of  five  children:  Oliver  P.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  coal  business,  and  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  and  cashier  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Philipsburg;  Ella,  wife  of  James  Perks, 
a  railroad  conductor,  residing  in  Philipsburg;  Lot 
W.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  planing-mill  business 
in  Philipsburg,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Mur- 
ray, Jones  &  Co  .  Mary  A.,  at  home,  and  Dwight 
M    .  iding  at   home,   who  is  now  ,1    ■•  boss  " 

in  the  coal  mines.  Mrs.  Jones  was  born  in 
Centre  county  in  [821,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Sarah  (Kitley)  Rye,  who  lived  upon  a  farm 
near  Bellefonte,  where  they  died  when  she  was 
quite  yi  >ung  I  heii  othei  children  Thon 
William,    John  and  Isaac — all   died  in  childh 

Mr.  Jones  has  taken  the  third  degree  in  the 
Masonic  lodge  of  Philipsburg,  and  is  an  ardent 
Republican  in  politics.  Surrounded  at  his  home 
by  a  circle  of  friends  who  appreciate  his  true 
worth,  and  admired  and  esteemed  b\  the  citizens 
of  the  community.  Mr.  Jones  will  be  honored  for 
many  generations  as  one  of  the  most  enterpri 
men  of  Philipsburg  a  man  who  acted  well  his 
part,  and  who  has  lived  a  worthy  and  honorable 
life.  He  and  his  family  hold  a  high  position  in 
social  circles,  where  true  worth  and  ability  are 
received  as  the  passports  into  the  best  society. 


/">  <  SHOWALTER.  proprietor  of  the  Phil- 
VJ  ipsburg  Steam  Laundry,  and  of  properl 
some  extent  in  his  section,  is  a  man  of  marked 
business  ability  and  enterprise.  His  versatility 
and  resource  have  been  successfully  displayed  in 
various  occupations,  and  his  recent  entrance  into 
the  laundry  business  upon  a  large  scale,  and  with 
improved  modern  appliances,  is  a  distinct  advan- 
to  the  city  of  Philipsburg,  while  promising 
to  bring  due  rewards  to  himself.  His  landed 
interests  have  come  to  him  by  inheritance,  but 
previous  to  his  father's  death  he  had  made  his 
own  way  in  the  world  of   busini 

The  Showalter  family  is  of  German  origin, 
and  has  been  established  in  Pennsylvania  for  si 
eral  generations.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  John 
Showalter,  settled  in  Clearfield  county  early  in 
the  present  century,  coming  from  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  and  he  died  when  this  grandson 
was  still  a  child.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  (Dorli 
was  of  Irish  descent. 

The  late  Russel  D.  Showalter,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Half  Moon  township, 
Centre  county,  in  1825,  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years  and  three  months.  Until  his 
retirement   from   active   b  irs   pre- 

vious to  his  death,  he  was  engaged  in  agriculture 
and  lumbering,  furnishing  logs  on  contract. 
Thrifty  and  far-sighted,  he  made  extensive  pur- 
chases of  real  estate,  and  the  wisdom  of  this  pro- 
vision  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  land  which  cost  him 
$1,350,  would  bring  at  least  $60,000  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  is  constantly  increasing  in  value, 
the  coal  deposits  being  very  rich.  K.  I'.  Sho- 
walter was  a  man  of  great  influence,  his  upright 
character,  no  less  than  his  abilities,  giving  his 
opinions  weight  with  all  who  knew  him.  I'ntil 
the  Civil  war  broke  out  he  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  but  the  logic  of  events  in  those  stirri 
times  led  him  into  the  Republican  fold,  and  later 
he  1"  n  ardenl    Prohibitionist.      From  his 

youth  up  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  M     E. 

nli,  serving  in    various  official  positions,  ami 
allowing  no  extreme  of   wealth  to  keep  him  ti 
his  place  at  the  regular  meetings.    Storm  or  calm 
found    him  equally  ready,   and    his    house  was  at 
all    times    a    hospitable    home    for   the    itinerant 
preachers  of   his  Aa\  .      His  first  wile,   Lydia  Aim 
1  rate),   who  was  also  a   devout    Methodist,   w 
born    in    Clearfield    county  in    (828,  and   died  in 
1877.     Her  father,  Joshua  Tate,  was  an  honoi 
resident  of  that  county  in  his  tune,  and  died  \\" 
when   between   sixty  and  seventj    years  of  age. 
On   July  9,    1S7S,   R.    D.    Showalter   married   f<" 
his   second    wife    Mrs     Acda  C.    Wilson,    of   S 
lona       By  the  first  marriage  there  was  a   family 
of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  died  at  an  early 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


359 


age.  Of  the  others:  Jennie  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen;  G.  C.  is  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch; 
Emma  T.  married  C.  H.  Davis,  a  jeweler  of 
Philipsburg;  Charles  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ; 
and  Norah  married  W.  W.  Junkins,  of  Erie, 
Pennsylvania. 

G.  C.  Showalter  was  born  March  i,  1854, 
and  he  spent  his  youth  at  his  birthplace  in  De- 
catur township,  Clearfield  county,  attending  the 
district  school  and  working  upon  the  home  farm. 
On  attaining  his  majority  he  taught  school  for 
two  terms.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Maggie  V.  Sankey,  a  native  of  Centre 
county,  born  in  1855.  Their  only  child,  Nannie 
V.,  died  in  her  fifteenth  year.  After  marriage 
Mr.  Showalter  worked  in  a  planing-mill  for  some 
time,  and  then  followed  agriculture  for  ten  years. 
Later  he  removed  to  Philipsburg,  and  in  1895  he 
opened  the  steam  laundry  mentioned  above,  the 
first  ever  established  there.  He  is  executor  of 
his  father's  estate,  and  owns  half  the  surface  of 
the  land  comprised  in  the  inheritance.  Two 
coal  mines  are  now  in  operation  on  the  property. 
The  habits  of  industry,  gained  in  years  when  he 
depended  entirely  on  his  own  exertions,  have 
not  been  altered  by. his  present  wealth,  and  Mr. 
Showalter  is  active  not  only  in  business  but  in 
local  affairs.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican;  so- 
cially he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Malta,  and 
since  1877  ne  nas  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  in  which  he  is  now  past  grand.  In  religion 
he  abides  by  the  faith  of  his  honored  parents, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


D* 


).  ROYER.  The  fertile  farms  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, Centre  county,  have  attracted  a  superior 
class  of  agriculturists,  men  who  bring  to  their 
work  scientific  knowledge,  and  whose  progressive 
ideas  are  demonstrated  in  substantial  improve- 
ments not  to  be  excelled  elsewhere.  Among  the 
most  successful  and  progressive  of  these  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  resides  near  Re- 
bersburg. 

Mr.  Royer  is  a  grandson  of  Christopher  Royer, 
who  settled  in  Brush  Valley  in  1807,  and  a  son 
of  Jefferson  Royer,  a  native  of  Miles  township, 
Centre  county,  born  August  28,  1808,  near 
Rockville.  Jefferson  Royer  became  a  successful 
farmer,  having  been  reared  to  that  occupation  by 
his  father,  who  owned  a  large  amount  of  land, 
which  he  cultivated  in  addition  to  his  work  as  a 
miller  and  distiller.  The  subscription  schools  of 
that  day  were  far  from  good,  and  the  one  south 
of  Rebersburg,  at  which  Jefferson  Royer  attended 
as  a  boy,  was  no  better  than  others  of  its  class. 


One  teacher  named  Parkinson  had  a  peculiar  and 
unpleasant     little     habit    of    calling    his    pupils 

"d d     blockheads.''       A    neighboring    barn 

caught  fire  one  day,  and  the  scholars  all  ran  out 
without  asking  permission.  When  they  returned 
the  teacher  had  disappeared,  and  he  was  never 
heard  of  afterward. 

Jefferson  Royer  grew  to  manhood  at  his  fa- 
ther's home,  much  of  his  time  being  spent  in 
driving  a  team  and  taking  products  to  market. 
He  and  his  brother  Daniel  formed  a  partnership 
in  farming,  and  he-  thus  managed  to  save  some 
money  of  his  own.  On  November  20,  1834,  he 
was  married,  in  Brush  Valley,  to  Hannah  Gram- 
ley,  a  native  of  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
born  July  17,  181 5,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Polly  (Walburn)  Gramley.  He  began  house- 
keeping at  the  Royer  homestead,  but  later  bought 
a  farm  in  Miles  township  which  he  improved  and 
sold.  He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Clinton  county, 
and  after  a  time  purchased  one  there,  but  after- 
ward he  bought  a  new  tract  of  land,  heavily  tim- 
bered, near  Zion,  Centre  county,  and  lived  there 
fifteen  years,  improving  the  place  in  every  way. 
In  1869  he  moved  to  Brush  Valley,  where  he  had 
bought  a  farm  the  year  before,  and  at  this  place  he 
remained  until  his  retirement  from  active  business, 
in  his  sixty-fifth  year,  when  he  built  a  home  in  Re- 
bersburg in  which  to  spend  his  declining  years. 
He  was  fond  of  home,  and,  while  he  had  a  roving 
disposition,  as  shown  by  his  frequent  changes,  he 
always  wanted  his  family  to  accompany  him. 
His  wife  died  May  1 1,  1890,  and  he  breathed  his 
last  November  26,  1895,  both  being  interred  at 
Rebersburg.  He  was  five  feet,  ten  inches  in 
height,  well  built,  and  very  hardy  and  robust, 
retaining  his  faculties  fully  up  to  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  aged  eighty-seven  years. 
In  business  he  was  successful,  and  his  high  char- 
acter won  him  the  esteem  of  all  classes.  As  a 
Whig  and  later  as  a  Republican,  he  was  a  regu- 
lar voter  and  took  keen  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  He  served  several  terms  as  supervisor 
in  Clinton  county.  He  was  also  much  interested 
in  religious  matters,  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
both  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  in 
which  he  held  various  offices,  and  was  a  class 
leader  for  thirty  years. 

Jefferson  Royer  had  five  children,  whose 
names  with  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Mag- 
dalene, October  13,  1835,  died  in  infancy;  Jon- 
athan, October  16,  1836,  resides  near  Zion, 
Centre  county;  J.  M.,  February  3,  1830,  who 
served  in  Company  G,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  during  the 
Civil  war,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  his  home  was;  he  was 
married.      D.  D.,  August  15,   1846,  is  mentioned 


3t  lo 


COMMEMoUA  TIVK  BIOGltAPlIICA  I.   Ui:<ORD. 


more  fully  below;  and   Chest}-   A.,  July  8,    1850, 
is  now  Mrs.  Perry  Geutzel,  of  Nittany  Valley. 

D.  D  Royer  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  one 
mile  east  of  Clintondale,  and  attended  his  first 
school  in  Clinton  comity  with  Benjamin  Winl 
as  teacher.  The  schools  of  that  time  were  in- 
ferior to  those  of  the  present,  but  such  as  thi  y 
were  Mr.  Royer  could  not  take  full  advantage  of 
them.  For  two  winters  in  succession  he  attended 
only  twenty-three  days  in  each.  He  was  tin 
oldest  at  home  much  of  the  time,  and  clearing 
land  and  other  work  interfered  with  his  educa- 
tion. His  own  experience  makes  him  a  warm 
friend  of  better  schools,  in  which  every  child  maj 
Find  thorough  instruction. 

Mr  Royer  was  always  at  home  except  for  a 
day  now  and  then  in  harvest  time  when  he  could 
earn  fifty  cents  foi  .pending  money,  and  after  he 
came  ot  age  he  worked  for  his  father  for  ten 
years.  On  June  21,  [877,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Roush,  who  was  born  in  Gregg 
township.  ((litre  county,  February  11,  185;,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Margaret  1  Hoy)  Roush. 
Her  father,   who    is  a    fanner    ami    shoemaker  by 

upation,  lives  near  Madisonburg,  and  is  a  lead- 
ing citizen  of  that  locality.  Three  children  were 
born  oi  ilus  union:  Edwin  L.,  Kline  H.  and 
Anneata  11.,  who  are  all  at  home.  At  his  mar- 
riage. Mr.  Royer  located  on  his  father's  farm, 
which  he  now  owns.  The  farm  is  a  valuable  one, 
comprising  s  and  including  a  tenant  farm 

with  Si  1  ml  other  improvements. 

In  [892  tin-  farm  was  divided   and  new  buildings 
erected  by  Mr.  Royer,  which  are  among  the  mosl 

complete  and   dern  farm  structures  in  Centre 

countv.       Mrs.   Royer  owns  ,1  one-half  interest  in 
170  acres  in  Spring  township.  Centre  comity. 

Mr.  Royer  takes  great  interest  in  the  issues 
of  the  day,  and  in  State  and  National  affairs  al- 
ways votes  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is,  how- 
ever, no  otiii  e  seeker,  having  always  had  plenty 
of  his  own  business  to  occupy  his  time.  He  at- 
tends and  1  ontributes  to  the  Evangelical  Associ- 
ation. He  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  1  an 
always  be  relied  upon  to  assist  in  any  beneficial 
movement  in  his  locality. 


JOHN  MATTERN  (deceased),  formerl)  of 
Centre  county.  The  Mattern  family  in 
America  sprang  from  Peter  Mattern  'formerly 
spelled  Matthorn  ,  who  was  a  native  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Rhine,  born  near  tin  Matterhorn,  oneof  the 
Swiss  mountains,  or  Pennine  Alps,  Canton  Valais. 
About  the  year  1750  Peter  Mattern  and  his  wife 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  the  State  of 
Maryland,    where    nine    children    were    born    to 


them.  In  1779  three  of  the  family — Jacob, 
David  and  George — moved  into  the  Spruce  Creek 
Valley  now  Huntingdon  county),  Penn. ,  where 
for  1  17  years  the  homestead  has  remained  in  the 

I 'ii  of  the  descendants  of  the  patriarch  of 

the  now  numerous  family.  In  the  cemeterj  of 
the  old  Lutheran  Church  at  the  Seven  Stars, 
which  is  part  of  the  old  homestead,  George  Mat- 
tern and  his  wife  lie  buried,  and  around  them 
main   oi  their  posterity  sleep  their  last  sleep. 

fohn  Mattern,  who  was  the  great-grandson  of 
the  emigrant,  Peter  (1),  and  the  son  of  C.eorge 
and  Catherine  Hiskel),  was  born  on  the  old 
farm  of  his  lather  in  Franklin  town-hip,  Hunt- 
Ion  county,  March  26,  1704.  In  1828  he  lo- 
cated in  Centre  county,  and  eight  years  before, 
in  November,  1820,  was  married  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Cray  and  Catherine  (Hartsook  .  oi 
Patton  township.  The  Hartsook  and  Graj  fam- 
ilies were  the  first  settlers  of  the  township,  com- 
ing from  Frederick  county,  Mil.,  to  what  was 
known  as  the  Half  Moon  country.  Mr.  Mattern 
purchased  from  his  father-in-law  a  tract  of  300 
acres  of  land  lying  one  mile  south  of  the  present 
village  of  Matternville,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  dying  there  September  \0, 
1S77,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  good  citizen,  a  kind  neighbor,  and  a  suc- 
cessful farmer.  His  good  wife,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred August  12,  1800,  passed  away  at  the  old 
homestead,  June  7,  [888,  in  her  eighty-eighth 
■r;  she  was  an  affectionate  wife  and  mother, 
and  her  inanv  deeds  of  kindness  will  long  be  re- 
membered and  cherished  by  her  many  friends. 
Both  led  exemplar}  lives,  and  were  devout  Chris- 
tian people.  Their  remains  rest  in  the  Gray 
graveyard  in  the  western  part  of  Patton  town- 
ship. The  children  of  this  couple  were:  Cath- 
erine married  Martin  Shaunk,  and  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.;  Samuel  is  a 
resident  of  Half  Moon  township;  Kli/abeth  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Kreider;  John  B,  died  July  7, 
[896,  in  his  sixty-sixth  year;  George;  Jacob  G  . 
David  and  Miles.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  not 
one  of  the  six  sons  mentioned  has  ever  used  to- 
bacco in  any  form;  all  have  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  chiefly,  and  have  dwelt  in  the  same 
neighborhood  from  boyhood.  They  are  capable 
business  men  and  the  most  successful  of  farmers, 
at  one  time  they  possessed  an  aggregate  of  -\oi3 
acres  of  land,  which  was  the  result  of  years  of 
toil,  economy  and  judicious  management.  They 
are  all  upright  and  honorable  men,  and  are  among 
the  best  of  Centre  county's  citizens.  All  adhere 
to  the  religious  faith  of  their  forefathers — that  of 
the  M.  E.  Church— and  all  are  Republicans  in 
politics. 


J 


•^&^&/d-0T?t/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


361 


George  Mattern  was  born  December  11, 
1832,  and  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age 
went  to  live  with  his  older  brother,  Samuel,  with 
whom  he  remained  some  two  years  and  a  half. 
On  February  3,  1859,  he  was  married  and  located 
on  his  present  farm  of  nearly  400  acres.  His 
wife  was  Lydia,  daughter  of  David  Shivery  and 
Ellen  (Moore)  Shivery,  pioneers  of  that  part  of 
Centre  county,  born  in  July,  1831.  The  children 
of  George  Mattern  and  wife  were:  Mary  E., 
David  B.,  John  H.  (deceased),  Clara  B.  (de- 
ceased), and  George  S.  Mr.  Mattern  has  been 
afflicted  with  rheumatism  for  many  years,  since 
188 1  has  not  been  able  to  walk  at  all,  and  for 
nine  years  past  has  been  confined  to  his  bed. 

Jacob  G.  Mattern  was  born  on  the  home- 
stead farm  February  5,  1835.  He  worked  on 
the  farm  during  the  summer,  and  in  the  winters 
attended  the  neighborhood  school  at  Stony  Point. 
Subsequently  it  was  his  privilege  to  attend  for  a 
short  time  the  old  seminary  at  Warrior's  Mark, 
in  Huntingdon  county,  under  the  principalship  of 
Ebenezer  Smith.  Later  he  was  engaged  in 
school  teaching,  having  been  examined  for  the 
profession  by  a  Mr.  Gibson,  the  first  to  hold  the 
position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Centre  county.  In  1863,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  John  B. ,  he  purchased  the  old  Gray 
foundry  at  Matternville,  and  in  1867,  in  addition 
to  carrying  on  the  foundry  business,  they  built  a 
store-house  and  engaged  in  merchandising,  This 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  was  immediately 
rebuilt,  but  again  burned  in  1873;  the  building 
was  replaced  and  occupied  until  the  death  of  John 
B.,  in  1896,  Jacob  having  withdrawn,  however, 
from  the  partnership,  in  1879.  Since  the  latter 
year  Mr.  Mattern  has  given  his  entire  attention 
to  farming.  In  1867  he  was  married  to  Eleanor 
Wasson,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Jack)  Was- 
son,  of  College  township.  They  have  had  no 
children  of  their  own,  but  have  reared  several; 
one,  named  Gertrude,  an  adopted  daughter, 
whom  they  took  at  the  age  of  three  years,  mar- 
ried W.  H.  Smull,  of  Rebersburg,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 1,  1889,  leaving  one  child,  Jacob  Henry; 
they  reared  another  by  the  name  of  Ruth,  and 
one,  Eleanor  H.,  is  still  living;  they  are  also  now 
caring  for  Albert  S. ,  whom  they  took  from  the 
Childrens'  Home.  Mr.  Mattern  is  genial  and 
whole-souled,  being  one  of  those  jovial,  sunny- 
dispositioned  men,  who  will  greet  you  with  a  word 
of  good  cheer,  his  face  wearing  a  kindly  expres- 
sion and  smile  for  all. 

The  Wassons  were  early  settlers  of  Harris 
township.  John  Wasson,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
came  from  Chester  county,  Penn.,  and  settled  in 
Boalsburg,  in  18 10.      He  married  a  daughter  of 


Michael  Jack,  in  1814.  In  1825  he  removed 
from  Boalsburg  to  near  where  Lemont  now  is, 
where,  in  1857,  his  death  occurred;  his  wife  died 
at  the  same  place  eight  years  later.  They  had 
seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Mattern  was  one, 
her  birth  occurring  in  April,  1834.  Michael 
Jack  came  from  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  to  the 
vicinity  of  Boalsburg  about  1789,  where  he  pur- 
chased land  of  Reuben  Haines.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution. 

David  Mattern  was  born  March  6,  1838, 
and  lived  on  the  old  home  farm  until  not  quite 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  live 
with  his  eldest  brother,  Samuel,  with  whom  he 
remained  some  five  years.  He  then  returned 
home,  and  there  remained  until  married,  which 
event  occurred  April  16,  1867,  his  wife  being 
Mary  Way,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Moore) 
Way;  both  the  Moore  and  Way  families  were 
earl)-  settlers  of  that  locality.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  located  on  his  present  farm.  Two  chil- 
dren, Anna  B.  (married)  and  Mary  M.,  were 
born  to  this  union.  The  mother  of  these  died 
December  30,  1869,  and  on  October  10,  1872, 
Mr.  Mattern  married  Anna  Leitzell,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Leitzell,  and  their  children  are: 
Emma,  Benera  W.,  Miles  F.,  Ozula  and  Sarah 
E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mattern  are  members  of  the 
Gray's  M.  E.  Church,  in  which  the  former  is  a 
class  leader,  and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years. 
Mr.  Mattern  is  one  of  the  industrious  and  sub- 
stantial men  of  his  township. 

Miles  Mattern  was  born  in  184 1,  in  the 
house  in  which  he  now  resides.  He,  too,  at- 
tended the  old  Stony  Point  school  house,  his 
first  teacher  being  the  present  Squire  Samuel  T. 
Gray,  of  Patton  township.  With  little  excep- 
tion he  has  resided  continuously  where  he  now 
lives,  engaged  chiefly  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  1867  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Sarah  Leitzell,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mar- 
garet Leitzell,  who  were  married  here  in  Centre 
county  in  1832.  The  Leitzells  were  from  Ger- 
many, Mrs.  Mattern  being  one  of  the  third  gen- 
eration in  this  country.  She  was  born  in  Centre 
county  in  1843.  Her  father  came  here  from 
Snyder  county,  Penn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mattern 
have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  fur- 
nished a  home  for  and  reared  several,  namely: 
Eva  Leitzell,  now  married;  John  Clapper,  Frank 
L.  Cole,  and  Sadie  Cross,  the  latter  of  whom,  a 
girl  of  ten  years,  is  now  with  them. 


C\URTIN  P.  STONEROD,  the  well-known  and 
_J  efficient   passenger  and  freight    agent  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  at  Milesburg,  Centre  coun- 


362 


MOHATIVE  lihHlUM-IIlfM.  RECORD, 


ty,  was  bom  March  25,  1841,  at  Burning 
Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.  His  father,  John  M. 
Stonerod,  is  a  native  of  Mifflin  county,  Penn., 
born  in  1823,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term 
as  postmaster  of  Birmingham.  He  has  held  a 
number  of  local  offices  in  his  community,  being 
constable  for  a  number  of  years  and  justice  of 
the  peace  for  about  seventeen  years.  He  is  a 
son  of  J"hn  and  Mary  Stonerod,  whose  births 
occurred  at  Lewistown,  Mifflin  county,  where 
both  died.  By  occupation  the  grandfather  was 
a  farmer,  while  the  father  of  our  subject  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade  until  1885.  The  for- 
mer served  as  sheriff  of  his  comity. 

At  Birmingham,  July  [9,  1840,  John  M 
Stonerod  was  married  to  Rachel  Parker,  who 
was  born  at  Stone  Valley,  Huntingdon  county, 
July  [3,  1S20,  and  died  January  14,  1 S90,  at 
Birmingham,  after  an  illness  of  three  days.  She 
was  attacked  suddenly  with  "la  grippe,  "  fol- 
lowed by   pneumonia,  which  caused   her  death. 

les  her  husband  -he  left  the  following  chil- 
dren to  mourn  her  death:  Curtin  P.,  of  this 
sketch;  Mrs.  Martha  Strouble,  of  Dudley,  Hunt- 

11  county;  Theodore  and  Fielding,  of  Pitts- 
burg, Penn.;  Mrs.  Cecelia  Parker,  of  Sharps- 
burg,  Uleghen}  Co.,  Penn.;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Sprangle,  of  Fostoria,  Blair  (  0.,  Penn.;  and 
David  K.,  of  Altoona,  Penn.,  all  prominent  and 
highly    respected    in    the    localities    where    they 

their  homes.  Another  child,  Wesley,  died 
at  the  age  of  four  years.  There  are  also  thirty 
grandchildren  and  five  great-grandchildren.  In 
1831  the  mother  joined  the  Methodist  episcopal 
Church,  hut  later  in  life  joined  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  being  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
same  .it  the  time  of  her  death.  The  father  lias 
also  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  since  1861,  and  in  politics  is  a  pro- 
nounced 1  )emocrat. 

The  -ubject  of   this   memoir   remained  under 
the  parental  roof   until   June,    1S5S,  when  he  left 

h and    assisted    in    the    construction    of  time 

tressels  for  the  Bellefonte  \  Snow  Shoe  railroad, 
which  were  six  hundred  feet  long  and  seventy 
feet    high.      For   two   years    he    then    served    as 

man  on  the  railroad,   hut   in    1861,   the  Civil 
iving  broken  out,  he   enli  ted,   on  thi 
call  for  troops,  in  Company  11,  as  drun  mi  1 
Regiment,  P.  V.  1       The  officers  of  the  company 
were  Capt.  Mitchell,  First-Lieut,   fames  A.  1 
er,  and  Second-I.ieut.  Charles  Hale.      At  the  end 
of  his  three-months'  service,  our  subject  returned 
home  and   re-enlisted,  September    17,    [861,  this 
time  in  Company  G,  51st   P.  V.  I.,  Ninth  Army 
under   (apt.    A.   B.    Snyder,    First-Lieut. 
W.   H.    Blair,   and    Second-Lieut.    P.  A.  Gaulin, 


1  commissioned  Brig,  and  Maj.-Gen.) 
John  F.  Hartranft.  The  last  named  was  after- 
ward governor  of  Pennsylvania,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased. From  drummer  Mr.  Stonerod  was  ap- 
point. <l  -ergeant-major,  of  his  regiment,  alt.-r- 
ward  was  made  second  lieutenant  and  finally  com- 
missioned captain  of  his  company.  On  the  field 
of  battle  he  was  brave  and  tearless,  always  found 
at  his  post  of  duty,  and  won  the  confidence  of 
those  under  him  as  well  as  the  respect  and 
teem  of  his  fellow  officers.  He  was  twice 
wounded,  the  first  time  at  the  battle  ol  Antie- 
tam,  September  17,  1863,  when  making  a  charge 
on  Antietam  Bridge,  known  as  Burnside  Brid 
'Phis  was  only  a  deep  flesh  wound  in  the  left  side, 
the  shot  cutting  off  his  sword  belt.  Concluding 
it  was  not  a  healthy  place  to  stop,  among  shot 
and  shell,  he  went  on  over  the  bridge  in  the 
charge  with  the  regiment.  On  August  19,  1864, 
at  the  Weldon  railroad,  in  front  of  Petersbu 
Va.,  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  thigh,  which 
has  shortened  the  limb  two  and  one-hall  inch 
and  for  seventy-one  days  he  was  confined  in  the 
Alexander  Hospital.  After  almost  four  years  of 
arduous  and  faithful  service,  he  was  mustered 
out  January  1,  [865,  but  was  unable  to  work  for 
a  year  after  his  return  home.  He  participated 
in  ever)  battle  fought  by  the  51st  Pennsylvania 
Regiment  up  to  August  [9,  1864,  at  which  time 
he  was  wounded  and  carried  off  the  field.  The 
following  battles  are  engraved  on  the  51st  Ri 
uieiit  Battle  Flags*:  Roanoke  Island,  Newbern, 
Camden,  Second  Bull  Run.  Chantilly,  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  Vicksburg, 
-on,  Campbell  Station,  Siege  of  Rnoxville, 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor,  Peti 
burg  (Weldon  Railroad,  he  was  wounded  in  tins 
battli  .  Ream  Station  and  Hatchers  Run.  He 
was  under  fire,  and  skirmishing,  almost  daily 
from  the  time  Gen.  (.rant  crossed  the  Poton 
until  wounded  in  August,   [864. 

Nli.   Mo nero. 1    then  went    into  the  oi 
of   Venango   county.  Penn.,  when-  he    remained 
one  year,  an  was  appointed  agent  at  Snow 

e  for  the  Bellefonte  &  Snow  Shoe  railroad, 
which  position  he  filled  for  the  long  period  ol 
fourteen  years.      The  road  was  then   -..Id  to  the 

insylvania   Railroad  Company,  and  August  1. 

1,  he  was  appointed   agent  to  his  present  | 
sition    at    Milesburg.      His  long  retention   in  the 
service    of    one    COmpan)     plainly     indicate.-,    his 
fidelity  to  duty  and  the  confidence  and  trust  the) 
repose  in  him, 

i)n    November   25,   1807,  Mr.    Stonerod 

•These  baltlr  flagl  'three)  are  in  charge  of  the  Slutc  archives  al  U>e 
StateCapiiol.it  11  Peon.,  in  glass  cases ;  two  of  the 

riddled  with  bullets  (a   cannon  ball   passing  through  the  Held  of  on 
tin  in  .  lea*  inn  lliein  in  ribbons  and  rags,  so  much  so  th.it  tba)      in  nrver 
be  unfurled  again. 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


363 


married  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Dickson,  and  they  now 
have  five  children:  Boyd  H.,  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator of  Bradford  county,  Penn.  ;  Sarah  B.,  at 
home;  Stella  M.  and  Gertrude,  milliners,  of  New 
York;  and  Jane  D.,  at  home.  Mrs.  Stonerod 
was  born  at  Bellefonte,  August  9,  1844,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Lucas)  Dickson, 
who  were  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction.  The  fa- 
ther was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  but 
the  mother  was  a  native  of  Centre  county,  and 
and  both  died  at  Bellefonte,  the  former  in  1846, 
and  the  latter  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years.  By  occupation  the  father  was  a  black- 
smith. In  their  family  were  the  following  chil- 
dren: Philip,  deceased;  Silas,  a  blacksmith  and 
farmer  of  Snow  Shoe,  Centre  county;  Catherine, 
wife  of  R.  Mulholland,  of  Nebraska;  Martha, 
wife  of  Joseph  Clark,  of  Du  Bois,  Penn. ;  Samuel, 
an  undertaker  of  Snow  Shoe;  Sarah,  deceased; 
Hezekiah,  of  Philipsburg,  Penn. ;  Amelia,  widow 
of  Levi  Boes,  of  Driftwood,  Penn.;  Clarissa,  wife 
of  George  Quigley,  a  farmer  of  Driftwood;  and 
Annie  E.,  wife  of  our  subject. 

Mr.  Stonerod  never  fails  to  cast  his  ballot  for 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  takes 
a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  supporting  all 
enterprises  calculated  to  benefit  the  community. 
Socially,  he  holds  membership  in  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Union  Veteran 
League.  For  fourteen  years  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  Town  Committee. 


TMOMAS  M.  WEAVER  is  an  enterprising 
and  progressive  agriculturist  who  follows 
his  chosen  calling  in  Spring  township,  Centre 
county.  He  belongs  to  that  class  of  citizens 
whose  devotion  to  public  and  private  duty  makes 
them  valued  factors  in  any  community.  He  was 
born  November  5,  1848,  in  Centre  county,  the 
younger  child  of  M.  P.  and  Ellen  (McClellan) 
Weaver.  Their  first  child,  Ann,  born  in  1846, 
died  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and   seven    months. 

At  the  farmstead  home  Thomas  M.  Weaver 
was  reared  to  manhood,  and  as  soon  as  old 
enough  began  assisting  his  father  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  fields.  His  preliminary  education  was 
acquired  in  the  district  schools,  which  he  at- 
tended until  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then  pur- 
sued a  course  in  Dickinson  Seminary,  and  after- 
ward engaged  in  teaching  school  for  three  years 
with  excellent  success.  He  is  a  man  of  broad 
general  information;  and  extensive  reading  has 
made  him  thoroughly  well  informed  on  all  cur- 
rent questions. 

Mr.  Weaver  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Esther  Ellen  Eckenroth  (daughter 


of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Shatzer)  Eckenroth),  who 
died  leaving  four  children:  Walter  L.,  Michael 
M. ,  Thomas  M.  and  Nancy  E.  Mr.  Weaver  was 
afterward  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Miss  Rebecca  M.  Runkle,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (Treaster)  Runkle.  By  this  union 
have  been  born  two  children:  Lizzie  A.  and 
Nerr  D. 

With  the  exception  of  the  time  spent  in 
teaching,  Mr.  Weaver  has  always  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  he  thoroughly  understands 
every  branch  of  the  business.  His  management 
is  capable,  and  his  keen  sagacity  and  sound  judg- 
ment enable  him  to  so  control  his  affairs  as  to 
win  a  comfortable  competence.  He  owns  in  his 
home  farm  1 1  5  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  and 
in  addition  has  120  acres  of  mountain  land.  The 
former  constitutes  one  of  the  desirable  farm  prop- 
erties in  Centre  county.  It  is  improved  with  a 
fine  dwelling,  commodious  and  substantial,  while 
well-built  barns  and  outbuildings  afford  ample 
shelter  for  grain  and  stock.  All  the  accessories 
of  a  model  farm  of  the  nineteenth  century  are 
here  seen,  and  the  neat  appearance  of  the  place 
indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  the  owner. 
Mr.  Weaver  gives  his  support  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  stanchly  advocates  its  principles  asset 
forth  in  the  platforms  framed  at  its  national  con- 
ventions. In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist, 
and  his  life  is  in  harmony  with  his  professions. 
He  is  a  man  of  culture  and  intelligence  and  a 
worthy  citizen,  manifesting  acommendable  inter- 
est in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. 


WILLIAM  H.  MILLER  resides  in  Spring 
township,  Centre  county,  and  comes  of  a 
family  whose  history  has  been  long  and  honora- 
bly interwoven  with  that  of  Pennsylvania.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  a  tanner  by  trade,  removed 
from  Berks  county  to  Centre  county,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  well-known  citizen  here.  The 
father  of  our  subject,  Henry  Miller,  was  born  in 
18 1 7,  and  died  in  188 1,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 
He  married  Miss  Catherine  Meiss,  and  they  had 
a  family  of  five  children,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  being  the  eldest;  the  second  child  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  others  are  Sarah  J.,  John  A. 
and  Anna  E. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  dur- 
ing the  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject,  who 
was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  early  became 
familiar  with  its  duties.  He  assisted  in  the 
labors  of  the  fields  through  the  summer  months, 
and  in  the  winter  season  attended  the  public 
schools,  where  he  acquired  a  good  practical  Eng- 


36 1 


COMMEMOBA  TIVE  linn; HM'lllrM    RECORD. 


lish  education  that  has  been  supplemented  by 
reading,  experience  and  observation.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Ann  Hoy,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Susan  (Hoy)  Hoy.  Her  father,  who  was 
born  in  1.S04.  departed  this  life  in  1864  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years,  and  his  wife,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  181  1,  was  called  to  the  home  beyond 
in  1858.  By  trade  he  was  a  miller,  and  foil" 
that  occupation  for  many  years.  fn  early  man- 
hood he  came  to  Centre  county,  and  resided 
in  Jacksonville,  Walker  township.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  were  born  four  children,  only  two  ol 
whom  are  now  living:  Sarah  E.,  the  eldest,  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Garis,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren; Catherine  E.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  I 
Wetzel,  to  whom  were  born  twin  girls,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy;  Margaret  M.  sustained  in- 
juries in  a  railroad  accident  which  resulted  in  her 
th  when  twenty-three  years  of  age.  She  was 
on  her  way  to  Bellefonte  to  receive  instructions 
preparator)  to  entering  the  Church  and  taking 
the  communion,  when  struck  by  a  passenger 
train.  For  three  days  she  suffered  most  intensely, 
but  bore  her  pain  with  heroic  fortitude.  \t 
length  death  came  to  her  release,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 15.  1893,  her  young  life  was  ended.  The 
fourth  child  of  the  family  was  a  son,  who  thro 
>ut  his  short  life  was  a  i  ripple,  He  passed  awaj 
in  his  fifteenth  year,  and  the  loss  ol  these  chil- 
dren has  proved  the  greatesl  affliction  that  has 
e\ercome  to  the  parents,  but  they  live  in  the 
certainty  of  a  happy  reunion  beyond  the  gi 

Farming  has  been  the  life  work  of  Mr.  Miller, 
and  his  affairs  are  ably  conducted,  so  that  suc- 
cess has  come  to  him  in  return  for  his  diligence, 
close  application  and  perseverance.  He  exer< 
his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  Republic- 
an party,  but  lias  neither  sought  nor  desired  po- 
litical preferment.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  are  most  consist- 
ent Christian  people,  ever  ready  to  defend  the 
weak  against  the  strong  and  aid  the  needy  or  dis- 
tressed. 


FRANCIS  M  ALEXANDER  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
Huston  township,  Centre  county,  residing  on  the 
Bald  Eagle  Valley  road.  He  is  the  owner  of 
much  valuable  property,  which  has  been  accumu- 
lated by  his  own    thrift    and    industry,  guide. 1  by 

ml  judgment.  His  tastes  have  always  in- 
clined him  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive,  skill- 
ful and  energetic  farmers  of  the  community. 

A  native  of  Centre  county,  our  subject  was 
born  in  Union  township,  July  21,    [843,  a  son  of 


Joseph  and  Ellen  (Blair)  Alexander,  who  were 
also  born  in  that  township,  and  there  the  father 
died  in  the  fall  of  1876,  aged  sixty-three  years, 
soon  after  his  return  from  the  Centennial  Expo- 
sition at  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph 
Alexander.  Throughout  life  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  the  manufacture  of  charcoal,  and  also 
aided  in  the  construction  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Val- 
ley railroad,  which  passes  through  our  subject's 
farm.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religious  belief  a  Methodist,  to  which  Church 
his  wife  also  belonged.  She  passed  away  while 
on  a  visit  to  our  subject,  July  14.  1894,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years.  She  was  the  mother 
of  five  children:  Francis  M.;  Nancy  J.,  wife  of 
Wilbur  T.  Twitmeyer,  a  hardware  merchant  of 
Bellefonte,  Penn.  ;  Katie,  wife  of  John  Stover, 
a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Julia,  wife  of  Sam- 
uel limerick,  a  farmer  of  the  same  county;  and 
Joseph  B.,  also  an  agriculturist  of  Centre  county. 

Francis  M.  Alexander  pursued  his  studies  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  remained 
up  hi  the  home  farm  until  thirty  years  of  age. 
For  sometime  he  was  then  employed  at  various 
occupations,  including  teaming  and  lumbering, 
until  the  spring  of  1 873,  when  he  located  upon 
In--  present  farm,  a  tra<  t  of  133  acres,  which  he 
rented    for    one    year   and    then    purchased. 

essful  has  he  been  in  his  business  ventures 
that  he  has  added  to  his  property  from  time  to 
time,  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  about  one 
thousand  acres  ,,f  valuable  and  productive  land 
in  Centre  county,  being  one  of  its  most  exten- 
sive land  owners. 

In  [868,  Mr  Alexander  married  Miss  Hannah 
biding,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them: 
Ella,  now  residing  in  Union  township.  Centre 
count}  .    Mary,  wife  of  Walter  Tallhelm,  railroad 

nt  at  Julian,  Centre  county ;  Reuben,  a  farmer 
of  the  same  county;  and  two  that  died  in  infai 
On  April  7.  inder  was  again  mar- 

ried, this  time  to  Miss  Josephine  Richards,  and 
tiny  have  three  children:  Kyle,  born  June  26. 
1892;  Gladys  Elmira,  born  February  14,  1895; 
and  Carey,  born  August  12,    li 

Mis.  Alexander  was  born  July  28,  1857.  in 
Huston  township,  Centre  county,  was  provided 
with  excellent  educational  advantages,  and  for 
sixteen  years  successfully  engaged  in  teaching, 
for  one  term  each  having  charge  of  schools  in  ( 
and  Audubon  counties,  Iowa.  She  attended  the 
Centre  County  Normal  School  at  Centre  Hall. 
and  is  a  lad)  of  cultured  and  refined  tasl 
widely  and  favorably  known.  Reuben  W.  and 
Elmira  Harrison)  Richards,  her  parents,  were 
natives  of  Centre  county,  where  the  father  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  until  he  died,  April  II, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


365 


1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  He  was  a 
son  of  George  and  Tamar  Richards,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  the  same  county.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Alexander,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Hus- 
ton township,  was  born  December  20,  1836,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ruth  (Furey)  Harrison, 
who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Centre  county,  and 
were  buried  at  Belleforte.  Mrs.  Richards,  like 
her  husband,  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church;  in  politics  he  was  a  stalwart 
Democrat.  The  seven  children  born  of  their 
union  are  as  follows:  Josephine  is  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  Nettie  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Radkey,  of 
McKeesport,  Penn. ;  Zilla  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years;  Julia  is  the  wife  of  W.  B.  Parsons,  of 
Unionville,  Penn.;  Roland  is  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  Morgan  is  on  the  old  homestead  with 
his  mother;  and  Milton  B.  is  a  fireman  on  the 
Beach  Creek  railroad,  residing  at  Clearfield, 
Pennsylvania. 

Being  a  strong  temperance  man,  Mr.  Alexan- 
der is  an  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the  Prohi- 
bition party,  but  cares  nothing  for  the  honors  or 
emoluments  of  public  office.  Socially  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Grange  at  Unionville.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  is  trustee;  she  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  they  are  true  and  sincere  Chris- 
tian people.  They  give  a  large  portion  of  their 
time  and  liberally  from  their  means  to  aid  in  the 
religious  and  moral  elevation  of  the  community. 
A  generous  hospitality  is  shown  at  his  comfort- 
able home,  and  few  men  are  more  genial  in  social 
circles,  or  have  a  more  happy  faculty  of  making 
every  one  feel  at  their  ease. 


JOHN  J.  ARNEY,  of  Centre  Hall,  Centre 
county,  is  an  agriculturist  of  the  progressive 
type,  and  his  intelligence  and  enterprise  make 
him  a  leader  in  local  affairs.  One  instance  of  his 
foresight  can  be  found  in  his  work  in  founding  a 
branch  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  in  his  vicini- 
ty. He  had  read  of  the  usefulness  of  the  order, 
and  desiring  to  secure  its  benefits  for  his  com- 
munity he  agitated  the  question  of  organization 
so  effectively  that  soon  afterward,  February  12, 
1873,  Progress  Grange  No.  96  was  organized 
at  Centre  Hall.  He  was  chosen  to  the  post  of 
master,  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  place  being 
no  less  a  factor  in  the  choice  than  the  recognition 
of  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  society.  His  inter- 
est in  the  order  has  never  flagged,  and  nothing 
that  he  could  do  to  add  to  its  usefulness  or  pres- 
tige has  been  left  undone.  In  other  lines  of 
effort  he  has  been  equally  energetic,  and  he  has 
been  prominent  in   various  religious,  social    and 


business  movements  which  have  brought  benefit 
to  the  locality.  Quiet  and  unassuming,  a  super- 
ficial observer  might  not  at  first  realize  the  power 
of  his  personality,  but  these  qualities  cover  a  re- 
serve force  which  give  irresistible  influence  to 
his  words. 

Mr.  Arney's  ancestors  were  probably  German, 
but  no  definite  record  exists  on  the  subject.  The 
name  as  first  known  in  America  was  spelled 
Erney,  and  our  subject's  grandfather,  John 
Erney,  was  a  blacksmith  in  Berks  county,  Penn., 
and  owned  a  body  of  land  in  Upper  Tulpelocken 
township,  which  is  still  known  as  Arney's  tract. 
He  died  there  about  1824,  leaving  three  sons  and 
three  daughters,  who  received  little  benefit  from 
his  possessions. 

Jacob  Arney,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was. 
born  at  the  old  home  in  1808,  and  was  left  at  an 
early  age  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  with 
but  scanty  preparation  in  the  way  of  education. 
The  subscription  schools  of  his  day  and  locality 
were  too  expensive  for  any  but  the  wealthy,  and 
at  that  they  were  none  of  the  best.  In  the  spring 
of  1824,  while  still  in  his  "teens,"  he  accom- 
panied his  brother  George  to  Centre  county,  and 
sought  for  any  employment  that  his  years  would 
permit  him  to  undertake.  His  first  work  was  grub- 
bing a  tract  of  land  near  Centre  Hill,  his  pay  be- 
ing the  privilege  of  taking  off  the  first  three 
crops,  and  later  he  grubbed  another  farm  for  a 
certain  amount  per  acre.  He  managed  to  buy  a 
farm  of  112  acres  in  Gregg  township,  Centre 
county,  and  August  8,  1838,  he  married  Miss 
Rachel  Meyers,  a  member  of  a  well-known  fam- 
ily whose  history  appears  elsewhere.  She  was 
born  in  Benner  township,  Centre  county,  August 
9,  1 81 8,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Sarah  Meyers, 
and  owing  to  the  poverty  of  her  parents  was  reared 
from  the  age  of  fourteen  by  Adam  Bartges,  who 
resided    near  Penn  Hall,  Pennsylvania. 

The  young  couple  began  housekeeping  on 
their  farm,  the  rude  log  buildings  with  thatched 
roofs  furnishing  a  truer  home  than  many  a  palace 
wall  has  enclosed.  In  1853  Jacob  Arney  bought 
175  acres  of  land  in  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  near  the  Gregg  township  line  and  lying 
on  the  Brush  Valley  road.  There  he  resided 
until  1867,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  adjoining 
Centre  Hall  on  the  east  and  on  the  Brush  Valley 
road.  The  buildings  were  poor,  but  he  replaced 
them  with  modern  structures,  including  a  fine 
brick  residence. 

Jacob  Arney  was  of  medium  height  and 
square-shouldered,  but  had  no  superfluous  flesh. 
Industry  was  a  notable  trait,  but  he  had  also  the 
business  sagacity  to  turn  his  efforts  to  good  ac- 
count financially,  and  while  neighboring  farmers. 


'  VEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


accepted  such  returns  for  their  crops  as  they  could 

Imiii  local  traders,  he  found  good  markets  by 

ding  his  prod  ly.      At  onetime  he  was 

antile  business  at  Centre  Hill  as 
nbei  "l  tin-  firm  of  Arney  &  Ross.      Strictl} 
honest   in  his  dealings,  he  won  success  while 
taining  the  entire  re  ,  dates.      His 

investments  were  mainly  in  real  estate,  and  he 
owned  about  400  acres  of  farming  land,  with 
isiderable  town  property.  Politically  he  up- 
held Democratic  doctrines  at  all  times,  and  he 
held  various  offices,  including  those  of  supervisor, 
tor  and  assistant  assessor.  He  was 
very  domestic  in  his  habits,  seldom  leaving  ho 
except  on  busim  1  0  visit  a  relative,  and  he 
regularly  attended  the  Reformed  Church,  in 
which  he  and  his  wife  were  leading  members. 
For  many  years  he  served  the  society  as  deacon, 
and   at  the  tunc  of  his  death  was  an  elder.      He 

I  trim  old  age  at  the  home  near  Centre  II  ill 
on  February  10,  1886,  and  the  faithful  partner  of 
his  joys  and  sorrows  did  not  long  survive  him,  her 
death  occurring  April  18,  1891.  The  remains  of 
both  now  rest  in  the  1  at  Centre  Hall. 

<  >i  1 1  subject  was  the  eldest  of  eleven  children. 
The  second  son,  Benjamin  H.,  occupies  the  old 
homestead  at  Centre  Hall;  Sarah  A.  married 
Henry  Dasher,  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.;  William  [., 
.1  Presbyterian  minister,  resides  at  Port  Alleghany, 
Penn  .  Rebecca  S.  maun. I  Moses  Richard,  of 
Centre  Hall;  Lydia  is  the  wife  of  C.  C.  Peck,  of 
Rosette,  Lincoln  Co.,  Kans. ;  Mary  married 
fames  Herring,  of  Altoona,  Perm.;  George  F.  is 
a  physician  at  Altoona;  Laura  A.  married  fohn 
I  Lee,  of  Centre  Hall;  Charles  M.  is  a  resident 
of  the  same  town;  and  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
fohn  Mullen,  ol  Renova,  Pennsylvania. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  subject  proper  of 
this  memoir,  who  was  born  at  the  Gregg  town- 
ship homestead  February  10,  1839.  His  edui  a- 
tion  was  begun  at  the  Musser school  house  in  the 
same  locality,  winch   was  afterward    marked  off 

the  "Independent  District,  "  and  "  Old  John 
Price'  was  his  tirst  teacher.  As  the  eldest  son, 
Mr  Arney  found  many  home  duties,  his  work 
there    often    1 1 1 1 .-rfer  1  ng   with    his  attendanci 

looI.      Ft  he 

was  kept  at  home  during  the  winters  to  assist  in 
his   father's  <clovei    mill,  four  of   his  best  school 

is  being  thus  lost.  When  twenty  years  old 
he  attended  a  select  school  in  his  native  town- 
ship taught  by  H.  Y.  Stitzer,  and  later  he  studied 
for  a  short  time  at  Pine  1  Academy,  and  in 

this  way  be  prepared  himseli  for  teaching.  His 
first  term  as  teacher  was  spent  at  Lhapel  school 
house  in  Haines  township.  Centre  county,  in  the 
winter  of  1859-60,  and  he  taught   the  next  three 


winters  successfully,  two  in  Potter  township  and 
one  in  Centre  Hall. 

On  October  15,  1S64,  Mr.  Arney  was  mar- 
ried in  George's  Valley,  Gregg  township,  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Sweetwood,  a  native  of  Potter  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  born  March  12,  1836.  Her 
father,  the  late  John  Sweetwood,  was  born  in 
Bi  ;ks  county,  Penn.,  September  10,  1800,  and 
became  a  leading  farmer  of  Potter  township, 
where  he  died  July  m,  1887.  He  married  M 
Elizabeth  Alexander,  a  native  of  the  same  town- 
ship, born  January  1.  1S09,  a  daughter  of  Jar 
Alexander.  She  died  May  30,  1841,  when  Mrs 
Arney.  who  was  her  youngest  daughter  and  fifth 
child,  was  but  five  years  old,  and  as  time  passed 
the  little  girl  assumed  the  duties  of  the  household 
to  the  detriment  of  her  education.  After  his 
marriage  Mr,  Arney  located  upon  a  rented  farm 
in  Potter  township  with  the  intention  of  follow- 
ing teaching  in  addition  to  his  agricultural  work. 
but  the  plan  proved  impracticable.  After  three 
years  as  .1  tenant  on  the  land  of  strangers,  he  in 
nted  his  father's  farm  in  Potter  township, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1889.  lb 
then  removed  to  his  present  farm  adjoining  Cen- 
tre  Hall  on   the   west,    formerly    known    as    tin 

istian    Hoffer   farm.      He  bought  the  portion 
improved    by  the   homestead    buildings,  and 
r  3 5    acres  of   excellent  land,  making  one  of  the 
besl  farms  in  the  vicinity.       His  original  purch 
consisted   of    171  acres,  of  which  a  portion 
held  in  partnership,   and  was  sold  after  a  tin 
going  to    make   the   Centre    Hall   picnic  grounds 
and  an  addition  to  the  town,  known  as    "Hoffer 
street,"   and   containing   a    number  of    building 
lots.      His  only  son,   Isaac    M.  Arney,  now  takes 
much  of  the  responsibility  of  the  farm  work. 

Mr.  Arnej  is  an  influential  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,   but  is  too  intelligent    and,  w 
may  add,  too  honest  to  sacrifice  his  own  convii 
tions  as  to  the   issues    at    stake    to  mere  partisan 
prejudice,  and  at   local  elections  he  votes  for  th 
"best  man."      He   has   held    office   in  I 

trict,  and   his  best  efforts  have  been  given 
educational  advancement,  his  own   privations 
that  regard  having  emphasized  the  value  • 
schools,  open  to  all.     Socially,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Centre  Hall,  and  he  and 
his    wife    are    both    members   of    the    Reforn 

irch,    in    which    he    has    held     the    office 
deacon. 


JOHN     W.    EBY,    proprietor  of    a    feed 
coal   business  at  Zion,    Centre  county,  is 
energetic,  progressive  man  who  has  achii 
success  through  his  own  undertakings. 


1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


367 


John  Eby,  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
married  May  Greybill,  a  native  of  Lebanon  coun- 
ty, and  children  as  follows  were  born  to  thera: 
Samuel  (father  of  our  subject);  Michael,  Henry, 
Moses  and  Elizabeth  (all  four  residents  of  Wood- 
ward, Centre  county)  and  Mary  (Mrs.  Yearick). 
The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
George  and  Mary  (Finley)  Vonada,  the  former  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  the  latter  of  Union  coun- 
ty, Penn.  Their  children  are  David  and  John, 
who  are  residents  of  Hublersburg;  Jacob,  of 
Mackeyville,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.;  Eve,  who  is 
living  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Samuel  Eby;  and 
Amelia,  wife  of  John  A.  Swartz,  of  Hublersburg. 

Samuel  Eby,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
July  22,  1824,  in  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  and 
being  the  eldest  in  his  father's  family  remained 
at  home  assisting  in  their  support,  during  a  few 
winter  months  attending  the  common  schools. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Guard.  In  December, 
1 866,  he  married  Mary  Vonada,  who  was  born 
February  10,  1830,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  (Hinley)  Vonada,  the  former  of  whom  was 
a  farmer,  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  Lu- 
theran in  religious  faith.  In  March,  1868,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Samuel  Eby  settled  on  a  farm  in  Walker 
township,  where  he  died  October  6;  1882,  and 
he  was  buried  in  Zion  cemetery;  his  widow  has 
since  made  her  home  in  Zion. 

John  W.  Eby,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  was  their  only  child.  He  was  reared  on 
the  homestead  farm,  and  acquired  his  education 
in  the  public  schools.  On  July  17,  1887,  he 
married  Miss  Jennie  Sharer,  a  daughter  of  David 
Sharer,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Spring  township, 
Centre  county,  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn., 
and  who  married  Jemima  Foster,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Foster,  a  successful  farmer  of  Union 
county,  where  Mrs.  Sharer  was  born.  Both 
came  to  Centre  county  in  childhood,  and  were 
married  there.  David  Sharer,  Samuel  Sharer  and 
Jennie  Sharer  (both  deceased)  belonged  to  a  fam- 
ily of  which  the  following  are  also  members: 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mallory  and  Henry,  who  are  liv- 
ing in  the  West;  Mrs.  H.  J.  Garbrick,  of  Zion; 
and  Elmira,  wife  of  George  Gingrich,  of  Centre 
Hall.  In  the  Foster  family  were  Mrs.  Belle  Jor- 
dan; Mrs.  J.  Hirsch,  of  Forest  Hill,  Union  coun- 
ty, Penn.;  Mrs.  Nelson  Biddle,  of  Union  county; 
and  Andrew  and  Thomas,  both  of  whom  served 
in  the  Civil  war,  the  last  named  losing  his  life  in 
battle. 

David  Sharer,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Eby,  died 
December  9,  1894,  and  the  mother  on  November 
11,  1896.  Both  were  buried  in  Zion  cemetery. 
They  had  a  family  of  four  children:      (1)   Foster, 


now  a  resident  of  Spring  township,  Union  coun- 
ty, married  Pearly  Stover,  and  has  two  children 
— David  M.  and  Minnie.  (2)  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  Elmer  Swartz,  a  farmer  residing  near  Pleasant 
Gap,  Centre  county,  by  whom  she  had  six  chil- 
dren— Delia  M. ,  Edith,  Gertrude,  Harry,  Blaine 
and  Roy.  (3)  Zada  B.  is  the  wife  of  William 
T.  Royer,  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  a  printer,  and 
they  have  five  children — Pearl,  Lena,  Carl,  Grace 
and  Paul. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eby  became  the  parents  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  the  others 
are:  William  C.  (born  December  25,  1887)  and 
Mary  Edna  (born  February  1,  1891). 

Mr.  Eby  was  engaged  in  farming  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  successfully  following  that  pursuit 
until  1896,  when  he  came  to  Zion  and  established 
his  present  business,  dealing  in  meal,  feed  and 
coal.  He  receives  from  the  public  a  liberal  pat- 
ronage, which  he  well  merits,  for  his  energy,  per- 
severance and  honorable  dealing  justly  entitle 
him  to  the  success  which  he  may  achieve.  He 
also  owns  two  farms,  one  in  Walker  township, 
Centre  county,  comprising  120  acres  of  well-im- 
proved land,  the  other,  of  130  acres,  being  sit- 
uated* near  Centre  Hall,  in  Potter  township.  It 
is  a  splendid  property,  and  he  also  has  valuable 
real  estate  in  Zion.  He  is  a  most  progressive 
and  energetic  man,  and  ranks  among  the  leading 
business  citizens  of  the  community.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the 
Grange,  and  to  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle. 
Mrs.  Eby  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
All  who  know  them  esteem  them  highly  for  their 
sterling  worth,  and  they  have  surrounded  them- 
selves with  many  friends. 


MATHANIEL  BOWERSOX.  The  history  of 
this  gentleman,  now  a  prosperous  agricult- 
urist of  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  shows 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence, pluck  and  perseverance,  especially  when 
he  has  the  assistance  of  an  equally  clever  and  in- 
dustrious wife.  Mr.  Bowersox  was  born  August 
25,  1835,  in  Centre  township,  Snyder  Co.,  Penn., 
a  son  of  Frederick  and  Hannah  (Long)  Bowersox, 
both  of  whom  lived  and  died  at  their  farm  in  that 
locality. 

As  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children — 
seven  sons  and  four  daughters — Mr.  Bowersox 
was  plentifully  supplied  with  work  during  his 
boyhood,  his  educational  opportunities  being 
sadly  interfered  with  by  his  home  duties.  He 
attended  the  first  free  school  opened  in  his  native 
township,  and  by  making  the  most  of  his  time 
managed  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  fair  practical 


368 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


education,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  re- 
flects great  credit  upon  him.  He  remained  at 
home  until  1X50,  when  he  went  to  Centre  county 
to  work  as  a  farm  hand,  his  wages  being  sent 
home  during  his  minority.  Though  the  amount 
thus  obtained  was  small,  it  was  a  great  help  to 
his  parents,  and  Mr.  Bowersox  cheerfully  saved 
his  earnings  in  order  to  send  it.  He  worked  at 
this  employment  ten  years,  live  in  Harris  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  near  Boalsburg,  and  during 
this  time  had  but  two  employers. 

On  December  20,  i860,  Mr.  Bowersox  was 
married,  in  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Catherine  J. 
Peck,  a  native  of  Upper  Sweet  Arrow  township, 
Dauphin  Co.,  Fenn.,  born  September  6,  1843. 
Her  parents,  Simon  and  Mary  Singer)  I'eck, 
came  to  Centre  county  in  1S45,  locating  Deal 
Wolfs  store,  where  her  father  followed  farming 
and  also  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  mechanic. 
Mrs.  Bowersox  was  the  tifth  child  and  third 
daughter  in  a  family  ol  six  boys  and  five  girls, 
and  her  education  was  that  afforded  by  the  local 
schools.  When  but  fifteen  years  old  she  went  to 
work  as  a  domestic,  receiving  fifty  cents  per  week 
at  one  place  where  there  were  nine  cows  to  milk. 
At  the  time  she  met  her  future  husband  both  were 
1  mployed  near  Boalsburg,  at  the  home  of  Joseph 
Mayer.  In  the  eyes  of  many  persons  the  outlook 
would  have  been  discouraging,  but  they  were 
strong  in  their  mutual  affection  and  the  conscious- 
ness of  health.  Mr.  Bowersox  had  saved  about 
$200,  but  it  was  out  on  interest,  and  for  two 
years  he  worked  for  his  father  at  fifty  cents  per 
day,  in  the  meantime  learning  the  cooper's  trade. 

On  his  return  to  Centre  county  he  entered 
the  employ  of  J.  K.  Hosterman,  of  Miles  town- 
ship, and  later  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
his  father-in-law.  During  the  winter  season  he 
usually  worked  at  hewing  timber,  and  by  dint  of 
close  economy  he  managed  to  purchase,  in  the 
fall  of  1864,  a  tract  of  land  containing  fifty-two 
acres,  at  a  cost  of  $975,  from  John  F.  Beck.  It 
was  in  a  most  unpromising  condition,  "all  stones 
and  brush,'  but  he  and  his  wife  both  went  to 
work  with  a  will  to  clear  it  up.  The  first  year 
he  raised  only  nine  bushels  oi  wheat,  and  his 
stock  consisted  of  one  cow,  a  few  chickens  and  a 
"three-legged    horsi  During    the    day,    Mr. 

Bowersox  would  work  for  neighboring  farmers, 
and  on  returning  home  he  would  continue  his  la- 
bors there  far  into  the  night,  and  in  time,  by  the 
unremitting  efforts  of  his  wife  and  himself,  the 
farm  was  cleared  and  the  debt  incurred  at  its 
purchase  was  paid  off.  It  was  five  \  ars  I  "fore 
they  had  a  carpet  in  their  house,  but  they  now 
have  a  fine  competence,  and  have  improved  the 
place    with    modern     buildings    and    surrounded 


themselves  with  the  comforts  which  were  denied 
them  in  their  early  wedded  life.  At  different 
times,  Mr.  Bowersox  has  added  to  the  original 
purchase  until  he  now  owns  130  acres,  includ 

timber  land.      In  addition  to  his  other  work 
he  has  operated  a  tread-power  machine,  and 
horse,   "Barney.'    has  "tramped  it"  since  18 

Mr.  Bowersox  realizes  the  helpfulness  of  his 
estimable  wife,  and  takes  manly  pride  in  acknowl- 
edging its  value.  She  is  a  woman  of  intell. 
fond  oi  reading,  and  is  no  less  noted  for  her 
kindly  heart.  Their  home  is  a  hospitable  one. 
and  their  family  is  one  of  which  any  parent 
might  be  proud.  They  have  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Mary  A.,  now  Mrs.  Harvey  Bierly,  of  Re- 
serve, Kans. ,  who  has  one  son — Clyde  E. ;  Emma 
F. ,  who  married  Charles  Bressler,  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, and  has  five  children;  Cora  V.  and  Katie  N 
(twins),  who  died  in  infancy;  Ida  V.,  now  Mrs 
\Y.  F.  Fair,  of  Rebersburg;  Floyd  E.,  a  black- 
smith at  Spring  Mills;  Allen  F.  and  William  S.. 
fanners  at  Reserve,  Kans.;  Clement  M.,  of  Nit  - 
tany  Junction;  and  Tammie  E.,  an  intelligent 
young  lady,  now  at  home. 

Mr  and  Mrs.  Bowersox  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Association  at  Wolfs  Store,  and  he 
has  held  various  offices,  serving  as  trustee,  stew- 
ard, class-Jeader  and  treasurer.  The  latter  office 
he  has  held  continuously  since  the  church  was 
built.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  takes  a  broad  and 
liberal  view  of  public  questions,  and  in  local 
affairs  votes  for  the  "best  man."  Official  posi- 
tion has  no  charm  for  him,  but  his  keen  interest 
in  educational  progress  has  been  shown  by  his 
service  as  school  director  in  District  No.    J. 


SAMUEL  GRAMLY  will  have  a  lasting  place 
in  the  history  of  this  region  as  one  of  the 
pioneer  educators  of  Brush  Valley.  Although  he 
has  made  a  success  of  other  and  more  lucrativi 
lines  of  effort,  his  influence  has  perhaps  been 
most  helpfully  and  directly  brought  to  bear  u] 
the  community  through  his  long  service  in  early 

is  as  a  teacher  in  the  country  schools  of  that 
time.  Kind-hearted,  genial,  wise  with  the  ripe 
experience  of  his  well-spent  life,  he  is  for  many 
a  chosen  adviser  in  perplexity  and  trouble. 

The  early  history  of  the   Grainlv    family 
been  made  the  subject  of  careful  research,  bn 
is  found  impossible  to  trace  it  farther  back   than 
the  time  ol  Francis   Gxamly,  the  grandfathei 
the  gentleman   whose   name  opens  this  ski  b 
\boai  the  middle  of  the  last  century  a  number    1 
people  bearing  the    name    of    (.randy    came 
America  from  Germany,  and  it  is   supposed   that 
Francis  Gramly   was  among  them,  that   be 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


369 


tied  in  Pennsylvania  and  married  here.  It  is 
certain  that  he  came  into  Brush  Valley  in  1793, 
from  Northampton  county,  Penn.,  with  his  wife, 
Margaret  (Spangler),  and  from  them  all  of  the 
name  in  Brush  Valley  are  descended.  Francis 
Gramly  carried  with  him  a  sack  full  of  hard 
money  when  he  rode  into  Brush  Valley  on 
horseback,  and  he  became  the  owner  of  an  im- 
mense tract  of  land  in  that  "  Garden  of  Centre 
County,"  where  he  operated  a  sawmill  while 
clearing  and  improving  the  property.  Several  of 
his  sons,  all  of  whom  remained  at  home,  received 
at  his  death  valuable  estates.  He  died  in  the 
early  "thirties,"  aged  about  seventy  years, 
and  he  and  his  wife,  who  attained  the  age  of 
eighty-six,  were  buried  at  Rebersburg.  They 
were  Lutherans  in  religion.  Their  children 
were:  Adam,  a  maker  of  windmills;  John,  who 
lived  in  Brush  Valley;  Christian  and  George,  who 
were  farmers  on  the  old  tract;  Francis,  Jr.,  who 
lived  in  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  count)';  Philip, 
who  is  mentioned  more  fully  below;  Daniel,  who 
met  his  death  in  boyhood  while  carrying  break- 
fast to  his  father  ami  brothers  working  in  the 
clearing  in  the  woods;  Jacob,  a  machinist  and 
operator  of  a  gristmill,  fulling-mill  and  carding- 
machine  in  Brush  Valley;  Margaret  Mrs.  John 
Walker),  of  Brush  Valley,  and  Susanna,  the 
wife  of  William  Krape,  of  Gregg  township.  All 
are  now  deceased. 

Philip  Gramly,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  1798  in  the  lower  end  of  Brush  Valley,  and 
was  reared  as  a  pioneer  farmer's  boy,  his  work 
necessarily  consisting  largely  of  clearing.  At 
eighteen  he  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade 
in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  and  later  he 
opened  a  shop  of  his  own  in  Rebersburg.  About 
1820  he  was  married  in  Brush  Valley  to  Miss 
Barbara  Poorman,  a  native  of  Lehigh  county, 
Penn.,  born  in  February,  1800.  Her  father, 
Daniel  Poorman,  a  blacksmith,  was  an  early  set- 
tler in  that  Valley.  Philip  Gramly  lived  at 
Rebersburg  until  April,  1832,  when  he  moved  to 
a  200-acre  tract  of  land  which  he  had  purchased 
in  Sugar  Valley,  Green  township,  Clinton  county. 
It  was  in  its  primitive  condition,  with  not  one 
stick  cut,  and  there  he  built  a  log  house  for  a 
residence  and  a  shop  for  his  work.  He  and  his 
wife  toiled  energetically  at  the  work  of  clearing 
and  improving  the  land,  and  in  five  years'  time 
had  one  hundred  acres  in  cultivation;  but  Mrs. 
Gramly  so  injured  her  health  by  her  labors  in 
burning  off  the  brush  that  she  never  recovered. 
After  five  years  there  they  returned  to  Brush 
Valley  and  occupied  the  Francis  Gramly  home- 
stead, about  two  miles  from  Rebersburg,  and, 
later,    Philip  Gramly  purchased    the   place,   and 

24 


while  cultivating  it  carried  on  also  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  sawmill.  In  his  day  axes  and  other 
edge  tools  had  to  be  made  by  smiths,  and  he  be- 
came an  expert  in  that  line.  He  was  an  indus- 
trious man,  and  gave  his  entire  attention  to  his 
own  affairs,  taking  no  interest  in  politics  farther 
than  to  vote  the  Democratic  ticket  regularly.  He 
gave  liberally  to  religious  movements,  however, 
and  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  success  in  his  varied  enterprises 
enabled  him  to  accumulate  a  handsome  compe- 
tence, and  he  left  a  large  estate  at  his  death, 
which  occurred  September  14,  1869.  His  first 
wife  (our  subject's  mother)  died  in  February, 
1845,  and  the  remains  of  both  now  rest  at  Re- 
bersburg. His  second  wife  was  Miss  Phoebe 
Dubs,  of  New  Berlin,  Union  county.  There 
were  eight  children  by  the  first  union;  Regina, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen;  Catherine  (Mrs. 
Henrv  Wolfe),  who  died  at  Wolfs  Store,  in  Brush 
Valley;  Samuel,  our  subject;  Susannah,  now 
Mrs.  John  K.  Hosterman,  of  Brush  Valley; 
Reuben,  a  resident  of  Rebersburg;  Mary  A.,  now 
Mrs.  Reuben  Kreamer,  of  Rebersburg;  and  Dan- 
iel Franklin  and  Francis  Simon  (twins),  who 
died  at  the  age  of  tour  years  and  thirteen  years, 
respectively.  By  the  second  marriage  there  was 
one  daughter,  Barbara  J.,  now  Mrs.  J.  H.  Cha- 
tam,  of  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county. 

Samuel  Gramly's  birth  occurred  March  4, 
1827,  and  until  he  attained  his  majoriu  his 
time  was  mainly  spent  in  clearing  land,  that 
work  being  deemed  of  prime  importance  and 
schooling  a  secondary  matter.  He  attended  the 
local  school  for  a  few  months  one  winter  before 
he  was  ten  years  old,  and  learned  rapidly,  but 
his  desire  to  continue  was  not  often  gratified 
later.  He  delighted  in  mathematics,  solving  ex- 
amples which  none  of  his  schoolmates  could  un- 
derstand. He  excelled  in  penmanship  also,  and 
even  now  his  writing  is  beautifully  done.  The 
changes  which  have  brought  educational  privi- 
leges within  reach  of  all  in  the  present  day  meet 
with  Mr.  Gramly's  entire  approval,  and  he  has 
done  all  in  his  power  to  further  them.  In  the 
summer  of  1848  he  taught  a  subscription  school, 
and  then  attended  Mifflinburg  Academy  for  eight- 
een weeks,  preparing  for  better  work  in  his 
chosen  profession.  His  next  school  was  in  his 
home  district,  where  many  of  his  former  mates 
were  pupils.  The  first  blackboard  ever  placed  in 
a  school  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  was 
secured  through  his  efforts  for  the  benefit  of  his 
scholars.  In  the  spring  of  1849  Mr.  Gramly 
spent  another  term  of  ten  weeks  at  the  academy 
in  Mifflinburg,  and  during  the  winter  term  of 
1849-50  he   taught    in   the  home  school.      From 


370 


OOMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGBAPMCAL  RECORD. 


this  time  on  he  taught  regularly  till  the  spring  of 

!,  when  he  renin  farm  of  his  fathi 

and  while  cultivating  that  in  summer  continued 
his  former  work  in  winter  till  the  spring  of  1870. 
[n  the  meantime  he  mastered  sun  j  private 

study,  and  when  competent  found  plenty  of  work 
to  do  in  that  line.  He  bought  the  farm  upon 
which  he  lived,  and  in  1875  purchased  another 
home  with   a  small  piece  of   land  in   Rockville, 

inty,  where  lie  resided  until  18 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  home  in  Rebers- 
burg.  He  still  owns  the  two  properties  near  that 
town,  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  the  locality.  For  twenty- live  years  he 
iresented  the  Centre  Hall  Mutual  Insur- 
ance Co.  at  that  place. 

(  >n  August  7,  1849,  Mr.  Gramly  was  married 
in  Aaronsburg,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Smull,  a  native 
of  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  born  March 
15,  1832,  and  a  daughter  of  Henrv  Smull.  Seven 
children  were  born  of  this  union,  namely:  Isa- 
bella and  Tiras  J.  died  in  infancy;  Prof.  Cephas 
L.  is  mentioned  elsewhere;  Titus  M.  is  in  the 
creariiery  business  at  Spring  Mills;  Naomi  J. 
married  Charles  Heckman,  of  Clinton  county. 
Clement  II.  is  a  farmer  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county;  Ada  E.  married 
William  T.  Hubler,  and  resides  at  the  old  home- 
stead. Mr.  Gramly  has  spent  money  liberally  to 
educate  his  children,  who  have  shown  their  ap- 
preciation by  making  good  use  of  their  opportuni- 
ties. The  mother  of  this  family  died  May 
[4,  1880,  and  was  buried  at  Rebersburg.  Mr 
Gramly  has  since  married  a  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Catherine  A.  Ocker,  daughter  of  Daniel  Spang- 
ler,  of  Union  county,  and  widow  of  the  late  Will- 
iam ( )cker,  of  Snyder  county. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Gramly  is  a  pro- 
nounced Republican,  although  he  was  a  demo- 
crat until  Lincoln's  first  term.  In  1870  he  was 
chosen  county  commissioner  of  Centre  count\ . 
and  served  nearly  three  years;  in  1869  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  has 
held  for  fifteen  years,  despite  the  fact  that  his 
township  is  the  most  strongly  Democratic  of  any 
in  the  county.  Marly  in  life  he  united  with  the 
Lutheran  Church,  for  fort)  years  was  secretary 
of  the  society,  and  at  present  he  is  an  elder.  He 
has  always  been  active  in  the  Sunday-school,  in 
which  he  held  the  office  of  superintendent  thirty- 
four  years. 


■fwTILLIAM    PEALER.      IVnn's   Valley   can 
JuM.    justly  lay  claim  to  the  title  of  the  "  Gar- 
den Spot  of  Centre  county ;"which  is  indeed  freely 
accorded   her  by  any  one   who  has  viewed  the 


charming  ry   dotted   with   beautiful  homes 

and  productive  farms.  With  the  same  consist- 
ency that  locality  can  claim  among  her  merchants 
some  of  the  best  business  men  in  thecounty,  and 
to  substantiate  this  claim,  we  introduce  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  a  man  who,  beginning  his 
1>  1  ismess  career  as  a  poor  though  honest  and  am- 
bitious youth,  his  win]  for  himself  full  right  to 
this  classification. 

William  Pealer,  of  Spring  Mills,  was  born 
near  Hublersburg,  Penn.,  April  24,  1844,  the  son 
of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Dunkle)  l'ealer.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Northampton  county, 
Penn.,  and  being  the  son  of  poor  parents,  his 
schooling  was  very  limited  — what  instruction  he 
had  being  all  in  German.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  went  to  Nittany  Valley,  and  worked  as  a  farm 
hand,  having  never  learned  a  trade.  He  was 
married  in  early  manhood,  in  Centre  county,  his 
wife  being  a  native  of  Walker  township,  and 
daughter  of  Henry  Dunkle,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  that  lo- 
cality. They  lived  for  some  time  on  rented 
property,  but  after  a  few  years  Mr.  Pealer  v 
able  to  purchase  a  home  and  a  few  acres  of  lain). 
with  a  sawmill,  which  he  carried  on  in  connec- 
tion with  his  little  farm.  In  1  856  he  sold  this  pi 
and  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of  land  in  it~ 
primitive  condition  with  not  even  a  log  cabin  on 
it.  This  he  cleared  and  improved,  erecting  a 
dwelling  house  and  other  buildings,  and  he  lived 
there  until  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  when  for 
a  few  years  he  resided  in  Lock  Haven.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  but  he  was  in  his 
seventy-third  year  when  he  was  called  from  earth. 
They  now  sleep  in  Snydertown  cemetery.  Both 
were  devout  Christians,  Mr.  Pealer  being  a  Luth- 
eran and  his  wife  belonging  to  the  Reforn 
Church.  He  was  always  prominent  in  religious 
work,  and.  held  various  offices  in  the  Church.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  while  he  had 
I  for  his  party  he  was  no  office  seeker. 
He  served  as  school  director  in  his  township, 
however,  his  interest  in  education  making  him 
an  earnest  supporter  of  the  schools.  He  was  a 
hard-working  man,  and  although  he  started  poor, 
and  lived  an  honest  life,  he  gained  a  compe- 
tence. ( >ur  subject  is  the  second  in  the  family 
of  three  children — Henry  the  eldest,  is  a  car- 
penter and  contractor  at  Kockford,  III. ;  Mary, 
the  youngest  of  the  trio,  is  now  the  widow 
Dennis  Darner,  of  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  first  attended  scho  I 
at  the  "Stone  School  House''  near  Hublersburg, 
his  first  teacher  being  Allen   Bartholomew;  later 
he  pin  sued  his  studies  at  the  Snydertown  scb 
but  in  those  times  the  sessions  lasted  only  a  few 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


371 


months  each  year,  and  the  instruction  was  greatly 
inferior  to  that  in  schools  of  similar  grades  at  this 
day.  He  worked  at  home  while  attending  school ; 
but  when  he  was  twelve  years  old  the  removal  of 
the  family  to  the  new  farm  in  the  woods  brought 
extra  work  and  seemingly  ended  his  chances  for 
study.  His  desire  for  a  better  education  was  not 
to  be  thwarted,  for  he  worked  at  lumbering  in 
the  woods  for  some  time,  and  with  the  hard- 
earned  money  thus  gained  he  paid  his  expenses 
at  more  advanced  schools. 

His  fellow  workmen  used  to  laugh  at  him  for 
spending  his  earnings  on  schooling,  and  often 
suggested  that  a  horse  and  buggy  would  do  him 
more  good.  But  the  clever  boy  knew  better, 
and  kept  steadily  to  his  purpose.  He  attended 
a  select  school  at  Jacksonville,  and  later  the 
academy  at  Pine  Grove,  preparing  himself  for 
teaching,  which  he  followed  successfully  at  War- 
rior's Mark,  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  one  term; 
Milesburg,  Penn.,  one  term;  and  Eagleville, 
Penn.,  two  terms,  having  charge  of  the  grammar 
school  in  the  latter  place.  While  the  occupation 
was  congenial,  it  had  its  disadvantages,  and  he 
began  to  look  out  for  a  profession  that  furnished 
employment  twelve  months  in  the  year,  and 
where  better  wages  and  greater  chances  for  ad- 
vancement could  be  found.  On  September  22, 
1868,  he  entered  the  general  store  of  Jared  B. 
Fisher,  at  Penn  Hall,  Penn.,  as  a  clerk,  and  re- 
mained three  and  one-half  years.  He  then  took 
a  similar  position  with  R.  H.  Duncan,  at  Spring 
Mills  (a  general  merchant),  but  soon  after  re- 
turned to  his  former  employer  at  increased  wages, 
taking  a  more  responsible  position,  that  of  book- 
keeper and  general  superintendent  of  the  entire 
business.  This  position  he  held  ten  years,  when 
he  resigned  in  order  to  go  into  business  for  him- 
self. Having  by  his  courteous  treatment  and 
obliging  manner  won  a  host  of  friends,  he  speed- 
ily attracted  a  large  and  profitable  trade.  In 
1882,  he  associated  himself  with  J.  D.  Long,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Pealer  &  Long,  and  carried 
on  a  general  mercantile  business  at  Spring  Mills, 
but  after  one  year  the  partnership  was  dissolved. 
In  1884  he  began  business  at  his  present  stand 
(then  a  rented  building),  and  has  ever  since  con- 
ducted one  of  the  largest  and  leading  mercantile 
houses  of  Penn's  Valley,  his  stock  being  extensive 
and  well-selected.  His  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  business,  his  close  attention  to  detail,  his 
sound  judgment  in  planning  and  energy  in  execu- 
tion have  gained  him  an  enviable  reputation  in 
financial  circles,  and  his  advice  is  frequently 
sought  in  important  movements.  Honest  in 
every  way,  there  is  no  transaction  of  his  in  which 
the  slightest  tinge  of  dishonesty  or  unfairness  can 


be  found.  A  handsome  fortune  has  rewarded  his 
efforts.  He  owns  eighty-two  acres  of  excellent 
farming  land  in  Gregg  township,  and  also  the  old 
homestead  of  his  parents  in  Nittany  Valley,  as 
well  as  his  store  building  at  Spring  Mills,  and  his 
pleasant  residence  in  the  same  place.  He  owns 
stock  in  and  is  a  director  of  the  Millheim  Tele- 
phone Company,  the  Lewisburg  &  Tyrone  rail- 
way, and  in  a  Building  and  Loan  Association;  he 
also  loans  money  on  security.  As  a  further  safe- 
guard against  disaster  he  carries  $5,000  life  insur- 
ance, paid  up. 

Mr.  Pealer  was  married  in  Aaronsburg,  in 
1872,  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Leitzel,  a  native  of  Gregg 
township,  Centre  county,  and  daughter  of  Philip 
Leitzel,  a  well-known  citizen.  They  have  no 
children.  In  local  affairs,  Mr.  Pealer  is  a  loyal 
friend  to  progress.  He  is  a  devout  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  contributing  liberally,  and 
he  has  held  various  offices  in  the  Church  and 
Sabbath-school.  As  a  stanch  Democrat  Mr. 
Pealer  has  always  been  active  in  the  interests  of 
his  party,  but  he  is  not  a  politician.  He  has 
filled  creditably  such  township  offices  as  auditor 
and  assessor,  and  has  served  as  school  director 
in  his  district.  Owing  to  popularity  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  a  former  Re- 
publican postmaster  at  Spring  Mills,  and  this 
service  under  a  Republican  administration  was 
followed  by  an  appointment  as  a  Democrat  to  the 
same  position  during  Cleveland's  first  term.  On 
May  20,  1893,  he  was  again  appointed,  and  is 
now  serving  with  characteristic  ability  and  faith- 
fulness. 


0\EORGE  H.  LEYMAN  needs  no  special  in- 
_  f  troduction  to  the  readers  of  this  volume. 
No  man  in  Centre  county  has  been  more  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  agricultural  and  polit- 
ical history  of  the  community,  or  has  taken  a 
more  active  part  in  its  upbuilding  and  progress. 
He  is  one  of  the  extensive  and  energetic  farmers 
of  the  county,  his  own  place  being  pleasantly  lo- 
cated in  Boggs  township. 

A  native  of  Centre  county,  Mr.  Leyman  was 
born  June  22,  1843,  at  Mt.  Eagle,  Howard  town- 
ship, and  the  birth  of  his  father,  John  Leyman, 
occurred  in  the  same  county  in  181 1.  For  many 
years  the  latter  engaged  in  cabinet-making  and 
carpentering  in  Mt.  Eagle,  and  also  extensively 
followed  contracting,  framing  the  Bald  Eagle 
Navigation  Company's  canal.  He  took  quite  a 
prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  served  in  several 
township  offices,  and  was  an  ardent  Democrat  in 
politics.  At  Salona,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  McGee,  born 


872 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in  Ireland  in  1813,  a  daughter  "1  Thomas  and 
Ellen  1  Kilpati  it  '  |  Mi  G  also  boi  n  in 

that  country,  whence,  in  [822,  they  came  to  the 
New  World,  locating  in  Ohio,  where  the  father's 
red.      Later  the  mother  removed  to 
Clinton  county,  Penn.,  v 

Ha  and    in    1854    shi  The 

paternal    grandp  of    our  subject,   Micl 

and  Rachel  (Neal)  Leyman,  were  natives  of  l'hil- 

Iphia  and   Buffalo  Valley,  Union  Co.,   Penn., 

pectively.      A  they  beca 

idents  ol   (  entn   county,  where  they  spent  their 

aining  daj  -       The  grandfather  was  a  cab 
makei    b)   occupation,   and    as  a    Revolutioi 

aliantly  fought  with  a  small 
the  battle  "I    Brandywim 

Our  subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in 
the  family  ol  ten  sons  and  one  daughter,  the 
others   being    Robert,    now  I;   Franklin, 

who  is  n  '>il  business  at  Titusville, 

n.  ;   Henry,   who  died   in  infancy;    Michael   M., 
at.  Penn.  ;  Mary,  wifi 
ol  Lebanon,    Penn.;  Thomas,  who  died  in  1  : 
William,  a   merchant   ■  •!   Bradford   City,  Penn.; 
[ames    1 1  .    an    engii  Austin,  Penn. ;    and 

is     in     the    oil     1  111     Indi 

:    died    in    <  >ctobi r,     1 887,    a    faithful 
1    ol   the    Methodist    Church;   the   father 
■  d  awaj   I  ehi  ii.H  y  1  <i.    1 
Sin  e  H. 

man  has   been    dependent   upon   his  own 
son'  il  on 

his  bus 

d.      lie  then   purchased  the  "  I 

which  he  ran   until    1  861 ,  w  hen  the 
He   then  went  to  th 
11,  \  enai 

turning     t" 
nty  from  la  He  then 

d  hi--  present  beautiful  homi  :  170 

es,    to   the    culth  ation    and    im]  t  ol 

whii  his  tin' 

tion.      I  >wns   three   other  gi  is  in 

I  •  nty,  and   is  a   most    skillful  and  thor- 

h  agricultui  1 

In    1866    Mr.  Leyman    was   married    to    Miss 
Annie  Graham,  who  died    in 
twenty-four  daughter,   I 

now  the  will'  of  fobn  C arson,  of  [ohnsonburg, 
Penn.  On  Jul)  4.  1869,  in  1  attaraugus  county, 
N.  Y. ,  Mr.  Leymai  Miss  An 

,i.  who  w as  bi 'in    fune  27,   1  84; 
1  ille,  N.  Y  .  ix  children  born 

his  union  but  one  survi\  e 
Deo  and    Emily   M. 

both  deceased,  and  the  others  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs  the  daughter  ol  Daniel  and  l 


ily   (Bowan)    Meacham,    natives   of   Cattaraugus 
nty,  N.  Y.,  where  the  father,  who  was  a  gen- 
eral  fanner  and  dairyman,  was  accidentally  killed 
1>\  a    threshing  machine   in    1876.      His   wid 
who  still   resides  on    the  old   homestead  farm  in 
rk  Mate,  was  born  March  30,   1825,  and 
is  the  mother  of  ten  children,  as  follows:      Louisa, 
wife  of  C.  C.reene,  of    New   York;  Recinna,  wife 
H.    Hopkins,  of    the  America; 

Lewis  1).,  of  New  York; Janet,  wife  of  1  >.  Milks, 
of  New  York;  fosia   A.,  wife  ol    L.    |  I  the 

same   Mate;  Altha,   wife   of   F.  Chamberlain 
York;  and  three  that  died  in  infancy. 
Politii  ally,  Mr.  Le)  man  upportei 

of  Democratic  princi] 

;  he  popular  chairman 
tral  committee  of  his  party,  in   wl 
taki  He  is 

a    p  I    and   influential   citizen,   1  heerfully 

giving  In--  suppi  Tt  to  I  hi 
public    development,   and    with    hardly    an 
ception  he  has  1  nected   with  every  inter- 

that    has  prom  neral    \\        :         His 

name  is  a  synonym   for  honorabli  leal- 

ing,  dways   mentioned  a-   one  of  the 

in\  aluable  citizens  ol  nty. 


J  (MIX    GOWLAND,  id    Manu- 

at     Phi  ntre 

in-  of  the  leading  foundrymen  as 
well  as  an  active  and  influential  polil  ;  ker. 

lie   is  ;i   native  of   Engla  id  ire  many  ol 

minent  citizens;  but  as  he  was  but  two  years 
old  when  he  crossed  the  ocean  the  (hums  of  the 
mo''  Intry   are  but  light.      Certainly  t. 

ts    no    more    loyal    American    than    h 
proved  by  h  i\  ice  in  the  | 

durii 

born   at    Middlesbon 
Yorl  shi)  47.  and  ind- 

William  Gowland,  a  railroad  contra' 
who  constructed  the  first  railway  in  England,  the 
line  extending  from  Darlington  t"  Stockton, 
lost   his  life  through  an  ex| 
thew  Gowland,   our   subject's   father,    was  I 
May  12,  1825     at  Dai  n,   in  th 

'in'',    England,  and  became  a  machinist 
He   married    M 
native  of  Stockt'  m,  Yi  11  kshii 
tember    1 .     1 82 1.       I  one    to    America    in 

1S49,  ai  'i    South 

I  '  bruary  8,  1  851 »,  the)  came  to  \\  uT 
■  :.  Penn.,  from  there  to  Philipsburg  to 
Matthew  Gorland  establishing  '"In 

and  machine  shop  there,  and  carrying  on   b 
sfully  until  his  death,    which 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


373 


red  July  10,  1889.  He  was  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  his  political 
views  was  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Jane  Gowland  is 
still  living  and,  notwithstanding  her  advanced 
age,  is  in  excellent  health.  Of  rive  children,  our 
subject  is  the  eldest.  (2)  Jane  Anne,  wife  of 
Thornton  G.  Dunkle,  resides  in  Ninth  street, 
Philipsburg,  Penn. ;  (3)  Francis  D.,  born  at 
Williamsport,  April  28,  1S55,  is  foreman  in  the 
Gowland  Manufacturing  Company's  shop;  (4) 
George  A.,  born  May  29,  i860,  died  September 
9,  1885;  (5)  Fred,  born  December  18,  1861,  is 
engaged  in  the  plumbing  and  steam-fitting  busi- 
ness at  Philipsburg. 

John  Gowland  attended  the  schools  of  Will- 
iamsport during  boyhood,  and  learned  the  ma- 
chinist's trade  there.  As  a  youth  of  seventeen 
he  shouldered  a  musket  during  the  dark  ages  of 
the  Civil  war,  enlisting  February  8,  1864,  in 
Company  G,  8th  P.  V.  C. ,  which  was  consoli- 
dated at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  June  24,  1865,  with 
Company  M,  16th  P.  V.  C,  and  mustered  out 
of  service  at  Richmond,  August  11,  1865.  Mr. 
Gowland  saw  some  hard  fighting,  taking  part  in 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  in  the  final 
campaign  which  ended  with  Lee's  surrender. 
For  a  time  after  his  return  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  the  West  Branch  Iron  Works  at  Will- 
iamsport, and  February  8,  1869,  he  went  to 
Philipsburg  to  go  into  business  with  his  father. 
Since  the  latter's  death  the  foundry  and  machine 
shop  have  been  conducted  under  the  present  linn 
name. 

On  December  23,  1869,  Mr.  Gowland  was 
married  at  Fairport,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  to  Miss 
Alice  A.  La  Ransieur,  a  native  of  Clyde,  N.  Y. , 
born  January  12,  1850.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: (1)  Matthew  Francis,  born  December  4, 
1870,  a  machinist  in  his  father's  shop,  married 
Miss  Bessie  Ratcliffe,  and  has  two  children- 
John  and  Alice  M. ;  (2)  Alice  Jane,  born  Febru- 
ary 24,  1878,  is  at  home.  Mrs.  Gowland  is  a 
Presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  but  our  subject  is 
an  Episcopalian.  He  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  his  advice  is  esteemed  in  the  party  coun- 
cils. On  May  15,  1884,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  office  of  postmaster  at  Philipsburg,  by  Presi- 
dent Arthur,  and  served  until  June  30,  1888. 
For  one  year  he  held  the  office  of  burgess  of  the 
city,  and  since  that  has  been  a  member  of  the 
city  council.  He  is  also  president  of  the  board 
of  health  of  Philipsburg.  Five  years  ago  he  be- 
came identified  with  the  Ancient  and  Illustrious 
Order  of  the  Knights  of  Malta  of  the  Continent 
of  America,  with  headquarters  at  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land. At  present  he  is  Deputy  Grand  Com- 
mander, and  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Supreme 


Grand  Commandery  which  convened  at  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  on  the  13th,  14th  and  15th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1896.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
John  W.  Gerry  Post  No.  90,  of  Philipsburg,  and 
served  as  quartermaster  two  years,  and  also  as 
commander  of  the  Post  two  years.  In  the  Knights 
of  Malta  he  is  at  present  Grand  Generalissimo  of 
the  order  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  the 
supreme  representatives  of  the  order  to  Boston 
in  October,  1897. 


H 


1  P.  SANKEY.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find 
in  Potter  township  a  man  who  has  more 
friends  than  this  gentleman,  who  has  spent  his 
entire  life  here,  and  has'  so  lived  as  to  win  the 
high  regard  of  all.  In  an  old  log-house,  which 
was  weatherboarded  and  painted  red,  and  which 
stood  on  his  present  farm,  he  was  born  June  19, 
1834.  Different  branches  of  the  family  claimed 
descent  from  French,  English  and  Scotch  ances- 
try, and  probably  there  flows  in  the  veins  of  the 
progeny  the  blood  of  all  these  races.  Thomas 
Sankey,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  the  first  to  locate  on  the  farm  which  the  lat- 
ter now  owns.  He  died  in  1797,  and  his  will, 
which  is  dated  August  17,  1794,  and  was  recorded 
at  Lewistown,  Penn. ,  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
H.  P.  Sankey. 

Jeremiah  Sankey  (grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject), and  his  brother  Thomas,  purchased  the 
old  family  homestead,  on  which  their  father  had 
located,  buying  the  same  in  1802  from  the  exec- 
utors of  the  estate  of  Gen.  James  Potter.  The 
grandfather  started  out  in  life  a  poor  man,  but 
after  a  few  years  purchased  his  brother's  interest 
in  the  farm,  and  later  became  an  extensive  and 
successful  agriculturist.  He  married  Margaret 
Neil,  and  they  now  rest  in  Centre  Hill  cemetery, 
the  grandfather  dying  when  about  sixty  years 
of  age. 

James  Sankey,  the  eldest  son  of  the  family, 
was  born  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county,  in 
1 798.  He  was  married  in  his  native  township 
to  Rebecca  Pennington,  who  was  born  in  Potter 
township,  in  1802,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Margaret  Pennington.  They  began  their  do- 
mestic life  in  the  Nittany  Valley,  near  Salona, 
where  James  Sankey  and  his  father  purchased  a 
farm.  About  six  years  later  he  removed  to  Pot- 
ter township  to  occupy  the  old  homestead,  which 
was  left  vacant  by  his  father's  death,  and  there 
he  remained  until  he,  too,  was  called  to  the 
home  beyond,  June  10,  1868.  His  wife  died 
December  20,  1887,  and  they  were  buried  in 
Sprucetown  cemetery.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat  until   the   organization   of  the  Know- 


874 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  BE(  <>HD. 


Nothing  party.  When  the  Republican  party 
sprang  into  existence  he  joined  its  ranks  and  con- 
tinned  as  one  of  its  supporters  through  his  re- 
maining  days.  During  the  war  he  was  a  loyal 
and  stanch  Unionist.      I  ears  prior  to 

his  death  he  was  an  invalid.  In  religious  belief 
he  was  a  Methodist,  took  a  very  active  part  in 
the  local  work  of  that  denomination,  and  held  a 
number  of  official  positions  in  the  Church. 

The  children  of  fames  Sankey  were  as  fol- 
lows: Mary  A.,  who  died  in  childhood;  an  infant 
daughter,  who  died  unnamed;  Sarah  C. ,  who 
married  Adam  Stahl,  and  died  at  Potters  Mills; 
Rebecca,  who  bei  ame  the  wife  of  John  Wolf,  and 
died  in  Potter  township;  Nancy  [.,  deceased; 
James  W.,  who  served  in  Company  G,  49th 
1'  V.  I.,  and  is  now  in  Humbolt  county,  Iowa; 
II  P.,  of  this  review;  Jeremiah  A.,  who  served 
in  Compaq  I,  [48th  P.  V.  I.,  and  died  at  City 
Point,  Perm.  ;  Robert  A.,  who  served  for  three 
months  in  an  emergency  company  during  the 
(  ivil  war,  and  is  now  an  attorney  of  Wichita, 
Kans  ;  Isaac  P.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Mary  M.,  wife  of  Leonard  Rhone,  of  Pot- 
tei  township;  and  John  E  .  who  died  in  infancy. 
The  history  of  the  Sankey  family  cannot  fail 
to  prove  of  interest  to  many  of  our  readers,  for 
its  representatives  have  been  connected  with   the 

his  1  inty  for re  than  a  century). 

II.  P.  Sankey  has  likewise  been  a  prominent  res- 
ident "i  the  community,  and  is  looked  upon  s 
leader  in  questions  that  concern  the  public  wel- 
fare. He  began  his  education  m  an  old  school 
house,  long  since  destroyed,  in  Potters  Mills,  his 
first  teacher  being  John  Gilliland.  After  leaving 
the  common  he  spent  .1  year  in  stud)  in 

Mount  View  Academy,  at  Potters  Mills,  after 
which  he  began  teaching  in  Potter  township, 
h.i\  ing  1  harge  1 1!  .1  four-monl  » >1.      Subse- 

quently he  attended  s<  hool  m  W'illiamsport ,  and 
throughout  his  life  he  has  added  to  his  knowl- 
edge by  extensive  reading,  1  arryinghi  n  hes 
far  into  the  fields  '.I  literature.  He  is  a  man 
oi   scholarly  tastes,  ol   retentive   memory,   >tn 

mentality  and  br I  general    information.      He 

remained  at  home  until  his  enlistment  in  the 
I  in.. n  army,  April  10,  r86i.  Hardly  had  the 
thunder  of  Fort  Sumter's  guns  ceased  ere  he 
offered  his  service  to  his  country,  and  throughout 
the  war  he  was  a  valiant  defender  of  tl  ion's 

honor.  He  met  the  enemy  on  one  battlefield, 
was  taken  prisoner,  and  confined  in  Confederate 
military  prisons  for  one  year;  histermoi  service 
1  soldier  was  fourteen  months.  Returning  to 
his  home,  he  was  married,  October  10,  1 S65,  in 
Potter  township,  to  Elizabeth  E,  Rhone,  who 
was  horn  in  Potter  township.  October    12,  1N41. 


a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  1  Kerstetter) 
Rhone.  On  April  1,  1  .X66,  they  moved  to  their 
their  present  home,  and  the  following  children 
have  come  to  bless  their  union:  Edith  M.,  a 
graduate  of  Lutherville  Seminary;  James  A  . 
who  operates  the  home  farm;  Mabel  S.,  a  teacher; 
and  Marcellus  A.,  a  student  in  the  Lock  Haven 
Normal  School.  The  family  occupy  a  high  po- 
sition in  social  circles,  and  one  of  the  charms  of 
their  home  is  its  free-hearted  hospitality. 

For  four  years  Mr.  Sankey  has  been  unable 
to  attend  to  the  duties  of  the  farm  owing  to  ill 
health,  resulting  from  hardships  which  he  en- 
dured as  a  prisoner  of  war.  but  he  gives  to  the 
farm  his  careful  supervision,  and   its  business  in- 

-ts  are  ably  managed.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  with  Prohibition  proclivities,  and  is 
well  informed  on  the  issues  ol  the  daw  He  I 
held  various  offices  in  Chin  1  h  .md  Sunday-si  hool, 
and  he  and  his  family  are  prominent  in  Church 
work.  Few  men  in  Potter  township  are  more 
widely  known  than  Mr.  Sankey.  and  he  com- 
mands the  highest  respect  of  all.  He  is  a  man 
ol  the  >trictest  integrity,  benevolent  and  kindly, 
and  his  life  has  been  ever  upright  and  true. 


JAMES  C.   CONDO,  a  blacksmith   and    w; 
and  carnage  dealer, of  Penn  Hall. Centre  coun- 
ty, is  a  representative  of  one  of  theold  families 
ol  Penn's  Valley.      He  was  born  in  Gregg  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  April   23,  1851,  the  see 
s.n  and  third  child   of   Daniel   and   Sarah  (Lutz) 
Condo.      His  grandfather,  Daniel  Condo,  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  followed   farming.      He   held   membership  111 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics  was  a  stanch 
Whig.    He  died  of  typhoid  fever  in  Penn  Hall.   His 
children  were:      Jacob,   a  blacksmith,  of    Illiii 
I  nine,  who  died   in  (  entre   Hall;  Daniel;  Eli 
who  was  killed  in  the    army;  John    who   died   in 
Calil  Emanuel,  who  started  to  return  fi 

the  gold  fields,  and  was  never  heard  from   again 

ph,  who  died  in  Penn    I  [all;   Susan, 
Philip    Musser;    Polly,    deceased    wife     of     R 
Kreamer;  Rebec  Da       [Swartz;  Lydia, 

wife  of  George  Musser.  of    Illinois;  Sarah,  widow 
ol  Christian  Musser.  of  Ohio;  and   Mrs.  R 
Pricker,  ol  Boalsburg,  Centre  county. 

tiel  Condo,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  April  29,  1822,  attend 
the  common  schools  and  learned  the  blacksmitl 
trade.      He  was  married  in  September,   1843,  '" 
Rebecca    Shreffrer,    born    November    1;. 
I  hev   had  two    children:      One    died    in    in! 
and    Jared    P.,  bom    February   4,    [844,  servi 
in  the  Union  army,  and  is  now  a  blacksmith  and 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


375 


weaver  of  Spring  Mills.  The  mother  died  April 
20,  1 846, and  the  father  on  March  4, 1847, married 
Sarah  Lutz,  who  was  born  in  Haines  township, 
Centre  county,  March  22,  1826,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Catharine  (Stover)  Lutz.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Condo  became  the  parents  of  the  following 
named  children:  Cyrus,  of  California,  was  born 
April  10,  1848;  Harriet  C. ,  born  January  2, 
1850,  is  the  wife  of  Amos  Koch,  of  Ferguson 
township,  Centre  county;  James  C. ;  Susan  M., 
born  January  5,  1854,  died  in  September,  1869; 
John  P.,  born  August  11,  1855,  is  ex-sheriff  of 
Centre  county;  Lot,  a  blacksmith  of  Potters 
Mills,  was  born  September  10,  1857;  Jonas  was 
born  January  6,  i860;  Daniel  H.,  born  July  18, 
1862,  died  October  6,  1869;  Sarah  R.,  born 
January  26,  1867,  died  October  29,  1869;  Mary 
L.,  born  January  19,  1869,  is  now  the  wife  of  J. 
\V.  Rouch,  of  Penn  township;  and  Adeline,  born 
in  September,   1871,  died  in  January,   1872. 

The  father  of  this  family  followed  blacksmith- 
ing  in  Penn  Hall  and  Spring  Mills.  In  1847  he 
located  in  George's  Valley,  and  during  the  Civil 
war  he  served  in  the  Union  army  nearly  three 
years.  He  followed  blacksmithing  until  the  day 
before  his  death,  which  was  occasioned  by  heart 
disease  and  occurred  February  1 1,  1871.  Hebe- 
longed  to  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics 
was  a  Whig  and  Republican.  His  wife  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church  since  the  age 
of  eighteen  years.  For  five  years  after  her  hus- 
band's death  she  lived  in  George's  Valley,  and  has 
since  made  her  home  among  her  children. 

James  C.  Condo,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  began  his  education  under  the  direction 
of  Frederick  Jamison,  and  after  completing  his 
elementary  studies  in  the  district  schools  became 
a  student  in  Penn  Hall  Academy.  He  remained 
at  home  until  1862,  when  his  father  and  half- 
brother  went  to  the  army,  and  he  started  out  in 
life  for  himself,  although  only  eleven  years  of 
age.  He  worked  as  an  errand  and  stable  boy 
around  a  hotel  in  Penn  Hall,  and  in  the  winter 
of  1863-64  was  employed  by  George  Dale,  near 
Lemont.  While  thus  engaged  a  horse  fell  on  the 
lad's  left  leg,  breaking  the  bone  in  two  places, 
and  he  was  disabled  for  almost  a  year  in  conse- 
quence. When  he  had  recovered  he  began 
learning  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  his  father's 
shop,  but  before  he  had  completed  his  appren- 
j  ticeship  his  father  died.  He  then  went  to  Haines 
I  township,  Centre  county,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Squire  Hosterman,  who  also  died  a  few 
months  later.  Mr.  Condo  afterward  went  to 
Woodward,  where  he  worked  a  few  months  for 
Mr.  Miller,  and  then  entered  the  employ  of 
Daniel  Geary,  of  Penn  township.      Subsequently 


he  purchased  his  employer's  shop,  and  for  ten 
years  engaged  in  blacksmithing  there.  He  was 
very  energetic,  and  the  excellent  quality  of  his 
work  secured  him  a  liberal  patronage.  When 
the  old  Condo  homestead  was  for  sale  he  pur- 
chased that  property,  thus  providing  a  home  for 
his  mother  and  the  younger  children  of  the 
family.  In  March,  1S79,  he  purchased  the  prop- 
erty of  J.  B.  Fisher,  of  Penn  Hall,  and  has  since 
retained  his  residence  and  smithy  there. 

In  November,  1875,  in  Aaronsburg,  Mr. 
Condo  married  Miss  Jennie  Wolf,  of  Penn  town- 
ship, daughter  of  William  and  Catharine  (Kramer) 
Wolf,  and  a  native  of  Miles  township,  Centre 
county.  Five  children  bless  their  union:  Carrie 
M.,  Clara  L.,  Ella  V.,  Charles  F.  and  Sarah  C, 
and  the  family  circle  yet  remains  unbroken.  Mr. 
Condo  votes  with  the  Democratic  party  on  State 
and  National  elections,  but  at  local  elections, 
where  no  issue  is  involved,  he  pays  no  regard  to 
party  ties.  He  has  served  as  clerk  of  his  town- 
ship several  terms.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity  of  Centre  Hall,  and  in  religious 
faith  he  is  identified  with  the  Reformed  Church. 
His  life  has  been  successful,  and  he  may  well  be 
proud  of  his  achievements,  for  his  prosperity  is 
the  just  reward  of  his  own  labors. 


JW.  HARTER,  a  substantial  and  valued  cit- 
izen of  Rebersburg,  Centre  county,  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  Gregg 
township,  April  5,  1855,  and  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  an  honored  pioneer  family  of  the 
county,  which  is  of  German  origin.  His  great- 
grandfather, Andrew  Harter,  who  lived  one  mile 
south  of  Aaronsburg,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  a  large  landowner.  In  religious  belief  he  was 
a  Lutheran  and  in  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
His  death  occurred  in  1844,  while  his  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Julia  Moyer,  died  a  few 
years  previously,  and  both  were  interred  in  the 
Aaronsburg  cemetery.  In  their  family  were  John, 
Jacob,  Mrs.  Julia  Moyer,  George,  Andrew  and 
William,  all  now  deceased. 

John  Harter,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  Aaronsburg,  and  in 
that  village  was  educated.  He  married  Barbara 
Musser,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Musser,  a  farmer 
living  near  the  cemetery  at  Millheim,  Centre 
county,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren; Sarah,  Katie  and  Mollie,  who  all  died  when 
young;  Annie,  who  died  of  diphtheria,  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years;  Mrs.  Rebecca  McCool,  who  is 
living  at  Spring  Mills,  Centre  county;  and  Sam- 
uel, the  father  of  our  subject.  For  twenty-one 
years  the  grandfather  operated  a  rented  farm  be- 


876 


OOMMEMORA  II VH  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


loiifiintc   to   James   Duncan,   but   the   last  ele 
years  of  his  life  weri  upon  a  farm  of   133 

acres  near  Spring  Mills,  which  he  purchased  ami 

itly  improved.      He  was  entirely  a  self-made 
man,  whose  sue  hie  t<>  his  own 

1  work     hastened    his  death, 
whii  :  ilitically  In-  was  iden- 

:d  with  1.      D        icratic  party,  and  in  religious 
belief  hi  r  of  the   Penn's 

Creek  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  was  an 
officeholder.  His  faithful  wife  survived  him  only 
about  sr 

The  birth  of  Samuel  Harter,  the  father  of  our 

1  |,  1  832,  tv."  m 
and  >t    "t    Millheim,  and    in    the 

scho  Hickman's   cemetery   he   began   his 

ication,    which    he   completed   in  the   Beaver 

k,  to  which  he  had  to 
walk  a  of    two    miles.      At    the    age    of 

twenty-om     h     was  unit  irriage  with  Miss 

I  .ydia  Ann  I  LUghter  of  William 
Catharini  (Ha  terman)  Grove,  who  lived  upon 
the  farm  where  Mr.  Harternow  makes  his  home. 
Five  children  were  born  of  this  union,  nam 
|ohn  W.,  of  th  Alice,  d  d  wife  of 
Philip  Auman,  \  ring  Mil  |  ired 
Howard  who  married  Louise  Breon, 
and  died  <>t  typhoid  fever  in  1  ra,  who 
married  Minnie                 ,.  and   h           pon  .1  fai  m 

athei  innie  R.  .  \\  ife  <>f  Calvin 

Finkle,   alsi  living  near    Mr.    Hai 

r  until  his  father's  death. 
Samuel  Harl  farm,  and  a 

t  $51  '  per  acre.  Subse- 
quently he  bought  1  ,  upon  which  he  now 
resides,  and  in  addition  also  ow  timber- 
land.  He  i  'tin  1  >emo- 
cratie  parts,  and  has  been  called  upon  to  till 
ral     ffii    1                                 ir  and  trust,  including 

tile 

schi  A  sincere  and  1  hristian, 

In-  is  a  prominent   memi  Church 

in  <  ■  ■  illey. 

'-■■■  nship  fur- 
nished our  subject  his  educational  privileges,  and 
his  first  teacher  was   F.   F.  Jamison,      He  1" 
his   bu  by   clerking  in   the  gen 

store  ol  Shook  Brothers,  at  Farmers  Mills,  for  $96 
per  year  and  board,  and  there  he  remained  for 
over  a  i  then    spent    a    short  lime  on  his 

father's  1. 11111,  alter  which  hi  for  a 

year  and  a   half   in   the    general    store    "f   T.  I. 

II  m  11,  ill  Logan  Mills,  Clinton  i  0  .  Penn.  Re- 
turning to  1  r  county,  bi  d  in 
clerking  for  the  same  length  <>f  time  foi  I  iedler 
&  K'unkle.  and  after  a  short  time  spent  at  home 
he  accepted  a   position   in    the  general   store  of 


Whitmer  &  Co. ,  at   Spring  Mills.      Subsequently 

he  made  a  trip  to  the  West,  visiting  portions  of 
Ohio,  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Michigan,  and  shortly 
after  his  return  home,  in  the  fall  of  1883,  came 
to  Rebersburg,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of 
C.  C.  Loose  as  clerk.  In  February.  [886,  he 
purcha  >ed  the  stock  of  Ins  employer,  and  con- 
ducted the  store  alone  until  February.  1888,  when 
Mr.  Loose  bought  back  a  half  interest.  ( >wing 
to  ill  health  Mr.  Harter  was  compelled  to  give 
up  11  ; id    in    1  I   ol    his 

interest  in  the  store,  since  which  lime  he  has 
principally  devoted  his  attention  to  the  lumber 
and  stock  business.  On  April  1,  iS'M.  he  had 
Ins  store  room  and  residence  destroyed  by  tire, 
but    the    same    year    I  the  best 

homes  in  Rebersburg,  and  the  yeai  tallowing 
completed  the  best  business  block  in  Brush  Val- 
ley,  which  is  also  located  in  Rebersburg.  He  is 
wide-awake  business  man  of 
known  reliability,  and  his  success  is  but  tin-  just 
reward  of  his  untiring  labor.  On  April  1  : 
he  a  .ness  in   Re- 

bersburg, under  the  firm    name  of    Harter,  M 
11s  &  Co. 

On  June  7,  1887,  Mr,   Harter  was  marri 
Mi-  -  bit  A.  Wolfe,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Kreamer)  \\  id  they  now  have  one'  child. 

— Ethel  W.,  born  July  The  parents 

are    both    consistent    members   of  the   Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  deacon  and 
sistant    superintendent    of     the    Sabbath-scho 
He  is  a    chartei  Rebersburg    I 

No.    1031,   I.  O.  0.    F.,  and    is   at 
cate  of    Democratic   principles,  on  which    ticket 
he  wasi  1.      Like  his  ancestors,  he 

is  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all  who  have  the 
pleasure  of  Ins  acquaintance,  and   as  on 
highly  respected  and  citizens  of  the  coun- 

ty, we  take'   pleasure  in  presenting;  th 
his  life  to  our  readers,  knowing  that  it  will  In 
<1  with  interest  by  his  many  friends. 


C   SUMNER    MUSSER,     M.    I»  .   ol    Aai 
bin  ne  counts, 

physicians  of  1''  tin's  \  all  \ .  and  in  the  thoi 
if  his  preparation  for  the  profession  fai 
ranks  the   practitioners   usually  found  in  a 
town.       To  an  extended  (■  Study  in  differ- 

ed nt  institutions  in   this  country  there  has 
added  the  advantage  of  observation  in  the  h 

1  urope,    thus    developing    nati 
which  bad  already  shown   themselves  in  an 
choice  of  this  arduous  profession. 

Dr.    Musser    was    bom    at     Millheim, 
county,  November  10.  1856,  and  is  a  descendant 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


377 


of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Pennsylvania, 
his  ancestors  having  come  from  Germany  during 
the  Colonial  period  to  settle  in  Linn  township, 
Northampton  county.  The  first  of  this  branch 
of  the  family  to  locate  in  Penn's  Valley  were 
Philip  Musser  (the  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject) and  a  brother,  Sebastian,  to  whom  numer- 
ous descendants  trace  their  lineage.  According 
to  the  best  authority,  in  the  year  1789  Philip 
Musser  located  upon  a  farm  in  Gregg  township, 
Centre  county,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death,  July  19,  1804.  He  left  eight  children- 
live  daughters  and  three  sons — the  names  of  the 
latter  being:      Philip,  Jr.,  David  and  John. 

Philip  Musser,  Jr.,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  the  eldest  child,  and,  like  his  fa- 
ther, became  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  locating  in  Gregg 
township,  Centre  county,  two  miles  east  of 
Spring  Mills,  where  he  died  in  1834.  He  was 
twice  married,  the  first  time  to  a  Miss  Kreamer, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Kreamer,  the  founder  of  the 
old  family  of  that  name  in  Penn's  Valley.  She 
bore  three  children,  one  son,  Samuel,  and  two 
daughters.  His  second  wife,  to  whom  he  was 
married  in  November,  1827,  was  Mrs.  Catherine 
Stover,  a  widow,  daughter  of  Joseph  Reichard, 
who  had  settled  near  Millheim.  Among  the 
children  of  this  union  were  Philip  T. ,  who  is 
mentioned  below;  and  Rachel,  who  married 
John  Lord,  and  died  November  6,  1863,  without 
issue. 

Dr.  Philip  T.  Musser,  our  subject's  father, 
was  the  eldest  son  of  his  parents,  and  as  he  was 
only  six  years  old  when  his  father  died,  he,  dur- 
ing his  boyhood,  made  his  home  with  his  half- 
brother,  Samuel.  Reared  upon  a  farm,  his  early 
education  was  limited  to  the  subscription  schools 
of  the  day,  and  it  was  not  until  1847  that  he  began 
to  attend  school  at  Mifflinburg,  where  he  spent 
two  years.  Having  been  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources,  he  had  a  hard  battle  to  fight,  but  he 
made  his  way  manfully  to  the  goal  of  his  ambi- 
tion. His  acute  and  active  intellect  enabled 
him  to  secure  a  good  elementary  education, 
notwithstanding  his  disadvantages,  and  then, 
under  an  excellent  preceptor,  Dr.  Robert  Van- 
Valzah,  of  Millheim,  he  in  1850  began  to  qualify 
himself  for  the  laborious  and  exacting  duties  of 
the  medical  profession,  and  in  1853  he  was  grad- 
uated from  Jefferson  Medical  College,  at  Phila- 
delphia. Until  1 86 1  he  practiced  with  his  pre- 
ceptor, and  in  1866  he  located  in  Aaronsburg, 
where  he  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  which 
continued  until  his  death,  December  31,  1889. 
While  he  stood  high  in  his  profession,  he  was  no 
less  prominent  as  a  citizen.  An  ardent  Abolition- 
ist, he  became  a   steadfast  supporter  of   the  Re- 


publican party,  but  he  never  sought  political 
office  for  himself.  During  the  war  his  influence 
was  felt  upon  the  loyal  side,  and  it  was  not 
through  a  lack  of  patriotism  that  he  did  not  go 
to  the  front  in  person,  but  although  he  volun- 
teered his  services  as  a  surgeon,  and  was  com- 
missioned by  Gov.  Curtin,  he  was  finally  rejected 
on  account  of  his  frail  physique. 

On  November  30,  1854,  Dr.  Philip  T.  Musser 
was  married,  in  Millheim,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Mum- 
bauer,  who  was  born  in  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  January  2,  1832,  the  only  child  of  Peter 
and  Mary  (Krumrine)  Mumbauer,  who  both  died 
at  Aaronsburg  and  were  buried  there.  Her  fa- 
ther came  from  Bucks  county.  Penn.,  to  this  sec- 
tion in  early  life,  and  became  an  extensive  farmer 
and  a  representative  citizen.  Mrs.  Musser  is  still 
living  at  the  family  residence  at  Aaronsburg,  a 
comfortable  home,  and  is  one  of  the  most  highly 
respected  residents  of  that  place.  Three  children 
also  survive,  to  whom  were  given  every  educa- 
tional advantage  which  could  be  obtained,  the  fa- 
ther thinking  no  sacrifice  too  great  which  would 
secure  for  them  the  opportunities  which  he  had 
vainly  desired  for  himself.  His  efforts  in  their 
behalf  were  not  wasted,  and  all  occupy  honorable 
and  useful  positions  in  society.  The  eldest,  Ella, 
was  graduated  from  the  female  seminary  at  Lew- 
isburg,  Penn. ;  she  married  Rev.  A.  J.  Irey,  a 
Baptist  minister  of  Warren,  Penn.  The  young- 
est of  the  trio,  Harvey,  is  a  graduate  of  Franklin 
and  Marshall  College,  and  of  the  law  department 
of  Michigan  University;  he  is  now  a  practic- 
ing attorney  at  Akron,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Musser  was  the  second  child  and  first  son 
of  his  parents.  His  education  was  begun  in  Mill- 
heim, one  of  his  early  teachers  being  Israel  Mus- 
ser. When  a  lad  of  ten  he  accompanied  the 
family  to  Aaronsburg,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, and  the  rudimentary  education  received  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  town  was  supple- 
mented with  a  course  in  the  Aaronsburg  Academy, 
an  excellent  institution.  He  also  attended  Penn 
Hall  Academy,  also  a  popular  school.  In  the 
fall  of  1873,  he  attended  Dickinson  Seminary,  at 
Williamsport,  Penn.,  for  two  years,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1875  he  entered  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College,  at  Lancaster,  Penn.,  and  was  graduated 
in  1878.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  began 
his  professional  studies  in  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  at  Philadelphia,  and  in  1880  received 
his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  that  school.  Under 
the  firm  name  of  P.  T.  Musser  &  Son  he  began 
his  practice  with  his  father  at  Aaronsburg,  and 
their  partnership  lasted  until  the  latter's  death. 
In  1882  our  subject  took  a  post-graduate  course 
at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and  in  1884  availed 


:;t~ 


OOMUEMOBA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   BBCOBD. 


himself  of  the   opportunity  for   further   study  in 

advanced    lines    at    the    Philadelphia  Polyclinic. 

will  be  inferred,  Dr.    Musser   is   an   untiring 

student  of  his  chosen  science.  In  May.  1885,  he 
sailed  from  New  York  <>n  the  Red  Star  liner 
••  Westerland,"  and  on  landing  at  Antwerp  he 
proceeded  to  Vienna,  where  he  spent  a  year  in 
the  "Vienna  il    Hospital  "  and  the    Poly- 

clinic. Before  his  return  to  the  United  States 
he  visited,  as  a  tourist,  other  parts  of  Europe,  in- 
cluding 1  I,  serin;.;  the  leading  cities  ami 
most  noted  scenery.  The  voyage  home  was 
taken  on  the  "  Germanic,"  of  the  White  Star 
line. 

Dr.  Musser's  progressive  spirit  is  recognized 
among  his  professional  brethren,  and  he  is  a  wel- 
come member  of  various  societies  the  Centre 
County  Medical  Society;  the  Pennsylvania  M 
ical  Society;  the  \\ ,  1  I  '.1  1,  1  '.].  lical  So  iety . 
the    Northwestern    Medical    -  of    Philadel- 

phia; the  American  Medical  Association;  and  the 
American  Academy  of  Medicine.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  thi'  Ninth  International  Medical  Congress, 
which  convened  in  Washington  in  [887,  and  of 
the  Pan-American  Medical  Congress  in  1893. 
He    also   belongs   to  the     American  Academy  of 

ial  and  Political  Science,  the  headquarters  of 
which  are  at  Philadelphia,  and  at  present  he  is 
one  of  the  consulting  staff  ol  the  Philipsburg 
I  [1  ispital,  a  State  Institutional  Philipsburg,  Penn., 
and  now  (J.  S.  Examining  Surgeon  for  Pensions 
at  Bellefonte,  Penn.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Lodgi  tie  Hall,  of  theC 

manderyal  Bellefonte,  and  of  the  well-known 
college  fraternity.  Phi  Kappa  Psi.  So  far  he  has 
not  donned  the  I  l\  mental  y<  ike. 

The  Doctor  is  no  politician,  but  he  takes  keen 
interest  in  the  success  of  the  Republican  princi- 
ple-., and  has  represented  his  township  at  conven- 
tions ami  in  the  central  committee  of  his  county, 
win,  is    sought    and    heeded    111    ever) 

: gency. 


J\('<  >B    WAGNER        Amon-   the   reliable 
energetic  and  successful  agriculturists  of  Pot- 
ter township,  Centre  county,  is  the   gentle- 
man   whose    name     introduces   this    sketch.       He 
was  born   m  the    same    township,   April    >>  >.    1- 
a  son   of    Jabob    Wagner,  sr.,  whose    birth    oc- 
curred   mar    Sunbury,    Penn..   August    17,    1803. 
On  coming  to  Centre  county  the  family  first 
located    in    Penn    township,  where   its    members 
operated  rented  land,  as  they   were  in  rather  lim- 
ited circumstances,  but  I       ,  and  dili- 
gem  e  they  became  quite  well-to-do.      1 
time  the  grandfather,  John  Wagner,  and  his  son 


Jacob  engaged  in  farming  together  in  Potter 
township,  but  la,ter  the  former  removed  to  Har- 
ris township,  where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
There  also  occurred  the  death  of  his  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catharine  Kunsman,  and 
both  were  buried  at  Boalsburg.  They  were  faithful 
members  of   the  Reformed    Church,  and   in  ; 

tics  the   grandfather   was  a   stalwart   Dei rat 

In  their   family    were    four    children;      Henrj 
minister  of  the    Reformed   Church,  who  died  in 
Lebanon   county,  Penn.;   Jacob;    Elizabeth,  who 
married  Frederick  Krumrine,  and  died  in  Fei 
son  township,  Centre  counts-;  and  John,  ol  I  '■ 
fonte. 

The  early  advantages  of  Jacob  Wagner, 
were  very   meagre,  and   his    education  was   of  a 
practical  kind  and   almost   wholly    self-acquired 
On  accompanying  his  parents  to   Centre  county, 
he  was  still  single,  and   in    Perm's  Vallej 
married,  January  .';,  1834,  t  ■  Miss  Anna  Hoster- 
man,  who  was  born  in    Haines    township,  C< 
county,  June  17,   1808,  a  daughter  of   John  Hos- 
terman,  a  farmer  by  occupation.      They  had  five 
children,  namely:      Mary  E.,  born  December 
[834,    died   February   23,    1835;  John   IP.  born 

,1,   [835,  died    July    10,    1890,  was 
tanner  of   Potter  township,  where  bis  family  still 
reside;    fac  ib    is  next   in   order  of    birth;   Catha- 
rine A  ,  bom  February  [8,  1840,  married  Sac 

k,  ami   died   in   Potter  township,  September 
20,    [865;   and  Sarah  C,  born  January  14.   \t 
is  the  wife  of   David  I  f  Centre  Hall.  ( 

tre  county. 

11  after  his  marriage  (about  1835  or  1 
the  father  came  to  Potter  township,  where  hi 
gaged  in  farming  with  his  father  f<  >r  .<■  ime  tune,  and 
then  purchased  the  entire  farm,  to  which  he  sub- 
sequently added  the  Jam  farm  of  seventy- 
five               making  in  all  a  valuable   tract  of 
260  acres.      Although    he    went    heavily    in   debt 
imount,  he  w               ry  industriou 
in,  and  si  'on    had    his    farm  clear, 
all   incumbrance.      Upon   that    place  he  contin- 
ued to  reside  until  1859,  when  he  remo\  ed  to  the 
farm  now  owned    and    operated    by    our  sub; 
and   repaired   ami    1               d   all   the  buildinf 

re    his   wife   died   October    ;,   1866,  and 
buried    in     Tusseyville.       He     afterward     married 
Mrs.    Henry   Bittner,    whose    maiden   name  ■■ 
Rachel  Bingerman,  and   who   did   February 

also  buried   in   Tusseyville.      In 
the  sain  1  air   subject    now 

the    father  died   very    suddenly    May    31.    i" 
He  was  an  upright,  honorable  man,  free  Iron 
ostentation  or    hypocrisy,  and    held  the  office 
deacon  in   the    Reformed   Church,  to  which  both 
parents    belonged.      His    political    support    v 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


379 


ever  given  the  Democratic  party,  and  at  one  time 
he  efficiently  served  as  supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship. 

As  a  boy,  Mr.  Wagner,  tKe  subject  proper  of 
this  review,  attended  the  Tusseysink  school,  and 
obtained  only  a  district-school  education,  but  he 
made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and  has  be- 
come a  well-informed  man.  He  early  began  to 
assist  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  and  continued  to 
give  his  father  the  benefit  of  his  labors  until  his 
marriage,  November  18,  1858,  to  Miss  Susan  K. 
Geiss,  who  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn., 
June  20,  1 841,  a  daughter  of  David  B.  and  Sarah 
(Kerlin)  Geiss,  farming  people  of  Potter  town- 
ship. Four  children  blessed  their  union:  David 
G.,  born  December  17,  1859,  is  a  farmer  of 
Will  county,  111.;  Ida  J.,  born  July  11,  1861, 
is  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Kerlin,  of  Centre  Hall, 
Penn. ;  William  J.,  born  March  16,  1864,  is  a 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  residing  in 
Cambria  county,  Penn. ;  and  Mary  C,  born  April 
4,   1866,  is  living  in  Illinois. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Wagner  located  on 
the  old  homestead,  which  his  father  had  vacated 
shortly  before,  and  lived  there  until  the  spring  of 
1867,  when  the  property  was  divided,  and  he  took 
the  northern  end  of  the  place.  His  wife  died 
there  November  2,  1868,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Tusseyville  cemetery.  He  then  sold  his  farming 
implements  and  household  goods,  and  spent  one 
summer  in  Will  county,  111.,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Wagner  was  again 
married,  August  4,  1870,  this  time  to  Miss  Cath- 
arine A.  Spangler,  who  was  born  in  Potter  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  October  20,  1841,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Rebecca  (Wagner)  Spangler. 
Her  first  teacher  was  Jane  Taylor,  who  conducted 
the  Pine  Grove  school,  where  much   of  her  edu- 

!  cation  was  obtained.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner 
were  born  five  children,  namely:  James  B.,  born 
February  27,  1872,  is  engaged  as  a  telegraph 
operator  at  Linden  Hall,  Penn.;  John  K. ,  born 
March  3,  1874,  died  August  6,  1890;  Susan  B., 
born  June  4,  1876,  died  August  13,  1890;  E. 
Clayton,  born  November  21,  1879,  and  Samuel 
S.,  born  January  31,  1885,  are  both  at  home. 
During  the  winter  following  his  second  mar- 

1  riage  Mr.  Wagner  lived  in  the  old  stone  house  on  the 

I  old  homestead  farm,  and  then  removed  to  the  place 
where  his  first  wife  had  died.  There  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  the  spring  of  [891,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  farm  in  Potter  town- 
ship, which  he  is  now  successfully  managing. 
His  landed  possessions  aggregate  270  acres,  di- 
vided into  three  farms.      They  are  well-improved 

1  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  being  in 
keeping  with  the  enterprise  and  progressive  spirit 


of  the  owner,  who  justly  ranks  among  the  best 
farmers  of  the  community.  For  years  he  has 
been  an  elder  and  active  worker  in  the  Reformed 
Church,  while  his  wife  holds  membership  with 
the  United  Evangelical  Church.  Their  hospit- 
able home  is  ever  open  for  the  entertainment  of 
their  many  friends,  and  they  receive  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  their 
acquaintance.  Socially  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange,  while  politically  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  has  been  elected  school  director  in  his 
township. 


ISAIAH  BECK.  Among  the  influential  mem- 
bers of  the  agricultural  community  of  Centre 
county,  and  one  of  its  most  prosperous  and  prom- 
inent citizens,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  here 
appears,  and  who  is  familiarly  known  as  "Col. 
Beck."  He  is  a  well  read,  accomplished  gentle- 
man, one  who  has  made  a  close  study  of  the 
leading  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  and  is 
well  informed  on  all  topics  of  general  interest. 

Of  German  descent,  Mr.  Beck  was  born  in 
Half  Moon,  Centre  county,  April  27,  1843,  and 
is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Cryder)  Beck, 
natives  of  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  their  births 
having  occurred  near  Warrior's  Mark.  About 
1800  they  came  to  Centre  county,  where  both 
died,  the  father  in  1883,  the  mother  in  the  year 
following,  and  their  remains  were  interred  in  the 
Lutheran  cemetery  of  Half  Moon  township.  In 
their  family  were  seven  children. 

On  December  24,  1865,  Isaiah  Beck  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Emeline,  daughter  of  Jacob  Musser, 
a  prominent  farmer  of  Harris  township,  Centre 
county,  and  seven  children  bless  their  union,  as 
follows:  (1)  Harry  E.,  born  December  27,  1866, 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Lock  Haven  and 
Westchester,  Penn.,  the  State  Normal,  and  is 
also  a  graduate  of  the  Pittsburg  Business  College; 
he  now  holds  the  position  of  bookkeeper  for  a 
coal  company  at  Osceola,  Clearfield  Co., 
Penn.,  where  he  makes  his  home;  he  married 
Minnie  Wood,  of  Coalport,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren. (2)  Barbara  E.,  born  September  12,  1868, 
became  the  wife  of  Harry  Ebbs,  and  died  June 
12,  1895,  leaving  two  children — Helen  and  Ma- 
bel. (3)  Irene  S.,  born  March  18,  1871,  is  the 
wife  of  Wilton  Dunlap,  a  Lutheran  minister  liv- 
ing in  Indiana,  by  whom  she  has  one  son.  (4) 
John  C,  born  April  11,  1874,  married  Bessie 
Whippo,  and  has  one  son;  they  live  at  Osceola 
Mills,  Clearfield  county.  (5)  Anna  E.,  born 
November  1,  1875.  (6)  Malan  B. ,  born  Decem- 
ber 28,  1877,  and  (7)  Clyde  O. ,  born  May  26, 
1880,  are  all  still  at  home. 


I  OMMBMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Prompted  by  a  spirit  of  patriotism,  Mr.  Beck 
enlisted  durii  ivil  war   in   the   22nd   Penn- 

sylvania Cavalry,  and  on  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service  re-enlisted  in  the  98th  P.  V.  I. 
When   hostilities  hai  I    he   returned   hi 

with  an  honorable  war  record,  and  has  since  de- 
voted his  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. His  tine  farm  of  160  acres  is  under  a  high 
state  1  if  cultivation  and  improved  with  excellent 
buildings,  which  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift 
and  industr)  ,4  he  has  been  a  valued 

and  prominent  m  a  Luth- 

eran in  1  belief,  and   in   politics  supports 

the  men  ami  measures  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  leading  and  active  member  of  society. 
hon  '  respected  by  the  entire  community, 

who  look  upon  him  as  one  of  their  most  wide- 
awake farmers  and  model  citizen 


FRANK.  T.    WALLACE.      To    a   student    of 
human   nature   there   is   nothing  of 

mine  into   the  life  of  a  self- 
made    man,    and    to    analyze    the    principles    by 
which  he  has  been  governed,  the  methods  he 
pun  know  whal   means  he  has  employed 

for  advancement,  and   to  stud}-  the  plans  wl 
him    promin  nabling    him 

highway  of  life  many  who  have  had 
a    more'   advanta  start.      Our    subject    has 

worked   his  own  way  upward   from  a  humble  be- 
ginning until  he  is  at  the  head  of  on 
the   important    in  ttral   City,   P 
township,  Centre  county  -proprietor  of  a   I 
brick  in                iv. 

Mr.    Wallace   w  at    Toluca,    Me 

Ma\  i    of    Louis  and  Maria 

Wallace,    nativi  tin   and  To- 

luca lively.      In  the  latter  place  they  met 

and    married,    and    there   spent    their   remaining 
days,   the   father  dying   in    [846,    at   the  agi 
forty- Ir  He  was  a  drover  and  weaver  by 

.•on,  and   both   were  devout   members 

1-  In  their  family  were  tour 
children:  Rosa,  Philip.  Donaciano  and  Frank  T. 
The  paternal    grandparents 

both  natives  of  Spain,  while  the  maternal  grand- 
parents were  born  in  Mexii  E  mish  extrac- 
tion. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  war-  Frank  T.  Wallace 
started  out  to  fight  life's  battles  alone.  He  came 
to  the  United  Mates,  and  from  [848  until  1850 
l  in  farming  at  Penn's  Valley,  Penn.  He 
then  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  brick-mak- 
ing  3  in  the  same  place,  and  at  the  end  of 

two  years  went  to  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
where  he  was  thus  d  some  three  y< 


Returning  to  Centre  county,  he  located  at  Belle- 
fonte,  where  he  contracted  in  the  manufactui 
brick  until  1861,  in  which  year  he  laid  aside  | 
sonal  interes  id  for  three  years  in  Com- 

pany F,  Second    Penn.  Cav.,  under  Capt.   P.   B 
Wilson,  of  Bellefonte.  ment  was  or| 

Harrisburg,   Penn..  and  sent  to  Wash 
ton.    I'.    C,    where    our   subject    remained    until 
honorably  discharged    December  He 

i  .  in    the   same   company  and 
it.  and   remained   in  the  service  until  ; 
tilities    had    ceased       He    was    wounded    in  the 
head  and  face,  which  caused  confinement  in  the 
hospital   for  two  weeks,  and  the  his  left 

On  August    i'  he 

was    taken    prisoner,    and    was    incarcerated    in 
Libby  prison  until  September,  when  he    • 

Salisbury,    X.  C.      Three   times  he  made  his 
escape,    once   by  digging   a   tunnel    seventy 
Ion-,    hut    was    twice-    recaptured.      Finally, 
ruarv  [I,  I J  1  ning  his 

.  ami  re] 
villi       ; 

home  and  v.  n  a  thirty-live  .lav-     furlough, 

bul  ard  disci 

At    Bellefonte,    Peine,    February  2,   1858,03 
Re  Linn,  a  Presbyt  Mr 

Wallace    w  Lucy  C.    CI 

who    was    hon,  I  'it  re    county. 

March  2  I,  and  thirteen  children  w 

to  them:  William  1'..  Tyrone,  a  railroad  n 
Robert  P  .  Frank  and  Louis,  allot  Central  ( 
Mary,  William  C.  Pletcher,  ol  t  hart 

n  :   Margaret,  wife   of    Edward    Williams 
1  lag   1  -town.    Md.  ;   Cora   J.  and 
Ethel,  ■  Lock  Hai 

Penn.  ;    and   Hariv    R.,  Anna   Belle,    I  '  i    and 

Winfield  P..  all  at  home. 

On   his   return    from    the    war,    Mr.    Wallace 
uned   the    manufacture    of    brick    at    Willow 
Paul.    Bellefonte,  hut  soon  afterward  establis 
his  present   plat  ity,   wh<  1 

doing  a  large   and   prosperous   business.      H 
sighted,  but   upright  and  i 
ble  in  all  his  dealing.-,  and  ha-  gained  the 
fidence  and  .•-teem  ol  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 

ntact,  either  in  business  or  in  a  social  wav 
politics  he  is  a  pronounced  Republican,  whili 
ternally  he  is  connected  with  tin  (.rami  Am 
the  Republic,  tl  1:.  and  the  L'nion 

ex-Prisoners  of  War.      An  l  hristian,  he 

is  a  worthy  member  ..1  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  all  the  relation-  of  life,   whether  public  >>r  pri- 
vate, he  ha-  been  true   to  every  trust  reposed  in 
him,  ami  his  loyalty  to   his   adopted  countrv 
been  manifested  in  days  of  peace  as  well 
following  the  old  flag  on   Southern   battle    fii 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


3S1 


HIRAM 
dealers  of 


DURST,  one  of  the  leading  stock- 
Gregg  township,  Centre  county, 
was  born  July  10,  1842,  at  his  father's  home,  a 
mile  west  of  Earlytown,  in  Potter  township,  a 
son  of  George  L.  and  Catharine  (Moyer)  Durst. 
He  began  his  education  in  the  Fairfield  school, 
and  during  his  early  boyhood  accompanied  his 
parents  on  their  removal  from  his  birthplace  to 
another  farm  in  Potter  township,  whereon  he  was 
reared  to  manhood;  he  then  continued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Plumb  Grove  school.  He  has  always 
been  a  stanch  advocate  of  good  schools,  and  has 
done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  educational 
interests.  On  the  home  farm  he  was  trained  to 
habits  of  industry  and  economy,  and  his  father, 
who  was  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists,  taught 
him  excellent  fanning  methods.  He  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage. 

On  January  1,  1864,  in  Hartley  township, 
Union  Co.,  Penn.,  Mr.  Durst  wedded  Miss 
Amelia  Schnure,  a  native  of  that  county,  and  a 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Lydia  (Kiester)  Schnure. 
After  a  short  married  life  the  wife  died  and  was 
buried  at  Centre  Hall.  Not  long  after  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Durst  and  his  brother  Philip  began  the 
operation  of  the  old  homestead  farm,  and  in  1868 
the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  operates,  com- 
prising 103  acres,  was  set  off  from  the  remainder 
of  his  father's  large  property.  This  tract  was 
entirely  unimproved  save  for  new  buildings  which 
had  just  been  completed,  and  were  ready  for  his 
occupancy.  He  was  again  married,  December 
26,  1867,  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county,  the 
lady  of  his  choice. being  Miss  Sarah  Bible,  who 
s  born  in  Potter  township  about  1842,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Bitner) 
Bible.  During  her  infancy  her  parents  removed 
to  Nittany  Valley,  where  she  obtained  her  educa- 
tion.  She  was  one  of  a  family  of  three  daugh- 
ter and  one  son,  and  was  the  eldest  to  reach 
adult  age.  When  a  young  lady  she  was  sent  to 
a  select  school  at  Potters  Mills,  and  afterward 
secured  a  certificate,  but  her  health  would  not 
permit  her  to  engage  in  teaching.  Her  father 
followed  farming  throughout  his  life,  and  died  at 
I  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife  passed 
j  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  and  both  were 
buried  in  Centre  Hall  cemetery. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durst  are  the  parents  of  the 
I  following  children:  (1)  William  B.,  born  No- 
vember 5,  1869,  died  October  20,  1887  (he  was 
a  bright  young  man,  and  received  good  educa- 
tional privileges);  (2)  Katie  E.,  born  April  11, 
1S74,  has  engaged  in  teaching  from  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  (3)  Anna  Lizzie,  born  June  4, 
1S80,  is  attending  school  in   Spring  Mills. 

Mr.  Durst  now  gives  his  entire  time  and  atten- 


tion to  his  farm,  and  has  placed  his  land  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  its  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance well  indicating  his  careful  supervision. 
He  is  also  extensively  engaged  in  raising  stock, 
and  has  some  fine  thorough-bred  Shorthorn  cat- 
tle, as  well  as  a  good  grade  of  hogs.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  industry  and  activity,  and  his  resolute 
purpose  and  tireless  energy  are  the  important 
factors  in  his  success.  As  a  citizen  he  is  true  to 
all  the  duties  that  devolve  upon  him.  His  polit- 
ical support  is  given  the  Democratic  party;  in 
religious  belief  his  wife  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
formed Church. 


OHN  J.  MUSSER.  The  representatives  of 
fhe  farming  interests  of  Centre  county  ac- 
knowledge this  gentleman  as  one  of  the  most 
progressive  and  energetic  agriculturists  of  Spring 
township.      He   is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 

iness  capacity,  intelligent  and  well-informed, 
and  has  identified  himself  with  all  enterprise? 
which  have  for  their  object  the  advancement  of 
the  community. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Brush  Valley,  Penn., 
March  31,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Fied- 
ler) Musser,  who  were  natives  of  Penn's  Valley, 
Centre  county.  The  latter  was  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Fiedler,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  of  German  lineage.  The 
paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Philip  Mus- 
ser, was  a  farmer  of  Penn's  Valley.  In  his  fam- 
ily were  nine  children:  Philip  (now  deceased  1, 
who  married,  and  reared  a  family;  David,  who 
died  on  the  old  homestead  in  Centre  county: 
Catharine,  wife  of  Michael  Musser;  Barbara,  wife 
of  John  Harter;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Schwartz; 
Pollie,  who  married  George  Elgin,  and  died  in 
Stephenson  county,  111. ;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
John  Housman,  and  died  in  Ohio;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; and  John,  the  father  of  our  subject. 

The  last  named  was  reared  upon  a  farm  at 
Spring  Mills,  Centre  county,  and  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade  until  1830,  when  he  located 
upon  his  maternal  grandfather's  farm,  a  mile 
above  Coburn,  Centre  county,  and  engaged  in  its 
operation.  He  was  born  in  1794,  and  departed 
this  life  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  and  six 
months.  Ten  children  constituted  his  family, 
namely:  Philip,  now  a  resident  of  Stephenson 
county,  111. ;  Catharine,  wife  of  Jo  Keller,  of 
Iowa;  Mollie,  wife  of  George  Breen,  of  Lena, 
111.  ;  Rebecca,  wife  of  W.  Kerlin;  John  J.,  of  this 
review;  Mrs.  Susan  Wetzel,  of  Spring  township, 
Centre  county;  Samuel,  who  was  quartermaster 
in  the  148th  P.  V.  I.  during  the  Rebellion,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of    Scranton,  Penn.;  Michael, 


88: 


'  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


who  was  a  member  of  Anderson's  Cavalry  in  the 
same  war,  and  is  now  living  in  Aaronsburg, 
Centre  county;  Israel,  who  belonged  to  Company 
1 ),  [48th  P.  V.  I.,  and  died  in  the  service;  and 
Mary,  wife  of  William  Schuch,  a  Luthei 
minister. 

Mr.  Musser,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  secured  a  good  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Centre  county,  attending  school  where 
now  is  located  the  city  of   B  te.      In  1857 

In  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Nancy  Jane 
Baird,  a  native  of  this  section  of  the  State,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them:  Frank  \\ '..  who  mar- 
in  <  I  Minnie  Rhinesmith (now  deceased  1.  by  whom 
he  had  one  child — John  Baird;  Eva,  wife  of  Dr. 
Kirk,  by  whom  she  has  three  children — Harold, 
Norman  and  Lois;  and  Carrie,  wife  of  Daniel 
Rhinesmith,  of  Clearfield,  Penn.,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children  —  Mary  and  Nannie.  For  his 
second  wife,  Mr.  Musser  wedded  Sarah  J.  Miller, 
they  have  one  daughter,  Katie  S..  living  at 
home. 

Mr.  Musser  nevei  left  the  parental  roof,  but 
as  soon  as  he  had  obtained  sufficient  capital  pur- 
chased most  of  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Spring 
township,  where  he  still  resides,  having  103  acres 
of  valuable  and  productive  land  near  the  city  of 
Bellefonte.  Its  neat  and  thrifty  appearance 
plainly  shows  its  careful  supervision,  and  the 
cultivated  taste  and  ample  means  of  the  owner. 
On  casting  his  first  Presidential  vote,  Mr.  Musser 
supported  Henry  Clay,  and  continued  to  affiliate 
with  the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolution,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  an  ardent  Republican. 
He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  and  a 
member  of  the  Grange.  Public-spirited  and  en- 
terprising, he  aids  all  worthy  enterprises  tending 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  community,  and  is 
assuredly  deserving  of  a  place  among  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Spring  township. 


JOHN  K.  HOSTERMAN.  A  problem  which 
has  perplexed  every  soul  conscious  of  its  re- 
sponsibilities on  the  earthly  plane  is  the  find- 
ing of  a  right  aim  in  life,  a  work  to  which  one 
may  safely  and  with  entire  contentment  devote 
one's  energies;  and  it  is  not  strange  that  amid 
the  disappointing  and  annoying  complications  of 
modern  life  there  .ire  those  who  regard  the  sim- 
ple routine  of  a  farmer's  calling  as  furnishing,  for 
them  at  least,  a  satisfactory  answer.  Like  Count 
Tolstoi,  they  hold  that  whatever  may  be  said  of 
the  value  of  the  work  of  the  poet,  the  lawyer, 
the  physician,  they  can  at  least  be  absolutely 
sure  that  in  raising  grain  and   fruits   to    feed    the 


hungry  they  are  meeting,  and  meeting  wisel) 
vital  need  of  humanity.      It  is  doubtless   for   the 
best  that  each  should  choose   his  work  according 
to  his  inclinations,  but  it  is  quite  in    accordance 
with  reason  that  we  should  find  among  our  agri 
cultural  communities  some  of  the  best    types  of 
manhood  and  womanhood,  whose  lives  and  speech 
and  manners  reveal,  in  their  straightforward  ad- 
hesion    to    first    principles,  a    grasp   of    realil 
which    is    not    always   found    in    more    artificial 
modes  of  life. 

The  many  friends  of    Mr    and    Mrs    John    K 
II    sterman,   of   Miles  township,  Centre  county 
will  be  gratified  to  find  in  this  brief  history  a  1 
manent  record  of  their  useful    life.      Mr.  Ho^; 
man  is  a  member  of  a    pioneer    family  of  Miles 
township,  Centre  county,  where  he  was  born  De- 
cember  26,   1826.      His    father,    George   Hoster- 
man,  a  native  of  Haines  township,  was  a  tanner 
by  trade,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  aged   thirty-three   years,  he 
was  residing  at    Millheim.      His   wife,  Catherine 
Kramer,  was  born   in    Berks  county,    Penn.,  and 
was  brought  to   Miles    township,  Centre   countv 
by  her  father,  Daniel  Kramer,  who  at  one  tim< 
resided   in    Kramerville.      Our    subject    was 
eldest  of  four  children;  Sarah    died  in    childh< 
before  her  father's  death;  Amanda  married  Sam- 
uel Wolfe,  and  died  at  Tylersville;  William,  oni  • 
a    merchant    at    Madisonburg    and    Rebersburg. 
died  at  St.  Louis.     The  mother  married   a  sec- 
ond husband,  Henry  Snuill,  of  Brush  Valley;  she 
died  in  Rockville    when   more   than   seventy-five 
years  of  age,  and  was  buried  in  Rebersburg.    Bj 
her  second  marriage  she  was  the  mother  of  si\ 
children. 

Mr.  Hosterman  was  but  a   boy  of  eight  years 
when  his  father  died,  and  soon  after  this  event 
he  went  to  Brush  Valley  to  live  with  relatiu 
spending  a  short  time  at  the  home  of  John  Ki 
er,    and   then  going  to  an   uncle,  David    Wolfe, 
near  Wolfs  Stoic      He  attended  the  schools  of 
his  time,  which  were  decidedly  inferior  to  th 
of  the  present   day,  and   was   reared  as  a  fanner 
boy,  his  work  being  chiefly  clearing  land.     After 
several  years  with    Mr.  Wolfe  he  began  to  learn 
the  tanner's   trade   under   Jeremiah   Haines,  but 
the  work  did  not  agree  with  him,  and  he  returned 
to  the  farm. 

In  1S4X,  Mr.  Hosterman  was  married  in 
Brush  Vallej  to  Miss  Margaret  Brungart,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Brungart.  She  bore  one  child, 
but  it  died  in  infancy,  and  she  passed  to  the  un- 
seen life  in  less  than  a  year.  Later  Mr.  Hosier 
man  married  his  present  wife,  Susanna  Grainley. 
who  was  born  Ma)  15,  [828,  in  Kebershi. 
daughter  of  Philip  and  Barbara  (PoormanJ  Grain- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


3S3 


lev.  Eleven  children  were  born  of  this  union- 
Olevia,  February  i,  1850,  is  now  Mrs.  Uriah 
Spangler,  of  Harvey,  Kans. ;  William  A.,  February 
23,  1853,  died  August  29,  1859;  George  W., 
February  22,  1855,  took  the  degreee  of  D.  D.  S., 
and  is  now  practicing  dentistry  at  Centre  Hall; 
Emma  J.,  February  3,  1858,  married  Washing- 
ton Shaffer,  of  Brush  Valley;  Annie  V.,  April  17, 
i860,  died  October  28,  1864;  Mary  A.,  July  27, 
1862,  died  November  4,  1864;  Edwin  G.,  May 
9,  1865,  is  a  farmer  of  Brush  Valley;  Ida  M., 
April  14,  1867,  died  March  25,  1870;  Ella  A., 
May  12,  1868,  is  now  Mrs.  Wallace  Kreider,  of 
Brush  Valley;  Lizzie  V.,  March  22,  1871,  is  at 
home;  and  Thomas  C. ,  April  4,  1873,  is  a  den- 
tist at  Rebersburg.  Mr.  Hosterman  has  educat- 
ed his  sons  well,  and  is  in  favor  of  better  schools 
for  all.  From  1852  until  1886  he  rented  a  farm 
from  his  uncle,  David  Wolf^,  which  he  bought 
at  the  latter's  death.  He  lived  on  the  place  un- 
til April,  1893,  when  he  purchased  his  present 
comfortable  home  at  Wolfs  Store,  and  removed 
there.  Even  at  his  advanced  age  he  can  often 
be  seen  at  work  on  his  farm,  the  habits  of  in- 
dustry, strengthened  by  more  than  sixty  years  of 
active  work  at  his  business,  being  difficult  to  lay 
aside. 

Mr.  Hosterman  is  well  known,  and  by  his 
courteous  manners  has  made  many  friends.  His 
methods  of  doing  business  have  always  been 
such  as  to  secure  for  him  a  reputation  for  the 
strictest  integrity.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
but  while  taking  keen  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party  he  is  not  a  politician.  He  has 
served  as  judge  of  elections,  and  for  twenty-one 
years  was  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  belongs  to 
the  Reformed  Church,  while  his  estimable  wife 
is  a  Lutheran  in  faith.  Both  are  descended 
from  prominent  and  highly  respected  families  of 
Centre  county,  and  both  do  credit  to  their  an- 
cestry. Kind-hearted  and  hospitable,  their  home 
is  a  most  pleasant  place,  and  the  serene  influence 
of  their  lives  has  done  good  which  cannot  be 
measured  by  earthly  standard. 


JOHN  M.  HARNISH  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  prominent  business  men  of  Boggs 
township,  Centre  county,  located  at  Snow 
Shoe  Junction,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming,  merchandising  and  in  the 
millwright  business,  and  is  also  serving  as  post- 
master. He  was  born  December  31,  1 831,  in 
Bald  Eagle  Valley,  in  the  same  township,  and  has 
since  been  actively  identified  with  its  interests, 
and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  progressive  and 
representative  citizens  of  the  community. 


Martin  Harnish  (father  of  our  subject),  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Maryland,  was  a  molder  by 
trade,  following  the  same  during  his  younger 
years,  but  later  in  life  engaging  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  In  Centre  county  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Catherine  Parson,  a  native  of  that 
county,  and  to  them  were  born  twelve  children, 
namely:  Antis,  a  resident  of  Lock  Haven,  Clin- 
ton Co.,  Penn.;  Andrew,  of  Illinois;  Margery, 
deceased;  JohnM.,  of  this  sketch;  Julia  A.,  wife 
of  George  T.  Michaels,  of  Lock  Haven;  Jacob, 
of  Snow  Shoe  township,  Centre  county;  Will- 
iam, of  the  same  county;  Allen,  who  was  killed 
in  the  Civil  war  in  the  seven  days'  fight  at  Rich- 
mond; Catherine,  wife  of  J.  C.  Showers,  of 
Bellefonte,  Penn.;  and  three  that  died  in  infancy. 
The  father  died  April  6,  1855,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four  years,  the  mother  in  November,  1872,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Both  were  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  in 
politics  he  was  a  Whig. 

Our  subject  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years  began  to  earn  his  own  liveli- 
hood by  working  at  odd  jobs.  Five  years  later 
he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  a  mill- 
wright, a  trade  he  soon  mastered.  He  continued 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  had  attained  his 
twenty-fifth  year.  On  April  7,  1859,  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Gowar,  and  they  have  become 
he  parents  of  eighteen  children — nine  sons  and 
nine  daughters — as  follows:  Clara  E.,  wife  of 
Joseph  Iddings,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township; 
Catherine,  wife  of  William  U.  Becker,  transfer 
agent  on  the  railroad  at  Harrisburg,  Penn.;  John 
T. ,  a  carpenter  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Milton  and 
Minnie  (twins),  now  deceased;  James  G.,  who 
died  in  1886;  Martha  A.,  Martin,  Elizabeth, 
Silas  E.  and  Minerva,  all  at  home;  Rosalie,  de- 
ceased; Mira  B.,  Marcella  and  Charles  B.,  at 
home;  the  others  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Harnish  was  born  in  Morgantown,  W. 
Va. ,  October  23,  1840,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Boyd)  Gowar,  natives  of  Baltimore, 
Md. ,  and  Glamorganshire,  Wales,  respectively. 
They  were  married  in  Ellicott  City,  Md.,  where 
they  remained  for  one  year  and  then  removed  to 
West  Virginia,  locating  at  the  iron  works  seven 
miles  from  Morgantown,  where  the  mother  died 
in  July,  1 84 1,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years.  In 
1845  the  father  removed  to  Bellefonte,  Penn., 
but  six  years  later  returned  to  Morgantown,  where 
the  following  seven  years  were  passed.  He  then 
went  to  Pittsburg,  where  his  death  occurred  Oc- 
tober 23,1 869.  By  trade  he  was  an  iron  worker. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Mrs.    Phcebe  McVicker,  widow   of   Britton 


384 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  IlIOGHAPUK  Al.  REOOBD. 


McVicker.      She  had   no  children    by  either  hus- 
band.     The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Har- 
ivere  James  and  th  i  Tampelton    Go- 

war,  who  spent  t h e i r  entire  lives  in  Glamorgan- 
shire, W  ind  the  maternal  grandparents 
were  William  and  Elizabeth  Boyd,  natives  of 
Ireland  and  Germany  respectively.  The  last 
named  died 

During  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr. 
Harnish,  in  [861,  enlisted  in  Company  F,  56th 
P.  V.  I.      After  serv  ing   for  -en- 

mained  in  the  service  lor  three  y< 
and  six  months,  or  until  hostilities  had  ceas 
when  he  was  honorably  d  I.      For  gallant 

and  faithful  ink 

aptain,  which    position    h  filling  when 

Washingti  >n,  D.  C.  The  regi- 
ment was  disba  Iphia.  On  Jul}' 
1 ,  1  863,  at  the  i 

1  he  righl  arm.      <  )n  being  mi  mt, 

Pittsburg,    I1  several 

months  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Ke) 

lie    1  the 

Lverson    &    Pi  ime  ' 

city,  but   in  to  his  present   home  at 

Sni  cw  Shi  ie  [unctii  >n,  ■•■  h 

fulh  pris- 

lligent,  hon  started  out   in 

life   poor,   but    has  become   one  of  the    leading 

iwnship,  prompt  and 
liable  in  all  his  dealings,  and  lias  gained  the  con- 
fidei  with  whom   he  has 

itact.      His  political  supp  \  er 

party. 


WS.  GLENN,  M    D.,   a  leading  physician 
at  S  inty,  a  gradu- 

ate 1  .1  of   Mi  rep- 

aid highly  1 
family  ol  that  county,  ol  which 
ha\  >sin  professii  mal  life.     \\ 

I  Iphraim   and  I 
l'eth    Mi  nn. 

John  Glenn  (thi  our  subject), 

who  was  ol    Irish  descent,  was  for  man) 
sua  griculturist    neai    l'i  [ills, 

ty.    born    in  iship,  in 

the  san  e  count)  .1  .  \.   1  800;  he   died  in 

that    town-hip    jami 
sixty-seven   y  H      wife,  I  i 

was  a  native  oi    I  ,  rguson  township,  horn  March 
21,   1  801 .  was  married    Feb]  u  u  y    1  8,    1 
died    April    i-i,    1895,    aged    ninety-foui     years. 
ir  children  wei  e       1  '.'\  id,  horn  D  r  6, 

I,  died  Ma)  10,  i  862,  in  hospital  .it  Paducah, 
Ky.,  from  wounds  n  itts- 


burg  Landing,  on  April  1  having  served  in 

the  -ist  Missouri   regiment,  commanded  by  ( 

ire.      Mary    C.    married   William    McCauley; 
he   was  killed  in  the  war,  and  his  widow  now 

I  [untingdon,  Penn. ;  Ephraim  is  di 
Eliza  is  the  wife  ol   F.    E.   Meek,  and  n 
\]toMn;i,    Penn.;    Nanc)    is    the   wife    of   M.    1". 
Burket,  ol   Mt.    Pleasant,   Iowa;   Mai  the 

wifi  irmick,    and   resides  at  Dan- 

ville, Iowa;  John   W.    died   in    1835;    Sarah 

lenl     1  Alt '  a. ;  Susannah    |.  ■• 

Robert  Meek,  andisa  resident  of  Altoona,  Penn.; 
Hi  nri   tl  1  is  the  wife  of   P.  W.  Burket,  and  1: 
at    Stormstown,    Penn.;    and    Thomas    S.,    who 

short  tune  in  the    i  lome   ( luard 
the  Civil  war,  di  t  868. 

Iiraim  Glenn  was  born  atPim  Mills 

ust     14.    1827    an<l    spent   his    life    in    Centre 

jricultural  pursuits,  enjoying 
1  of  all  who  knew  him. 
Christian,  being  a     member    of    the    M< 
Church  all  his  life,  1  3  known  to  utter  an 

oath,  every  day 
I  Ie  pass  unseen   lifi 

He  married  Elizabeth  Meek,  daughter  ol  Rheub 
.,  a  nal  i  ;  rn   in  1  8 

who  shim.     They  had  six  children:     (1 

W.  S.,    iui     tib  whi  1  w 

uated  from  Dickinson  Seminary,  then  from  \\ 
rsity  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  I 
tool  1  HI >.■    m   th 

Tlu  minister  ol   the  M 

Church,  and  is  now   located  at   Gettysbui 
1  >,   I  master  mechanic  in  the  Joho- 

- 
!  at   the  >)  Th 

is  a  graduati  and 

1 11st  it  ut . 
Ohio,  and  is  now  practici  al  Kixt 

■!  is  in  the  hardw 
at  Si 

Dr    W.    S.    Glenn  n   April  4.    1 

Ins  youth  w  I  with   his  fathei 

farm.   ■  His    father,    desiring    betl  mal    , 

facilities  for  him  than   the  schools  of  the 
borl  d  supply,  had  him   pursue  si 

at  the    ! 
■  Is  in    the  county.      After  this  our  subjo 
for 

niiii:.       i  I  licine  un 

Dr.   Kirk,   of   Bellefonte,  and    tl 
M  I  In 

raduating  in  1  883.      No  1 
i 
prai  icated   al 

where  he  has  built  up  an  extensi  I 

t  the  practice  at  th 


II 


^<% 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


385 


him,  while  the  people  of  the  village  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  place  full  confidence  in  his  skill. 
He  is  an  able  preceptor,  and  of  five  students 
of  whom  he  has  taken  in  charge,  all  are  now  in 
successful  practice.  Dr.  Glenn  married  Miss 
Mary  Henderson  (daughter  of  Robert  Henderson), 
a  native  of  Clearfield  county,  born  in  1862,  and 
six  children  have  blessed  their  union:  Olin, 
Harold,  Bessie,  Grover,  Willie  and  Anna. 

In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
is  actively  interested  in  the  various  social,  relig- 
ious and  philanthropical  movements  of  his  local- 
ity. He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  the 
P.  O.  S.  of  A.,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  National  State  and  Local  Medi- 
cal Societies  of  the  Eclectic  School  of  Medicine. 
He  takes  a  great  interest  in  educational  affairs 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
the  past  two  years. 


HENRY  MARK.  In  these  days  of  change 
and  restlessness  it  is  unusual  to  find  a  fam- 
ily occupying  the  same  farm  for  a  century,  but  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  a  prosperous  agriculturist 
of  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  enjoys  this 
distinction,  as  he  resides  upon  an  estate  which 
was  first  opened  in  the  primeval  forest  by  his 
grandfather,  and  has  ever  since  been  held  by  de- 
scendants. 

The  family  is  of  Swiss  origin,  and  the  first  of 
the  American  line  was  Killian  Mark,  who  crossed 
the  ocean  in  1735,  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  then  a  part  of  Lan- 
caster county.  He  had  a  large  family,  and  his 
eldest  child,  Conrad,  was  the  first  to  locate  within 
the  present  borders  of  Centre  county,  but  the 
panic  which  resulted  in  the  "  Great  Runaway"  in 
1778  caused  him  to  leave  and  make  his  home  else- 
where, and  none  of  his  descendants  are  to  be 
found  in  the  county.  Another  son,  Jacob,  came 
about  1 800  to  Centre  county,  where  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  days,  and  where  many  of  his  descend- 
ants now  live.  Rudolph,  another  son,  located 
permanently  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county, 
where  he  reared  a  large  family  of  daughters,  of 
whom  one  married  a  Mr.  Weaver  and  left  a  nu- 
merous family. 

The  progenitor  of  the  Centre  county  branch 
of  the  Mark  family  was  another  son  of  Killian 
Mark,  David,  our  subject's  grandfather,  who  was 
born  in  Lebanon  county  (then  Lancaster),  in 
1766,  and  was  married  there  to  Miss  Gertrude 
Kupp.  He  removed  to  Centre  county  in  1800, 
settling  in  Gregg  township  upon  the  present 
homestead,  which  he  cleared  and  improved.  At 
one  time  he  owned  more  than  230  acres,  but  later 

25 


he  sold  all  but  108  acres,  and  finally  reduced  his 
holdings  to  seventy-five  acres.  He  was  a  large 
man,  active  both  mentally  and  physically,  and 
had  remarkable  ability  as  a  mechanic,  which 
was,  however,  never  developed  by  training.  He 
engaged  in  different  trades  and  seemed  equally 
successful  in  all,  though  he  probably  did  more 
work  in  blacksmithing  and  shoemaking  than  in 
any  other  lines.  After  removing  to  his  new  home 
he  espoused  the  doctrines  of  the  Democratic 
party,  which  he  continued  to  hold  during  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Church  at  Millheim,  founded  in 
1806,  and  was  one  of  the  first  four  members  of 
the  class  connected  with  the  society.  He  died 
April  14,  1844,  and  was  buried  in  Heckman 
Cemetery  beside  his  wife,  who  passed  away  in 
1826.  They  had  ten  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject's father  was  the  youngest;  George  and  Eliza- 
beth did  not  survive  their  childhood;  John  died  in 
Snyder  county;  Elizabeth  (2)  married  Philip 
Swartz,  and  died  in  Snyder  county;  David,  Jr., 
died  in  Sugar  Valley  in  1874;  Catherine  married 
George  Heckman,  and  died  in  Gregg  township. 
Centre  county;  Rebecca  (Mrs.  Henry  Jacoby) 
died  in  Clinton  county;  Mary  married  (first) 
John  Kern,  and  (second)  Michael  Gephart,  and 
died  in  Millheim;  and  Lydia  (Mrs.  Jacob  Hen- 
ney)  died  at  Cedarville,  Illinois. 

George  Mark,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  at  the  homestead  August  17,  18 10,  and 
passed  through  the  usual  experience  of  the  sons 
of  pioneer  farmers  with  limited  means,  his  early 
education  being  confined  to  the  subscription 
schools  of  that  day.  He  was  fond  of  sports, 
especially  fishing,  and  was  a  robust  man,  his 
health  being  excellent  until  a  few  years  prior  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  December  17,  1880,  at 
the  homestead  where  his  entire  life  was  spent. 
Among  other  improvements  which  he  made  upon 
the  estate  was  a  commodius  barn,  built  in  1847. 
A  man  of  domestic  tastes,  the  old  home  was  al- 
ways dear  to  him  and  being  the  youngest  son  he 
remained  in  charge  of  it  during  his  father's  de- 
clining years,  and  after  the  latter's  death  he  set- 
tled the  claims  of  the  other  heirs  in  order  to  re- 
tain it.  He  was  an  earnest  and  thoughtful  student 
of  the  Bible,  and  while  not  a  member  of  any 
Church  he  helped  liberally  in  religious  work 
and  contributed  to  the  building  of  the  churches 
in  his  neighborhood.  His  convictions  were 
formed  through  his  own  investigations,  but  while 
he  held  them  firmly  he  never  argued,  not  caring 
either  to  convert  or  condemn  any  one  who  dif- 
fered from  him  in  the  belief. 

On  February  17,  1838,  Mr.  Mark  was  mar- 
ried   in  Gregg  township,  Centre    county,  to  Miss 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  REi  ORD. 


Margaret  Rager,  a  daughter  of  Simon  Rager. 
She  was  born   in   Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  Sep- 

ber  ii,  1S06,  and  came  to  Centre  county 
with  a  brother.  In  stature  she  was  small,  but 
shi  d    much    artistic    taste    and    sound 

judgment,  and  having  been  in  business  as  a  mil- 
liner and  dressmaker  at  Philadelphia  and  Har- 
risburg,  previous  to  her  removal  t<>  this  section, 
she  continued  those  occupations  at  Aaronsburg 
until  her  marriage.  She  died  October  21,  1851, 
leaving  one  son,  oursubject,  and  her  re  mains  now 
rest  in  Heckman  Cemetery.  She  was  a  devout 
and  consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church.  The  father  was  married  a  second  time, 
this  wile  being  Miss  Mary  Keen;  they  had  no 
children.  She  survived  her  husband  about  two 
years,  her  death  taking  place  at  Millheim  in 
August,    1882. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  May  13, 
1840,  and  has  always  hail  his  home  at  the  old 
farm,  to  which  as  the  sole  heir  he  succeeded  at 
his  father's  death.  During  boyhood  he  attended 
the  neighboring  schools  regularly  in  winter,  his 
firs:  '    !    being  Dr.  William  Stemm.      Stud) 

was  a  pleasure  to  him,  mathematics  being  espe- 
cially easy,  and  his  progress  was  rapid  in  all 
lines.  He  never  cared  to  teach,  and  remained 
at  home,  gradually  assuming  the  management  of 
the  plai  1 

On  January  15,  1863,  he  was  married  in 
Aaronsburg  to  Miss  Amanda  Heckman,  who  was 
burn  in  Gregg  township.  Centre  county,  April 
20,  1X42.      Her  father,  Frederick  Heckman,  was 

1    Peter   Heckman,    who  settled   in   that 

township  in  1797,  and  her  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Miller,  the  daughter  of  Christopher  Miller,  who 

\  ed    in    the    Revolutionary    army    for   seven 

us.  Mrs.  Mark  was  the  eleventh  child  and 
youngest  daughter  in  a  family  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  as  a  young  girl  used  to  assist  her  par- 
ents in  the  outdoor  work  of  their  farm,  as  was 
then  customar)  .  She  was  given  good  educati 
advantages  for  that  time  and  locality,  as  she  at- 
tended the  schools  of  Penn   Hall  afl  plet- 

the  course  offered  in  the  schools  of  the  Heck- 
man  district.      Ten   children   blessed   this  union: 
1  )  F.  W.  ami   1  2  )   Margaret  E.    tw  ins), 

born  September  21,  [863,  thi    former  being  now 
the  principal  of  the  public  schools  at  North  East. 
Penn.     He  married,  and  has  one  child — F.  \Y 
ward        Margaret    E.     married    William     Fiedler, 
and  resides  in  Grei  hip.  Centre  county, 

(3)    A  son  born  March  14,   1865,  dad  in  infancy, 
unnamed.      (4)    Ida   M.,   born  April  6,   [866, 
ried  Harry  W.  Weaver,  ol  Gregg  township. 
William  H.,  born  January  4.   1871,  married  Miss 
Vianna  Styers,  in  February,  1895,  and  resides  in 


Coburn,  Penn.      (6)  Sarah  E..  born  May  4,  1872, 
I  May  28,  1880.      (7)   Harvey  11.,  born  Janu- 
ary 10,  1874,  is  now  a  farmer  at  the  homestead. 

Andrew   E .  born  April   26,  1880,  (9)  Al. 
1    ,    April  1,   1SS2,    and    fio)   Loeda.    November 
26,  1888,  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Mark  and  his  wife  are  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Evangelical  Church,  and 
he  has  held  every  office  in  the  society.  At 
present  he  is  class  leader  and  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school.  As  a  citizen  he 
stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  the  community,  lb 
is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  his  farm,  which 
contains  145  acres  of  good  land,  showing  excel- 
lenl  management.  All  of  the  buildings,  except 
the  barn,  were  built  by  him.  In  business  trans- 
actions he  is  honest  and  upright,  and  his  com- 
fortable fortune  is  not  tainted  by  the  menioi 
any  unscrupulous  act.  He  has  always  been  fond 
of  reading,  the  information  thus  gained  covering 
a  wide  range,  and  including  the  varied  issui  - 
the  day. 


GEORGE  W.  GLACE,  one  of  the  representa- 
tive farmers  and  self-made  men  of  Pottei 
township,  Centre  county,  began  life  for  himself 
at  an  early  age  without  means,  and  by  the  exer- 
cise of  his  resolute  will  and  persevering  industry 
has  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  comfortable  com- 
petency. His  straightforward  methods  of  doing 
business,  and  his  value  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
munity, have  gained  him  a  wick'  cir<  le  "I  friends 
ami  acquaintances,  who  have  watched  his  career 
with  interest,  and  are  not  slow  to  acknowledge 
that  he  is  deserving  of  all  the  good  that  has  fallen 
to  him. 

Mr.  Glace  was  born  September  },  1850,  in 
Snyder  county,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Abel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Michael)  Glace,  fanning  people  of  that 
county.  When  three  years  ol  age  the  father 
died,  leaving  to  the  care  of  the  mother  thi 
lowing  children:  John  W.,  now  a  resident  of 
Cataract,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.;  Rebecca  J-; 
Samuel,  of  Oriental,  Juniata  Co..  Penn. .  <  i 

nd  Sarah,  wife  of   Charles  Stroup,  of  Cou- 
Penn.     The  father's  death  occuri 
Mahantango,    this    Mate.       Later    the    mothd 
wedded    William    Kane,    by   whom  she  ha 
daughter,  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Baumgarti 
1  le.ulield  county.      Mrs.   Kane  departed   this  life 
in  that  county  at   the  age  of  seventy-one  ) 
The  limited  education  which  our  subject 

btained  in  the  public  schools  of 
Snyder  county,  but  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  be 
left  the  farm  and  began  earning  his  own  livelihood 
by  driving  a  mule  team  on  the  tow-path. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


387 


sixteen  he  left  his  native  county,  being  then  able 
to  do  a  man's  work,  and  obtained  employment  in 
the  lumber  woods  of  Clearfield  and  adjoining 
counties.  For  fifteen  years  he  continued  to  fol- 
low the  lumber  business,  during  which  time  he 
worked  in  all  its  various  branches.  On  attaining 
his  majority  he  married  Miss  Anna  Confer,  who 
wasborninPottersdale,  Clearfield  county,  in  1855, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Confer,  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  They  went  to  housekeeping  in  the 
place  of  her  birth,  where  they  made  their  home 
while  he  was  at  work  in  the  woods.  In  1884  he 
erected  a  hotel  at  Cataract,  Clearfield  county, 
known  as  the  "  Cataract  House,"  which  was  the 
first  hotel  in  the  town,  and  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  the  spring  of  1896,  when  he  came 
to  Potter  township.  Here  he  purchased  the  John 
Sankeyfarm,  a  tract  of  seventy-five  acres,  which 
he  is  now  operating  with  skill  and  ability. 

Mr.  Glace  has  been  called  upon  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  his  faithful  wife,  who  died  December  29, 
1895,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Oak  Hill  cemetery 
in  Clearfield  county.  Eight  children  were  born 
to  them,  namely:  Tacy  E.,  now  the  wife  of 
James  Good,  of  Clearfield  county;  and  John  M., 
Maude  M.,  Lulu  B.,  George  W. ,  Alice  P.,  Bessie 
J.  and  Ceylon  W.,  all  with  their  father.  Mr. 
Glace  has  encountered  many  obstacles  all 
through  the  highway  of  life,  but  has  overcome 
them  and  steadily  pushed  his  way  forward  until 
he  now  has  a  comfortable  home  and  fine  farm. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  a  resident 
of  Clearfield  county  served  his  fellow  citizens  in 
the  capacity  of  supervisor  and  tax  collector. 


H' 


gentleman  has  been  spent  in  Boggs  township, 
Centre  county,  and  his  name  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  agricultural  and  commercial  in- 
terests of  this  region.  His  thorough  American 
spirit  and  his  great  energy  have  enabled  him  to 
mount  from  a  lowly  position  to  one  of  affluence. 
One  of  his  leading  characteristics  in  business  af- 
fairs is  his  fine  sense  of  order  and  complete 
system,  and  the  habit  of  giving  careful  attention 
to  details,  without  which  success  in  any  under- 
taking is  never  an  assured  fact. 

Mr.  Heaton  was  born  September  I,  1830,  one 
mile  northwest  of  his  present  home  in  Boggs 
township,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Walker) 
Heaton.  The  father  was  also  a  native  of  Boggs 
township,  born  March  10,  1800,  in  Bald  Eagle 
Valley,  while  the  mother's  birth  occurred  in  Mif- 
flin county,  Penn.,  July  7,  1808.  Their  mar- 
riage  was  celebrated    in   the    latter  county,  but 


they  began  their  domestic  life  in  Boggs  township, 
where  they  continued  to  make  their  home  until 
called  from  this  life,  the  father  dying  March  7, 
1877,  and  the  mother  in  February,  1892.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  contractor  in 
lumber,  and  he  efficiently  served  as  supervisor  of 
Boggs  township.  Both  were  faithful  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  with  which  they  united 
March  24,  1850,  and  in  politics  he  was  first  a 
Democrat,  but  after  the  war  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  Republican  party. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject, 
Enoch  and  Eve  (Fetzer)  Heaton,  were  natives 
of  England  and  Germany  respectively.  At  the 
age  of  seven  years  the  former  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  New  World,  becoming  a  resident 
of  Bucks  county,  Penn.,  where  he  remained  until 
1798,  when  he  came  to  Spring  township,  Centre 
county,  but  later  removed  to  Boggs  township. 
There  he  passed  his  remaining  days.  By  occu- 
pation he  was  a  hunter  and  laborer.  The  ma- 
ternal grandparents  were  also  of  foreign  birth. 
They  were  Jacob  and  Margaret  (McElwaine) 
Walker,  the  former  born  in  Germany,  and  the 
latter  in  Scotland.  At  an  early  day  they  removed 
from  Bucks  county  to  Centre  county,  Penn., 
where  the  grandfather  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 

Henry  Heaton  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth 
in  the  family  of  thirteen  children — six  sons  and 
seven  daughters — of  whom  are  mentioned:  Jane 
C. ,  widow  of  M.  G.  Williams,  and  a  resident  of 
Liberty  township,  Centre  county;  Henry;  An- 
drew, deceased;  Mary,  who  wedded  James  W. 
Harrison,  of  England,  but  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; Michael,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township; 
John,  deceased;  James,  a  farmer  of  Milesburg, 
Penn. ;  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Poorman,  of  Centre 
county;  David  W.,  a  farmer  of  Huston  township, 
in  the  same  county,  Hannah,  wife  of  F.  Robb, 
an  agriculturist  of  Liberty  township;  Isabella, 
wife  of  William  Robb,  a  merchant  of  Curtin 
township,  Centre  county;  and  Matilda,  who  died 
when  quite  young. 

Until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  Mr. 
Heaton,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  re- 
mained upon  the  home  farm,  assisting  in  its  cul- 
tivation, and  acquiring  a  limited  education  in  the 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  For  three  years 
he  then  worked  in  the  lumber  woods,  and  for  the 
following  year  was  employed  upon  a  farm,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  saved  enough  money  to  pay 
his  tuition  at  Bellefonte  Academy  for  one  year. 
On  leaving  school  he  then  traveled  for  a  short 
time.  On  May  24,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  E.  Shroyer,  who  was  born  in  Spring  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  March  10,   1833,  a  daughter 


:;.s> 


WOIIA  TIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Adam  and  Catherine  (Rarrick)  Snroyer,  the 
former  a  native  oi  Penn's  Valley,  Penn.,  and  tin- 
latter  of  New  Berlin,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
their  marriage  was  celebrated.  From  New  Ber- 
lin they  removed  to  Milesburg,  where  they  spent 
then  ning  days,  the   father  dying  April   9, 

1  s 5 1 ,  .iikI  the  mother  mii  February  22,  1880.  He 
followed    the    01  n    of    farming    through- 

out life.  In  their  famil)  were  the  following  chil- 
dren: Mary,  wife  of  Jacob  Schope,  ol  Miles- 
burg;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Emanuel, 
who  died  in  [894;  William  and  James,  who  both 
'died  in  the  army.  George,   d  ■!:  Adam  A.,  a 

railroad   man,  of    Milesburg;    and    Fllen,  wit 
[ohn  Schwartz,  a  farmer  ol  Boggs  township.    Six 
children  grai  nion  of  Mr   and  Mrs.  Heaton. 

namely:  Mar}  (  .  who  died  when  small;  Alice 
M.,  wife  of  O.  J.  Stover,  a  hotel  man  of  Eagle- 
ville,  Centre  county;  Lucy  B.,  wife  of  George  N. 
Neff,  an  agriculturist  of  Centre  county;  |.  Frank 
and  George  S.,  who  are  still  on  the  home  farm; 
and  Lida  J.,  wife  of  John  K.  Eckley,  of  Jackson- 
ville, Pennsylvania. 

Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Heaton  never  was  a  stout  or 
robust  woman,  bul  has  always  been  possessed 
of  good  courage,  and  in  her  younger  days  must 
have  had  no  small  amount  of  muscular  strength, 
as  the  following  incident  in  her  life  will  sen 
prove.  When  she  and  her  husband  first  settled 
"ii  tin  ir  farm,  deer  and  other  wild  animals  were 
plentiful  in  the  mountains,  and  one  day  a  large 
dog  chased  a  fine  deer  down  to  near  the  old 
Me.  Mrs.  Heaton  seeing  the  animals  ap- 
proaching, ran  down  in  the  direction  the}  Were 
coming,  by  which  time  the  dog  had  caught  the 
•  leer,  and  she  then  leaped  over  the  fence,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  hold  of  the  deer  and  keeping 
its  head  under  the  fence  stake  for  some  consid- 
erable time  until  her  aunt  reluctantly  brought 
her  a  knife,  with  which  she  (Mrs.  Heaton  1  cut 
the  animal's  throat.  The  two  ladies  then  suc- 
ceeded in  dragging  the  deer  into  the  field,  and 
Mr  Heaton  returning  home  shortly  after,  he 
dressed  the  venison.  This  was  truly  a  heroic 
a<  t  on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Heaton,  one  that  elicited 
much  comment  at  that  time,  and  is  to  this  da} 
the  sub]''  t  ol   no  litl  le  mirth. 

I  pon  In-  m  Mi     Heaton  located  upon 

his  present  farm  in  Boggs  town-hip,  which  was 
then  in  its  primitive  condition,  but  he  at  once  be- 
gan  its  improvement  and  cultivation,  which  he 
continued  until  August,  [862,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  [48th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  Mai- 
tin  Dolen  and  ten.  |ames  A.  B  He  was 
brave  and  fearless  on  the  held  of  battle,  and 
with  his  regiment  participated  in  the  following 
lent          Potomac,    Chancellorsville.    Ac- 


quia  (reek,  Manassas  Cap,  Spottsylvania.  D 
Bottom,  Rapidan,  Fredericksburg,  fourteen  d 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  Gettysburg,  South 
iviely  Run  and  Peach  Orchard.  On  March 
31,  [865,  just  nine  days  before  the  surrender  ol 
Gen.  Lee.  he  was  wounded  by  a  minie  ball  in 
the  left  arm,  which  the  surgeons  said  would  h 
to  be  amputated;  but  the  head  physician  would 
not  allow  this  as  he  was  ill  at  the  time  with  ty- 
phoid fever.  From  the  ;th  of  April  until  the 
3  1  st  of  September  he  was  confined  in  Douglas 
Hospital  at  Washington,  D.  C.  On  October  1, 
186;,  Mr.  Heaton  returned  home  and  began  teach- 
ing while  his  arm  was  still  in  a  sling,  following 
that  profession  for  two  terms.  Owing  to  ill  health 
he  resigned,  and  for  four  years  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade,  but  on  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  resumed  farming,  which  he  has  since 
continued  with  most  gratifying  result-  He  also 
conducts  a  general  store  at  his  place  on  the  Marsh 
creek  road,  in  Boggs  township,  and  is  a  most 
reliable  and  wide-awake  business  man. 

Mr.  Heaton  uniformly  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  free  silver. 
Being  an  influential,  public-spirited  citizen,  he 
takes  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs,  and  has 
most  acceptably  served  as  overseer  of  the  poor 
and  supervisor  ol  his  township.  Socially,  he  is 
connected  with  the  Grange,  the  t.  O  O.  F  .  and 
the  G.  A.  R.,  while  both  himself  and  wife  have 
been  consistent  members  of  the  Haptist  Church 
for  over  forty  years.  At  the  present  time  winter 
of  1897  8),  he  is  engaged  in  erecting  a  Baptist 
church  building,  which  is  approaching  comple- 
tion, and  will  cost  altogether  about  $1,200.  On 
March  24,  1S50,  he  was  immersed  by  Ke\  D 
\\  Hunter,  which  faithful  minister  labored  for 
six  years  at  Milesburg,  where  he  began  his  first 
charge.  The  first  candidates  he  led  into  the  Bap- 
tismal water-  was  Mr.  Heaton's  sister,  Jane  1 
Williams,  and  his  1  Mr.  Heaton's)  paternal  grand- 
mother, who  was  in  her  seventieth  year  at  the 
time,  that  was  m  December,  1  S49,  then  on  March 
24.  following  year,  Mr  Heaton's  father  and  him- 
self were  immersed.     In  1889  Rev.   I)    W.  Hut 

to    Milesburg    ami     baptized    two   of 

Mr,   Heaton's  daughters  (now  Mrs.  Neff  and  M 
Eckley,  respectively  ,   from   which  time   on  Mi 
Hunter  advised  them  to  build  a  house  of  worship, 
and  Mr.   I  baton  then  generously  commenced  tbi 

d  Work      as    above    related  i,   which    has    I- 
slowly    but    steadily    progressing    as    his 
would  permit,  and  when  completed   it    i>  his  in- 
tention  to  -rant  the  deed  of  the  church  building 
to  the  Centn  'ion. 

The  hospitable  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs    Heaton 
is   ever  open   for   the    reception    of    their    m 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


389 


friends,  and  the  family  hold  a  high  position  in 
the  social  circles  of  the  community,  where  they 
are  so  widelv  and  favorably  known. 


WILLIAM  HESS.  Among  the  substantial 
and  enterprising  business  men  of  Philips- 
burg,  whose  names  are  spattered  through  the 
pages  of  this  volume,  none  are  more  worthy  of 
mention  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  biographical  notice.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  grocery  merchants  of  that  city.  A  native 
of  Centre  county,  he  was  born  in  Haines  town- 
ship, February  27,  1S31,  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Margaret  (Musser)  Hess,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  there.  Only  two  children  were  born  to 
them,  the  other  being  Harriet,  now  the  widow  of 
Jonathan  Stover,  a  machinist  by  trade. 

When  our  subject  was  only  three  months  old 
his  father  died,  and  his  mother  afterward  mar- 
ried the  latter 's  brother,  Samuel  Hess.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children:  Jonathan,  a 
retired  merchant  of  Williamsport,  Penn. :  Lydia, 
widow  of  Samuel  Stover;  Sarah,  deceased;  Mary. 
wife  of  Frederick  Bostorf,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Pine  Grove,  Centre  county;  and  Samuel,  de- 
ceased. The  father  of  these  children  served 
as  county  commissioner  of  Centre  countv  in 
185 1-2-3;  he  died  in  1892,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-three  years.  The  mother  died  in  1855, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-seven. 

Michael  Hess,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  during 
the  Revolutionary  war  came  to  the  New  World 
with  Count  Raushambau  in  1786,  and  aided  the 
Colonies  in  their  struggle  for  independence.  After 
peace  had  been  declared  he  located  in  Snyder 
county,  where  he  operated  a  flouring-mill  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  became  quite  wealthy, 
but  later  sold  his  property  to  an  Eastern  man, 
who  paid  him  in  Continental  money,  which  in  a 
short  time  was  worthless.  In  this  way  he  lost 
almost  everything.  Subsequently  he  came  to 
Centre  county,  and  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
our  subject's  birth  occurred,  and  where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days.      He  married  a  Miss  Crider. 

Upon  the  home  farm,  William  Hess  remained 
until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  to 
seek  his  own  livelihood,  first  working  in  a  tannery 
in  Centre  county  for  three  and  one-half  years. 
During  the  following  two  years  he  was  similarly 
employed  in  Lewisburg, Penn. .and  then  worked  in 
the  lumber  woods  until  1873,  when  he  returned 
to  Philipsburg,  and  was  employed  in  a  tannery 
for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  began  contract- 
ing and  dealing  in  lumber,  which  business  he  car- 
ried on  until   1881,    when  he  embarked  in   the 


manufacture  of  brick.  Four  years  later  he  es- 
tablished his  present  store,  which  he  has  since 
successfully  conducted,  receiving  a  liberal  share 
of  public  patronage. 

Mr.  Hess  was  married  in  Snyder  county, 
Penn.,  in  March,  1854,  to  Miss  Sarah  Eisenhauer, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Charles  C. ,  born  January  26,  1856,  married  Kate 
Miller,  by  whom  he  has  seven  children;  he  is  a 
gardener  and  florist  of  Philipsburg.  W.  Frank, 
born  August  31,  1870,  married  Annie  Swaggart, 
and  has  one  son,  William  H. ;  Frank  is  now  serv- 
ing as  manager  in  his  father's  store,  and  is  chair- 
man of  the  Democratic  club  of  Philipsburg,  and 
county  auditor.  Ida  M.,  born  May  19,  1861,  is 
the  wife  of  C.  J.  Rothrock;  a  carpenter  of  Phil- 
ipsburg, by   whom  she  has  a  daughter,  Ida  M. 

Mrs.  Hess  was  born  February  28,  1832,  in 
what  was  then  Union  county,  but  is  now  Sny- 
der county,  Penn.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham and  Eva  (Bollander)  Eisenhauer,  natives  of 
Berks  and  Union  counties,  Penn.,  respectively. 
The  father  became  an  extensive  farmer  of  the 
latter  county,  where  both  spent  their  remaining 
days.  They  were  faithful  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a 
Whig.  He  died  March  24,  1  S 7 5 ,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in 
September,  1840,  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  His 
father,  Martin  Eisenhauer,  was  born  in  this 
country,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Continental 
army  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  By  trade 
he  was  a  blacksmith,  but  spent  his  last  years  in 
retirement,  dying  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty- 
one  years. 

Mrs.  Hess  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  in 
order  of  birth  as  follows:  Eliza,  deceased  wife  of 
Henry  Rearick,  a  farmer,  by  whom  she  had  six  chil- 
dren; Harry,  a  retired  farmer  of  Union  county,  who 
first  married  Hettie  Agler,  by  whom  he  had 
eleven  children,  and  by  his  second  marriage, 
with  Symira  Baker,  had  one  child;  Catherine, 
wife  of  Jacob  Walter, a  farmer  of  Michigan;  Am- 
elia, deceased  wife  of  George  Ott;  Philip,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Mary,  widow  of  Reuben  Ag- 
ler, of  Beavertovvn,  Penn. ;  Barbara,  deceased 
wife  of  William  Engle,  also  deceased;  Sarah, 
wife  of  our  subject;  Lucinda,  wife  of  Samuel 
Bowen,  of  Snyder  county;  and  Robert,  who  mar- 
ried Elmira  Nearhoof,  and  died  upon  his  farm 
in  Michigan. 

In  1895,  Mrs.  Hess  met  with  a  severe  acci- 
dent, slipping  on  the  ice  in  front  of  her  home; 
she  has  since  had  to  use  crutches,  but  the  doctor 
thinks  she  will  fully  recover;  otherwise  both  she 
and  her  husband  enjoy  excellent  health.  They 
are  worthy  and  devoted  members  of  the  Method- 


890 


COMMBMORA  T1YI-:  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ist  Episcopal  Church,  am]  have  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  them.  Politically,  Mr. 
Hess  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  advocates  the  free  coinage  of  silver.  His 
business  career  and  his  private  life  are  alike 
above  reproach,  and  his  history  is  that  of  a  man 
who  has  faithfully  performed  all  duties  and  been 
true  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him. 


'ENKY  A.SNYDER.  Similar  to  a  founda- 
JTA  tion  stone  which  holds  its  place  under  an 
important  structure,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
occupies  an  immovable  position  among  the  solid 
and  reliable  business  men  of  Eagle ville,  Centre 
county,  where  he  is  a  successful  dealer  in  drugs, 
stationery  and  tobacco.  He  was  born  in  Beaver 
county,  Penn.,  November  28,  1833,  and  comes 
of  good  old  Revolutionary  stock,  his  paternal 
great-grandfather  having  served  in  that  struggle. 
His  grandparents,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Kaup) 
Snyder,    were    natives   of    Snyder   county,    this 

te,  as  were  also  his  parents,  Wilhelm  and  Mar- 
garet (Marshall)  Snyder,  but  it  was  then  a  part 
of  Northumberland  county.  While  a  resident  of 
the  same  county,  the  maternal  grandfather,  John 
Marshall,  was  drowned  in  the  Susquehanna  river 
when  on  his  way  to  market;  his  wife  departed 
this  life  in  Libert)'  township,  Centre  county. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  spent  the  last 
years  of  their  life  in  Eagleville,  the  father  dying 
January  18,  1895,  aged  eighty-six  years,  and  the 
mothei  in  [866.  Both  held  membership  in  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  politics  he  v  rong 

Republican,  on  which  ticket  he  was  elected  to 
several  offices  of  honor  and  trust.  Bj  occupa- 
tion he  was  a  sawyei 

Henry  A.  Snyder  is  the  second  in  order  of 
birth  in  the  family  of  seven   children,  thi 

ng  as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of  Richard  Berry- 
hill,  a  coach  maker  and  merchant  oi  Beach 
Creek,  Centre  county;  Sarah  E.,  a  resident  of 
Eagleville;  Margaret,  wife  oi  Roland  Smith,  a 
farmer  of  the  Stair  of  Washington;  William  H., 
who  will  be  more  fully  spoken  of  farther  on; 
I  i"  in  1  A  .  who  is  engaged  in  clerking  in  State 
College,  Centre  county;  and  Lydia  E.,  deceased 
wife    of    Daniel    W.    Glossner,    a    carpenter    of 

leville.  There  were  also  two  other  children 
who  died  in  infam 

Until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  Mr. 
Snyder,  the  subject  of  this  review,  still  made  his 
hi'ine  with  his  parents,  and  in  the  meantime  at- 
10I  and  assisti'd  in  the  labors  ol  the 
farm.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  be  began  teaching, 
which  profession  he  successfully  followed  for 
three  years,  and   then   began  his  business  career 


as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  Beach 
Creek,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.  He 
then  served  as  agent  for  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley 
railroad  at  that  place  and  Eagleville  for  six  years, 
after  which  he  <  1  in  clerking  and  working 

in  the  lumber  woods  until  1889,  when  he  estab- 
lisned  his  present  business  in  Eagleville,  where 
he  has  made  his  home  since  1866.  Eor  some 
time  he  was  the  only  telegraph  operator  between 
Lock  Haven  and  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  serving  in 
that  capacity  before  the  railroad  was  constructed. 
The  business  interests  of  his  village  are  well  rep- 
resented by  him,  and  he  deserves  a  leading  place 
ong  the  progressive  and  prominent  merchants 
of  Centre  county. 

Mr.  Snyder  was  married  at   Beach  Creek,  in 
May,    [862,    to    Miss   Susan   E.    Linn,   who    was 
born  at  that  place  in  1840,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  ("James)  Linn,  residents  of  (  In 
county,  Penn.,  where  the  former  died,  but  wl 
the  latter  is  still  living.      He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, a  Democrat  in  politics,  and   a  ('insist- 
ent member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
to  which  Mrs.  Linn  also  belongs.      Four  children 
blessed    the     union     of    Mr.     and    Mrs.     Snyder. 
namely:      Cora    B.,  at    home;    Maud    E.,  wife  of 
Charles  Foster,  a  railroad  mail  agent  residing  m 
State    College-;    Harry    B.,    a    bookkeeper    for    a 
lumber  firm  in    New    York  City;   and    Mabel  <i 
at  home.      An  enterprising,  wide-awake,  business 
man,  Mr.  Snyder  endeavors  to  keep  abreast  with 
the  tunes,  is   well    posted   on   current  event.-  and 
issues,  and   gives   his  support    to   worths'  enl 
prises  which  have  for  their  object  the  welfare  of 
tin     community.       Socially    he    1-   a  promini 
member  of  the  odd  Fellows  Lodge  and  the  Grand 
Army   Post,   No.  302,  both   of   Eagleville,  while 
politically  he  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  Kepubh 
principles. 

William  H.  Snyder,  the   brother  of   our  sub- 
was   born   m  Snyder   county,   Februarj 
1843,  and  remained  at  home  until   I  860,  when  he 
began  work  for  ('■    W    I     uffer,  1  hiel  engineer  I 
the    Pennsylvania   railroad,    with   whom    he 
m. lined  until  [881,  when  th.it  gentleman  retifl 
Mr.  Snyder  then  served  as  division  engineer  with 
the  Beach  Creek  railroad  lor  tin- 
a  year  and  a  half  engaged  in  contracting  on  the 
Clearfield   &    Mahoning   railroad.      At   different 
times  he  has  also  been  with  other  railroad  com- 
panies.     During  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  he« 
engaged  in  surveying  a  railroad  to  be  constructed 
to  that  place  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  ammu- 
nition and  troops,  and  was  obliged  to  work  ni; 
and  day.      On  January   I,    t882,  he  was  in. uri- 
111   Eagleville,    to  Miss  I. aura  E.    Spray,   and   tl; 
have  three  children:   William  B.,  Helen  V.  an  I 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


391 


John  M.  Like  his  brother,  he  is  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party;  socially  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Elks  and  of  the  F.  & 
A.  M. 


E\ZEKIEL  CONFAIR,  a  prominent  lumber 
'/  dealer  and  agriculturist  residing  on  the  Can- 
ada road,  in  Boggs  township,  Centre  county,  is  a 
man  of  marked  influence  in  that  locality.  He  is 
connected  either  by  descent  or  marriage  with  a 
number  of  well-known  families  of  this  section, 
and  is  himself  a  native  of  Howard  township, 
Centre  county,  having  been  born  there  June  30, 

1839. 

On  the  paternal  side  the  first  ancestor  to  set- 
tle in  this  locality  was  his  grandfather,  Philip 
Confair,  a  native  of  Germany  who  came  at  an 
early  day  with  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  who  was  born 
in  Ireland,  passing  their  last  years  in  Centre 
county.  Their  son,  Philip,  Jr.,  was  born  there, 
and  became  by  occupation  an  agriculturist  in 
Howard  township,  engaging  also  quite  extensively 
in  tar  burning.  He  was  active  in  local  affairs  as 
a  Democrat,  and  was  a  leading  member  of  the 
Disciple  Church,  as  was  also  his  wife,  Margaret 
Wants,  a  native  of  Centre  county,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Margaret  Wants.  She  died  De- 
cember 30,  1888,  aged  seventy-four,  and  on  De- 
cember 2,  1890,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years,  he  followed  her  to  the  unseen  world.  To 
this  estimable  couple  fourteen  children  wereborn: 
Samuel  (deceasd),  who  married  and  had  one 
child;  Mary  (deceased),  who  married  George  B. 
Lucas,  of  Howard  township,  Centre  county; 
Michael,  a  farmer  in  Howard  township;  Philip, 
a  farmer  in  Curtin  township,  Centre  county; 
Henry,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  in  Clearfield 
county;  Philinda,  widow  of  Henry  Handless, 
and  a  resident  of  Clearfield  county;  Ezekiel,  our 
subject;  Margaret,  who  died  when  fifteen  months 
old;  Lavina  (deceased),  formerly  the  wife  of 
John  Mann,  of  Clinton  county;  Emeline  (de- 
ceased), who  married  Henry  Antis,  of  Centre 
county;  Franklin,  a  farmer  in  Howard  township, 
Centre  county;  Nicholas,  now  residing  at  the 
old  homestead;  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William 
Unguard,  of  Watsontown,  Northumberland  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. 

Ezekiel  Confair's  early  life  was  spent  at  the 
old  homestead,  and  the  public  schools  of  the  lo- 
cality furnished  the  foundation  of  a  good  practi- 
cal education.  On  December  8,  1859,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Charity  A.  Packer, 
and  soon  after  established  his  home  upon  a 
rented  farm  in  the  same  township,  belonging  to 
Hiram    Baker.     Three    years  later  he  rented  a 


farm  in  that  township  from  Gov.  Packer,  and 
after  four  years  there  he  moved  to  Boggs  town- 
ship, where,  after  occupying  and  renting  prop- 
erty for  five  years,  he  purchased  (in  1873)  his 
present  estate,  a  fine  farm  of  158  acres.  In 
July,  1865,  he  was  drafted,  but  paid  $300  to  the 
government  for  a  substitute.  Socially,  he  is  a 
leading  member  of  the  Grange  at  Milesburg,  and 
in  religious  faith,  since  the  age  of  thirteen  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  U.  B.  Church,  with 
which  his  wife  united  when  sixteen  years  old. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Confair  have  had  thirteen  chil- 
dren, whose  names  with  dates  of  birth  are  as  fol- 
lows: John  R. ,  August  20,  i860,  died  September 
12,  same  year;  Martha  J.,  May  4,  1862,  married 
Robert  B.  Lucas,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  of 
Boggs  township,  Centre  county;  William  H., 
December  26,  1863,  died  September  12,  1864; 
Ira,  January  1,  1865,  is  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  in  Boggs  township;  George  W. ,  July 
22,  1866,  is  a  farmer  in  the  same  locality;  James 
T. ,  October  13,  1868,  is  a  farmer  in  Curtin 
township,  Centre  county;  Jerome  A.,  August  21, 
1 87 1,  is  engaged  in  lumbering  in  Curtin  town- 
ship; Jessie  P.,  December  12,  1873,  is  at  home; 
a  daughter,  April  11,  1875,  died  unnamed; 
Emma  L. ,  June  4,  1876,  married  John  Watson, 
a  farmer  of  Boggs  township,  Centre  county; 
Irvin  M.  L.,  September  17,  1S77,  Nancy  E., 
June  15,  1879,  and  Edward  N.,  January  9,  1882, 
are  at  home. 

Mrs.  Confair  was  born  in  Howard  township, 
Centre  county,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  P.  Packer,  a 
native  of  Germany.  The  first  ancestor  of  the 
Packer  family  of  whom  we  have  record  was  Aaron 
Packer,  Mrs.  Confair's  great-grandfather,  who 
married  Mary  Phipps,  a  native  of  the  Province  of 
Maine,  and  a  sister  of  Sir  William  Phipps,  who 
figured  prominently  in  the  history  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  Governor  of  that  State  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  followed 
the  sea  for  some  time,  and  was  knighted  by  King 
James  on  account  of  his  search  for  sunken  treas- 
ure. Having  gone  to  London  and  obtained  an 
.  audience  of  the  King,  he  told  him  of  vast  wealth 
lying  beneath  certain  waters.  The  King  listened 
attentively,  and  approving  the  plan  outlined  for 
the  recovery  of  the  prize,  he  appointed  Sir  Will- 
iam Phipps  captain  of  the  "  Rose  Algier,"  a  vessel 
carrying  eighteen  guns  and  ninety-five  men.  Thus 
equipped,  Sir  William  sailed  from  England  on  his 
quest.  The  estate  of  the  Phipps  family  in  Eng- 
land is  now  in  litigation,  and  Mrs.  Confair,  as 
one  of  the  heirs,  is  entitled  to  a  large  fortune. 
Jesse  Packer,  Mrs.  Confair's  grandfather,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  his  wife,  Catherine  Will- 


392 


COMMEMOHA  TITE  BI0GBAPHI0A1    RECORD. 


iams,  was  born  in  Ireland.  Jesse  Packer  was  a 
leading  man  ol  his  day  iii  this  section,  and  fol- 
lowed the  calling  of  civil  engineer. 

.  the  father  of  Mrs.  Confair, 
was  born  in  Chester  county,  l'enn.,  and  was 
there  married  to  Sarah  Swisher,  who  was  born  in 
thi  Fatherland  and  accompanied  her  parents, 
|  i  ph  and  Elizabeth  (Linnes  Swisher,  to  this 
intry,  where  they  remained,  their  last  days 
bein^  spent  in  Centre  county.  Jesse  P.  Packer 
became  prominent  among  the  agriculturists  of 
Howard  township.  Centre  county,  where  he  died 
September  9,  1874,  at  the-  age  of  seventy-five. 
His  wife  passed  away  December  2,  1884,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  Ten  children  were  born  to 
them,  theii  names  and  dates  of  birth  being  as  fol- 
lows: Michael,  Jul}-,  (823,  Joseph,  November 
25,  [826,  a  fanner.  Nancy,  August  II,  1828,  wife 
of  James  1*.  Haines,  a  lumberman,  and  John, 
August  16,  1 83 1.  a  farmer  by  occupation,  all  re- 
side in  Howard  township,  t  ■  •  1 1 1 re  county;  Cath- 
erine. August  29,  1  S 3 4 .  married  James  Packer, 
of  Curtin  township;  Rowland,  June  27,  1837, 
was  drowned  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  Charity  A., 
August  10,  [840,  married  Mr.  Confair;  Jane,  July 
1 S43 .  resides  at  Howard,  and  Susan  'I"., 
August  8,  1846,  married  Ira  Packer,  a  farmer  in 
Mrl  ,eod  ci  iunty,  Minnesota, 


Mtl  HAEL    M.     FISHBURN.       Among   the 
progressive  and  industrious  farmers  of  Ben- 

ner  township.  Centre  county,  the   subject  of  this 
sketch  occii|  ominent  and  honorable  posi- 

tion. A  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Ann  M<> 
Fish  burn,  In-  was  horn  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn. , 
in  [827,  and  in  [832  was  brought  to  Centre 
counts-,  with  whose  interests  he  has  >iiice  been 
it  died.  lie  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in 
a  family  of  five  children,  the  others  being  Henrj 

J.  .  Jacob,    Anna    \l.  and    William  H. 

Philip  Fishburn,  the  grandfather  ol  Michael 
M  ,  was  a  native  "i  Pennsylvania.  Heserved  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  was  a  farmer  of  Dauphin 
counts,  where  his  death  occurred  about  the  year 
18411.  I  lis  son  Jacob,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  mi  Dauphin  county,  and  at  his  death,  in 
[889,  had  a  farm  of  some  197  acres  of  land  in 
Centre  county.  On  coming  to  the  latter  coun- 
ty in  [832,  he  settled  near  where  Michael  M. 
now  resides.  He  was  a  man  of  honor  and  in- 
tegrity and  a  good  citizen;  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  and,  in  politics,  first  a  Whig, 
then  a  Democrat.  His  wife  died  in  1883. 
Michael  M.  Fishburn  had  but  meagre  educa- 
tional advantages.  He  remained  with  his  father 
until  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  then  went  with 


an  uncle,  Felix Burkholder,  who  resided  in  Penn's 
Valley,  with  whom  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
miller,  remaining  one  and  a  half  years,  and  re- 
ceiving  for  his  services  sixty-five  dollars.  He 
then  returned  home,  and  in  connection  with  his 
brother  worked  the  home  farm  for  two  years. 
He  next  moved  to  Jacksonville,  in  Walker  town- 
ship, and  for  three  years  rented  a  farm  there  and 
followed  agriculture  as  an  occupation.  After 
the  expiration  of  this  time  he  went  to  College 
township,  and  for  twelve  years  resided  on  a  farm 
o|  [25  acres  which  he  rented  of  Major  Reynolds, 
and  during  that  period  he  b<  ;hteen  acres 

of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  since  which 
he  has  added  to  it  forty  acres,  making  fifty-eight 
acres  in  all. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Fishburn  was  man  led  to  Cath- 
erine Rossman,  who  was  born  in  Potter  town- 
ship, Penn's  Valley,  March  11,  1833,  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  R.  and  Rebecca  (Fie)  Rossman,  the 
former  of  whom,  born  in  1815,  died  in  1866,  and 
the  latter,  born  in  1810,  died  in  1X82,  the  | 
ents  of  eleven  children,  namely:  Catherine, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  May.  Susan,  Henry,  John, 
Margaret,  Michael,  Calvin,  and  one  that  died  in 
infancy.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  had  no 
children.  He  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and 
takes  an  interest  in  political  affairs.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  and 
his  upright  moral  character  and  sterling  worth 
have  won  him  the  confidence  and  high  regard  of 
all  who  know  him. 


OWARD  M.  STUART.  Anion;,'  the  lead- 
-ITA  ing  and  influential  agriculturists  of  Huston 
township,  Centre  county,  who  thoroughly  under- 

j  stand   their   business,    and   pursue   the  a\ 
of  their  lives  in  a   methodical    and  workmanlike 

1  manner,  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  whose 
farm  is  in  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  on  the  Bald 
I  lagle  plank  road.  He  was  born  September 
[854,  in  that  same  township,  one  mile  from  his 
present  home,  and  continued  under  the  parental 
roof  until  after  the  death  of  his  parenC,  when  he 
assumed  charge  of  the  farm,  and  has  since  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 

John  W.  Stuart,  father  of  our  subject,  w 
native  of  Blair  county,  Penn.,  and  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Hannah  Stuart,  who  spent  their   entire 
lives  in  that  county.      On   reaching  manhood  he 
married   Patience    Williams,   who    was    born   in 
Centre  county,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Han- 
nah Williams.      Her  parents  were  also  nativi 
Centre  county,  and  lived  upon   the   present  farm 
of  our  subject,  which   has  been  in   the  Willi. 1 
family  for  years.     By  occupation  John  W   S 


MICHAEL    M.    FISHBURN. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


893 


was  a  farmer  and  carpenter,  but  was  principally 
engaged  in  the  latter  pursuit.  On  coming  to 
Centre  county  in  1846  he  located  in  Huston 
township,  and  for  five  years  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising. Here  his  death  occurred  October  3, 
1893,  when  he  was  aged  eighty-five  years,  six 
months  and  four  days,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
September  1,  1894,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  three  months  and  six  days.  They  were 
both  earnest  and  consistent  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. Of  their  four  children,  John  died  when 
young,  and  Alice  and  Junietta  died  in  infancy, 
our  subject,  therefore,  being  the  only  one  living. 

On  October  12,  1874,  Howard  M.  Stuart,  our 
subject,  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Mc- 
Donald, and  they  have  seven  children,  whose 
names  and  dates  of  births  are  as  follows:  Annie 
P.,  January  25,  1876;  Alda  B.,  February  20, 
1879;  Allie  J.,  Octobers,  1881 ;  Hannah,  June  19, 
1884;  Bardens,  June  19,  1889;  John  W.,  August 
1,  1893;  and  Harry,  August  6,  1895.  All  are 
still  with  their  parents,  though  Annie  P.  is  now 
the  wife  of  J.  R.  Williams,  a  school  teacher,  by 
whom  she  has  one  son,  Theodore,  born  Septem- 
ber 1,   1894. 

Mrs.  Stuart  was  born  in  Huston  township, 
Centre  county,  August  12,  1859,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Sarah  (Records)  McDonald, 
also  natives  of  Centre  county,  the  former  born 
in  1 83 1,  and  the  latter  in  1829,  in  Huston  town- 
ship, where  they  still  reside.  The  father  was  a 
member  of  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  was  wounded  in  battle.  Throughout  his 
business  career  he  has  followed  farming  and  lum- 
bering. His  parents  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ir.vin) 
McDonald,  were  natives  of  Clearfield  county, 
Penn.,  but  spent  their  last  days  upon  a  farm  in 
Centre  county.  The  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Stuart  was  William  Records.  To  Alexan- 
der and  Sarah  McDonald  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Joseph,  now  a  farmer  of  Clear- 
field county;  Abner,  a  farmer  of  Huston  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  Elizabeth  J.,  the  honored 
wife  of  our  subject;  Alexander,  a  railroad  engin- 
eer residing  at  Blairville,  Westmoreland  Co., 
Penn.;  Emma,  at  home;  Mary,  wife  of  a  Mr. 
Lane,  a  farmer  of  Iowa;  Nora,  wife  of  Calvin 
Hall,  a  carpenter  of  Clearfield  county;  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Stuart  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  in 
the  capacity  of  supervisor  and  overseer  of  the 
poor  as  well  as  school  director.  He  was  first 
appointed  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  as  overseer, 
and  so  acceptably  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of 


that  office  that  he  has  twice  been  re-elected,  and 
is  the  present  incumbent.  He  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Grange  of  Unionville,  Penn.,  and 
both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  They  are  representative  and  valued 
citizens  of  the  community  in  which  their  entire 
lives  have  been  passed,  and  none  are  held  in 
higher  regard. 


w 


ALTER  O'BRYAN  is  one  of  the  most 
active  and  energetic  agriculturists  of  Col- 
lege township,  Centre  county.  His  grandfather, 
Daniel  O'Bryan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  the 
United  States  when  in  his  "teens,"  and  kept  an 
inn — a  sort  of  half-way  house — at  Pine  Grove, 
between  Bellefonte  and  Huntingdon,  Penn. 
There  he  died  in  1880,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  In 
his  family  were  three  children:  Nancy,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Walter  Graham,  a  stage  owner, 
and  died  in  Bellefonte  in  1883;  James,  the  father 
of  our  subject;  and  Martha,  wife  of  William 
Butz,  of  California. 

James  O'Bryan  was  born  at  Pine  Grove  in 
1 814.  He  received  very  ordinary  educational 
advantages,  but  became  a  well-informed  man, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  in  early  life.  In  1840 
he  opened  a  hotel  in  Pine  Grove,  where  he  died 
in  1868,  of  typhoid  fever.  In  1838  he  married 
Miss  Sarah  Wingard,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  eight  children:  Mrs.  Mary  Wingart,  who  for 
some  time  lived  in  Michigan,  but  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Huntingdon,  Penn. ;  George,  who  was 
born  in  1838,  and  is  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Adrian,  Mich.;  Daniel,  who  was  born  in  1840, 
and  died  during  his  service  in  the  Union  army; 
Walter,  the  subject  of  this  review;  James,  who 
was  born  in  1844,  and  is  a  cabinetmaker  of 
Bellefonte;  Sarah,  who  was  born  in  1846,  and 
died  in  Pine  Grove  in  1887;  Joseph,  who  was 
born  in  1848,  and  is  a  contractor  of  Detroit; 
and  Nancy,  who  was  born  in  1851,  and  is  now 
Mrs.  Glasgow,  living  near  Anderson,  Mifflin  Co., 
Pennsylvania. 

The  early  home  of  our  subject  was  near  Yel- 
low Springs,  Blair  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  died 
May  29,  1842.  In  the  schools  of  Pine  Grove  he 
received  a  very  meagre  education,  his  first  teacher 
being  Mrs.  Margaret  Patton,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  began  learning  the  miller's  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  eight  years  in  Pennsylvania  Fur- 
nace. Subsequently  he  worked  at  lumbering  in 
Clearfield  county,  this  State,  for  two  years,  and 
then  started  on  a  prospecting  tour  through  the 
Northwest,  returning  home  April  14,   1867. 

On  October  4,  of  the  same  year,  Mr. 
O'Bryan  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Char- 


394 


COMMEMOHA  TIVK  /!/<»,  IIM'IW  M.   Uh'DRD. 


lotte  Lytle,  a  daughter  of  Picrcel  and  Lydia 
(Johnsonbau^h  Lytle,  who  resided  near  Pine 
Grove.  Three  children  graced  this  union: 
James  Piercel,  born  May  i,  1869,  is  at  home; 
Gertrude,  born  July  21,  1873,  is  the  wife  of 
1 1' uner  Decker,  a  fanner  living  near  Bellefonte; 
and  George,  born  September  29,  1878,  is  a  stu- 
dent at  the  State  College.  After  his  marriage, 
Mr.  O'Bryan  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Col- 
lege township  of  ninety-five  acres,  pleasantly 
situated  on  Whitehall  road  one-half  mile  south 
of  State  College.  He  has  converted  the  place 
into  one  of  the  best  farms  of  the  locality,  placing 
the  fields  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
making  many  excellent  improvements. 

In  his  political  views  Mr  O'Bryan  isa  Demo- 
crat but  takes  no  active  part  in  politics  aside  from 
voting.  Socially  he  was  formerly  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Bellefonte,  and 
now  holds  membership  in  Oak  Hall  Grange  No. 
169;  in  religious  belief  he  is  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  has  con- 
formed his  conduct  to  the  old  maxim  that  honest\ 
is  the  best  polity,  and  to-day  no  one  is  held  in 
higher  esteem  in  College  township  than  Walter 
van. 


SOLOMON  D.  TICE,  one  of  the  self-made 
J  men  and  leading  farmers  of  Howard  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  commenced  life  with  a  cash 
capital  of  ten  cents.  He  now  represents  a  \ 
valuable  property,  all  of  which  he  has  accumu- 
lated through  his  own  perseverance  and  indus- 
try, guided  by  sound  judgment  and  resistless  will 
power. 

In  Miami  counts.  Ohio,  Mr.  Tire  was  born 
October  9,  1848,  a  son  of  George  and  Susannah 
(Dohner)  lice,  who  were  natives  of  Lebanon 
county,  Perm.,  but  were  married  in  Miami  coun- 
ty. Ohio,  where  they  continued  to  make  their 
home   throughout   th  under  of  their  lives. 

During  his  younger  years  the  father  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade,  hut  later  gave  his  attention  to 
farming.  Both  were  members  of  the  River 
Brethren  in  Christ  Church,  and  in  politics  he 
was  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  on 
which  ticket  he  was  elected  to  several  township 
offices  of  honor  and  trust.  He  died  Jul)  i~\ 
1SS7,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years,  and  the 
mother  of  our  subject  died  in  1854,  at  the  age  of 
forty- two.  After  her  death  he  had  wedded 
Sarah  Myers,  and  when  she,  too,  was  called  iwaj 
he  married  Mary  Musselman.  His  parents, 
George  and  Elizabeth  Tice,  were  natives  of 
Sw  it/erland,  and  on  coming  to  the  United  States 
located  upon  a  farm  in  Lebanon  county,  Penn., 


where  they  spent  their  remaining  days.  The 
maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject.  Rev.  Chris- 
tian and  Mary  iLong)  Dohner.  were  natives  of 
Lebanon  county,  but  at  an  early  date  emigrated 
to  Ohio,  where  the  grandfather  served  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  River  Brethren  Church. 

■ht  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of 
our  subject:  Jonah,  a  railroad  contractor  resid- 
ing in  Ohio;  Noah  (deceased);  Mary,  deceased 
wife  of  Samuel  Crider,  a  farmer  of  Lebanon 
county;  Solomon  D. ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Levi  (deceased);  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Rev.  Martin 
Heisey,  a  farmer  and  minister  of  the  Dunkard 
Brethren  Church  of  Lebanon  county;  and  Fli 
and  Aaron,  both  deceased. 

Solomon  D.  Tice  early  became  familiar  with 
agricultural  pursuits  upon  the  home  farm,  and 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  ac- 
quired ins  education.  On  attaining  his  majority 
he  started  out  in  the  world  for  himself,  and  has 
since  been  dependent  upon  his  own  resources. 
Although  he  had  no  capital,  he  was  the  posse- 
of  a  good  name,  and  began  his  farming  opera- 
tions on  rented  land  in  Lebanon  county,  which 
he  stocked  and  cultivated  for  five  years.  For 
the  same  length  of  time  he  also  lived  upon  a  farm 
in  Clinton  county,  after  which  he  came  to  How- 
ard and  worked  in  a  gristmill  for  a  year.  He 
th.-ii  removed  to  his  present  farm  in  Howard 
township;  but  at  the  end  of  four  years  returned 
to  the  village,  where  for  five  years  he  served  as 
pike  manager  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  Nittany,  Brush 
&  Penn's  Valley  Pike  Road  Co.  .since  that  time, 
however,  he  has  made  his  home  upon  his  present 
farm,  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  well-improved  with  good  buildings.  For  the 
past  twelve  years  he  has  also  served  as  pike 
manager,  which  position  he  has  faithfully  and 
capably  tilled. 

( )n  December  1.  1870,  Mr.  Tice  was  married 
to  Miss  Emma  B.  Long,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  six  children:  Elizabeth  W.  and  Cyrus  M 
(an  engineer),  at  home;  William  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Maggie  M.  Fisher,  a  farmer  of  Howard  town- 
ship. Centre  county;  Ira  E. ,  who  is  attending 
the  Central  State  Normal  School  at  Lock  Ha\ 
Ellery  \\  . ,  at  home;  and  Florence,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

Mrs.  Tice  was  born   in   Nittany  Valley,  Clin- 
ton   Co.,    Penn.,    October    31,     185?.   and    is 
daughter    of    Conrad     and    Hannah    (Kaufman) 
Long,  natives  of  Lancaster  and  Centre  count 
Penn.,  respectively.     They  were  married  in  < 
tre    county,  where    the    father    died    March 
1896.      He    was   born   August    23,    1822,  in   hi- 
younger  days  followed  boating,  and  later  became 
an  extensive  grain  dealer,  farmer  and  miller,  but 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOORAPniCAL  RECORD. 


395 


spent  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life  in  retire- 
ment. He  also  served  as  a  minister  of  the  River 
Brethren  Church.  His  faithful  wife,  who  was 
born  November  27,  1825,  still  survives  him,  and 
is  a  resident  of  Howard,  Centre  county. 

Mr.  Tice  uniformly  votes  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  in  religious  faith  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  River  Brethren  in  Christ  Church.  To 
such  men  of  progressive  and  liberal  ideas,  gener- 
ous and  benevolent  in  spirit,  is  Centre  county  in- 
debted for  its  great  prosperity. 


JACOB  REED,  a  prominent  retired  agricult- 
urist, residing  in  Aaronsburg,  ranks  among 
the  leading  owners  of  farm  lands  in  this  sec- 
tion. In  these  days  of  selfish  monopoly  in  land 
it  is  to  his  credit  that  his  extensive  holdings  are 
all  made  productive  instead  of  being  allowed  to 
lie  uncultivated  for  purely  speculative  gains.  As 
a  shrewd  manager  and  a  deservedly  successful 
one,  Mr.  Reed  has  found  his  profits  in  ways 
which  promote  the  general  good. 

Mr.  Reed  is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  born 
August  2,  1832,  in  Haines  township,  on  the  same 
farm  land  and  in  the  same  house  where  his  father, 
Daniel  Reed,  was  born  and  reared.  Oursubject's 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Reed,  a  carpenter,  came 
from  Berks  county,  Penn.,  at  an  early  day,  and 
as  a  pioneer  farmer  secured  a  tract  of  excellent 
land  for  a  permanent  home,  where  five  sons  and 
three. daughters  were  trained  to  lives  of  useful- 
ness. 

Daniel  Reed,  who  was  born  in  1802,  and  was 
among  the  youngest  of  the  family,  became  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  the  locality,  owning  two 
farms  in  Penn  township,  two  in  Haines  township, 
and  one  in  Sugar  Valley.  He  was  more  than  six 
feet  in  height,  an  industrious  worker,  and  ex- 
celled in  the  management  of  his  enterprises.  In 
religious  faith  he  was  a  Lutheran,  and  in  politics 
a  Democrat.  He  was  married  in  Berks  county, 
Penn.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Tobias,  by  whom  he 
had  six  children,  of  whom,  two  only  lived  to 
adult  age;  Jacob;  and  Rebecca,  who  married 
Noah  Stover,  and  died  in  Penn  township,  Centre 
county.  The  father  passed  away  in  1872,  his 
remains  being  laid  to  rest  at  Wolf's  school  house, 
and  the  mother  lived  to  be  more  than  ninety  years 
old,  breathing  her  last  September  28,   1886. 

Jacob  Reed  enjoyed  the  usual  educational  ad- 
vantages of  a  country  boy  of  his  day,  and  the 
contrast  between  his  early  opportunities  and 
those  afforded  by  our  present  school  system  is 
marked.  Realizing  the  advantage  of  free  educa- 
tion to  the  community  as  well  as  to  the  individ- 
ual, he  endorses  all  efforts  for  the  improvement 


of  our  facilities  in  that  direction.  Being  the  only 
boy,  the  work  of  the  farm  devolved  upon  him,  as 
his  father  became  too  feeble  to  carry  on  his  busi- 
ness, and  he  always  resided  at  the  old  homestead 
until  1886,  when  he  moved  to  Aaronsburg,  and  in 
his  turn  surrendered  the  active  work  of  his  estates 
to  other  hands.  He  has  four  farms,  541  acres  in 
all,  and  still  looks  closely  after  their  manage- 
ment, doing  the  "  head  work"  for  them  all  to  a 
great  extent. 

In  1866  Mr.  Reed  was  married  in  Haines 
township,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Lydia  Winkel- 
blech,  a  native  of  that  township,  born  June  17, 
1843,  a  daughter  of  Adam  Winkelblech,  a  well- 
known  farmer,  and  his  wife,  Sarah  (Fisher). 
Two  children  bless  this  union:  Sarah  E. ,  Mrs. 
George  M.  Homan,  of  Haines  township,  Centre 
county;  and  Amanda  R.,  Mrs.  A.  Stover,  of 
Aaronsburg.  \V hile  Mr.  Reed  has  gained  a  rep- 
utation as  an  able  financier,  he  has  not  been  so 
closely  devoted  to  business  as  to  neglect  public 
affairs.  He  is  not  desirous  of  official  position, 
but  has  always  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  and 
his  wife  are  leading  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


E^LIAS  HANCOCK,  a  general  farmer,  and  the 
'I  present  efficient  superintendent  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school of  Wallace  Run,  Centre  county,  now 
makes  his  home  at  that  place,  where  he  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  also 
in  teaching.  He  was  born  in  Elk  county,  Penn., 
March  6,  1841,  but  for  many  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  citizens 
of  Centre  county. 

James  R.  and  Sarah  (Taylor)  Hancock,  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  and  natives  of  Bedford  and 
Juniata  counties,  Penn.,  respectively,  were  mar- 
ried in  Elk  county,  where  they  continued  to  re- 
side until  1866,  when  they  removed  to  Boggs 
township,  Centre  county.  Here  the  mother,  who 
was  born  March  9,  1806,  died  in  1867,  and  the 
father,  who  was  born  June  11,  1802,  died  in 
1876.  He  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  following  the 
same  in  Bedford  county,  but  in  Elk  county  he 
engaged  in  farming,  and  on  coming  to  Centre 
county  lived  retired.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
Whig  in  politics,  later  a  Republican,  and  for 
many  years  served  as  supervisor  of  Fox  town- 
ship, Elk  county. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  William  T.,  born  August  4, 
1824,  died  when  young;  Mary,  born  April  12, 
1826,  married  Jacob  Taylor,  but  both  are  now 
deceased;  Sarah,  born   April  9,   1828,  is  the  de- 


ini/i//  MoiiATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ceased  wife  of  George  Taylor,  of  Central  City, 
Perm.;  James,  born  August  19,  1830,  Josiah, 
born  October  20,  1832,  George  W.,  born  March 
9,  1835,  and  Elizabeth,  born  July  jo,  1836,  are 
all  deceased;  Joel,  born  June  1,  1839,  is  a  farmer 
of  Nebraska;  Elias  and  Eliza  (twins)  were  born 
March  6,  [841,  and  the  latter  is  now  the  wife  of 
James  R.  Green,  of  Elk  county;  and  Benjamin 
F. ,  born  October  6,  1843,  is  deceased. 

Until  sevetneen  years  of  age,  Prof.  Hancock 
assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  but  at  that 
time  met  with  a  painful  accideut.  While  en- 
gaged in  chopping  down  a  tree  with  two  others, 
he  slipped  and  fell,  his  hand  going  under  the  axe, 
which  his  brother-in-law  was  just  bringing  down, 
his  right  hand  being  severed  at  the  wrist,  and 
for  three  months  he  was  confined  to  his  bed. 
On  his  recovery  he  began  teaching  in  Elk  coun- 
ty, which  profession  he  there  followed  some 
eight  terms.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he 
attended  the  State  Normal  College  at  New 
York  for  one  term.  He  has  since  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  schools  of  Centre  counts',  where 
in  the  spring  of  [896  he  finished  his  fortieth  term. 
For  three  terms  he  did  net  follow  the  profession, 
his  time  bein^;  spent  as  si  hool  director,  collector 
and  treasurer  of  the  school  board.  He  has 
proved  a  most  competent  ami  able  instructor, 
and  holds  high  rank  among  the  leading  educators 
of  the  county. 

On  April  7,  [870,  Mr.  Hancock  was  married 
to  Mis-  M.u\  E.  Taylor,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children:  Edward  R.,  who  was  born  April  4, 
187 1,  and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  in  Hoggs 
township;  and  Sarah  B.,  born  August  20,  1878, 
at  home.  Mrs.  Hancock  was  born  July  6,  [843, 
at  Farmers  Mills,  Centre  county,  of  which  coun- 
ty her  parents,  Thomas  |.  and  Sarah  ( Human  1 
Taylor,  were  also  natives,  and  there  the  mother 
died  February  [4,  r86l,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine  years;  the  father,  who  was  bom  August  2, 
iSjo,  now  makes  Ins  home  at  Unionville,  l'enn. 
For  se\'  us    during   early   life    he   also  en- 

gaged in  teaching,  later  followed  clerking,  book- 
keeping and  photographing;  then  conducted  a 
hotel  at  I  nionville;  but  is  now  engaged  inweav- 
ing carpets.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  in  politics  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held 
a  number  of  local  offices  of  honor  and  trust.  His 
parents,  George  and  Mary  (Dunlap)  Taylor, 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  Centre  county. 

Mrs.  Hancock  is  the  eldest  in  the  family,  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
Charles  McGlocklin,  superintendent  of  coal  mines 
in  Clearfield  county,  Perm.;  Martha  J.,  wife  of 
Prof.  H.  Meyer,  who  was  for  a  time  superintend- 
ent of  the  schools  of  Centre  county,  and  now  re- 


sides at    Rebersburg,  Penn. :  Susan  C  ,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  five  years;  orge  W.,  who  is 

engaged  in  clerking  in  Bedford  county,  Penn. 
The  father  of  these  children  was  twice  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Susan  Swyers,  by 
whom  he  has  one  daughter,  Clara  B.,  wile  of  T. 
F.  Leathers,  a  government  employee  in  the  print- 
ing department  at  Washington,  D.  ('. 

Prof.  Hancock  casts  his  ballot  in  support  of 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party. 
and  has  most  acceptably  filled  the  offices  of  sup- 
ervisor, assessor,  assistant  assessor,  and  clerk  of 
his  township,  holding  the  last  position  at  the 
present  time.  Promptness  and  fidelity  mark  the 
discharge  of  all  duties  entrusted  to  his  care, 
and  he  has  proved  a  most  popular  official.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  but 
attends  the  United  Brethren  Church,  to  which 
his  children  belong,  while  his  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  They  are  earnest,  con- 
sistent Christian  people,  and  the  son  is  contem- 
plating entering  the  ministry.  They  hold  a  high 
position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  community, 
have  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  ki 
them,  and  hosts  of  warm   friends. 


WILLIAM  A.  TOBIAS,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Millheim,  Centre 
county,  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  word.  Not  only  has  he  won  a  financial  suc- 
cess through  his  own  efforts,  but  his  excellent 
practical  education  has  been  gained  mainly  from 
private  stud} . 

Mr.  Tobias  is  a  native  of  Bloomsburg,  Co- 
lumbia Co.,  Penn.,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  D  S 
Tobias,  a  minister  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church,  whose  talents  and  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  religion  made  him  prominent  in  his  day. 
Reared  in  a  rural  community  in  Berks  county, 
Penn.,  where  he  was  born  March  3,  1804,  Rev 
Mr.  Tobias  had  but   limited   educational   advan- 

es  in  his  youth,  and  his  preparation  for  his 
chosen  calling  was  obtained  with  unusual  sacri- 
fice and  effort.  His  studies  in  theology  « 
directed  by  Rev.  C.  J.  Hermann,  and  in  all  lines 
his  instruction  was  in  the  German  language,  in 
which  all  his  preaching  was  done.  His  first  ser- 
mon, delivered  November  23,  1823,  at  "the 
Swam]).  "  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  was  found- 
ed upon  the  first  five  verses  of  the  103d  Psaltn 
I ■'■!  a  time  he  served  as  a  local  preacher  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Berks  county,  and  his  first  settled 
■  barge  was  at  Bloomsburg,  Columbia  county,  in 
1824.  About  185 1  he  moved  to  Rebersburg. 
Centre  county,  where  he  died  October  29,  1864, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


397 


in  his  sixty-first  year.  He  was  a  small  man, 
weighing  about  a  hundred  pounds,  and  was  never 
robust  physically,  yet  his  mental  powers  were  of 
an  unusually  high  order.  He  lived  comfortably, 
but  never  accumulated  much  property.  In  the 
course  of  his  active  service  in  the  ministry  he 
preached  4, 500  regular  sermons,  officiated  at  750 
funerals,  657  confirmations  and  576  marriages. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

On  February  9,  1824,  Rev.  Tobias  was  mar- 
ried in  Berks  county  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Fisher,  a 
native  of  that  county,  born  July  3,  1802.  She  sur- 
vived him  many  years,  living  for  more  than  twen- 
ty-five years  in  the  home  of  our  subject,  where 
she  breathed  her  last  October  13,  1891,  in  her 
ninetieth  year.  The  mortal  remains  of  this 
worthy  couple  now  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Aaronsburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  Their  children 
were  ten  in  number,  the  names  with  dates  of 
birth  being  as  follows:  Methusalem,  February 
16,  1825,  died  in  infancy;  John  F.,  January  28, 
1827,  was  a  physician  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  where  he 
died;  Silisa  S.,  August  9,  1828,  is  the  widow  of 
P.  E.  Bomboy,  of  Espy,  Columbia  Co.,  Penn.; 
Calvin  J.  R.,  September  29,  1830,  is  a  railway 
engineer  residing  in  Keene,  N.  H. ;  William  A., 
January  10,  1833,  is  mentioned  more  fully  be- 
low; Andrew  J.,  February  13,  1835,  resides  in 
Almedia,  Columbia  county;  Amelia,  September 
24,  1837,  married  John  H.  Auman,  of  Mill- 
heim;  Snyder  D.,  August  1,  1840,  died  at  Mill- 
heim,  January  30,  1894;  Elizabeth  A.,  June 
19,  1845,  married  Henry  Miller,  of  Millheim; 
and  Lewis  C. ,  July  17,  1848,  resides  in  the  same 
town. 

Mr.  Tobias,  our  subject,  first  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Bloomsburg,  which  were  by  no 
means  equal  to  those  of  the  present.  His  un- 
fortunate deprivation  of  suitable  opportunities 
for  an  education  has  deeply  impressed  upon  him 
the  need  of  better  schools  in  which  all  children 
may  find  thorough  instruction.  By  diligent  use 
of  such  means  as  lay  within  reach,  he  prepared 
for  teaching,  and  in  1858  he  took  charge  of  a 
school  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  known 
as  "  Fowler's  School,"  at  $20  per  month,  not  in- 
cluding board.  This  school  was  very  small  in 
numbers,  the  average  being  about  five.  While 
there  he  began  to  chew  tobacco  to  put  in  the 
time,  which  hung  heavily.  He  had  already 
learned  the  harness  maker's  trade  under  Alexan- 
der Best,  at  Danville,  Penn.,  but  after  serving  a 
portion  of  his  term  of  apprenticeship  he  became 
so  proficient  that  he  began  work  as  a  journey- 
man. In  the  early  part  of  1861,  he  was  local 
editor,  foreman,  pressman,  devil  and  carrier,  of 
the  Benvick  Gazette,  a  weekly  paper  published 


by  A.  B.  Tate,  at  Berwick,  Columbia  Co.,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

On  October  21,  1861,  Mr.  Tobias  enlisted  at 
Bloomsburg,  in  Company  D,  84th  P.  V.  I.,  with 
Capt.  Alexander  G.  Frick.  His  first  battle  was 
at  Hancock,  Md.,  and  his  second  at  Winchester, 
Va.  He  was  in  Banks'  retreat  from  Winchester 
to  Williamsport,  Md.,  and  after  that  event  he 
came  home  for  a  short  time.  Soon  after  rejoin- 
ing the  regiment  at  Washington,  D.  C. ,  he  was 
taken  ill  and  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  from  there  to  York,  Penn.,  and  Octo- 
ber 23,  1862,  he  was  discharged  at  Baltimore, 
Md.,  on  a  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  He 
returned  to  Centre  county,  and  for  thirteen  years 
was  engaged  in  teaching  during  the  winter  sea- 
sons, chiefly  the  schools  of  Rebersburg,  three 
terms,  and  those  of  Clinton  county,  also  three 
terms,  his  vacations  being  devoted  to  other  work. 
His  last  term  of  school  was  in  Boggs  township, 
Centre  county,  winter  of  1874,  where  he  received 
$45  per  month.  In  the  fall  of  1875  he  was 
elected  County  Recorder  of  Deeds  of  Centre 
county  for  three  years,  and  re-elected  in  1878. 
Before  his  term  expired  he  was  appointed  by 
the  president  judge  of  the  court,  C.  A.  Mayer, 
to  make  a  new  index  for  miscellaneous  papers 
and  deeds  and  mortgages  of  Centre  county, 
which  occupied  his  time  for  a  year,  two  clerks 
helping  him.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Beliefonte 
in  order  to  discharge  conveniently  the  duties  of 
the  office  of  County  Recorder  of  Deeds.  In  1882 
he  came  to  Millheim,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
In  1894,  in  company  with  W.  H.  Culverson,  he 
established  a  small  general  store  at  Paddy's 
Mountain,  Mifflin  county,  but  sold  out  at  the  end 
of  a  year  to  his  partner.  Prior  to  this  he  had 
charge  of  a  bankrupt  stock  of  goods  at  Millheim. 
He  has  also  to  some  extent  dealt  in  real  estate, 
and  at  the  present  time  he  is  connected  with  the 
Building  &  Loan  Association,  of  Millheim. 

Mr.  Tobias  has  always  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics,  is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats 
in  his  section,  and  was  a  delegate  to  County 
Convention  several  times.  At  present  he  is  serv- 
ing as  president  of  the  city  council  of  Millheim. 
He  has  a  wide  acquaintance,  and  is  deservedly 
popular,  with  all  classes.  His  kindliness  of  heart 
is  shown  in  his  care  of  his  parents  and  for  others 
of  the  family  who  have  been  less  fortunatethan  he 
in  worldly  matters.  One  brother,  Snyder  D.,  an 
invalid  for  many  years,  found  a  home  with  him  also 
during  his  last  days,  and  passed  away  there. 
Our  subject's  intellect  is  acute  and  active,  and 
he  is  gifted  as  a  writer,  finding  much  enjoyment 
in  corresponding  for  various  papers.  Frater- 
nally, he  belongs  to  W.  W.  Bierly  Post  No.  298, 


I  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


<.  A.  EL,  at  Millheim,  and  to  Centre  Lodge  No. 
153,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Belief  on  te;  was  initiated  at 
Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  in  Great  Island  i  No. 

I    O.O.  I;..  iii  [863,  and  transferred  to  Cen-  \ 
tre   Lod{  153,  Bellefonte,  in  1876;  he   was 

formerly  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Order  of  Red  Men,  but  as  neither  had  a  lod 
in    the    county   he   withdrew    after  a  time.      In 

he  made  an  application  for  pension  under 
the  Act  of  June  27.  was  examined  and  rejected. 
On  August  4,  [897,  he  was  again  examined,  and 
on  November  16,  1S97.  his  pension  was  granted, 
$10  per  month  and  55  months  and  25  days  back 
pay.      Mr.  Tobias  has  never  married 


JEROME  A  (  ONFER  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  on  the  Marsh  Creek  road,  in  Hoggs 
township,  Centre  county,  and  is  one  of  that 
honorable  class  of  self-made  men  who  owe  their 
success  in  life  to  their  own  efforts.  His  energy, 
perseverance  and  capable  management  have  been 
the  essential  factors  in  his  prosperity,  and  the 
record  of  his  career  furnishes  an  example  which 
might  profitably  be  followed  by  many  others.  A 
native  of  Centre  county,  he  was  born  August  31, 
1S40,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Margaret  T.  (Packer) 
Confer,  who  wen-  also  natives  of  Centre  comity. 
The  father  was  a  miller  by  trade,  and  followed 
that  pursuit  throughout  his  entire  life.  His 
political  support  was  given  the  Democracy.  He 
died  in  1846,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-two  years, 
and  his  wife  who  still  survives  him,  is  now  li, 
in  Jefferson  county,  Penn.,  where  she  located  in 
1856.  She  was  born  November  4,  1823.  They 
had  four  -mis.  namely:  Jason  who  is  living  in 
Jefferson  county;  William,  of  Potter  county, 
this    State;    Jerome    A  :    and    John,    of  Centre 

No  event  of  special  importance  marked  the 
boyhood  days  of  [erome  A.  Confer,  who  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  twenty  years  of 
when  he  was  married  and  began  working  in 

lumber  woods.      H  nployed  until 

1N75.  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming 
and  located  at  his  present  home.  For  .1  year  he 
rented  and  then  purchased  his  farm,  which  com- 
prises [84  a  good  land,  the  greater  part 
of  it  being  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
yielding  to  the  owner  a  golden  tribul  turn 
for  the  care  and  cultivation  >ws  upon  it. 
In  the  midst  of  the  well-tilled  Gelds  stands  a 
handsome  residence,  while  good  barns  and  out- 
buildings have  been  provided  for  the  care  of 
grain  and  stock. 

On  September  20,  t86o.  Mr.  Confer  was 
united    in    marriage    with     Margaret    Elizabeth 


Walker,  who  was  born  in  Boggs  township,  on 
May  5,  1844,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rachel 
(Heaton)  Walker,  also  natives  of  Centre  county. 
I  1  many  years  the  father  was  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  in  Snow  Shoe  township,  but 
his   last   years   v  oted    to    farming.       He 

a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  in  pol- 
itics was  a  Democrat.  He  died  January  8,  1  • 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven;  his  wife,  who  was 
born  February  16,  1S1S,  is  still  living.  They 
were  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Mary 
J.  is  the  deceased  wife  of  P.  Slacker,  of  Miles- 
burg,  Penn.:  James  W.  is  also  deceased:  Mrs. 
Confer;  John  is  deceased;  Isaiah,  twin  brother  of 
John,  is  a  resident  of  Centre  county;  Edward  H. 
and  Miles  are  also  residents  of  that  county;  I 
lor  is  in  McKean  county,  Penn.;  Eliza  is  the  wife 
I  1  rank  Strickland,  of  Jefferson  county.  Penn.: 
and  Harvey  is  deceased.  The  grandparents  of 
Mrs.  Confer  were  Jacob  and  Margaret  Walker, 
natives  of  Centre  county  and  Germany,  resj 
ively;  both  died  in  this  county.  The  maternal 
grandparents.  Enoch  and  Eve  Heaton,  were  for 
residents  of  Centre  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Confer  have  a  family  of  twelve 
children:  Rachel  M.,  born  February  10,  181 
is  the  wife  of  frvin  Butler,  of  Boggs  township; 
Susan  M.,  born  May  9,  1863,  is  now  deceased; 
Mary  E.,  born  August  8,  1865,  is  the  wife  of 
Wilson  Heaton,  of  Milesburg;  Anna,  born  Ma) 
22,  1867.  died  in  infancy;  Richard  S.,  born  Au- 
gust 19,  1868,  is  living  in  Milesburg,  Penn.. 
fames  E.,  of  Milesburg,  was  born  Septembers, 
1870;  Alma,  born  May  22,  1873.  is  deceased; 
Lydia  M..  born  May  5,  1874,  is  also  deceased; 
Clara  M..  born  June  20,  1876.  has  also  passed 
away;  Nelson  A.  was  born  April  20,  1878;  Fthel 
I  was  born  August  12,  i88o;  Gertrude  E.  was 
born  May  20,  1885;  and  Fannie  M.  was  born 
August  28,  1887. 

Mr.  Confer  is  a  man  of  great  energy,  of  strong 
determination  and   resolute  purpose,  and  carries 
forward   to   successful    completion    whatever    li 
undertakes.      All    that    he   possesses   he    has 
cured  through  his  own  efforts,  and  his  prosperiU 
is  certainly  well  merited. 


CI  1.   MALLORY.  the  efficient  manager  of  the 
Kreamervil  mery,    ranks   among 

self-made  men  oi  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
who  from  humble  circumstances   has  worked  his 
way   upward.      He    has    had    very   little   tinr 
spend    in   idleness,  and   when   not    busy  with  his 
hands  has  added  to  his  store  of  knowledge, 
thus  kept  well  posted  on  current  events. 

Mr.     Mallory    comes    of    New    England    and 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


399 


Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  was  born  in  Miles 
township,  January  21,  1855,  a  son  of  James  B. 
and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Mallory.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Isaac  Mallory,  was  a  Yankee  from 
Connecticut,  who  during  pioneer  days  came  to 
Centre  county.  While  en  route  for  the  West,  he 
and  his  family  stopped  at  Milesburg,  where  was 
born  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  in  the  mean- 
time the  grandfather  sought  employment  in  the 
numerous  iron  works  of  this  section. 

His  parents  being  poor,  James  B.  Mallory  was 
bound  out  to  Mr.  Sheets,  a  blacksmith  of  Sugar 
Valley,  when  quite  young,  and  after  learning  the 
trade  established  a  shop  of  his  own  in  Rebers- 
burg,  where  he  carried  on  business  until  his  death, 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Reed,  who  was  born  in  Williamsport, 
Penn.,  and  whose  father  was  a  splendid  speci- 
men of  physical  manhood,  six  feet,  six  inches  in 
height,  and  was  a  "stiff"  Presbyterian.  Mrs. 
Mallory  was  also  about  eighty  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  and  they  now  sleep  side  by 
side  in  the  Rebersburg  cemetery.  They  held 
membership  in  the  Evangelical  Church,  and, 
politically,  Mr.  Mallory  was  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party.  Although  he  started  out  in 
life  a  poor  boy,  he  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  com- 
fortable home  and  competence. 

Our  subject  is  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  the 
family  of  seven  children,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows: Jeremiah  was  a  blacksmith  of  Rebersburg, 
where  he  died  from  the  effects  of  a  hammer  ac- 
cidentally striking  his  knee;  W.  J.,  formerly  a 
school  teacher,  is  now  a  silver  and  copper  mine 
owner  of  Arizona;  Jane  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Shool,  of  Rebersburg;  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Charles 
F.  Dubbs,  an  operator  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  railroad,  died  in  March,  1883; 
Belle  is  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Cole,  of  Loganton, 
Penn.;  Catharine  married  Frank  Snyder,  who 
was  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  and  she  later  wedded 
Daniel  Stabley. 

On  reaching  a  sufficient  age,  Mr.  Mallory,  the 
subject  of  this  review,  entered  the  schools  of 
Rebersburg,  his  first  teacher  being  R.  M.  Magee, 
and  after  attending  the  common  schools  for  some 
time  was  a  student  in  the  New  Berlin  Seminary 
(now  the  Central  Pennsylvania  College).  Previ- 
ously he  had  also  pursued  his  studies  in  the  County 
Normal  at  Rebersburg,  and  as  he  learned  well 
and  rapidly  was  able  to  begin  teaching  at  the  age 
of  sixteen.  His  first  school  was  on  Pine  creek, 
in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  and  was  an 
exceedingly  hard  one,  where  his  predecessor  had 
signally  failed;  but  he  was  so  successful  that  he 
at  once  established  his  reputation  as  a  teacher, 
although  so  young.      He  had  many  scholars  older 


than  himself,  and  physically  much  his  superior;  but 
under  his  able  direction  the  school  became  one 
of  the  most  orderly  in  the  township.  For  four- 
teen years  he  successfully  followed  the  teacher's 
profession,  and  during  his  course  in  the  New 
Berlin  Seminary  paid  his  tuition  by  teaching 
some  of  the  lower  classes.  After  an  attack  of 
pneumonia,  his  physician  advised  him  to  aban- 
don the  profession,  and  going  to  Antesfort,  Ly- 
coming Co.,  Penn.,  he  served  under  a  skilled 
creamery  manufacturer.  He  then  located  at 
Spring  Mills,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  cream- 
ery which  hesuccessfullyconducted  for  two  years, 
after  which  as  an  employee  of  R.  G.  Eisenhart, 
of  Horseheads,  N.  Y. ,  he  built  the  creamery  at 
Kreamerville,  which  he  now  operates. 

On  January  11,  1880,  in  Brush  Valley,  Mr. 
Mallory  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Loose,  who 
was  born  in  Millheim,  Centre  county,  Septem- 
ber 18,  1 86 1,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Brickley)  Loose.  Five  children  bless  their 
union,  their  names  and  dates  of  birth  being  as 
follows:  Lottie,  January  11,  1881;  Charles  B., 
March  16,  1882;  Stanley  O.,  November  3,  1883; 
Pearl  M.,  December  27,  1885;  and  Bessie  E., 
September  12,  1887.  The  family  circle  still  re- 
mains unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death. 

Mr.  Mallory  casts  his  ballot  in  support  of 
Democratic  principles,  has  held  township  offices, 
and  at  one  time  was  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  county  recorder.  Being  a  temperance  man, 
he  strongly  sympathizes  with  the  Prohibition 
movement,  and  gives  his  earnest  support  to  all 
worthy  enterprises  which  have  for  their  object 
the  good  of  the  community.  As  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Church,  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
give  much  attention  to  religious  work,  are  earnest 
and  sincere  Christians,  and  he  has  served  as  class 
leader  and  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school. 
In  1896  he  erected  a  comfortable  residence  in 
Rebersburg,  and  he  also  has  a  pleasant  home  in 
Kreamerville,  where  the  family  now  reside. 


S\  W.  SMITH  is  a  general  farmer,  pursuing 
_)  his  pleasant  and  profitable  occupation  in 
Potter  township,  Centre  county,  of  which  county 
he  is  a  native  son,  his  birth  having  occurred  near 
Centre  Hall,  February  21,  1863.  His  father, 
Dr.  Peter  Smith,  was  born  in  Blackhole  Valley, 
Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  April  29,  1825,  and,  as 
his  parents  were  farming  people  of  rather  limited 
means,  his  early  educational  privileges  were  lim- 
ited. Desiring  to  make  the  practice  of  medicine 
his  life  work,  he  was  obliged  to  borrow  the 
money  with  which  to  prosecute  his  studies,  and 


loo 


i  DM  ME  MORA  Tl  VE  BlOORAI'IIh  'AL   RECORD. 


in   January,   1848,    he  graduated  medical 

college  of  Geneva,  New  York. 

Dr.  Smith  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  in  Hublersburg,  Centre  county,  where 
lie  was  unknown,  and  was  therefore  dependent 
upon  his  skill  and  ability  for  success;  but  he  soon 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  large  patronage.  There 
he   married    Mary  Kopp,    the  wedding  ceremon) 

ig  performed  by  Rev.  Fisher,  a  Reformed 
Church  minister.  She  was  born  in  Limestone 
township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  March  15,  1S22, 
and  came  to  Centre  county  with  her  parents, 
George  and  Elizabeth  Kopp,  who  later  removed 
to  Sandusky  county,  Ohio;  but  she  remained  in 
(  entre  county,  where  she  was  working  as  a  do- 
mestic at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 

On  leaving  Hublersburg;  Dr.  Smith  went  to 
Centre  Hall,  and  111  the  spring  of  1871  removed 
to  the  George  Hoffer  farm,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased the  previous  fall.  He  was  living  there 
.it  the  time  of  his  death,  October  4,  1877,  and 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Centre  Hall.  He 
was  a  successful  practitioner,  and  many  would 
have  made  more  money  from  the  same  volume 
of  business,  but  he  was  never  given  to  exorbitant 
charges,  and  often  made  no  charge  at  all.  He 
never  refused  to  make  a  visit  because  the  patient 
was  poor  and  he  knew  that  he  would  receive 
nothing  for  it,  but  went  as  readily  as  if  his  fees 
ware  sure.  At  his  death  he  left  his  family  in 
comfortable  circumstances,  and  the  priceless 
heritage  of  an  untarnished  name.  The  Doctor 
was  well  posted  on  current  issues  and  questions, 
was  a  supporter  ol  the  Democratic  party,  on 
which  ticket  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legisla- 
ture at  one  time,  and  socially  he  was  connected 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Grange,  being  a 
charter  member  of  the  latter  organization.  He 
was  also  an  officer  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  with 
which  he  held  membership. 

The  following  children  came  to  the  marriage 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Smith:  Sarah  A.,  born  October 
8,  1850,  died  in  infancy;  Susan  A.,  born  April 
19,  1852,  married  A.  Q.  Stover,  and  died  in 
Clifford,  Mich.,  in  Oi  1893;  Alice  O,  born 

January  26,  1854,  died  June  29,  [855;  John  J. 
W.,  born  May  24.  1  S 5  5 ,  died  in  childhood;  Sa- 
loma  M . .  horn  October  20,  1856,  died  October 
7,  1868;  William  B.,  born  April  21,  1858,  died 
December  25,  1883;  Mary  M..  horn  March  24, 
1 861 ,  died  July  21,  1865;  and  S.  W  .  our  sub- 
ject. In  [872  the  family  removed  to  Centn 
Hall,  but  in  1890  they  returned  to  the  h< 
farm,  where  our  subject  is  living.  His  mother 
resided  with  him  until  March  6,  1897,  when  she 
died  after  a  short  illness.  She  was  laid  to  rest 
by  the  side  of  her  husband. 


In  the  public  schools  of  Centre  county  Mr. 
Smith  was  educated,  his  first  teacher  being  Col. 
J.  L.  Spangler,  and  on  laying  aside  his  text- 
books, at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  began  learning 
the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  Centre  Re- 
porter, of  Centre  Hall.  There  he  remained  un- 
til September,  1886,  when  he  became  associate 
editor  of    the  Centre  County  Times,  of  the  same 

e,  and  was  the  mainstay  of  the  office,  doing 
the  greater  part  of  the  editorial  and  mechanical 
work  from  the  very  start.  After  tw<>  wars  con- 
nection with  this  paper  he  went  to  Hellefonte, 
where  for  nearly  a  year  he  worked  on  the  Key- 
stone Gazette,  and  then  was  with  the  Democrat 
and  Sentinel,  of  Lewistown,  Penn.,  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  local  editor.  Failing  health  compelled 
him  to  abandon  the  business,  and  in  [888  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm  in  Potter  township, 
which  he  has  since  successfully  operated,  and 
half  of  which  he  now  owns. 

On  November  12,  1885,  in  Spun-  Hills, 
Penn.,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie 
L.  Kuhn,  of  Boalsburg,  who  was  born  in  Spring 
township.  Centre  county,  September  24.  [866, 
a  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Margaret  ( Kelphi 
Kuhn,  the  latter  now  residing  at  Jersey  Sb 
Penn.  Mr.  Smith  has  always  given  his  political 
support  to  the  Democratic  party;  fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Grange.  Although  a  young 
man,  he  is  classed  among  the  most  progressive 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  Potter  township,  is 
straightforward  and  reliable,  and  is  well  posted 
on  various  topics.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
faithful  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  deacon,  and  for  fift 
years  has  been   a  teacher  in   the   Sunday-school. 


SAMUEL  BRUGGER.  There  are  no  rules 
for  building  characters;  there  is  no  rule  for 
achieving  success.  The  man  who  can  rise  from 
the  ranks  to  a  position  of  eminence  is  he  who 
can  see  and  utilize  the  opportunities  that  surround 
his  path.  The  essential  conditions  of  life  are 
ever  the  same,  the  surroundings  of  individuals 
differ  but  slightly;  and.  when  one  man  passes 
.mother  on  the  highwa)  to  reach  the  goal  of 
prosperity  before  others  who  perhaps  started  out 
before  him,  it  is  because  he  has  the  power  to 
advantages  which  probably  encompass  the  wholi 
human  race.  To-day  among  the  most  prominent 
business  men  of  central  Pennsylvania  stands  Mi 
Brugger,  whose  work  as  a  civil  engineer  1 
wide  radius  of    territory. 

Johann  Rudolph  Brugger  (grandfather  of  OUI 
subject),  a  son  of  Samuel  Brugger,  was  born  in 
October,   1772,  in  the  District  of  Brugg,  Cair 


. 


&foiv<pt£  d//y°t 


'uay&y 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


401 


Aargau,  Switzerland,  and  after  his  marriage  with 
Catherine  Wildi  located  at  Veltheim,  in  the  same 
canton,  where  he  engaged  in  linen  weaving.  In 
1817,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  wife  and  six 
children,  he  started  for  the  New  World;  but  dur- 
ing the  three-months'  voyage  one  of  his  three 
sons  died  and  was  buried  in  the  ocean.  On  land- 
ing at  Philadelphia,  Grandfather  Brugger  went 
up  the  Susquehanna  river  to  McKee's  Half  Falls, 
and  located  at  Grubb's  Church,  five  miles  from 
the  river,  where  he  made  his  home  for  several 
years.  He  then  removed  to  what  was  then 
Union  county,  but  is  now  Snyder  county,  Penn., 
locating  a  few  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Mohan- 
tongo  creek,  where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two  years. 

Gabriel  Brugger  (the  father  of  our  subject) 
was  born  in  Veltheim,  Switzerland,  June  1,  1804, 
and  was  thirteen  years  old  when  he  came  with 
the  family  to  this  country.  He  wedded  Cath- 
erine Arnold,  who  was  born  in  Chapman  town- 
ship, Union  county,  Penn.,  May  19,  1805,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  George  Arnold.  Ten  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union:  Saloma,  now  the 
widow  of  Nathan  Forrey,  of  Sandusky  county, 
Ohio;  Rudolph,  a  farmer  of  the  same  county; 
Samuel,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Gabriel,  also 
a  farmer  of  Sandusky  county,  Ohio;  Benjamin,  a 
farmer  of  Murfreesboro.Tenn. ;  George,  deceased; 
Jonathan,  a  carpenter  of  Berrysburg,  Penn.; 
Mary  A. ,  deceased  wife  of  Joseph  Vogt,  of  Clyde, 
Ohio;  William,  deceased;  and  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
Silas  Malich,  of  Wayne,  Neb.  After  his  mar- 
riage the  father  of  our  subject  removed  to  the 
old  Stone  Valley  church,  in  Lower  Mahanoy 
township,  Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  resided  until  October,  1839,  when  he  went  to 
Perry  township,  Union  county,  Penn.  (now  Sny- 
der county),  and  located  upon  a  small  farm  near 
Mt.  Pleasant  Mills. 

The  birth  of  our  subject  occurred  near  the 
old  Stone  Valley  Church  in  Northumberland 
county,  August  26,  1830.  His  early  education 
was  rather  limited,  he  at  first  attending  a  Ger- 
man school  for  a  part  of  a  year  in  his  native 
county,  where  the  public-school  system  had  not 
yet  been  adopted.  During  the  last  two  years  he 
attended  school  there,  he  learned  to  read  English, 
but  did  not  understand  what  he  read.  After  the 
removal  of  the  family  to  Union  county,  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  for  three  months,  the 
length  of  the  winter  term.  By  the  law  then  ex- 
isting the  citizens  of  the  district  could  take  a  vote 
every  three  years,  and  reject  or  adopt  the  pub- 
lic-school system,  and  for  several  years  afterward 
there  were  no  public  schools. 

At  the  age  of  ten  years,  Mr.  Brugger  started 

26 


out  to  fight  life's  battle,  at  first  working  for  his 
board  and  clothes  with  an  uncle,  Jonathan  Gel- 
nett,  of  Juniata  county,  Penn.,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years  and  one-half.  Returning 
home,  he  was  a  student  in  a  private  school  for 
two  months  during  the  winter  for  a  couple  of 
years,  taking  up  reading,  arithmetic  and  a  little 
penmanship.  In  the  fall  of  1846  he  taught  a 
two-months'  term  of  school  in  Greenwood  town- 
ship, Juniata  county,  and  so  successful  was  he  in 
this  venture  that  he  followed  the  profession  for 
several  years,  alternately  teaching  and  attending 
school.  In  1849  he  pursued  his  studies  for  one 
session  in  the  Dickinson  Seminary,  at  Williams- 
port,  Penn.,  under  Rev.  Thomas  Bowman,  now 
a  retired  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  the  year  previous  his  father  had 
given  him  his  time,  and  he  left  home  with  his 
small  stock  of  clothing  and  school  books  in  a 
trunk,  going  to  Boalsburg,  Centre  county,  where 
he  clerked  in  the  general  store  of  George  Jack 
for  $5  per  month  for  three  months.  He  next 
cooked  for  a  party  of  lumbermen  in  Clearfield 
county,  Penn.,  for  his  board.  In  the  winter  of 
1848-49  he  taught  school  at  Grahamton,  in  that 
county,  but  in  the  following  spring  he  returned 
home. 

After  attending  the  seminary  at  Williamsport 
foroneterm,  Mr.  Brugger's  funds  were  exhausted, 
and  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  time  at  Mt. 
Pleasant  Mills,  Union  county,  and  near  Union- 
ville,  in  Centre  county.  In  the  summer  of  1851 
he  traveled  on  foot  through  Pennsylvania.  Mich- 
igan, Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Ohio,  and  back 
again  to  his  old  home.  He  then  taught  school 
until  1853,  when  for  five  months  he  attended 
Joshua  Hoope's  school  for  boys  at  Westchester, 
Penn.  He  then  entered  the  railroad  service, 
with  which  he  has  since  been  mainly  connected, 
first  going  to  Unionville,  where  he  was  chainman 
on  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad.  During  the 
summer  of  1854  he  was  rodman  on  the  Tangas- 
cootak  railroad,  later  taught  school  at  Union- 
ville, and  in  April,  1855,  he  went  to  Minnesota, 
for  a  time  being  employed  as  assistant  city  en- 
gineer on  the  streets  of  St.  Paul.  In  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  he  was  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
survey  of  the  Minnesota  &  Northwestern  railroad 
from  St.  Paul  to  Cannon  river,  the  first  railroad 
projected  in  the  territory. 

On  February  14,  1856,  Mr.  Brugger  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  Peters,  who  was  born  at 
Unionville,  Penn.,  February  29,  1836,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Iddings)  Peters, 
also  natives  of  Centre  county.  Her  paternal 
grandparents,  Lawrence  and  Elsie  (McGinnis) 
Peters,  were   born    in   Lancaster  county,  Penn. , 


102 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


and  were  among  the  earl)'  settlers  of  Centre 
inty,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days 
upon  a  (arm.  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Henry) 
hidings,  tin-  maternal  grandparents,  were  natives 
of  Chester  county,  Penn.,  and  were  also  pioneer 
farming  people  of  Centre  county.  The  brothers 
and  sisters  oi  Mrs.  I  Snigger  are  as  follows:  John 
died  in  the  Union  service  during  the  Civil  war; 
|  —  ph  died  from  the  effects  of  his  army  serv- 
i<  i  ,  Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Schuman,  of 
Missouri;  and  Sarah  F.  is  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Hall,  a  blacksmith,  of  Unionville,  Penn.  Six 
children  blessed  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife:  Walter  M.,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  now 
mi  tlii-  road;  Nora  I.,  wife  of  William  F.  Becker, 
stationer}  agent  at  Harrisburg,  Penn.;  Caroline 
A.,  wife  of  John  C.  Rumberger,  agent  for  the 
Central  railroad  of  Pennsylvania  at  Salona,  Clin- 
ton county,  Penn.;  Joseph,  a  farmer  of  Union 
town-hip,  Centre  county;  and  John  P.  and  Eliz- 
abeth C. ,  at  home. 

After  Ins  marriage,  Mr.  Brugger  erected  his 
pleasant  home  at  Unionville,  Centre  county, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  From  October, 
[856,  until  November,  1864,  he  was  cot 
with  the  construction  of  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley 
railroad;  was  next  with  the  Sterling  Mountain 
railroad  at  New  York;  111  1  S66  located  about  fifty 
miles  of  the  Winslow  Colliery  &  Clarion  Rivei 
rpad;  and  in  1867  helped  to  construct  the  West- 
ern Maryland  railroad.  In  the  following  January 
he  went  to  New  York  as  principal  assistant  en- 
gineer on  the  Boston,  Hartford  &  Erie  railroad, 
with  which  he  was  connected  until  1870,  when 
on  account  of  lack  of  funds  work  was  abandoned. 
Returning  to  the  Western  Maryland  road,  he  was 

Km  engineer  for  three  and  one-half  years,  or 
until  its  completion,  when  he  returned  home. 
For  several  years  he  was  then  with  tin;  Pennsyl- 
vania iV  Western  railroad,  and  subsequently  foi 
three  years  was  with  the  Susquehanna  &  South- 
western, now  called  the  Beach  Creek  railroad, 
which  extends  between  Jersey  Shore  and  Ma- 
haffey,  Penn.  Since  1882  he  has  located  the 
Dickerson  Run  &  Red  Stone  railroad  between 
Dawson  and  Uniontown,  Penn.;  the  Kettle 
I  reek  railroad,  between  Westport  and  Trout 
Run.  Clinton  county;  a  part  of  the  Southern 
Central  between  Sunbury  and  Harrisburg ;  Chest 
Creek,  between  Patton  and  West  Dover,  Penn.; 
Clearfield,  Conemaugh  &  Western  railroad,  be- 
tween Clearfield  and  Johnstown.  Penn. ;  and  at 
present  is  their  civil  engineer.  The  Clearfield  & 
Mahoning  railroad,  betweeii»Clearfield  and  Du- 
Penn. ,  was  located  by  him  in  1892. 

As    a   civil   engineer,    Mr.    Brugger    has    few 
equals  in  this  section  of  the  State,  and  that  his 


work  has  been  eminently  satisfactory  is  shown  by 
his  long  retention  with  important  railroad  com- 
panies. A  great  student,  he  owns  one  of  the 
most  elegant  libraries  in  Centre  county;  is  a  man 
of  broad  general  information,  and  well-informed 
on  the  leading  topics  of  the  day.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
community,  honored  and  respected  by  all,  and 
the  confidence  which  he  receives  is  justly  merit- 
ed. For  the  past  twenty-two  years  he  has  been 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epicopal 
Church,  of  which  he  is  steward  and  trustee. 
He  casts  his  ballot  in  behalf  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, but  cares  nothing  for  political  office, 
though  in  1S80  he  was  elected  county  surveyor. 
During  all  the  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  his 
profession  he  made  his  home  on  his  farm  at 
Unionville,  consisting  of  about  160  acres  of  land, 
100  of  which  have  been  improved.  Besides  this 
he  owns  a  piece  of  land  in  the  Alleghany  Mount- 
ains, which  he  is  clearing  and  converting  into  a 
fruit  farm. 


NDREW   KORMAN,  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial, thorough  and  painstaking  agricult- 
urists  of  Gregg    township.    Centre    count)',    1 
native    of     Pennsylvania,    born    in    Huntingdon 
county,   in  March,    [845.       When  a  mere  child  he 
was   brought   to  Centre  county   by   his    parents, 
George   and    Christina    (Rover)    Korman,    where 
the  father  followed   farming   throughout   the 
mainder  of  his  life.      He  was  called   to  his  final 
rest  at  the  age  of  seventy   years,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Union  cemeter)  in  Gregg  township.      lb 
was  a  highly  respected  and  valued  member  of  the 
imunity,  where  he  had  hosts  of  warm  friends. 
Hi.  widow   now   makes  her  home  with  a  daughter 
in   Gregg    township.      This   worthy  couple   w 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  in  order  ol  birth  BS 
follows:   Aaron,  deceased;   Catharine,  wife  of  B. 
Yearick,  of   Potter  township,  Centre  county; 
drew;     Mary,    wife    of    Washington    Garvick,    of 
Centre  county;    M  wife  of  Jesse    I. one. 

Gregg  township;   Ellen,  wife  of  Samuel  Long,  of 

the  same  township;  Alfred,  deceased;  and  Louisa, 
wife  of  John  D.  Honer,  of  Creston,  Pennsylvania 
The  education  of  Andrew   Korman  was  prin- 
cipalis' obtained   in   the   schools  of   Spring   Mill-, 
but    his    opportunities    were    much    poorer   than 
those  afforded  the   children   of  the   present  day, 
and,  feeling  the  lack  of  a  good  education,  he  1 
become  a  firm  friend  of  our  common-school  s\ 
tern.      Upon    the    home  farm  he  was  reared,  an  1 
under    his   father's  able   instruction   acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  that    business,  remaining 
with  him  until  his  marriage,  when  he  was  twenty- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


403 


five  years  old,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Tibbens,  who 
was  born  in  Brush  Valley,  Gregg  township,  No- 
vember 19,  1 85 1.  She  is  the  oldest  child  of 
Michael  and  Anna  M.  (Ziegler)  Tibbens,  farming 
people,  in  whose  family  were  nine  children — two 
sons  and  seven  daughters.  Mrs.  Korman  was 
provided  with  a  good  education,  to  which  she 
has  added  greatly  by  reading  in  later  years.  By 
her  marriage  she  has  become  the  mother  of  five 
children:  Oliver  T.,  of  Gregg  township;  Agnes 
D.,  wife  of  R.  B.  Gentzel,  of  the  same  township; 
Anna  M.,  at  home;  Irvin  W.,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  years;   and  Harry  A.,  at  home. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Korman  located  upon 
his  father-in  law's  farm,  in  Gregg  township,  along 
the  pike  west  of  Spring  Mills,  where  he  remained 
until  1883,  when  he  purchased  the  Rev.  P.  Fisher 
farm  in  the  same  township — a  tract  of  148  acres 
— and  paid  $6, 158  for  it.  He  has  greatly  im- 
proved the  farm  and  placed  it  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  In  1888  he  built  his  present  com- 
fortable residence,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  township  Being  a  skillful  and  progressive 
farmer,  the  fields  are  made  to  yield  abundant 
harvests  and  the  entire  appearance  of  the  place 
indicates  a  thrifty  and  prosperous  owner. 

Politically,  Mr.  Korman  follows  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  supporting  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Democratic  party  as  a  general  rule, 
but  endeavors  to  vote  for  the  man  best  qualified 
to  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  party  affiliations. 
His  excellent  wife,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  has  been  a  most  faithful  help- 
meet to  him,  and  to  her  no  little  credit  is  due 
ifor  the  success  that  he  has  achieved  in  life. 
Their  family  all  belongs  to  the  Reformed  Church, 
and  is  one  upon  which  they  can  look  with  pride, 
all  holding  honorable  positions  in  society,  and 
the  name  of  Korman  certainly  deserves  an  hon- 
ored place  in  the  records  of  Centre  county. 


JB.  ARD.  One  of  the  prominent  represent- 
atives of  the  commercial  and  industrial 
interests  of  Centre  county  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  brief  notice,  the 
well-known  merchant  miller  of  Pine  Grove  Mills. 
He  belongs  to  one  of  the  leading  and  influential 
families  of  Central  Pennsylvania.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Dr.  Joseph  B.  Ard,  was  for  many 
years  an  eminent  physician  of  Mifflin  county, 
making  his  home  in  Lewistown,  but  finally  re- 
tired from  active  life,  and  spent  his  remaining 
days  in  Philadelphia,  where  his  death  occurred 
February  27,  1861.  He  was  born  September  18, 
'784,  and  was   of   Scotch  extraction,  his  ances- 


tors coming  to  this  country  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

George  Ard,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Lewistown,  Penn.,  May  14,  18 14,  and 
on  attaining  to  man's  estate  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Emeline  Harvey,  a  daughter  of 
Nathan  Harvey,  of  Mill  Hall,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn. 
She  died  when  our  subject  was  but  six  years  of 
age,  but  her  husband  long  survived  her,  passing 
away  in  1892.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Lewistown.  In  their  family  were  four 
children,  namely:  (1)  Eliza  R.  married  Francis 
Shoemaker,  of  Philadelphia,  where  they  made 
their  home  for  about  thirty-five  years.  There 
she  died  some  twenty  years  ago,  leaving  three 
children — Ellen  A.,  wife  of  Duncan  L.  Buzly, 
an  attorney  at  law  of  Philadelphia;  George  A., 
who  died  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years;  and  Francis,  an  importer  of  drugs.  (2) 
J.  B.,  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  next  in  order  of 
birth.  (3)  Dr.  Wilson  P.,  a  practicing  physician 
of  Woodward,  Centre  county,  married  Amanda 
Body,  of  Berks  county,  Penn. ,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren. (4)  Ellen  R, ,  twin  sister  of  the  Doctor, 
became  the  wife  of  Robert  A.  Lovett,  and  died 
in    1878,    in   Florida,  whither  she   had   gone   for 


her  health,  being  troubled  with  pulmonary  dis- 
ease. Her  remains  were  interred  at  Lewistown. 
For  a  number  of  years  she  and  her  husband  had 
lived  in  Paris,  France,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  banking  business.  When  last  heard  from  he 
was  in  the  West. 

Being  left  without  a  mother's  tender  care  at 
an  early  age,  J.  B.  Ard  and  his  brother,  Wilson 
P.  were  placed  by  their  father  in  school  at  McVey- 
town,  on  the  Juniata  river,  near  Lewistown, Penn., 
where  they  remained  some  five  years,  and  were 
subsequently  students  in  the  Pine  Grove  Mills 
Academy  for  the  same  length  of  time,  there  com- 
pleting their  literary  educations.  On  leaving  the 
school  room  our  subject  entered  a  store  as  clerk, 
where  he  was  employed  for  two  years,  and  then 
held  a  similar  position  in  the  dry-goods  estab- 
lishment of  Cooper  &  Conard,  of  Philadelphia. 
In  1864  he  took  a  course  in  Pollock's  Mercantile 
College.  Returning  to  Pine  Grove  Mills,  Mr. 
Ard,  in  1868,  established  himself  in  mercantile 
business,  which  he  successfully  carried  on  until 
1 87 1,  when  he  disposed  of  his  business,  and  has 
since  given  his  attention  to  merchant  milling. 

In  1885,  Mr,  Ard  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  C.  Lytle,  a  daughter  of  Piersol  and 
Lydia  Lytle,  of  Ferguson  township,  Centre 
county.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  one 
of  whom  died  in  infancy;  the  other,  a  bright  lit- 
tle boy,  was  born  August  16,  1893.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Ard  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  and  in  religious 


404 


COMMEMORATIVE  Blur, U.WIIHWI.   RECORD. 


belief  is  inclined  toward  the  Presbyterian  doc- 
trine, to  which  his  wife  adheres.  They  occupj 
a  most  elegant  home,  tastefully  and  luxuriantly 
furnished,  and  here  their  many  friends  are  sure 
to  receive  a  hearty  welcome. 


Is\AC  S.  FRAIN.  The  spirit  of  self-help  is 
the  only  true  worth  in  tin-  individual.  It  is 
this  which  enables  man  to  rise  above  his  sur- 
roundings, overcome  obstacles  and  work  his  way- 
upward  to  prominence.  The  space  between 
what  a  man  is  and  his  ideal  is  his  opportunity, 
and  he  who  utilizes  every  advantage,  by  which 
he  may  rise  to  the  level  of  his  ideal,  must  ulti- 
mately win  success.  Such  has  been  the  life 
record  of  Mr.  Frain,  who  by  his  own  efforts  has 
risen  to  a  position  of  affluence,  and  to-day  stands 
among;  the  most  substantial  and  highly-respected 
farmers  of  Centre  county.  He  is  the  proprietor 
of  the  Fair  View  stock  farm,  in  Marion  town- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of 
his  locality. 

Mr.  Frain  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn., 
February  3,  1834,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine 
(Shoemaker)  Frain,  also  of  Berks  county.  The 
tatter  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Shoemaker,  of 
that  county,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  after  its  close  his  father  and  all  his 
brothers  and  sisters  removed  to  Waterloo,  On- 
tario, Canada,  where  several  of  his  descendants 
still  reside,  1  1  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Jacob  Shoemaker  and  his  family  remained  in 
Berks  county.  In  1840  Henry  Frain  removed 
with  his  family  from  Berks  to  Union  county, 
where  his  wife  died  in  July,  1852,  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  years.  He  then  went  to  live  with  our 
subject  and  another  son,  remaining  with  them 
until  his  death  in  September,  1874,  when  he  was 

1  seventy-seven  years,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred August  17,   1797. 

Henry  and  Catherine  Frain  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  named:  Isaac,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Henry,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  George,  a  car- 
penter  of  Altoona,  Penn. ;  John,  of  Kansas,  who 
servi  'I  m  the  56th  P.  Y.  I  ,  and  had  the  fingers 
of  his  left  hand  shot  off;  Samuel,  proprietor  of 
a  grocery  in  Harrisburg,  Perm.,  who  served  in 
the  149th  P.  Y.  I.  and  was  wounded  in  the  ankle; 
Charles,  who  was  a  member  of  the  same  regi- 
t,  and  was  wounded  in  the  arm  (he  is  now  a 
farmer   of   Salina,     Kans.  1;    Frank,    of   W'illiams- 

1.   Penn.,  who  served  as  a  member  of  the  fust 

dry  regiment  from  this  State,  and  lost  his 
right  arm  in  the  war. 

Until  seven!  rs  of  age,  Isaac  S.  Frain 


remained  under  the  parental  roof,  during  which 
time  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  assisted 
his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm.  He 
then  served  a  two-years'  apprenticeship  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  under  Jacob  Hazel,  after  which 
he  worked  as  a  journeyman  one  year.  On  April 
1,  1855,  he  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  success- 
fully followed  that  pursuit  until  April  1,  1865, 
when,  with  the  capital  he  had  acquired  through 
his  own  labors,  he  purchased  his  present  farm. 
The  buildings  were  then  dilapidated,  and  much 
of  the  land  was  at  that  time  uncultivated;  but 
with  characteristic  energy  he  began  the  work  of 
improvement,  and  to-day  has  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  Centre  county,  supplied  with  excellent 
buildings  and  all  the  accessories  and  conveniences 
found  upon  a  model  farm  in  this  latter  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  In  addition  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  fields,  he  has  extensively  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  raising  of  thoroughbred 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Percheron  and 
French  coach  horses.  In  his  stables  are  found  a 
Percheron  horse,  •'Royal"  (registered  as  No. 
15,862),  a  French  coach  horse,  "Bison"  (N 
190),  and  another  French  coach  horse,  "  Ignor' 
(No.  752)  Mr.  Frain  was  president  of  the  first 
French  horse  company  of  Centre  county,  and  to 
no  man  is  due  in  a  ;ie;iter  degree  the  result  of 
raising  the  high  standard  of  horses  bred  in  thi> 
locality 

On  February  5,    [855,    Mr.   Frain  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Mary  A.  Ziegler,  who  died   Y 
1,  1884.      They  had  nine  children,  three  of  whom 
died    in    infancy;  William  A.  died  at  the  age  of 
five  months  and  five   days;    Davis  /..  is  a  farmer 
of   Marion   township,  Centre  county ;  John  H. 
graduate  of   the  college  at    New  Berlin,  wen' 
Kansas  March  4,  18X;,  engaged  in  school  teach 
ing  in  that  State  for  some  years,  went  to  Pueblo. 
Colo.,  in  the  spring  of  1891,  and  remained  until 
his  death,  November  1,  1894;  Cephas  W 
with  his  father:  Mary  K.  is  the  wife  ol    Prof 
1".  W.  Mark,    principal   of   the    High   School  at 
Northeast.  Penn.;   Clara  E.  is  the  wife  of  A    N 
W01  1.  of  Mill  Hall,  Penn  .  1      Frank 

duate  of  the   Potts   Shorthand   and  Commer- 
cial   College.    Williamsport,    Penn.,    and  of  thi 
Rochester  Business  University,   I 
York. 

In  June,   [886,  Mr,   Frain  was  again  man 
second    union    being   with    Mrs.    Sarah   I 
(Wallis)  Moore,  widow  ol    David  A.  M 
nierly  a  native  of   Blair  county,  Penn.,  who  d 
in  August,    1875,  al   the  age  of  thirty-twi 
Mrs     Irani    was    born    in    Cumberland  <ro\\\> 
daughter    of    Joseph     and     Mai 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


405 


(Campbell)  Wallis,  natives  of  Dauphin  and  Cum- 
berland counties,  respectively.  Her  paternal 
grandparents  were  John  L.  and  Mary  (Cook) 
Wallis,  of  Lycoming,  Penn.,  the  former  of 
whom  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Muncy 
Valley,  Lycoming  county.  Her  maternal  grand- 
parents were  John  and  Mary  (McKnight)  Camp- 
bell. Mrs.  Frain's  father  was  a  school  teacher 
in  early  life,  but  spent  his  later  years  upon  a 
farm,  and  for  some  time  before  his  death  he  was 
blind.  His  children  were:  Sarah  E. ,  wife  of  our 
subject;  John  L.  and  Mary  A.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; and  William  N. ,  a  minister  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  of  Williamsport. 

Mr.  Frain  has  not  confined  his  attention 
alone  to  one  enterprise  or  to  one  class  of  inter- 
ests, but  has  devoted  his  energies  to  the  further- 
ance of  many  business  and  public  concerns.  He 
is  associated  with  the  Centre  County  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 
which  was  organized  in  1886,  was  made  presi- 
dent'on  its  organization,  served  in  that  capacity 
eight  years,  and  was  re-elected  president  of  said 
company  in  1893,  and  serves  in  that  capacity  at 
the  present  time.  It  started  with  a  guaranty  of 
$50,000,  and  now  has  two  million  dollars  in 
outstanding  risks.  The  business  has  been  man- 
aged at  an  expense  of  only  $1.41  per  thousand 
on  the  actual  insurance.  For  eight  years  Mr. 
Frain  was  master  of  the  Centre  County  Pomona 
Grange  No.  13,  retiring  from  that  office  in  1895, 
after  serving  eight  years  in  all.  He  belongs  to 
Marion  Grange  No.  223,  Patrons  of  Husbandry; 
to  Howard  or  Lick  Run  Lodge  No.  312,  I.  O. 
O.  F. ;  and  to  the  United  Evangelical  Church. 
In  his  political  adherencyhe  is  a  Democrat.  He 
now  lives  practically  retired,  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  rest. 


S\TANLEY  K.  WATSON.  Among  the  more 
.„');  'prominent  farmers  of  Boggs  township  is  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  whose  name  stands 
high  on  the  military  records  of  the  Civil  war,  as 
well  as  in  the  annals  of  Centre  county.  By  per- 
severance and  industry  he  has  gained  a  foothold 
in  the  world,  being  a  self-made  man,  and  is  one 
of  the  honored  and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
the  community.  His  home  is  pleasantly  located 
in  Boggs  township  on  the  Marsh  Creek  road,  just 
four  miles  south  of  where  his  birth  occurred  De- 
cember 14,  1 841. 

His  parents,  Thomas  and  Annie  (Mackey) 
Watson,  were  natives  of  Ireland  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, respectively,  and  were  married  in  Centre 
county,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days, 
the  father  dying  December   14,   1856,  at  the  age 


of  seventy-seven  years,  and  the  mother  on  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1879,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
In  their  family  were  the  following  children: 
Hannah,  born  November  21,  18 16,  is  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Thomas  McMullen;  Joseph,  born 
January  29,  18 18,  and  George,  born  July  22, 
1 8 19,  are  both  deceased;  Jane,  born  April  1, 
1 82 1,  is  living  in  Boggs  township;  Margarie, 
born  September  28,  1823,  is  the  widow  of  Will- 
iam Stanley,  of  Boggs  township;  Green,  born 
February  4,  1824,  was  killed  by  some  lumber 
falling  on  him;  Nancy,  born  October  23,  1824, 
is  deceased;  Julian,  born  September  24,  1827, 
married  Henry  Pownall,  but  both  are  now  de- 
ceased; Margaret,  born  August  1,  1829,  is  the 
wife  of  Perry  Akins,  of  Boggs  township;  Eliza- 
beth, born  August  3,  1831,  David,  born  April 
29.  '833.  Sarah,  born  January  10,  1835,  Ed- 
ward, born  April  ri,  1837,  and  Lucinda,  born 
November  9,  1839,  are  all  deceased;  and  Stanley 
K.  completes  the  family.  The  father  was  twice 
married,  and  by  the  first  union  had  five  children, 
all  now  deceased,  namely:  James,  born  July 
23,  1804;  Abraham,  born  May  23,  1807;  John, 
born  August  31,  1809;  Thomas,  born  September 
14,  1 S 12 ;  and  Mary,  who  was  born  January  25, 
1 8 14,  and  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  Akley.  In 
early  life  the  father  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  charcoal,  and  later  followed  farming.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  always 
supporting  the  Democratic  party,  and  acceptably 
served  in  several  local  offices,  including  that  of 
school  director.  Religiously  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Messiah  Church. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  on  the  death  of  his 
father,  Stanley  K.  Watson  left  home,  and  for  two 
years  worked  in  a  sawmill,  after  which  he  was  in 
the  lumber  woods  until  1863.  Filled  with 
patriotic  ardor,  in  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  184th  P.  V.  I.,  and  remained  in  the 
service  until  honorably  discharged  March  21, 
1865,  on  account  of  disability.  While  under 
Capt.  John  McCabe,  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Har- 
bor, in  front  of  Richmond,  June  3,  1864,  he  re- 
ceived a  gunshot  wound,  which  incapacitated  his 
right  arm;  he  also  received  a  slight  wound  in  the 
hip  at  North  Ann  River,  Va.  He  was  first  sent 
to  Lincoln  Hospital  at  Washington,  D.  C. ,  but 
was  afterward  transferred  to  White  Hall  Hos- 
pital in  Bucks  county,  Penn.,  where  he  remained 
until  receiving  his  discharge. 

For  one  year  after  his  return  home,  Mr.  Wat- 
son engaged  in  no  occupation,  but  spent  the  time 
in  trying  to  regain  his  usual  health.  He  then  fol- 
lowed lumbering  on  Brush  creek  until  1881,  when 
he  purchased  his  present  home,  to  the  cultivation 
and  improvement  of  which  he  has  since  devoted 


-H  m; 


COMMEMORATIVE  BlOGHM'lU'Al.   HECOItD. 


his  time  and  attention  with  most  gratifying  re- 
sults. Although  he  has  the  use  of  but  one  arm, 
he  is  an  energetic,  industrious  man  and  a  most 
skillful  farmer.  The  government  grants  him  a 
pension  of  $36  per  month. 

On  October  21,  1866,  Mr.  Watson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Poorman,  who 
was  born  May  1,  1S42,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Laura  A.,  born  March  26,  1868,  is  the  wife 
of  William  S.  Walker,  a  puddler  of  Milesburg; 
John  T. ,  born  March  3,  1869,  married  Emma 
Confer,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Clyde  M.,  and 
they  reside  with  our  subject;  and  Ellen  J'.,  born 
September  13,  1870,  is  the  wife  of  James  E.  Con- 
fer, a  farmer  of  Boggs  township.  Politically, 
Mr.  Watson  adheres  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  he  has  faithfully  served  as  road  supervisor, 
school  director  for  six  years,  and  is  now  serving 
his  third  year  as  township  auditor.  A  conscien- 
tious, earnest  Christian,  he  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Messiah  Church  at  Marsh  Creek,  of 
which  he  is  deacon  and  trustee,  while,  socially, 
he  is  connected  with  George  L.  Porter  Post  No. 
26 r,  G.  A.  K.,  of  Milesburg,  of  which  he  is  the 
popular  commander.  In  all  the  relations  of  life 
he  has  been  found  true  and  faithful  to  every  duty, 
and  as  loyal  to  his  country  in  days  of  peace  as 
when  following  the  stars  and  stripes  to  victory  on 
Southern  battlefields. 


JH.  DEIBLER.  Probably  there  is  no  other 
town  in  Centre  county  or,  indeed,  in  any 
county,  wherethe  leading  mercantile  establish- 
ments are  conducted  by  men  so  young  in  years 
as  are  those  of  Millheim,  and  foremost  among 
this  class  of  business  men  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  controls  the  largest  trade  in  general 
merchandise  of  any  one  in  the  place.  Born 
March  25,  1865,  his  career  may  be  said  to  be 
only  at  its  beginning,  yet  he  has  already  achieved 
a  success  such  as  most  merchants  gain  by  the 
work  of  a  lifetime. 

Mr.  Deibler  is  a  native  of  Berrysburg,  Dau- 
phin Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Hen- 
rietta (Ubdegrave)  Deibler,  who  are  still  living 
in  that  town,  though  advanced  in  years.  Both 
were  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.  John  W. 
Deibler  began  life  as  a  poor  man,  and  for  some 
time  was  a  huckster  and  farmer,  but  he  has  ac- 
cumulated a  handsome  competence,  and  his  old 
age  is  spent  in  comfort.  Through  going  bail  for 
others  he  has  lost  considerable  money,  but  for- 
tunately he  has  not  suffered  seriously.  He  is 
highly  respected,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  Re- 
publicans of  his  locality.  Of  his  family  of  six 
sons  and  five  daughters,  all  are  living. 


The  subject  of  our  sketch  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
supplementing  this  instruction  with  a  course  at 
Berrysburg  Seminary,  an  excellent  institution 
from  which  a  number  of  people  have  graduated 
who  later  became  eminent  in  various  callings. 
Mr.  Deibler  seems  to  have  had  a  clear  perception 
of  his  peculiar  fitness  for  a  mercantile  career,  as 
he  began  to  prepare  for  it  at  an  early  age  by 
taking  employment  as  a  clerk  for  Cornelius  Swab, 
a  general  merchant  at  Berrysburg,  at  a  salary  of 
$9  per  month,  board  not  included.  After  six 
months  in  that  place,  he  obtained  a  situation  in 
the  general  store  of  J.  B.  Enders,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years. 

In  1883,  Mr.  Deibler  went  to  Millheim  to 
clerk  for  J.  W.  Snook,  and  during  the  eight  years 
spent  in  that  store,  five  different  firms  were  in 
possession.  As  a  clerk  he  formed  an  extens 
acquaintance,  and  when  he  engaged  in  business 
for  himself  in  1 891,  he  speedily  established  a  fine 
custom.  Courtesy,  attention  to  business,  and 
fair  dealing  with  all,  characterize  his  conduct, 
and  his  business  has  rapidly  grown  to  be  one  of 
the  most  profitable  in  Penn's  Valley.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  mercantile  business,  Mr.  Deibler  is 
interested  in  several  building  and  loan  associa- 
tions. As  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  he 
has  certainly  made  a  phenomenal  success  which 
promises  even  better  things  for  the  future.  On 
March  17,  1891,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Maggie  H.  Miller,  a  native  of  Centre  Hall, 
a  daughter  of  John  H.  Miller,  now  a  leading  res- 
ident of  Williamsport.  Mrs.  Deibler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  is  prominent  in 
the  best  social  circles  of  the  locality. 

In  politics  Mr.  Deibler  is  a  Republican,  stead- 
fast in  the  faith,  and  a  regular  voter,  but  he  takes 
no  share  in  partisan  work,  believing  that  either 
it  or  his  business  would  be  neglected  if  both  u 
attempted.  However  devoted  he  may  be  to  his 
private  affairs,  he  is  much  too  public-spirited  to 
suppress  his  keen  interest  in  all  progressive  move- 
ments, and  he  is  a  generous  and  prompt  he'; 
of  any  measure  which  promotes  the  common 
good. 


ORLANDO    WESTON,    an    active  and  ener- 
getic farmer  residing  at    Mt.  Pleasant,    I 
lor  township,  Centre  county,  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania,   born    July    20,    1854,    in     Hunting 
county,  at  what  is  known   as    the   Cross    Roads. 
and  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Ellen  (Gill    West 
natives  of  Huntingdon  and  Centre  counties,  re- 
spectively.     They    were    married    in    the    former 
county,  where  they  remained    until    1858,  when 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


407 


they  removed  to  Sandy  Ridge,  Centre  county, 
but  in  1862  returned  to  Huntingdon  county, 
where  the  mother  died  two  years  later,  at  the 
age  of  forty-six.  In  early  life  the  father  followed 
the  tanner's  trade,  operating  a  tannery  at  Osce- 
ola, Penn. ,  until  the  panic  of  1875,  since  which 
time  he  has  engaged  in  carpentering  at  that  place. 
He  has  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  since  1866,  and  class  leader 
for  many  years. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  in  the  family  of  five 
children,  his  sisters  being  as  follows:  Anna, 
wife  of  Samuel  Winters,  a  farmer  of  Michigan; 
Emma,  wife  of  Charles  Baker,  a  farmer  and 
lumberman  of  Clearfield  county,  Penn. ;  Mary, 
deceased  wife  of  James  Edward,  a  carpenter  of 
Osceola;  and  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Elijah  Weston  married  Miss  Nancy  Merry- 
man,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Clara,  wife  of  Levi  Richie,  a  farmer  of 
Bedford  county,  Penn. ;  William  and  Elijah,  de- 
ceased; Fannie,  at  home;  and  Naomah,  wife  of 
William  Crane,  who  is  assisting  her  father  in  the 
butchering  business  at  Osceola.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject,  Elijah  and  Polly 
(Merryman)  Weston,  were  natives  of  Huntingdon 
and  Centre  counties  respectively.  The  former 
was  of  English  extraction,  and  was  a  well-read 
and  intelligent  farmer.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, William  Gill,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
died  at  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  nearly  one  hundred  years. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  Orlando 
Weston  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  but  he  had 
previously  worked  with  his  father  both  at  farm- 
ing and  tanning,  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the 
tannery  at  Osceola.  Later  he  was  employed  by 
others  in  that  business,  being  connected  with 
steam  tanneries  at  Osceola,  Philipsburg,  Clear- 
field and  Curwensville  until  1883,  when  he  em- 
barked in  farming  upon  his  present  place,  which 
he  now  has  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
well  improved.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  married 
Miss  Maggie  Nearhoof,  who  died  the  following 
year  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Maggie,  now  residing  with  her  grandmother 
in  Tyrone,  Penn.  Mr.  Weston  was  again  mar- 
ried May  3,  1885,  this  time  to  Miss  Maggie  Mer- 
ryman, and  to  them  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren:    Anna  M.,  Sherman  B.  and  Verna  E. 

Mrs.  Weston  was  born  in  Taylor  township, 
Centre  county,  February  27,  1863,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Miller)  Merry- 
man,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  upon  a  farm  in 
the  same  county,  where  the  former  died  in  1889 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six,  and  the  latter  in   1891  at 


the  same  age.  They  held  membership  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  in  politics  the  fa- 
ther was  a  Republican.  He  was  honored  by  his 
fellow  citizens  with  several  local  offices.  His 
family  consisted  of  six  children:  Nancy,  wife  of 
Henry  Melcher,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  of  Cen- 
tre county;  Mollie,  who  lives  with  her  sisters; 
Emma,  wife  of  W.  S.  Weston,  a  farmer  of  Tay- 
lor township;  Laura;  wife  of  Pius  Richards,  also 
a  farmer  of  Taylor  township;  William,  a  railroad 
fireman  residing  at  Tyrone,  Penn. ;  and  Maggie, 
wife  of  our  subject. 

Mr.  Weston  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  his  worth  and  ability  have  re- 
ceived due  acknowledgment  from  the  hands  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  who  have  called  upon  him  at 
different  times  to  serve  the  people  in  several 
township  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  has 
promptly  and  faithfully  discharged.  He  has  been 
an  active  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
since  locating  in  Taylor  township,  and  is  one  of 
the  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  community. 


PHILIP  DURST  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
best  and  most  highly  productive  farms  of 
Potter  township,  Centre  county,  to  which  he  has 
given  his  close  attention  with  results  which  can 
hardly  fail  to  be  satisfactory  to  himself,  and 
where  his  labors  have  met  with  success.  The 
highly  cultivated  fields  and  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance of  the  place  denote  the  supervision  of  a 
careful,  painstaking  and  progressive  business  man 
of  sound  judgment. 

Mr.  Durst  was  born  on  March  28,  1840,  a  son 
of  George  and  Catharine  (Meyer)  Durst.  In  the 
Fairfield  school  he  began  his  education  under 
the  direction  of  James  Davis,  and  when  quite 
young  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  his  pres- 
ent farm,  after  which  he  attended  the  Plum 
Grove  school.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  was 
able  to  handle  a  plow,  and  has  since  devoted  his 
time  and  attention  principally  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. His  father  being  one  of  the  best  managers 
and  successful  farmers  of  the  community,  our 
subject,  under  his  able  direction,  has  also  be- 
come one  of  the  most  skillful  and  thorough  agri- 
culturists and  business  men  of  Potter  township. 
He  uses  the  most  advanced  methods  and  ma- 
chinery in  the  operation  of  his  land,  which  has 
been  an  important  factor  in  his  success.  Until 
his  marriage  he  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  home 
farm  with  the  exception  of  one  summer,  when  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  Henry  Dale,  of  Har- 
ris township,  Centre  county. 

On  February  28,  1864,  Mr.  Durst  was  mar- 
ried to   Miss   Sarah    Schnure,  who  was  born  in 


tos 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Hartley  township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  in  May, 
1S42,  and  is  one  of  the  ten  children — five  sons 
and  five  daughters — of  Christian  and  Lydia 
(Kiester)  Schnure.  One  brother,  John  Schnure, 
was  a  Union  soldier  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
died  in  Libby  prison.  Her  parents  died  in  Union 
county,  Penn.,  the  father  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine.  They  started  out  in  life  in  limited  circum- 
stances, but  through  their  own  industrious  efforts 
became  prosperous  and  wejl-to-do  citizens,  own- 
ing  two  good  farms.  They  were  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  who  knew  them.  Like 
her  husband,  Mrs.  Durst  received  only  a  com- 
mon-school education.  Eight  children  grace 
their  union,  namely:  John  II.,  born  June  11, 
1866,  is  at  home;  Francis  M..  born  November 
14,  in  infancy;  Christian,  born  May 

[6,  1871,  is  living  in  Illinois;  [da  M.,  born  Sep- 
tember 30,  [872,  is  the  wife  of  Milton  Snyder, 
of  Centre  Hall,  Centre  county;  Minnie  M.,  born 
May  25,  1S74,  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Condo, 
of  Centre  Hall;  and  Charlie  W.,  born  February 
28,  [878,  Verna  L.,  born  February  24,  1SS4, 
and  Mary  B. ,  born  June  [2,  1886,  are  all  at 
home. 

After  Ins   marriage,  Mr.  Durst  located   upon 
the  home  farm,  which  he  and  his  brother,  Hiram, 
operated  together  until    [868,  and    after   ren' 
it   f  ral   years   our   subject    purchased   the 

same  in  1  <s79-  He  has  made  many  valuable  im- 
provements upon  the  place,  including  the  erec- 
tion i  buildings,  and,  like  his  father  before 
him  .  energetic  farmer  of  progress- 
ive id  In  his  undertakings  In-  has  been  uni- 
formly successful,  so    that   bi  \   numbered 

reliable  and  substantial  fan; 
of  Potter  township.      Thi    D    nocratic  party  has 

■  found  in  him  an  earnest  supporter,  and  both 
himself  and  wife  are  faithfuj  members  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  dea- 
con. They  hold  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  their  fellow-citizens,  and  none  are 
more  worthy  of  representation  in  a  work  of  this 
character  than  Mr    and  Mrs.    Philip  Durst. 


W  11. 1. AM  V.  GRAY,  of  the  firm  of  Gray  & 
Guelich,  the  well-known  carriage  manu- 
facturers of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  is  one  of 
the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  the  county, 
being  not  only  an  able  and  successful  man  of 
business,  but  an  active  worker  in  all  the  lines  of 
effort  tending  to  the  welfare  of  the  community, 
He  was  born  July  30,  1833,  in  Northumberland 
counts,  Penn..  a  son  of  George  and  Susan 
(Keffer)    Gray,    and    his  ancestral    history  is  of 


especial  interest  as  in  the  maternal  line  he  rep- 
resents the  fifth  generation  of  the  famous  pioneer, 
Morris  Lawrence,  who  was  the  first  permanent 
white  settler  of  this  section  of  whom  we  have 
authentic  record.  Morns  Lawrence  wasanativeof 
Alsace,  France  (now  in  Germany),  born  May  5, 
1682,  and  in  17  10  made  his  home  at  the  site  of 
the  present  town  of  Milton,  in  Northumberland 
county-  At  that  time  there  was  not  a  white 
man  within  ten  miles  of  his  primitive  abode,  and 
the  solitude  of  the  forest  avenues  was  broken 
only  by  the  passing  of  the  Indians,  while  the 
swiftly  gliding  canoe  darted  over  the  surface  of  the 
quiet  Susquehanna  river.  There  Mr.  Lawrence 
passed  a  long  and  peaceful  life,  passing  away 
June  14,  ij[)2.  at  the  advanced  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  years.  His  daughter.  Mrs.  Marie 
Eve    Keffer,    died    in     1S15,    aged    ninety-seven 

is,  five  months  and  twenty-four  days,  and  her 
husband,  Martin  Keffer,  died  in  1S15,  aged  nine- 
ty-eight years,  ten  months  and  twenty-one  days. 
At  the  time  of  Mrs.  Keffer's  death  her  twelve 
children  were-  all  living,  and  she  had  138  great- 
great-grandchildren,  and  two  great-great-great- 
grandchildren. Morris  Lawrence  had  a  brother, 
a  Catholic  priest,  who  remained  in  France,  and 
left  a  large  estate  which  the  heirs  have  not  been 
able  to  secure.  The  Lawrences  of  Minersville, 
Penn.,  among  whom  are  Frank  and  Jacob  Law- 
rence, the  operators  of  the  Lawrence  colliery  at 
Mahanoy  Plane,   Penn.,  are  of  this  family. 

On  the  paternal  side  Mr.  Cray  belongs  to  an 
old  and  highly  respected  family  of  German  ori- 
gin. His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  a  tobacconist  by  trade,  was  eighty- 
three  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Pittsburg,  Penn.  Bj  Ins  mart 
with  Susan  Keffer,  '  rei  irge  Gray  had  fourchild; 
John  A.,  formerly  of  Decatur,  111.,  now  deceased; 
James  L.,  and  Jane  C.  (twins),  the  former  of 
Wooster,  Ohio,  the  latter  married  to  a  Mr.  Bock- 
heister,  of  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  but  now  deceased; 
and  William  Y.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
mother  of  these  dying,  the  father  married  a 
McClure,  and  by  this  union  there  were  seven 
children:  George,  Mattie,  Lydia,  Emma,  Tillie, 
Hattie  and  Edith. 

William  V.  Gray  spent  his  youth  in  Milton. 
Northumberland  county,  attending  the  district 
schools  and  learning  the  carriage  makers'  trade. 
\iter  prospecting  for  a  suitable  location, 
tied  at  Salona,  Penn.,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
for  eleven  years,  and  then  he  went  to  Clearfield 
for  eleven  months,  finally  establishing  himself  in 
Philipsburg.  where  in  1880  he  opened  his  pres- 
ent shop.  His  careful  workmanship  and  admir- 
able business  methods  have  given  him  the  leader- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


409 


ship  in  his  chosen  line  of  work,  his  custom  being 
extensive.  For  about  eleven  years  his  son-in- 
law,  C.  H.  Guelich,  has  been  a  partner  in  the 
business. 

In  1853  Mr.  Gray  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
J.  Lunger,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  born  in  1834. 
They  have  four  children  living:  (1)  Anna  (Mrs. 
C.  H.  Guelich)  has  one  son — Paul  L. ;  (2)  Jos- 
ephine (wife  of  W.  S.  Jones,  of  New  Castle)  has 
one  child — Ruth  G. ;  (3)  Sarah  (wife  of  E.  F. 
Townsend,  of  Philipsburg)  has  four  children — 
Helen  M.,  Warren  G.,  Harry  A.  and  William 
McKinley;  (4)  Cora  married  John  H.  Apgar,  of 
Clearfield,  Penn. ,  and  has  one  son — William 
A.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray  have  had  four  children 
who  did  not  long  bless  their  home  with  their 
presence:  Lucy  died  at  the  age  of  three  years; 
Amelia  also  passed  away,  at  the  age  of  twelve; 
James  lived  to  the  age  of  eighteen;  and  Harry 
M.  was  taken  from  his  bereaved  parents  Febru- 
ary 9,  1885,  under  peculiarly  painful  circum- 
stances. He  was  out  hunting  with  some  com- 
panions, when  a  gun  carried  by  one  of  the  boys 
was  accidentally  discharged,  and  the  bullet 
passed  through  young  Gray's  body.  A  neighbor 
who  was  passing  in  a  vehicle  was  quickly  sum- 
moned by  the  boys,  but  death  had  already  set 
his  seal  upon  the  frame  which  but  a  few  moments 
before  had  been  full  of  vigor  and  energy,  and  be- 
fore the  sad  group  could  reach  the  home  in  Phil- 
ipsburg, life  was  extinct.  The  grief  of  the 
stricken  family  touched  all  hearts,  and  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  community  has  seldom  been  so 
deeply  stirred.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  he  for  forty-seven  years, 
and  he  has  been  a  deacon  therein  for  seventeen 
years. 

Mr.  Gray  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
always  shown  a  genuine  interest  in  local  progress, 
and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  any  movements 
for  the  public  good.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  and  for  years  past  he  has 
held  a  high  rank,  having  devoted  much  time  to 
the  work  which  has  been  to  him  the  pleasantest 
occupation  of  his  life.  An  interesting  and  pro- 
tractedcorrespondence  with  M.  Etienne  Stephanos, 
Grand  Secretary  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Greece, 
was  only  interrupted  by  the  latter's  death,  of 
which  Mr.  Gray  was  especially  notified  by  Madam 
Stephanos,  the  widow  of  the  deceased.  The  fol- 
lowing record  will  be  of  interest  as  showing  Mr. 
Gray's  progress  in  the  order.  He  is  a  member  of 
Milton  Lodge  No.  256,  where  he  was  entered 
April  18,  1864,  passed  May  16,  1864,  raised  July 
18,  1864,  installed  junior  warden,  December  26, 
1868,  senior  warden,  December  20,  1869,  wor- 
shipful  master,  December  27,  1872.      In   Clear- 


field Chapter  No.  228,  Clearfield,  Penn.,  he 
was  marked  January  17,  1887,  received  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1887,  exalted  March  21,  1887.  He 
is  a  Knight  Templar  also,  and  was  first  con- 
nected with  Mountain  Commandery  No.  10, 
Altoona,  and  knighted  March  30,  1888,  but 
withdrew  to  become  a  charter  member  of  Mo- 
shannon  Commandery,  K.  T.,  No.  74,  Philips- 
burg, Penn.,  of  which  he  has  been  installed  as 
prelate.  He  has  been  a  welcome  visitor  of  Mo- 
shannon  Lodge  No.  391,  for  twenty  years.  De- 
sides  the  correspondence  above  mentioned,  he 
has  had  extensive  intercourse  by  letters  with 
many  other  leading  Freemasons  all  over  the 
world,  and  without  doubt  has  the  largest  collec- 
tion of  photographs  of  prominent  and  foreign 
Masons,  of  any  one  in  the  State.  Mrs.  Gray, 
also,  has  quite  an  assortment  of  mementoes 
and  souvenirs  sent  her  by  many  of  her  hus- 
band's friends  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 
The  most  valuable  are  those  from  the  Island  of- 
Malta;  Athens,  Greece;  Madras,  India;  Buda- 
Pesth,  Hungary;  Sophia,  Bulgaria;  London,  Eng- 
land; Kingston,  Jamaica;  Havana,  Cuba;  and 
Honolulu,  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Mr.  Gray  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army, 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Clarksburg,  W.  Va.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  John  W.  Geary  Post  No.  90,  G.  A.  R. , 
of  Philipsburg,  of  which  he  has  been  chaplain 
since  1891. 


WILLIAM  H.  TEMPLE,  a  representative 
and  valued  citizen  of  Snow  Shoe,  Cen- 
tre county,  has  for  many  years  been  connected 
with  the  railroad  service  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  and  is  now  engineer  on  the  Tyrone  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  running  between 
Bellefonte  and   Snow  Shoe. 

Mr.  Temple  is  a  native  of  Petersburg,  Hunt- 
ingdon Co.,  Penn.,  born  December  25,  1842, 
and  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Long)  Tem- 
ple, natives  of  Chester  and  Centre  counties, 
Penn. ,  respectively.  For  a  number  of  years  the 
father  served  as  a  patent-right  agent.  In  1855 
he  removed  to  Bellefonte,  where  his  home  was 
at  the  time  of  the  accident  in  which  he  lost  his 
life;  in  1874,  while  returning  from  Philadelphia, 
he  was  in  a  wreck  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
in  which  he  was  killed,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  1822,  and  was  the  first  white  child  born 
in  Snow  Shoe,  where  her  parents,  John  and 
Margaret  Long,  had  located  at  a  very  early  day, 
and  were  the  owners  of  much  of  the  present  site 
of  that  village.      Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  five 


410 


COMMEMORATIVE  DlOGRM'llHM.  RECORD. 


children,  the  others  being:  Mary  J.  .wife  of 
Robert  Thompson,  a  railroad  engineer  residing 
in  Bellefonte;  John  R. ,  also  a  railroad  engineer, 
making  his  home  in  Florence,  S.  C. ;  Ellen, 
deceased;  and  Sallie,  wife  of  William  Reasoner, 
a  watchman  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  living 
in  I'.ellefonte. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  William  H.  Temple 
became  connected  with  the  railroad  service,  as 
brakeman  on  the  Bellefonte  &  Snow  shoe  rail- 
road, and  coupled  the  first  cars  to  an  engine  at 
Bellefonte,  or  in  fact,  in  Centre  county,  the  cars 
and  engine  being  built  at  Philadelphia,  Penn., 
and  sent  to  Bellefonte  on  canal  boats.  After 
serving  for  a  time  as  brakeman,  he  was  promoted 
to  conductor,  was  later  made  fireman,  and  since 
June  13,  1863,  he  has  been  a  locomotive  engin- 
eer. On  June  II,  1S78,  he  was  in  a  terrible 
wreck  on  the  Snow  Shoe  railroad,  his  engine 
with  lour  cars  going  through  a  trestle  seventy- 
two  feet  high.  He  had  three  of  the  ribs  in  his 
right  side  broken,  but  on  the  8th  of  the  following 
July  he  was  able  to  again  take  charge  of  his  en- 
gine. He  is  a  most  cautious  and  careful  engin- 
eer, knowing  that  in  his  hands  are  entrusted 
many  lives  and  much  property,  and  his  service 
has  ever  proved  satisfactory  to  the  company  by 
whom  he  is  employed.  Mr.  Temple  has  had 
many  narrow  escapes  in  railroad  accidents;  at 
one  time  his  engine  jumped  the  track,  went  down 
an  embankment  and  turned  over.  At  another 
time  his  engine  ran  off  an  open  switch  and  turned 
over,  he  jumping  and  sustaining  a  broken  shoul- 
der. At  still  another  time,  on  the  main  track 
near  Bellefonte,  his  engine  collided  with  the  day 
express.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers  some  twenty 
years. 

In  [864  Mr.  Temple  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
210th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  John  Nye,  and  par- 
ticipated in  a  number  of  hotly  contested  battles. 
While  in  front  of  Richmond,  March  31,  1865, 
he  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg,  which  caused  his 
confinement  in  Columbian  Hospital  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. ,  for  six  months.  He  had  served  as 
color  guard,  a  most  perilous  position,  but  was 
always  found  at  his  post  of  duty.  On  June 
14,  1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  re- 
turned home. 

Mr.  Temple  was  married  in  Snow  Shoe,  May 
10,  1871,  to  Mrs.  Victoria  Lucas,  and  they  have 
six  children,  all  at  home,  namely:  John  S.,  born 
March  17,  1873,  died  of  typhoid  fever  December 
12,  1897;  Elizabeth  Bella,  born  May  8,  1874; 
married  October  29,  1897,  to  Leo  J.  Hopton; 
Harry,  born  November  27,  1876;  Edward  \\'., 
born  January  6,  18S0;  Mary  L.,  born  October  6, 


1 881;  and  Charles  R.,  born  December  30,  1886. 
The  older  sons  now  conduct  a  livery  stable  at 
Snow  Shoe,  of  which  Harry  is  manager,  and  also 
runs  a  bus  line  between  that  place  and  Clarence. 

Mrs.  Temple  was  born  September  2,  1847,  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  L.  (Hirsch)  Walker,  who  were  natives 
of  Tamaqua,  in  the  same  county,  and  at  an  early 
day  came  to  Centre  county,  where  the  father 
died.  The  mother,  who  is  still  living,  now  makes 
her  home  in  Brisbin,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.  Shi 
is  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Margaret  1  Smith 
Hirsch,  who  came  to  America  from  France  in 
1826,  and  located  at  Tamaqua,  where  her  father 
followed  huxtering.  The  paternal  grandparents 
of  Mrs.  Temple,  John  and  Hester  (Wenchum) 
Walker,  were  natives  of  England,  and  also 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1826,  locating  at  Tama- 
qua, where  the  grandfather  was  a  coal  operator 
until  his  death.  Mrs.  Temple  is  the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  nine  children,  who  in  order  of  birth 
were  as  follows:  Henrietta,  wife  of  Jerry  Nolan. 
a  railroad  engineer  of  Bellefonte;  Emma,  wife  of 
Jacob  Rapp.  who  is  also  an  engineer  residing  at 
that  place;  Edward,  a  merchant  of  Brisbin,  Penn., 
Martha,  wife  of  Robert  Forsyth,  a  coal  mine 
prospector  living  in  Houtsdale,  Penn. ;  George, 
who  is  engaged  in  clerking  in  Brisbin;  Daniel,  a 
merchant  tailor  of  Trenton,  N.  f. ;  Seneca,  a 
railroad  fireman  living  in  Bellefonte;  and  John,  a 
merchant  tailor  of  Trenton,  New  Jerse) 

Politically  Mr.  Temple  is  a  firm  adherent  ol 
the  Republican  party,  and  an  active  supporter  of 
its  principles,  while  socially  he  has  been  fur 
twenty-seven  years  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  1 
at  Bellefonte,  and  has  filled  many  offices  therein. 
Religiously  he  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  the  past  I 
years.  He  is  a  broad-minded,  enterprising  citi- 
zen, winning  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact,  and  has  the  happy  faculty  ol 
easily  making  and  retaining  friends.  The  liir-t 
husband  of  Mrs.  Temple  was  Samuel  Lucas,  who 
was  a  conductor  on  the  Snow  Shoe  railroad,  and 
died  June  10,  1869.  By  that  marriage  she  had 
one  son,  James  S.,  born  May  24,  1868,  and  ■ 
now  resides  with  Mr.  Temple. 


TE  ROYER,  one  of  the  most  extensive 
land  owners  of  Miles  township,  Centre 
county,  is  a  veteran  soldier  whose  gallant  - 
in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  won  him  1 
honor.  Born  September  17,  1840,  he  was  in  the 
full  flush  of  manhood  when,  on  August  25,  1862, 
he  offered  himself  in  his  country's  cause  as  a  pri- 
vate  in  Company  A,   148th  P.  V.  I.,  which  wai 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


411 


recruited  at  Rebersburg.  His  first  battle  was  at 
Chancellorsville,  and  he  took  part  in  the  engage- 
ments at  Mine  Run,  Gettysburg,  Bristol  Station, 
Auburn  Mills,  and  all  others  of  his  regiment  until, 
during  the  fierce  charge  made  by  the  148th  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  he  was  disabled  for 
such  work  as  the  members  of  that  famous  regi- 
ment were  usually  assigned  to.  The  thumb  and 
third  finger  of  his  right  hand  were  shot  away,  but 
as  soon  as  his  wounds  were  healed  Mr.  Royer 
joined  the  Convalescent  Corps,  51st  Company, 
and  remained  on  duty  until  mustered  out  with 
the  rank  of  corporal  August  25,  1865,  when  he 
returned  to  Brush  Valley. 

The  Royer  family  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  but  have  long  been 
identified  with  Brush  Valley,  Christopher  Royer, 
our  subject's  grandfather,  having  settled  there  in 
1807.  He  was  born  June  19,  1768,  and  died 
October  16,  1849.  The  mill  north  of  Rockville 
was  built  by  him,  and  he  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  that  vicinity.  In  addition  to  his  farm 
work  he  carried  on  a  distillery.  His  children 
were  Daniel,  Henry,  Amos,  Jefferson,  Joel,  Cath- 
arine; Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  Barbara. 

Henry  Royer,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Snyder  county  (then  Union  county),  near  Mid- 
dleburg,  and  was  next  to  the  youngest  of  the 
sons.  He  was  a  boy  in  his  "teens"  when  his 
father  came  to  Brush  Valley,  and  his  schooling 
was  such  as  the  times  afforded,  but  his  good  sense 
and  judgment  made  up  in  a  large  measure  for 
lack  of  training.  He  was  married  in  Brush  Val- 
ley, when  a  young  man,  to  Susan  Wolfe,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Wolfe,  and  a  native  of  Haines 
township,  Centre  county.  He  then  located  near 
Rockville  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  and  fol- 
lowed agriculture  during  his  active  life,  acquiring 
a  fair  competence,  although  he  only  lived  to  the 
age  of  forty-one  years.  He  died  in  Sugar  Val- 
ley, and  his  wife,  who  passed  away  before  him  at 
the  age  of  thirty-eight,  died  in  Brush  Valley, 
both  being  buried  at  Rebersburg.  He  was  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican,  and  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  party.  In  relig- 
ious work  he  was  active  as  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  he  always  showed  hearty 
sympathy  with  any  worthy  improvement. 

He  had  nine  children,  namely:  Joseph,  who 
died  at  Howard,  Centre  county,  was  a  prominent 
merchant  and  grain  dealer;  T.  E.  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below;  Frank,  a  lumberman,  resides 
at  Loganton,  Penn;  Henry  G.  is  a  resident  of 
Johnstown,  Penn.  G.  Scott,  of  Easton,  is  a  rail- 
road conductor;  Annie  married  David  Guswite,  of 
Greene  township,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.;  Abigail 
married   Thomas     Brungart,    of    Sugar    Valley; 


Rachel  is  now  Mrs.  Andrew  Ocker,  of  Madison- 
burg,  and  Isabella  married  J.  D.  Johnston,  of 
Easton. 

T.  E.  Royer  was  born  September  17,  1840, 
the  family  then  living  near  Rebersburg.  His  first 
school  was  at  Tylersville,  where  his  parents  lived 
for  awhile,  and  a  Mr.  Divens  was  his  first  teacher. 
Great  improvement  in  educational  facilities  has 
been  made  since  that  time,  and  no  one  can  be 
more  heartily  in  favor  of  this  progress  than  Mr. 
Royer.  He  certainly  deserves  credit  for  his 
effective  use  of  his  opportunities,  his  studies  be- 
ing pursued  until  he  was  himself  qualified  to 
teach.  After  he  had  completed  the  course  offered 
in  the  country  schools,  he  studied  higher  branches 
at  Rebersburg  under  Prof.  Magee  and  Samuel 
Gramley,  and  when  a  young  man  he  taught 
school  in  Sugar  Valley,  but  the  occupation  did 
not  agree  with  him  and  he  decided  to  find  other 
employment.  As  he  was  but  a  child  when  his 
father  died,  he  made  his  home  with  Col.  Henry 
Royer,  near  Rebersburg,  and  there  became  fa- 
miliar with  farm  work,  and  he  also  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  under  Jacob  Frederick,  of 
Aaronsburg. 

In  1868  Mr.  Royer  married  Miss  Emma 
Haines,  a  native  of  Brush  Valley,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jeremiah  and  Susan  (Brungart)  Haines. 
Two  children  bless  this  union:  Susan  M. ,  now 
the  wife  of  John  Long,  of  Red  Oak,  Iowa;  and 
Harry  H.,  at  home.  Mr.  Royer  has  a  comfort- 
able home,  and  believes  in  taking  what  pleasure 
life  may  afford,  but  his  present  prosperity  was 
not  gained  without  hard  work  and  shrewd  man- 
agement. After  his  marriage  he  located  in  the 
east  end  of  Brush  Valley  on  his  father-in-law's 
farm.  Later  he  removed  to  Sugar  Valley,  and 
rented  a  farm  for  three  years,  and  then  returned 
to  Brush  Valley.  The  first  land  he  ever  owned 
was  eighteen  acres  at  his  present  home,  and  by 
subsequent  additions  he  has  acquired  about  forty- 
eight  acres,  of  which  has  been  made  a  fine  prop- 
erty. At  two  different  times  Mr.  Royer  has  been 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  Rebersburg, 
four  and  one-half  years  in  all,  and  he  formerly 
worked  a  little  at  his  trade.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  business.  He  has  563  acres  of  land 
in  Brush  Valley,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  land 
owners  in  his  township.  He  owns  a  home  in 
Rebersburg,  also  several  acres  of  land  there,  and 
has  a  partnership  interest  in  over  235  acres  of 
timber  land.  While  he  does  no  manual  labor, 
the  oversight  of  his  property  requires  much  time 
and  attention. 

Previous  to  his  enlistment,  Mr.  Royer's  sym- 
pathies were  with  the  Democrats  owing  to  the 
influence  of  those  around   him,  as  he  lived   in  a 


Ill' 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Democratic  community;  but  after  his  first  fij^ht 
as  a  soldier,  he  became  a  Republican,  and  has 
ever  since  been  a  steadfast  adherent  of  that 
part}'.  He  is  influential  in  local  affairs,  and  has 
been  school  director  and  supervisor,  although  he 
lives  in  a  strong  Democratic  locality  and  is  no 
office  seeker.  He  is  noted  for  his  sound  judg- 
ment and  common  sense,  strongly  resembling  his 
father  in  these  respects  as  he  does  in  outward 
appearance.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  is 
an  elder.  He  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  that 
cause,  as  well  as  to  any  other  which  seems  to 
him  worthy.  At  the  organization  of  W.  W. 
Bierly  Post,  G.  A.  R. ,  at  Millbeim,  he  was  a 
charter  member,  and  has  been  commander  of  that 
post.  He  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Lodge 
No    1031,  at  Rebersburg. 


Pennsylvania-Dutch  family,  and  as  a  citizen  has 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 


DAVID  RHINESMITH  is  an  active  and  ener- 
lic    [arm  township,    Centre 

county,  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  sixty-two 
aero.  By  the  manner  in  which  he  carries  on 
his  business,  he  evidences  that  he  thoroughly 
understands  the  vocation  in  which  he  is  e 
and  that  success  is  attending  his  efforts  toward 
acquiring  a  competency  Neatness  and  order 
prevail  upon  his  place,  which  is  managed,  with 
regard  to  its  cultivation,  in  a  manner  that  refli 
great  credit  upon  the  owner 

Mr.  Rbinesmith  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Penn.,  in  1832,  and  is  mie  of  the  twelve  child 
born  to  John  and  Elizabeth  (Lamest)  Rhine- 
smith,  the  others  being  Mary  A..  John.  Henry, 
Samuel,  Maria,  George,  Kliza,  and  four  who 
died  in  infancy.  In  the  county  of  his  nativity 
our  subject  was  reared  and  educated,  but  in 
1856  he  lelt  home,  and  has  since  been  a  resilient 
of  Centre  ci  mnty,  when-  he  has  alw  iwed 

farming.      He  w  d  in  marriage  with  Mary 

Jane  Mothersbaugh,  who  was  also  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  twelve  children.  In  politics  her  father 
was  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  belief  a  I 
versalist,  while  her  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  hive  children  grace  the 
union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife,  namely:  Dan- 
iel M.,  Elizabeth  E.,  In-  V.,  Minnie  H.  and 
William  S. 

In  politics  Mr.  Khmesmith  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  deeming  that  organization  the 
most  progressive  and  best  suited  to  the  genius  of 
the  American  people.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange,  and  in  religious  faith  he  holds 
membership  in  the  Reformed  Church.  He  is  a 
worthy    representative    of    an    old  and    honored 


JA("<  )B  KLRSTETER,  one  of  the  best  known 
agriculturists  of  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  might  almost  be  said  to  have  estab- 
lished a  standard  of  success  in  his  calling  through 
his  successful  management  of  his  large  farm 
Although  he  has  lately  retired  from  active  work 
and  made  his  home  in  the  pleasant  little  town  .it 
Coburn,  he  has  by  no  means  lost  the  prestige 
which  his  shrewd  application  of  the  principles  of 
modern  science  to  the  business  of  farming 
for  him. 

Mr.   Kersteter  is  a  native  of  Penn  township, 
born   May  2,   1S3S,  and  was  the  second  son  and 
child  of   John  and  Anna  (Musser)  Kerstetei       A 
a  1"'.  lined  an  education    in  the  subscrip- 

tion schools   of   the  neighborhood,    but  after  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  attended  but  little.      Realizing 
to   the   full   the   value   of   a    thorough    pre] 
tion  f<>r  life's  duties,  he  t;i\es  his  hear! 
in.  ni    to   the    later  improvements   m   our  1  4 
tional   system.      At    fourteen    he    !■■ 
the  millwright's  trade  under  Thomas  Strayhorn, 
of  Hartleton,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  strving  an  ap- 
prenticeship ot  three  -limine:  -.  and  receiving 
ing   the  first   year  only  $5  per  month.      The  hrst 
mill   that  he  worked  upon  was  tin  wn  as 

the    Pine    (reek    mill.      After    becoming  a  full  - 
I  workman,  he  followed  the  business  tour 
teen  years,  most  of  the  time  as  a   master  mill- 
wright, and   was  employed   at  various  points  111 
Centre  county  and  the  region  adjacent. 

In   November.    1861,   Mr.   Kersteter  was  mar- 
ried in  Aaronsburg,  by  Rev.   Mr   Welker,  t 
Harriet  Fiedler,  who  was  born  in  Penn  township. 
(  entre  county,  August  ;,   1840,  the  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Susan  (Stover    Fiedlei       Some 
aftei    his  marriage   Mr.    Kersteter   turned   his  at- 
tention   to  agriculture,   settling    upon    the    farm 
called  the  -old  Jacob  Fiedler  farm,"  which  he- 
still  owns.      In  iNSj  he  built  a  comfortable  home 
in  Coburn,  and   March  20,   1894,  he  took  up  his 
residence  there,  turning  over  the  active  work  0! 
his  estate  to  other  hands.      He  owns  265  aci 
land  aside  from  his  place  in  Coburn,  and  is  one 
of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  locality. 

In  political  affiliations,  Mr  Kersteter  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat,  and  his  advice  carru  s 
much  weight  in  the  local  councils  of  the  party. 
He  has  served  ably  in  various  township  office-, 
such  as  assessor,  auditor,  supervisor,  overseer  of 
the  poor,  school  director  and  tax  collector.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  he  and  his 


1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


413 


wife  are  both  actively  interested  in  the  work  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  they  are  liberal 
contributors.  They  have  one  son,  James  W. , 
born  August  i,  1864,  who  is  now  engaged  in  ag- 
riculture. He  married  Miss  Annie  Alexander,  of 
Penn  township,  Centre  county,  a  daughter  of 
Christ  Alexander,  and  they  have  three  children — 
Bertha,  Marion  and  Alfred. 


JC  P.  ZERBY,  a  wide-awake  and  progressive 
jP^.  farmer  of  Penn  township,  Centre  county, 
is  descended  from  one  of  its  earliest  families. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Philip  Zerby,  located 
in  what  is  now  Penn  township,  Centre  county, 
about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  He 
was  born  in  Blue  Mountain  Hollow,  Schuylkill 
Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Jonathan  Zerby,  and  in 
the  county  of  his  nativity  married  Barbara  Lin- 
gle.  A  short  time  afterward  they  made  what  was 
then  a  long  and  tedious  journey  to  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  located  upon  a  farm  between  Millheim 
and  Coburn,  in  Penn  township,  where  they  made 
their  home  a  few  years,  and  then  removed  to 
Gregg  township.  By  trade  Philip  Zerby  was  a 
linen  weaver,  but  principally  supported  his  family 
by  day  labor.  He  was  an  honest,  hard-working 
man,  and  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic 
party.  His  death  occurred  in  Gregg  township, 
when  he  was  fifty-five  years  of  age. 

To  Philip  and  Barbara  (Lingle)  Zerby,  were 
born  the  following  children:  John,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,1 804,  was  blind  for  some  years  prior  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  Snow  Shoe,  Centre 
county;  Johan  Philip,  born  March  27,  1806,  died 
near  Pottsville,  Penn. ,  while  seeking  treatment  for 
threatened  blindness;  David,  born  November  1, 
1807,  was  blind  for  thirty-five  years,  and  died  in 
Gregg  township;  Jacob,  born  November  10,  1809, 
died  near  the  Loop,  in  Potter  township,  Centre 
county,  after  being  blind  for  nearly  twenty-five 
years;  Adam,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  next 
in  order  of  birth;  Michael,  born  May  7,  18 14, 
died  in  Stephenson  county,  111. ;  Henry,  born  Octo- 
ber 23,  181 5,  died  in  the  same  county;  Catherine, 
born  October  27,  1817,  and  died  in  1896,  mar- 
ried Abram  Hoover,  also  now  deceased;  and  An- 
drew, born  March  1,  i82r,  is  living  in  the  same 
township.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
March  9,  1821,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Gregg 
township.  For  his  second  wife,  Philip  Zerby 
wedded  Hannah  Sunday,  a  native  of  George's  Val- 
ley, and  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Hannah  Eliza- 
beth (Minich)  Sunday.  Eight  children  blessed 
this  union:  Elizabeth,  born  May  16,  1822,  mar- 
ried Charles  Ripka,  and  died  in  Gregg  township; 


Mary,  born  April  26,  1824,  married  Henry  Gar- 
ver,  and  died  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county; 
Susannah  and  Sarah  (twins)  were  born  August 
26,  1826  (Susannah  is  now  the  widow  of  George 
Wirt,  late  of  Penn  township,  and  Sarah  is  the 
widow  of  Peter  Auman,  late  of  Gregg  township); 
Joseph,  born  November  4,  1830,  died  in  Gregg 
township;  William  is  a  resident  of  that  town- 
ship; Hannah  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Confer,  of 
Millheim;  and  Amelia  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years. 

The  birth  of  Adam  Zerby  occurred  in  Gregg 
township,  August  19,  181 1,  and  as  his  parents 
were  in  limited  circumstances  he  was  given  no 
educational  advantages.  When  a  young  man  he 
learned  the  weaver's  trade,  which  he  followed  in 
connection  with  farming,  and  also  operated  a 
sawmill  for  many  years.  In  1847  he  removed  to 
Penn  township,  on  Penn  creek,  where  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land,  going  in  debt  for  the 
same,  but  fortunately  his  sons  were  of  much  as- 
sistance to  him,  and  he  soon  had  a  comfortable 
home.  Upon  that  farm  his  death  occurred  when 
he  was  nearly  seventy  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
quiet,  unassuming  man,  six  feet,  three  inches  in 
height,  who  enjoyed  excellent  health  up  to  the 
time  of  his  last  illness.  His  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Paradise  cemetery  by  the  side  of  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years.  He  was  a  firm  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles,  but  cared  nothing  for  pub- 
lic office,  and  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church. 

In  early  life  Adam  Zerby  married  Susanna 
Suavely,  by  whom  he  had  the  following  children: 
Henry,  a  resident  of  Haines  township,  Centre 
county;  A.  P.,  subject  of  this  review;  Reuben, 
who  died  in  Penn  township;  David  L. ,  teller  in 
the  Millheim  Bank;  Sarah,  widow  of  F.  F.  Jami- 
son, of  Gregg  township;  and  Julia  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  Geary,  and  died  in  Penn  township. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Adam  Zerby 
wedded  Mrs.  Catherine  Confer,  nee  Heckman, 
widow  of  Joseph  Confer.  She  is  still  living  in 
Stephenson  county,  Illinois. 

A.  P.  Zerby  was  born  April  21,  1845,  and  was 
an  infant  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the 
farm  which  he  now  owns,  and  where  he  has  since 
resided.  His  first  literary  training  was  under 
the  instruction  of  John  Strayhorn,  and  his  entire 
education  was  obtained  in  the  district  schools, 
which  were  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present 
day.  He  strongly  endorses  the  changes  that 
have  since  been  made  in  educational  institutions, 
and  has  served  as  an  efficient  member  of  the 
school  board  in  his  district.  At  the  age  of  eight- 
een he  left  the  schoolroom,  and  worked  forsome. 


II 1 


riiMMHMORATlVE  BIOUUM'UK  A  I.   RECORD. 


time  in  a  mill   and    in    the   lumber   woods,    being 
thus  employed  until   twenty-seven  years  of  age. 

In  February,  1S72,  in  Haines  township.  Cen- 
tre county,  Mr.  Zerby  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Daup,  the  oldest  of  the  seven  children  born 
to  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Decker)  Daup,  the 
former  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  Five  children 
have  been  born  of  this  union:  Susan  O.,  at  home; 
Joseph  A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
William  D.  and  Emory  P.,  school  teachers,  re- 
siding at  home;  and  Nina  A.,. also  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Zerby  began  house- 
keeping  upon  the  old  home  farm,  comprising 
sixty-five  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  where  he 
still  resides,  and  which  he  has  under  high  cult 
For  nearly  a  half  of  a  century  it  has  been  his 
hi  Mm  .  .1  ml  after  the  death  of  his  father  he  bought 
it  at  a  public  sale.  Although  he  went  in  debt 
for  much  of  the  amount,  it  is  now  free.  In  con- 
nection   with    his    farming   operations,    he    also 

rates  a  sawmill,  which  he  has  equipped  with 

modern   machinery.      No  man   in  Penn  township 

is  more  industrious,  energetic  and  enterprising, 

i  all  that  he  now  possesses  has  been   obtained 

mgh    his    own    unaided    exertions.       He    has 

always  supported  the  men   and   measures  of  the 

Democratic  party,  and  has  been  called  upon  to 

i.il  official  positions,  including  those 

auditor,  overseer  of  the  poor,  judge  of  elec- 
tion, school  director  and  a  1  ■•  With  the 
United  Evangelical  Church  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zerbj 
hold  membership,  and  they  enjo)  a  prominent 
position  among  the  best  and  most  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  community. 


JOHN  WETZEL  occupies  a  position  in  the 
fronl  tank  among  the  leading  agriculturists 
oi  Spring  township,  Centre  county,  where  he 
owns  and  operates  a  good  farm  of  sixty  acres, 
which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  improved  with  excellent  buildings. 
For  many  years  he  has  made  his  home  in  Centre 
county,  but  was  born  in  Snyder  county,  Penn., 
January  2,  1S27,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Ertly)  Wetzel.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Wet- 
zel, at  an  early  day  removed  from  Lebanon 
county  to  what  is  now  Snyder  county,  and  there 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  By  trade  he  was  a 
weaver,  but  throughout  the  greatei  part  of  his  life 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  served 
as  a  soldier  during  the  "  whiskey  rebellion. "  In 
his  family  were  four  children:  Jacob,  Mrs.  \\ 
ner,  Henry,  and  one  that  died  in  infancy, 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of 
Snyder  county,  and  there  passed  away  at  tin 
■  of  eighty-three  years,  while  his   wife,  who   was 


born  in  the  same  county,  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-seven. He  was  a  mechanic,  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  gun  barrels  and  grain  sickles, 
and  he  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  In  his  family  were  the  following  chil- 
dren who  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood: 
Aaron,  who  makes  his  home  in  Delaware ;  John, 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Frank,  a  resident  of  Sil- 
verton,  Colo.;  Henry,  of  Snyder  county;  Samuel, 
of  Missouri;  Miles,  of  Steelton,  Penn.;  and 
Sarah,  wife  of  Boyer  Kartz,  of  Snyder  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

In  the  public  schools  of  the  county  of  his  na- 
tivity John  Wet, -el -ecured  a  good  education,  and 
on  leaving  the  school  room  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  with  Jacob  Gildron,  of  Turburtville, 
Northumberland  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  came  to  nte,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  in  Centre  county  with  the  exception  of 
about  four  years  and  one-half.  In  1S52  he  re- 
moved to  Snow-  Shoe,  where  the  following  three 
years  were  passed,  and  then  emigrated  to  Cedar- 
ville,  Stephenson  Co..  111.;  in  the  fall  of  18 
however,  he  returned  to  Centre  county.  Until 
[876  he  was  a  resident  of  Bellefonte.  where  he 
followed  contracting  and  building,  but  in  that 
year  removed  to  his  present  farm  in  Spring  town- 
ship. 

On  March  25,  1852,  Mr.  Wet/el  was  married 
to  Miss  Susan  Musser.  whose  birth  occurred  Jan- 
uary 27,  1831.  To  them  have  been  born  thirteen 
children,  in  the  order  of  birth  as  follows:  1  I 
Frank  and  (2)  his  twin  brother,  born  Noveml 
13.    [852,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy;  the   former 

luated  from  Franklin  Marshall  College,  was 
ordained  in  the  Reformed  Church,  and  is  now 
preaching  in  Stoystown,  .Somerset  Co.,  Penn. 
He  married  Ellen  Yearick,  and  has  seven  chil- 
dren— John  A.,  Walter  N.,  Beulah,  Grace,  Veda, 
George  and  Harvey.  (3)  Samuel  D.,  born  Oc- 
tober 12,  1854,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Bellefonte,  and  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  which  he  now  follows;  he  makes  his  home 
with  his  parents,  and  is  a  free-silver  Demoi 
in  politics.      (4)  John  Henry,  born  Maj   1.1,   1S56, 

luated  from  a  law  school,  and  for  some  time 
engaged  in  practice  in  Nebraska;  he  is  now  an 
attorney  and  civil  engineer  at  Bellefonte;  he  mar- 
ried  Susan    S.    Yearick,  and  has  five  children — 

I,  Nevin,  Lucile,  Ruth  and  Sarah.  15  Allen, 
born  September  18,  1  S 5 7 ,  died  Mayo,  1- 
Oscar,  born  March  6,  1859,  graduated  from  the 
Eastman  Business  College,  at  Poughkeepsie,  and 
is  now  employed  in  the  lumber  office  of  Mr. 
Crider,  in  Bellefonte;  he  married  Emma  Beck 
ami  has  one  child — Ethel.  (7)  Mary  E.,  born 
September  24,  i860,  the  wife  of  Jared   Harj 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


415 


a  groceryman  of  Bellefonte,  and  they  have  one 
child— John  Wetzel.  (8)  Clyde,  born  July  I, 
1862,  is  engaged  in  the  butcher  business  in  Nel- 
son, Neb.;  he  married  Maggie  Bush,  by  whom 
he  has  one  child — Nova.  (9)  Harvey  Musser, 
born  February  23,  1864,  graduated  in  civil  en- 
gineering at  the  Lehigh  University,  and  is  now 
in  the  employ  of  a  New  York  company  surveying 
for  a  railroad  in  San  Domingo,  West  Indies;  he 
married  Emma  Himmelwrite,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren— Helen  and  Mildred.  (10)  Charles  E., 
born  February  17,  1866,  married  Kate  Miller,  by 
whom  he  has  one  child — Mary;  he  is  a  carpenter 
of  Bellefonte.  (11)  Louis  C. ,  born  August  24, 
1869,  is  in  the  bicycle  business  in  Bellefonte,  and 
owns  a  machine  shop  in  the  same  town;  he  was 
married  June  9,  1897,  to  Miss  Ida  Gerberich,  of 
Bellefonte.  (12)  William,  born  May  13,  1871, 
works  upon  the  home  farm  and  at  the  butcher 
business  in  Bellefonte,  alternately, 
a  twin  brother  of  William,  died  in 
Mrs.  Wetzel  was  reared  and 
what  is  now  the  thriving  city  of  Bellefonte.  Both 
she  and  her  husband  are  still  well  preserved  both 
physically  and  mentally,  and  are  worthy  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church.  These  estimable 
people  have  well  performed  their  part  in  uphold- 
ing the  intellectual,  social  and  moral  status  of 
the  community,  and  have  gained  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  entire  people.  Politically,  Mr. 
Wetzel  is  a  Democrat,  as  are  also  all  of  his  sons. 
The  children  as  well  as  the  parents  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  Church. 


(13)  Walter, 
June,  1871. 
educated  in 


BiERTEL  POULSEN.  Among  the  repre- 
)  sentative  and  prominent  business  men  of 
Howard  borough,  Centre  county,  is  numbered 
the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch 
— a  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  B.  Poul- 
sen  &  Co.,  who  own  and  operate  a  sawmill  and 
are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  handles, 
spokes,  etc.,  at  Centre  Hall.  A  business  man  of 
known  reliability,  he  has  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Mr.  Poulsen  was  born  January  25,  1857,  in 
Ravehede,  near  Aalborg,  Denmark,  a  son  of 
Poul  Christian  and  Maren  (Bertelsdatter)  Neil- 
sen,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  country, 
where  they  still  reside.  During  his  active  busi- 
ness career  the  father  engaged  in  farming  and 
speculating,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  In 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Lutheran.  He  is  a  son  of 
Neils  Poulsen  and  Maren  Larsdatter,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Denmark.  The  maternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Bertel  Chris- 
tensen  and  Anna  Poulsdatter.      Six  children  were 


born  to  Poul  C.  Neilsen  and  his  estimable  wife — 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  Amalia, 
now  the  wife  of  Jens  Peter  Jensen,  a  stonemason 
and  farmer  of  the  northern  part  of  Denmark; 
Neils,  who  owns  and  operates  a  planing,  handle 
and  spoke  mill  at  Round  Hill,  Va.  ;  Christine, 
wife  of  Neils  Peter  Neilsen,  a  merchant  of  Den- 
mark; Bertel,  subject  of  this  sketch;  Marie,  wife 
of  Christian  Jeppesen,  a  school  teacher  of  west- 
ern Denmark;  and  Lars,  who  is  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  at  Round  Hill,  Virginia. 

During  the  boyhood  and  youth  of  Bertel 
Poulsen  he  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
land  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  assisted  in 
the  work  of  the  home  farm  for  two  years  longer, 
when  he  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  emigrated  to  the  New 
World,  first  locating  at  Irvine,  Warren  Co., 
Penn.,  where  for  three  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  handles  and  spokes,  and  then 
returned  to  the  land  of  his  nativity.  During  the 
eight  months  he  remained  there  he  attended 
high  school,  knowing  how  essential  to  a  suc- 
cessful business  career  is  a  good  education.  On 
again  coming  to  America,  in  the  following  spring, 
Mr.  Poulsen  took  up  his  residence  in  Titusville, 
Penn.,  where,  through  the  summer,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  cabinet  factory,  and  the  next  year 
worked  for  K.  G.  Shutt  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  Irvine.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Howard, 
Centre  county,  where  he  erected  a  plant  tor  the 
manufacture  of  handles  and  spokes,  and  success- 
fully engaged  in  that  business  there  until  the  fall 
of  1896,  when  he  removed  to  Centre  Hall  and 
established  a  similar  manufactory.  He  is  an  en- 
terprising, wide-awake  business  man,  thoroughly 
abreast  with  the  times,  and  his  straightforward 
course  commends  him  to  the  confidence  of  all. 

In  Howard,  August  20,  1884,  Mr.  Poulsen 
married  Miss  Lena  K.  Reber,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Victor  H.,  born  May  26,  1885; 
Clara  K.,  born  February  24,  1887;  and  Myra  R., 
born  July  27,  1890.  Mrs.  Poulsen  was  born  in 
Howard  township,  Centre  county,  October  23, 
1862,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Theodore  L.  and  Re- 
becca E.  (Kunes)  Reber,  also  natives  of  Centre 
county,  the  former  born  in  Howard  in  1836,  and 
the  latter  in  Eagleville.  She  died  in  July,  1863; 
the  father  is  now  a  resident  of  Santa  Fe,  N.  M., 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  soda 
water.  In  1867  he  left  Centre  county,  where  he 
had  followed  the  occupation  of  farming,  carpen- 
tering and  boating,  and  also  engaged  in  the  meat 
business  in  Milesburg.  By  his  first  marriage  he 
had  three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
the  others  being  James  O. ,  who  died  when  young; 
and   Lena   K.,   wife   of  our  subject.     After  the 


416 


ro.V.VE.VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


death  of  their  mother,  Mr.  Reber  wedded  Re- 
becca J.  Rogers,  a  native  of  Bellefonte,  Perm., 
and  a  daughter  of  William  Rogers.  His  parents 
were  Samuel  and  Mary  A.  (Askey)  Reber,  who 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  Centre  county,  where 
the  father  followed  tailoring  and  farming.  The 
maternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Poulsen,  John  and 
Nancy  (Gardner)  Kunes,  were  also  natives  of 
Centre  county,  where  they  made  their  home  upon 
a  farm. 

Mr.  Poulsen  is  a  keen,  practical  man,  well 
gifted  with  mental  and  physical  vigor.  In  poli- 
tics he  casts  his  vote  for  the  candidates  of  the 
Republican  party,  and,  although  he  does  not  take 
an  active  part  in  public  life,  he  conscientiously 
performs  his  duties  as  a  good  citizen. 


WILLIAM  ELLIS  IRWIN,  a  well-known 
progressive  business  man  of  Philipsburg, 
Centre  county,  prominently  identified  with  insur- 
ance interests,  was   born   February   23,  1834,  in 

irfield  count\\  where  his  family  have  long  held 
a  noted  place.  Until  the  age  of  fifteen  Mr.  Irwin 
attended  the  academy  in  Clearfield  borough,  and 
then,  finding  employment  at  a  sawmill,  he  began 
the  serious  work  of  gaining  a  livelihood.  After  a 
time  be  entered  the  Howard  Iron  Works,  in  Cen- 
tre county,  where  his  uncle  was  iron  master, 
spending  ten  years  in  the  employ  of  that  firm. 

The  Civil  war  breaking  out,  Mr.  Irwin  re- 
sponded to  his  country's  need,  on  September  13, 
1862,  enlisting  in  Company  L,  5th  P.  V.  C,  aft- 
erward reorganized  as  Company  E.  His  regi- 
ment was,  after  three  months' drilling  at  Carlisle 
Barracks  in  Pennsylvania,  assigned  to  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  later  to  the  Army  of  the 
i  nnessee,  and  Mr.  Irwin  took  part  in  a  number 
of  important  battles,  including  those  of  Antietam 
and  Murfreesboro,  or  Stone  River.  He  spent 
one  year  in  the  field,  and  was  then  detailed  in  the 
quartermaster's  department,  with  which  he  was 
connected  until  May  1,  1866.  While  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  in  1864,  he  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.  Irwin  engaged  in  a 
general  mercantile  business  at  Philipsburg,  which 
he  gave  up  in  1875  to  enter  the  lumber  trade. 
His  connection  with  the  (ire  insurance  dates  bark 
to  1887,  and  at  present  he  represents  various 
well-established  companies  in  fire,  life,  plate 
glass,  and  accident.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Steam  Heat  Co.,  of  the  Electric  Light  Co., 
and  of  the  "  Philipsburg  Water  Co. " — in  I 
is  interested  in  all  enterprises  calculated  to  benefit 
ity  and  community  at  lai 

As  a  citizen  his  intelligence  and  genial  man- 
have   won    him    mans    sincere    friends.      He 


takes  great  interest  in  school  affairs,  and  has 
been  a  director  for  many  years.  It  is  said  that 
some  one  lately  told  Gov.  Hastings  that  William 
E.  Irwin,  and  another  in  the  counts,  "ought  to 
receive  a  life  pension  for  their  activity  on  the 
school  board."  His  political  allegiance  was  from 
the  first  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is 
still  an  unwavering  supporter  of  its  principles. 
Socially,  he  has  been  a  Freemason  since 
affiliated  with  Moshannon  Lodge  No.  391,  of 
Philipsburg,  has  filled  all  the  chairs  as  a  Master 
Mason,  and  was  secretary  of  the  lodge  sixteen 
years. 

On  June  15,  1869,  Mr.  Irwin  married  Mis- 
Susannah  H.  Tussey,  a  native  of  Canoe  Valley, 
Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  and  they  have  three 
children:  1  1  Frank  F.  married  Miss  Cora  Min- 
niam  Row,  and  has  one  child — William  Ellis 
Row  Irwin;  (2)  Dorothy  Harnisb  is  the  wife  of 
C.  B.  Holly,  and  has  one  child — Harold  Irwin 
Holly;  and  13)  H.  Ruth  is  at  home. 

As  has  been  said,  Mr.  Irwin  is  a  descendant 
of  a  pioneer  family  of  Clearfield  county.  His 
great-grandfather,  John  Irwin,  Sr. ,  came  from 
Ireland  in  1774,  accompanying  his  widowed 
mother  and  two  brothers,  Matthew  and  Nathan- 
iel, all  three  of  whom  located  in  Washington 
county,  Penn.,  after  a  short  residence  in  Pitts- 
burg. John  Irwin,  Sr.,  settled  in  Centre  county, 
and  although  he  was  by  trade  a  shoemaker  he 
followed  agriculture  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred April  29,  1829.  He  was  married  in  Ches- 
ter county,  Penn..  to  Miss  Sarah  Iddings,  and 
had  four  children:  William,  who  died  in  Centre 
county;  John,  Jr.,  mentioned  below;  Isabella, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty,  and  Sarah,  who 
died  in  1865. 

John  Irwin,  Jr.,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
came  to  Centre  county  as  a  young  man,  from  his 
early  home  in  Chester  county,  and  there  located 
and  improved  a  farm;  he  also  manufactured 
shoes  at  Bellefonte  for  a  time.  He  was  married 
in  Centre  county  to  Mary  Fisher,  daughter  ol 
William  Fisher,  a  gentleman  of  large  propert) 
and  gnat  influence  in  that  section,  probably  of 
English  birth.  Nine  children  were  born  of  tin- 
union,  as  follows:  Hannah,  who  married  Will- 
iam Way;  Ellis,  who  married  Hannah  Id 
fohn,  who  married  Anna  Linn;  Sarah,  who  mai 
ried  Thomas  Brooks;  William  F..  who  inarm  ; 
Susan  Antes;  Malissa,  w  ho  married  Lewis  Hager- 
man;  James,  who  married  Matilda  Trumbell. 
Martha  A.,  who  married  James  C.  Williams 
Mars    1   .   who  married  Augustus  Rvman. 

Ellis  Irwin,  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  V 
(Fisher)  Irwin,   and  father  of    the   subject  of    thi- 
born   in    Bald  Eagle  Valle) .  I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


417 


Co.,  Perm.,  near  Bellefonte,  June  17,  1805,  and 
is  still  living  in  good  health,  with  the  exception 
of  an  affection  of  the  lower  limbs  which  followed 
an  attack  of  "  La  Grippe  "  a  few  years  ago.  He 
was  educated  at  Bellefonte  Academy,  and  spent 
much  of  his  time  in  his  youth  working  upon  the 
homestead  and  in  the  shoe  factory.  For  four 
years  he  carried  the  United  States  mail  through 
the  mountains  on  horseback.  On  January  10, 
1827,  he  married  Hannah  Iddings,  a  lady  of 
great  intelligence  and  worth,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Ann  (Carroll)  Iddings.  On  her  moth- 
er's side  she  was  related  to  Charles  Carroll,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. Eight  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
(1)  Lewis  died  in  1882;  (2)  John  F.  is  a  druggist 
in  Clearfield;  (3)  Mary  and  (4)  Henrietta  are  at 
home;  (5)  William  E.  is  our  subject;  (6)  Joseph 
R.  is  a  druggist  at  Curwensville;  (7)  Malissa  died 
of  heart  trouble  December  11,  1862,  aged  twen- 
ty-seven years;  and  (8)  James  died  January  3, 
1853,  of  scarlet  fever,  aged  eleven  years.  In 
February,  1881,  after  a  wedded  life  of  more  than 
fifty  years,  Mrs.  Ellis  Irwin  passed  to  the  other 
world,  leaving  many  mourners  outside  the  fam- 
ily circle,  upon  whom  the  loss  fell  the  heaviest. 
The  early  ancestors  of  the  Irwin  family  were 
Quakers,  and  subsequent  generations  have  held 
tenaciously  to  the  same  beautiful  and  inspiring 
faith.  Ellis  Irwin  has  always  been  an  adherent 
of  the  Society,  and  among  the  reforms  advocated 
most  zealously  by  him  was  that  of  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  upon  which  the  Quakers  spoke  out 
boldly  when  others  were  as  yet  silent.  In  po- 
litical affiliations  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later  a 
Republican,  and  he  gave  every  possible  aid  to 
the  Union  cause  during  the  Civil  war,  sending 
three  sons  to  the  field  of  battle,  all  of  whom  re- 
turned safely.  In  financial  lines  he  has  been  an 
able  and  successful  worker.  Soon  after  his  mar- 
riage he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  and 
in  1829  moved  to  Clearfield  county,  buying  a 
farm  at  Grampian  Hills  (now  in  Penn  township), 
and  four  years  later  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness at  Curwensville,  remaining  three  years.  In 
1835  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  uf  prothono- 
tary,  register,  recorder,  and  clerk  of  the  courts 
in  Clearfield,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  at  the  end  of 
\  the  term  was  elected  for  a  full  term  of  three 
!  years.  In  1838  he  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Clearfield.  In  1840  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  there;  in  1843  he  was  elected  sheriff 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  in  these  as  in 
other  positions  of  public  trust  he  served  with 
ability  and  faithfulness.  In  1850  he  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  Goshen  township,  Clear- 
field county,  to  which  he  added  until  he  owned 
27 


at  one  time  some  three  thousand  acres.  This 
estate  he  has  developed,  with  energy  and  judg- 
ment, with  mills,  farms  and  other  improvements, 
and  the  population  of  the  locality  is  now  so 
large  that  a  post  office,  known  as  Lick  Run 
Mills,  was  established  there  mainly  through  his 
influence.  Since  1872  he  has  been  postmaster 
at  Lick  Run  Mills. 


IS,  CLARK  MUSSER,  who  holds  a  leading 
Jl&L  place  among  the  enterprising  and  promi- 
nent business  men  of  Millheim,  was  born  there 
April  22,  1848.  His  father,  J.  G.  Musser,  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1820,  a  son  of  Philip  B.  and  Elizabeth 
(Ilgen)  Musser,  and  in  the  subscription  schools 
held  near  his  home  acquired  his  education,  which 
was  principally  in  the  German  language.  On 
December  8,  1842,  at  Millheim,  he  wedded  Miss 
Julia  Hubler,  who  was  born  August  15,  1817,  a 
daughter  of  Adam  Hubler,  who  was  for  years 
identified  with  the  milling  interests  of  the  county 
as  owner  of  the  Hubler  mill,  and  was  killed  by 
falling  from  a  barn  that  occupied  the  present  site 
of  the  residence  of  Mrs.  D.  A.  Musser. 

A  short  time  after  his  marriage  the  father  of 
our  subject  removed  to  the  hotel  now  conducted 
by  W.  S.  Musser,  having  purchased  the  same 
from  Jacob  Widener,  and  was  its  host  for  some 
years.  Prior  to  thishe  had  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  connection  with  his  brother,  W.  L. 
Musser.  He  was  a  great  hunter  and  fisher,  in 
which  sports  he  found  his  greatest  pleasure,  and 
in  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat.  His 
death  occurred  January  12,  1892,  that  of  his 
wife  on  February  26,  1884,  and  the  remains  of 
both  were  interred  in  the  Millheim  cemetery. 
The  family  of  this  worthy  couple  numbered 
the  following  children:  Ralph  M.  is  a  miller  of 
Williamsport,  Penn.;  Clarence  died  May  1,  1846; 
Emma  C.  is  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Swartz,  of  Renovo, 
Penn. ;  A.  Clark  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Charles 
died  February  1,  1852;  Mary  died  February  10, 
1854;  James  B.  is  a  resident  of  California;  and 
Anna  died  April  28,  1861. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Millheim  the  subject 
proper  of  this  review  received  his  literary  educa- 
tion, his  first  teacher  being  George  M.  Swartz.  He 
continued  under  the  parental  roof  until  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority,  aiding  in  the  support  of  the 
family,  till,  in  April,  1869,  he  entered  the  shop 
of  B.  O.  Deininger  to  learn  the  trade  of  mar- 
ble cutter.  At  the  end  of  two  years  and  a 
half,  however,  he  went  to  Lock  Haven,  Penn.r 
where  he  worked  for  five  months,  and  after  his  re- 
turn to  Millheim  in  the  spring  of  1872,  he  pur- 


U8 


COMMKMORA  T1YK  ISKni  RAl'lIICAL   RKt  ORD. 


chased  a  third  interest  in  the  establishment  of  Mr. 
Deininger.  Three  years  later  he  secured  a  half 
interest,  and  in  1885  became  sole  owner;  but  after 
conducting  the  business  for  a  short  time  he  sold 
a  half  interest  to  \Y.  K.  Alexander,  and  the  firm 
has  since  been  Musser  &  Alexander.  Their  work 
is  first-class  in  every  particular,  and,  by  courte- 
ous treatment  and  fair  and  honorable  dealing, 
they  have  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  business. 

On  July  5,  1874,  Mr.  Musser  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  C.  Kister,  of  Aaronsburg,  Centre 
county,  who  was  born  in  that  village  March  15, 
1  S41 .  a  1  laughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Elizabeth  (Mil- 
ler) Kister.  Twelve  children  have  graced  their 
union:  Bertha  E.,  a  printer  of  Millheim;  Lulu 
C,  at  home;  Norman  Lester;  Thomas  B.  and 
Frederick  W. ,  both  deceased;  John  F. ;  Grover 
G. ;  Lizzie  (deceased);  Orvis;  Paul;  May  and 
Claude  1. 

Jeremiah  Kister,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Musser, 
war  born  in  Greene  township,  Clinton  Co., 
Penn.,  October  7,  1825,  a  son  of  Lawrence  Kis- 
ter. During  the  Civil  war  he  became  a  member  of 
Company  F,  12th  P.  V.  C,  and  in  battle  was 
hut  in  the  face.  After  lingering  two  weeks, 
he  died  in  the  hospital  at  Chester,  Penn.,  in 
August,  1S64,  and  was  there  buried.  He  was 
.1  shoemaker  and  plasterer  by  trade,  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church.  He  left  a  widow  and  six  chil- 
dren,  of  whom,  Mrs.  Musser  and  her  twin  sister, 
Susan,  were  the  second  and  third  in  order  of 
birth.  The  other  four  were  sons.  The  mother, 
who  was  a  native  of  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Miller,  died  in  July. 
1889,  at  the  home  of  her  son,  B.  F.  Kister,  of 
Millheim. 

Mr.  Musser  began  his  domestic  life  in  Mill- 
heim, where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and 
is  numbered  among  its  most  progressive  and 
wide-awake  business  men,  of  undoubted  integrity 
and  honor.  His  political  support  is  ever  given 
the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has  been  called 
upon  to  fill  several  official  positions  of  honor  and 
trust,  including  those  of  assessor,  tax  collector, 
chief  burgess  and  councilman,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  for  some  years.  With 
the  Lutheran  Church  both  he  and  his  excellent 
wife  hold  membership. 


Mil. TON  J.  HENDERSON  holds  a  good  po- 
sition among  the  agriculturists  of  Taylor 
township,  Centre  county,  where  he  1  1  in 

general  farming,  and   from   which  he  derives  an- 
nually   a    comfortable    income.       He    was    born 


February  7,  1858,  on  the  farm  where  he  still  re- 
sides— the  old  Henderson  homestead  on  the 
Fowler  road,  which  has  been  occupied  by  four 
generations  of  the  family. 

David  and  Mary  (McMamagh)  Henderson, 
parents  of  our  subject,  were  also  natives  of  Tay- 
lor township,  the  father  born  on  the  old  home- 
stead October  13,  1819,  where  he  continued  to 
extensively  engage  in  farming  throughout  life. 
He  was  drafted  for  the  Civil  war,  but  was  re- 
leased on  account  of  being  a  few  days  too  old. 
His  death,  which  occurred  December  23,  1886. 
was  caused  by  falling  in  a  threshing  machine. 
He  was  a  conscientious,  earnest  Christian,  for 
forty-two  years  holding  membership  with  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  to  which  his  estimable 
wife  also  belonged.  She  was  born  May  21,  1 82 1 , 
and  departed  this  life  September  7,  188J8. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, namely:  Robert,  a  lumberman  of  Clear- 
field county,  Penn.;  Eve,  wife  of  John  L.  Spit- 
ler,  a  miner  of  Sandy  Ridge,  Centre  county; 
Mary,  wife  of  John  Orwick,  a  farmer  of  Taylor 
township;  Malinda,  deceased  wife  of  John  Beck- 
with,  a  merchant  and  farmer  of  Hannah  Furnace. 
Penn.;  Samuel,  a  resident  of  Madera,  Clear- 
field county;  William,  section  foreman  on  the 
Colorado  railroad;  Anna,  wife  of  John  McCrawf- 
ton,  of  Clearfield  county;  Milton  J. ;  and  John, 
who  resides  with  our  subject  and  is  a  parti 
business. 

Robert  and  Mary  (Jackson)  Henderson,  the 
maternal  grandparents,  were  also  natives  of  Tay- 
lor township.  The  grandfather  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
where  he  died.  The  maternal  grandparents  ol 
our  subject  were  Stephen  H.  and  Eve  (Frantz) 
McMunagle,  the  former  of  Irish  and  the  latter  ol 
Dutch  descent. 

Milton  J.    Henderson  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  after    the   manner  of  most  farmers'  sons, 
becoming    familiar    with    plowing,     sowing  and 
reaping,  and    amid    the  quiet   scenes  of  country 
life  grew  up  with  a  healthy  constitution  and  a 
brain.      He  is  indebted  to  the   public  schools  for 
his   elementary  education,    and    by   reading  and 
observation  has  become  a    well-informed 
He  remained    at    home    until    after  attaining  his 
majority,  when  he  removed  to  Clearfield  county, 
and  for  two  years    was    engaged  in  lumbi 
Returning   to   Taylor   township,  Centre  county, 

rated    a    farm    for   his    brother    Robi 
two  years,  but  during   the   following  three  years 
he  was  again  engaged  in   lumbering  in  Clear!1 

unty.      He    next    purchased    a   small   farm   in 
I     \  lor  township,  which  he  cultivated  some  tl 

irs,  and  subsequently    operated  a  rented  tract 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


419 


in  Huntington  county,  Indiana,  for  two  years. 
In  connection  with  his  brother  John,  he  then 
purchased  the  old  Henderson  homestead,  to  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  which  they  have 
since  devoted  their  time. 

On  attaining  to  man's  estate,  Mr.  Henderson 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Weaver, 
who  died  in  November,  1878,  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-four years,  leaving  one  son,  Elmer,  still  at 
home.  She  was  a  daughter  of  David  and  Har- 
riet (Feaster)  Weaver,  the  former  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Tyrone,  Penn.,  and  the  latter  deceased. 
On  December  23,  1882,  Mr.  Henderson  was 
again  married,  this  time  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
{Dougherty)  Parks,  widow  of  Charles  W.  Parks, 
by  whom  she  had  one  daughter,  Mary  A.,  now 
the  wife  of  James  Goss,  a  farmer  residing  near 
Hannah  Furnace,  Centre  county.  Mrs.  Goss 
has  one  son,  William  O.  Mrs.  Henderson  was 
born  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  August  8, 
1854,  adaughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Hamilton) 
Dougherty,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  dy- 
ing in  July,  1851;,  and  the  latter  on  March  15, 
1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  In  their 
family  were  the  following  children:  Ann,  wife  of 
Simon  Hencebanger,  an  undertaker  of  Clear- 
field county;  Caroline,  wife  of  Frank  Pettitt,  an 
extensive  farmer  of  California;  Susan,  widow  of 
Patrick  Haulton,  of  Philipsburg,  Penn. ;  James,  of 
Clearfield  county ;  George,  deceased  ;Maggie,  wife 
of  Elias  Miles,  a  railroad  man  of  Tipton,  Penn. ; 
and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  our  subject.  The  father 
of  this  family  was  a  farmer  of  Huntingdon,  Hunt- 
ingdon county. 

Mr.  Henderson  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  which  he  always 
supports  by  his  ballot;  socially  he  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and, 
religiously,  both  himelf  and  wife  are  esteemed 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  They 
are  respected  and  valued  members  of  the  com- 
munity, and  possess  the  entire  confidence  and  re- 
gard of  their  neighbors. 


D' 


iANIEL  F.  POORMAN.  residing  on  Wal- 
lace run,  is  one  of  the  enterprising,  indus- 
trious farmers  of  Boggs  township,  Centre  county, 
where  he  also  owns  and  operates  a  stone  quarry. 
He  was  born  on  Marsh  creek,  in  the  same  town- 
ship, January  12,  1848,  and  his  parents,  John 
and  Catherine  (Fetzer)  Poorman,  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  Centre  county.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents, John  and  Elizabeth  B.  (Harper)  Poor- 
man,  were  also  natives  of  that  county,  born  at 
Brush  Valley,  while  his  maternal  grandparents, 
Michael  and  Mary  (Homier)  Fetzer,  were  natives 


of  Germany  and  New  Jersey,  respectively,  com- 
ing to  the  county  at  an  early  day.  During  his 
younger  years  the  father  of  our  subject  engaged 
in  lumbering,  later  turned  his  attention  exclusive- 
ly to  agricultural  pursuits,  becoming  an  extensive 
farmer.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Democ- 
racy, and  religiously  was  a  member  of  Messiah 
Church.  He  died  November  25,  1893,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
in  1884,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

Nine  children  graced  their  union,  as  follows: 
Maria  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Jacob  Yarnal,  a 
farmer  of  Boggs  township;  Jane  is  the  wife  of 
Morgan  M.  Lucas,  a  farmer  of  the  same 
township;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Stanley  Wat- 
son, also  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township;  Will- 
iam is  an  agriculturist  of  Central  City,  Cen- 
tre county;  Daniel  F.  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Edward  is  a  merchant  of  Boggs  township; 
Arminta  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Williams,  and  en- 
gineer of  Williamsport,  Penn. ;  Alice  is  the  wife 
of  William  Fetzer,  of  Marsh  Creek,  Boggs  town- 
ship; and  Fleming  is  a  farmer  of  the  same  town- 
ship. 

Until  1 88 1,  Daniel  F.  Poorman  remained 
under  the  parental  roof,  from  the  time  of  his 
marriage  operating  the  old  homestead  farm  on 
shares,  and  then  purchasing  his  present  farm. 
Upon  his  place  he  has  a  valuable  stone  quarry, 
which  he  began  to  operate  in  1888.  He  is  a  wide- 
awake, progressive  business  man,  straight-for- 
ward and  honorable  in  all  dealings,  and  gained 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  In  manner  he  is  pleasant  and 
genial,  easily  winning  friends,  and  has  the  happy 
faculty  of  retaining  them.  He  is  a  stalwart 
Democrat  in  politics,  but  cares  nothing  for  the 
honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office,  preferring 
to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business  in- 
terests, in  which  he  is  meeting  with  good  success. 
He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  all  worthy 
enterprises  find  in  him  a  friend  and  supporter. 
On  January  21,  1872,  he  married  Miss  Nettie 
Walker,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren: Willis  N.,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township; 
Eva  M.,  at  home;  Toner,  who  was  scalded  to 
death  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Claude,  at  home; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Jacob  and  Margerie  (Lucas)  Walker,  the  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Poorman,  were  natives  of  Mifflin 
and  Centre  counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  They 
were  married  in  the  latter  county,  where  the 
father  died  September  8,  1884,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years;  the  mother,  who  was  born 
March  4,  18 18,  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Boggs  township.  Both  were  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  in  pol- 


420 


COMMEMORATIVE  BUm HA  i'lWAI.   RBOOBD. 


itics  he  was  a  Republican.  Throughout  life  he 
followed  general  farming.  Nine  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely  Matilda,  wife  of 
Philip  Resides,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township; 
William  and  David,  who  both  laid  down  their 
lives  on  the  altar  of  their  country  during  the 
Civil  war;  Maria,  deceased  wife  of  David  Snider, 
of  Northumberland  county,  Penn. ;  Jane,  de- 
ceased wife  of  William  Confer;  Milligan,  who  is 
residing  on  the  family  homestead  in  Boggs  town- 
ship; Rankin,  deceased;  Nettie,  the  honored  wife 
of  our  subject;  and  Mary  B.,  wife  of  Cyrus  Lu- 
cas, of  Boggs  township.  William  and  David 
Taylor  enlisted  in  Company  A,  149th  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  and 
William  was  corporal  of  the  company.  In  the 
the  spring  of  1862  he  was  shot  while  on  picket 
duty,  being  the  first  man  that  was  killed  from 
Centre  county.  His  remains  were  sent  home 
and  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Milesburg.  David 
fought  in  all  the  battles  except  the  last  one,  be- 
ing taken  sick  and  sent  to  Lincoln  Hospital, 
where  he  died,  and  he  was  buried  at  the  same 
place. 

William  Lucas,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Poorman,  died  at  Snow  Shoe,  Centre 
county.  The  grandmother's  name  was  Maryan 
Johnson. 


ELIAS  MILLER.  To  grow  old  gracefully,  to 
'/  keep   the    youthful    spirit,    and   adding  the 

ripening  and  enriching  influences  of  years  of  ex- 
perience and  useful  effort,  is  a  rare  distinction. 
Although  now  "eighty-three  years  young,"  the 
honored  pioneer  whose  name  opens  this  biogra- 
phy shows  few  traces  of  the  flight  of  time,  weak- 
ened eyesight  being  the  only  serious  sign  of  im- 
paired vigor.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  be- 
cause his  life  has  been  more  than  ordinarily  rilled 
with  hardships  and  labors,  as  the  following  in- 
teresting account  will  show. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  June  10,  1814,  in  Moore 
township,  Northampton  county,  Penn.,  on  Blue 
Mountain.  His  father,  David  Miller,  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  county,  born  October  3,  1786, 
and  as  a  boy  was  bound  out  to  a  hotel  keeper 
near  Bethlehem,  Penn.  When  he  came  of  age 
he  learned  tin-  tailor's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for. so  me  years.  IK-  married  Miss  Barbara  Reich- 
ner,  who  was  born  in  Moore  township,  North- 
ampton count)-,  May  26,  1791,  and  as  his  chil- 
dren crew  to  mature  age  he  determined  to  seek  a 
home  where  land  could   be  procured  more  easily 

.1  bettei  starl  secured  for  them.  In  1832  he 
moved  to  Boalsburg,  Centre  county,  a  one-horse 
and  a  two-horse  wagon  serving  to  bring  the  fam- 


ily and  the  household  goods.  He  continued 
his  trade  while  looking  about  for  the  desired 
opening  into  agricultural  work,  his  lack  of  capital 
making  the  search  a  difficult  one.  Finally  he 
rented  a  farm  near  Rock  Springs,  Centre  county, 
and  five  years  later  took  another  near  Pennsyl- 
vania Furnace.  He  prospered,  and  after  a  time 
purchased  100  acres  of  timbered  land  in  the 
"Barrens,"  and  building  a  log  house  started  in 
true  pioneer  fashion  to  clear  a  farm.  As  old  age 
came  on  he  sold  this  tract  and  bought  twenty- 
five  acres  from  a  farm  then  owned  by  our  sub- 
ject, and  putting  up  a  good  log  house  and  stable 
he  and  his  estimable  wife  lived  there  some  years. 
Elias  Miller,  however,  removed  to  Miles  town- 
ship, and  wishing  to  have  his  parents  near  him. 
purchased  a  small  but  comfortable  home  near 
Madisonburg,  in  which  they  passed  their  remain- 
ing years,  the  father's  death  occurring  May  18. 
[866,  and  the  mother's  on  February  8.  1875 
Their  remains  were  first  laid  to  rest  in  the  Lu- 
theran cemetery,  but  later  Elias  Miller  had  them 
transferred  to  the  German  Reformed  Cemetery, 
both  parents  having  been  devout  followers  of 
that  faith. 

David  Miller  was  a  man  of  small  build.  In 
early  life  he  enjoyed  excellent  health,  but  he  be- 
came crippled  in  the  left  leg  through  a  crooked- 
ness caused  by  white  swelling.  This  disadvan- 
tage did  not  prevent  him  from  working  and  try- 
ing to  realize  his  hopes  of  a  competence  for  him- 
self and  his  family.  Of  eleven  children  only  two 
are  now  living.  (1)  Charles  was  drowned  in 
Huntingdon  county;  (2)  Elias  is  the  subject 
proper  of  this  sketch;  13)  Thomas  was  drowned 
in  Lehigh  county,  while  employed  as  a  lock 
tender  on  the  canal  between  Mauch  Chunk  and 
Eastoii;  14)  Hettie  married  (first  1  Samuel  Bloom, 
who  died  in  Ferguson  township,  Centre  count) 
and  (second)  she  wedded  Henry  Garner; 
[ulia  A.  married  William  Davis,  and  died  in 
Ferguson  township,  Centre  county;  (6)  Gideon 
died  young;  171  Mary  Ann,  widow  of  Daniel 
Diebler,  lives  in   Shamokin,  Penn.;    71   Reuben, 

Sarah,  and  two  others  died  in  childhood. 

The  schools  of  the  earl)  days  in  this  section 
afforded  but  meagre  opportunities  for  an  ambi- 
tious boy,  and  Mr.  Miller's  help  was  needed  at 
home  too  much  to  admit  of  any  extended  CO 
of  study.  He  was  a  willing  worker,  strong  for 
his  age,  and  has  chopped  many  hundreds  of  c< 

ol   w I.      At  thirteen  he  was  hired  out  with 

understanding  that  he  should  have  two  months 
schooling  each  year;  but  this  bargain  was  not 
observed,  as  his  employer  kept  him  at  work  all 
the  time.  He  was  eighteen  at  the  time  ol  the 
removal  to  Centre   county,   and   he    remained 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


421 


home  working  for  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old  lacking  three  months.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  made  numerous  journeys  on 
foot  to  Northampton  county,  175  miles  each  way, 
to  visit  an  early  friend,  Miss  Cecelia  Marsh, 
daughter  of  John  and  Polly  (Deemer)  Marsh, 
who  lived  upon  a  farm  in  Moore  township  near 
Mr.  Miller's  birthplace.  The  young  lady  was 
about  his  own  age,  and  a  native  of  the  same 
township,  born  September  24,  1S14.  In  the  fall 
of  1836  Mr.  Miller  started  on  foot  to  claim  his 
bride.  His  clothes  were  poor,  and  he  had  in  his 
pocket  less  than  $2. 50,  half  of  which  had  been 
secured  by  working  at  fifty  cents  per  day  at  husk- 
ing corn,  and  the  rest  had  been  saved,  a  few  cents 
at  a  time,  from  chance  earnings. 

There  was  a  young  man  in  Northampton 
county  who  wished  to  go  to  Centre  county  with 
the  young  couple  and  board  with  them  while 
working  in  the  woods  for  Mr.  Miller,  and  through 
an  advance  of  $20,  to  be  repaid  in  board,  Mr. 
Miller  was  greatly  assisted  at  this  critical  period 
in  his  fortunes.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Miller 
walked  back  to  his  home  to  make  arrangements 
for  bringing  his  bride,  and  early  in  December, 
1836,  he  returned  for  her  with  a  covered  wagon. 
A  heavy  snow  fell,  and  the  roads  becoming  almost 
impassable  with  drifts,  the  trip,  which  should 
have  been  made  in  nine  days,  occupied  six  weeks. 
For  a  part  of  the  way  the  wagon  was  transformed 
into  a  sled,  and  when  the  snow  melted,  the 
wheels,  which  had  been  strapped  to  the  load, 
were  again  put  in  place,  and  thus  the  journey 
was  finished.  By  this  time  Mr.  Miller's  funds 
were  exhausted,  but  youth,  health,  and  a  definite 
purpose  in  life  seemed  a  guarantee  of  success, 
and  so  they  proved.  He  rented  a  small  house 
in  Ferguson  township,  Centre  county,  and  began 
chopping  wood  in  "  The  Barrens  "  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Furnace,  managing  to  save  a  portion  of 
his  earnings.  He  built  a  small  house  on  land 
owned  by  the  company,  and  later  leased  a  tract 
of  timber  land  from  them  for  twelve  years.  In 
eleven  years  he  cleared  300  acres,  the  company 
putting  up  buildings  for  him.  Before  the  lease 
expired  he  bought  115  acres  of  land,  incurring  a 
debt  of  nearly  $4,000.  This  was  the  first  home 
of  his  own,  and  six  years  were  spent  there.  Dur- 
ing that  time  he  bought  209  acres  from  the  com- 
pany, and  cleared  nearly  100  acres  of  it,  building 
a  plain  but  good  house.  In  1855  ne  bought  the 
"Old  Musser  farm"  of  130  acres  in  Brush  Val- 
ley, and  in  the  following  spring  settled  there,  re- 
maining eight  years,  when  he  went  to  Madison- 
burg  and  bought  the  hotel  where  he  now  resides. 
It  cost  him  $3,000,  and  he  has  made  many  im- 
provements from  time  to  time.    For  several  years 


he  rented  the  hotel,  but  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  he  has  conducted  it  himself.  He  bought 
other  property  in  the  town,  upon  which  he  erected 
new  buildings,  and  now  owns  two  places  there 
and  fifty  acres  of  mountain  land.  At  one  time 
he  owned  three  farms  in  Brush  Valley,  but  this 
land  has  either  been  sold  or  given  to  his  sons. 

In  looking  back  over  the  years  in  which  his 
present  handsome  competence  has  been  gained, 
Mr.  Miller  can  have  the  supreme  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  all  has  been  accomplished  without 
taking  advantage  of  any  man.  Never  penurious, 
never  extravagant,  generous  whenever  a  worthy 
cause  appealed  to  his  sympathies,  his  life  has 
been  one  to  emulate  and  admire.  His  integrity 
is  so  well  established  that  in  his  more  active  days, 
when  making  large  purchases  of  land,  men  of 
capital  have  come  to  him  and  offered  to  loan 
him  whatever  he  might  need.  The  shrewdest 
and  most  conservative  money  lenders  have  thus 
shown  their  confidence  in  him. 

The  faithful  helpmeet  of  his  early  struggles 
passed  from  earth  April  9,  1886,  and  her  remains 
were  interred  in  the  Reformed  Church  Cemetery. 
Mr.  Miller  subsequently  married  Miss  Amanda 
Grimes,  a  native  of  Miles  township,  Centre 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Grimes. 
There  were  three  children  by  the  first  marriage: 
Harvey  and  Benjamin  F. ,  farmers  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, now  residing  in  Madisonburg,  and  Gideon, 
who  died  November  3,  1863.  One  daughter  by 
the  second  marriage,  Ancenetta,  born  April  5, 
1887,  is  at  home.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, as  was  his  father  before  him,  but  he  has 
never  been  an  office  seeker.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  religious  movements,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  a  leading  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 


T^HOMAS  E.  VONADA,  whose  entire  life  has 
been  passed  in  Centre  county,  now  makes 
his  home  in  Haines  township,  one-half  mile 
northeast  of  Woodward.  The  first  of  the  family 
in  this  country  came  here  a  long  time  ago,  and 
at  first  settled  under  a  large  hemlock  tree  in 
what  is  now  Haines  township,  later  by  hard  labor 
clearing  land,  and  raising  stock.  The  old  fam- 
ily was  a  very  good-natured  class  of  people,  hon- 
est and  honorable  in  all  their  dealings,  and  pros- 
pered well. 

Henry  Vonada,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  near  that  place,  and  acquired  his  education 
in  the  Vonada  school.  At  an  early  age,  how- 
ever, he  left  school,  and  began  work  upon  the 
home  farm,  operating  that  place  for  several  years. 
On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  had  270 


422 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGHM-HKAL  RECORD. 


acres,  to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time  until 
at  his  death,  in  1887,  he  had  about  660  acres  of 
land,  which  he  left  to  his  children.  He  was  an 
industrious,  energetic  man,  devoting  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  his   farm,    whereon  he  erected  a 

ifortable  residence  and  substantial  outbuild- 
ings. Politically  he  was  an  earnest  Democrat, 
and  religiously  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  be- 
longed. 

In  1X52  Henry  Vonada  wedded  Miss  Mary 
Rishel,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Louisa  C,  born  in  1853,  is  the 
wife  of  E.  |.  Vonada,  living  near  Coburn,  Cen- 
tre  county;  F.  Pierce,  born  in  1855,  is  an  engin- 
eer of  Coburn;  Andrew  J.,  born  in  1857,  married 
Maggie  Rote,  and  is  proprietor  of  a  planing-mill 
in  Coburn;  Thomas  E.  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
and  Susan,  bornin  I  862,  is  the  wife  of  Emanuel 
Eungard,  a  farmer  of  Penn's  Cave,  Centre 
county. 

II las  E.   Vonada,  our  subject,  was  born  on 

the  old  homestead  in  Haines  township,  Septem- 
ber 1,  1859,  and  during  his  boyhood  he  attended 
the  Vonada  school,  while  late]  he  was  a  student 
in   the  schools    of    Woodward    until  twenty-one 

rs  of  age.  He  operated  the  home  farm  on 
shares  for  about  five  years,  and  then  worked  at 
general  labor  near  Woodward  for  a  few  years, 
after  which  be  purchased  seven  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  still  resides,  and  some  timber  land. 

On  November  23,   1891,  Mr.  Vonada  married 
Almeda,  the    J  daughter   of    Philip 

and  Mary  1  Undergobler)  Vonada,  and  they  have 
two  children     1  May,  born  June  14.   [8 

and  Tammie  R.,  horn  March  (8,  1S95.  Mr. 
Vonada  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of 
the  Democratic  party,  which  he  always  supports 
bj  his  ballot,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
representative  and  influential  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity, with  whose  interests  he  has  ever  been 
prominently  identified. 


JACOB  M.  KEPLER.  There  are  few  men 
more  worth j  of  representation  in  a  work  of 
this  kind  than  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
who  is  passing  the  latei  years  of  his  life  on  a 
comfortable  homestead  in  Ferguson  township, 
ire  county,  the  land  of  which  he  commenci  d 
operating  in  1892.  Hi-  has  been  a  long  and 
busy  career,  rich  with  experience,  and  in  which 
he  has  established  himself  in  the  esteem  and  I 
fidence  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.   Kepler  was  born  in    Ferguson   township, 
March   9,    1833,   a  son  of  Jacob  and   Katharine 


Musser)  Kepler,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Centre  county,  and  of  German  extraction.  In 
their  family  were  five  children,  who  in  order  of 
birth  were  as  follows:  (11  Mrs.  E.  K.  Shadman, 
of  Conneaut,  Ohio,  who  is  still  living,  and  who 
raised  a  large  family.  (2)  George  M.,  a  resident 
of  t'orry,  Penn.,  is  married  and  has  two  chil- 
dren— one  son  and  one  daughter.  (3)  Jacob 
M.,  subject  of  this  sketch.  (41  John  M.,  of 
Shippensville,  Clarion  Co.,  Penn.,  who  died  in 
the  summer  of  1897,  was  married  and  reared  a 
family;  his  wife  is  also  dead.  (5)  Mary  became 
the  wife  of  Corthlow,  of  Clarion  county,  but  died 
several  years  ago. 

The  primary  education  of  our  subject  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools,  and  this  he  sup- 
plemented with   an  academic  course  in   the   Pine 
Grove  Mills  and  Potters  Mills  schools.      When  a 
young  man   he  successfully  engaged   in   teaching 
during   the   winter   seasons,    while   the   summer 
months  were  spent  in  farm  labor.      In  1839  he 
embarked  in  the  hotel  business  at  Philipsbui 
Centre  county,  which   he  continued   until    1871, 
when   he   went  to   Petroleum   Center,    Venango 
Co.,  Penn.,  where  for  some  time  he  was  suco 
fully  engaged  in  the  oil  business.      Removing  to 
im  ,  he  associated  himself    with   N 
S    Foreman,  of  that  place,  in  th  r  trade, 

and  was  also  connected  with  the  Salmon  (reek 
Lumber  and  Mining  Company,  serving  as  their 
superintendent  for  seven  sears.  In  i8So,  Mr 
Kepler  founded  the  Forest  National  Democrat, 
the  first  Democratic  newspaper  in  Forest  county. 
and  continued  in  the  capacity  of  editor  and  pro- 
prietor until  [892,  when  he  suspended  its  opera- 
tion on  account  of  ill  health.  Leaving  Tionesta, 
he  removed  to  his  large  and  fertile  farm  in 
Ferguson  township,  (  entre  county,  where  he  has 

■    been  active!}    ind  successfully  engaged  in 
ultural  pursuits. 

In    [863,  Mr.  Kepler   was  united    in   man 
with  Mary  Jane  Hutton,  and  to  them   were  b 
four    children,    two  of    whom     are    still    livii 
namely:    Nellie,  wife  of  James  D.  Davis. 
keeper  of    Tionesta,  Forest  Co.,  Penn.,bywhi 

has  one  child;  and   John   \Y\,  who   w 
August  26,   [873,  a  printer  by  trade,  who 

id  with  his  father  in  the  agricultural  bus 
and  who  was  also  associate   editor   of    the 
National  Democrat  for  tour  years;   he  compli  ' 
his  education    at   Chamberlain   Institute,  at  Ran- 
dolph,  New  York,  and  is  still  under  the   | 
roof. 

Mr.    Kepl.r   has  never  cared   for  official 
tinction,  but  has!  always  taken  an  active   part  in 
promoting  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party, 
which  he  supports  by  his    ballot,  and   has  sen 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


423 


as  chairman  of  the  County  Democratic  Central 
Committee.  He  has  ever  cheerfully  given  his 
support  to  those  enterprises  that  tend  to  public 
development  and,  with  hardly  an  exception,  he 
has  been  connected  with  every  interest  that  has 
promoted  general  welfare.  His  name  is  a  syno- 
nym for  honorable  business  dealing;  he  is  always 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  invaluable  citizens  of 
this  section  of  the  State,  and  on  the  rolls  of 
Centre  county's  most  honored  men  his  name 
should  be  found  among  the  foremost. 


T\  W.  HOSTERMAN,  of  Coburn,  who  has 
won  a  high  reputation  among  the  agricult- 
urists of  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  for  his 
able  management  of  his  fine  farm,  is  still  more 
widely  known  as  a  forceful  and  effective  speaker 
upon  religious  topics,  having  been  for  years  a 
local  preacher  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  Al- 
though he  has  not  had  the  advantages  of  col- 
legiate training,  a  mind  well  stored  through 
private  study  and  the  diligent  use  of  such  in- 
struction as  fell  to  him  in  his  youth,  makes  him 
more  than  ordinarily  well  informed. 

Mr.  Hosterman  was  born  in  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  April  15,  1845,  upon  a 
farm  which  had  originally  belonged  to  his  grand- 
father, Jacob  Hosterman,  a  prosperous  agri- 
culturist, who  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 
At  his  death  he  left  the  estate  by  will  to  his  only 
surviving  son,  Thomas,  then  eighteen  years  old. 
Thomas  Hosterman,  our  subject's  father,  ac- 
cepted at  this  early  age  the  responsibilities  thus 
devolving  upon  him,  and  conducted  the  farm 
throughout  his  active  life.  He  was  married  in 
Haines  township  to  Miss  Hannah  Yearick,  and 
took  his  bride  to  the  old  home.  Not  long  after- 
ward he  provided  for  his  mother's  comfort  by 
building  a  good  house  for  her  in  the  same  yard, 
where  she  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life,  dying 
when  between  seventy  and  eighty  years  of  age. 
In  like  manner  he  arranged  in  his  own  later  years 
for  the  quiet  which  the  old  crave,  building  a  new 
home  on  one  end  of  the  farm  when  he  retired 
from  active  business.  There  he  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three,  his  wife  having  passed  away  four 
years  before,  aged  fifty-five. 

Thomas  Hosterman  had  only  a  district-school 
education,  and  for  that  he  had  to  walk  three 
miles  daily;  but  he  possessed  a  remarkable  intel- 
lect, and  as  a  public  speaker  on  religion  or  poli- 
tics wielded  wide  influence  in  his  day.  As  a 
debater  he  was  unusually  successful,  and  men 
who  had  enjoyed  superior  educational  advantages 
feared  to  meet  him  in  open  discussion.  An  ar- 
dent Abolitionist,  he  turned  from  the  Democratic 


party  to  the  Whig,  and  later  to  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  in  which  he  was  an  exhorter,  and 
his  estimable  wife  was  also  a  devout  adherent. 

Their  children  were  Brumille,  who  died  in 
youth;  Paulina,  who  married  Samuel  Moyer,  and 
died  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county;  Eman- 
uel, who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  Amelia 
(Mrs.  Jeremiah  Vonada),  who  died  at  Wood- 
ward, Penn.;  Thomas  W.,  our  subject;  Charles 
W.,  a  resident  of  Woodward;  Clara,  now  Mrs. 
James  Weaver,  of  Fiedler,  Penn.;  Lizzie  (Mrs. 
William  Wolf),  of  Fiedler;  Hannah  M.,  who  died 
in  early  womanhood;  and  Anna  (Mrs.  Howard 
Musser),  of  Woodward. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  attended  the 
local  schools  of  his  day,  one  of  his  first  teachers 
holding  the  sessions  in  an  upper  room  of  his  fa- 
ther's spring  house.  His  schooling,  such  as  it 
was,  ended  at  eighteen,  when  he  began  to  devote 
his  attention  seriously  to  farming  on  the  old 
homestead.  In  September,  1866,  when  but  nine- 
teen years  old,  he  was  married  in  his  native 
township  to  Miss  Rachel  Vonada,  who  was  born 
in  the  Nittany  Valley,  March  15,  1844,  the 
daughter  of  Philip  and  Mary  (Harback)  Vonada. 
After  this  happy  event  Mr.  Hosterman  settled  at 
the  homestead  to  work  for  his  father.  Later  he 
rented  the  place,  and  two  years  before  his  fa- 
ther's death  he  made  arrangements  to  purchase 
it.  When  the  estate  was  settled  he  became  the 
sole  owner,  and  continued  to  reside  there  until 
1886,  when  he  moved  to  his  present  residence  in 
Coburn.  A  sad  affliction  befell  him  in  that  year, 
a  chestnut  burr  destroying  the  sight  of  his  right 
eye.  The  homestead,  which  contains  180  acres, 
still  receives  his  superintendence,  but  except  for 
that  he  has  now  retired  from  active  care.  He 
has  built  two  houses  in  Coburn,  each  of  which 
has  a  store  room  on  the  lower  floor.  In  May, 
1889,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  the  village, 
and  reappointed'  in  August,  1897.  He  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  taking  great  interest  in  the 
success  of  the  party,  and  is  regarded  as  a  leader 
in  his  section. 

For  more  than  forty  years,  Mr.  Hosterman 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
to  which  Mrs.  Hosterman  also  belongs,  and  his 
labors  for  the  cause  have  been  manifold,  as  local 
preacher,  exhorter,  class  leader,  trustee  and 
steward  and  in  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hosterman  have  reared  a  large 
and  interesting  family,  of  which  any  parent  might 
be  proud.  There  were  sixteen  in  all,  three  of 
whom  have  been  removed  by  death:  Phcebe  died 
at  Coburn,  Penn.,  May  2,  1897,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  years;  Ida  married  Thomas  Motz,  of 


424 


COM.VHMOKA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  ItKCOUD. 


Woodward,  Perm. ;  Warren  is  a  farmer  in  Haines 
township,  Centre  county;  Annie  M.  married 
Clayton  Bower,  of  the  same  township;  Edith 
married  N.  B.  Shaffer,  of  Zion,  Centre  county; 
Luther  is  a  farmer  of  Haines  township;  G< 
married  John  Waite,  of  Rebersburg,  Perm.  ;  Will  - 
is  a  farmer  of  Haines  township;  Tome, 
Thomas  A.  and  Nathan  are  at  home;  Hannah 
died  in  infancy;  Lizzie,  Mabel  and  Hertha  are  at 
home;   and  an  infant  son  still-born  in   1SS7. 


WJ.  THOMPSON,  of  I'-.tters  Mills,  ranks 
among  the  most  prominent  businessmen 
of  Centre  county,  with  whose  commercial  and 
industrial  interests  he  has  been  identified  for 
many  years.  He  is  now  the  senior  member  of 
the  well-known  firm  of  Thompson  &  Smith,  deal- 
ers in  general  merchandise  at  Potters  Mills,  car- 
rying a  large  ami  well-selected  stock.  In  busi- 
ness circles  he  occupies  a  prominent  place,  and 
to-day  is  the  oldest  active  merchant  in  Penn's 
Vali 

Mr  Thompson  was  born  in  Milroy,  Penn., 
.September  o.  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (McFarlane)  Thompson,  both  natives 
oi    Mifflin    county.   Penn.,    the    form.  n    of 

Moses  Thompson,  and  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Col.  James  McFarlane.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
by  0  m,  and   was   a   man   of  considerable 

means.  He  was  three  times  married,  the  mother 
of  our  subject  being  his  second  wife,  and  to  th 
were  born  five  children.  Both  parents  died  in 
Mifflin  county,  the  father  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years,  and  the  mothei  at  forty-seven.  His 
family  numbered  nine  children  in  all,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  next  to  the  youngest. 

In  Milroy,  Mr.  Thompson,  of  tins  review, 
was  reared  and  obtained  his  elementary  educa- 
tion .it  ins  boyhood  home,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  was  sent  to  Tuscarora  Academy, 
where  he  pursue. 1  Ins  studies  one  season,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  th  1  was  destroyed    by 

fire.  The  following  winter  he  attended  school  at 
Perrysville,  Penn.,  for  one  term,  there  complet- 
ing his  literary  education.  In  1S54  he  came  to 
Centre  I'urnace,  Centre  county,  and  secured  a 
po  ition  as  clerk  in  the  company's  store  at  that 
place,  this  being  his  first  experience  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  After  n\e  years  in  that  employ 
he  came  to  Potters  Mills,  where  his  father  had 
purchased  property,  and  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  James  M.,  established  his  present  busi- 
ness under  the  linn  name  of  W.  J.  Thompson  & 
Brother.  This  partnership  continued  until  the 
death  oi  the  latter  during  the  "  seventies,"  when 
our  subject  became    sole    owner.      In  1877    the 


store  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  with  his  charac- 
teristic energy,  Mr.  Thompson  at  once  resumed 
operations,  erecting  his  present  substantial  brick 
block,  where  he  has  since  successfully  conducted 
business.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  pursuits. 
he  has  also  been  extensively  interested  in  the 
lumber  business,  ami  still  ownsconsiderable  land, 
from  which  he  has  cut  the  timber. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Thompson  has  been  one  of  its  stanch- 
est  supporters,  and  on  that  ticket  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  (in  which  office  he  served 
some  fifteen  years),  although  his  party  was 
greatly  in  the  minority,  which  fact  illustrates  his 
popularity  and  the  confidence  and  trust  reposed 
in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  acceptably 
served  in  that  office  for  ten  years.  While  11 
member  of  any  religious  organization,  hi 
his  support  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which 
he  has  ever  been  a  liberal  contributor. 

Mr.  Thompson   is   a  charter  member  of    the 
Grand    Army    Post    No.     282,    of    Centre    Hall, 
having  been  a  faithful  soldier  in  the  Union  arm) 
during  the  Civil  war.      In   October.  1861,  he  en 
listed   in   an   independent  company,   which  later 
became    a    part   of    the    Fifteenth    Pennsylvania 
Cavalry,    and    was    made    body-guard    to   Gen 
Anderson.      The    regiment    was    sent    to    Camp 
Louisville,    Ky.,    where   it    remained   during   the 
winter  of    [861,  being  ordered,  in  the  latter  part 
of  February,  1862,  to  Nashville.      It  participa 
in  the  battle  of   Pittsburg   Landing,  and  in  main 
other  engagements,  after  which  it  was  with  Gen 
Buel.      In    the   spring   of    1863,    Mr.    Thompson 
was  honorably  discharged,  and   is  now  the  only 
surviving    member    of     his    company    in    Centre 
county.      Since    1893    he   has   been   afflicted  with 
paralysis.      No  man  in   Potter  township  is  more 
deserving  the   high   regard  and  esteem    in  which 
he  is   universally   held   than   our  subject,  who 
kind-hearted,  generous  and   genial,  with   always 
a  pleasant  word  for  all. 


DH.  ROTE.  It  is  a  matter  of  just  prid. 
our  self-made  men  that  they  have  made 
their  own  way  in  life  from  poverty  to  a  compe- 
tence, having  started  upon  their  various  car- 
eers with  no  capital  except  health  of  mind 
ami  body  and  a  strong  will.  The  subject  "f 
this  sketch,  though  handicapped  by  a  lifel 
physical  disability,  has  attained  to  a  place  among 
the  business  men  of  Aaronsburg  which  would  do 
credit  to  any  man.  When  four  years  old  he  nut 
with  an  affliction  which  left  him  crippled  for  life, 
while  lack  of  means,  coupled  with  an  honorable 
ambition,  compelled  him  to  take   up   against  all 


*/ 


c-t-*^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


425 


odds  the  struggle  for  a  livelihood  which  so  many 
have  found  too  difficult  under  our  present  in- 
dustrial system. 

Mr.  Rote  is  a  native  of  Aaronsburg,  born 
March  21,  1842,  and  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  Union  county,  Penn.,  his 
great-grandfather,  George  Rote,  having  been 
among  the  first  settlers  at  Miffiinburg.  Peter 
Rote,  the  grandfather,  and  Simon  Rote,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  were  born  there,  but  the 
latter  went  to  Penn's  Valley  in  early  manhood, 
and  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  at  Woodward. 
He  married  Susan  Diehl,  a  native  of  Union 
county,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Abraham 
Diehl,  whose  later  years  were  spent  in  Union 
county. 

After  learning  his  trade,  Simon  Rote  located 
in  Aaronsburg,  where  he  followed  it  successfully 
throughout  his  active  life.  He  died  there  April 
1,  1884,  aged  sixty-seven  years,  and  just  forty- 
five  years  to  a  day,  when  he  moved  into 
his  home,  he  was  carried  from  it  a  corpse, 
and  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  near  town. 
He  was  an  industrious  man,  self-made,  and 
built  his  home  by  his  work  at  the  anvil.  As 
a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church  he  was  active 
in  religious  work,  and  in  politics  his  influence 
was  felt  first  as  a  Whig  and  later  as  a  Republic- 
an, different  township  offices  being  filled  by 
him  creditably.  His  widow,  now  in  her  eighty- 
fourth  year,  still  lives  in  the  old  homestead 
which  his  care  provided  for  her.  They  had  eight 
children — four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
but  four  reached  adult  age.  Of  these,  our  sub- 
ject was  the  eldest;  John,  now  a  resident  of 
Axemann,  Penn.,  was  a  soldier  in  Company  D, 
148th  P.  V.  I.,  during  the  Civil  war.  Sarah 
married  F.  P.  Fisher,  and  died  in  Dakota,  111. 
Thomas  resides  in  Orangeville,  Illinois. 

Owing  to  Mr.  Rote's  physical  ailments  he  did 
not  attend  school  regularly  during  boyhood,  but 
under  the  loving  guidance  of  his  mother,  a  woman 
of  ordinary  education  but  very  energetic,  he 
learned  rapidly  at  home,  being  prepared  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  to  take  a  position  as  teacher. 
After  continuing  this  work  for  about  two  years, 
he  began  an  apprenticeship,  in  i860,  with  J.  B. 
Edmunds,  a  watchmaker  at  Aaronsburg.  His 
employer  enlisted  in  the  army,  however,  before 
the  term  was  completed,  and  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Consequently,  Mr. 
Rote  changed  his  plans,  and  in  1862  began  to 
learn  the  art  of  type-setting  in  the  office  of  the 
t  entre  Reporter,  which  was  then  printed  in 
Aaronsburg.  For  some  time  he  worked  as  a 
journeyman  in  different  places,  but  the  rough 
class  of  associates  which  this  trade  brought  him 


caused  him  to  abandon  it  finally,  and  in  1868  he 
resumed  the  work  of  teaching. 

This  proving  more  congenial,  he  continued  it 
until  the  spring  of  1883,  when  he  opened  a  jew- 
eler's shop  in  Aaronsburg,  which  he  has  con- 
ducted successfully  since,  doing  a  large  amount 
of  repair  work.  His  industry  seems  untiring, 
and  when  his  fine  native  ability  is  considered,  one 
cannot  but  believe  that  with  even  ordinary  op- 
portunities he  would  have  carved  out  for  himself 
a  remarkable  career.  Gifted  with  unusual  me- 
chanical skill,  he  is  able  to  duplicate  anything, 
tools  and  materials  being  the  only  requisites. 
His  brave  and  successful  struggle  with  an  adverse 
fate  has  won  him  the  esteem  and  admiration  of 
all  who  know  him  and  given  him  a  host  of  warm 
friends.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
from  1884  to  1894  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace. 

In  1869,  he  was  married  in  Aaronsburg  to 
Miss  Susan  Cronmiller,  a  native  of  that  town, 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Cronmiller,  a  well- 
known  citizen.  They  have  an  adopted  daughter, 
Mamie.  Mrs.  Rote  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  and  has  taken  a  generous  in- 
terest in  many  lines  of  philanthropic  work. 


HP 


ENRY  A.  BRUMGARD  is  a  retired  farmer, 
one  whose  well-spent  life  and  activity  in 
business  have  brought  to  him  a  competence 
that  now  enables  him  to  lay  aside  business  cares. 
He  was  born  June  9,  1843,  >n  Clinton  county, 
and'  is  the  eldest  child  of  Martin  and  Sarah 
(Wholford)  Brumgard.  He  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  old  Pennsylvania  families,  and  on 
both  sides  is  of  German  descent.  Several  of  his 
ancestors  took  an  active  part  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  grandfather,  Jacob  Brumgard,  removed  from 
New  York  to  Pennsylvania,  at  a  very  early  day. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  and  reared 
in  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  and  throughout 
his  life  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  In 
the  spring  of  1845  he  removed  from  Clinton 
county  to  Centre  county,  where  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  days,  dying  November  16,  1893.  He 
was  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  who  had 
departed  this  life  June  18,  1885.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  George  Wholford,  of  Brush  Valley. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brumgard  had  three  children,  the 
daughters  being  Catherine  R.,  wife  of  D.  T. 
Johnson,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Ferguson  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  and  Alice,  wife  of  George 
Garbrick,  a  farmer  of  Spring  township,  Centre 
county,  by  whom  she  has  two  children,  Sarah 
and  Clarence. 

In  the  common  schools  Henry  A.  Brumgard 


126 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGUAUIIKAL  RECOUP. 


acquired  his  education,  while  on  the  old  home- 
stead he  received  ample  training  at  farm  labor, 
and  learned  many  valuable  lessons  of  industry 
and  economy,  On  June  14,  [866,  he  married 
Miss  Mary  A.  Human,  who  was  born  July  26, 
1843,  a  daughter  of  John  Homan,  who  resided  in 
Ferguson  township,  Centre  county.  He  died 
very  suddenly  of  heart  disease,  on  the  2nd  of  No- 
vember, 1893,  and  his  wife  passed  away  March 
22,  1894,  their  remains  being  interred  in  Pine 
Hall  cemetery,  Ferguson  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brumgard  have  three  children:  John  Cal- 
vin, who  was  born  April  2,  1S71,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Newton  J. 
Hockman,  a  farmer  of  Walker  township,  by 
whom  she  has  three  sons — Austin  F.,  born  Sep- 
tember 7,  1S90,  Clyde  E.,  born  June  I,  1893, 
and  Fern,  born  May  28,  [896;  and  Hannah  G., 
who  was  born  December  25,  1 S74.  is  still  at 
home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Brumgard  is  the  owner  of  some  valuable 
real  estate,  including  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres 
pleasantly  situated  one  mile  from  Zion.  He  also 
owns  a  fine  residence  in  the  town,  ten  acres  of 
land  adjoining  the  corporation  limits,  and  a 
twenty-acre  timber  tract  near  the  town.  He  also 
has  a  third  interesl  in  .1  valuable  tract  of  me  land 

1  State  <  All   his   property  has  been 

acquired  through  his  own  efforts,  and  his  under- 
takings have  been  crowned  with  the  success  that 
follow  scon-  ffort,  well  directed  energy  and 

determined  purpose.  He  is  now  living  retired  in 
the  well-earned  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his 
former  toil.      1  fe  ha  extensitelj 

over  the  country,  having  visited  many  of  the 
wi  -tern  States,  and  is  an  intelligent,  public-spir- 
ited and  progressive  man,  honorable  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life  and  extending  to  his  many  friends 
the  cordial  hospitality  of  his  hop.  I  [1  formerly 
held  membership  with  the  Grange;  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  held  the  office  of 
r  one  year  in  Walker  township. 


GRANT    HOOVER.      Although  the  subji 
this  sketch  is  one  of  the   younger    business 
men  of   Bellefonte,  Centre'  comity,  he  has  already 
won  a  high  reputation  for  ability.      In  his  chosen 

lines  of   insurance    and    real-estate    business    In- 
takes a  leading  place,  and  he  is  well   and  favi 

bly  known    throughout    the    northern  part  of   the 
Mate. 

The  Hoover  family  were  among  the  earl\ 
tiers  of  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Centre  county,  and  our 
subject's  grandfather,  George   Hoover,  was  born 
and  reared  there,  becoming   a  farmer  by  occupa- 


tion, and  continuing  that  occupation  until  his 
death  in  August,  1870,  when  he  was  aged  sixty- 
nine  years.  The  grandmother  of  our  subject, 
Mrs.  Esther  Ann  Hoover,  who  was  born  in  18  to, 
is  still  alive  and  active,  residing  at  Port  Matilda, 
Centre  county.  Ten  children  were  born  to  this 
estimable  couple:  Sarah  Ann,  who  married  S. 
Ludwig,  and  lives  in  Kansas;  Harvey,  our  sub- 
ject's father;  Henry  W,  deceased,  September 
L3.  I S97,  who  was  a  lumberman  of  Bald  Eagle 
Furnace,  Blair  Co..  Penn. ;  Mary  J.,  widow  of 
L.  Parker,  of  Kansas,  residing  in  Penfield,  Clear- 
field Co.,  Penn.;  Martha,  wife  of  George  R. 
Eastman,  of  Curwensville,  Penn.;  John  C,  a 
wealthy  resident  of  Julia  Ann  Furnace,  Centre 
county;  George  W. ,  president  of  Hoover,  Hughes 
&  Co.,  a  well-known  lumber  firm  of  Philipsburg, 
Penn.;  Jackson,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  1875; 
Clarissa,  who  married  A.  W.  Resse,  of  Port  Ma- 
tilda;  and  Philena,  who  died  at  an  early  age. 

Harvey  Hoover,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  1833,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Union  township,  Centre  county. 
In  early  manhood  he  d   in  lumbering,  but 

for  some  years  he  has  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  married  Miss  Mary  Catlow,  a  grand- 
niece  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  of  this  union  nine 
children  were  born:  Laura,  who  married  J 
1 '.tiley,  of  Penfield,  (  learfield  county;  Richard 
C,  who  lives  in  Bellefonte;  Grant,  our  subji 
Sherman,  who  is  at  home;  Sallie  ('.,  who  mar- 
ried   Harry    Esterline;  the   others,    J.   Clydi 

her  in   the   public  schools),  George,  Martha 
and  Mary,  reside  with  their  parents. 

Granl  Hoover  was  born  August  6,  1805,  m 
Laid  Eagle  Valley,  *  entre  county,  and  was  there 
reared  to  farm  life,  working  for  an  uncle  during 
boyhood  while  attending  school.  At  sixteen  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  [892,  conducting  two  or  three  mills 
in  Mi  Kean  county,  in  connection  with  conti 
work.  After  selling  out  his  interest  in  this  b 
ness  to  his  partner,  he  went  to  Buffalo,  and  spent 
a  short  time  as  a  traveling  salesman  in  the  lum- 
ber trade,  but  since  hi>  return  to  Centre  county 
he  has  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  and 
in  an  insurant  e  agency,  taking  life,  tire,  and  acci- 
dent risks.     Mr.  Hoover  is  highly  esteemed  wher- 

1  he  is  known.      He  is  an  active  and  influ 
tial  Republican,  and   was   lately  a  candid 
the  office  of  prothonotary,  but  withdrew  in  fa 
of  Abraham  B.  Miller,  a  veteran  of  our  Civil  war. 
On  January  2,    1890,  he  was  united    in   marriage 
with  Miss  Edith  B.   Moore,  a  native  of  Mileshurg 
Penn.,  born  August  5,   1870,  but  their  happifl 
was  brief,  the  young  bride  passing  to  the   unseen 
life  October  18,   1890. 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


427 


Mr.  Hoover's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Richard  Catlow,  nephew  of  Sir  Robert  Peel, 
and  a  learned  and  eloquent  preacher  in  the  U. 
B.  Church.  He  inherited  a  fortune  from  the 
family  estates  in  England,  but  preferred  to  reside 
in  this  country.  For  some  time  his  home  was  in 
Clearfield  county,  but  later  he  removed  to  a  farm 
in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  where  for  many  years  he 
followed  the  peaceful  calling  of  agriculture.  His 
death  occurred  in  Unionville  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  His  children  were:  David,  who  lives 
in  fowa;  Mary  (Mrs.  Hoover);  Sarah,  widow  of 
Philip  Teats;  Martha,  deceased,  who  married 
Orange  Hart,  of  Iowa;  and  William,  who  died 
in  his  youth. 


A 


ARON  W.  HAFER,  D.  D.  S.,  a  leading 
dentist  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  one 
of  the  self-made  men  of  his  section,  who  in 
making  their  own  path  to  success  reflect  credit 
upon  human  nature,  and  furnish  encouragement 
to  all  others  to  make  use  of  their  best  powers, 
and  -'put  foundations  under  their  air  castles." 

The  ancestors  of  the  Hafer  family,  in  both 
paternal  and  maternal  lines,  were  pioneers  in  this 
State.  Moses  Hafer,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  1812,  of  a  well-known  Pennsylvania- 
Dutch  family,  and  as  a  young  man  settled  in 
Centre  county,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Catherine  Gramly,  a  native  of  Miles  township, 
born  in  1813.  Her  family  had  been  prominent 
in  Centre  county  from  the  earliest  times,  her 
grandfather  having  been  born  there;  he  was  a 
business  man  of  Miles  township,  carried  on  the 
milling  business,  operating  a  sawmill,  gristmill 
and  a  woolen-factory.  Moses  Hafer  followed  the 
fuller's  trade,  and  met  with  his  death  through  an 
accident  with  an  overshot  wheel  in  1852;  the 
mother  survived  him  until  1895.  They  had  five 
children:  (1)  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Foster  Tate),  of 
Coleville,  Penn. ;  (2)  Mary  E.,  the  widow  of  J. 
Kuhn,  of  Ridgely,  Md. ;  (3)  Louise  (deceased), 
who  married  W.  H.  Poorman;  (4)  Aaron  W.,  our 
subject;  and  (5)  John  W. ,  a  retired  contractor 
and  builder,  who  resides  at  Coleville,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Mr.  Hafer,  our  subject,  was  born  in  Miles 
township,  Centre  county,  July  29,  1845,  and  his 
youth  was  spent  there,  the  common  schools 
affording  him  the  usual  educational  opportunities. 
Later  he  attended  the  Normal  School  at  Rebers- 
burg,  and  then  began  teaching,  the  next  five 
winters  being  given  to  that  work,  while  in  sum- 
mers he  would  resume  his  student  life.  He 
taught  his  last  term  of  school  in  1868  near  Belle- 
fonte, and  during  that  time  he  began  his  prelimi- 


nary reading  for  his  profession,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  H.  H.  Rotherick,  of  that  city.  For 
three  months  his  evenings  and  Saturdays  were 
devoted  to  study,  then  he  served  a  regular  ap- 
prenticeship of  four  months,  and  with  this  prep- 
aration he  started  out  in  practice  on  his  own 
account  at  Osceola,  Penn.  He  remained  there 
eight  years,  enjoying  a  fine  practice;  but  wishing 
to  attend  a  dental  college  he  disposed  of  his  busi- 
ness. Circumstances  conspired  to  defeat  his 
plans,  however,  and  he  concluded  to  establish  an 
office  at  Rebersburg,  where  he  met  with  success. 
In  1883  he  again  made  arrangements  for  taking 
a  course  of  lectures,  and  in  1884  he  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Pennsylvania  Dental  College  at 
Philadelphia  with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  The 
following  year  he  spent  in  practice  at  Millheim, 
Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  but  since  that  time 
he  has  been  located  at  Bellefonte,  where  his  skill 
and  ability  won  him  quick  recognition  as  a  prac- 
titioner. 

first    wife,   who  in    her   maiden- 
Martha  J.    Beck,  who  was  born 
in   Indiana  county,    Penn.,   was 
four  bright   and  talented   daugh- 
Mary  E.,  Alpha  G.  and  Florence 
Hafer,  D.  D.  S.,  was  the 
from    the    high    school  at 


Dr.  Hafer's 
hood  was  Miss 
June  12,  1845, 
the  mother  of 
ters:  Laura  K., 
Jane.  Miss  Laura  K 
first  lady  graduated 
Bellefonte  to  enter  State  College,  where  she  pur- 
sued the  study  of  the  higher  branches  for  one 
year.  She  then  entered  Pennsylvania  State  Den- 
tal College,  and  received  her  diploma  just  ten 
years  after  her  father's  graduation  from  that  in- 
stitution. She  was  one  of  the  first  three-year 
dental  students,  and  a  remarkable  fact  is  that  she 
had  graduated  in  the  High  School,  spent  one  year 
at  the  State  College,  and  completed  a  three-years' 
course  at  ,the  Dental  College,  graduating  at  the 
latter  when  but  twenty-one.  On  June  20,  1894, 
Dr.  Hafer  married  his  second  wife,  Miss  Laura 
May  Hess,  a  native  of  Penn's  Valley,  born  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1867.  One  son,  William  Talmage,  has 
blessed  this  union.  As  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
the  Doctor  takes  keen  interest  in  all  that  concerns 
the  community.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  in  religion  is  a  Methodist. 


/GEORGE  D.  HOOVER,  who,  in  connection 
XgS  with  his  brother,  William  E.,  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  the  manufacture  of  shingles 
in  Union  township,  Centre  county,  was  born  May 
12,  1852,  on  a  part  of  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  (Fisher) 
Hoover,  also  natives  of  Union  township.  His 
paternal  grandparents,   John  and  Mary  (Ashen- 


128 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGltAI'llKM.   RECORD. 


felder)  Hoover,  came  to  that  township  in  1796, 
where  the  grandfather  engaged  in  farming 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was 
a  son  of  William  and  Sallie  (Packer)  Hoover. 
The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  Will- 
iam and  Rachel  (Meridotb)  Fisher,  farming  peo- 
ple, were  natives  of  Chester  and  York  counties, 
Penn.,  respectively,  and  came  to  Centre  county 
in  1800,  locating  in  Union  township  when  it  was 
part  of  Mifflin  county.  They  were  members  of 
the  Society  of   Friends. 

Jacob  Hoover  was  bom  ( )ctober  11,  1808, 
and  died  March  24,  1880;  his  wife  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1814,  and  died  March  31,  1894.  The 
following  children  blessed  their  union:  Mary, 
born  [anuary  26,  1841,  died  March  {3,  1843; 
William  E.,  born  January  11.  1844.  is  in  busi- 
ness with  our  subject;  Edwin  and  Irwin  (twins), 
born  April  26,  [846,  died  May  14.  1846,  and 
]  une  [8,  [846,  respectively;  Arlander  and 
Amanda  1  twins),  born  February  IO,  1848,  died 
October  2,  1853,  and  March  17,  1870,  respect- 
ively. George  1).  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  and 
John  B.,  born  February  14,  1855,  duel  March 
28,   1 

Upon  theii    present  farm,  George  1).  Hoover 
and   his  brother,   William    E.,  passed   their   boy- 
hood  ami    youth    in  much    the   usual    manner  of 
11   lads,  aiding  in  the  work  of  the  fields,  and 
attending  iols   of    the   neighborhood    during 

the  winter  season.  The)  remained  at  home  ami 
cared  lor  their  parents  until  after  their  deaths, 
when  they  came. into  possession  of  the  place, 
which  the)  have  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  well  improved.  Besides  their  fanning  oper- 
ations they  also  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of 
shingles  in  1893,  erecting  a  plant  for  the  purpose, 
and  have  carried  on  the  enterprise  with  good  suc- 
cess. On  July  30,  187S,  George  D.  Hoover  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Maria  F.  Peters,  and 
they  have  seven  children,  whose  names  and  dates 
of  birth  are  'as  follows:  Harry  T. ,  March  1  ;, 
[879;  Lulu  M.,  June  22,  1881;  Christy  B.,  Au- 
gust 17,  [884;  Clara  E.,  November  10,  1886; 
Rachel,  Februar)  14,  1888;  Hannah  E.,  June 
18,    1890;   and   Charles  W. .  February    19,  1893. 

Mrs.  Maria  Hoover  was  born  February  [6, 
1S55.  on  Dicks  run.  Cnton  township,  Centre 
county,    and    is    a    daughter    of  L.    and 

Emily  (Record)  Peters,  who  were  married  May 
16,  1854,  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Centre 
county.  The  other  children  born  to  them  are  as 
follows:  Hannah,  born  June  13,  1  s 5 7 ,  died  Oc- 
tober 15,  1877;  Daniel,  born  February  2,  1859, 
is  railroad  foreman  at  Heckley,  Penn. ;  Jacob, 
born  March  31,  1861,  is  a  farmer  of  Iowa;  Julia, 
born  February  5,   1863,  died  February  9,  follow- 


ing; Orvis,  born  April  10,  1864,  is  a  farmer  of 
Centre  county;  Albina,  born  August  7,  1867,  is 
the  wife  of  Perry  C.  Moran,  a  railroad  man  re- 
siding at  Unionville,  Centre  county;  and  Emily, 
born  November  — ,  18 — ,  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Meese,  a  decorator  of  Tyrone,  Pennsylvania. 

George  L.  Peters,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Hoover, 
was  born  July  10,  1812,  a  son  of  Lawrence  and 
Elsie  Peters,  farming  people  of  Centre  county, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  During  his 
younger  years  he  engaged  in  the  butchering  busi- 
ness, but  later  he  followed  farming.  His  death 
occurred  August  3,  1891.  He  was  three  times 
married,  his  first  wife  in  her  maidenhood  being 
Mary  Williams.  To  them  were  born  the  follow 
ing  children:  Tabitha.  wife  of  Benjamin  Hrisbon, 
oi  Lemont,  Penn.;  Elsie,  deceased  wife  of  Will- 
iam Kenner,  a  farmer  of  Union  township,  Cen- 
tre county;  Harriet,  deceased  wife  of  Calvin 
Peters,  also  a  farmer  of  Union  township;  Law- 
rence, a  resident  of  Iowa;  William,  of  Union- 
ville, Penn.  ;  and  George,  deceased.  The  mother 
mI  Mrs.  Hoover  was  the  second  wife  of  Geo 
L.  Peters,  and  for  his  third  wife  he  wedded 
1  At tierine  Glenn. 

The  mothei  of  Mrs.  Hooveruas  born  in  1820. 
and  on  the  1 7- 1 1 1  of  February,  [848,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Andrew  Brown,  who  was 
bo  in  fuly  [9,  1825,  and  died  September  1 ,  1853 
She  later  became  the  wife  of  George  L.  Peters. 
and  died  in    1870. 

On  February   11.   1 879,  William   I      HOOVER, 
brother  of  our  subject,  was  wedded  to  Harriet  E 
Carter,  and  they  have  two  children.   John  C.  and 
Newell    A  ,   both   at    home.      Mrs.    Hoover 
bom    February    9,  1855.    in    Lewistown,  Mifflin 
Co.,    Penn.,    a    daughter    of    John     and    Maria 
(Straight)    Carter,    natives     of    Centre    county, 
Penn..    and   New  Jersey,  respectively.      In  their 
family  were  six  children:    Harriet  E. ,  wife  of  Mr 
Hoover;    Daniel,    Sarah    C.    and    David,  all   de- 
ceased; and  two  who  died  in  infancy  .      The  father 
departed  this  life  in  Nittany  Valley,  Penn.,  in  the 
spring    of    1861,  at    the    age  of    fifty-five    yei 
Latei  the    mother    became  the    wife   of   Ge 
Carson,  a  collier,  by  whom  she  had  two  children: 
Martha    ami    Mary,    deceased.      Mr.    and    Mr- 
Carson  are  now  living  retired  at  Milesburg. 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the   Methodist  Epia 
pal  Church. 

The  lloo\er  brothers  are  "  free  silver  "  Dem- 
ocrats in  politics,  and  are  deeply  interested  in 
success  of  their  party.      They  are  enterprisi 
wide-awake  business   men,  skillful  and  thorough 
farmers,  and  are  highly  esteemed  and  respe^ 
members  of  the  society  that  surrounds  them. 
joying  the  confidence  and  regard  of  all. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


429 


E ELIJAH  I.  WALKER,  a  well-known  lumber- 
|//  man  and  proprietor  of  a  sawmill  located  on 
the  Marsh  Creek  road,  in  Boggs  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  was  born  April  15,  1843,  on  a  farm 
adjoining  the  one  on  which  he  now  resides.  His 
father,  Adam  Walker,  was  also  a  native  of  Cen- 
tre county,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Margaret  Walker,  who  were  born  in 
Germany,  and  were  the  first  settlers  of  Boggs 
township,  locating  there  in  1796.  The  grandfa- 
ther cleared  and  improved  a  farm,  on  which  he 
and  his  wife  spent  their  remaining  days. 

Adam  Walker,  the  father  of  our  subject,  on 
reaching  man's  estate  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Walker,  a  cousin,  who  was 
born  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Walker,  natives  of 
Germany  and  Virginia,  respectively.  They  also 
became  early  settlers  of  Centre  county,  where 
they  continued  to  live  until  called  from  this  life. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  began  their  domestic 
life  upon  a  farm  in  the  same  county,  and  reared 
their  family,  comprising  the  following  children: 
Martha,  deceased;  Catherine,  wife  of  Andrew 
Walker,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township;  Jacob,  a 
farmer  of  the  same  township;  Margaret,  who 
wedded  Thomas  Fey,  but  both  are  now  deceased; 
Michael,  who  was  a  member  of  Company  A,  45th 
P.  V.  I.,  during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  the 
service;  Andy,  a  contractor  of  Jeannette,  Penn.; 
Adam,  a  farmer  of  Tyrone,  Penn.;  Elijah  I.  and 
Elisha  H.  (twins),  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  real- 
estate  and  insurance  agent  of  Woodland,  Penn. ; 
Eve  J.,  wife  of  Ben  Hummel,  of  Wallaceton, 
Penn.;  James  and  Martha,  deceased;  and  one 
that  died  in  infancy.  The  father  died  in  1881, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and  the  mother 
in  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Both 
were  lifelong  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church. 

Until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  Eli- 
jah I.  Walker  remained  upon  the  home  farm, 
assisting  in  its  operation  during  the  summer  sea- 
son, and  attended  the  district  schools  in  the  win- 
ter months  in  his  early  boyhood.  He  is,  how- 
ever, mostly  self-educated,  paying  for  his  own 
tuition  at  Otterbein  University,  Ashtabula,  Ohio, 
for  one  year.  After  leaving  school  in  1S64,  he 
returned  home  and  enlisted  in  Company  K,  82nd 
Penn.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  J  F.  Reen.  He  par- 
ticipated in  a  number  of  important  engagements, 
including  those  of  Sailors  Creek  and  Petersburg, 
and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee. 
He  was  never  wounded,  and  at  Philadelphia  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  when  the  war  was 
over.  On  arriving  home  he  embarked  in  the 
lumber  business,  which  he  iias  since   continued. 


He  erected  his  present  comfortable  residence  in 
1867. 

On  the  15th  of  January,  same  year,  Mr. 
Walker  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Aman- 
da Ackley,  who  was  born  in  Centre  county,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1847,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy 
Ackley,  natives  of  Buffalo  Run,  in  the  same  coun- 
ty, where  they  spent  their  entire  lives  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  Six  children  graced 
this  union,  namely:  Harry  E.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  sawmill  business  at  Spruce  Creek,  Hunt- 
ingdon Co.,  Penn.,  and  Clarence,  Stella,  Wil- 
burn,  Chester  and  Charles,  who  are  still  with 
their  father.  The  wife  and  mother  departed 
this  life  September  1  S,  i88,S,  and  November  4, 
[895,  Mr.  Walker  was  again  married,  the  lady 
of  his  choice  being  Mary  M.  Leister,  and  to  them 
has  been  born  a  daughter,  Esther  L. 

Politically,  Mr.  Walker  is  independent,  vot- 
ing for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best  quali- 
fied to  fill  the  position.  Formerly  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, twice  being  the  nominee  of  that  party 
for  the  Legislature,  but  was  defeated  owing  to  the 
county  having  a  large  Democratic  majority.  He 
is  an  intelligent,  enterprising  man,  well  informed 
on  the  leading  questions  and  issues  of  the  day, 
and  is  fully  abreast  with  the  times  in  every  par- 
ticular. His  success  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  in- 
dustry, perseverance  and  good  management,  and 
he  holds  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
citizens. 


w 


ANIEL  ROUSH,  a  well-known  and  honored 
citizen  of  Madisonburg,  is  the  oldest  shoe- 
maker actively  engaged  at  his  trade  in  Brush 
Valley,  Centre  county.  He  was  born  February 
1,  1824,  at  Freeburg,  in  what  was  then  Union 
county,  but  is  now  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  and  is 
a  son  of  Frederick  and  Dorothy  (Nagal)  Roush. 
His  education  was  such  as  the  district  schools  of 
the  locality  afforded.  At  the  early  age  of  ten 
years  he  began  learning  the  shoemaker's  trade 
with  his  father,  and  after  he  had  attained  his  six- 
teenth year  gave  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
that  business. 

During  his  boyhood,  Mr.  Roush  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Miles  township,  where  he  continued 
to  work  with  his  father  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  and  then  established  a  shop  of  his  own  in 
Madisonburg,  where  he  has  since  successfully 
carried  on  business,  with  the  exception  of  two 
months  spent  in  Bellefonte.  He  owns  an  excel- 
lent home  in  Madisonburg,  and  also  twelve  acres 
near  the  village,  for  which  he  paid  $125  per 
acre,  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  mountain  land. 
He  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  having 


180 


(  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOOHM'IIKM.  RECORD. 


started  oul  in  life  for  himself  empty-handed,  but 
by  industry,  pei  rid  economy  has  se- 

cured a  comfortable  competence,  which  is  assur- 
edly justly  merited. 

In   May,    1845,    111   Madisonburg,    Mr.    Roush 

Ided  Miss  Mary  Wise,  a  native  of  Brush  Val- 
ley, an>l  a  daughter  ol  Frederick  Wise,  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  to  them  w  hi  three 
children:  Anna  and  Louisa,  who  died  when 
young;  and  Elizabeth,  now  the  widow  of  [acob 
Killer,  of  Bellefonte.  The  moth  1  of  these  did 
and  was  buried  in  Madisonburg,  and  in  that  vil- 
lage, August  [6,  [864,  Mr.  Roush  was  again 
married,  this  second  union  being  with  Miss  Ma 
linda  Bickle,  who  was  born  in  Madisonburg,  Maj 
31,  1836,  a  daughtei  ol  Simon  and  Hannah 
Bickle.  With  the  Reformed  Church  they  hold 
membership,  and  enjoy  the  confidence  and  1 
regard  of  all  who  know  them.  During  his  leisure 
hours,  Mr.  Roush  has  done  much  reading,  and  is 
therefore  well  informed  on  leading  questions  and 
issues  of  tin'  day  as  well  as  on  general  topii 

ust.       He    has  always  given  Ins  politic, d  sup- 
port to  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic 

ty,  and    for   two  rved   as  overseer   of 

the  poor. 


SA.Ml  i:i.  I  Kill..  The  history  ol  tins  gen- 
1  tleman,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  "I 
'township,  Centre  county,  is  a  forcible 
illustration  of  the  exercise  ol  perseven 
and  resolution  under  the  pressure  of  financial 
difficulties  as  well  ;,s  amid  the  sunshine  ol  1 11 
peril)  Mis  ample  possessions  comprise  460 
acres,  and  his  li  I  with  its  appurtenan 

forms  one  ol   the  most  attrai  tive  h  atures  of  the 

landscape. 

Mr.  Ertel  was  born  December  27,  [837,  near 

I'e'in  Hall,  in  the  township  which  is  still  his 
home,  and  comes  "I  .1  family  that  has  Ion-  been 
identified  with  the  inti  ol  Centre  county,  his 

grandfather  being  a  residenl  ol  Brush  Valley  at 
an    early    day,    whi  1  in    farming 

There  the  father,  Philip  Ertel,  was  born  in  No- 
vembei ,    1  nd  at    Varonsburg  he  learned  the 

tanner's  trade,  winch  In-  followed  for  many  \ 
in  Gregg  township  iu  connection  with  his  farm- 
ing  op,!  in-  tannery  was  located  on  his 

farm,    and   there    In-   did   an  ve   business. 

lie  was  a  strong  and  mlmst  man  who  started  out 
in  life  empty-handed;   but   by  p.  .md 

industi  \  1  ij   the  substl 

the  community,  where  he  was  widely  and    l.i . 
ably     known.        His    political     support     was    also 
given  the  men  and  measures  of  the   Den 
party,  and  in  religious  belief   he  was  a  Lutheran. 


Philip  Ertel  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Cath- 
arine Bartges,  who  v  1  in  November,  1; 
a  daughter  of  William  Bartges.  Six  children 
blessed  their  union:  David,  who  dud  in  Green 
Briar,  Penn  township,  Centre  county.  Daniel,  a 
resident  of  Marshall  county,  Iowa;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  A.  (",.  Burrell,  'l  Gregg  township;  Sam- 
uel, of  this  sketch;  Adam,  of  Gregg  township; 
and  Caroline,  wil<  >  •)  George  Gentzel,  "1  the 
■  tow  nship.  "I  i  died  to  her 
final  rest  in  1846,  and  the  father  in  June,  1S75. 
II  remains  were  interred  in  Green  Grove  ceme- 
tery, while  the  mother  was  buried  in  the  Heck- 
maii               rj 

Samuel    Ertel    b«gan    bis    education    in   the 
Cross  Roads  under  the  instruction  of  John 

Mayer,  and  I  built  the  tires  in  the 

school  In. use  for  thi  l1  teachers  (or  $1.50 

pei  wintei  He  saved  the  wages  thus  earned 
until  he  had  $9,  with  which  sum  he  purchased 
his     first      watch       a  ion, 

Upon  the  home  farm  be  was  reared  to  manhood, 
and  continued  undei  the  parental  roof  until  lu> 
marriage,  in  Aaronsburg,  May  1,  1 S59.  to  V 
Mar)  A.  Minich,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
by  Ke\  Joseph  Welker.  She  was  born  in  Penn 
township,  November  16,  1S35,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Lydia  [nie  Kuhns)  Munch,  and  re- 
ceived  very  limited  school  privileges,  her  parents 
bein  From  ol    fifteen  \  ears  until 

her  marriagi  mployed   as  ,(  domestic 

By  laa  in. u  iagi  she  has  bi  1  ome  the  mother  of 
two  children        Vmanda  C,  born    Deci  mber  J5. 

[859,  is  the   wile  1  if  John    \V.   Cobble,  of   Ce.itL 

Vallej ,   (  entre  county;  and   Ida  ('.,   born   S 
ti  mbi  1   19,  t868,  is  •  le  wife  ol  Seward  <     Beck 

er.  of  Ah 1.   Pen  syl\  .una. 

Mr.   Ertel  took  bii  bride  to  the  home  farm  in 
Gregg  township,  which  h  tted   until    1881, 

and  then  removed  to  his  present  place,  known 
as  the   "Hettinger  farm,"   in    G 

he    bad    pun  based    the 
previous.      During  the  twenty-two  years  hi 
lived  upon  h  rm  be  bad  often  worked 

g  into  the  night,   md,  saving  Ins  money,  * 
to  buy  hi--  own  firm  without  going  into  debt     j 
nv  of  the  amount.      ft  comprises    \~- 

out,  which  he  has  transformed  into 
richly   cultivated  nd   in  addition  to  tin- 

be  owns  "ilu  1    trai 

us  inn  ring  labor,  em 

uring  Ins  ci  unfortabl< 
tune  he    has    b  iisted    by  his 

who  has  indi  1  a  trm      uati    to  Inn. 

and    they    nov  I  p   ad   their  declining 

;-i  and  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  their  former  toil.     They  are  active  and  con- 


.1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


431 


sistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  both  deacon  and  elder 
for  a  number  of  years.  Fraternally  he  affiliates 
with  the  Grange,  No.  158,  at  Spring  Mills,  and 
in  politics  is  an  ardent  Democrat. 


LW.  WALKER  is  one  of  the  most  reliable 
'  and  skillful  carpenters  of  Ferguson  township, 
Centre  county.  He  is  a  native  of  the  county, 
born  December  26,  1853,  and  there  he  attended 
school  during  his  boyhood  and  youth,  acquiring 
an  excellent  education  which  well  fits  him  for  the 
practical  duties  of  life.  Learning  the  carpenter's 
trade,  he  has  since  followed  that  vocation  with 
good  success. 

Andrew  Walker,  father  of  our  subject,  was  of 
Irish  descent,  his  grandfather  coming  from  the 
Emerald  Isle  to  the  New  World.  In  early  life 
he  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  subse- 
quently turned  his  attention  to  farming,  engaging 
in  the  same.  He  married  Katharine  Stine,  a  lady 
of  German  origin,  who  is  still  living  at  the  home 
near  Fairbrook,  Centre  county.  In  their  family 
were  seven  children,  namely:  Mary,  wifeof  Joseph 
Hettinger,  a  farmer  of  Boalsburg,  Centre  county, 
by  whom  she  has  three  children;  M.  E.,  wife  of 
Henry  Myers,  a  farmer  of  Virginia,  Clarion 
county,  by  whom  she  has  seven  children;  A.  S., 
a  resident  of  Stormstown,  Centre  county,  who 
married  a  Miss  Battus,  who  died  in  1892,  leaving 
six  children;  I.  G.,  who  married  Catharine 
Smith;  L.  W. ,  of  this  review;  Miles  W.,  ex- 
sheriff  of  Centre  county,  and  a  resident  of  Belle- 
fonte,  who  married  Katie  Powers,  and  has  five 
children;  and  C.  C. ,  who  is  living  with  his  mother 
in  Ferguson  township. 

As  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party,  L.  W.  Walker  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs.  He  is  an  intelligent,  industrious 
and  upright  citizen,  whose  sterling  worth  is  rec- 
ognized by  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 
In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist. 


w 


'ILLIAM  LOVE  is  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  beautiful  homes  and  fine  farms  of 
Benner  township,  Centre  county.  He  is  num- 
bered among  the  native  sons  of  the  Emerald  Isle, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  County  Donegal,  Ire- 
land, September  11,  1825.  His  parents,  John 
and  Margaret  (Fleming)  Love,  were  also  natives 
of  that  country,  and  were  Presbyterians  in  relig- 
ious faith.  The  father  died  in  his  eighty-second 
year,  the  mother  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her 
age. 

During  his  boyhood,    about  the  year   1835, 


William  Love  came  to  America,  finally  settling 
in  Centre  county,  Penn.,  in  1850,  and  for  forty- 
six  years  has  resided  continuously  within  its  bor- 
ders, one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  its 
agricultural  interests.  He  now  owns  forty-four 
acres  of  highly-improved  land,  and  also  240 
acres  of  mountain  land,  besides  a  house  and 
three  acres  in  Spring  township.  His  business 
affairs  are  managed  with  great  energy,  directed 
by  sound  judgment,  and  in  the  conduct  of  his 
agricultural  interests  he  has  gained  a  comfortable 
competence.  His  home  is  one  of  the  fine  resi- 
dences of  Benner  township,  and  its  tasty  sur- 
roundings make  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  and 
desirable  country  seats  in  this  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Mr.  Love  was  married  to  Sarah  Daily,  and 
children  as  follows  were  born  to  them:  Margaret, 
Catherine,  Mary  J.,  Thomas,  William,  John  and 
David.  The  motherof  these  diedin  1864,  and  June 
10,  1866,  Mr.  Love  married  Mrs.  John  K.  Rankin, 
widow  of  a  Union  soldier  who  died  in  the  Civil 
war.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Abram  and  Sarah 
(Campbell)  Myers,  and  was  born  in  1835,  in  Bed- 
ford county,  Penn. ,  whence  she  came  to  Centre 
county  during  her  childhood.  By  the  second 
marriage  Mr.  Love  has  no  children.  The  family 
is  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  county,  and  the  sev- 
eral members  of  the  household  have  many  warm 
friends.  In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Love  is  a 
Republican,  and  stanchly  advocates  the  princi- 
ples of  that  party,  while  by  his  ballot  he  sup- 
ports its  men  and  measures.  Public-spirited  and 
progressive,  he  is  deeply  interested  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  advancement  of  the  community, 
and  withholds  his  support  from  no  worthy  enter- 
prise. In  his  dealings  his  integrity  is  beyond 
question,  and  the  sterling  worth  of  his  character 
has  won  him  high  regard. 


C*  C.  SHUEY,  a  wide-awake  business  man  of 
_JI  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  not  only  a  pru- 
dent and  successful  manager  of  his  own  interests, 
but  a  loyal  and  active  sympathizer  in  the  general 
advancement  of  the  community.  He  was  born 
February  1,  1857,  on  a  farm  in  the  southwest- 
ern part  of  Centry  county,  and  is  a  descendant 
of  a  German  family  long  resident  in  this  State. 
Peter  Shuey,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Schuylkill  county,  but  in  manhood 
made  his  home  at  Centre  Furnace,  Centre  coun- 
ty, where  he  was  employed  at  the  furnace.  He 
died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  and  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Etters,  passed 
away  in  her  sixty-sixth  year.  This  estimable 
couple  reared  a  large  family  of  children:  (1)  Ben- 


482 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


jamin,  who  died  recently  at  his  home  in  Iowa; 
(2)  Barbara,  widow  of  Jeremiah  Mayes,  of  Fill- 
more, Buffalo  Run  Valley;  (3)  John,  a  resident 
of  Dalton,  Muskegon  Co.,  Mich.;  (4)  Jonathan, 
who  lives  near  State  College,  Centre  county;  (5) 
Jacob,  our  subject's  father;  (6)  Lavina,  widow 
of  John  Wasson,  residing  near  Lemont;  and  (7) 
Catharine,  who  married  Cornelius  Houtz,  and  re- 
sides at  Lemont. 

Jacob  Shuey,  who  is  an  industrious  and  suc- 
cessful agriculturist,  was  born  in  Harris  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  September  6,  1830.  He 
was  married  there  in  1852  to  Miss  Sarah  Srohim, 
a  native  of  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  born 
November  4,  1830.  She,  too,  is  of  German  de- 
scent, and  her  father,  who  resided  in  Penn's 
Valley,  died  when  she  was  a  child,  leaving  three 
sons  and  two  daughters,  viz. :  Charles,  now  in 
Iowa;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Robert  Ray),  now  de- 
ceased; John,  who  resides  near  Zion,  Centre 
county;  Sarah  (Mrs.  Shuey);  and  Christ,  a  resi- 
dent of  Grace  Hill,  Washington  Co.,  Iowa. 
For  si >me  time  after  his  marriage  Jacob  Shuey 
lived  near  Centre  Furnace,  and  later  he  located 
upon  a  farm  at  Buffalo  Run,  but  for  thirty-four 
years  past  he  has  made  his  home  in  the  Nittany 
Valley.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  is  highly  esteemed  among 
his  associates.  Of  his  seven  children  four  died 
at  an  early  age.  The  others  are:  (1)  Ellen 
(Mrs.  William  Johnstonbrough),  of  Marion  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  in  the  Nittany  Valley;  (2) 
Peter,  night  watchman  for  the  Berwin-White 
Coal  Mining  Co.,  at  Anita,  Jefferson  county, 
Penn. ;  and  (3)  C.  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

C.  C.  Shuey  remained  at  his  father's  farm 
until  the  age  of  twenty,  his  education  being  ac- 
quired in  the  country  schools.  He  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  near  Lemont,  and  for  about  six 
years  followed  that  calling  in  summer,  spending 
the  winter  seasons  in  logging.  Deciding  upon  a 
mercantile  career,  he  became  a  clerk  for  C.  U. 
Hoffer  &  Co.,  and  remained  with  them  three 
years.  With  this  practical  experience  he  felt 
justified  in  venturing  into  the  business  arena  on 
his  own  account,  and  January  1  2,  1 886,  he  opened 
a  grocery  store  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Erhard. 
The  partnership  lasted  three  and  one-half  years, 
when  Mr.  Shuey  purchased  Mr.  Erhard's  inter- 
est, and  he  has  since  conducted  the  business 
alone,  enjoying  a  fine  trade.  On  November  29, 
[883,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Herkimer,  who  died 
soon  afterward,  and  on  September  7,  1886,  he 
wedded  Miss  Rebecca  Mulholland,  a  native  of 
1  'xllefonte.  They  have  four  interesting  children : 
Bernice,  Rachel,  Anna  and  Sarah.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shuey  are   prominently    identified  with  the 


M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  Shuey  is  much  interested  in 
reform  work,  and  is  an  ardent  temperance  man, 
voting  the  Prohibition  ticket.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  order  of  Heptasophs. 


JACOB   M.    N  EI  DIG,    one   of   the   prosperous 
agriculturists  of  Penn's  Valley,  is  the  owner 

of  a  fine  farm  of  140  acres  in  Haines  township. 
Centre  county,  near  the  village  of  Woodward. 

Solomon  Neidigh,  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  came  from  Berks  county,  and  purchased 
the  place,  which  was  then  in  Haines  township, 
Northumberland  county.  The  deed  in  the  pos- 
session of  our  subject  is  dated  April  30,  1791, 
and  the  property  has  been  in  the  family 
since.  Solomon  Neidigh  was  born  August  17, 
1744,  died  January  28,  1797,  and  was  buried  on 
the  estate.  Marie  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  was  born 
March  2,  1745,  and  died  September  7,  1821. 
They  had  several  children,  among  whom  was  a 
son  John  Neidigh  (our  subject's  grandfather), 
born  September  9,  1776,  in  Berks  county,  Penn., 
and  died  March  4,  1838,  who  came  into  the 
ownership  of  the  farm  by  will,  and  being  a  pro- 
gressive man,  and  well  supplied  with  the  means 
to  improve  it,  built  the  present  substantial  brick 
residence,  between  181 5  and  1820.  The  barn 
dates  back  to  1834.  Catherine,  his  wife,  was 
born  August  8,  1780.  and  died  December  25, 
1 84 1.  The  remains  of  both  were  interred  upon 
the  farm.  Of  their  thirteen  children  —  nine 
daughters  and  four  sons — one  son  died  in  infancy, 
the  others  being  as  follows:  Catharine;  Solo- 
mon, born  June  8,  1S01;  John,  born  July  20, 
1802;  daughter,  born  May  3,  1804;  daughter, 
born  July  7,  1805;  daughter,  born  August  16, 
1806;  daughter,  born  December  16,  1807;  David 
(third  son,  and  father  of  our  subject)  is  men- 
tioned farther  on;  Ellen,  Sophie,  Annie  and  Leah; 
and  a  son,  born  March  25,   1820. 

David  Neidig,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
born  in  1809,  and    died   April  1,    1863.      He  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  that  locality  in  his  day. 
a  shrewd  and  successful  manager, and  although  his 
early  education  was  limited,  he    acquired   practi- 
cal knowledge  upon  a  wide  range  of  subjects.    II 
settled  his  father's  estate,  and  while  farming  v. 
his  principal  occupation  he  engaged  in  lumber 
and  other  enterprises,  conducting    a  sawmill  for 
many  years.      While  he  gave  due  attention,  as  a 
private  citizen,  to  political  questions,  attending 
elections   regularly,    he    never   sought  offi    :  or 
joined  in  partisan  work  beyond  the  deposit  0! 
Democratic  ticket  in  the  ballot  box  at  e\ery  law 
ful  opportunity.      He  was  a  captain  in  themili 
and  was  a  leading  worker  in  religious  affairs,  con- 


c± 


ej/^  /y^  f    7\JUmL 


93 


L 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


433 


tributing  liberally  to  St.  Paul's  Church  (Reform- 
ed), of  which  he  was  a  member.  His  wife,  Bar- 
bara, was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Moyer,  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Snyder  county.  She  was  born 
in  1 8 14,  and  passed  away  in  1886,  her  remains 
being  laid  to  rest  beside  those  of  her  husband  in 
St.  Paul's  Cemetery.  She  was  a  devout  Chris- 
tian, of  the  Lutheran  faith.  There  was  a  large 
family  of  children,  of  whom  six  lived  to  adult  age, 
our  subject  (sketch  of  whom  follows)  being  eldest; 
(2)  Mary  Ann,  born  January  13,  1841,  married 
Michael  Hess,  of  Haines  township.  (3)  Susan, 
born  March  22,  1842  (now  Mrs.  Samuel  Kramer), 
also  resides  in  that  locality.  (4)  John,  born 
February  II,  1845,  sold  his  share  in  the  farm  to 
his  brother  Daniel,  and  being  a  single  man  lives 
most  of  the  time  with  his  sisters.  (5)  Daniel  M., 
born  July  6,  1847,  married  Lydia  Ellen  Krumer- 
ine,  and  has  two  children — one  son  and  one 
daughter;  he  is  now  a  retired  farmer,  and  lives 
at  State  College.  (6)  Augustus  David,  born  May 
5,   1853,  is  a  farmer  in  Wisconsin. 

Jacob  M.  Neidig  (our  subject)  was  born  March 
30,  1839,  and  was  reared  at  the  old  homestead, 
his  educational  advantages  being  confined  to  an 
attendance  at  the  subscription  schools  of  that 
day.  His  first  school  was  in  the  home  of  his 
father,  and  his  first  teacher  was  a  Mr.  Hoy.  In 
those  times  labor-saving  machinery  had  not  been 
introduced  to  any  great  extent,  and  wheat  was 
threshed  during  the  winter  season  by  the  tramp- 
ing of  horses.  As  may  be  supposed,  there  was 
plenty  of  work  for  our  subject  to  do,  and  when 
the  "chores"  on  the  farm  failed  the  sawmill 
could  be  relied  upon  to  keep  him  employed,  es- 
pecially in  the  spring  of  the  year.  However 
irksome  this  continuous  round  of  work  may  have 
been  at  the  time,  the  habits  of  industry  and 
knowledge  of  detail  thus  gained  were  of  great 
service  to  him  in  after  life,  and  the  old  home- 
stead, with  its  carefully-kept  buildings,  shows 
the  good  results  of  his  labors.  He  has  not  only 
repaired  the  old  structures,  but  has  added  new 
ones  from  time  to  time.  The  farm  contains  140 
acres  of  excellent  land,  and  Mr.  Neidig  also 
owns  some  mountain  lands.  Lumbering  has  en- 
gaged his  attention  at  times,  and  his  success  in 
his  undertakings  has  given  him  a  high  reputation 
among  the  progressive  business  men  and  farmers 
of  Penn's  Valley. 

On  May  30,  1880,  Mr.  Neidig  was  married 
in  Aaronsburgto  Miss  Catherine  Rishel,  a  native 
of  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  and  the  elder 
of  the  two  daughters  born  to  David  and  Mary 
M.  Rishel.  Mr.  Neidig  and  his  wife  are  leading 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he 
has  held  the   offices  of  deacon   and  elder.      Lib- 

28 


eral  in  his  donations  to  every  worthy  cause,  quiet 
and  peaceable  in  his  mode  of  life,  Mr.  Neidig  is 
one  of  the  best  of  citizens.  He  is  steadfast  sup- 
porter of  the  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  votes  regularly,  but  has  never  entered  the 
political  arena  for  any  office  whatever. 


F^RANK  B.  STOVER.  The  life  of  this  well- 
known  citizen  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county, 
has  been  marked  by  unusual  enterprise  and  en- 
ergy, and  the  success  which  has  attended  his 
efforts  is  but  their  due  reward.  Although  he  is  a 
native  of  Union  county,  where  he  was  born, 
December  7,  1836,  his  family  has  been  identified 
with  Centre  county  for  three  generations.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  E.  Stover,  was  born 
at  Williamsport,  Md.,  on  the  Potomac  river, 
and,  losing  his  parents  while  yet  a  boy,  began 
his  business  career  at  great  disadvantages.  He 
learned  the  tanner's  trade  in  Maryland,  and  when 
a  young  man  settled  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county,  where  numerous  relatives  had  already 
located.  There  he  built  a  tannery,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  many  years.  He  had  the  following 
children:  Samuel  H.,  Isaac,  William  H.,  George 
Hubler,  Michael,  John  H.,  and  Catherine,  who 
married  a  Mr.  Kaup.  Three  of  the  sons  served 
with  distinction  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  war.  George  Hubler  Stover,  who  died  in 
the  year  1897,  gained  the  rank  of  major; 
Michael  was  connected  with  the  quartermaster's 
department,  while  John  H.  became  a  colonel, 
and  after  the  war  he  was  a  resident  of  Mor- 
gan count)',  Mo.,  and  represented  that  district 
in  Congress. 

Samuel  H.  Stover,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  at  Aaronsburg,  Penn. ,  in  18 12.  He  was 
married  in  Centre  county  to  a  lady  of  Dutch 
descent,  by  name  Catherine  Dingers,  whose  father 
was  a  farmer  in  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  where 
she  was  born  in  18 13.  For  about  three  years 
after  their  marriage  they  made  their  home  in 
Hartleton,  Union  county.  They  then  returned 
to  Centre  county,  and  located  at  Boalsburg,  Har- 
ris township,  for  three  years,  after  which  they 
made  their  home  in  Bayleyville  until  1865,  at 
which  time  they  again  moved  to  Boalsburg,  and 
lived  there  some  eighteen  years,  or  until  their 
death  in  1883,  the  father  dying  in  March,  the 
mother  in  May.  They  were  Lutherans  in  relig- 
ious faith,  and  the  father  was  a  stanch  adherent 
of  the  Republican  party.  Of  their  thirteen  chil- 
dren eight  lived  to  maturity:  (1)  Matilda  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Musser,  and  resides  in  Altoona, 
Blair  county;  (2)  Frank  B.  is  mentioned  more 
fully  below;   (3)  Johanna  married  George  Kaup, 


434 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  Centre  county;  (4)  Catherine  is  the  wife  of 
Jonathan  Hess,  of  the  same  county;  (5)  Mary  G. 
married  Dr.  J.  K.  Krider,  and  now  lives  in  Ohio; 

Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Gingrich,  of  Cen- 
tre county;  71  Sadie  and  (8)  Nannie,  who  are 
n^t  married,  reside  in  Bellefonte. 

As  the  only  son  of  his  parents,  Mr.  Stover 
found  his  help  much  in  demand  upon  the  farm 
during  his  early  years,  but  he  was  given  good 
educational  advantages,  supplementing  his  course 
in  the  district  school  by  an  attendance  at  Pine 
Grove  Academy  and  Central  Academy  in  Juniata 
county,  Penn.  After  leaving  school  he  worked 
for  some  time  upon  the  farm  and  in  his  father's 
hotel  at  Rock  Springs,  and  then  entered  business 
life  on  his  own  account  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods 
store,  where  one  of  his  transactions  was  the  sale 
of  six  yards  of  calico  to  a  lady  for  a  dress.  Later 
he  clerked  in  a  hardware  store  in  Bellefonte,  and 
in  1881  he  engaged  in  the  meat  business,  which 
he  has  ever  since  followed,  enjoying  a  large  cus- 
tom. As  a  business  man  he  holds  a  high  place, 
and  he  also  exerts  much  influence  in  local  af- 
fairs and  in  the  Republican  organization.  He 
belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  is  a  leading 
member  "I  the  Lutheran  Church,  and,  in  fact,  is 
interested  as  a  good  citizen  in  all  the  varied 
movements  of  his  locality. 

In  1 86 1  Mr.  Stover  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  M.  Musser,  a  native  of  Pine 
Grove  Mills,  Centre  county,  born  in  1838,  daugh- 
ter  'if  William  and  Catherine  Musser,  the  former 


Mr. 


of  whom  died  in  1870,  the  latter  in  18S5. 
ami  Mrs.  Stover  have  four  children — two  sons, 
Samuel  and  Alvin  H.,  in  business  with  their  fa- 
ther, and  both  living  in  Bellefonte,  and  two 
daughters,  Lula  C,  at  home,  and  Lottie  E.,  who 
was  married  September  15,  1896,  to  H.  E. 
Stover,  and  now  resides  in  Hagerstown,  Md. 
Samuel,  the  elder  son,  was  born  at  Rock  Springs, 
Centre  county,  in  January,  18C3.  Alvin  11.,  the 
tiger  son,  was  born  in  April,  1865,  at  Locust 
Grove,  Centre  county,  and  was  married  in 
ust,  1SS7,  to  Miss  Ida  Kishell,  daughter  of 
fohn  Rishell,  Centre  county,  and  they  have  three 
children:      Prank  K.,  Helen  S.  and  Harold  M. 


GEORGE  B.  SIMLER,  Jr.,  who  is  success- 
billy  engaged  in  the  express  business,  holds 
a  leading  place  among  the  enterprising  and 
prominenl  men  of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county. 
materially  aiding  in  the  development  and  prog- 
municipality.  There  he  was  born 
December  13,  1857,  a  son  of  George  B.  and 
Amanda  (Carpenter)  Simler,  well  known  and 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Philipsburg. 


Until  twenty-two  years- of  age  our  subject 
worked  for  his  father  at  the  express  business,  and 
then  purchased  of  him  a  horse  and  wagon  and 
began  operations  on  his  own  account.       Prom 

1878  until  1880  he  served  as  baggage  agent  at 
Philipsburg  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany. At  present  he  uses  two  double  teams  in 
his  business,  and  so  successful  has  he  been  that 
he  is  now  the  owner  of  several  pieces  of  real  es- 
tate, besides  his  own  good  residence  property.    In 

1879  he  was  married  to  Miss  Henrietta  Lewis,  and 
they  have  eight  children,  whose  names  and  dates 
of  birth  are  as  follows:  Amanda  C,  March  20, 
1880;  Arthur  C,  September  8,  1881;  Hester  J. 
September  9,  1883;  John  L.,  April  2.  1885 
Mi ry  L. ,  January  14,  1887;  George  L. ,  Novem- 
ber 27,  1892;  Donald,  August  21,  1894;  and 
Margaret,  November  3,   1896. 

Mrs.  Simler  was  born   in  Johnstown,  Penn., 
August  13,  1858,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary    (Thomas)     Lewis,    natives     of    Tredegar. 
Wales,    where  they    were    married.      With  one 
child,  they  crossed    the    Atlantic   to   America   in 
1S48,     and     located     at    Brandy    Bend,    Penn., 
whence    they  removed    to    Johnstown,  and    still 
later  to  Houtzdale,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
the  father  died  February  3,  1893,  at  the  age 
seventy-nine  years.     The  mother  died  the  day  be- 
fore the  Johnstown  flood,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
They  were    consistent    members    of    the    Welch 
Baptist  Church,  and  had  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  all  who  knew  them.      By  occupation  the 
father  was  a  coal  operator,  and  in  politics  he  was 
a  Republican.      In    the   family  of   Mr.  and    M 
Lewis   were  eight   children,  namely:       William, 
who  was  smothered   to    death    in    a   coke   pit   in 
Johnstown;  Mary   A.,  wife  of  John   Hopwood,  a 
cabinet    maker   of    Waynesboro,    Franklin  Co., 
Penn.;    Elizabeth,    wife    of    Michael    Erhart, 
Philipsburg;  Margaret,  wife  of   Alfred   Mallory,  a 
machinist    of    Altoona,    Penn.  ;    Letitia,    wife 
|.    M.   Kolles,    a  carpenter   of  Clearfield,  Penh 
I    Uion    T.,    a   blacksmith    of    Hastings,  Penn  ; 
Henrietta,  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Emma,  wifi 
Peter  Camoran,  superintendent  of  coal  mines  in 
Wi-stmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.    Simler   has   taken  a    prominent   par- 
public  affairs,  and  has  been  called  upon  to    sei 

ifhcial  positions   of    honor  and   trust.      He   is 
now  tilling  the  office  of  school  director,  and  dur- 
ing the  years  1893,   1894  and  1895,  was  an  influ- 
ential member  of  the  city  council.      In  February, 
[897,  he  was  elected  burgess  of  Philipsburg. 
is  an  ardent    Republican    in   politics,  and   fra- 
nally  is  a   member  of   the   Red    Warrior  Tribe, 
Royal  Arcanum,  of  Philipsburg.      In  the  estin 
tion  of  his  fellow  citizens  he  is  one  of  the  repic- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


435 


sentative  men  of  the  community,  and  he  enjoys 
the  confidence  and  highest  regard  of  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  either  in  business  or 
social  life. 


JOHN  F.  GARTHOFF,  one  of  the  leading 
and  able  educators  of  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  June  5,  1863,  nearBanner- 
ville,  Snyder  Co.,  Penn.  His  father,  John  H. 
Garthoff,  was  a  native  of  Westphalia,  Prussia, 
born  December  29,  1822,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
H.  Garthoff,  a  tanner  by  trade.  In  the  family 
of  three  children  the  father  was  the  only  son  and 
the  only  one  to  come  to  America,  where  he  ar- 
rived after  a  stormy  voyage.  In  New  York  he 
learned  the  tanner's  trade,  which  he  afterward 
followed  in  Philadelphia,  Lewisburg,  and  in 
Adamsburg,  Penn.,  where  he  first  met  the  lady 
that  afterward  became  his  wife. 

In  the  spring  of  1 8  5  1 ,  in  Union  county,  Penn. , 
John  H.  Garthoff  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline 
Robenold,  who  was  born  in  Lehigh  county, 
Perm.,  January  23,  1829,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 
and  Mary  (Ocker)  Robenold.  Her  father  was 
born  May  5,  1798,  in  Northampton  count)',  this 
State,  a  son  of  Michael  Robenold,  and  through- 
out life  followed  the  occupations  of  shoemaking 
and  farming.  When  Mrs.  Garthoff  was  eight 
years  old  her  father  removed  with  his  family  to 
Union  county,  where  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  her  life  upon  a  farm  which  he  had  there  pur- 
chased, dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  A 
few  years  later  he  removed  to  Nittany  Valley, 
Centre  county,  where  he  made  his  home  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Vonada,  until  he,  too,  was  called 
to  his  final  rest  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty 
years.  He  was  interred  in  the  cemetery  of  Zion, 
Centre  county,  while  his  wife  was  buried  at  Lau- 
relton,  Union  county.  Both  held  membership  in 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  was  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  In  their  family  were  the  following  chil- 
dren: Lucy,  wife  of  Adam  Vonada,  of  Zion; 
Jonathan,  a  tanner  and  farmer,  who  died  in  Mis- 
souri; Caroline,  the  mother  of  our  subject;  Will- 
iam, a  farmer,  who  died  in  Orangeville,  111. ;  Sa- 
rah, wife  of  George  Kauffman,  of  Zion,  Centre 
county;  David,  who  died  from  sickness  con- 
tracted while  in  the  army;  Solomon,  who  was  a 
member  of  an  Illinois  regiment,  and  also  died  in 
the  army;  and  Christia  Ann,  wife  of  Daniel  Rov- 
er, of  Valley  Falls,  Kansas. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  began  their  do- 
mestic life  in  Bannerville,  Penn.,  where  the  fa- 
ther died  May  6,  1865,  and  was  there  laid  to  rest. 
He  left  a  widow,  and  five  children,  as  follows: 
Joseph  S.,  a  farmer  of   Dewar,  Iowa;  William, 


who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years;  Mary,  wife  of 
John  Lint,  of  Dixon,  111.;  James  D.,  a  lumber- 
man of  Mt.  Eagle,  Centre  county;  Catharine  A., 
a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.;  and  John  F. ,  of 
this  review.  Although  Mrs.  Garthoff  was  left  a 
home,  the  support  of  her  children  fell  upon  her, 
and  a  year  or  so  after  her  husband's  death  she 
came  to  Zion,  Centre  county,  where  she  bought  a 
small  home  and  reared  her  family.  Since  1887, 
she  has  found  a  pleasant  home  with  our  subject  in 
Coburn.  She  is  a  highly  respected  lady,  be- 
loved by  all  who  know  her,  and  a  Lutheran  in 
religious  belief;  her  husband  was  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  and  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics. 

Mr.  Garthoff,  the  subject  proper  of  this  re- 
view, was  a  child  when  brought  by  his  widowed 
mother  to  Centre  county,  and  in  the  common 
schools  he  acquired  his  primary  education,  his 
first  teacher  being  William  P.  Dasher.  He  sup- 
plemented the  knowledge  there  acquired  by  two 
terms'  attendance  at  a  select  school  in  Rebers- 
burg,  and  by  reading  and  study  has  become  a 
well  informed  man.  He  remained  with  his 
mother  until  his  marriage,  preparing  himself  for 
the  teacher's  profession,  and  when  twenty  years 
of  age  he  taught  the  Logan  school  at  Hecla,  Pa. 
On  August  23,  1885,  in  Rebersburg,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maggie  M.  Walker, 
who  was  born  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
August  29,  1859,  one  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren— three  sons  and  four  daughters — of  Will- 
liam  and  Mary  M.  (Smull)  Walker,  now  residents 
of  Rebersburg.  By  occupation  the  father  is  a 
farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garthoff  have  one  child, 
Mary  A.,  born  March  23,  1886. 

In  1886  our  subject  bought  his  present  home 
in  Coburn,  and  since  the  following  year  has 
there  resided.  From  the  time  he  conducted  his 
first  school  he  has  successfully  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, and  his  vacations  have  been  spent  at  other 
work,  such  as  clerking.  Financially  as  well  as 
professionally,  he  has  met  with  well-deserved  suc- 
cess, and  is  now  interested  in  the  Central  Building 
&  Loan  Association  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  the 
Empire  Savings,  Building  &  Loan  Association  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle  of  Millheim.  Al- 
ways a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  he  was 
elected  on  that  ticket  justice  of  the  peace,  when 
not  yet  twenty-four  years  old,  and  when  he  had 
been  a  resident  of  Penn  township  for  only  a  few 
months.  So  acceptably  has  he  filled  the  office 
that  he  is  still  the  incumbent,  and  has  also  served 
for  several  terms  as  township  clerk.  He  is  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  community, 
and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all.     He 


430 


COMMEMORA  TIYK  IUOdHAVUICAL   liKCORD. 


and  his  excellent  wife  are  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  of  Coburn,  of  which  he  is  at  pres- 
ent serving  as  trustee,  and  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school,  connected  with  said  Church. 


GEORGE  GREEN  FINK.  Centre  county 
has  many  well-to-do  and  successful  farmers, 
men  who  have  accumulated  what  they  have  of 
this  world's  goods  through  individual  effort,  and 
among  this  class  the  name  of  the  subject  of  this 
notice  is  entitled  to  a  place.  He  is  residing  on 
tin-  Elevens  run  road,  in  Huston  township, 
where  he  is  industriously  engaged  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  noble  calling,  and  is  meeting  with 
far  more  than  ordinary  success. 

Mr.  Fink  was  born  May  9,  1863,  in  Ferguson 
township,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.  His  father, 
George  W.  Fink,  was  born  in  Centre  county, 
May  [6,  1837,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Hannah  Fink, 
who  were  natives  of  Indiana  county,  Penn.,  and 
at  an  early  day  came  to  Centre  county,  locating 
near  the  Martha  Furnace,  but  later  went  to 
Clearfield  county,  where  the  grandfather  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety-four  years.  In  early  life  he 
was  a  blower  in  a  furnace,  but  later  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade.  In  1855,  in  Ferguson  town- 
ship, Clearfield  count),  George  W.  Fink  mar- 
ried Mary  I.  Miles,  who  was  born  in  that  county 
September  18,  1834,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Betsy  (Williams  1  Miles,  who  were  natives  of 
Centre  county,  but  spent  their  last  days  upon  a 
farm  in  Clearfield  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fink 
have  spent  their  entire  married  life  in  the  latter 
county,  where  he  was  for  many  years  a  lumber- 
man; he  died  February  28,  1897;  he  was  a  most 
exemplary  man,  having  never  uttered  an  oath  or 
used  tobacco  or  liquor  in  any  form,  and  he  en- 
joyed the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
him.  His  faithful  wife,  who  is  still  enjoying  ex- 
cellent health,  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  who  was  burned  to  death  at 
the  age  of  four  years;  Lela  A.,  who  died  March 
15,  1874,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years;  Elmer  E., 
a  merchant  of  Clearfield,  Penn.;  George  G. ; 
Ulysses  S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years; 
William  McC. .  a  school  teaclni  of  New  Millport, 
Penn.;  Emma,  who  married  George  W.  Bratton, 
telegraph  operator  at  Woodland.  Penn.,  and 
died  July  16,  1890,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years;  Emeline,  twin  sister  of  Emma,  who  1 
in  infancy;  Minerva  V.,  wife  of  Harvey  Strong, 
.1  butcher  ol  Ansonville,  Clearfield  county;  and 
Ella  L. ,  at  home. 

At  tin   age  o|  fourteen  years,  George  G.  Fink 


left  home,  and  began  working  for  an  uncle,  but 
gave  his  salary  to  his  parents  until  he  became  of 
age.  He  was  permitted  to  attend  the  public 
schools  during  the  winter  season,  and  for  one 
term  was  a  student  in  the  Normal  School  at  New- 
Washington,  Clearfield  county.  On  leaving  his 
uncle,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  entered  a 
mercantile  store  at  New  Millport,  where  he  was 
employed  as  clerk  for  a  few  months,  and  subse- 
quently worked  in  the  lumber  woods  and  at 
teaming.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  located  on  the 
farm  of  |.  Q.  Miles,  which  he  operated  on  shares 
for  four  years,  working  at  farm  labor  dining  the 
summer  months,  while  in  the  winter  he  cut  logs 
upon  land  which  he  had  purchased  in  the  spring 
of  1889.  So  successful  was  he,  that  March  24, 
1890,  he  was  able  to  purchase  his  present  farm, 
a  valuable  tract  of  196  acres,  and  he  now,  along 
with  his  wife  and  her  sister,  also  owns  an  adjoin- 
ing place  of  228  acres.  He  has  made  a  specialty 
of  stock  raising,  in  which  he  has  been  remark- 
ably successful,  having  upon  his  place  a  high 
grade  of  Jersey  cattle  and  Yorkshire  and  Poland- 
China  hogs. 

On  November  13,  1887,  Mr.  Fink  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Selina  Williams,  and  they  have  an 
interesting  family  of  five  children:  Telford  N., 
born  February  21,  1889;  Clair  V. ,  born  October 
20,  1890;  Iva  P.,  born  July  19,  1892;  and  Joseph 
L.  and  George  L.  (twins),  born  April  26,  [895. 

Mrs.  Fink  was  born  in  Huston  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  January   14,  1862,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  F.    and   Hannah  (Records)  Williams, 
who  spent   their  entire  lives  in  Centre  county. 
The  father  was  an  extensive  land  owner,  having 
about    one    thousand  acres    in  the  county,    and 
besides  farming  also  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
and  lumber  business.      He  was  a  prominent  and 
influential  citizen,  and  was  called   upon  to  sen 
in    several   official    positions,    including    that   of 
justice  of  the  peace.      His  political  support  w 
given  the  Republican  party,  and  in  religious  faith 
he  and  his  wife  were  active  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist   Church.      He    was  born  June  19,   1813,  and 
died   February    18,    1885,   and  she  passed   away 
July   20,   1869,  at  the  age  of  fift)  years.      Eight 
children  were  born  to  them:    Thaddeus  S  .  wh 
was  a  graduate  of  a  business  college  at  Philadel- 
phia, and  died  in  Centre  county  soon  after  hi* 
return   from   the   Civil   war;    Catherine,   wife  of 
David  Henderson,  a  farmer  of  Huston  township 
Susan   A.,  wife  of  W.  A.  Hartsock,  a  farmei 
Centre  county;  Abigail,  who  died   at   the  ag< 
five  years;  Lois,  who  died  at  the  age  of  tw 
Jasper  A.,  a  farmer  oi  Blair  county, Penn.  ;  New- 
ton, a  school  teacher  by  profession,  who  died  at 

age  of  thirty-two;  and  Selina,  the  wife  of  out 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


437 


subject.  Her  paternal  grandparents,  Jessie  and 
Susanna  (Thalenburg)  Williams,  were  natives  of 
Scotland,  but  at  an  early  day  became  prominent 
citizens  of  Centre  county,  where  the  grandfather 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  and  was  an  ex- 
tensive land  owner. 

Politically,  Mr.  Fink  is  a  pronounced  Repub- 
lican; socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Grange,  No. 
395,  of  Unionville,  and  in  religious  belief  he  and 
his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Bald  Eagle 
Baptist  Church.  They  hold  an  enviable  position 
in  social  circles,  and  are  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  county.  In  1891,  he  was 
elected  school  director,  which  office  he  accepta- 
bly filled  for  three  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1 894 
he  was  elected  township  supervisor.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  he  resigned,  but  was  again 
elected  in  February,  1896,  to  both  positions.  On 
November  3,  1896,  he  was  elected  county  auditor 
of  Centre  county.  His  prominent  characteristics 
have  been  manifested  in  the  success  that  he  has 
achieved  in  his  business  career — determination, 
self-reliance  and  undaunted  perseverance — and 
his  name  deserves  an  honored  place  among  the 
representative  and  progressive  citizens  of  Centre 
count)-. 


JOHN  THOMAS  MANN,  proprietor  of  a  con- 
fectionery and  tobacco  store,  is  one  of  the 
leading  and  energetic  young  business  men  of 
Eagleville,  Centre  county.  He  is  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  August  27,  1863,  in  Clinton 
county,  whence,  in  1881,  he  came  to  Centre 
county  with  his  parents,  Nicholas  and  Hannah 
(Rohn)  Mann,  also  natives  of  that  State.  They 
located  in  Eagleville,  where  the  father  was  chiefly 
engaged  in  lumbering  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  born  February  25,  1825,  and 
departed  this  life  July  29,  1896;  his  wife  passed 
away  January  27,  1894,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years.  Both  were  worthy  members  of  the  Dis- 
ciple Church,  and  enjoyed  the  love  and  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  them.  In  politics  the  father 
was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Alfred  and  Samuel,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Eliza,  deceased  wife  of  John  W.  Creak, 
a  hotel  proprietor  of  Williamsport,  Penn. ; 
George  W. ,  a  lumberman  of  Eagleville,  who 
married  Maggie  Thiel,  and  had  four  children, 
one  now  deceased;  William  and  Robert  (twins), 
who  are  lumbermen  of  Eagleville;  Jacob,  who 
left  for  parts  unknown  in  1889,  and  has  never 
been  heard  of  since;  John  Thomas,  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Ellen  and  Edward,  both  residents 
of   Eagleville;  Cora,    who    died    at    the    age    of 


eighteen  years;  Sadie,  also  of  Eagleville;  and 
Anna,  born  May  7,  1872,  who  was  married  April 
3,  1892,  to  C.  H.  Long,  and  has  one  child.  The 
paternal  grandparents,  Thomas  and  Nancy  Mann, 
were  farming  people  of  Clinton  county,  Penn., 
where  their  deaths  occurred. 

During  his  younger  years,  Mr.  Mann,  the  sub- 
ject proper  of  this  review,  was  employed  in  the 
lumber  woods,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  suf- 
fered a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  which  left 
him  in  a  crippled  condition,  so  that  he  now  has  to 
use  crutches.  In  1890  he  embarked  in  his  pres- 
ent business,  and  by  fair  and  honorable  dealing 
has  secured  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  patron- 
age. His  genial,  pleasant  manner  has  gained 
him  a  host  of  warm  friends,  and  has  won  for 
him  the  regard  of  all  with  whom  social  or  busi- 
ness relations  have  brought  him  in  contact.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  and 
uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party. 


JE.  ROYER,  a  prosperous  agriculturist  of 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  was  born 
November  4,  1863,  in  Franklin  township, 
Snyder  Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Aaron  C.  and  Mary 
B.  (Hertz)  Royer,  and  a  descendant  of  Christo- 
pher Royer,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Ger- 
many in  1748. 

Aaron  C.  Royer,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  the  same  county,  born  in  1828  on  the 
old  Royer  homestead  and  in  the  Royer  settle- 
ment. His  father,  John  Royer,  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  died  when  Aaron  was  but  eight  years 
of  age,  and  the  latter  then  lived  with  a  maternal 
uncle  in  Union  county,  Penn.,  where  he  learned 
the  tanner's  trade  and  secured  a  limited  educa- 
tion. After  a  trip  to  the  West  he  returned  to  his 
native  county,  and  operated  the  old  homestead 
farm,  where  his  death  occurred  October  26,  1864, 
and  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Hassinger  Church 
cemetery.  Though  he  took  no  active  part  in 
politics,  he  always  supported  the  Republican 
party;  in  religious  belief  he  held  membership  in 
the  Reformed  Church. 

On  February  28,  1856,  in  Union  county, 
Aaron  C.  Royer  was  married  to  Mary  B.  Hertz, 
who  was  born  in  Kelly  township,  that  county, 
December  3,  1836,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Keim)  Hertz,  farming  people,  in  whose 
family  were  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  reached 
adult  age.  Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Royer:  Eve  A.,  now  the  wife  of  Byron  Ed- 
munds, of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Ellen  V.,  wife  of 
John  S.  Kauffman,  of  Snyder  county,  Penn. ; 
and  J.  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.      After  the 


4:s- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


death  of  the  father,  the  mother  remained  upon 
the  farm,  and  later  married  Moses  Specht,  a 
merchant  and  hotel  keeper  of  Beavertovvn,  Penn. , 
since  deceased.  She  now  finds  a  pleasant  home 
with  our  subject.  Religiously,  she  is  a  Luth- 
eran. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth,  J.  E.  Royer 
attended  the  Hassinger  school  of  Franklin  town- 
ship, Snyder  county,  and  on  completing  his  edu- 
cation went  to  western  Ohio,  working  for  a  time 
in  Hardin  and  Hancock  counties  as  a  day  laborer 
on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  rail- 
road. For  eight  years  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed in  different  States  in  the  West,  and  then 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  Snyder  county,  where, 
on  February  10,  1886,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Alice  Hingman,  who  was  born  in  that 
county  November  16,  1862,  a  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Mary  (Smith)  Hingman,  farming  people 
of  Beavertown.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Royer  have  three 
children:  James  S.,  born  September  4,  1889; 
Mary  B.,  born  September  I.  1892;  and  Helen  L., 
born  July  9,  1896. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Royer  rented  a  house 
and  lot  near  Beavertown  for  a  year,  while  he 
worked  at  general  labor  and  looked  up  a  loca- 
tion.  On  February  22,  1887,  became  to  Miles 
township,  Centre  counts,  where  in  the  fall  of 
1SS5  he  had  purchased  the  old  Smull  homestead, 
consisting  of  107  acres.  He  has  remodeled  the 
house  and  made  many  valuable  and  useful  im- 
provements upon  the  farm,  which  is  now  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  In  connection  with 
tins  property  he  also  owns  a  tract  of  timber  land. 
He  is  numbered  among  the  most  energetic  and 
prosperous  young  fanners  of  the  community, 
and.  while  .1  resident  of  the  township  but  a  few 
years,  has  already  made  for  himself  a  prominent 
place  among  the  better  class  of  citizens.  He  is 
systematic  in  his  methods  of  farming,  and  the 
neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  his  place  testify 
to  his  industry  and  capable  management.  In 
politics  he  is  a  steadfast  Democrat,  and  as  a  man 

1  citizen  contributes  his  full  share  toward  en- 
hancing the  intellectual  and  moral  welfare  of  the 
Community.       Both  he  and   his    excellent   wife  are 

members  in  good  standing  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 


the  State,  and  is   a   cousin  of  Judge  Austin  O. 
Furst,  attorney  at  law,  of  Bellefonte. 

William  I.  Furst,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Penn..  June  28, 
1 8 14,  and  on  reaching  manhood  married  Mary 
Ann  Gray,  who  was  born  in  Patton  township, 
Centre  county,  April  26,  1822,  and  died  March 
24,  1896.  His  death  occurred  December6,  1883, 
and  they  now  rest  side  by  side  in  the  Gray  ceme- 
tery. Of  the  five  children  born  to  them,  Fannie 
and  P.  Purdue  died  in  childhood.  Mary  B.  is 
the  wife  of  John  B.  Way,  a  farmer  of  Williams- 
burg, Blair  Co.,  Perm.,  by  whom  she  has  three 
children — Lulu,  at  this  writing  aged  ten  years; 
Nora,  aged  eight;  and  Bud,  aged  four;  our 
subject  is  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  Lizzie  I 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  with  her 
brother,  completes  the  family. 

In  the  schools  of  Stony  Point,  Centre  county, 
Mr.  Furst,  the  subject  of  this  review,  acquired  a 
good  practical  education,  and  since  laying  aside 
his  text-books  has  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, operating  the  old  homestead  farm,  of  which 
he  is  part  owner.  The  neat  and  thrifty  appear- 
ance of  the  place  indicates  the  supervision  of  a 
painstaking  and  skillful  farmer,  who  thoroughly 
understands  his  chosen  calling.  On  January  29. 
[884,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eva  M.  Penning- 
ton, of  Patton  township,  daughter  "t  Thomas 
Pennington,  and  they  have  five  interesting  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Clarence  E.,  at  this  wril 
aged  nine  years;  Carl  M.,  aged  seven;  Ethel  M 
aged  six;    Mary    E.,  aged    four;   and    Russell    I 

I  .1  year  and  a  half. 

Mr.  Furst  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  sup- 
port of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
party,  in  the  success  of  which  he  takes  a  deep 
interest.  He  is  an  intelligent,  wide-awake  farm- 
er, held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  fellow  cit- 
izens.     In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist. 


WILLIAM  G.    FURST,  whose  farm  is  pleas- 
antly   1  a    Patton   township,  near 
falo    Kun,  Ci  litre   county,  was  born    thereon 
May  10,  1864,  and  comes  of  an  old  and  highb 
i      msvlvanian  family,  which  was  foun 
in  America  during  the  early  days  of  the  Republic. 
He  has  many  relatives  in  the  eastern  portioi 


Gl   '  IRG1      DAVID    GLOSNER,  a  leading 
fanner  and    cattle    dealer    of    Marion  1 
ship.  Centre  county,  is  a   native    of   that  county, 
his    birth    having    occurred    in    Curtin  township, 
March  5,  [864.      Hi--  father,  Sampson  G 

the  name  was  spelled  by   his  ancestors), 
born  in  Pine  Creek.  Clinton  Co..  Penn.. 
Christian    and     Mai  leal  1     Glossner,  who 

were  horn,  reared  and  married   in  Germany, 
at  an  early  day  crossed   the  Atlantic  and  located 
in  Clinton   county,  whence   they  came  to  Cen 
counts-.      Men-  the  grandfather  carried  on  fai 
ing  throughout   the   remainder  of   his  life       II 
other  children  were  Henry,  who  died  in  How 

itre    county;     Margaret,    widow    of    l 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


439 


Singer,  of  Curtin  township,  Centre  county;  and 
Jacob,  a  laborer  of  Eagleville,  in  the  same 
county. 

By  occupation  Sampson  Glossner  was  a 
farmer  and  carpenter.  In  October,  i860,  he 
married  Miss  Mary  Wensel,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 29,  1842,  in  Germany,  of  which  country 
her  parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Felder)  Wensel, 
were  also  natives.  In  1844  they  came  to  Amer- 
ica accompanied  by  his  father,  John  Wensel, 
Sr. ,  and  located  upon  a  farm  in  Centre  county, 
where  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  John 
Wensel,  Jr.,  dying  in  1895,  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  Only  two  children  were  born 
to  and  Mr.  Mrs.  Glossner,  the  sister  of  our  sub- 
ject being  Margaret  A.,  wife  of  Peter  Robb,  Jr., 
a  farmer  of  Romola,  Curtin  township,  Centre 
county.  The  father  died  in  the  fall  of  1867,  at 
the  early  age  of  twenty-seven  years;  the  mother 
is  still  making  her  home  in  Curtin  township. 

George  D.  Glosner  continued  to  assist  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  and  then  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self as  an  agriculturist.  On  January  10,  1879, 
at  his  present  home,  he  married  Miss  Emma  M. 
Hoy,  who  was  born  upon  that  farm  April  19, 
1864.  They  have  four  children,  whose  names 
and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Edna  M., 
January  25,  1890;  Beulah  M. ,  April  11,  1891; 
Doyle  E.,  July  14,  1892;  and  Inez  M. ,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1893.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Glosner, 
George  S.  and  Catherine  A.  (Yearick)  Hoy,  were 
both  natives  of  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county, 
where  they  were  married  November  27,  1851. 
For  a  short  time  they  remained  there,  and  then 
came  to  Marion  township,  where  the  father  died 
December  n,  1889.  He  was  born  February  7, 
1827,  his  wife  on  May  10,  1832,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Saloma  (Riechel)  Yearick;  she  now  re- 
sides with  our  subject  and  his  wife. 

Mrs.  Glosner  is  the  youngest  of  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Tabitha  A.,  born  June  30,  1853, 
is  the  wife  of  I.  W.  Gates,  a  farmer  of  Clearfield 
county,  Penn. ;  Samuel  C,  born  February  7, 
1S55,  is  a  farmer  of  Hublersburg,  Centre  coun- 
ty; Angeline  G.,  born  February  28,  1856,  is  the 
wife  of  H.  D.  Vonada,  also  a  farmer  of  Hublers- 
burg; Semanda  J.,  born  September  7,  1857,  is 
the  wife  of  P.  C.  Gates,  a  carpenter  of  Clearfield 
county;  Malissa  C,  born  November  10,  1858,  is 
the  wife  of  A.  A.  McClintic,  an  undertaker  of 
Coalport,  Clearfield  county;  Henry  F.,  born 
February  9,  i860,  died  June  12,  1874;  and  Su- 
sannah M.,  born  December  29,  1861,  is  the  wife 
of  E.  L.  McClintic,  of  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Glosner 
lived   upon    a   farm    which   he  owned   in   Curtin 


township,  and  then  removed  to  the  old  Hoy 
homestead,  where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  thor- 
ough and  skillful  farmer,  and  as  a  cattle  dealer 
has  met  with  excellent  success,  so  that  he  is  now 
numbered  among  the  substantial  and  well-to-do 
citizens  of  Marion  township.  Religiously,  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church;  politically, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
he  is  at  present  creditably  serving  as  auditor  and 
school  director  in  his  township. 


C\HARLES  B.  NEFF,  an  intelligent  and  en- 
')  ergetic  young  agriculturist  of  Potter  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  is  unusually  successful  as  a 
manager,  his  fine  farm  near  Centre  Hall  being 
conducted  in  a  model  manner. 

Mr.  Neff  was  born  in  Potter  township,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1867,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  lead- 
ing families  of  that  locality.  Major  John  Neff, 
his  grandfather,  a  native  of  Lebanon  county, 
Penn.,  born  February  20,  1 79 1 ,  settled  in  Centre 
county  in  early  manhood,  and  for  some  years 
followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  at  Potters  Mills. 
Later  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
township  on  the  Brush  Valley  road  near  the  Har- 
ris township  line,  and  engaged  in  agriculture,  bnt 
continued  to  work  somewhat  at  his  trade  in  a 
shop  which  he  built  at  the  farm.  As  old  age 
drew  on  he  retired  from  active  business  and  re- 
moved to  Centre  Hall,  where  he  died  April  4, 
1870.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen,  one  of  the 
wealthy  land  owners  of  that  locality,  and  his  suc- 
cess was  more  notable  from  having  been  gained 
through  his  own  exertions.  In  the  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  he  took  an 
active  part,  while  in  politics  he  was  one  of  the 
leading  Democrats  of  Centre  county,  and  at  one 
time  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature. 

Major  Neff  was  married  in  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  to  Miss  Catherine  Durst,  who 
was  born  October  19,  1794,  and  died  October 
17,  1868.  Her  parents,  Peter  and  Elizabeth 
(Herring)  Durst,  were  well-known  residents,  and 
her  father,  who  was  an  extensive  farmer,  wielded 
much  influence  in  local  affairs.  In  later  life  he 
removed  to  Centre  Hall,  and  was  identified  with 
the  development  of  the  town.  At  the  time  of 
the  introduction  of  the  water  works  there  he  was 
a  member  of  the  company  in  charge  of  the  en- 
terprise. 

To  Major  John  Neff  and  his  wife  the  follow- 
ing children  were  born:  Eliza  (Mrs.  Christian 
Dale),  who  died  in  Harris  township,  Centre 
county;  Josiah,  a  farmer  near  Centre  Hill,  now 
deceased;  Isabella  (Mrs.  Joseph  Bittner),  who 
died   at   Centre  Hall;   Peter   D.,  at    one    time   a 


440 


'  '  I  \[  ME  MORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPUK  M.   RECORD. 


physician  at  Centre  Hall,  now  deceased;  John,  a 
resident  of  Centre  Hall;  Lafayette,  our  subject's 
father;  George  W.  ( deceased),  who  was  by  occu- 
pation a  miller  and  later  a  farmer  in  California; 
Catherine  i  Mrs.  Joseph  Crotzer),  who  died  in 
Potter  township,  Centre  county;  Maria  (Mrs. 
John  Whittaker),  who  died  in  Petersburg,  Penn. ; 
Susan,  who  died  at  an  early  age;  Daniel,  who 
was  killed  in  boyhood,  while  corning  down  Nit- 
tany  Mountain,  by  a  runaway  horse  that  had 
been  used  to  haul  a  heavy  load  up  the  mountain 
from  Centre  Hall;  Barbara  'Mrs.  John  Bittner), 
of  Potter  township,  Centre  county;  Isaac  P.,  a 
Lutheran  minister  at  Milroy,  Penn. ;  Evaline, 
who  married  [acob  drove,  and  now  resides  in 
Kansas;  \\  illiatn,  a  resident  of  Missouri;  Luther, 
who  met  a  soldier's  death  in  the  second  battle  of 
Hull  Run,  and  was  buried  on  the  field;  and 
Sarah,  widow  of  John  Sankey,  of  Centre   Hall. 

The  late  Lafayette  Neff,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  at  the  old  home  in  Potter  township,  De- 
cember i  5,  1X26,  and  was  reared  as  a  farmer! 
receiving  such  education  as  the  local  schools  of 
that  time  afforded,  the  free  system  not  being  in- 
troduced until  he  was  quite  a  lad.  On  Decem- 
ber 26,  1854,  In-  was  married,  by  Rev.  P.  S. 
Fisher,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Ruble,  who  was  born  in 
Potter  township,  April  7,  1836,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  and    Mar-ant    ■  Miese)    Ruble.      Lafayette 

'  located  at  the  homestead,  but  later  bo: 
part  of  the  old  homestead,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  March  1,  1883,  and  then  purchased 
the  Peter  Durst  farm,  where  he  passed  away, 
April  23,  1  So;.  His  wife  breathed  her  last  Feb- 
ruary [2,  [894,  and  the  remains  of  both  were  in- 
terred at  the  Centre  Hill  cemetery.  He  was  a 
man  of  -,p.(re  build,  a  hard  worker,  and  always 
active,  nothwithstanding  a  lameness  caused  by  a 
horse  falling  upon  his  left  limb.  As  a  farmer  he 
was  sui  cessful,  securing  a  handsome  competence 
by  his  able  management,  and  260  acres  of  land 
in  excellent  condition  were  left  at  hisdeath.  Pub- 
lie  affairs  received  intelligent  attention  from  him, 
and  he  was  deeply  interested  in  the  Grange 
movement;  also  in  the  Democratic  party,  in 
which  latter  he  was  a  prominent  worker,  holding 
various  township  offices.  At  one  time  he  was  a 
Lutheran  in  religion,  but  he  afterward  united  with 
the  Reformed  Church. 

Our  subject  was  the  youngest  of  four  children, 
the  others  being:  James  B.,  born  March  18, 
1857,  is  a  merchant  in  Denver,  Colo.;  William 
R.  and  Calvin  R.  it  whim,  bom  March  19,  i860, 
both  reside  in  Pennsylvania,  the  former  in  Potter 
township.  Centre  county,  and  the  latter  in  Mifflin- 
burg,  where  he  is  principal  of  the  Mifflinburg 
high  school.      Charles  B.,  was  born  September 


20,  1867,  in  Potter  township.  Centre  county,  and 
was  twelve  years  old  when  his  parents  removed 
to  the  farm  which  he  now  conducts  so  admirably. 
He  and  his  brother,  Calvin  R.,  now  own  it  in 
I  partnership,  but  as  the  latter  is  absent  much  of 
the  time  the  responsible  management  falls  upon 
our  subject.  He  also  prepared  for  the  profession 
of  teaching,  his  education  being  begun  at  the 
Pine  Stump  school,  with  Ferguson  Potter  as  his 
first  teacher.  Twice  he  made  arrangements  to 
take  charge  of  a  school,  but  other  duties  inter- 
fering, he  has  always  remained  at  home,  where 
there  is  no  lack  of  work  to  employ  his  energies. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  progressive  and  public-spirited, 
but  beyond  giving  his  influence  and  his  vote  to 
the  Democratic  ticket  he  is  not  active  in  politics. 
On  September  26,  1895,  Mr.  Neff  was  mar- 
ried, in  Potter  township,  to  Miss  Maggie  Mover, 
who  was  born  near  Tusseyville,  Penn.,  May  26. 
1874.  the  third  child  and  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Elmira  Braman)  Mover.  She  has  four  sisters 
and  one  brother.  Mrs.  Neff  is  prominent  in  re- 
ligious and  social  circles,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church. 


THOMAS    BARNES.      Among  the  self-made 
men  of  Centre  county  are  many  citizens  of 
foreign   birth  who   have  become  conspicuous  in 
business  and   financial   circles   for  their  ability. 
integrity  and    enterprise,    and    the  story  of 
who  began  with  empty  pockets,  and  has  made  his 
way  to  prosperity  and  wide  influence,  is  a  helpful 
inspiring  study.      Thomas   Barnes,  who  is  no 
wealthy    coal    operator    of    Philipsburg,    Centre 
county,  and  president  of  the  Moshannon  National 
Bank   at   that   place,  was   born  May  1  ;,    1843,  in 
Lancashire,    England,  where   his  ancestors  h 
had  their  homes  for  many  generations. 

James    Barnes,   grandfather    of    our   subject, 
was   a   farmer  there,  and,  although   his  life   1 
passed  without  exciting  incident,  it  embodied  in 

lomestic  phases  a  beautiful  romance,  so  si 
ilar  to  certain  portions  of   the  widely-read  noi 
"  fohn   Halifax,  Gentleman,"  as  to  make  a  most 
striking  coincidence.      Like  the  hero  and  hen 
of  that  work,    James  Barnes  and   his   wife  Wi 
born  on  the  same  day  of  the  same  month,  but  tin 
grandmother  a  year  later  than  the  grandfather. 
They  were   married   on  their  common  birthday, 
and  died  on  another  anniversary  of  their  birth 
They  were  never  separated  for  even  the  space  of 
twenty-four    hours,    and    so    closely    were    they 
united    by   love   and    sympathy  that  one   could 
scarcely  suffer   a   pain    that    did    not   affect   thi 
other.      They  were  seventy-five  and  seventy-four 


, 


THOHAS    BARNES. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


441 


years  old,  respectively,  when  the  last  illness  fell 
upon  them.  When  the  final  summons  came  the 
wife  expired  first,  and  as  the  children  attempted 
to  remove  the  corpse  from  its  place  by  his  side 
the  dying  husband  motioned  to  them  to  leave  it, 
and  eighteen  minutes  later  he,  too,  breathed  his 
last. 

This  devoted  couple  left  a  numerous  family. 
Their  son  John,  our  subject's  father,  who  spent 
his  life  in  Lancashire,  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  and  his  wife  (whose  maiden  name  was 
Jennie  Hayes),  had  twelve  children,  viz.:  James 
(deceased),  Hannah  (now  Mrs.  Edward  Riley), 
Samuel,  Lawrence,  John,  Henry,  Isabella  (now 
Mrs.  James' Eastwood),  Thomas  (our  subject), 
Alice  Ann,  Jane  (now  Mrs.  George  E.  Smith), 
William,  and  Rachel  (the  last  named  being 
deceased).  Of  these,  only  three — Henry,  John 
and  Thomas — came  to  America,  the  others  re- 
maining in  their  native  land. 

Thomas  Barnes  crossed  the  ocean  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  to  test  his  fortunes  in  the  New 
World.  His  sole  inheritance  was  comprised  in 
his  sound  mental  and  physical  health  and  his  all- 
conquering  energy.  He  located  near  Philipsburg, 
and  having  but  a  few  dollars  at  hand  he  promptly 
began  at  the  first  work  that  he  could  find,  which 
happened  to  be  coal  mining.  This  occupation 
he  followed  until  1872,  when  he  secured  a  con- 
tract for  clearing  away  drift,  and  later  he  and  his 
brother  John  began  operating  the  Cuba  mine. 
Their  next  venture  was  with  the  Derby  mines  and 
Lancashire  mines  No.  1  and  No.  2,  and  since 
that  period  the  two  brothers  have  carried  on 
many  profitable  mining  enterprises  in  that  vicin- 
ity and  in  Cambria  county.  At  the  present  time 
Mr.  Barnes  is  a  partner  in  the  Baltic  mines  and 
others,  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  great  sagac- 
ity and  one  of  the  leading  operators  of  his  local- 
ity. As  is  well  known,  coal  mining  includes  many 
incidental  details,  and  Mr.  Barnes  and  his  brother 
conduct  stores  and  supply  places,  and  in  every 
way  meet  the  demands  of  the  business.  In  May, 
1897,  the  Moshannon  National  Bank  was  organ- 
ized at  Philipsburg,  Mr.  Barnes  being  appointed 
its  president. 

In  1864  Mr.  Barnes  married  Miss  Anna  Ash- 
croft,  also  a  native  of  Lancashire,  England,  and 
seven  children  were  born  of  their  union:  Jane, 
Margaret,  Ruth,  John,  Rachel,  Anna  and  Esther. 
Of  these,  Jane  married  J.  Johnson,  who  is  now 
conducting  our  subject's  store  in  Philipsburg,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Ruth.  Mr.  Barnes  is 
prominent  in  local  affairs,  is  a  vestryman  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  takes  great  interest  in  school 
matters,  and  is  liberal  in  his  donations.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican.     He  has  been  deservedly 


successful  in  his  undertakings,  and  now  owns  a 
fine  home  on  Centre  street,  Philipsburg,  besides 
an  elegant  block,  a  hotel,  and  a  gristmill. 


WILLIAM  W.  BOOB,  one  of  the  most  re- 
liable, progressive  and  capable  business 
men  of  Centre  Hall,  Centre  county,  was  born 
June  15,  1868,  in  Mifflinburg,  Penn.,  and  is  the 
eldest  child  of  R.  B.  and  Sarah  (Shearer)  Boob. 
When  two  years  old  he  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  where  he 
was  educated,  his  first  teacher  being  Julia  Wolf, 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  he  left  the  school  room 
and  began  assisting  his  father  in  the  blacksmith 
shop,  where  he  soon  learned  the  trade,  and  dur- 
ing the  six  years  he  remained  there  became  an 
expert  workman. 

In  Aaronsburg,  August  6,  1886,  Mr.  Boob 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cora  B.  Reif- 
snyder,  of  Millheim,  Centre  county,  a  daughter 
of  Urush  Reifsnyder,  and  have  one  child,  Grace 
L. ,  born  in  August,  1887.  For  a  time  after  his 
marriage,  Mr.  Boob  worked  in  a  blacksmith  shop 
in  Boalsburg,  Centre  county,  for  Mr.  Webber, 
later  was  in  the  employ  of  Samuel  Foust,  of 
Spring  Bank,  and  while  living  in  Millheim  worked 
as  a  blacksmith  in  the  foundry  at  Centre  Hall. 
Subsequently  he  established  a  shop  of  his  own  in 
Coburn,  which  he  conducted  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  and  then  removed  to  Centre  Hall, 
where  he  purchased  the  carriage  business  of  J. 
W.  Haney,  and  also  the  millinery  establishment 
of    Mrs.  Haney,  which    his   wife   now   conducts. 

After  one  year  spent  in  carriage  making,  he 
converted  his  shop  into  a  factory  for  the  manu- 
facture of  buggy  and  wagon  wheels,  and  now 
does  almost  an  exclusive  wholesale  business,  sell- 
ing his  wheels  throughout  the  Eastern  States,  in 
Norway,  Belgium, Germany,  Java,  Jamaica,  Aus- 
tralia, and  India.  He  gives  employment  to  a 
number  of  hands,  and  has  succeeded  in  building 
up  one  of  the  most  important  and  prosperous  in- 
dustries in  the  county.  Although  still  quite  young 
in  years,  he  is  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary 
business  sagacity,  is  enterprising  and  industrious, 
which  qualities  have  been  the  important  factors 
in  his  success,  and  his  business,  which  is  still  in 
its  infancy,  is  growing  rapidly  through  his  tire- 
less efforts.  His  familiarity  with  its  every  detail, 
and  the  close  attention  he  gives  it,  insures  its 
success,  and  in  the  near  future  he  will  undoubt- 
edly be  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  well-to-do 
citizens  of  the  community.  By  his  own  unaided 
efforts  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward 
from  a  humble  position  to  one  of  affluence,  and 
deserves  to  be  numbered  among  the  representa- 


442 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tive  and  prominent  business  men  of  Centre  coun- 
ty'. Politically  he  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party.  Taking  a  deep  inter- 
est in  the  cause  of  education,  he  is  at  present  an 
efficient  member  of  the  school  board.  Mr.  Boob 
has  an  office  in  New  York  City,  No.  1 1  Broad- 
way, for  his  export  trade  exclusively. 


F 


RANK  HAINES,  a  popular  young  photogra- 
pher of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  shows  a 
happy  combination  of  artistic  taste  and  business 
ability  which  promises  well  for  his  future.  He 
is  a  native  of  Philipsburg,  born  January  2,  1869, 
and  he  is  descended  from  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected Quaker  family  of  New  Jersey,  his  ances- 
tors having  come  from  England  at  a  very  early 
period,  to  escape  the  religious  persecutions  of 
their  day. 

Daniel  Haines,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
lived  and  died  in  New  Jersey,  and,  like  his  ances- 
tors, was  a  steadfast  adherent  of  the  Friends 
Society.  Joseph  Haines,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Morristown,  N.  J.,  February 
26,  1841,  and  in  early  manhood  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania, locating  in  Bellefonte,  where  he  learned 
the  photographer's  trade.  In  1  S65  he  established 
himself  in  business  in  Philipsburg,  where  he  met 
with  the  success  which  his  fine  abilities  deserved. 
He  was  I  crat  in  politics,  and  in  religion  he 
followed  the  faith  of  his  forefathers.  Hisdeath, 
which  occurred  August  29,  [887,  cut  short  a  life 
which  seemed  to  be  entering  upon  the  rewards  of 
his  earlier  labors.  He  was  married  in  Bellefonte 
to  Miss  Prudence  Stone,  a  native  of  England, 
who  came   to   America   with   her   pai  I    the 

five  years    and    grew    to    womanhood  at 

efonte,  where  her  father,  Martin  Stone,  was 
in   his   1  is  a  prosperous  tit.      He 

was  born  in  <  iermany,  but  went  fc  1  England  when 
about  eight  years  old,  and  in  early  n  I  en- 

ed  in  mercantile  business,  owning  two  stores 
in  London,  which  he  sold  before  coming  to  the 
United  Mate-  Mrs.  Haines  is  still  living  at 
Philipsburg  with  her  four  children,  of  whom  our 

ject  is  the  eldest;  (2)  Orrin  is  the  cit)  elec- 
trician; home;  and  (4)  Harry  is 
attending  school. 

Frank  Haines  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Philipsburg,  and  at  the  same 
time  became  proficient  in  th  iphy 

through  assisting  his  father  as  need  required. 
This  early  and  constant  association  with  the 
business,  familiarizing  him  with  every  detail,  en- 
abled him  to  take  full  charge  after  his  father's 
death,  and  continue  it  with  undiminished  suc- 
cess during   the  past  nine  years.      In  the   social 


life  of  his  native  city  he  takes  an  active  part,  and 
is  a  valued  worker  in  various  organizations. 
Since  1888  he  has  been  a  member  of  Reliance 
Fire  Company  No.  1,  of  which  he  has  been  pres- 
ident, having  been  elected  in  September,  1896. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Malta,  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  American 
Photographers  Association,  and  the  Order  of 
Mechanics,  in  which  he  is  a  past  officer.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Democrat. 


JACOB  R.  SIMLER,  of  Philipsburg,  Centre 
county,  is  a  native  of  that  city,  born  May  4, 
1 87 1,  and  a  son  of  George  B.  and  Amanda 
(Carpenter)  Simler,  who  have  for  many  years 
been  prominently  identified  with  its  in  teres 
He  acquired  a  common-school  education,  and  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years. 

On  November  22,  1893,  Mr.  Simler  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sallie  B.  Beamer,  and  they  have  an 
interesting  little  daughter,  Evelyn,  born  April  II  . 
1896.     The  mother  was  born  in  Clearfield,  Clear- 
field Co.,  Penn.,  October    13,    1S74,  a  daugl 
of  Owen  A.  and  Lucetta  (Elder)  Beamer,  natives 
of  Centre  county,  the  former  born  February 
1853,  and  the  latter  on  July  5.   1853.      Thej  n 
reside   in    Latrobe,    Westmoreland    Co.,  Penn., 
where  the   father  is  serving  as  clerk   in  a  hof 
Their  family  consisted  of  eight   children:      Will- 
iam H.,  who  died  in  childhood;  Sallie  B.,  wHeof 
our  subject;  Clara    A  .  at    home;  Orlando,    « 

I  in  childhood;  Eva,  who  is  residing  with  Mi 
Simler  and  attending  school;  and  Charles.  Lai 
and    Oscar,  all    three    at   home.      The    paternal 
grandparents  of   Mrs.  Simler.  Jacob  A.  and   I 
becca  (Fister     Beamer,  were  of  German  exti 
tion,   and    the  grandfather   was  a   forgeman 
occupation.     Jacob  A.  Beamer  served  in  Com- 
pany  C,  208th    Regiment  P.  V.  I..  Army  of  the 

• 

At   the    age    of  en   years,  Mr.  Sii 

began  working  for  his  brother,  George  B. ,  in 
express  business,  andwasthusen 

He  belongs  to  the  Order  of  Red  Men 
Philipsburg,  is  a  stalwart    Republican  in  polil 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.     He 
is  a  prominent  and  energetic  young   man.  ol 
upright   moral  character,  and   possesses  the  t 
spirit  of  progress  and  enterprise  which  characl 
izes  the    American    people.      In    April,    1 
commenced  the  business  of  selling  oil  to  the  c 
sumers  ol    Philipsburg,  and  is  working  up  a  1 
trade,  having  already  on  his  list  some  two  bun- 
customers. 

1  or  several  years,  Mr.  Simler   has  displ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


443 


a  remarkable  talent  for  hunting.  In  connection 
with  his  brother  William  N.,  he  has  carried  on 
the  business  of  taxidermist  for  his  own  use,  and 
they  have  elegant  collections  of  mounted  birds 
and  animals.  Since  1889  they  have  made  a  busi- 
ness of  taxidermy  in  every  branch  of  the  art. 
The  collections  referred  to  contain  the  following 
specimens:  Blue-wing  teal  duck,  barred  owl, 
Virginia  rail  bird,  sandpiper,  snipe,  plover,  wood- 
cock, meadow  lark,  Virginia  warbler,  Kentucky 
warbler,  blue  swallow,  brown  thrush,  flocker 
screech  owl,  duck  hawk,  chimney  swallow,  nuv- 
vin,  brown  creeper,  snow  owl,  pheasant  (two 
days  old,  and  an  old  one),  falks  sparrow,  flying 
squirrel,  humming  bird,  hoot  owl,  brown  screech 
owl,  pigeon  hawk,  loon,  butter  duck,  bullfinch, 
Baltimore  oriole,  cedar  bird,  golden  bird,  night 
hawk,  sparrow  hawk,  teal  duck,  red  bird,  black 
head  warbler,  chicken  hawk,  Indian  hen,  red- 
headed woodpecker,  black-headed  woodpecker, 
great  squaw  duck,  Indigo  bird,  red-eye  verrio, 
red-headed  bee  bird,  winter  rew,  green  hern, 
partridge,  great  bittern,  chippie,  snowbird,  sap 
sucker,  pine  finch,  chickadee,  great  squaw  duck, 
kingfisher,  bluebird,  martin,  red-winged  black- 
bird, bluejay,  squirrel  hawk,  jack  snipe,  white- 
headed  sparrow,  skylark,  pallerope,  water  thrush, 
killdeer,  yellow  breasted  woodpecker,  small  bee 
bird,  robin,  least  bittern,  chewink,  goslin,  bona- 
parte  seagull,  butcher  bird,  shore  lark,  cuckoo, 
sparrow  hawk,  crown  kinglet,  blackburn  warb- 
ler, chestnut  warbler,  Virginia  warbler,  horned 
grieb,  black  cot,  Jersey  red  bird,  Kennedy  rail 
bird,  snow  bunting,  American  cot,  blue  heron, 
Tom  Lee,  Church  Will  widow,  whippoorwill, 
black-headed  tern,  red-tail  hawk,  white  spar- 
row, and  herring  gull.  These  lovely  specimens 
the  brothers  have  in  glass  cases  in  their  par- 
lors, where  they  may  be  admired  by  the  many 
friends  of  the  family. 

William  N.  Simler,  a  skilled  and  expert  taxid- 
ermist, also  makes  a  business  of  mounting  ani- 
mals and  birds,  and  tanning  furs  for  rugs,  etc. 
He  was  married  December  30,  1884,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  G.  Osslare,  a  native  of  Brookfield, 
Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Malinda 
(Verbeck)  Osslare,  in  whose  family  were  ten  chil- 
dren. 


MALCOLM   LAURIE,    an  enterprising  and 
deservedly  successful  young  business  man  of 
Bellefonte,   was  born  January   19,    1871,    in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 

As  his  name  suggests,  his  ancestors  trod  the 
heather  hills  of  "  Auld  Scotia,"  and  he  possesses 
in  a  marked   degree    the  shrewd    practical   mind 


which  is  characteristic  of  the  Scotch  race.  His 
father,  the  late  John  Laurie,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land in  1834,  coming  to  America  when  a  young 
man,  and  was  married  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  to 
Miss  Mary  Connor,  now  deceased.  He  was  a 
traveling  salesman  for  some  time.  Before  the 
war  he  was  engaged  in  the  cotton  trade  in  the 
South,  but  left  that  occupation  in  i860  and  went 
to  California.  In  1868  he  made  his  home  in 
Bridgeton,  N.  J.,  and  became  interested  in  the 
Cohansey  Glass  Company  in  that  city.  While 
in  that  business  he  made  two  trips  through  South 
America.  To  John  and  Mary  Laurie  six  chil- 
dren were  born:  William,  now  residing  at  Colo- 
rado Springs,  Colo. ;  Miss  Mary  Laurie,  who  lives 
in  Glasgow,  Scotland;  Helen,  the  wife  of  Blythe 
Wilke,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland;  and  J.  Malcolm, 
of  this  sketch.  Annie  and  Jennie  died  in  infancy. 
The  first  years  of  our  subject's  life  were 
spent  in  New  Jersey,  but  as  his  parents  died  dur- 
ing his  boyhood  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of 
an  uncle  in  Bellefonte,  Rev.  William  Laurie, 
D.  D.,  a  well-known  Presbyterian  clergyman. 
His  education  was  continued  at  the  Bellefonte 
Academy,  and  on  completing  his  course  there  he 
worked  for  four  years  as  a  bookkeeper  in  Belle- 
fonte. In  1893  he  established  the  Bellefonte 
Steam  Laundry,  of  which  he  has  made  a  decided 
success,  and  in  1895  he  erected  a  building  spe- 
cially designed  for  his  business,  the  formal  open- 
ing taking  place  July  18  of  that  year.  Mr. 
Laurie  is  not  married,  and  is  prominent  socially 
as  a  member  of  the  Bellefonte  Club.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  his  high 
character  has  won  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  a 
large  circle  of   acquaintances. 


JOHN  Q.  MILES,  treasurer  of  Centre  county, 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  officials  at  the 
county  seat,  and  illustrates  the  best  type 
of  American  citizenship  in  both  public  and  private 
life. 

Mr.  Miles  was  born  March  17,  1843,  in  Clear- 
field county,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Wil- 
son) Miles,  and  has  always  been  identified  with 
this  section.  The  schools  near  his  early  home 
afforded  him  a  practical  education,  and  in  1861, 
while  yet  a  mere  boy,  he  gave  proof  of  his  cour- 
age and  patriotism  by  enlisting  from  Clearfield 
county  in  Company  I,  84th  P.  V.  I.  His  gal- 
lant conduct  at  the  front  won  him  a  reputation 
as  a  brave  fighter,  but  after  nine  months  of  serv- 
ice a  fever,  brought  on  by  exposure  and  hard- 
ships, so  weakened  his  system  that  he  was  dis- 
charged for  disability.  In  May,  1862,  he  located 
in   Centre    county,   where    in    1865   he    married 


lit 


COM.VKM<>i;.l  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   REOCBD. 


Lydia  A.  Richards,  a  native  of  that  county, 
and  three  children:  Lizzie,  Maggie  and  John, 
brighten  their  home.  John  Q.  Miles'  election  in 
[893  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  caused  him 
to  remove  to  Bellefonte,  but  previously  he  had 
his  residence  at  Martha  Furnace  in  Bald  Eagle 
Valley.  Witty  and  genial,  Mr.  Miles  has  the 
happy  faculty  of  making  friends,  whom  his  ster- 
ling qualities  of  character  bind  to  him  with  the 
lasting  tie  of  respectable  esteem.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat. 

The  ancestors  of  our  subject  were  earh 
tiers  in  the  City  of  Brotherlj  Love,  where  Gen. 
Samuel  Miles,  his  great-grandfather,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  resided,  and  of  which  city  he  was 
mayor.  John  Miles,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
was  born  there  He  became  prominent  in  the 
iron  industry,  and  at  onetime  was  interested  in 
the  development  of  Centre  county.  Our  sub- 
ject's father.  John  Miles  (2)  was  born  in  the  ar- 
senal at  Philadelphia.  With  an  uncle  he  came 
to  Centre  country,  and  built  and  operated  Cen- 
tre Furnace  and  the  McCoy  Iron  Works.  Miles- 
burg  was  named  in  their  honor,  and  at  that  time, 
as  in  the  present,  the  family  name  was  a  synonym 

for  business  ability  and  enterprise  c bined  with 

public  spirit. 


WLEXANDEF  FAMILY.  This  family, 
.A\.  whirl)  has  been  prominent  in  central 
Pennsylvania    from   an   early   day,   is   of    Scotch 

[in.  The  earliest  member,  of  which  there  is 
record,  was  Thomas  Alexander,  who  was  promi- 
nent in  Lanark,  Scotland,  about  1710.  I  lis  son 
John,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  in  I  700,  married 
Mai-. net  Glasson,  daughter  of  Donald  Glasson, 
of  tin  city  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  migrated 
to  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  a  few  years  later. 
In  1 7  }6  he  came  to  America,  and  besides  his 
three  sons — Hugh,  James  and  John— and  bis 
daughters — Rachel  and  Margaret  there  came 
with  him  his  two  nephews  Hugh  and  James — 
and   his   niece,    who   had    married   a    Mr.   Polk  in 

ind.        Then   fust  settlement  was  made  in  Not- 

liani.  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  on  the  east  side  of 
Octorara  creek,  near  the  Maryland  line.  After 
residing  there  a  few  years  the  little  colony  di- 
vided and  dispersed.  The  nephews,  Hugh  and 
James,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Polk,  went  to  Meck- 
lenburg, N.  C,  while  John,  with  his  son  of  the 
same     name,     r<  I     in      Pennsylvania     and 

settled,  first,  near  Carlisle,  and,  later,  nearCham- 
bersburg. 

fames  Alexander,  second  son  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Glasson)  Alexander,  was  born  in 
County    Armagh,    Ireland,    in    1826,    and    came 


with  his  parents  to  America  in  1836.  He  re- 
moved with  his  father  to  Cumberland  county, 
Penn.,  and  there  married  Rosa  Reed,  who  died 
in  1792.  James  Alexander  was  a  man  of  re- 
markable energy  and  enterprise,  and  having 
ried  Rosa  Reed,  near  Chambersburg,  Penn.,  the 
associations  of  the  locality  led  him  to  deter- 
mine to  explore  the  new  territory  adjacent,  and 
if  possible  found  a  new  colony.  In  carrying  out 
this  project  in   1755,  he  traveled  about  a  hundred 

north   through   the  wilderness,  and  his  at- 
11    being  arrested  by  the  beauty  of  thi 
ley,  he  located  there  and  took  out  a  warrant  for 
one  thousand  acres  of  land  across  the  middle  of 
the  Valley  and  reaching  from  Jack  s  Mountain  to 
Stone    Mountain.      He    returned    home    f< 
family,  and  took  back  with  him  to  help  found  the 
new  settlement  a  friend  who  also  had  his  family. 
They  carried  all  their  effects  on  horseback.    J 
Alexander  settled  at  the  spring  which  forms  the 
source  of  Spring  run.  and  a  short  distance  awaj 
at  another  spring   stood   the   house  of  the  1 
Chief    "Logan        the    renowned    head    of   the 
Mingo    tribe,  who    lived    long  on   friendly   terms 
with   his  white    neighbor.      One  day  soon  after 
1  -    Alexander    settled     at     his     new    home, 

"Logan  '  went  to  the  hou^e,  and,  having  | 
the  confidence  of  his  neighbor's  little  son,  carried 
him  to  his  cabin;  the  father  was  absent,  and  the 
terrified  tnothei    dared  not  resist;   but  aftei 
eral  hours  of  terrible   anxiety   she   determined  to 

her  child  at  any  hazard.  Her  relief  can 
be  imagined  when  she  met  the  friendly  chii 
rying  her  boy,  who  was  wearing  a  beautiful  pair 
of  beaded  moccasins,  which  he  had  made  for  his 
little  friend.  This  story  has  often  appeared  in 
print  concerning  a  little  daughter  of  William 
Brown,  but  ''Logan  "  was  doubtless  in  the  habit 
of  showing  his  friendship  in  this  was 

fames  Alexander  was  active  111  Church  wi 
and   assisted   in    establishing   the    first    l'n 

1  h  in  the  Valley       1  fe  took  part  in  the 
Revi  il  1    war.  and   was  in   the   commi 

department    of     Washington's  army   at    \ 

during  the  memorable  winter  of    17" 
For  these   services   he   received  sixteen  hundred 
acres    of    land,    which    he   located    in    Cle 
counts.       He    died    in    1791,    and   was   bun 
the  buck  Presbyterian  church  at  West  Kis 
quillas.      Eleven    children    were  born  to    | 
Alexander  and  Kosa  Reed,  the  names  with 
of  birth  being  as   follows:     Jane,  born    in 
Robert,  born  in   October,   1766;   Elizabeth. 
in  1768;  John,  in  1769;   James,  in    1771:    H 
in    November,    1772;  Joseph,   in    17 — .   Ra 
in    1780;   William,    in    1782;   Rosanna,  in 
and  Reed,  in  17 — . 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


445 


Of  the  above,  Robert  Alexander  was  the  next 
in  the  line  of  ancestry  which  we  are  now  tracing. 

!  Upon  the   death   of  his   father   he   settled   upon , 
that  part  of  the   Kishacoquillas  land   which  he 
named   "  Stone  Mountain."      He  became  a  pros- 

j  perous  farmer  and  respected   citizen,  and   was  a 

I  man  of  incorruptible  integrity,  sound  judgment, 
and  most  remarkable  powers  of  memory.  So  un- 
usual was  the  development  of  the  faculty  that  after 

i  hearing  a  sermon  he  could  repeat  it  almost  ver- 
batim.    This  trait  has  been  inherited  by  many  of 

!  his  descendants.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace 
for  forty-five  years,  but  so  kind,  just  and  peacea- 

jble  was  he  that  in  all  that  time   only  two    cases 

;came  to  the  point  of  a  trial  before  him,  and  both 
of  these  were   finally  settled  without  costs.      In 

i  1 823  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  by  the  larg- 
est Democratic  majority  ever  given  in  his  district, 

iyet  no  persuasion  could  induce  him  to  become  a 
candidate  for  re-election.  He  married  Elizabeth 
McClure  (born  March  8,  1768,  died  in  1832), 
and    had    the    following    children  :       Elizabeth, 

James,  Mary,    Robert,    McClay,    Nancy,  Robert, 

'William,  and  Cyrus  and  Silas  (twins). 

Of  the  above,  James  Alexander  was  born 
January  17,  1793,  and  died  December  18,  1850. 
On  November  27,   1821,  he  married   Ann  Lewis, 

:| who  was  born  April  22,  1799,  and  died  in  18 — -. 
Their  children  were:      Robert,  born    October  9, 

j' 1 822,  died  January  20,  1847;  Elizabeth,  born 
June  9,  1824,  married  James  Alexander  in  1848, 

,  and  lives  in    Kansas;  Celia   Ann,  born    March  3, 

'1826,  married  Owen  Copelin,  of  Milroy,  Penn. ; 
James  Read,  born  April  7,  1828,  married  May 
Wolfe;  Euphemia,  born  April  21,  1830,  died 
May  8,  1835;  Louisa  J.,  born  July  7,  1832,  mar- 
ried Daniel    Leyden;  Samuel,    born  August  15, 

1 1834,  died  November  29,  1861,  as  assistant  sur- 
geon of  the  2nd  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  being 
killed   in   battle;    Cyrus   T.    is   mentioned   more 

[fully  below;    Mary    Jane,     born    December    18, 

,11838,    died   May  26,    1841;  Alice   Annette,   born 

jljuly  29,  1844,  died  December  6,  1847. 

Hon.  Cyrus  T.  Alexander  was  born  Sep- 
tember 10,    1836,   in  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  and 

i|  was  educated  at  Dickinson  Seminary,  graduating 
jin  1853.      In  August,  1859,  he   was   admitted  to 
'the  Bar  of  Centre  county,  and  locating  at  Belle- 
fonte,   began    a    successful    professional    career. 
[For  eleven  years  he  was  in  partnership  with  Hon. 
|J.  H.  Orvis  (since  a  judge  of  the  25th  District), 
and  afterward  Mr.  Alexander  became  the  senior 
member  of  the  well-known  firm   of  Alexander  & 
Bovver.      Mr.  Alexander  was  pre-eminent  among 
his  professional  brethren  for  his  ability  in  dealing 
with  the  vexatious  problems  arising  in   connec- 
tion with   overlapping   surveys    under  the    land 


grants  in  this  State.  Always  a  close  student,  a 
remarkable  memory  made  his  researches  in  any 
chosen  branch  a  permanent  possession.  He  was 
an  ardent  Democrat,  and  in  1861  and  1862  he 
became  part  owner  of  the  Democratic  Watchman, 
which  he  edited  during  that  time  in  addition  to 
his  other  duties.  His  abilities  gave  him  promi- 
nence in  political  circles  also,  and  in  1864-65  he 
was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  repre- 
sent Centre  county  in  the  State  Legislature.  In 
November,  1878,  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  served  four  years  with  distinction. 
As  a  business  man  he  displayed  the  same  remark- 
able energy  and  sagacity  which  brought  him  suc- 
cess in  other  lines,  and  in  1868  he  and  his 
brother,  J.  R.  Alexander,  purchased  about  200 
acres  of  land  lying  north  from  Buffalo  Run  creek 
to  the  gap  between  Milesburg  and  Bellefonte. 
Here  they  developed  the  finest  limekilns  in  the 
State,  which  they  continued,  in  connection  with 
a  coal  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  R.  & 
C.  T.  Alexander.  In  1880  they  opened  the  first 
implement  and  seed  store  ever  established  at 
Bellefonte,  and  conducted  it  until  January  1, 
1885,  when  they  leased  the  plant  to  McCalmont 
&  Co.,  and  withdrew.  About  the  same  time  C. 
T.  Alexander  contracted  a  severe  cold  which  set- 
tled in  his  throat,  and  this,  in  spite  of  the  best 
medical  treatment,  resulted  in  his  death.  He 
left  a  widow  and  two  children — Roberta  T. ,  now 
Mrs.  H.  S.  Yarrington,  and  J.  W.,  a  leading  at- 
torney of  Bellefonte,  of  whom  further  mention 
is  made  below.  Mrs.  Yarrington  was  born  Sep- 
tember 15,  1859,  and  was  carefully  educated, 
being  a  graduate  of  Wilson  College,  at  Cham- 
bersburg,  Penn.  Her  husband,  the  late  H.  S. 
Yarrington,  was  for  thirty  years  previous  to  his 
death  the  treasurer  of  the  Richmond  &  Freder- 
icksburg and  the  Potomac,  Richmond  &  Danville 
railroads.  She  has  three  children:  Cyrus  A., 
Louise,  and  Greyson. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  T.  Alexander,  who  still  resides  in 
Bellefonte,  was  formerly  Miss  Margaret  Potter. 
She  was  born  near  Boalsburg,  Penn.,  May  8, 
1837,  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Alexander  in  Oc- 
tober, 1858.  Her  grandfather,  Fergus  Potter, 
an  early  settler. in  Penn's  Valley,  came  from  Ire- 
land about  17 — ,  and  spent  his  remaining  years 
there.  He  left  a  large  family,  among  whom  was 
a  son  Samuel,  Mrs.  Alexander's  father,  who  be- 
came a  prominent  citizen  of  Bellefonte,  where 
for  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  business  as  a 
tanner.  He  died  in  Centre  county  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six;  his  wife  is  also  deceased.  They  had 
five  sons — William,  John,  James,  Samuel  and 
George — and  four  daughters — Jane  (who  mar- 
ried Abram  V.    Miller),    Susan   (deceased),    Mar- 


«. 


146 


cummi:m(ii:a  tive  bioqraphu  a  i.  BBt  'OBJ). 


garet  (now  Mrs.  Alexander),  and  Sarah  (who 
married  Donald  Mc Bride,  and  resides  in  Law- 
rence, Kansa 

J.  W.  Alexander,  of  Bellefonte,  whose  an- 
cestry we  have  thus  traced,  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  this  honored  family.  He  was  born 
August  24,  1864,  and  had  his  early  home  upon  a 
farm  in  Spring  township.  Centre  county,  on  the 
outskirts  of  Hellefonte.  After  attending  the 
public  schools  of  that  borough  for  some  time,  he 
entered  Bellefonte  Academy  and  was  in  att< 
ance  there  three  years.  In  18S0,  on  the  six- 
teenth anniversary  of  his  birth,  he  was  enrolled 
in  the  freshman  class  of  Pennsylvania  State  Col- 
lege, and  in  [884  he  completed  the  scierititic 
course,  graduating  with  the  degree  of  B.  S. 
(  twing  to  ill  health  he  did  not  begin  his  profes- 
sional studies  immediately,  but  after  his  father's 
death  he  prepared  for  the  Bar  under  the  direction 
of  Judge  John  G.  Love,  and  March  4,  1890,  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  inherited  his  father's 
law  library,  a  large  and  valuable  collection,  and 
has  already  won  a  name  as  an  accurate  student. 
As  he  is  somewhat  retiring  in  disposition,  he  in- 
clines to  those  branches  of  professional  work 
where  good  memory,  deep  research  and  sound 
logic  are  of  more  account  than  rhetorical  ability, 
Inn  he  has  nevertheless  made  a  success  of  court- 
room business,  making  pleas  which  have  been 
highly  complimented  for  their  strength  and  effect- 
iveness. He  has  always  practiced  alone,  and 
does  a  general   law  business. 

In  the  social  world  Mr.  Alexander  holds  a 
high  position.  Genial  and  companionable,  he 
has  a  host  of  lriends,  and  he  is  identified  with 
several  fraternal  orders.  He  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  K.  G.  E.  since  its  organization  in 
Bellefonte,  and  was  instrumental  in  organizing 
the  Bellefonte  Conclave  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Heptasophs.  On  July  10,  1894,  he  joined 
Company  B,  ;th  Penn.  X.  G.,  entering  as  a  pri- 
vate, and  has  been  promoted  until  he  now  holds 
the  rank  oi  second  sergeant.  He  is  thoroughly 
versed  in  militarj   tactics,  having  graduated   as  a 

tain  of  a  military  company  at  State  Coll* 


C\  WEAVER,  deputy  sheriff  of  Centre 
nty,  and  a  prominent  resident  of  the  pic- 
turesque city  of  Bellefonte,  has  been  for  some 
years  an  influential  factor  in  political  affairs  in 
his  county.  His  family,  which  is  of  German  ex- 
traction, is  well-known  there,  his  grandfather, 
George  Weaver,  having  come  from  southern 
Pennsylvania  mans  0   to  make  his  home 

upon  a  farm  in    Haines  township,  where  he   and 


his  wife.  Sallie  (Harper),  reared  a  family  of  three 
sons:  Noah,  who  died  at  Woodward  in  1894,  was 
a  farmer  and  at  one  time  oil  operator;    Henry  A 
is  mentioned  more  fully  below;   Adam  shot  him- 
self by  accident  while  hunting  foxes. 

Henry  A.  Weaver,  our  subject's  father, 
born  at  the  old  home  in  Haines  township  in  1825. 
He  served  three  years  in  the  war  for  the  Union, 
as  a  private  in  Company  1),  148th  P.  V.  I.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer;  .in  religious  faith  he 
leading  member  of  the  Reformed  Church; 
and  he  took  much  interest  in  political  questions, 
voting  with  the  Democratic  party.  By  his  first 
wife,  Kosetta  .   also  a   native    of  Haines 

township,  he  had  four  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  eldest;  Anna  married  Oliver 
Wolf;  Katie  married  C.  C.  Bell,  and  George  G. 
is  a  farmer  in  Haines  township.  The  mother  of 
this  little  family  was  called  from  earth  in  1864, 
and  the  father  subsequently  married  Effie  Gram- 
ley,  a  native  of  Miles  township,  Centre  county. 
Two  children  were  born  of  this  union:  M 
S.  and  T.  l 

C.  A.  Weaver,  our  subject,  was  born  February 
13,   1S53,  and  his  education  was  secured  in  part  at 
the  schools  near  the  old  homestead,  in  part  at  those 
of  Miles  township,  Centre  comity.     Shortly  after 
the  death  of  his   mother,  the  necessity  for  mak- 
ing his  own  way  in  the  world  became  apparent, 
and  when  twelve  years  old  he  began  working  for 
his  board  and  clothes  in  Brush  Valley,  where  he 
remained  two  years.      He  then  spent  some  time 
working  for   fanners  ami    at   driving   teams,  and 
for  one   year  was  a  clerk  in  Wolfe's  store.     Re- 
turning to  Haines  township,  he  clerked  for  B.  F. 
Philips,  at  Aaronsburg,  for  a  year,  and  then  for 
the  same  length  of  time  he  drove  a  meat  wagon, 
but   the   next    two    years   he   passed    in   th< 
region  in  Schuylkill  county,  working  in  a  whole- 
sale Hour  and  leed  store.     He  then  went  to  Penn 
Hall,  and  remained  there  six    years    as  clerk  for 
Major    Fisher,  his    next    employment   being  in  a. 
store  at  Shamokin,  Northumberland  county.   De- 
siring to  go  into  business  for  himself,  he  returned 
t"   Varonsburg  and  engaged   in  huckstering,  con- 
tinuing thereat  three  years,  later  becoming 
ested  in  the  bottling  business  and  the   mat 
ure  of  soft  drinks.       After  three  years  of  si. 
ful  effort  in  these  lines  he  sold  out,  and  ha 
since  been  in  political  life.      For  three  years  he 
had  held    the    office  of  assessor,  and  in    1S93  he 
was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  register,  b 

ted.      On    June    9,    1896,    In 
nomination  for  county  treasurer.     His  intei 
public  affairs  extends  beyond  politii 
ever,    and    he    is    always    ready    to    forward    aBJ 
measure  for  local  improvement.     He  i> 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


447 


member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  while,  socially, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Order  of  the  Golden 
Eagle. 

In  1 89 1  Mr.  Weaver  married  Miss  Mabel  Ed- 
munds, a  native  of  Haines  township,  born  in 
1872,  and  their  home  is  brightened  by  a  daugh- 
ter, Edna  Lucretia. 


JOHN  SPANGLER.  The  lives  of  honored 
ancestry  and  of  Revolutionary  heroes  fur- 
nished man\'  valuable  lessons  both  of  en- 
couragement and  inspiration;  but  one  need  not 
look  to  the  past,  for  ofttimes  in  the  lives  of  those 
around  us  is  shown  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
diligence,  perseverance  and  putting  to  practical 
use  the  opportunities  which  come  to  all.  Mr. 
Spangler  is  one  in  whose  career  may  be  traced 
these  qualities,  and  who,  as  a  result,  occupies  a 
place  among  the  leading  and  substantial  citizens 
of  Centre  county. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  what  was  then  Un- 
ion, but  is  now  Snyder,  county,  Penn.,  March 
18,  1828,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
old  families  of  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  where 
his  grandfather,  Christian  Spangler,  was  born 
and  reared.  He  had  a  family  of  four  sons — 
John;  Christian,  who  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  died  at  Sunbury,  Penn.,  while 
rii  route  to  the  field  of  battle;  Daniel  and  Jona- 
than. The  sons  all  reached  adult  age  and  had 
families,  as  did  several  daughters,  two  of  whom 
went  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day. 

Jacob  Spangler,  father  of  our  subject,  was  the 
second  child  of   the  family,  and  was  born  about 
1783,  in  Union  county,  two  miles  below  Centre- 
ville.      He   learned    the  weaver's  trade,    and    in 
what  is  now  Snyder   county  wedded   Miss  Mary 
Schroyer.      From  the  home  farm  he  obtained  a 
horse,  and   began  the  operation  of   a  hill  farm 
near  New   Berlin.      Subsequently    he   purchased 
the  homestead  property  of  his  father-in-law,  and 
there  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  and 
he  at   the  age   of  sixty-seven  years.      He    made 
farming  his  life  work,  and  became  the  possessor 
of  a  valuable  property  and   considerable  money, 
I  which  would  have   amounted  to   a   much  larger 
'■sum  had  he  not  lost  considerable  through  going 
security  for  others.      In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat.     He  held   several   offices  in  the   Lutheran 
j  Church,  to  which   he  belonged,  and   was  a  man 
I  whose  well-directed  business  efforts  brought  him 
success, 
gard. 

The  children  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Spangler 
were  nine  in  number,  namely:  Catharine,  who 
married  John  Kessler,  and    died   in  New  Berlin, 


while  his  honorable  life  won  his  high  re- 


Penn. ;  Elizabeth,  who  wedded  John  Seebold, 
and  died  near  New  Berlin;  Nancy,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Seebold,  and  died  near  New 
Berlin;  Susanna,  who  married  Michael  Miller, 
and  died  near  New  Berlin;  Elias,  who  resides 
near  that  town;  Jacob,  who  died  near  the  same 
town  in  the  spring  of  1896;  John;  William,  of 
Millerstown,  Penn. ;  George,  who  is  living  near 
New  Berlin;  Samuel,  of  Milroy,  Penn. ;  and  Lewis, 
who  died  in  New  Berlin  in  1895. 

John  Spangler  could  attend  school  but  irregu- 
larly during  his  boyhood,  for  his  services  were 
required  on  the  home  farm  until  eighteen  years 
of  age.  He  then  began  learning  the  blacksmith's 
trade  under  the  direction  of  John  Kessler,  who 
owned  a  smithy  three  miles  below  Middleburg,  in 
Snyder  county.  His  apprenticeship  covered 
three  years,  and  during  the  first  two  years  he  re- 
ceived no  wages,  but  was  allowed  four  weeks 
during  harvest  time  when  he  might  earn  money 
in  the  fields.  During  the  third  year  he  was  given 
$10  per  month  in  the  summer  and  $11  in  the 
winter.  He  saved  almost  every  cent  of  his  earn- 
ings, and  thus  on  the  expiration  of  a  year  was 
enabled  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account 
in  Adamsburg,  Snyder  county,  where  for  fourteen 
years  he  followed  his  trade.  On  April  1,  1862, 
he  came  to  Centre  Hill,  where  he  rented  a  black- 
smith shop  and  also  kept  a  tavern. 

After  two  years  he  came  to  Centre  Hall,  where 
from  1864  until  1867  he  had  charge  of  a  hotel. 
He  then  purchased  a  hotel  property  for  $7,000, 
and  a  month  later  sold  it  for  $8,100.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  he  removed  to  Millheim,  and  pur- 
chased the  "  Kreamer  Hotel,"  but  after  one  sum- 
mer he  sold  and  removed  to  Bellefonte,  where 
he  leased  the  "  Garman  Hotel"  and  purchased 
the  furniture;  but  possession  was  not  given,  and 
in  consequence  he  never  conducted  business  there. 
From  the  spring  of  1868  until  1878  he  carried 
on  the  "Centre  Hall  Hotel,"  and  was  then 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county,  entering  upon  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  on  the  first  Monday  in 
January,  1879.  After  an  incumbency  of  three 
years  he  returned  to  Centre  Hall,  where  for  sev- 
eral years  he  engaged  in  stock  dealing,  buying 
cattle  in  the  West  and  selling  in  Centre  county. 
Later  he  purchased  a  butcher  shop,  which,  in 
connection  with  his  son  Reuben,  he  operated  for 
four  years.  His  next  investment  made  him  the 
owner  of  ninety-six  acres  of  land  in  The  Loop, 
and  he  has  since  been  interested  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 

On  April  25,  1848,  in  Snyder  county,  Mr. 
Spangler  was  married  to  Miss  Susanna  (Barger) 
who  was  born  August  2,  1828,  in  Snyder  county, 
a  daughter  of  Abraham  (a  shoemaker)  and  Cath- 


L 


448 


COMMEMORATIVE  BKXIRAPIWAI.   UECORD. 


arine  (Boyer)  Barger,  whowere  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Simon,  now  of  Kansas;  Levi,  who  died 
in  Mifflin  county,  Penn. ;  Barbara,  whobecame  the 
wife  of  Henry  Mitchell,  and  died  in  Snyder  coun- 
ty; and  Susanna  i.Mrs.  Spangler).  Our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  four  children;  Hon.  J.  L. .  a 
man  of  prominence;  Howard  J.,  editor  of  the 
Parsons  Constitution,  of  Parsons,  W.  Va. ;  Annie, 
widow  of  H.  D.  Van  Pelt,  of  Centre  Hall;  and 
Reuben  B.,  manager  for  a  coal  company  in  Cam- 
bria county,  Pennsylvania. 

In  his  political  adherency,  Mr.  Spangler  is  a 
stalwart  Democrat,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his 
party.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  trustee  and 
deacon,  and  he  formerly  held  membership  in  the 
Odd  Fellow  and  Masonic  fraternities.  He  has  a 
pleasant  home,  and  has  reared  a  family  of  which 
he  has  just  reason  to  be  proud.  Realizing  the 
disadvantage  caused  by  limited  school  privileges 
he  has  given  his  children  excellent  educational 
opportunities,  and  the  family  ranks  high  in  the 
community.  Mr.  Spangler's  acquaintance  is  ex- 
tensive, and  bis  friends  accord  him  the  esteem 
which  is  ever  given  to  true  worth. 


CHARLES  THEODORE  FRYBERGER,  a 
leading  and  influential  resident  of  Philips- 
burg,  Centre  county,  is  well  worthy  of  promi- 
Di nt  mention  in  the  pages  of  this  work,  as  a 
more  eventful  history  than  his  would  be  difficult 
tn  find,  for  in  both  war  and  peace  he  seems  to 
have  the  faculty  of  being  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
important   happenings. 

("apt.  Fryberger  was  born  January  15,  1844, 
at  "  Near  Mackelavy  s  Forge,"  on  the  Schuylkill 
river  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.,  and  was  named 
after  Charles  Theodore  Knuskie,  of  Berks  county, 
Penn.  He  is  of  German  descent,  his  paternal 
grandparents  having  come  from  Germany  to 
America  early  in  the  present  century.  Their  son 
John,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Schuyl- 
kill county,  Penn.,  in  1809,  and  not  long  after- 
ward they  consigned  him  to  the  care  of  some 
maiden  aunts,  and  set  out  on  a  return  voyage 
to  the  Fatherland,  but    wire    never    heard    from 

in.  John  Fryberger  married  Sarah  Moyer, 
who  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  June  [3, 
1S17,  a  descendant  of  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected Pennsylvania-Dutch  family,  and  she  now 
resides  at  Milesburg,  P(  nn.  Of  her  nine  chil- 
dren, the  eldest,  Reuben  by  name, died  when  1 
years  old;  John  died  in  infancy;  Amanda  married 
Adam  Grim,  and  lives  in  Jasper  county,  Mo.; 
Mary  is  the  only    deceased    sister,  and   was   the 


wife  of  Emanuel  Shuey ;  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
comes  next  in  order  of  birth;  Anna  married  Jo- 
seph Garbrick;  Fliza  wedded  Dr.  Fisher,  of 
Zion,  Penn. ;  Sadie  married  George  W.  Camp- 
bell, of  Milesburg;  and  Mahlon  C.  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two  years. 

On  April  1.  1S45.  John  and  Sarah  1.  Moyer  > 
Fryberger  moved  to  Reber's  Mill,  on  the- 
Union  canal,  six  miles  northwest  of  Reading, 
Penn.,  and  April  2,  1850,  the  family,  then  con- 
sisting of  father,  mother,  our  subject,  and  three 
daughters,  went  to  Farmers  Mills  (''Fishers 
Mill"),  in  Pennsylvania,  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  "The  Penn  Cave,"  in  Centre  county.  On 
April  t,  1852,  the  family  again  moved,  this 
time  to  the  brick  gristmill  belonging  to  James 
Gordon,  within  a  half  mile  from  Hecla  Fur- 
'nace  (and  now  known  as  Hecla  Park,  on 
the  line  of  the  Central  Railroad  of  Pennsyl- 
vania). About  the  year  1855  the  family  re- 
moved to  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn  , 
where  for  three  years  they  lived  at  or  near 
Tylersville,  in  1858  returning  to  Centre  county, 
and  making  their  home  at  what  is  known  as  the 
old  McKinney  Mill,  belonging  to  the  Hecla  Fur- 
nace Co.  (destroyed  by  fire  in  1866). 

We  now  come  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  at  which  time  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  springs  into  prominence,  having  previous- 
ly been  employed  at  milling,  and  such  out-door 
work  as  the  management  of  the,  then,  Hecla  Iron 
Co.  saw  tit  to  have  him  do.  Having  to  work 
hard  in  order  to  provide  for  the  family  the  fa- 
ther having  been  disabled  by  an  accident  in  the 
machinery  at  the  mill),  also  being  constantly  put 
to  work  that  should  have  been  given  to  stronger 
men,  he  tired  of  the  yoke  and  decided  to  volun- 
teer into  the  Union  army,  under  the  lead  ol  Di 
James  P.  Gregg  and  of  Austin  Curtin,  with  Evan 
R.  Goodfellow  and  others — all  uniting  to  sound 
the  war  slogan.  At  Harrisburg  a  company  «■■- 
formed  September  14,  i860,  with  Austin  Curtin. 
captain;  Dr.  James  P.  Gregg,  first  lieutenant; 
Evan  K.  Goodfellow.  second  lieutenant,  with 
Charles  T.  Fryberger  as  one  of  the  privates  of 
Company  I  >,  45th  Regiment,  P.  V.  Infy..  which 
served  during  the  entire  struggle.  Promotions 
came  rapidly  to  Private  Fryberger,  he  bein| 
vanced  successively  to  corporal,  sergeant,  order- 
ly-sergeant, first  lieutenant,  and,  lastly,  captain 
of  the  company.  For  a  time  his  regiment  wai 
attached  to  Sherman's  forces  in  South  l 
ami  then  served  under  Grant  in  the  West,  later 
being  assigned  to  the  Anns  of  the  Potomac,  and 
taking  part  in  the  campaign  which  ended  in  I 

nder.     Capt.  Fryberger  participated  in  some 
of  the  most  important  battles  of  the  war.  inclml- 


L 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


449 


ing  the  engagements  at  South  Mountain,  Antie- 
tam,  Fredericksburg,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Blue 
Springs,  Lenore  Station,  Campbell's  Station,  the 
siege  of  Knoxville  (where  for  four  days  his  rations 
were  limited  to  one  ear  of  corn  a  day),  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  Court  House, 
Bethesda  Church,  Cold  Harbor,  the  siege  of 
Petersburg,  and  the  sanguinary  conflict  at  the 
Weldon  railroad.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
gave  up  army  life,  having  received  an  honorable 
discharge  by  general  order  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, and  in  1865  retired  to  civil  life,  in  good 
health,  having  escaped  everything  that  could  in- 
jure him  in  any  way,  save  an  attack  of  chills  and 
fever  while  serving  in  East  Tennessee  in  the  win- 
ter of  1S64. 

Two  days  after  his  discharge  our  subject  ar- 
rived at  Bellefonte,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
the  family  were  then  residing,  and  commenced 
clerking  for  John  W.  Cook  &  Co.,  dealers  in  dry 
goods,  etc.  On  April  1,  1866,  he  commenced  in 
the  cigar  and  tobacco  trade  at  Bellefonte,  for  his 
own  account,  retiring  from  same  in  1870,  and 
forming  the  firm  of  Fryberger  &  Grim,  general 
merchants,  fn  1873  an  additional  firm  (Fryber- 
ger &  Moran)  was  started  in  the  general  grocery 
business.  Both  these  stores  were  in  Bellefonte, 
and  both  proved  profitable  ventures.  The  sud- 
den death  of  Mr.  Moran,  of  the  one  firm,  and 
the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Grim  (who  removed  to 
Missouri)  from  the  other,  brought  about  the  first 
reverses  and  second  serious  trouble  in  Capt. 
Fryberger's  life  (for  in  the  meantime  he  had  lost 
his  first  wife,  as  will  be  related  in  due  course); 
so,  disposing  of  both  stores  in  Bellefonte,  he  as- 
sociated himself  with  the  extensive  lumber  firm 
of  Hoover,  Hughes  &  Co., of  Philipsburg,  Penn., 
at  which  time  a  general  store  was  started  in  con- 
nection with  their  lumber  and  planing-mill  busi- 
ness. For  eight  years  after  this  Capt.  Fryberger 
managed  the  various  stores  connected  with  the 
mills,  his  interest  therein  being  one-fourth  of  the 
profits.  At  the  same  time  he  was  chief  of  the 
office  force  forthe  lumber  and  mill  company;  also 
assistant  manager  of  the  various  sawmills,  as 
well  as  confidential  assistant  to  G.  W.  Hoover. 
On  February  15,  1884,  Capt.  Fryberger  formed 
a  partnership  with  L.  G.  Kessler,  under  the  firm 
style  of  Kessler  &  Fryberger,  proprietors  of  a 
general  store  in  Philipsburg,  Penn.,  which  con- 
tinued until  February  15,  1888,  when  the  firm 
dissolved,  Capt.  Fryberger  retiring. 

fn  the  meantime,  from  1884  to  1888,  our  sub- 
ject also  held  a  one-third  interest  in  the  firm  of 
Fryberger  &  Co.,  of  Tipton,  Blair  Co.,  Penn., 
and  of  Fryberger,  Aurand  &  Co.  ,of  frvona,  Clear- 
field Co.,  Penn.  In  1887,  in  company  with  John 
29 


Butterworth  and  John  Fenton,  he  opened  up  the 
land  on  Kentuck  Hill,  in  Decatur  township, 
Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  and  they  formed  the  com- 
pany known  as  the  Kentuck  Coal  Co.,  which  did 
a  successful  business  until  the  death  of  Mr.  But- 
terworth, when  the  interests  of  both  partners 
were  secured,  and  the  business  was  continued  un- 
der the  same  firm  name.  On  November  1 1, 1889,. 
Capt.  Fryberger's  present  grain,  flour  and  feed 
business  was  established  on  North  Front  street, 
where  a  general  wholesale  and  retail  trade  has 
since  been  successfully  conducted  in  connection 
with  the  coal  firm,  and  is  still  increasing.  In 
1893  the  heirs  of  the  J.  F.  Steiner  estate  selected 
our  subject  to  act  as  agent  for  the  entire  estate, 
and  he  was  in  part  instrumental  in  effecting  a 
lease  to  remove  the  coal  underlying  the  lands  of 
the  estate;  by  his  personal  effort  about  300  acres 
of  the  surface  of  the  Centre  county  side  of  the 
estate's  land  was  placed  on  the  market  and  sold 
to  various  parties. 

Capt.  C.  T.  Fryberger  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, first  time  on  January  23,  1869,  to  Mary  J. 
Brackbill,  of  Bellefonte,  and  one  son,  John  Ed- 
gar, was  born  to  them  February  7,  1870,  who  is 
now  a  clerk  in  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Phil- 
ipsburg. On  April  25,  1875,  the  mother  died, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Bellefonte. 
On  April  22,  1879,  at  "  Hill  Side,"  the  home  of 
the  bride,  our  subject  wedded  Miss  Ida  V.  Stein- 
er, of  Clearfield  county,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children:  Alton  (deceased),  Mahlon  S.,  Eliza- 
beth S.,  Mary  S.,  William  S.,  Philip  S.,  and 
Dorothy  S. 

Socially,  our  subject  was,  in  1873,  eminent 
commander  of  Constance  Commandery  No.  ^^, 
Knights  Templar,  at  Bellefonte.  In  1890  he  was 
commander  of  John  W.  Geary  Post  No.  90,  G. 
A.  R.  ;  in  1 891  was  president  of  Mountain  Lodge 
No.  144,  Order  of  Tonti;  in  1892  was  regent  of 
Centre  Council  No.  803,  Royal  Arcanum;  in  1888 
was  elected  trustee  of  the  Grand  Army  Post  No. 
90,  and  has  since  been  continuously  re-elected  to 
that  incumbency,  holding  it  at  the  present  time. 
In  1892  he  was  appointed  aid-de-camp  to  A.  G. 
Weissert,  commander-in-chief  of  theGrand  Army 
of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
with  rank  of  colonel.  Politically,  Capt.  Fryber- 
ger is  a  Republican,  and  his  popularity,  both 
within  and  without  the  party,  has  been  frequently 
practically  demonstrated.  In  1888  he  was  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  Assemblyman  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature,  facing  a  Democratic 
majority  of  1,100,  and  was  defeated  by  but  21 
votes,  reducing  the  formidable  majority  practic- 
ally to  a  minimum. 

The  Captain  is  a  leading  member  of  Trinity 


l.-.'i 


i  •n.VMKMOllA  Tl  VK  Jtlm; HAJ'j/li  .1  /.   RE(  <>11D. 


M.  E.  Church  at  Philipsburg;  for  five  years,  from 
1876  to  1881,  he  was  secretary  of  the  board  of 
stewards  of  the  Church,  and  in  1889  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  eight  trustees,  which  office  he 
has  held  continuously  ever  since. 

To  give  a  detailed  account  of  all  the  pleasure 
trips  that  have  tilled  Capt.  Fryberger's  leisure 
time  would  till  a  book  in  itself,  so  we  can  but 
simp  to  the  more  important  among  them: 

In  [876,  in  company  with  his  wife,  [da,  he  visited 
tbi    (  entennial    Exhibition    at    Philadelphia;   in 

8  they  were  present  at  the  Juniata  Valley 
Camp    M  of  the  M.    E.    Church:   in    1879 

they  visited  Philadelphia  on  the  occasion  of  the 
reception  accorded  Gen.  Grant  on  his  return 
from  his  trip  around  the  world;  the  same  year 
enjoyed  a  three-months'  sojourn  at  Pen 
field,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn. ,  on  Bennett's  branch 
of  the  Susquehanna  river.  In  [884,  along  with 
John,  Mahlon,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  William, 
(  apt,  and  Mrs.  Frybergi  1  passed  a  week  visiting 
the  historic  battlefield  at  Gettysburg.  In  1890 
Capt.  and  Mrs.  Fryberger  paid  Boston  a  visit, 
"taking  in"  Hunker  Hill,  Boston  Common, 
Cape  Cod,  Plymouth  and  Plymouth  Rock,  where 
the  Pilgrims  from  Holland  landed  in  [616.  Re- 
turning homeward    via   New  York,   they  visited 

lit  s  tomb;  the  Hudson  river;  the  Brooklyn 
bridge  across  East  river;  Wall  street;  Trinity 
Church;  Castle  Garden,  the  Bartholdi  "Stal 
ol  Liberty,"  which  they  ascended  until  the  giddy 
height  caused  our  subject  to  beat  a  retreat,  whilst 
his  wife,  though  ot  the  "weaker  sex,"  continued 
the  ascent    1  ;s  of   any    danger,  imaginary 

or  real.  In  1891  they  were  present  at  the  Pitts- 
burg Industrial  Fair,  at  the  same  time  visiting 
uncle  S.  II.  Keller  at  Williamsburg,  Penn.  In 
1892  they  found  themselves  at  Washington,  D. 
C. ,  with  headquarters  opposite  the  White  House, 
and  during  then  week's  stay  there  they  calli 
the  Soldiers'  Home,  Smithsonian  Institute,  Ar- 
lington National  Cemetery  and  the  War  Depart- 
ment; attended  a  reception  held  at  the  White 
House,  and  Mrs.  John  A.  Logan's  reception  at 
the  Capitol.  They  also  visited  the  Treasury 
Building.  \\  ishington's  tomb  at  Mt.  Vernon, 
the  Confederate  Monument  at  Alexandria,  '. 
the  Alexandria  Episcopal  Church,  at  Alexandria, 
Y.i.,   and    sat  in  the  pews  0C(  and 

Pi       i  Gi   >rge   \\  ashington  and  <  ien    Robert    I 
Lee,  respectively.      While  in  the  Senate  Chamber 
of  the  United  Stati  il  in  th(  iccu- 

pii  d   by   the  two   Pennsylvania  -     Hon 

Donald  ( )ameron  and  I  [on.  M  itthev  - 

In  1  pt.  and  Mrs,  Fr)  1  1  the 

"  Wi  ii  I         1      r"  at   Chi  thi  1  ity 

wa  ever  saw, "  says   the   Captain),  spending 


week  viewing,  among  other  objects  and  places  of 
interest.   Lincoln  Park,   Lake  Michigan,  and   had 
a  sail  on  the  ' '  Wbaleback, "  the  only  vessel  of  th 
kind  in  the  world  for  passenger  service  exclu- 
ly;    the     Masonic     Temple;    Haymarket    Square 
(where    the    Anarchists    threw    the    bomb  s 
years   ago,  killing  several  policemen  1;  the   Audi- 
torium; the  Stockyards;  "  Libby    Prison,"  which 
originally  stood  in  Richmond.  Va.,  &c,  cS:c.     In 

14  they  attended  the  National  Encampmen 
the  Grand  Arm}  ol  the  Republic,  held  at  Pitts- 
burg, Penn.,  one  of  the  most  pleasing  and  1  nter- 
t. lining  reunions  ever  held  by  that  body,  and  they 
also  visited  Hiland  and  Schenley  Parks; 
Wilkinsburg,  Penn.;  the  heights  above  the  city 
ol  Pittsburg;  the  Monongahela;  and  the  Car- 
tie  Library,  together  with  all  the  attractions 
it  the  citj  of  Allegheny.  On  August  22,  1897, 
they  visited  the  Falls  of  Niagara,  the  "Bison 
City  "  (Buffalo),  and  all  the  attractions  of  th 

it   and    grand    places.      During    their  week  s 
sojourn  in   and  about    Buffalo,  the   President  of 
the   United  States,  Maj.  William    McKinlej 
.1   1  the  old  soldiers  of  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
u.  who  were  there  in  force  as  an  organizal 
of  the  G.  A.  R.      During  this  trip  Capt.  and  Mrs 
Fryberger  visited  the  oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania. 
and   beheld  all   the  wonders  of   that  marvelouslv 
thrilling,  oily,  greasy  section  of  this  fair  land. 

Thus  the  life  of  Charles  Theodore  Frylx 
bears  testimony  in  language  not  to  be  misund 
stood,  to  what  it  is  possible  tor  man,  with  wil 
heart   and   hand--   to  accomplish;  how,  from  I 
bottom  rung  of    the  ladder,  upward,  to  workout 
for   himself   an   honorable    competency,   a  solid 
reputation  and  a  good  name. 


JolIN    KERSTETER  (deceased)  in  his 
time  was  a  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  where  he  was  1 
November  13,   1 S 1  5 .      His    family    were    among 
the  early  settlers  of   Lyken's   Valley,    Northum- 
berland Co.,  Penn..  and  his  lather,  Leonard  K  I 

r,  was  born  there  February  17,  [783.      "   ' 
ing  been  married  in  that  county  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Schrecengost,  he  came  about  the  year  1800  to  this 
section,  locating  in  what  is  now  Haines  township, 
Centre   count  v.      A    few  years    later  his    1 

nard   Kersteter,    Sr.,   the  grandfather  1 
subject,  came  to  Centre  county,  but  he  after" 
moved  to  Stark  cotfnty,  where  he  died. 

Leonard  Kersteter,  Jr.,  followed  the 
penter's  trade  for  many  years,  but  finally  en. 
m  farming,  in  which  he  was  quite  successful.     He 

was  very    tall,   and   ill    his    \ iger    days   w 

markably  powerful,  but  hi:-  long  years  of  to 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


451 


hausted  his  strength,  and  he  died  May  12,  1869, 
literally  worn  out.  In  political  faith  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  in  his  active  years  he  attended 
the  Lutheran  Church  regularly,  he  and  his  esti- 
mable wife  both  being  members.  He  was  born 
October  30,  178 1 ,  and  died  January  9,  1857,  his 
remains  being  laid  to  rest  at  Aaronsburg.  They 
had  children  as  follows:  Leonard,  a  carpenter, 
died  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county;  Susan 
(Mrs.  David  Neese)  died  in  Penn  township,  Cen- 
tre county;  Catherine  (Mrs.  Benjamin  Moore) 
died  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio;  Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
George  Braucht)  died  in  Penn  township;  Lydia 
and  Sarah  (twins),  born  January  28,  1811,  are 
both  living  in  Centre  county,  the  former  being 
the  widow  of  John  Young,  of  Woodward,  and 
the  latter  the  widow  of  Jacob  Rhone,  of  Potter 
township;  John  is  mentioned  more  fully  below; 
Jacob  died  at  Coburn,  Penn.,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one;  Daniel  resides  at  Loganton,  Penn.  ; 
Samuel  is  a  resident  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio; 
Mollie  married  John  Nugert,  and  died  in  Penn 
township,  Centre  county;  and  Polly  (Mrs.  Jacob 
Stover)  died  in  Haines  township. 

The  free-school  system  had  not  yet  been  es- 
tablished when  our  subject  was  of  an  age  to 
avail  himself  of  its  privileges,  and  he  found  but 
meagre  opportunities  for  an  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  locality.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
work,  but  at  nineteen  began  to  learn  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  with  George  Eisenhuth,  of  Mill- 
heim.  The  business  proving  uncongenial,  he  en- 
gaged in  carpentering,  in  which  he  became  pro- 
ficient under  the  instruction  of  his  brother  Leon- 
ard. On  March  30,  1835,  Mr.  Kersteter  was 
married  in  Haines  township,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Asely, 
a  Lutheran  minister,  to  Miss  Annie  Musser,  a 
native  of  the  township,  born  May  7,  181  3.  Her 
father,  Jacob  Musser,  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  his  family  comprised  eight  children: 
Michael,  Andrew,  Mollie,  Rebecca,  Annie,  Philip, 
John  and  Lydia. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Ker- 
steter lived  with  his  father  on  the  homestead 
just  west  of  Coburn,  but  in  1837  he  moved  to  his 
late  farm  in  the  same  vicinity.  On  June  17, 
1 89 1,  his  pleasant  home  was  bereft  of  the  be- 
loved wife  and  mother,  a  devout  Christian  lady 
and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Eight  children  survive  out  of  a  family  of  nine: 
Michael  resides  in  Pleasant  Gap,  Penn. ;  Jacob 
lives  at  Coburn;  Rebecca  married  John  Brant, 
of  Penn  township;  Harriet  is  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Hosterman.  of  Penn  township;  William  died  in 
that  township;  Emanuel  is  a  farmer  there;  John,  a 
skilled  mechanic,  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor  at 
Millheim;  and  Daniel  resides  in   Penn  township. 


Mr.  Kersteter  did  much  hard  work  in  his  day, 
and  was  a  well-preserved  man.  He  possessed  a 
handsome  competence,  secured  by  strictly  honest 
methods,  and  his  life  may  well  be  held  up  as  an 
example  to  the  youth  of  to-day.  Several  years 
ago  he  retired  from  active  work,  his  declining 
years  being  thus  made  free  from  care.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat,  first,  last  and  all  the 
time,  having  voted  that  ticket  at  every  Presiden- 
tial election  from  Van  Buren  down.  He  served 
as  supervisor,  overseer  of  the  poor  and  school 
director  in  his  township,  doing  efficient  and  sat- 
isfactory service  in  every  case.  In  religious  work 
he  was  prominent  as  a  member  and  official  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  with  which  he  united  be- 
fore he  was  twenty  years  old.  Mr.  Kersteter 
died  November  29,   1896. 


LUTHER  GUISWITE,  one  of  the  most  pro- 
j  gressive  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  Co- 
burn,  Centre  county,  has  done  much  to  promote 
the  welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  community, 
giving  his  support  to  all  worthy  enterprises  cal- 
culated in  any  way  to  advance  its  interests.  A 
native  son  of  the  county,  he  was  born  in  Haines 
township  April  22,  1  857,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan 
(Wolfe)  Guiswite,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
that  township.  In  their  family  were  four  chil- 
dren: George,  Rebecca,  Elvina  and  Luther.  Of 
these,  the  first  named  is  now  deceased;  Rebecca 
is  the  wife  of  Nathaniel  Buchtel,  of  Union  county, 
Penn. ;  and  Elvina  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Brum- 
gard,  of  Loganton,  Penn.  Reared  to  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  the  father  followed  farming 
throughout  life  in  connection  with  the  lumber 
business,  and  succeeded  in  accumulating  consid- 
erable capital;  but  misfortune  overtook  him,  and 
he  lost  heavily. 

Upon  the  home  farm  in  -Haines  township, 
Luther  Guiswite  grew  to  manhood,  and  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  neighborhood  he  obtained 
his  education.  In  1880  he  began  lumbering, 
which  business,  in  connection  with  the  operation 
of  a  sawmill,  he  followed  until  1893.  During  his 
career  as  a  lumberman  he  was  an  extensive  oper- 
ator, often  making  considerable  money,  while  at 
other  times  he  lost  large  amounts.  In  1893  he 
embarked  in  the  grain  and  produce  business,  buy- 
ing out  M.  G.  Decker,  of  Coburn,  and  in  con- 
nection with  this  he  has  also  dealt  in  lumber  and 
bark.  On  December  17,  1S95,  a  disastrous  fire 
destroyed  his  entire  plant,  but  with  characteristic 
energy  he  soon  overcame  his  loss,  and  is  now  at 
the  head  of  a  profitable  business.  His  newly 
erected  elevator  is  by  far  the  most  commodious 
in  Penn's  Valley,  and  he  also  has  one  of  the  best 


COMHEMniiA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  UECOUH. 


equipped  creameries  in  Centre  county.  In  buy- 
in,  bark,  lumber,  produce  and  also  milk 
mery,  he  disperses  thousands  of  dol- 
lars among  the  farmers  of  the  entire  eastern  por- 
itre  count),  and  thus  material])'  pro- 
motes  the  interests  of  that  section.  The  volume 
of  business  done  by  Mr.  Guiswite  is  probably 
without  I  in  a  village  of  the  size  of  Coburn 

in  i  entral  Pennsylvania,  and  he  certainly  deserves 
a  prominent  place  among  the  leading  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  the  county. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Guiswite  married  Miss  Mary 
Gramley,  of  Miles  township,  Centre  count)-,  a 
daughter  of  Reuben  '  y,  a  farmer  by  occu- 

1  li  hild  has  been  born  of  their  union, 
named  Grace  E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guiswite  are 
consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 

ir  circle  of  friends  is  only  limited  by  their 
circle  of  acquaintances.  An  ardent  Republican 
in  politics,  he  takes  a  deep  and  commendable 
interest  in  the  success  of  his  party,  but  cares 
nothing  for  public  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  his  extensive  busi- 
ness interests. 


G  DORSEY  GREEN,  of  Patton  township. 
Centre  county,  has  descended  from  a  fam- 
ily prominent  in  civil  and  military  affairs  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

In  i;\j\  2  Col.  Samuel  Miles  and  Col.  John 
Patton,  two  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
erected  Centre  furnace,  in  what  is  now  Boggs 
township,  Centre  county,  which,  with  a  store  at 
that  point,  was  in  operation  under  the  name  of 
Miles.  Patton  &  Miles  as  early  as  May  J,  1792 — 
the  first  blast  furnace  erected  in  the  count). 
Col.    Patton  died    in    1S02,  and   Col.   Miles,  who 

-  a  resident  of  Montgomery  county,  and  whose 

interests  were  represented    by  his  sons,  Joseph 

^  and  John.  :-;  of    Centre  county,   died   in 

III-    furn        wis  blown  out  in  1809,  and 

i   idle  until   about  1823,  when  Joseph  Gn 
Sr.,    and   Joseph    Miles  started    it    again.      Col. 
Miles    had,    in     17*12,    purchased   large   tract 
land  on  Spring  and    Bald    I  agle  creeks,    and  he, 
with  his  sons,  laid  out  Milesburg  and  established 
the  Milesburg  lion  Works  in   i~<j~,  which,  for  a 
time,  were  carried    on    in    connection  with  the 
Centre  furnace.      After  Joseph  Green,  Sr.,  came 
in  1 82 5,  the  firm  name  was   Joseph    Miles  &  Co. 
John  Miles  died  in  [S2<^j.      In   [832  Joseph  Miles 
sold   his   interest  to   Gen.  James  Irvin,  and  until 
1  8  }6  James  Irvin  &  Co.  conducted  the  bi 
Joseph  Green,    Sr.,  then   retired,  and   was   suc- 
ceeded by  Gen.  Huston. 

In    the   Revolutionary    war    Gen.    Miles    was 


colonel  of  one  of  the  rifle  battalions,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Long  Island  in  177''.  He  was 
quently  judge  of  the  Court  of  Errors  and 
Appeals,  and  mayor  of  Philadelphia.  Joseph 
Green,  Sr.,  his  nephew,  was  a  carpenter,  and 
came  from  Chester  county  with  Joseph  and  John 
Miles  to  assist  in  building  the  Iron  works,  and. 
as  stated  above,  later  became  a  partner.  He 
built  and  lived  in  a  house  that  stood  upon  a  lot 
occupied  in  1SS2  by  Harry  Levi's  residence;  the 
kitchen,  constructed  of  stone,  was  then  still  stand- 
ing. In  [836  he  moved  to  Milesburg,  and  be- 
came the  first  postmaster  at  that  place.  His 
wife,  Hannah  (Griffith),  was  also  from  Chester 
county,  Penn.,  and  their  children  were:  Capt. 
William  (...  ol  the  U.  S.  A.  (died  in  1815  at 
Lexington,  Ky.);  Gen.  Samuel  Miles;  Esther, 
married  to  Joseph  Butler;  Joseph;  Eliza,  mar- 
ried  to  H.  L.  McMinn;  and  Hannah,  married  to 
John  Irvin,  Jr. 

Of  this  family.  Gen.  Samuel  Miles  Green 
the   father  of   <.    Dorsey  Green.     The   General 
was  born    at    the    iron  works    near    Milesburg, 
April  13,  1797.      He   read   law  with  Hon.    John 
Blanchard,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1821, 
contemporary  with   the  late   Hon.   A.  S.  Wilson 
and   John   G.  Miles.      Shortly   afterward   li 
appointed  deputy  attorney-general   for  Clearfield 
count)',  and  subsequently  removed  to  Meadville, 
Penn.,    where    he    remained    five    years,   during 
which  time  he   was  employed   bj    the  attorney- 
general    in    the  prosecution  of   some  important 
criminal   cases,    in   which    he    acquitted    In 
with  great   credit.      He  retired    from   the   Bar  in 
unc  tin-  manager  of  the  Centre  County 
Iron  Works,  and   in  1836  he    removed   to   Barre 
Forge,    on    the    Little    Juniata,    in    Hunth 
county,  when-  he  was  extensively  1  in  the 

manufacture  of  iron  until  1874,  when  he  returned 
to  his  native  count),   and    passed    the  ever 
his  life  on  a  farm  on    Buffalo  run,  with  his 
G.    Dorsey.   dying    December    21,    1878,   in  the 
1  ighty-fourth  year  ol   Ins  age.      He  was  a 

,  with  a   h 
ami  manner.       Carrying  the  weight  "f 

almost  an  additional   sp.m   to  the  yeai  - 
allotted  life,  he  stood  as  erect  as  a  boy  of  twenty, 
and   retained   to   1  remarkable  degree  the  1 
th  and  vigor  of  early  life,  worth)   his  I 
lutionary  .       While  a  resident  of  Hunt- 

n  count)-  he  was  commissioned  a  brii; 
general  of  militia  by  Gov.  Porter.     Gen.  ' 
was    t  mi)  genial  and  kind-hearted  gentlei 
beloved  b)  all.      In   politics   he   was   original!)  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican. 

lb    married   Rachel  E..  daughter  of  Gn 
berry   and    I  li/abeth   (Bartholomew)  Dors. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


453 


Philadelphia.  Rachel  E.  Dorsey  was  born  at 
Barre  Forge,  and  there  died.  The  children  of 
the  General  and  his  wife  were:  G.  Dorsey, 
Hannah  E.  and  Joseph  A.  Greenberry  Dorsey 
and  Edward  Bartholomew  (the  father  of  Eliza- 
beth) erected  Barre  forge  on  the  Little  Juniata  in 
1790. 

G.  Dorsey  Green  was  born  at  Centre  Furnace, 
March  13,  1832.  He  attended  the  academy  at 
Lewisburg,  and  subsequently  entered  college  at 
Lawrenceville,  N.  J.  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He 
afterward  was  in  the  employ  of  his  father  and 
Gen.  frvin,  the  latter's  associate  in  business  at 
Barre  fron  Works,  first  as  clerk,  then  as  store- 
keeper, and  later  as  manager.  In  1856  he  be- 
came proprietor  of  the  works,  and  until  1874  was 
most  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron.  From  his  works  went  out 
the  blooms  from  which  the  wire  was  made  that 
was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  suspension 
bridge  across  the  river  at  Niagara  Falls;  also  the 
iron  work  in  the  bridge  across  the  Allegheny  river 
at  Pittsburg  came  from  the  Barre  works.  The 
works  made  money  rapidly;  but  the  proprietor 
was  heavily  caught  in  the  failure  of  Jay  Cooke, 
after  which  he  sold  the  plant  and  retired  to  a 
beautiful  farm  of  about  400  acres  of  land  on 
Buffalo  run,  near  Bellefonte,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home  and  followed  farming. 

Mr.  Green  in  his  active  business  life,  and  in 
his  earlier  career,  had  opportunities  not  afforded 
to  many  young  men.  In  i860  it  was  his  privilege 
to  attend  the  National  Republican  Convention  at 
Chicago,  at  which  President  Lincoln  was  nom- 
inated. His  brother  was  a  delegate  to  that  con- 
vention, and  he  accompanied  him.  He  was  an 
aide  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  Packer,  which  entitled 
him  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  a  title,  however,  he 
was  too  modest  to  assume.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  identified  with  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  for  years  was  superintendent  of 
the  Sabbath-school.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  es- 
teemed citizens  in  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides, and  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  Centre 
county. 

Mr.  Green  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Gregg,  a  daughter  of  Matthew  Gregg,  of 
Centre  county,  and  their  children  are:  Ella 
Gregg,  now  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Gray,  a  lawyer  of 
Bellefonte;  Samuel  Miles,  in  the  employ  of  a 
railroad  company  in  California;  Elizabeth  Dor- 
sey, unmarried;  Allen  McGregor,  a  resident  of 
California;  and  George  Dorsey,  now  attending 
medical  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania (he  graduated  from  the  State  College  in 
1896,  taking  the  class  honors). 


AMES  LINGLE.  As  a  representative  of  the 
intelligent  and  hardy  pioneers  who  opened 
up  Boggs  township,  Centre  county,  for  set- 
tlement, and  have  since  taken  a  conspicuous  part 
in  developing  it,  we  are  pleased  to  place  in  this 
volume  the  life  history  of  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch,  one  of  the  leading 
dairymen  and  farmers  of  the  township,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens. 

Mr.  Lingle  was  born  November  9,  1825,  on  a 
farm  that  was  then  in  Centre  county  (but  is  now 
a  part  of  Clinton  county),  Penn.,  a  son  of  Paul 
and  Mary  (Spoon)  Lingle,  natives  of  Dauphin 
county,  Penn. ,  of  German  descent.  They  were 
married  in  Dauphin  county,  and  in  1802  moved 
to  Kishacoquillas  Valley,  this  State,  where  they 
remained  until  1823,  which  year  witnessed  their 
arrival  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  now  in  Clinton 
county.  In  1838  they  went  to  Holmes  county, 
Ohio,  where  six  months  were  passed,  after  which 
they  returned  to  Centre  county,  spending  the  fol- 
lowing three  years  at  Beach  Creek.  They  then 
removed  to  what  was  known  as  the  Brown 
farm,  in  the  same  county,  near  Blanchard, 
then  called  Eagleville,  where  the  father's  death 
occurred  February  1,  1856.  He  was  born  Janu- 
ary 25,  1775;  his  wife  was  born  March  31,  1781, 
and  died  October  14,  1863.  In  their  family 
were  the  following  children:  Mary,  born  June 
26,  i8(SO,  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  McNitt 
(now  deceased),  and  she  died  in  1862;  John,  born 
November  16,  1801,  is  also  deceased;  Catherine, 
born  August  28,  1803,  died  November  16,  1804; 
Simon,  born  December  22,  1805,  died  September 
28,  1883;  Thomas,  born  October  21,  1807,  is 
deceased;  Jane,  born  July's,  1809,  married  John 
Baker,  and  is  now  deceased;  Joseph,  born  March 
2,  181 1,  died  August  25,  1892;  David,  born  De- 
cember 18,  1 81 2,  makes  his  home  in  Nebraska; 
Elizabeth,  born  January  26,  1815,  is  the  wife  of 
A.  Packer,  of  Michigan;  William,  born  March  8, 
1817,  is  deceased;  Ann  M.,  born  March  4,  18 19, 
was  the  wife  of  W.  Williams,  of  Clinton  county, 
Penn.,  and  died  September  17,  1897;  Alexander, 
born  February  28,  1821,  is  a  resident  of  ^Dauphin 
county,  Penn.;  George,  born  April  6,  1823,  lives 
at  Beach  Creek,  Clinton  county;  and  James,  of 
this  review,  completes  the  family.  By  trade  the 
father  was  a  carpenter,  which  he  followed  until 
1823,  the  year  of  his  moving  to  Bald  Eagle  Val- 
ley, where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  days.  He 
was  a  stalwart  Democrat,  and  was  called  upon  to 
serve  in  several  local  offices.  In  religious  faith, 
he  held  membership  in  the  Christian  Church. 

Until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  James  Lingle 
remained  under  the  parental  roof,  and  during  two 
autumns  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.     The 


454 


niMMHMOKATIVE  BlonllM'UUM.   UF.foRD. 


summer  seasons  he  spent  as  a  captain  of  a  canal 
boat  for  about  twelve  years,  when  he  purchased 
a  boat  of  his  own,  which  he  operated  the  follow- 
ing five  years.  One  year  was  then  spent  on  his 
present  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold 
out  and  went  to  Tazewell  county,  111.,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  three  years.  Since  that 
time,  however,  he  has  continuously  lived  upon 
his  present  valuable  farm,  a  tract  of  104  acres, 
which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
\ation  and  improved  with  many  substantial  mod- 
ern buildings.  In  1875  he  also  embarked  in  the 
dairy  business,  which  has  proved  a  profitable 
venture,  and  to-day  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
reliable  and  well-to-do  citizens  of  Boggs  town- 
ship. His  dairy  is  one  of  the  neatest  and  tidiest 
in  the  county,  and  his  entire  farm  is  the  reflex  of 
a  careful  and  judicious  manager. 

On  February  17,  1  S 5 S .  Mr.  Lingle  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Marcella  Malone,  who  was 
born  November  3,  1839,  on  the  homestead  where 
she  still  resides,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and 
Eliza  (Borlen)  Malone.  Nine  children  blessed 
this  union,  namely:  Lycurgus,  born  March  12, 
1859,  is  a  farmer  of  Penn's  Valley,  Penn. ;  Ed- 
ward P.,  born  February  i8,  1861,  a  telegraph 
operator,  is  married,  and  is  living  with  our  sub- 
ject; MaryS.,  born  October  12,  1863,  is  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Boggs,  a  merchant  of  Milesburg, 
(  entre  county;  Harry  M.,  born  April  16,  1866, 
is  living  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Charles  B.,  born 
in  Tazewell  county,  111.,  March  8,  1869,  is  at 
home;  John,  born  April  20,  1S72,  is  a  druggist  in 
Philadelphia;  Elizabeth  A.,  born  December  27, 
[874,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Wetsler,  of  Central 
City,  Penn. ;  ami  Florence,  born  February  28, 
1S7S,  and  James  B.,  born  March  20,  1881,  are 
both  at  hon 

Mr.  Lingle  is  a  progressive,  public-spirited 
citizen,  giving  freely  to  all  enterprises  having  for 
their  object  the  advancement  and  welfare  of  the 
nmunity,  with  whose  interests  he  is  identified; 
and  while  he  has  never  aspired  to  public  office 
he  has  filled  the  several  positions  to  which  he 
has  been  elected,  with  great  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  II 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Disciple  Church,  and  in 
politics  is  ui  ardent  Democrat.  He  has  watched 
with  interest  the  growth  and  development  of 
Centre  county,  and  holds  the  esteem  and  respect 
of  the  entire  community. 

Thomas  Lingle,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  a  general  farmer,  and  owned  a  farm  whereon 
1 1.111  isburg,  Penn.,  now  stands.  His  son  Paul 
(our  subject's  father)  drove  his  five-horse  team 
from  Harrisburg  to  Philadelphia,  hauling  his 
grain  and  other  farm  products  to  market. 


Q\Y.  EMIGH,  M.  L>.,  a  successful  physician 
of  Philipsburg,  Centre  county,  is  a  self- 
made  man  whose  history  affords  a  striking  illus- 
tration of  the  possibilities  which  lie  before  one 
in  whom  mental  ability  is  combined  with  high 
purpose  and  resolute  will. 

Dr.  Fmigh  is  a  descendant  of  a  pioneer  fam- 
ily of  Clearfield  county,  and  the  sturdy  qualities 
of  the  race  has  been  shown  there  in  three  pre- 
vious generations.  His  great-grandfather.  Chris- 
tian Emigh,  came  from  Germany  when  a  young 
man,  and  settled  upon  a  tract  of  land  at  the 
stream  since  known  as  Emigh's  run.  it  having 
been  named  in  his  honor.  He  was  a  farmer  In- 
occupation and,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained, 
spent  his  life  there.  His  son  and  namesake, 
Christian  Emigh  2),  who  was  born  at  Emigh's 
Run,  possessed  decided  mechanical  genius,  and 
following  his  inclination  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  early  in  life.  The  demand  for  such 
labor  was  not  constant  in  that  vicinity,  hov 
and  although  he  was  kept  busy  dining  the  sum- 
mer months  his  winters  were  spent  in  chopping 
wood  and  such  employment  as  he  could  find 
around  the  furnaces.  For  some  time  after  his 
marriage  he  resided  at  Julia  Ann  Furnace, 
tre  county,  but  later  he  settled  in  Philipsburg, 
where  he  became  known  as  a  most  skillful  me- 
chanic. His  declining  years  were  passed  upon 
his  farm  in  Clearfield  county,  about  three  and 
one-half  miles  from  Philipsburg.  and  his  remains 
now  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  that  town. 

Jonathan    Emigh,  the    father  of   our  sub 
was  born  at  Julia  Ann  Furnace,  and  was  a  mere 
child    when    his  father   removed  to   Philip- 
where    he    grew  to    manhood,    in    the    meantime 
inning  the  carpenter's  trade.    He  was  of  a  liter- 
ary  turn  of  mind  and    very    studious    and   many 
a  night  was  spent  in  reading   while   lying   on   Ins 
back  in  order  to  catch  the  light   emitted   I; 
burning  pine  fagot,  as  he  could  not  afford  cai 
and  lus  days  were  necessarily  devoted    I 
ing  his  father.      At  seventeen  he  was  qualil 
teach  a  country  school,  and  entered   upon 
work  with  such  earnestness  and  zeal  thai 
tablished   a  reputation    as    one  of  the    besf 
structors  in  his  section.      In  mathematics  h 

by  his  ability.     Those  were  the 
days  "1   the   primitive  log  school  houses,  and  his 
small  pay  was  left  clear  through   the   1 
"  boai  ding  round.  " 

While  teaching  at  Fairview  he  obsei 
unusual   beauty   ol   one  of  his  pupils,   a  bright, 
healthy  girl  with  a  cheery   disposition,   and 
termined  to  make  her  his  wife.     The  atti 
was  mutual,  and  in  due  time  Miss  Mary  1     I 
became  Mrs.  Fmigh.      A  home   was  made    upon 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


455 


a  tract  of  wild  land  in  Clearfield  county,  and 
Mr.  Emigh's  time  was  thenceforth  devoted  to 
clearing  and  cultivating  land  in  addition  to  teach- 
ing. During  the  Civil  war  he  was  drafted  into 
the  Federal  service,  and  although  he  was  then 
in  the  "forties"  he  was  found  to  be  physically 
sound.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Ninth 
Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  during 
his  short  term  he  had  some  severe  experiences 
which  he  would  relate  in  after  years.  On  one 
occasion  he  and  a  few  other  Union  soldiers  were 
surrounded  in  a  swamp,  and  the  Rebels  kept  up 
a  constant  firing  at  them  all  night  long.  The 
rain  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  the  adjacent 
river  overflowed  and  flooded  the  swamp.  There 
they  were,  their  bodies  submerged  in  water,  and 
their  heads  were  with  difficulty  kept  in  a  safe 
shelter  behind  stumps  or  trees  from  the  bullets 
that  flew  thick  and  fast  above  them.  Their  pain- 
ful efforts  availed  them  nothing  in  the  end,  for 
when  morning  came  they  were  obliged  to  sur- 
render to  their  captors.  This  was  near  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  fortunately  they  were  detained 
only  a  few  days  in  prison. 

On  his  return  from  the  army  Mr.  Emigh  re- 
sumed his  former  occupations.  His  abilities 
made  him  influential  among  his  acquaintances, 
and  for  many  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  was  also  school  director  for  a  long 
time,  and  even  taught  school  in  the  same  dis- 
trict while  holding  that  position.  This  was  clearly 
against  the  law,  but  the  community  wanted 
his  services,  and  technicalities  were  waived. 
His  widow  resides  at  the  old  homestead,  which 
Dr.  Emigh  purchased  that  he  might  surround 
her  with  every  material  comfort  which  could 
brighten  the  evening  of  her  life.  The  following 
children  lived  to  adult  age:  (i)  Hiram  died  at 
twenty-two  years;  (2)  Priscilla  (deceased)  mar- 
ried James  Hummel;  (3)  Lucretia  (deceased) 
was  the  wife  of  William  Quick;  (4)  G.  W.  is 
mentioned  more  fully  below;  (5)  Jonathan  re- 
sides in  Graham  township,  Clearfield  county; 
(6)  Henry  lives  at  the  old  homestead;  (7)  Ann 
married  George  Pierce,  and  resides  upon  a  part 
of  the  old  farm;  (8)  Frank  is  attending  medical 
college  in  Baltimore,  Md. ;  (9)  Florence  married 
Thomas  Reynolds,  and  resides  at  the  old  home; 
(10)  Andrew  Jackson  died  in  1873. 

Dr.  Emigh  was  born  at  the  family  home- 
stead, March  10,  1857,  and  as  a  farmer's  son  he 
early  learned  the  necessity  and  value  of  labor. 
The  constant  and  outdoor  employment  gave  him 
healthful  physical  development,  much  of  his 
time  being  spent  in  wielding  the  axe  and  hauling 
logs  with  an  ox-team.  He  attended  the  local 
school  and  a  normal  school   in  the  same  county, 


but  as  his  parents  were  unable  to  give  him  a  col- 
legiate education  his  later  progress  was  made 
through  private  study.  Once  fitted  for  teaching 
he  felt  that  he  had  found  the  stepping  stone  to 
success,  and  so  rapidly  did  he  advance  in  that 
honorable  calling  that  at  the  time  he  left  it  for 
the  medical  profession  he  was  principal  of  the 
public  schools  of  Houtzdale,  Clearfield  county. 
He  began  to  read  medicine  under  the  instruction 
of  Dr.  M.  Gard  Whittlier,  of  Clearfield,  one  of 
the  most  expert  surgeons  in  this  section,  and  aft- 
er a  course  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  New  York,  he  was  graduated  in 
1884  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Locating  at 
Woodland,  Clearfield  county,  he  built  up  an  ex- 
tensive and  lucrative  practice.  He  married  Miss 
Eleanor  Howe,  daughter  of  Robert  Howe,  a 
a  well-known  resident  of  Philipsburg.  She  is  a 
lady  of  unusual  mental  force  and  fine  culture, 
and  prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  successful 
teacher.  Like  the  Doctor  she  has  developed 
her  intellectual  gifts  through  the  discipline  of 
private  study.  They  have  one  son,  George  Wal- 
ton. 

On  February  21,  1893,  Dr.  Emigh  removed 
with  his  family  to  Philipsburg,  and  then,  going 
to  New  York  City,  he  pursued  a  post-graduate 
course  at  his  Alma  Mater.  Since  his  return  to 
Philipsburg  he  has  continued  his  professional 
work  with  marked  success,  his  popularity  in- 
creasing as  his  acquaintance  widens.  Alert  and 
vigorous  mentally,  and  an  earnest  student,  he 
keeps  well  abreast  of  the  advances  in  medical 
science,  while  his  fine  physique  supports  well  the 
strain  of  professional  duties.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
held  in  high  esteem  for  his  sterling  integrity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  and  in  politics  is  an  outspoken  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  party. 


WT.  BAIR.  If  all  journalists  allowed  a 
keen  sense  of  honor,  and  a  due  regard  for 
the  public  welfare,  to  dictate  the  contents  of 
their  columns;  if  evil  were  not .  emphasized,  and 
the  records  of  the  various  classes  of  "degener- 
ates" were  not  constantly  spread  before  the 
world  to  impress  the  minds  of  the  morbid  and  the 
vicious,  can  we  doubt  that  crime  would  speedily 
grow  less?  It  is  refreshing  to  find  in  the  scholarly 
editor  of  the  Philipsburg  Daily  Journal,  a  man 
whose  conscience  is  recognized  as  a  guide  even 
in  the  "sanctum  sanctorum,"  and  who  would  pre- 
fer to  lose  a  subscriber,  if  necessary,  rather  than 
to  lower  the  moral  tone  of  his  bright,  clean,  and 
progressive  paper. 

Perhaps   Mr.   Bair   derives  his   sturdy    inde- 


l.V, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pendence  in  the  cause  of  right  from  the  ances- 
who  through  past  centuries  breathed  the 
the  pure  air  of  Alpine  heights  in  their  home  in 
Switzerland.  Coming  to  this  country  in  Colon- 
ial times,  the  less  remote  members  of  his  line  be- 
came prominent  among  the  pioneers  of  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  and  his  grandfather,  Abraham 
Bair,  a  native  of  that  county  bore  the  title  of 
>quir<  which  then  meant  much),  for  many 
years.  He  passed  a  long  life  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, being  more  than  eighty  years  of  age  when 
he  passed  to  the  unseen  world. 

D.  H.   I  i  subject's  father,  was  born   in 

in  Lancaster  county  in  [828,  :m«l  was  engaged  in, 
and  identified  with, mercantile  business  for  many 
irs,  and  is  now  living  in  Philipsburg.  He  has 
always  taken  keen  interest  in  public  affairs,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  Catherine 
Long,  was  born  in  1832,  and  is  also  living.  Mm 
belongs  to  nne  of  the  old  Pennsylvania-Dutch 
families,  her  ancestors  having  been  among  the 
first    settlers    in     Germany    Valley,  Huntingdon 

nty.  Thej  were  Dunkards  in  religious  faith. 
Her  father.  Judge  John  Long,  associate  judge  of 
Huntingdon  county,  was  a  prominent  merchant 
and  land    holder,  owning  1   farms   in    that 

county.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
Our  subject  was  one  of  a  familj  of  six  children, 
of  whom,  four  lived  to  mature  age,  viz.:  J. 
1  rank,  Webstei  I..  William  I...  and  Harry  H., 
all  now  engaged  in  different  departments  of  the 
Philipsburg  J  our  mil. 

W.  T.  Bair  was  horn  in  Huntingdon  county, 
June  26,  [859,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  at  Mount  Union.  He  had 
a  clear  perception  as  to  his  proper  vocation,  and 
lost  no  time  in  preparing  for  it  by  learning  the 
printer's  trade.  In  the  fall  of  I  S74  he  established 
the  Mount  Union  Herald,  which  he  afterward 
sold.  He  then  purchased  the  Mount  Union 
Times,  but  two  years  later  went  to  Philipsburg 
to  take  charge  of  the  Journal,  then  a  weekly 
paper.  In  July,  1SS1,  after  two  years  as  man- 
ager, he  became  its  proprietor  and  has  evi 
continued  to  give  it  his  close  attention  as  editor. 
Under  his  care  it  ha  red;  on  November  1, 

1888,  he  added  a  daily  edition,  and  the  result 
has  justified  his  confidence  in  its  growing  popu- 
larity. It  is  independent  in  politics,  and  Mr. 
Bair's  determination  to  exclude  all  news  of  prize 
fights  or  other  demoralizing  matter  has  made  of  it 
a  paper  that  may  safely  be  placed  in  any  home. 
In  [881  Mr.  Hair  was  married  in  Shirleysburg, 
Penn.,  to  Miss  Annie  M.  Elliott,  who  was  born 
in  Franklin  county,  Penn.,  and  was  reared  bv  an 
aunt.  Four  children  bless  this  union:  Viola, 
Edna.  I  tin  1,  and  Joyce. 


Progressive  and  liberal  in  his  views,  Mr.  Bair 
is  interested  in  all  phases  of  our  common  life 
Since  1885  he  has  been  a  Prohibitionist  in  politics, 
and  he  has  always  been  active  in  various  religious 
and  philanthropical  movements.  He  is  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  for  years 
has  served  as-  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
while  he  is  a  prominent  worker  in  the  Epworth 
League,  and  is  now  president  of  the  Altoona 
District  League,  also  recording  secretary  of  the 
Central  Pennsylvania  League. 


GEORGE  G.  HASTINGS.  Histor)  si 
that  the  most  prosperous  nations  of  the 
world  have  had  large  agricultural  interests  to  up- 
hold their  commercial  and  other  business  rela- 
tions, and  it  is  conceded  that  the  stability  and 
ss  of  this  country  is  largely  due  to  the 
farming  class.  Among  the  leading  agriculturists 
"I  (  entre  county  is  numbered  Mr.  Hastings,  wl. 
is  now  successfully  operating  a  rich  and  valuable 
tract  of  land  in  Benner  township,  near  Belle - 
fonte. 

Thomas  Hastings,  grandfather  of  Ge 
washy  occupation  a  surveyor,  and  came  to  Belle- 
fonte  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  place  where  he 
resided.      He  took  up  large  tracts  of  land  in  Centre 
county.      His  children   were:    Daniel  and  Mary, 
the  latter  of  whom  never   married.      Daniel    was 
born  on  Cedar  creek  in  Haines  township.  Centre 
county,  June  2.  1794;  on  April  16,  [846.be 
iied  Mrs.   Mary   A.     Hartsock,  who    was  born   in 
Half  Moon  township,  Centre  county,  October  14. 
1814,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Flegel 
Gray,    and   granddaughter  of    Peter    <  i 
came   from   Frederick,    Md.,  to   the   Half 
country  in  1788,  and  their  children  were:   1 
and  George   G.      The  former  was  a  member  of 
the  53rd  P.  V.  I.  during  the  Civil  war,  and  is 
a    merchant   at    Beech    Creek,    Clinton   county. 
Pennsylvania. 

George  G.  Hastings  was  born  April  11.1 
in   Centre   county,  Penn.,  and   spent  the  da 
his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the  county  of  his  na- 
tivity.      He    is    indebted    to    the    public- 
system   for  the   educational  privileges  which  he 
enjoys.     Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his 
ness  career  he  has  followed  agricultural  pui 
but  in    1869  he  embarked   in  the  lumber  I 
and  for  four  years  carried  on  operations  along  that 
line.      In  the  spring  of  187.}  he  commenced 
inj4  in  Benner  township  on  land  belonging  to  the 
estate,  and  three  years  later  he  bought  his  pi 
farm,    then    comprising    one  hundred    acre 
which  he  has  since  added  f  1  <  mi  time  to  time  until 
he  has  now  260  acres  of  good  land.     On  the  farm 


&<>.&.    /6a^tzL 


& 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


457 


are  substantial  buildings,  and  his  improvements 
are  all  modern.  In  farming  methods  he  is  pro- 
gressive, and  his  labors  have  resulted  in  the 
acquirement  of  a  comfortable  competence.  In 
1 87 1  Mr.  Hastings  was  married  to  Miss  Loretta 
Rogers,  and  to  them  have  been  born  children  as 
follows:  Mary  Agnes,  April  1,  1872,  at  Beech 
Creek,  married  Edward  P.  Gray  February  9, 
1897,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Patton  township;  Enoch  T.,  November  12,  1873, 
in  Benner  township;  George  Gray,  June  2,  1875, 
dn  Benner  township;  Harriet  Belle,  January  8. 
1877;  Sarah  Loretta,  September  27,  1878;  Henry 
B.,  May  17,  1880;  Anna  Elizabeth,  May  17,  1882; 
Eliza  O.,  August  9,  1886;  and  Nellie  Jennette, 
August  8,  1888.  Mrs.  Loretta  Hastings  was  born 
at  Beech  Creek  on  December  9,  1846,  a  daugh- 
ter of  T.  A.  S.  and  Agnes  Ann  ( Miller)  Rogers. 
The  latter  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
Penn.,  born  in  18 19,  and  died  in  July,  1883,  at 
Beech  Creek,  in  Clinton  county.  He  was  by 
trade  a  blacksmith.  Agnes  Miller  was  a  native 
of  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  born  in  18 14,  and  died 
in  August,  1882,  at  Beech  Creek.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Clarinda,  Loretta,  Henry  B.,  John 
Thomas,  Robert  \\ '. ,  Susan  E.,  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy. 


H 


Y.  STITZER.  An  early  struggle  with  ad- 
verse circumstances  is  quite  commonly  held 
to  be  an  advantage  to  an  aspirant  for  success  in 
life;  but  sometimes,  when  one  sees  a  gallant  effort 
made  against  heavy  odds,  the  thought  arises  that 
the  energy  and  concentrated  will  which  inspired 
it,  might,  under  happier  conditions,  have  been 
applied  to  other  issues,  seemingly  more  impor- 
tant. But  if  the  development  of  character  is  the 
main  work  of  our  sojourn  upon  earth,  if  "the 
deed  in  the  doing  reaches  its  aim,"  then  the  years 
spent  in  overcoming  such  hindrances  are  really  as 
rich  in  fruit  as  any  which  win  the  approving  no- 
tice of  the  public. 

The  history  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a 
well-known  attorney  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county, 
possesses  the  interest  which  invariably  attaches 
to  the  life  of  a  self-made  man.  His  paternal 
ancestors  were  early  settlers  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
hi>  grandfather,  John  Stitzer,  a  native  of  this 
State,  was  for  many  years  the  proprietor  of  the 
principal  hotel  in  Mifflinburg.  William  Stitzer, 
our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  that  city  May 
J3.  181 1,  and  was  married  there  September  13, 
!833i  to  Miss  Judith  Yearick,  a  native  of  the 
same  place,  born  November  23,  181 1.  After  his 
marriage  he  moved  to  Millheim,  Centre  county, 
and  followed  the  hatter's  trade  for  some  time, 


but  fortune  did  not  smile  upon  his  efforts,  and 
later  he  became  a  day  laborer  at  various  places 
in  Centre  county.  His  death  occurred  in  Belle- 
fonte, September  17,  1873,  at  the  home  of  our 
subject.  He  was  an  Old-line  Whig  in  politics 
in  his  early  years,  but  after  the  change  in  party 
lines  which  followed  the  agitation  of  the  slavery 
question,  he  became  an  Independent,  with  ten- 
dencies toward  the  Republican  party.  He  and 
his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church.  She  survived  him  many  years, 
breathing  her  last  October  24,  1891.  They  had 
seven  children,  whose  names  with  dates  of  birth 
are  as  follows:  John,  April  16,  1834,  is  a  saddler 
at  Mifflinburg;  Lydia,  born  June  17,  1835,  at 
Millheim,  married  William  J.  Bollinger  (now  of 
Salt  Lake  City),  and  died  in  1871  at  Illinois;  H. 
Y. ,  our  subject,  is  the  next  in  the  order  of  birth; 
William  D.,  October  31,  1838,  died  January  13, 
1840;  William  W. ,  December,  1840,  is  a  farm- 
er in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county;  Sarah, 
December  15,  1842,  married  John  Zerbv,  of  Pot- 
ter township,  Centre  county;  Amelia,  August  21, 
1844.  resides  with  our  subject. 

H.  Y.  Stitzer  was  born  February  25,  1837, 
at  Millheim.  He  had  no  settled  home  during 
his  childhood  owing  to  his  father's  frequent 
changes  of  location,  and  at  an  early  age  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  merchant  tailor  in  Mifflinburg, 
learning  that  trade.  Despite  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  securing  an  education,  his  naturally 
bright  and  active  mind  had  enabled  him  to  make 
fair  progress,  and  inspired  by  a  determination  to 
seek  a  more  congenial  field  of  labor  than  his  trade 
promised  to  be,  he  attended  the  academy  at 
Mifflinburg  for  one  summer,  and  in  the  following 
winter,  when  about  twenty-one,  he  began  teach- 
ing school  in  Snyder  county.  In  1861,  after 
several  years  of  successful  work  in  this  calling, 
he  was  made  principal  of  the  High  School  at 
Bellefonte,  which  position  he  held  but  a  short 
time  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  having 
previously  studied  law  under  the  direction  of 
Judge  Hoy,  of  Bellefonte,  and  established  him- 
self in  practice.  During  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg he  was  one  of  the  Emergency  men  called 
out  by  the  Governor,  and  served  for  eight  weeks 
in  Capt.  Boal's  company.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  and  served  ably  for  two 
terms,  but  on  retiring  from  office  in  1872,  he 
purchased  the  Livingston  Book  Store,  which  he 
continued  until  1895.  Since  disposing  of  that  he 
has  resumed  his  practice  with  gratifying  success. 
He  was  deputy  sheriff  under  Richard  Conley. 

On  December  25,  1867,  Mr.  Stitzer  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Hannah  M.  Hess,  a  native  of  Boals- 
burg,  born    in  February,     1837.     They    have  no 


■».> 


COMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


children  of  their  own,  but  took  two,  a  girl  and  a 
boy,  into  their  home,  whom  they  reared  and  ed- 
ucated; the  girl,  Mini  E,  Shaffer,  is  DOW  the  wife 
of  H.  A  McKee;  the  boy,  Randolph  P.  Nighten- 
gale, a  son  of  Dr.  Nightengale,  of  Doylestown, 
Penn.,  died  when  nearly  twenty  years  of  age.  In 
his  younger  days  Mr.  Stitzer  took  an  active  part 
in  politics,  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  Central  Committee  of  the  counts 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church;  they  take  great  interest  in  Church  work. 
and  in  the  Sabbath-school,  of  which  Mr.  Stitzer 
was  for  many  years  the  superintendent. 


J  WES1  1  Y  GEPHART,  general  superintend- 
ent of  the  Central  Railroad  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  for  a  decade  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers 
at  the  Centre  County  Bar,  is  the  son  of  John  P. 
and  Mary  M  (Swartz)  Gephart,  the  former  an 
honored  citizen  of  Belled  inte,  a  notice  of  whom, 
with  that  of  his  ancestors,  appears  elsewhere  m 
this  volume. 

|.  Wesley  Gephart  was  born  at  Millheim,  May 
25,  1853.  The  foundation  for  his  education  was 
laid  in  his  native  town,  and  in  the  schools  of 
Bellefonte;  he  was  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Bellefonte  Academy,  and  was  graduated  from 
Princeton  in  1874.  He  read  law  in  the  office 
and  under  the  direction  of  Gen.  fames  A.  Beaver, 
of  Bellefonte,  since  Governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  now  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  the  Commonwealth.  Young  Gephart  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  December  13,  1876,  and,  at 
the  time,  the  press  thus  noticed  the  event:  "Our 
youngfriend,  Mr.  J.  YV.  Gephart,  was  admitted  to 
practice  law  in  the  several  courts  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, on  Wednesday  last.  Mr.  Gephart's  admission 
is  the  first  that  has  occurred  under  the  new  rule 
of    the  (.nit   appoint  permanent    board  of 

miners,  who  are  guided  by  a  certain  set  of 
rules  in  the  examination  of  applicants.  Mr. 
Gephart  is  said  to  have  given  complete  satisfac- 
tion to  the  board,  who  complimented  him  highly, 
lie  is  a  very  diligent  young  man,  of  much  natural 
ability,  and  his  reading  has  been  quit  ive. 

He  has  a  logical  mind,  and  a  retentive  memory, 
and  his  future  promises  brilliant  things.  We 
congratulate  him."  Less  than  two  years  after- 
ward the  press  again  remarked  that:  "Mr.  Gep- 
hart, though  young,  is  an  exceedingly  fine  speaker, 
giv<  >  promise  of  becoming  a  brilliant  orati 
After  his  admission  to  the  Bar.  Mr  G(  | 
became.)  partner  of  his  preceptor.  Gen.  Beaver, 
which  partnership  continued  until  in  November, 
1893.  when  he  retired  in  order  to  give  his  entire 


time  to  the  Valentine  Iron  Company,  with  which 
he  was  connected  from  January  I,   1891,  to  No- 
vember 1,  1895,  and  the  newCentral  Railroad  of 
Pennsylvania,  of    which  he    had  been   made  the 
general  superintendent.     Ten  years  after  his  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  the  press  said:     "The  distin- 
guished law  firm  of  Beaver  &  Gephart  has  added 
a  new  man  to  its    membership  in   the  person  of 
John  M.  Dale,  one  of    its  former  students.      I'p 
to  1873  the  firm  was   McAllister  &  Beaver,  and 
was  continued  under  that  name  until  January  7, 
1877,  when    ].  W.  Gephart,   son  of    Hon.  J.  P. 
Gephart,  was  taken  into  partnership.     Just  t*  a 
years  later   the    firm    became    as  above  stated. 
The  new  member  of  the  firm  is  a  graduate  of  the 
State  College,  and  about  a  year  ago  was  admitted 
as  a  practitioner  to  the  several  courts  of  Clinton 
and  Centre  counties.      Since   then  he  has  spent 
the    major  portion  of    his  time  in  the  office  of 
Beaver  &  Gephart,  with  whom  he  read  law.     He 
is  a  young  man  of  excellent  qualities,  and  is  well 
prepared    for    the    profession  upon  which  he  so 
conspicuously    entered.       Both  sides    are  to  be 
congratulated — the  firm    in    securing    so  able  a 
young    man,  and  the  new   member    in  becoming 
associated  with  so  popular  a  firm.      Mr.  Gephart, 
a  graduate  from    Princeton,  made   a  right  record 
during  the  first  ten    years."     This  firm    en 
an    extensive    practice,  and    owing   to  the 
member's  absence  much  of  the  time  in  his  rela- 
tions to  the  public  affairs  of  the  Commonwealth, 
a  great  deal  of    work   fell  upon  the    junior  mem- 
bers,  who,  however,   always  proved    then 
equal  to  the  task.      Mr.  <  rephart  has  ever  had  the 
reputation  of  a  close  student,  and  is  an  indefati- 
gable worker,  and  whatever  he  has  taken  hold  oJ 
moved.      Through  the  inspiration  that  his  v 
energy,  and  ability  gave  to  one  of  the  languishing 
industries  of  Bellefonte,  it  lie. 
he  is  the  president  of  the  1  ompany.      He  is  a  suc- 
cessful   man.      He  stood    deservedly  high  at  the 
Bar.  both  as  a  counselor  and    as  an   advocate. 
He  is  an  eloquent  and  forcible  speaker.      He  has 
always  been   found   on   the  side  of    right 
questions,  and    in  all  movements  tending  to  the 
elevation   of    mankind.      His   influence   ha- 
felt  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  for  years  he 
has    been    an  active  workei  in    the   Presbyl 
Church,  and  the  superintendent  of   its  Sab 
school.      Being  a  man  of  letters,  and    p 
the  qualities  of  a  leader,  capable  and  willn 
adorns  citizenship. 

In  iSSS  Mr.  Gephart  supported  Harrisoi 
President.      He  had  been  educated  a  Hen 
Commenting  on  a  letter   he   had   written  ex) 
ing  his  views  on  the  tariff  question,  and  in  justifi- 
cation of  his  intention  of  voting  with  the  Repub- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


459- 


licans,  the  press  said:  "Never  was  so  power- 
ful a  political  bomb  thrown  into  the  Democratic 
camp  of  Centre  county,  as  the  able  letter  written 
by  J.  W.  Gephart,  Esq.,  and  published  in  last 
week's  issue  of  the  Gazette.  Everybody  has 
read  the  letter — Protectionists,  irrespective  of 
politics,  heartily  endorse  it,  and  Cleveland  Free- 
trade  Democrats  are  unable  to  refute  or  explain 
any  part  of  it.  They  are  simply  dumbfounded, 
and  know  not  where  to  look  for  relief.  No  one 
ventures  to  express  the  least  doubt  about  Mr. 
Gephart's  Democracy,  for  everybody  knows  that 
he  has  always  stood  by  the  Democrats  through 
thick  and  thin.  No  one  can  raise  the  cry  of  dis- 
gruntled politician,  for  Mr.  Gephart  has  never 
sought  any  office  either  large  or  small.  No  one 
can  say  aught  against  his  professional  or  business 
qualifications,  for  he  stands  far  above  reproach 
in  any  capacity  or  department  you  choose  to 
take  him.  So  then  Mr.  Gephart  cannot  be  at- 
tacked personally,  politically  or  professionally. 
What  are  the  Freetraders  going  to  do  about  it  ? 
Inquiries  have  been  received  by  mail,  telegraph 
and  personally  for  copies  of  the  Gazette,  contain- 
ing the  letter.  A  large  number  of  extra  copies 
of  this  week's  issue  were  run  off,  and  yet  they 
were  all  gone  before  night  of  Friday  last.  A 
large  addition  of  Gazette  supplements  containing 
the  Gephart  letter  is  now  in  print." 

In  October,  1879,  Mr.  Gephart  was  married 
to  Miss  Ella  Hayes,  and  the  Watchman  remarked 
on  the  occasion:  "He  is,  beside  being  a  lawyer 
and  a  capable  one,  an  accomplished  printer,  hav- 
ing learned  his  trade  in  the  Watchman  office, 
and  to  a  great  extent  secured  his  college  educa- 
tion by  working  at  the  business  in  Princeton,  N. 
J.  His  bride  is  the  accomplished  Miss  Ella 
Hayes  (daughter  of  W.  W.  Hayes,  Esq.,  for- 
merly of  this  place,  but  now  of  Washington,  D. 
C  1,  who  almost  since  herchildhood  has  been  an 
inmate  of  the  family  of  W.  P.  Wilson,  deceased, 
on  High  street,  a  modest,  excellent  girl,  with  a 
fair  share  of  personal  attractions,  who  will  make 
'Wes'  a  faithful,  good  and  loving  wife.  The 
marriage  took  place  in  the  church,  being  solem- 
nized by  Rev.  Mr.  Laurie,  in  the  presence  of  a 
dense  congregation  of  people.  The  bridal  pair 
were  attended  by  six  ushers,  and  as  they  ad- 
vanced up  the  aisle  they  were  greeted  by  looks 
of  eager  anticipation  and  delight — so  susceptible 
are  the  multitude  to  the  charms  of  a  nuptial  cere- 
mony. Excellent  music  was  rendered,  and  the 
floral  decorations  of  the  church  were  admirable. 
After  the  performance  of  the  marriage  rite  the 
happy  pair  returned  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Wil- 
son, where  they  viewed  the  handsome  gifts  pre- 
sented to  them,  among   which  were  $140  silver 


service   as  a   compliment   from   the   members  of 
the  Bar,  and  $150  in  pure  gold." 

The  children  of  this  marriage  are:  Wallace, 
Wilson  and  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Gephart, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  the  granddaugh- 
ter of  George  Swartz  (I),  who  built  one  of  the 
first  sawmills  on  Elk  creek  in  Penn  township. 
He  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Church,  and  of  his  eleven  children,  George  was 
the  father  of  Mrs.  Gephart.  The  latter's  death 
occurred  on  December  14,  1874.  "She  was  a 
quiet,  unpretentious,  good  woman,  with  a  heart 
overflowing  with  kindness  and  sympathy  toward 
every  one,  and  with  a  hand  always  ready  to  as- 
sist and  comfort  in  every  time  of  distress.  As  a 
neighbor  none  could  be  better,  and  the  families 
who  lived  near  her  all  bear  testimony  to  the  ex- 
ceeding loveliness  of  her  character.  Her  nature 
was  all  womanly,  tender,  charitable,  forbearing 
and  sympathetic.  She  won  the  love  and  the  es- 
teem of  all  with  whom  she  was  thrown  in  con- 
tact. It  was  her  own  family,  however,  where 
her  worth  was  best  known  and  appreciated,  and 
there  will  her  loss  be  most  grievously  felt.  It  was 
her  hand  that  managed,  her  eye  that  saw,  her 
heart  that  felt  for  each  member  of  that  little  cir- 
cle. The  father,  the  son  and  the  daughter  all 
drew  their  comfort  from  her.  For  them  the 
fires  were  bright,  the  room  cheerful,  the  table 
invitingly  spread.  For  them  there  was  peace 
and  quietness  and  domesticity  in  every  depart- 
ment, and  no  happier  family  ever  assembled 
around  the  hearthstone.  She  was  the  wife  and 
mother  in  the  fullest-  sense  of  those  significant 
and  tender  words,  and  in  her  intercourse  with  her 
family  she  was  careful  to  order  her  walk  and  con- 
versation in  accordance  with  the  injunction  of  the 
law  of  her  God  and  Master.  She  had  been  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  from  her  child- 
hood." 


G\EORGE  REIBER  is  prominently  identified 
_T  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Potter 
township,  Centre  county.  He  has  achieved  suc- 
cess by  his  own  unaided  exertions,  and  is,  in 
fact,  a  self-made  man,  starting  out  in  life  with 
nothing  but  youth  in  his  favor,  and  his  endow- 
ments of  fine  health,  a  vigorous  muscle  and  a 
clear,  cool  brain.  After  all,  a  man  possessing 
these  need  fear  nothing;  with  a  determination  to 
succeed,  success  is  his  almost  from  the  start,  al- 
though it  may  be  that  years  of  patient  waiting 
and  hard  toil  are  necessary  before  his  endeavors 
are  crowned  with  the  full  measure  of  success. 

At   Sinking  Springs,  Berks   Co.,   Penn.,  Mr. 
Reiber   was  born   February   15,   1830,  a  son   of 


■Mi 


COMMEMOHATIYK  BJOQ UM'llU  AL  RECORD. 


Jacob  and  Mary  (Flisher)  Reiber,  who,  with  their 
four  children,  came  to  Centre  county,  in  1836, 
locating  near  Tusseyville.  They  ilrove  the  en- 
tire distance  from  Rtitler,  Penn.,  whither  they 
had  removed  from  Berks  county;  but  being  dis- 
satisfied with  the  locality,  they  came  to  Centre 
county,  where  the  father  first  rented  land  and 
worked  at  his  trade  of  blacksmithing.  Later  he 
bought  a  farm  of  Potter  Brothers,  with  whom  he 
had  deposited  $1,000,  which  amount  was  ap- 
plied on  his  place  just  before  the  failure  of  that 
well-known  linn.  There  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
over  sixty  years  old.  His  wife  was  about  the 
same  age  when  she,  too,  was  called  to  her  final 
rest,  and  they  now  sleep  side  by  side  in  the  Tus- 
seyville cemetery.  They  were  earnest  and  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which 
the  father  had  held  office,  and  in  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat.  Their  family  consisted  of  four 
children:  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Adam  Stemm, 
of  Berrien  county,  Mich.;  George;  John,  a  tin- 
ner of  St.  Jo.,  Mich.;  and  William,  a  retired 
physician  of  Berrien  Springs,  in  the  same  State. 

Until  the  free  schools  were  established  the 
educational  privileges  of  our  subject  were  limited, 
but  in  the  common  schools  he  obtained  a  fair 
literary  training,  his  firsl  teacher  being  James 
Powley.  At  the  age  of  thirteen,  however,  he 
laid  aside  Ins  text  books  and  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  in  his  father's  shop,  where  he  contin- 
ued to  work  until  the  age  of  twenty-four  years. 
lb  was  then  married  in  Potter  township  to  Miss 
Esther  Mayer,  a  native  of  that  township,  and  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Julia  A.  (Trion)  Mayer. 
B3  trade  her  father  was  a  tanner,  and  for  many 
years  followed  thai  business  near  Colyer.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Reiber  have  a  son,  William,  born  in 
Potter  township,  Decemhbr  25,  1854.  He  was 
1  in  the  district  schools,  and  has  always 
remained  at  home.  Being  very  handy  with  all 
sorts  of  tools,  he  does  all  kinds  of  repairing  of 
watches,  1  locks  and  jewelry,  and  in  189O  he  built 
an  excellent  home  and  workshop  near  Colyei 
In  1879  he  was  married  in  Potter  township,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Conrad  Decker,  and 
they  have  three  children— William  A.,  Clara  and 
Blanche — all  at  home. 

Alter  his  marriage,  Mr.  Reiber,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  rented  a  house  near  his  father-in- 
law's  tannery,  where  he  worked  for  some  time, 
and  later  owned  an  interest  in  the  business,  which 
he  continued  to  follow  for  about  sixteen  years, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  Mayer.  In  1874  he 
bought  from  the  Peter  McMinn  estate  his  present 
farm  of  112  acres,  at  $60  per  acre,  but  the 
buildings  were  all  poor,  and  those  now  standing 


on  the  place  have  been  erected  by  our  subject. 
His  first  real  estate  consisted  of  a  half  interest  in 
the  Red  Mill  property  in  Potter  township.  In 
1894  he  also  purchased  the  old  Slack  homestead 
of  100  acres. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Reiber  is  a  strong  Democrat, 
which  party  his  son  also  supports.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Lutheran,  has  been  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  the  Church,  and  has  served  as  deacon, 
and  in  other  official  positions.  By  hard  work 
and  unrelenting  toil  he  has  accumulated  a  very 
comfortable  competence,  and  his  success  is  all 
th(  more  creditable,  knowing  that  he  has  been 
handicapped  by  the  lack  of  a  good  education. 
lbs  reputation  for  integrity,  fair  and  honorable 
dealing  and  justice  in  all  things  has  gained  him 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  who  kn.  a 
him.  His  faithful  wife  died  in  [anuary, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Tusseyville  cemetery. 


BENJAMIN    F.    BECK.      The   fine  farm 

ng  to  our  subject  in  Walker  township, 
(  entre  county,  is  conspicuous  for  the 
which  it  has  been  improved  and  cultivated,  and 
is  evidently  the  homestead  of  one  ol  the  most  en- 
terprising men   of   the  community.      The  build- 
ire  of    a  neat  and  substantial  character,  the 
are  well  tilled,  and  in  fact  the  whole  place 
betokens   the  thrift   and  energy  of    .1  progri 
farmer.      He   was    born    October    20,     1841,    in 
Walker  township,  only  a  few   rods  from  his  pri  s- 
ent    residence,    which    is    pleasantly    situated    in 
Snydertown,    and    his  parents,    Henry  and  Ann 
Eliza  (Furst)   Reck,  were  also  natives  of  1 
county.      His   paternal  grandfather,  John   Beck, 
was    born    in    Northampton  county,    Penn.,    but 
shortly    after    his    marriage    with    Miss    Si 
came  to  Centre  county,  where   his  descendants 
still  live 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  bom  six 
children-  -three  sons  and  three  daughters — name- 
ly: 1  1  Lydia  married  Adam  Decker,  a  promi- 
nent fanner  of  Walker  township,  living 
Snydertown,  and  they  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children,  some  of  whom  are  now  married  and 
have  families  of  their  own;  she  departed  this  life 
in  1890,  and  was  buried  in  the  Hublersburgceme- 
(2)  Benjamin  F.  is  the  next  in  order  of 
birth.  (3)  Amanda  J.  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
Schenck,  a  farmer  of  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Centre 
county,  and  they  have  two  children.  (41  ' 
lotte  E.  is  the  wife  of  William  Decker,  a  leading 
farmer  of  Walker  township,  residing  near  Hub- 
lersburg,  and  they  have  two  children  a  son  and 
daughter.  (5)  Martin  L. ,  a  wealthy  fanner, 
making  his  home  near  Snydertown,  Walkertown- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


461 


ship,  married  Agnes  A.  Beck,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Beck,  of  Shelby  county,  111.  (6)  William  H., 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  married  Clara  Singer, 
daughter  of  Conrad  Singer,  of  Centre  county, 
and  they  have  one  daughter. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county, 
Mr.  Beck,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  ob- 
tained his  education,  and  he  remained  upon  the 
home  farm,  assisting  in  its  care  and  cultivation 
until  his  marriage  to  Miss  Henrietta  Eggers,  a 
daughter  of  Louis  Gustavus  Eggers,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  whence  when  a  lad  of  ten 
years  he  came  to  the  New  World.  He  became 
a  Lutheran  minister,  his  first  charge  being  the 
church  at  Snydertown,  Centre  county,  and  he 
died  in  1883,  at  Palmyra,  this  State,  in  the  cem- 
etery of  which  place  he  was  laid  to  rest.  Mrs. 
Beck,  an  excellent  lady,  was  born  May  25,  1840. 
By  her  marriage  to  our  subject  she  has  three 
children:  Lydia  J.,  born  October  29,  1870; 
Emma  J.,  born  February  23,  1876;  and  Louis 
H.,  born  April  12,  1878.  The  family  is  an  in- 
telligent and  cultured  one,  and  the  young  ladies 
are  beautiful  and  accomplished,  holding  a  prom- 
inent position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Coming  of  an  old  Democratic  family,  Mr. 
Beck  has  always  given  his  allegiance  to  that 
party,  believing  that  through  it  can  be  secured 
the  best  form  of  government.  With  his  family 
he  holds  membership  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 
As  a  man  he  is  looked  upon  by  the  community 
as  one  whom  they  can  trust,  "who  breaks  no 
promise,  serves  no  private  end;  who  gains  no 
office,  but  who  has  lost  no  friend." 


ISRAEL  CORL,  a  stalwart   and  sturdy  repre- 
_  sentative  of  the  noble  yeomanry   who   make 
up  the  agricultural  population  of  Centre  county, 

lis  a  resident  of  Ferguson  township.  He  is  a 
native  of  the   county,  born   in   Haines  township, 

■  in  1835,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Vo- 
nada)  Corl,  who  were  -natives  of  Chester  and 
Centre  counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  From 
Chester  county,  the  father  removed  to  Union 
county,  and  when  still  a  young  man  came  to  Cen- 
tre county.  For  twenty  years  he  followed  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  but  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  passed  in  farming. 

In  the  public  schools  Israel  Corl  acquired  a 
fair  education,  and  upon  the  home  farm  became 
familiar  with  the  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agriculturist.  In  March,  i860,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Harriet  McBath,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Lucinda  (Coble)  McBath,  of 
Centre  county.     Of  the  ten  children  who  were 


born  of  this  union  the  first  died  in  infancy;  Will- 
iam R.  died  at  the  age  of  nine  months;  George 
E.,  a  resident  of  Struble  Station,  Centre  coun- 
ty, married  Anna  Lytle,  and  has  four  children; 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Scott  Meese,  of  State 
College,  Centre  county;  John  C. ,  a  resident  of 
State  College,  married  Emma  Corn;  Elmer  S. 
is  married,  and  lives  in  Ferguson  township;  Ben- 
jamin F.  wedded  Mary  Yarnell,  a  daughter  of 
H.  B.  Yarnell;  and  Susie  V.,  Charles  W.,  Mabel 
E.  and  Annie  are  still  at  home. 

On  the  death  of  his  father,  Mr.  Corl  came 
into  possession  of  his  present  farm,  but  he  has 
made  his  home  thereon  since  1 861 .  It  is  a  tract 
of  thirty-eight  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land, 
which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  improved  with  a  comfortable  residence 
and  neat  and  substantial  outbuildings.  It  is  con- 
veniently located  within  a  mile  of  State  College. 
Mr.  Corl  is  a  charter  member  of  Washington 
Grange  No.  157,  and  holds  membership  in  the 
Reformed  Church.  He  takes  quite  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  voting  with  and  sup- 
porting the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party, 
although  not  desirous  of  surrendering  the  quiet 
of  home  life  for  the  perplexities  and  turmoil  of 
political  office.  He  is  also  an  advocate  of  free 
silver,  and  is  ranked  as  a  man  of  ability  and  en- 
terprise, on  account  of  which  he  holds  a  good 
position  among  the  people  of  Ferguson  town- 
ship. 


S\  MITCHELL  BECHDEL,  a  retired  farmer 
j)  residing     in    Eagleville,    Centre    county,    is 

worthy  of  the  highest  respect,  and  enjoys  the  es- 
teem of  the  entire  community,  in  which  he  la- 
bors to  bring  about  every  enterprise  that  is  cal- 
culated to  elevate  mankind  and  advance  the 
welfare  of  the  county.  Here  he  has  always 
made  his  home,  having  been  born  in  Liberty- 
township,  December  7,  1849,  and  he  is  a  worthy 
representative  of  one  of  its  honored  pioneer 
families. 

John  and  Sarah  E.  (De  Long)  Bechdel,  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  were  also  natives  of  Liberty 
township,  Centre  county,  the  former  born  Sep- 
tember 6,  1806,  the  latter  on  July  17,  18 14,  and 
there  they  continued  to  make  their  home  until 
called  to  the  world  beyond.  The  father  died  in 
1870  at  the  age  of  sixty- four  years,  while  the 
mother  was  seventy-three  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  her  death.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
farmer,  and  he  was  called  upon  to  serve  in  sev- 
eral local  offices,  including  those  of  tax  collector 
and  supervisor.  He  used  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  Republican  party,  and  faithfully 


462 


COMMEMORATIVE  B10GHAP1IKM.  UECORD. 


performed  every  duty  of  citizenship.  In  the 
1  >i>riple  Church  he  and  his  estimable  wife  ! 
membership,  and  by  all  who  knew  them  were 
held  in  the  highest  regard  for  their  sterling-worth 
and  many  excellent  traits  of  character.  On  Oc- 
tober 23,  1836,  they  were  married,  and  their 
union  was  blessed  with  children  as  follows: 
David,  born  August  12,  1837,  died  on  the  28th 
of  the  same  month;  Susannah  H.,  born  August 
25,  [838.  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Wagner,  a  lum- 
berman, of  Eagleville;  Frances  S. ,  born  July  17, 
1840,  is  the  wife  of  William  Kunes,  of  Eagle- 
ville; Margaret  J.,  burn  December  2,  1 84 1 ,  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Spangler,  of  the  same  place; 
Sarah  E.,  born  May  1.  1X43,  is  the  wife  of  Dan- 
iel Kunes,  a  fanner  of  Liberty  township;  Mary 
A.,  born  November  21,  1844,  is  the  deceased 
wife  of  Joseph  l'letcher,  a  lumberman  of  Eagle- 
ville; Lydia  E. ,  born  April  1,  1846,  died  July 
[3,  1851;  John  A.,  born  February  21,  1848,  died 
in  1889;  and  S.  Mitchell,  our  subject,  completes 
the  family. 

In  1  87 1,  in  connection  with  his  brother  John, 
Mi.  Bechdel,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch, 
purchased  tin-  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the 
old  homestead  farm,  which  they  operated  to- 
ner until  John's  death,  when  our  subject  came 
to  Eagleville,  and  has  since  made  his  home  with 
his  brothe;  in-law,  Joseph  l'letcher.  He  is  one 
of  the  honored  and  valued  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity, with  whose  interests  he  has  ever  been 
actively  identified. 

John  Bechdel   married    Miss   Susan  H.  Wag- 

!  the)  became  the  parents  of  ten  children: 

John  I.,  now  ,i  resident  of  Du  Bois,  Penn.;  David 

M.,  who  occupies  a  position  as  cook   in    I 

villi  1    F. ,    who  died   at  the   age  of    nine 

is;    Franklin  M..  who  died   in    infancy;    Mary 

B     at    home.    Almeda,  wife  of  Silas    Weaver,  a 

armaker  of   Du  Boi   .  James,  a  cook,  wh 

■  home;  Harvey,  of  Eagleville,  who  mar- 
ried Ann  tl  hi  >me;  and  |'>seph, 
who  died  at  tl 


E 


LIAS    E.   SMITH,  who   materially  -    in 

maintaining  the  reputation  of  Centrecounty 
as  a  first-class  farmii  n,  is  can  1  his 

I '  nu  township       <  >u    I 
ruuiv  22,   184,8,  he  was  born  in  Limestone  town- 
ship    1  P  Joseph   W. 
and    Mar)    |  Vrmagast)  Smith,  who   were   nal 

Union  county,  Penn.,  but  were  married  in 
Clarion  county.  The  hi  it  h  of  the  father  oci  urred 
in  1821  and  when  a  young  man  he  went  to  the 
latter  county,  when-  he  followed  his  trade  of 
shoemaking    until    [861,    when    he    removed    to 


Stephenson  county,  111.  There  he  operated 
rented  land  for  ten  years,  and  then  migrated  to 
Butler  count)'.  Neb.,  Where  he  "  homesteader!  " 
160  acres  of  raw  land,  on  which  he  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-two  years;  his  wife  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-six,  and  both  were  buried  in  Nebraska. 
He  took  quite  an  active  interest  in  politics,  al- 
ways supporting  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party  by  his  ballot,  and  was  called  upon  to  fill  a 
number  of  township  offices. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  the 
following  children:  Catharine  E. ,  now  the  wife 
of  Jacob  Balliet,  of  Butler  county.  Neb. ;  Elias 
E.,  of  this  sketch;  Jacob  P.,  who  died  in  child- 
hood; Rachel,  wife  of  William  Woods,  of  S 
county,  Neb.;  George  W.,  John  C.  and  D.  J., 
all  of  Butler  county,  that  State;  Mary,  living  in 
Polk  county.  Neb.;  Mrs.  Margaret  Ruth,  of  But- 
ler county;  Daniel,  a  farmer  in  the  West; 
erick,  of  Butler  county;  a  daughter  that  died  in 
infancy;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Edward  Maize,  of 
Butler  county,  Nebraska. 

At  the  age  of  seven  years  our  subject  went  to 
live    with    a    neighboring   farmer,    where    he    re- 
mained for  eight  years,  or  until   his  parents  re- 
moved to  Stephenson  county,  111.,  when  I 
companied  them.      Up   to   this   time  he   had  at- 
tended   school    in    Clarion    count),    and    as    he 
learned   rapidly,  acquired   a   fair   education.      In 
Illinois  he  began   working  by  the    month,  receiv- 
ing for  the  first  year  $20  per  month,  and  t 
five  subsequent  years,  $25   per  month,      Ii 
nection   with    general     farming     he     opera! 
thresher  for  his  employer,  and  later  purcha 
outfit  and  engaged  in  threshing   on    his   ow 
count    until  the  removal   of    the   family  to  Ne- 
braska.    Alter  eleven  months  spent  in  that 
he  returned  to  Illinois,  where   he   remained  until 
the    fall   of     1873.      Coming    to   Centi 
Penn.,  Mr.  Smith  visited  the  widow  of  his  1 

nth,  of  Penn  township,  who  had  re- 
cently died,  and  as  she  had  no  children  of  her 
own,  was  persuaded  to  t>  main  and  look  after  her 
farm.  Two  years  later  she  became  quite  help- 
less, and  for  almost    six    years   required  coi 

tion.      At  her  death   our  subject  came  into 
m  of  the  property. 

In    Penn  township,  Centre  count)-,  June 
Mr.  .smith  was   married    to    Miss    M 
daughtei  ol    I  ind    Ann,.   1  Ki  101 

and    who   is   a    native  of   that    township       I 
now    havi  d    farm   ol     fifty   acres   in 

1  ither  trai  tci 

township.  Centre  count).      She  is  .1  n 
hie  woman,  and  a  sincere  member  ol  the  I 
Evai  Mr.    Smith    m 

interest    in   the  sue  H  hi     1  '■ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


463 


party  with  which  he  has  always  voted,  and  on 
completing  his  present  term  will  have  served  for 
ten  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  township. 
He  is  industrious,  energetic  and  progressive  in 
his  nature,  and  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected 
by  all  who  know  him. 


JOSEPH  H.  DAVIDSON.  Among  the  in- 
fluential and  wealthy  citizens  and  progress- 
ive farmers  of  Union  township,  Centre 
county,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  occupies  an 
honorable  position.  His  beautiful  farm  of  140 
acres,  which  he  purchased  in  1881,  is  located  on 
the  Bellefonte  road,  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  highly  productive  and  desira- 
ble places  in  the  locality. 

Our  subject  was  born  at  Buffalo  Run,  Centre 
county,  June  II,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexan- 
der and  Sarah  (Hicks)  Davidson,  also  natives  of 
Centre  county,  where  they  spent  their  entire 
lives,  and  the  father  engaged  in  farming.  He 
died  in  March,  1873,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years,  and  the  mother  passed  away  in  1857. 
Both  were  worthy  members  of  the  Advent 
Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
Eight  children  blessed  their  union:  Martha, 
wife  of  W.  Irwin,  a  farmer  of  Union  township; 
Mary,  who  died  in  infancy;  Hannah,  widow  of 
Harris  Way,  of  Union  township;  Eliza,  wife  of 
William  Taylor,  of  Centre  county;  Joseph  H.,  of 
this  review;  James,  a  leading  agriculturist  of 
Centre  county;  Amanda,  wife  of  Reuben  T. 
Comly,  of  Union  township;  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  the 
father  wedded  Mrs.  Mary  (Walker)  Watson,  and 
to  them  were  born  three  children:  Michael,  a 
butcher  of  Philipsburg,  Penn. ;  Grant,  a  farmer  of 
Centre  county;  and  Ida,  wife  of  William  Brower, 
a  farmer  of  Union  township.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Davidson, 
throughout  life  engaged  in  farming  in  Centre 
county,  where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

Mr.  Davidson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  re- 
mained upon  the  home  farm  until  his  father's 
second  marriage,  when  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  started  out  in  the  world  to  seek  his  own 
livelihood.  He  had  previously  acquired  a  fair 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  county, 
and  became  familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits, 
under  his  father's  able  direction.  On  leaving 
home  he  worked  on  different  farms  during  the 
summer  months,  while  his  winters  were  spent  in 
attending  school.  Subsequently  he  operated 
rented  land  until  1881,  when  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  old  homestead, 
and  has  since  resided  there,  giving  his  time  and 


attention  to  its  cultivation  and  improvement  with 
most  gratifying  results. 

In  February,  1S61,  Mr.  Davidson  wedded 
Miss  Lucy  A.  Hoover,  who  was  born  February 
5,  1844,  on  the  farm  where  she  now  resides,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  (Orvill) 
Hoover,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Centre 
county.  Her  parents  were  both  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
her  father  gave  his  political  support  to  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  years,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life  in 
1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven.  In  their  family 
were  the  following  children:  Mary  E.,  now  of 
Altoona,  Penn.,  widow  of  Col.  John  H.  Stover, 
a  lawyer  by  profession;  Lucy  A.,  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Helen,  wife  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Colburn,  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  minister  of  Williamsport,  Penn. ; 
Willis,  a  merchant  of  Altoona;  Adeline,  wife  of 
Harris  Stover,  an  attorney  of  Altoona;  and  Ar- 
nold P.,  manager  of  the  Northern  Pacific  rail- 
road office  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs  Davidson,  John  Hoover,  was 
a  large  land  owner  of  Centre  county,  where  his 
death  occurred. 

Ten  children  graced  the  union  of  our  subject 
and  his  estimable  wife:  James,  a  farmer  of 
Centre  county;  Blanche,  wife  of  William  Flick, 
a  farmer  of  Unionville,  Penn. ;  Ella,  who  died 
when  young;  and  Bertha  L. ,  Sarah  R.,  Ina, 
Mary  L.,  Willis  P.,  Adeline  A.  and  Helen  C, 
with  their  parents.  The  children  have  all  been 
provided  with  excellent  educational  advantages, 
several  of  them  attending  college,  and  the  family 
is  one  of  the  most  intellectual  and  prominent  in 
the  community.  Socially,  Mr.  Davidson  is  a 
member  of  the  Grange  at  Unionville,  and  po- 
litically is  a  Free-silver  Democrat.  He  has  most 
acceptably  served  as  school  director  three  years 
and  road  supervisor  for  two  terms.  His  genial, 
social  manner  has  gained  him  a  host  of  friends, 
and  his  sterling  worth  and  strict  integrity  com- 
mend him  to  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic,  enterprising  and 
successful  agriculturists  of  Union  township,  and 
has  a  high  reputation  in  business  circles  as  a 
man  of  sound  judgment  and  excellent  business 
qualifications. 

ISAAC  THOMAS.  Prominent  among  the  pros-, 
perous  and  progressive  residents  of  the  charm- 
ing city  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county,  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  He  is,  moreover,  a  native  of 
the  place,  having  been  born  there  April  17,  1837, 
and  throughout  his  life  has  been  identified  with 
its  interests. 

William    A.    Thomas,    his    father,    was    the 


164 


COM.VE.VOK A  TIYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  liECOHD. 


youngest  son  of  the  fourth  Richard  Thomas,  hav- 
ing descended  from  Richard  Thomas,  of  Whit- 
ford  Garden,  Flintshire,  North  Wales,  who  in 
1 66 1  purchased  a  grant  or  location  of  five  thou- 
sand acres  in  (  lintbn  Valley,  came  to  America 
in  William  Penn's  first  migration,  and  came  to  the 
present  site  of  Philadelphia,  with  an  only  son, 
Richard,  and  died  there  in  1683.  Richard,  the 
son,  being  only  eleven  years  of  age,  and  the  es- 
tate passing  into  trustees,  the  grant  was  ne\<  r 
all  located;  however,  one  portion,  some  600 
acres,  embraced  a  part  of  what  is  now  the  county 
seat — WestChester.  The  son  returned  to  Wales, 
where  he  married  Grace  Atherton,  an  English 
maiden,  and  in  a  short  time  again  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  settled  (in  1 7 It)  in  the  Great  Valley  on 
one  of  his  places  called  Calamornshirk,  in  West 
Whiteland  township,  where  he  died  in  1744. 
He  left  several  children,  and  among  them  a  son 
Richard,  who  married  Pimbe  Ashbridge,  one  of 
whose  sons  was  Richard,  the  fourth  in  line.  He 
was  born  in  1744,  and  married  Thomazine  Down- 
ing, of  Downingtown;  they  were  the  parents  of 
William  A.  The  latter  was  born  in  Che 
county  in  1795.  In  181 7  he  came  to  Centre 
count)-,  and  became  identified  with  the  several 
Valentine  Brothers  who  were  operating  iron  works 
here,  having  in  1815,  in  connection  with  Jacob 
Thomas,  elder  brother  of  William  A.,  established 
the  business  here.  Mr.  Thomas  remained  act- 
ively connected  with  the  iron  industry  of  Belle- 
fotite  and  vicinity,  and  throughout  his  life,  which 
closed  December  4,  1866,  ''he  was  closely 
identified  with  the  Mill  Hall  Iron  Works,  with  the 
Howard  Iron  Works  and  with  Willow  Bank  at 
Bellefonte.  He  was  variously  connected  with 
the  business  interests  of  Centre  county,  a<  lively 
concerned  in  advancing  its  material  prosperity 
bj  public  improvements — turnpikes,  canals,  rail- 
roads— and  in  the  development  of  the  bituminous 
coal  region.  As  a  business  man,  he  had  no  su- 
perior in  ability  and  enterprise  in  central  Penn- 
sylvania, and  has  left  the  impress  of  his  ability 
in  the  training  he  gave  some  of  our  most  distin- 
guished  business   men." 

In  August,  1817,  William  A,  Thomas  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Miller,  who  was  born  in 
1703.  ami  died  June  16,  1879,  and  their  childn  11 
win-:  [acob  V.,  who  died  iii  [893,  was  a  mer- 
chant and  interested  in  the  iron  and  ndus- 
tries;  William  A.  was  captain  of  Companj  H, 
40th  P.  V.  I.,  in  the  Civil  war,  was  engaged  in 
the  iron  business,  and  lost  his  life  by  accident. 
falling  into  a  mine  in  i>              ic  is  our  subject, 

and  is  menti :d   more   fully  below;  Thoma 

died  of  typhoid  fever  when  in  her  twenty-sec I 

year;   Marion  and  Richard  died  young. 


The  parents  of  these  were  devout  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Isaac  Thomas  re- 
ceived a  good  practical  education  in  youth,  at- 
tending the  Westtown  Quaker  school  and,  later, 
the  schools  in  Westchester  and  in  Kennett 
Square.  On  completing  his  course  of  study  he 
sought  the  necessary  experience  and  training  for 
business  life,  and  for  a  time  clerked  in  a  hard- 
ware store.  In  early  manhood  he  engaged  in  the 
glass  business  with  Jacob  V.  Thomas,  and  con- 
tinued about  two  years.  During  the  Civil  war 
Mr.  Thomas  proved  his  patriotism  by  being  one 
of  the  first  to  go  to  the  defense  of  the  Union. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  H.  2d  P.  V.  I.,  and  at 
the  end  of  his  term  of  three  months  he  re- 
enlisted  in  the  famous  49th  P.  V.  I.,  and  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Falling  Waters.  In  hi~ 
political  sympathies  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Frater- 
nally he  is  connected  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  En- 
campment at  Bellefonte. 

In  October,  1872,  our  subject  and  Miss  Maria 
J.  Reed,  a  native  of  Huntingdon  county,  Penn., 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  to  this  union  ei<,'ht 
children  were  born.  Lidie  is  at  home ;  Thomazine 
died  at  an  early  age,  of  diphtheria;  Debbie  also 
passed  away  in  childhood;  and  the  others — Will, 
Isaac,  Joseph,  Arthur  and  Lulu — still  reman 
brighten  the  home. 


PROF.  GEORGE  C,  BUTZ,  M.  S,  assistant 
professor  of  Horticulture  at  Pennsylvania 
State  College,  and  horticulturist  at  the  Experi- 
ment Station,  is  a  young  man  of  marked  ability, 
already  known  as  an  expert  in  his  branch  of 
science.  The  trend  of  his  genius  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  hereditary  influences,  as  his  father,  the 
late  Paul  Butz,  a  native  of  Basel,  Switzerland, 
was  distinguished  for  his  skill  as  a  florist 
horticulturist  as  well  as  for  fine  artistic  tast' 
landscape  gardening. 

Paul    Butz    was    born   April    2;,    1S21. 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  thirty,  locating 
New    Castle,    Penn.,  when     his    death    occur! 
April    5,    1894.       The   extensive    nurseries  which 
he  established  there  are  still  conducted  bj 
sons.      His  trade  in   trees   of  all  kinds,  and  in 
other  departments  of  the   nursery  business. 
verj   large,  bulbs  and  plants  from  the  gardi 
ing  sent   to  all   parts  of  the   United  Stat 
Canada.       Many   wealthy   men    of    refill' 
availed  themselves  of  his  practical  advice  in 
arrangement  of  their  grounds,  the  estate  of  (■ 
1    ■  1 ,  at  Youngstown.Ohio,  being  one  among  those 
which  were  beautified  according  to  his  de- 
The  Professor's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  •• 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


465 


Margaret  Wiegand,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg, 
Germany,  November  1 1, 1 831,  and  at  the  age  of  ten 
crossed  the  Atlantic  with  her  parents,  who  set- 
tied  at  Allegheny,  Perm.  Her  father,  a  cabinet 
maker  by  trade,  was  killed  by  accident  soon 
after  his  arrival;  her  mother  died  in  1883  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-three.  Mrs.  Butz  is  still 
living  at  the  old  home  in  New  Castle.  Of  four- 
teen children,  two  died  in  infancy;  the  others 
are:  William  Tell,  who  succeeded  his  father  in 
business,  and  with  another  brother  now  conducts 
the  Croton  Gardens  at  New  Castle;  John  M.,  a 
trusted  employee  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Co.,  stationed  at  Lawrence  Junction,  Ashtabula 
division;  Caroline,  who  is  at  home;  Emma  and 
Mary  A.  (twins),  both  at  home,  the  former  being 
a  successful  teacher  in  the  schools  there;  Frank 
P.,  now  associated  with  his  brother  William  in 
the  nursery  business;  George  C,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Maggie  E.,  a  graduate  of  New  Castle 
High  School,  at  present  teaching  in  the  primary 
department  of  the  public  schools  of  that  town; 
Effie,  a  graduate  of  Edinburg  Normal  School, 
and  a  teacher  in  the  New  Castle  schools;  Albert 
E.,  who  was  graduated  from  Curry  University  at 
Pittsburg,  and  is  now  employed  in  that  city  as  a 
mechanical  draughtsman;  Rosa  S. ,  a  high  school 
graduate,  now  stenographer  for  the  Mercantile 
Bank  at  Pittsburg;  and  Harry  E.,  a  student  at 
Western    University,  Allegheny. 

Prof.  George  C.  Butz  was  born  February  1, 
1863,  and  was  reared  at  the  old  home  in  New 
Castle,  preparing  for  college,  in  the  high  school 
there.  In  1880  he  entered  the  sophomore  class 
at  State  College,  taking  the  general  scientific 
course,  and  graduating  in  1883.  In  1884-85  he 
taught  in  the  Preparatory  Department,  pursuing 
at  the  same  time  a  post-graduate  course  in  bot- 
any and  zoology,  and  he  then  started  upon  an 
extensive  tour  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
flora  of  the  United  States.  A  year  was  spent  in 
Southern  California,  and  during  this  time  he  did 
some  excellent  work  in  landscape  gardening, 
with  which  he  had  been  familiar  from  boyhood, 
laying  out  one  estate  of  1600  acres,  and  making 
artistic  use  of  flowers,  ornamental  trees  and 
shrubs,  fruit  trees,  olives  and  other  means  of 
adornment,  natural  and  artifical.  On  his  return 
to  Pennsylvania,  in  July,  1887,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  horticulturist  at  the  Experiment  Sta- 
tion. In  1894  he  was  appointed  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  horticulture  in  the  Pennsylvania  State 
College.  In  1888  his  Alma  Mater  conferred  upon 
him  the  well-merited  degree  of  Master  of  Science. 

In  1892  Prof.  Butz  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Robinson,  a  native  of  Centre  county — 
born   at    Hecla    Furnace,    February    18,     1866. 

30 


They  have  two  children,  Gerald  R.  and  Charles 
A.  The  Professor  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  is  an  elder. 
As  a  citizen  he  takes  generous  interest  in  all  the 
movements  of  the  time,  and  in  political  faith  is 
a  Democrat.  The  town  of  State  College  was 
organized  into  a  borough  August  29,  1896,  at 
which  time  our  subject  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  council  and  president  of  the  same.  In  the 
spring  of  1897  he  was  re-elected  to  that  position, 
although  the  town  is  strongly  Republican. 


E 


\DWARD  L.  POWERS,  of  Bellefonte,  is 
the  proprietor  of  the  oldest  boot  and  shoe 
store  in  Centre  county.  It  was  established  twen- 
ty-six years  ago  by  his  father,  the  late  John 
Powers,  in  the  days  when  every  shop  was  a  little 
factory,  and  although  the  conditions  of  the 
trade  have  changed  greatly  the  business  has  been 
adapted  to  them. 

John  Powers,  whose  death  occurred  May  30, 
1 S96,  was  born  in  Kilkenny,  Ireland.  An  ex- 
ceptionally bright  and  able  man,  well-informed 
through  his  constant  reading  of  the  best  litera- 
ture of  the  day,  he  was  extremely  popular  among 
all  classes,  and  was  twice  elected  mayor  of  Belle- 
fonte, on  the  Democratic  ticket.  His  energy 
and  "nerve"  in  business  brought  him  to  the 
front  in  his  line  of  work  also,  and  he  shipped  his 
boots  and  shoes  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  in- 
cluding California.  Socially,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  After  coming  to  this  coun- 
try he  met  and  married  Miss  Nancy  Kearns,  a 
Roman  Catholic  lady  of  Irish  parentage,  but 
born  probably  in  America.  Of  their  four  chil- 
dren, the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first  in 
order  of  birth.  (2)  Kate,  the  wife  of  ex-sheriff 
Walker,  resides  in  Lamb  street,  Bellefonte;  (3) 
Mary(deceased),  married  William  Brockville,  and 
(4)  John  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years 
in  the  jewelry  business,  but  concluded  to  follow 
the  ancestral  occupation,  and  is  now  the  mana- 
ger of  a  shoe   store   at   Lebanon,  Pennsylvania. 

E.  L.  Powers,  our  subject,  is  a  native  of 
Bellefonte,  born  June  18,  1857,  and  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  place  all  his  life.  His  education 
was  begun  in  the  parochial  schools,  continued  in 
the  public  schools  and  Bellefonte  Academy,  and 
he  entered  upon  his  business  career  with  a  goodly 
fund  of  practical  knowledge,  being  especially  ex- 
pert as  a  bookkeeper.  In  1875  he  became  a 
partner  in  his  father's  business,  having  previously 
spent  three  years  on  the  bench,  learning  the  de- 
tails of  the  work.  In  1886  he  purchased  his  fa- 
ther's interest,  and  has  since  conducted  the  es- 
tablishment alone.      Genial  and  polished  in  man- 


46<» 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOOliM'HKAl.   IiECORD. 


ner,  he  is  successful  in  dealing  with  the  public, 
while  his  judicious  yet  enterprising  management, 
has  kept  the  business  in  a  satisfactory  state. 

In  1884  Mr.  Powers  wedded  Miss  Lizzie  Key- 
ser,  who  was  born  in  New  York  State  in  1857, 
and  passed  her  earls  lite  there.  Two  daughters, 
Ada  and  Pearl,  brighten  their  home.  The  suc- 
ful  prosecution  of  his  business  has  demanded 
close  attention,  but  Mr.  Powers  finds  time  to  per- 
form the  duties  which  good  citizenship  requires, 
and  takes  much  interest  in  political  questions  as 
an  anient  believer  in  Democratic  doctrines.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 


DANIEL  IKVIN  JOHNSON,  one  of  the  most 
thorough  and  skillful  farmers  of  Ferguson 
township,  is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  born  July 
[9,  [838,  m  Walker  township.  His  parents, 
Jonathan  C.  and  Sarah  (Coldron)  Johnson,  were 
natives  of  Union  and  Northumberland  counties, 
Penn.,  respectively,  the  former  being  of  Scotch 
and  the  latter  of  German  lineage.  It  was  some 
time  in  the  "twenties"  when  they  came  to 
Centre  county,  where  they  first  took  up  their 
residence  upon  the  Curtin  farm,  about  a  mile  be- 
low llellefonte,  where  they  continued  to  make 
their  home  some  ten  years.  Finally  they  re- 
moved to  Walker  township,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  Christopher  Johnson, 
held  a  captain's  commission  in  the  Continental 
army  under  Gen.  Washington,  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  in  the  early  days  was  very 
friendly  with  the  Indians,  often  feeding  them. 

Our  subject  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
nine  children,  in  order  of  birth  as  follows:  1  1  1 
Josiah  married,  and  reared  a  family,  but  his  wife 
is  now  deceased;  he  has  met  with  a  terrible  mis- 
fortune in  the  loss  of  his  sight,  being  blind  for 
the  past  ten  years;  he  now  lives  in  Walker  town- 
ship with  his  son  Claude.  121  William  E.,  a 
carpenter  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  is  married  and 
bas  leared  a  family  (3)  Maria  wedded  Levi 
Dixon,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  they  had  two 
daughters.  (4)  Jonathan  ('.  is  living  with  his 
family  in  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged  m  carpentering.  (5)  Peter  C.  is  married, 
and  is  engaged  in  the  coal  business  in  Milton, 
tin-  state.  (6)  Sarah  J.  died  when  young,  (7) 
Joel  H.,  whose  wife  has  been  helpless  from 
paralysis  for  the  past  five  years,  has  a  family  of 
nine  children.  (8)  Emily  is  the  widow  of  Am- 
brose McMullen,  and  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren.     (9)   Daniel  I.  is  our  subject. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boss,  Daniel 
I.    Johnson   was   reared   and  educated.      During 


the  Civil  war  he  was  drafted,  but  was  exempt  as 
he  was  the  only  support  of  his  father.  For  the 
past  seven  years  he  has  resided  upon  his  present 
farm,  a  valuable  tract  of  323  acres  in  Ferguson 
township,  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  State  Col- 
lege. After  renting  for  about  three  years  he  pur- 
chased the  place  in  1892.  It  evinces,  both  in 
its  culture  and  in  the  good  and  substantial  build- 
ings erected  upon  it,  the  diligence  and  thrift  of 
the  owner,  and  prosperity  seems  to  await  upon 
his  steps.  Being  endowed  with  a  remarkable 
amount  of  energetic  spirit  and  good  business 
tact,  he  has  since  coming  here  succeeded  in 
achieving  a  fair  amount  of  success.  In  1865  he 
married  Miss  Catharine  Rebecca  Brumgard,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  six  children,  all  son- 
and  the  family  circle  yet  remains  unbroken  by 
the  hand  of  death.  They  are  as  follows:  Austin 
L.,  a  resident  of  Axemann,  Centre  county,  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Steele,  and  has  four  children;  Cyrus 
M.,  a  farmer  of  Ferguson  township,  wedded 
Marian  Miller,  and  has  two  children;  William  1 
of  Ferguson  township,  wedded  Mary  Wilson,  and 
has  two  children;  and  Joseph  N. .  Olin  A.  and 
Emery  C.  are  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  highly  esteemed  in  the  com- 
munity as  an  honorable,  upright  and  trustworthy 
man,  true  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him  whether 
public  or  private.  He  uses  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party, socially  is  connected  with  the  Grange, 
and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Lutheran.  He  is  a 
man  of  much  force  of  character,  strong  individu- 
ality, and  his  pleasant,  social  manner  has  won 
for  him  a  host  of  warm  friends,  whom  he  delights 
to  entertain  at  his  beautiful  home. 


H 


WENRY  F  KESSINGER  is  one  of  the  most 
energetic,  enterprising  and  prosperous  citi- 
zens of  Liberty  township,  Centre  county, 
on  the  plains  of  affluence  did  he  start  out  on 
life's  journey,  but  in  the  valley  of  limited  cir- 
cumstances with  the  rough  and  rugged  path  Of 
ban!  undertaking  before  him.  He  started  on  the 
ascent,  worked  his  way  steadily  upward,  climb- 
ing higher  and  higher  until  he  stands  on  the 
mountain  top  of  prosperity. 

Mr    Kessmger  was  born  at  Queen's  Run,  * 
ton  county,   Penn.,  May  3,   [856,  a  son  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Fannie  (Nestlerod)  Kessinger,  who  w 
natives   of   Salona,    Clinton  county,  and   in  tlut 
county  their  deaths   occurred,   the   former  being 
killed  in  a  sawmill  May  24,    [856,  when  our  sub- 
ject   was   only   three   weeks   old,  and   the   latter 
dying  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight   ye 
In  their  family  were  three  children:   William  I    . 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


467 


a  farmer  and  stone  mason  of  Salona,  Clinton 
county;  Amanda,  who  died  when  quite  young,  of 
whooping  cough;  and  Henry  F.,  of  this  review. 
The  paternal  grandparents,  Hunsecker  Kessinger 
and  wife,  were  pioneers  of  Clinton  county,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Daniel 
and  Margaret  (Frey)  Nestlerod,  the  maternal 
grandparents,  were  natives  of  Centre  and  Lan- 
caster counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  Grandfather 
Nestlerod  died  in  Clinton  county;  his  wife  passed 
away  on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now  resides. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Henry  F.  Kes- 
singer was  taken  to  the  home  of  his  maternal 
grandmother,  with  whom  he  resided  until  her 
death  in  1882.  During  this  time  he  worked  for 
her  until  two  years  prior  to  her  death,  when  he 
operated  the  farm  on  shares,  and  there  continued 
to  reside  until  1883,  when  the  place  was  sold, 
and  he  purchased  his  present  valuable  farm, 
which  at  that  time  was  rented.  Being  a  natural 
mechanic,  he  then  turned  his  attention  to  the 
carpenter's  and  stone  mason's  trade,  which  he 
successfully  followed  for  four  years,  although  he 
had  never  served  an  apprenticeship  to  either. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to 
his  farm,  two  years  later  erecting  his  handsome 
brick  residence,  and  he  has  made  many  other 
valuable  and  useful  improvements.  In  connec- 
tion with  general  farming  he  has  also  engaged  in 
the  baling  and  shipping  of  hay  and  straw,  sell- 
ing sixty-four  car  loads  during  the  past  season; 
he  also  operates  a  steam  cider  press. 

On  January  1,  1874,  in  Clinton  county,  Mr. 
Kessinger  was  married  to  Miss  Annie  Nestlerod, 
who  was  born  in  Centre  county  in  i860,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Frances  (Schwartz) 
Nestlerod.  To  this  worthy  couple  have  been 
born  five  children:  William  F.,  who  assists  his 
father  in  his  business;  Maggie,  wife  of  Charles 
Ruppert,  who  is  also  connected  with  our  subject 
in  business  in  Liberty  township;  Hugh  C,  at 
home;  Frank,  who  died  May  15,  1896;  and 
Sadie  E.,  at  home.  They  also  have  an  adopted 
son,  Henry  Kessinger,  at  this  writing  a  lad  of 
fourteen  years,  who  has  found  a  pleasant  home 
with  them  since  he  was  six  months  old.  He  is 
an  industrious,  energetic  boy,  and  prefers  to  be 
called  by  the  name  of  his  foster  parents. 

Mr.  Kessinger  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  takes  a  deep  and  com- 
mendable interest  in  public  affairs,  always  sup- 
porting those  measures  which  tend  to  benefit  the 
community.  He  has  grown  wealthy,  prosperous 
and  an  honored  citizen  by  the  exercise  of  integ- 
rity, industry  and  intelligence.  Although  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage  his  capital  consisted  of  but 
$5.  through  honorable  business  methods,  he  has 


succeeded  in  accumulating  a  handsome  fortune, 
to-day  being  worth  between  $20,000  and  $30,000. 
He  is  a  courteous,  pleasant  gentleman,  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  the  community, 
and  well  deserves  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is 
universally  held. 


TjiJPILLIAM  GROVE,  Jr.,  is  one  of  the  reli- 
WW  able  and  progressive  farmers  and  repre- 
sentative men  of  Benner  township,  Centre 
county.  Through  his  earnest,  persistent  labors 
his  fine  farm  of  1 2  5  acres  is  in  a  high  state  of  cult- 
ure and  improved  with  excellent  buildings,  which 
stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift   and  enterprise. 

A  native  of  Centre  county,  Mr.  Grove  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  July  28,  1840,  a  son  of 
John  and  Louisa  (Klinesmith)  Grove.  The 
family  has  long  been  identified  with  the  interests 
of  this  section  of  the  State.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  killed  and  scalped 
by  the  Indians,  in  the  Penn's  Valley  massacre  of 
1776.  The  father  was  born  in  Middleburg,  Sny- 
der Co.,  Penn.,  of  German  lineage,  and  on  com- 
ing to  Centre  county  located  in  Harris  township, 
where  he  followed  farming  throughout  life. 

In  1 86 1  our  subject  wedded  Miss  Sarah  Neese, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  (Kerstetter) 
Neese,  who  are  also  of  German  descent.  Her 
grandfather  took  up  his  residence  in  Penn's  Val- 
ley in  1780.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grove,  as  follows:  Emanuel  H., 
who  is  married,  and  is  living  in  College  township, 
Centre  county;  Alice  R. ,  wife  of  Jacob  Mayer,  of 
Spring  township,  Centre  county ;  Susan,  wife  of 
David  Shearer,  of  Jefferson  county,  Penn.;  Will- 
iam H.,  who  is  married  and  living  in  Penn  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  on  his  grandfather's  old 
homestead;  John  F. ;  Emma  V.,  wife  of  Warren 
Minnimire,  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.;  and  Anna  H., 
at  home. 

In  his  political  affiliation,  Mr.  Grove  is  an.  in- 
flexible adherent  to  the  doctrines  and  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  has  no  aspirations 
for  popular  preferment.  He  is  a  public-spirited, 
enterprising  man,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
everything  which  seems  to  promise  benefit  to  the 
community.  He  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  his  neighbors,  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and,  fraternally,  is  con- 
nected with  the  Grange. 


JR  DAM  H.  VONADA,  a  prosperous  agricult- 
J&L  urist  of  Brush  Valley,  residing  near  Madi- 
sonburg,  Centre  county,  is  an  industrious,  pro- 
gressive citizen,  whose  success  has  been  won   by 


168 


GOMMEMORA  TIVH  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


methods  which  have  gained  him  the  sincere  re- 
spect of  his  community. 

The  Vonada  family  is  too  well  known  in  this 
section  to  need  an  introduction  to  our  readers. 
The  first  of  this  branch  of  the  family  to  leave 
the  ancestral  home  in  German}'  was  Philip  Von- 
ada, our  subject's  great-grandfather,  who  settled 
in  Union  county  at  an  early  day.  Henry  Von- 
ada, the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Union  county,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  was  married  in  Centre  county  to  Miss 
Catherine  Wallerbyer,  a  native  of  Lebanon 
county,  Perm.,  and  settled  in  Penn's  Valley.  Cen- 
tre county,  in  the  woods,  with  not  even  a  log 
cabin  to  shelter  them  at  first,  their  household 
goods  being  unloaded  beneath  a  large  tree.  These 
truly  primitive  arrangements  did  not  last  long, 
however,  and  in  due  time  the  place  was  cleared 
and  transformed  into  an  excellent  farm.  These 
worthy  pioneers  reared  a  family  of  six  children: 
John.  David,  Philip,  Henry,  Adam  and  Cathe- 
rine, none  of  whom  are  now  living  except  Adam, 
the  father  of  our  subject.  John  died  in  Illinois; 
Catherine,  who  married  John  Hoss,  died  in  Cen- 
tre county. 

Adam  Vonada,  now  a  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dent "i  /inn,  Centre  county,  was  born  in  Haines 
township,  that  county,  February  17,  1819,  and 
in  early  manhood  learned  the  tailor's  trade, 
which  he  followed  until  his  marriage  in  1  844  to 
Miss  Lucy  Rabenolt.  He  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, in  which  he  was  unusually  successful,  ac- 
quiring a  goodly  competence.  He  was  a  man  of 
note  in  his  community,  and  has  alwavs  been  a 
stanch  Democrat.  With  advancing  years,  the 
strain  of  his  former  labors  has  told  upon  his 
frame,  rendering  him  quite  feeble,  but  his  estima- 
ble wife  still  enjoys  good  health,  and  is  well  pre- 
served for  one  of  her  years.  Their  children 
were:  Mary  C,  wife  of  Emanuel  Garlrick,  a 
farmer  of  Centre  county;  the  twins,  Adam  H., 
our  subject,  and  Benjamin  F.,  a  farmer  near 
Jacksonville,  Penn. ;  Harvey  D.,  a  farmer  near 
Hublersburg,  Penn,  ;  Philip,  an  attorney,  now- 
deceased;  and  William,  a  farmer  of  Walker 
township,  Centre  count \ 

Our  subject's   ther    was    born    in    Lehigh 

counts,  Penn.,  March  21,  1824.  the  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Mar)  (Ocher)  Rabenolt,  and  a 
grandaughtei  of  Michael  Rabenolt,  a  farmer  in 
the  same  county.  Both  parents  were  natives  of 
Lehigh  county,  and  they  removed  to  this  section 
some  years  after  their  marriage,  the  mother  dying 
in  Union  county,  and  the  fatherin Centre  county. 
The)  had  eighl  children:  Mrs.  Vonada,  Jona- 
than. Willi  am,  David,  Solomon,  Sarah  1  who  mar- 


ried   George     Kaufman,    a    farmer    of     Centre 
county),  Caroline   and  Christian.     Of  these  but 
three  are  living   Mrs.  Vonada,  Caroline,  widow 
of  John    Garthoff,    residing    in    Coburn,    Penn 
and  Christian,  who  lives  in  Kansas. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  August 
30,  1850.  in  the  Nittany  Valley,  at  Zion,  and  r>  - 
mained  at  the  old  home  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority. He  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  as  the  son  of  a  busy  farmer  was  plenti- 
fully supplied  with  work  at  all  times,  unless  ill- 
ness excused  him.  On  leaving  home  he  found 
employment  as  a  farm  hand.  On  September  10, 
1875.  he  was  married  in  Rebersburg,  Penn.,  t'> 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Roush,  a  native  of  Gregg  township. 
Centre  county,  born  September  3,  1852,  and  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Roush.  The  first  year  of 
his  married  life  was  spent  upon  his  father's  farm, 
and  he  then  removed  to  a  farm  in  Sugar  Valley, 
belonging  to  his  father- in-law,  where  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1882.  The  next  six  years 
were  spent  in  Gregg  township.  Centre  count).  1  0 
a  place  which  was  formerly  occupied  by  John 
Hoy,  and  in  the  spring  of  18SS  he  settled  upon 
his  present  farm  near  Madisonburg,  then  known 
as  the  old  Smeltzer  farm.  He  has  made  many 
improvements  upon  the  estate,  especially  in  the 
buildings,  and  in  [892  he  erected  a  new  barn  of 
modern  style. 

Four  children  brighten  his  home:  Anna  M  . 
Katy,  Mabel  M.  and  Ella.  Another  daughter.  Ada, 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  died  in  infancy  It  is 
a  matter  of  great  regret  to  Mr.  Vonada  that  he  did 
not  have  better  educational  opportunities,  and  he 
has  alwavs  been  a  strong  advocate  of  better 
schools.  While  residing  in  Sugar  Valley  he 
forsometime  as  a  school  director.  Politically  his 
sympathies  are  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  he 
is  not  such  a  narrow  partisan  as  to  surrender  his 
individual  judgment.  At  present  he  holds  the  office 
of  overseer  of  the  poor.  He  and  his  wii 
prominent  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  in 
which  he  was  deacon  for  nine  years,  and  is  m>w 
an  elder.  He  is  also  a  leading  worker  in  the 
Grange,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  M 

tie  No.  360,  at  Madisonburg. 


PI    IKK   (OKI.,  one  of  the  active  and   1 
getic  farmers  of   Ferguson  township,  ' 

r ity,  is  the  subjei  t  ol   tin-  personal  narrative 

Believing  that  "from  labor,  health,  from  health. 
contentment  springs, "  he  has  bent  ever)  ■ 
toward  perfecting   his   agricultural   projects 
has  proved  himself  eminently  one  of  the  b< 
5  of  the  community. 
A  native  -I  Centre  county,  Mr.  fori  was 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


469 


February  16,  1839,  in  Haines  township,  a  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Vonada)  Corl.  The 
father  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Penn. ,  whence 
he  removed  to  Union  county,  and  later  came  to 
Centre  county,  where  the  mother  was  born.  By 
trade  he  was  a  blacksmith,  which  occupation  he 
followed  for  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  business 
career,  and  then  he  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. The  family  was  founded  in  America  during 
Colonial  days,  and  ancestors  of  our  subject 
served  in  the  Revolution  under  Gen.  Washing- 
ton. To  Benjamin  Corl  and  his  wife  were  born 
eight  children,  namely:  Catharine  is  the  wife  of 
Jacob  L.  Roup,  a  farmer  of  Ferguson  township, 
by  whom  she  has  five  children.  Samuel,  an  ag- 
riculturist, wedded  Maria  Strouse,  and  has  eight 
children.  Benjamin  first  wedded  Mary  Neidigh, 
by  whom  he  had  five  children,  and  after  her 
death  he  married  Catharine  Roush.  Israel,  also 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  married  Harriet  McBath, 
and  had  ten  children.  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Bloom,  of  Ferguson  township,  by  whom  she  has 
eight  children.  Peter  is  next  in  order  of  birth. 
Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Houser,  living  near 
Centre  Hall,  Centre  county,  and  they  have  two 
children.  William  died  in  1853,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years. 

The  educational  privileges  of  Peter  Corl  were 
such  as  the  free  schools  of  Pine  Hall  afforded. 
He  was  married  May  28,  1863,  to  Miss  Barbara 
Reish,  daughter  of  Jacob  Reish,  of  Union  county, 
Penn.  Ten  children — seven  sons  and  three 
daughters — have  been  born  to  them,  as  follows: 
W.  K.,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  who  married  Et- 
tie  Garner;  Jacob  C,  of  Centre  county,  who 
married  Elsie  Kreps;  Samuel  I.  and  Peter  M.,  at 
home;  Maria,  who  married  a  Mr.  Kreps,  by  whom 
she  has  one  child;  Daniel  O. ;  Elizabeth  E. ;  Al- 
vin  K. ;  Cora  M.,  and  James  M. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Corl  manifested  his 
loyalty  by  enlisting  in  the  Union  service;  but  as 
his  parents  objected  he  remained  at  home.  He 
belongs  to  a  good  old  Democratic  family,  and  the 
principles  of  that  party  he  also  supports.  He  is 
an  earnest  Christian,  holding  membership  with 
the  Reformed  Church,  and  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Grange  in  Centre  county.  He  takes  a 
genuine  interest  in  the  enterprises  set  on  foot  for 
the  progress  and  welfare  of  his  adopted  county, 
and  does  all  in  his  power  to  secure  their  advance- 
ment. 


DAVID  NEESE,  a  prosperous  and  highly  re- 
spected agriculturist  of  Penn  township, 
Centre  county,  residing  near  Penn  Hall,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  a  prominent    pioneer  family,  one  of 


the  few  which  still  retain  in  their  own  possession 
the  lands  entered  by  their  ancestors  over  one 
hundred  years  ago.  The  first  of  the  line  to  settle 
in  Centre  county  was  William  Neese,  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject.  He  came  from  Ger- 
many before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  after  a 
short  residence  in  Snyder  county  located  per- 
manently in  Penn  township.  His  son  Peter,  our 
subject's  grandfather,  served  in  Washington's 
forces  during  that  struggle,  although  at  the  time 
he  was  but  a  boy  in  years.  He  married  Chris- 
tina Hess,  and  had  ten  children,  among  whom 
was  a  son,  David,  the  father  of  our  subject. 

David  Neese,  Sr. ,  was  born  at  the  Neese 
homestead  about  1799,  and  became  a  successful 
farmer  and  influential  citizen.  By  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Susan  Kerstetter,  a  member  of  another 
pioneer  family,  he  had  twelve  children:  Eliza- 
beth, William,  David,  John  (deceased),  Jacob, 
Samuel,  Benjamin  (deceased),  Harriet,  Sarah, 
Rebecca,  Emanuel,  and  Daniel,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

David  Neese,  our  subject,  was  born  March 
28,  1828,  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  and 
was  seven  years  old  when  his  parents  acquired 
the  old  homestead,  a  portion  of  which  he  now 
owns.  The  schools  of  that  time  and  locality 
were  not  suited  to  the  mental  development  of  a 
clever  boy,  and  he  deserved  much  better  oppor- 
tunities, but  he  did  not  even  have  a  chance  to 
improve  fully  those  that  he  had,  as  in  his  time 
the  lack  of  machinery  made  farm  work  last  longer 
than  now.  When  the  harvest  was  finished  at 
the  homestead,  which  was  a  large  estate,  the  fa- 
ther would  permit  his  boys  to  work  for  other 
farmers  and  earn  money  for  their  own  use, 
although  the  wages  were  very  small.  The  trap- 
ping of  foxes  furnished  another  source  of  revenue 
for  the  boys,  and  Mr.  Neese  has  caught  a  goodly 
number.  His  outdoor  life  made  him  a  strong, 
robust  youth,  capable  of  much  labor,  and  until 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  assisted  his  father  and 
lived  at  home. 

Then  came  his  marriage  to  Miss  Amelia 
Gentzel,  who  was  born  about  1841,  on  Penn 
creek,  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county,  the  cer- 
emony being  performed  at  Aaronsburg.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Caroline  (Eppley) 
Gentzel,  and  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  seven 
children — five  sons  and  two  daughters.  At  the 
time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Neese  was  practically 
without  money,  and  for  five  years  he  worked  as 
a  farm  hand  at  fifty  cents  a  day.  During  this 
time  his  devoted  wife,  who  has  always  been  a 
most  efficient  helpmeet,  often  assisted  him  in  the 
field,  earning  twenty-five  cents  a  day,  or  in  rak- 
ing and  binding,  in  which  she  could  do  as  much 


470 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


as  any  man,  she  would  receive  a  man's  wages, 
fifty  cents  per  day.  With  such  a  spirit  animat- 
ing both,  they  were  bound  to  succeed.  When 
they  began  farming  on  their  own  account  they 
were  obliged  to  rent,  settling  first  on  the  old 
"Smith  farm''  west  of  Millheim,  then  on  a  farm 
in  Penn  township,  and  later  upon  land  in  the  Nit- 
tany  Valley. 

In  1879  Mr.  Neese  came  into  possession  of  an 
unimproved  portion  of  the  old  homestead,  there 
being  no  buildings  whatever.  He  put  up  suitable 
and  convenient  buildings  and  made  other  improve- 
ments of  a  substantial  kind,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  there.  The  place  contains  nearly  125 
acres  of  choice  land,  and  under  his  careful  manage- 
ment it  ranks  among  the  best  farms  in  the  locality. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neese  deserve  great  credit  for  their 
successful  struggle  in  their  early  years.  Mrs. 
Neese  has  been  a  constant  helper  indoors  and 
"lit,  and  her  husband  acknowledges  with  manly 
pride  the  value  of  her  efforts.  With  all  her  work 
she  is  to-day  a  well  preserved  woman,  and  her 
kindly  heart  has  won  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  The  children  of  this  worthy  couple 
are  Clara  C.  (Mrs.  John  Witmer),  who  resides 
near  Pine  Grove,  Penn. ;  Sevilla  (Mrs.  Washing- 
ton Tharp),  of  Virginia;  James  H.,  of  Nittany 
Valley;  Ellen  C.  and  Minnie  S.,  who  are  at 
home;  and  Nettie  A.,  who  married  Percival 
Tharp,  a  school  teacher,  who  also  conducts  the 
home  farm  at  present,  as  Mr.  Neese  has  retired 
from  the  active  management. 

Although  he  is  no  office  seeker,  Mr.  Neese  is 
influential  in  the  local  Democratic  organization, 
and  has  served  as  supervisor.  He  has  always 
been  actively  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
community,  and  he  and  Ins  wife  are  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Evangelical  Church. 


Gl  1  IRGE  W.  KELLEY,  proprietor  of  an  ex- 
1  cellent  farm  of  300  acres  in  Worth  town- 
ship. Centre  county,  is  numbered  among  the 
most  substantial  and  enterprising  agriculturists 
of  the  community.  He  located  at  his  present 
place  in  1853,  and  from  the  uncultivated  soil  has 
built  up  a  valuable  homestead,  which  will  remain 
as  a  monument  to  his  industry  and  energy  for 
generations  to  come.  He  has  been  particularly 
wise  in  his  investments,  and  possesses  excellent 
business  capacity,  making  the  most  of  his  oppor- 
tunities, and  all  through  the  changes  of  a  busy 
life,  and  while  laboring  for  his  own  interest,  has 
in  nowise  set  aside  the  interests  and  well-being 
of  the  community  around  him. 

Mr.  Kelley  was  born  October  10,  1 830,  in  Leb- 
anon county,  Penn.,  where  the  birth  of   his  par- 


ents, John  and  Elizabeth  (Felty)  Kelley,  al 
curred.  In  1835  they  came  to  Centre  county, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  blacksmithing 
throughout  his  business  career.  He  was  an  ar- 
dent Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  religious  belief 
was  a  Lutheran,  dying  in  that  faith  in  1893,  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  was 
three  times  married,  his  first  wife  being  the 
mother  of  our  subject;  she  died  in  1842.  To 
them  were  born  six  children:  Mary,  deceased 
wife  of  Martin  Houser,  of  Bellefonte,  Penn. ; 
John,  a  retired  tanner,  of  Greenville,  Ohio;  an- 
other daughter,  the  deceased  wife  of  Samuel 
Burkes,  also  deceased;  George;  Jeremiah  T.,  a 
farmer  of  Centre  county;  and  Samuel,  who  died 
when  young.  For  his  second  wife  John  Kelley 
wedded  Sarah  Hutton,  who  died   one  year  after 

their  marriage,  and   he    then    married 

Wirts,  who  died  in  1871.  Two  sons  were  born 
of  this  union:  William  D.,  who  is  employed  in 
the  car  shops  of  Altoona,  Penn. ;  and  one  inaine 
not  given)  who  was  killed  in  the  army. 

During  the  first  fourteen  years  of  his  life 
George  W.  Kelley  lived  upon  the  home  (arm,  and 
then  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenters 
trade,  which  he  followed  until  twenty  years  of 
age.  Not  liking  that  employment  he  then  se- 
cured a  position  on  a  farm,  working  for  one  man 
for  four  years  and  a  half,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  of  his  present  farm,  .it 
that  time  still  in  its  primitive  condition.  From 
time  to  time,  as  his  resources  would  permit,  he 
added  to  the  original  tract  until  he  had  500  acres 
but  has  given  two  of  his  sons  one  hundred  acres 
each. 

On   January    20,    1853,     Mr.    Kelley    wi 
Miss   Lida   Frant/.,  who  was  born  in   Bald  ! 
Valley,  Centre   county,    November    15,    1833,   a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Woodring)  Frantt. 
Eight  children — five  sons  and   three  daughter- 
have  been  horn  to  them:      Samuel,  born  Novem- 
ber   17,    1853,    was    drowned    while    logging   in 
Clearfield  county,   in    March,     1879;   Mary,  born 
August  16,   1856,  is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Dodgi     1 
lumberman  of   Worth    township,  Centre  county. 
Benjamin,  born  January  20,    1861,  is  a  farmer  in 
the  same  township;   Peter,    born    Soptember  17. 
1  Si. 2.  is  an  agriculturist  of  Worth  township 
ah    ].,    born    October     1,     1864,    is   the    wife  o( 
Thomas  Merriman,  a  farmer  of  Taylor  township. 
Centre    county;  John,  born   August    30,   1869,  is 
a  farmer  of   Worth    township,    and  Eveline   v., 
born  February    15,   1872,  and    Robert,  born  De- 
cember 23,   1877,  are  still  with  theirparentJ 

Daniel  Frantz,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Kelley 
born    in    Berks   county,    Penn..    September    13- 
1805,    ar,d   was  a  son  °f  Jacob  and   Christina 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


471 


(Walk)  Frantz,  who  were  born,  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Berks  county,  but  later  became  residents 
of  Worth  township,  then  called  Half  Moon  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Kelley 
was  born  January  3,  1810,  in  Dauphin  county, 
Penn.,  where  her  parents,  Samuel  and  Maria  E. 
Woodring,  were  also  born.  When  thirteen 
years  of  age  she  walked  from  there  to  Centre 
county,  and  her  parents  came  a  few  months  later. 
Here  her  father  followed  farming,  but  had  pre- 
viously been  engaged  in  the  milling  business. 

To  Daniel  Frantz  and  his  wife  were  born 
twelve  children,  namely  Nancy,  now  the  widow 
of  S.  Cowher,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Sam- 
uel, deceased;  Lida,  wife  of  our  subject;  Chris- 
tiana, widow  of  John  Thomas,  of  Centre  county; 
Jacob,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  who 
operates  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Worth  town- 
ship; Abraham,  who  was  also  a  Union  soldier, 
and  is  now  a  farmer  of  Blair  county,  Penn. ; 
Peter,  who  died  at  Philadelphia  from  the  effects 
of  wounds  received  in  the  service  of  his  country; 
Hannah,  who  died  when  young;  David,  a  farmer 
of  Pine  Grove,  Penn. ;  John,  a  farmer  of  Bald 
Eagle;  Rachel,  wife  of  Martin  Funk,  who  was 
disabled  while  a  member  of  the  Union  army, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Port  Matilda,  Centre 
county;  and  Belle,  who  has  been  twice  married 
(her  first  husband  was  George  Brindle,  who  was 
killed  in  a  logging  camp,  and  she  afterward  wed- 
ded William  Shay,  a  coal  miner  and  farmer  of 
Blair  county).  The  mother  of  these  children 
departed  this  life  May  13,  1886,  and  the  father 
passed  away  November  26,  1895,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety  years. 

In  August,  1864,  Mr.  Kelley  was  drafted  for 
service  in  the  Union  army,  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  I,  102nd  P.  V.  I.,  First  Brigade, 
Sixth  Army  Corps.  He  participated  in  a  num- 
ber of  battles  and  skirmishes,  including  the  en- 
gagements of  Winchester  and  Petersburg.  Po- 
litically, he  adheres  to  the  Democratic  party,  and 
by  his  fellow  citizens  has  been  elected  school  di- 
rector, overseer  of  the  poor,  tax  collector  and 
constable,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  in  a 
prompt  and  most  efficient  manner.  He  is  an  in- 
telligent, keen-sighted  man,  of  good  financial 
ability,  and  his  upright  and  honorable  course 
commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  either  in  business  or 
social  life. 


J 


ON  AS  STINE,  Sr.,  is  one  of  the  representa- 
I]   tive  agriculturists  of  Patton  township,  Cen- 
tre county,  whose  residence  is  near  the  little 
village  of  Buffalo  Run,   and  the  home  with  its 


surroundings  denotes  the  supervision  of  an  intel- 
ligent farmer  and  capable  business  man,  who  at 
the  same  time  has  proved  a  useful  member  of 
society,  and  one  deserving  of  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  people  around  him. 

Mr.  Stine  was  born  in  Lancaster  county, 
Penn.,  June  18,  181 8,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonas  and 
Elizabeth  (Gray)  Stine,  both  also  natives  of  the 
Keystone  State.  They  died  in  Centre  county, 
Penn.,  the  father  in  August,  1862,  and  were 
laid  to  rest  in  Gray's  cemetery.  Our  subject 
is  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  their  family 
of  seven  children,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
John  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  married  Rachel 
Leary,  and  died  in  1876.  Hannah  married 
Jesse  Whippo,  by  whom  she  had  eight  chil- 
dren, and  several  years  after  his  death  she  wedded 
John  Hicks,  who  died  in  1890.  Leah,  a  resident 
of  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Centre  county,  is  the 
widow  of  Michael  Myers,  who  died  in  1 887.  Cath- 
arine married  Joel  Lauder,  had  eight  children, 
and  died  in  1885.  Samuel  H.  is  a  farmer  in 
Patton  township.  Elizabeth  died  in  girlhood. 
The  family  is  of  German  origin. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Patton  township, 
Mr.  Stine,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  obtained  a 
limited  education.  On  March  12,  1841,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Myers, 
daughter  of  William  Myers,  of  Patton  township, 
and  to  them  were  born  fourteen  children,  as  fol- 
lows: (1)  Amanda  married  a  Mr.  Sweitzer,  and 
they  had  three  children — Eva,  wife  of  Frank 
Harris,  of  Patton  township;  Alice,  wife  of  Miles 
Taylor,  of  the  same  township;  and  Susan,  wife 
of  George  Kline,  of  Virginia;  after  the  death  of 
her  first  husband,  Amanda  married  David  Kline, 
of  Huston  township,  Centre  county;  she  receives 
a  pension  of  $12  per  month.  (2)  William,  who 
is  employed  in  a  paper-mill  in  Johnsonburg,  Elk 
Co.,  Penn.,  married  Amelia  Quigley,  of  Centre 
county,  and  to  them  were  born  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living.  (3)  Mary  is  the  wife  of 
David  R.  Thomas,  a  farmer  of  Patton  township, 
by  whom  she  has  eight  children.  (4)  George, 
who  is  employed  in  the  Scotia  mines  of  Centre 
county,  married  Mary  McDivitt,  and  has  six 
children;  they  make  their  home  in  Patton  town- 
ship. (5)  John  was  married,  but  his  wife  died 
February  18,  1896,  leaving  a  twelve-year-old 
daughter.  (6)  Jonas,  who  is  clerking  in  a  store 
in  Tyrone,  Penn.,  married  Annie  Huffman,  of 
Clearfield  county,  and  has  two  children.  (7) 
Catharine  is  the  wife  of  William  Sellers,  a  farmer 
of  Patton  township,  by  whom  she  has  four  chil- 
dren. (8)  Susan  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Gates,  a 
horse  dealer  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  she  has 
three  children.   (9)  Emma  is  the    wife  of  Arthur 


472 


COMMEMORATIVE  IlIoaRAPHI'M.  RECORD. 


Thomas,  of  Matternville,  Centre  county,  by 
whom  she  has  a  daughter  twelve  years  of  age. 
(10)  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  John  Hoy,  a  merchant 
and  also  postmaster,  express  and  ticket  agent  for 
tin  Bellefonte  Central  Railroad  Company;  they 
have  four  children.  The  other  four  children  of 
our  subject  died  in  childho 

Mr.  Stine  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  nun 
and  measures  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  for 
years  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  township 
central  committee.  Both  himself  and  wife  are 
sincere  and  earnest  Christians,  holding  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  by 
a  blameless  life  set  a  most  excellent  example  be- 
fore  the  rising  generation. 


JOHN  P,  i  ONDO,  ex-sheriff  of  Centre  county, 
has  made  his  way  to  popular  favor  by  gen- 
uine worth  and  merit,  his  personal  character 
inspiring  and  retaining  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  who  come  within  his  influence.  He  is  a 
born  leader  of  men,  and  especially  qualified  for 
public  life,  i"  which  inclination  and  ability  both 
point  as  a  suitable  sphere       He  has  a  good  edu- 

ion,  which  with  his  refinement  attract  to  him 
the  best  class  of  people,  while  his  geniality  makes 
all  sorts  and  all  conditions  of  men  at  ease  in  his 
nee. 

Our  subject  was  born  at  Spring  Mills.  Centre 
county,  August  m,  1853.  and  his  parents.  Daniel 
and  Sarah  (Lutz)  Condo,  were  both  natives  of 
Penn's  Valley,  the  father  born  February  11,  1821, 
and  the  motherin  1835.  Daniel  Condo  followed 
the  blacksmith's  trade  during  his  life,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  nation's  gallant  defenders  in  the  Civil 
war,  serving  three  years  with  marked  courage 
and  devotion  He  died  February  11,  1871,  and 
the  widowed  mother  now  resides  with  her  daugh- 
ter Sarah.  Of  their  numerous  family  seven 
children  live  to  maturity,  our  subject  being  the 
youngest.  The  others  are:  (l)  Cyrus,  who  had 
been  a  resident  of  California  since  1875,  and  died 
in  May,  1897;  (2)  James  C,  now  living  at  Penn 
Hall;  (3)  Harriet,  the  wife  of  Amos  Koch,  a 
farmer  of  Ferguson  township,  Centre  county; 
(4)  Lot  C,  a  blacksmith  at  Potters  Mills;  (5) 
Jonathan,  a  merchant  at  State  College;  and  (6) 
Mary,  who  married  James  Kouch,  a  blacksmith 
of  Penn  township. 

John  P.  Condo  left  home  at  the  early  age  of 
nine  years  to  do  for  himself,  going  to  live  with 
James  G.  Evans,  a  farmer,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained six  years,  receiving  for  his  services  his 
board  and  clothes.  When  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  began  working  out,  on  wages,  for  different 
farmers,  being  two  years  of  this  time  with  J.  W, 


Evans,  son  of  his  former  employer.  He  worked 
in  this  line  until  he  was  twenty,  when  he  returned 
home;  however,  he  had  during  all  the  time- 
assisted  in  the  support  of  the  family,  there  being 
three  children  younger  than  himself.  On  his 
turn  home  he  went  to  a  select  school  under  Prof. 
Wolf.  He  next  began  clerking  in  a  store  at 
Logan  Mills  for  Thomas  L.  Elgin,  remaining 
occupied  for  two  years.  Following  this  he  went 
to  Lock  Haven,  and  there  clerked  in  a  general 
store  for  J.  W.  Bridges.  In  1S78  he  became  a 
traveling  salesman  for  W.  J.  &  I.  Smith,  grocers 
of  Philadelphia,  his  territory  being  in  central 
Pennsylvania.  He  remained  with  this  firm  until 
1894,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Cento 
county.  He  ably  and  very  satisfactorily  filled 
this  office  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office,  January  1,  1S97,  and  did  not  lose  a  pris- 
oner throughout  his  term. 

Mr.  Condo  has  taken  an  active  part  in  poli- 
ties from  early  manhood,  beginning  when  only 
twenty -three  years  of  age.  He  was  an  advisor 
in  party  affairs,  often  being  a  delegate  to  con- 
ventions. In  1877  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  State 
Convention.  For  three  years  after  his  marn 
he  made  his  home  in  Clinton  county,  and  while 
there  was  offered  the  nomination  in  that  county 
for  the  office  of  register  of  wills  and  recorder  of 
deeds,  which  he  declined.  His  next  place  of  : 
idence  was  at  Penn  Hall,  then  at  Spring  Mills, 
where  he  resided  until  elected  sheriff.  Since 
retiring  from  the  sheriffalty  he  has  made  his  home 
at  Millheim,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business. 

Mr.  Condo's  wife,  formerly  Miss  Lucilla  Mil- 
ler, who  is  referred  to  in  the  sketch  of  John  S 
Miller,  of  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county,  is  a 
native  of  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  born  Septemh<  r 
21,  1  86 1.  Two  children — Lizzie  May  and  Harry 
K. — make  the  home  merry.  Mr.  Condo  is  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church;  socially  he 
is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order,  being  a 
member  of  Old  Fort  Lodge  No.  527  at  C'entr. 
Hall,  and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  at  Bellefont? 


SAMUEL    GARNER.       The    splendid    farm 
)  owned  by  this  gentleman   in  College  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  is  a  standing  monument  to 
his  industry,  perseverance  and  good  management 
He  comes    under   the    category  of  "self-made 
men,  having  been    dependent   upon   his  own  re- 
sources from   an  early  age,    and   has  sua 
only  by  the  exercise  of  his  steady,  plodding  labor 
At  the  present  time,  however,  he  is  one  of  the 
prominent  representatives  of  the  agricultural  in- 
terests of  College  township. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


473 


Marks  Garner,  his  paternal  grandfather,  died 
in  Centre  county,  leaving  four  children:  Daniel, 
who  died  when  a  young  man;  Joseph,  a  farmer, 
who  died  in  1881,  in  Crawford  county,  Penn., 
where  his  family  are  still  living;  Jacob,  who  was 
a  farmer  of  Mercer  county,  this  State,  where  he 
•died  in  1 891 ,  leaving  a  family;  and  Samuel. 
The  last  named,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  and  reared  in  York  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  was  married,  about  1828,  to  Anna  Sellers, 
also  a  native  of  that  county.  They  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  namely:  William,  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  who  married  Sarah  Bloom, 
of  near  Pine  Hall,  Penn. ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
John  Ludwig,  who  owns  a  factory  in  Ebensburg, 
Cambria  Co.,  Penn.;  Maria,  who  wedded  Jacob 
Hoots,  and  died  in  1872;  Daniel  (deceased),  who 
married  Sarah  Houtz,  and  lived  near  Branch,  in 
College  township,  Centre  county;  Samuel,  of 
this  review;  Susan,  deceased  wife  of  Henry 
Sampson,  a  miller,  living  near  Humes  Mills, 
Spring  township,  Centre  county;  Nancy,  who 
married  Henry  Sampson  after  the  death  of  her 
sister;  Margaret,  wife  of  George  Williams,  a 
plasterer  of  Lemont,  Centre  county;  John,  of 
State  College,  who  married  Sarah  Stover,  now 
deceased,  and  is  in  the  employ  of  the  college  di- 
rectors; and  Henrietta,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Coughler, 
a  carpenter  in  Kansas.  In  1833,  the  father  came 
to  College  township,  Centre  county,  where  for 
forty  years  he  lived  upon  rented  farms  in  the 
vicinity  of  Branch  cemetery,  and  there  died  in 
1873,  just  a  week  prior  to  his  son  Daniel's  death. 
His  wife  departed  this  life  at  the  same  place  in 
1872. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch  was  born  in  Boalsburg,  Harris  township, 
Centre  county,  October  19,  1837,  and  attended 
school  at  Shingletown  until  about  sixteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  left  the  school  room  in  order  to 
aid  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  remaining 
with  him  until  twenty-four.  He  and  his  brother 
Daniel  then  undertook  the  management  of  the 
farm,  taking  care  of  their  parents,  and  paying  off 
an  indebtedness  of  more  than  $1,500.  So  suc- 
cessful were  they  that  they  concluded  to  purchase 
a  tract  of  140  acres  near  State  College,  at  a  cost 
of  $9,800,  or  $70  per  acre,  but  in  less  than  a 
year  the  brother  died,  leaving  our  subject  with 
the  entire  debt  and  accumulating  interest  to  pay. 
He  not  only  has  discharged  the  same,  but  has 
made  many  valuable  and  useful  improvements 
upon  the  place,  including  an  excellent  barn 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,400,  and  deserves  great 
credit  for  the  success  he  has  achieved,  as  both 
land  and  farm  products  have  since  greatly 
depreciated  in  value. 


On  September  18,  i860,  Mr.  Garner  was 
joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Julia  Aumerman,  a 
daughter  of  John  Aumerman,  a  farmer  of  Pleas- 
ant Gap,  Centre  county,  and  they  have  had  a 
family  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Anna,  wife  of 
Fred  Krumrine,  living  near  State  College;  Ida 
M.,  wife  of  Samuel  Sankey,  a  joiner  of  Philips- 
burg,  Centre  county;  Blanche,  who  died  of 
pneumonia,  at  the  age  of  twenty;  Ella,  who  died 
of  the  same  disease  at  the  age  of  twenty-four; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Rosier,  a  civil  engin- 
eer, of  Spiras  Point,  Md. ;  William,  a  graduate 
of  the  State  College;  John,  a  farmer  living  near 
State  College,  who  married  Margaret  Wise;  Net- 
tie, who  is  attending  the  State  College;  Mildred, 
at  home;  and  Emma,  who  died  in  infancy. 

For  the  past  twenty-three  years  Mr.  Garner 
has  been  a  worthy  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee 
for  several  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  build- 
ing committee  at  the  time  of  the  construction  of 
the  house  of  worship  in  State  College,  donating 
$200  toward  the  same  and  $100  toward  the 
parsonage.  He  is  very  charitable  and  liberal, 
aiding  in  all  worthy  enterprises  for  the  good  of 
the  community,  and  the  poor  and  needy  ever  find 
in  him  a  friend.  His  sterling  worth  is  recognized 
by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  he  is 
therefore  held  in  the  highest  regard.  Politically 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 


AUSTIN  GRAMLY,  the  popular  proprietor 
of  the  "  Rebersburg  Hotel"  at  Rebersburg, 
and  a  veterinary  surgeon,  is  one  of  Brush 
Valley's  well-known  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens, and  belongs  to  a  family  that  have  long  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of  Centre 
county.  His  grandfather,  John  Gramly,  was 
born  December  22,  1783,  a  son  of  Francis  and 
Barbara  (Spangler)  Gramly,  and  on  reaching 
manhood  married  Catharine  Royer,  by  whom  he 
had  ten  children — eight  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  grandmother  was  a  native  of  Snyder  county, 
Penn.,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrated. 

Joseph  Gramly,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  July  22,  1 8 1 1 ,  on  the  old  homestead  near  Re- 
bersburg, where  he  was  reared,  and  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  On  February 
20,  1834,  he  married  Miss  Esther  Schmeltzer, 
who  was  born  in  Kelley  township.  Union  Co. , 
Penn.,  July  21,  1815,  the  eldest  of  the  eight 
children — four  sons  and  four  daughters — of 
George  and  Catharine  (Beckley)  Gramly.  Her 
paternal  grandparents,  Conrad  and  Hannah  (Gin- 
ter)  Gramly,  natives  of  Germany,  paid  their  pas- 
sage across  the  water  by  work  after  their  arrival 


474 


COMMEMORATIVE  BI0GRAP1WW.  RECORD. 


in  the  United  States,  it  being  customary  at  that 
time  to  hire  out  to  the  vessel  owners,  who  would 
sell  their  services  to  the  farmers  or  to  any  others 
that  would  buy  them.  Her  grandfather  passed 
the  later  years  of  his  life  in  Brush  Valley,  near 
Madisonburg.  He  became  quite  wealthy,  his 
money  being  in  gold  and  silver,  which  he  kept  in 
the  cellar  in  a  barrel  supposed  to  have  contained 
vinegar.  Calling  his  children  together,  five  in 
number,  he  divided  his  capital  among  them. 
There  were  two  sons,  George  and  Jacob.  The 
former,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  lived 
to  be  over  seventy  years  of  age,  and  was  twice 
married,  but  all  of  his  children  were  of  the  first 
wife. 

After  his  marriage,  Joseph  Gramly  took 
his  bride  to  the  Gramly  home,  west  of  Re- 
bersburg,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
several  years.  They  became  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Margaret  H.,  born  April  5, 
1835,  married  David  Kahl,  and  died  in  Freeport, 
111.,  August  24,  1872;  Benjamin  F.,  born  No- 
vember 14,  1836,  lives  in  Kane  county,  111.; 
Catharine  A.,  born  July  7,  1838,  died^in  infancy; 
Sylvester,  born  October  8,  1839,  died  in  Miles 
township,  Centre  county,  June  17,  1868;  Mary 
L. ,  born  June  12,  1841,  is  the  wife  of  Reuben 
Samuel,  living  near  Rebersburg;  James  J.,  born 
January  23,  1843,  is  an  ex-treasurer  of  Centre 
county,  and  makes  his  home  in  Rebersburg;  Geste 
A.,  born  March  14,  1845,  married  Simon  Smull, 
and  after  his  death  wedded  Jesse  Wirt,  of  Aarons- 
burg,  Centre  county;  George  S.,  born  April  10, 
1846,  is  a  farmer  of  Nittany  Valley;  Charles  H., 
burn  September  20,  1847,  is  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter of  Kansas;  J.  Austin  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Andrew  J.,  born  May  24,  185 1,  is  an  Evangeli- 
cal minister  of  Inland,  Ohio;  John  C,  born  Feb- 
ruary 8,  I853,  died  in  July  18,  1855;  the  next 
son  died  in  infancy;  William  Byron,  born  March 
12.  1855,  died  October  25,  1857;  Emma  J.,  born 
October  23,  1857,  died  April  20,  1877;  and  a 
son,  born  February  4,  1861,  died  in  infancy. 

After  the  removal  of  the  parents  to  Rebers- 
burg in  May,  [875,  the  father  lived  retired  until 
his  death,  March  9,  1884,  and  was  buried  at  that 
place.  His  widow  still  lives  in  the  comfortable 
home  left  her.  For  over  fifty  years  they  had 
traveled  life's  journey  together,  sharing  its  joys 
and  sorrows,  its  adversity  and  prosperity,  and  had 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  them. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Gramly  was  a  Democrat,  and  held 
a  number  of  local  offices  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned.  He  was  well  posted  on  the  Scrip- 
tures, being  a  constant  reader  of  the  Bible,  had 
the  strictest  regard  for  truth  and  honor,  was  tem- 
perate in  all  things,  and  was  an    active    member 


of  the  Evangelical  Church,  with    which    he    was 
officially  connected. 

J.  A.  Gramly,  our  subject,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  was  born  in  Miles  town 
ship,  Centre  county.  May  10,  1848,  and  in  the 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  began  his  educa- 
tion, his  first  teacher  being  Samuel  Gramly.  H> 
completed  his  literary  course  in  the  Rebersburg 
Academy.  L'pon  the  home  farm  he  remained 
until  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  to 
learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  with  Simon  Smull, 
of  Madisonburg,  receiving  only  his  board  in 
compensation  for  his  services,  but  after  one  year 
he  gave  this  up  and  later  worked  at  the  wagon - 
maker's  trade  with  Joseph  Weber,  of  Rebers- 
burg. At  the  age  of  twenty  he  rented  his  father's 
farm,  and  after  operating  it  for  two  years,  h> 
sold  off  his  stock  and  obtained  employment  as  a 
carpenter.  A  natural  mechanic,  he  has  been 
able  to  work  at  almost  any  trade,  including  those 
of  a  stone  mason  and  saddler. 

Before  he  had  attained  his  majority,  Mr. 
Gramly  wedded  Miss  Abbie  Weber,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  (Heckman)  Weber, 
and  by  this  union  a  family  of  ten  children  were 
born,  namely:  William,  who  at  present  is  em- 
ployed in  a  mill  at  Spring  Mills,  Centre  county; 
Vernie,  wife  of  Floyd  Bowersox,  of  Spring  Mills; 
Charles,  at  home;  Edward,  a  teacner  of  Rebers- 
burg; Esther,  at  home;  Herbert,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years;  Oliver,  Pines  and  Emma. 
all  at  home;  and  a  son,  who  died  in  infancy. 
The  wife  and  mother,  who  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  departed 
this  life  in  December,  1887,  and  was  buried  at 
Rebersburg.  Later  Mr.  Gramly  married  Mi-s 
Annie  Blint,  a  native  of  Loganton.  Perm.,  and 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Blint. 

The  first  land  which  our  subject  owned    was 
seventy-five   acres   known   as  the   old    Kleckner 
farm,  which  he  improved   and  subsequently  sold, 
but   never  lived    thereon.       Later   he    purchased 
fifty   acres  of  the  old    home    farm,    and   erected 
all    the    buildings    thereon.      There    he    re 
until  the  fall  of    1S95  when   he  came  to   Rebers- 
burg to  take  charge  of  the  "  Rebersburg  11 
which     he     has    since     successfully     conducted 
When  a  boy  he  became  interested  in  the 
belonging  to  his  father,  and   under  Dr    Hilbish, 
who  recognized  his  talent  for  veterinary  sui 
he  began  the  study  of  that  science.      During  the 
twenty-five  years  he  has  practiced  that  profession, 
he   has  been   very  successful  in  his  treatment  of 
stock,  and  his  practice  covers  a  radius  of  twenty- 
five  miles.      Of  a  most  generous,    kindly  nature, 
he  often  makes  no  charges  when  he  knows  that 
his  patron  is  in  limited  circumstances. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


475 


Politically,  Mr.  Gramly  has  always  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  has 
creditably  served  as  school  director  of  District 
No.  4,  six  years,  assessor,  three  years,  and  is  at 
present  overseer  of  the  poor,  which  office  was 
entirely  unsolicited  by  him.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  Rebersburg  Lodge  No.  1031,  I.  O. 
0.  F.  His  strict  integrity  and  his  honorable, 
upright  life,  have  gained  him  hosts  of  warm 
friends,  as  well  as  the  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact,  and  at  one  time 
was  called  upon  to  act  as  guardian  for  fourteen 
children. 


WILLIAM  MILLER  is  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous and  intelligent  farmers  of  Taylor 
township,  Centre  county,  residing  on  the  Mount- 
ain road.  He  was  born  September  28,  1831, 
at  Yellow  Springs,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  a  son 
of  Charles  and  Ann  (Bird)  Miller,  the  former  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  and  the  latter  of  Sinking 
Valley,  Huntingdon  (now  Blair)  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

By  occupation  the  father  was  an  iron  worker, 
and  on  his  return  to  Centre  county  in  1840,  he 
located  at  Hannah  Furnace,  where  he  died  in 
1852,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years.  He  was  an 
Old-line  Whig  in  politics,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  to  which  his  faith- 
ful wife  also  belonged.  She  passed  away  in  1850, 
aged  forty-five  years.  In  their  family  were  the 
following  children:  William,  of  this  sketch;  Mar- 
garet, a  resident  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.;  John, 
who  is  operating  a  sawmill  in  Clearfield  county, 
Penn.;  Mary  A.,  of  Philipsburg,  Penn.;  George 
W. ,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania 
during  the  Civil  war;  Jane,  a  resident  of  Belle- 
fonte; and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  our  subject  died  in  Philadel- 
phia, of  yellow  fever,  while  on  a  visit  to  his 
daughter. 

William  Miller  remained  at  home  until  it  was 
broken  up  by  the  death  of  his  parents.  At  the 
eariy  age  of  nine  years  he  began  work  at  the 
Hannah  Furnace,  where  he  was  employed  until 
he  had  reached  his  twenty-first  year,  and  later 
was  connected  with  different  iron  works  until 
i860,  when  he  located  upon  his  present  farm, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits  with  excellent  success.  In 
January,  1851,  he  married  Miss  Susan  Caraher, 
and  to  them  eight  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Clara,  wife  of  Lewis  Sheets,  a  lumber- 
man of  Janesville,  Penn. ;  Daniel,  a  farmer  of 
Osceola,  Penn.,  who  married  Annie  Miller,  a  rel- 
ative;  Wesley  (deceased);   Annie,  wife  of  D.  S. 


Fleming,  of  Du  Bois,  Penn.;  Frances,  wife  of 
George  Copenhaver,  a  farmer  of  Osceola;  George 
W.,  railroad  freight  agent  at  Houtzdale,  Penn., 
who  married  Laura  McMunagle;  Harry,  a  pho- 
tographer, of  Tyrone,  Penn.,  and  Bertha,  at 
home. 

Mrs.  Miller  was  born  March  19,  1832,  in 
Sinking  Valley,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Waite)  Cara- 
her, natives  of  York  county  and  Huntingdon 
county,  respectively.  They  were  married  in  the 
latter  county,  where  they  remained  until  1848, 
when  they  came  to  Centre  county,  locating  at 
Hannah  Furnace,  where  the  mother  died  in  1850, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years.  A  year  later  the 
father  removed  to  the  farm  on  which  our  subject 
now  resides,  and  there  continued  to  make  his 
home.  He  died,  however,  in  Blair  county,  while 
on  a  visit  to  a  daughter.  He  followed  black- 
smithing  in  early  life,  but  later  lived  retired,  en- 
joying a  well-earned  rest.  The  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caraher:  Sam- 
uel (deceased);  Margaret,  widow  of  David  Brat- 
ton,  a  blacksmith  and  later  a  farmer;  Eva  E., 
Michael  and  Abraham,  all  three  deceased; 
Alfred,  ablacksmith,  of  Houtzdale,  Penn. ;  Susan, 
wife  of  our  subject;  Mary,  wife  of  William  Clark, 
of  Houtzdale;  Catherine,  widow  of  Jacob  Rider, 
of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Henrietta,  widow  of 
John  Cline,  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.,  and  one  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  remember  when 
their  homes  seemed  to  be  on  the  frontier,  and 
game  and  other  wild  animals  were  very  plentiful. 
One  day,  while  in  the  timber  looking  for  her 
cows,  she  was  approached  by  three  wolves,  which 
she  at  first  took  to  be  her  dogs,  and  on  realizing 
what  the  animals  were  was  very  much  frightened, 
but  succeeded  in  driving  them  away.  In  April, 
1892,  Mr.  Miller  met  with  a  misfortune  in  the 
loss  of  his  home,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Not  only  did  he  lose  his  nine-room  house,  but 
the  family  records  and  most  of  the  furniture  and 
personal  effects  were  also  consumed.  He  has 
since  erected  his  present  comfortable  and  com- 
modious dwelling,  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
former  site,  whose  exterior  surroundings  denote 
thrift  and  comfort,  while  the  interior  domestic 
economy  and  arrangements  show  the  intelligence, 
culture  and  refinement  of  the  owners. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  has  served  as  school  director 
for  four  years,  supervisor  ten  years,  overseer  of 
the  poor  one  year,  and  collector  twelve  years. 
Public-spirited  and  enterprising,  he  gives  his  sup- 
port to  all  worthy  objects  tending  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  community,  and  was  instrumental 


176 


(  OMMBMOBA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


in  building  the  plank  road  running  from  Union- 
ville  to  Tyrone.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 


JASPER  N  BROOKS.  I  S.  storekeeper  and 
ganger  at  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county,  is 
one  of  the  native  sons  of  that  locality,  and 
has  spent  his  entire  life  there.  He  is  both  wideb- 
and favorably  known,  and  the  acquaintances  of 
Ins  boyhood  are  now  numbered  among  his  stanch- 
est  friends  a  fact  which  indicates  a  well-spent 
life.  He  was  born  in  Spring  township,  May  26, 
1845,  a  son  (jf  Richardson  and  Jane  E.  (Ralston) 
Brooks,  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  locality. 
The  former  was  born  in  Centre  county,  and  his 
father  was  a  native  of  Chester  county,  Penn 
Throughout  his  life  Richardson  Brooks  followed 
the  occupation  of  farming,  and  in  1894  he  passed 
from  earth.  His  wife  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  and  her  father  was  a  native  of 
England. 

Mi.  and  Mrs.  K.  Brooks  had  a  famil\  oi  ten 
children,    the  subject    of    this   review   being    the 

second   ii ler    of  birth.      The  others  are    (1 

fames  R.,  who  married  Sarah  Evey,  by  whom 
be  had  four  children;  after  her  death  he  wedded 
Sarah  Caldwell,  by  whom  he  also  had  four  chil- 
dren; his  home  is  in  Spring  township,  Centre 
county.  (3)  Elmira  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Twit- 
myer,  of  Pleasant  Cap  (4)  Rebecca  is  the  wife 
of  Dr.  John  Bilger,  who  is  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  veterinary  surgery;  they  have  six  chil- 
dren. (5)  William  S.  resides  in  Pleasant  Gap; 
he  married  Mary  Gross,  and  they  have  seven 
children.  (6)  Li  Hie  I),  is  the  wife  of  John  Show- 
ers.     (7)  Samuel  is  engaged  in   school  teaching. 

Annie  is  the  wife  of  Coke  Bell,  of  Bellefonte, 
Penn.  (9)  Lemuel  married  Annie  Bell,  and  is 
employed  as  a  traveling  salesman,  (io)  Fanny 
died  in  infancy. 

[asper  N.  Brooks  obtained  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Spring  township,  and  has 
always  lived  in  that  locality.  He  belongs  to  one 
of  the  old  families  of  the  county,  and  for  fifty- 
one  years  he  has  been  identified  with  its  inter- 
ests. In  his  early  life  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  for  a  number  of  years  followed  that 
vocation,  many  evidences  of  his  handiwork  and 
skill  being  seen  in  his  section  of  the  county. 
Recently  he  has  established  a  planing-mill  and 
carpenter  shop  in  Pleasant  Gap,  and  in  his  busi- 
ness efforts  is  meeting  with  good  success,  having 
now  a  liberal  patronage.  He  is  also  serving  as 
U.  S.  storekeeper  and  gauger. 

In   1872    Mr.    Brooks    was    married   to    Miss 


Sarah  Watson,  and  they  have  three  children 
Anna,  Paul  P.'and  Helen.  In  his  political  ad- 
herency  Mr.  Brooks  is  a  Democrat,  giving  his  sup- 
port to  the  men  and  measures  of  that  party.  In 
religious  belief  he  is  an  Adventist,  and  all  whi 
know  him  regard  him  as  a  worthy  citizen  and 
straightforward  business  man,  well  meriting  th. 
respect  in  which  he  is  held. 


LC.  RERICK,  a  worthy  representative  of  th. 
ricultural  interests  of  Benner  township. 
1  Centre  county,  was  born  August  16,  1845,  and  i- 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Polly  (Neff)  Rerick,  both 
now  deceased,  the  former  dying  of  heart  dis- 
when  in  his  sixty-eighth  year.  The  mother. 
whose  birth  occurred  October  28.  1806,  wa 
called  to  her  final  rest  October  24,  [885.  B> 
trade  the  father  was  a  shoemaker,  but  for  thi 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life  he  followed  agricult- 
ural pursuits. 

Our  subject  is  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  seven  children,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows; Israel  and  Elizabeth  both  died  in  infanc) 
John,  born  February  28,  [835,  married  Kat<  Mi 
(  lintock,  and  died  March  20,  1865.  in  Bennei 
township,  Centre  county,  where  his  entire  life 
had  been  passed.  Sarah  J.  is  tin  wile  of  Will- 
iam A.  Thompson,  of  Brookville,  Penn.  Mar\ 
A.  resides  with  our  subject.  William  died  at  the 
age  of  six  years,  nine  months  and  ten  days.  The 
paternal  grandfather  made  his  home  in  Union 
county,  Penn.  L.  C,  our  subject,  remained  be- 
neath the  parental  roof  during  his  youth,  and 
drew  his  excellent  education  from  the  schools  of 
the  locality.  Having  always  been  studiously  in 
clined  and  fond  of  reading,  he  has  added  mater- 
ially, through  the  course  of  a  busy  life,  a  large 
amount  of  useful  information  to  his  stock  of 
knowledge.  For  fourteen  years  during  the  winter 
season  he  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
and  still  holds  a  teacher's  certificate  issued  by 
Prof.  J.  P.  Kickersham,  once  State  superintend- 
ent of  schools.  Early  in  life  he  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  theory  and  practice  of  agri- 
culture, and  is  now  one  of  the  most  thor&ugh 
and  skillful  farmers  of  Benner  township.  He  is 
also  interested  in  a  steam  thresher. 

On  October  23,  1869,  Mr.  Rerick  married 
Miss  Lizzie  D.  Eckley,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  seven  children:  Newton  J.  ;  Aggie  B. ;  Lloyd 
M.,  who  is  a  member  of  Company  B,  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Guards;  William  B. ;  Harry  I).;  Ed- 
gar D.  and  Lillie  T.  Mr.  Rerick  is  an  earn.  ! 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Democracy 
which  he  always  supports  by  his  ballot,  and  is 
now  serving    as  assessor  of    Benner   township 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


All 


Socially  he  holds  membership  in  the  Grange,  and 
in  religious  belief  is  a  Lutheran.  He  is  highly 
respected  and  honored  by  a  wide  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances, and  is  one  of  the  representative 
men  of  Centre  county. 


F\  0.  HOSTERMAN,  of  the  firm  of  Hoster- 
man  &  Stover,  leading  hardware  merchants 
of  Millheim,  Centre  county,  is  but  a  recent  ac- 
quisition to  the  goodly  array  of  progressive  busi- 
ness men  in  that  thriving  town,  but  his  ability, 
enterprise  and  upright  methods  have  already  es- 
tablished for  him  an  enviable  reputation.  Al- 
though he  is  still  a  young  man  comparatively, 
his  popularity  is  established  on  a  firm  basis — 
that  of  his  own  well-tested  merit. 

Mr.  Hosterman  was  born  March  5,  1859,  in 
Haines  township,  Centre  county,  where  his  an- 
cestors were  early  settlers.  His  father,  Jacob 
Hosterman,  a  son  of  John  Hosterman,  was  born 
July  13,  1 8 14,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
Haines  township,  near  Fiedler  post  office.  His 
early  education  was  mainly  obtained  in  the  Ger- 
man schools  of  the  day,  but  his  native  talents  en- 
abled him  to  gain  an  honorable  place  in  life  by 
almost  unaided  effort.  For  twenty-five  years  he 
was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  was  known  as 
"  Squire  "  Hosterman  throughout  that  section. 
He  was  a  large  man,  well  built  and  very  robust, 
and  did  much  hard  work  in  his  day,  gaining  a 
comfortable  competence.  While  he  was  never 
a  politician,  he  gave  his  hearty  support  as  a  citi- 
zen to  the  Democratic  ticket  on  all  occasions. 
He  was  married  in  Haines  township,  to  Miss 
Anna  Bower,  a  native  of  the  township,  born  Au- 
gust 3,  1 8 16,  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth 
(Ocks)  Bower. 

Soon  after  marriage  Squire  Hosterman  locat- 
ed near  Fiedler  P.  O.,  upon  a  farm  which  he 
owned  there,  and  to  which  he  devoted  most  of 
his  time.  As  he  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  he 
established  a  shop  on  the  place  and  continued 
the  business  many  years.  His  wife,  a  most  es- 
timable woman,  was  a  Lutheran  in  faith,  but  he 
belonged  to  the  Reformed  Church,  and  was  an 
active  worker,  attending  regularly  and  holding 
various  offices.  He  died  May  28,  1871,  and  Mrs. 
Hosterman  afterward  made  her  home  with  her 
son  Robert  until  her  death,  which  occurred 
February  12,  1879.  The  mortal  remains  of 
both  now  rest  in  St.  Paul's  cemetery.  Their 
children  were  Susan,  now  Mrs.  W.  K.  Stover,  of 
Haines  township;  Charles,  who  died  in  Nittany 
Valley,  leaving  a  family;  Robert  P.,  a  farmer  of 
Hainestownship;  Mary,  who  died  at  an  early  age: 
A.  Jackson,    who  died   at    Aaronsburg    leaving  a 


family;  James  M.,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Fred- 
erick O.,  our  subject. 

When  F.  O.  Hosterman  began  his  studies, 
the  schools  of  this  section  were  by  no  means  on 
a  par  with  those  of  to-day,  and  the  remembrance 
of  his  limited  opportunities  makes  him,  though 
childless  himself,  a  stanch  friend  of  improvement 
in  this  line  for  the  benefit  of  coming  generations. 
At  thirteen,  being  large  and  strong  for  his  age, 
he  began  working  as  a  farm  hand  for  an  uncle, 
D.  O.  Bowers,  in  Union  county,  receiving  $7  a 
month.  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time, 
however,  and  returning  to  Haines  township  he 
made  his  home  with  a  brother,  his  father  being 
dead.  He  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  one  season 
in  school  at  Aaronsburg  before  his  days  as  a  stu- 
dent were  ended.  In  1880  he  went  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Bellevue,  Ohio,  and  spent  the  summer  as 
a  farm  hand,  returning  to  Pennsylvania  in  the 
fall.  Shortly  afterward  he  became  a  clerk  in 
the  store  of  Fiedler  &  Runkle,  at  Fiedler,  Cen- 
tre county,  and  his  three  and  a  half  years  there 
gave  him  his  first  practical  knowledge  of  mercan- 
tile business.  Later  he  purchased  the  store  from 
Mr.  Fiedler,  giving  his  note  for  the  entire  amount, 
as  his  available  capital  was  needed  to  buy  stock. 
This  transaction  is  noteworthy  as  indicating  the 
confidence  which  his  former  employer  reposed  in 
him.  Mr.  Hosterman  conducted  the  business 
successfully  for  eight  years,  and  having  been  in- 
strumental in  securing  a  post  office  at  Fiedler  he 
was  placed  in  charge,  and  served  six  years  as 
postmaster  in  addition  to  his  other  business.  In 
the  spring  of  1893  he  disposed  of  his  interests, 
which  were  then  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
moved  to  Millheim,  but  did  not  engage  in  any 
enterprise  until  the  fall  of  1894,  when  he  bought 
the  hardware  business  of  J.  C.  Smith.  In  this 
he  has  made  a  great  success,  as  has  been  said, 
and  the  business  is  now  the  most  extensive  of 
the  kind  in  Penn's  Valley. 

On  December  28,  1884,  Mr.  Hosterman  was 
married,  in  his  native  township,  to  Miss  Susan 
Stover,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Rachel  (Shirk) 
Stover,  prominent  residents  of  that  locality. 
Mrs.  Hosterman  was  the  second  child  and  daugh- 
ter in  a  family  of  six — four  daughters  and  two 
sons.  In  1895,  Mr.  Hosterman  built  one  of  the 
finest  homes  in  Millheim — where  fine  homes  are 
no  rarity — and  the  beauty  of  its  location,  com- 
bined with  architectural  effect,  make  it  an  ideally 
attractive  spot.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hosterman  have 
had  one  daughter,  Maud,  who  died  in  infancy. 

One  important  factor  in  Mr.  Hosterman's 
success  is  his  unfailing  courtesy  and  willingness 
to  oblige  others.  As  a  citizen  he  is  no  less  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  than   in  his  private  af- 


17> 


'  -OMMKMOUA  TI  VK  MOCHA  Villi  .1  /.    UF.l  DUD. 


fairs,  and  that  this  is  appreciated  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  is  seen  by  his  election  to  his  present  seat 
in  the  city  council  after  a  shorter  residence  in 
the  place  than  any  other  member  who  ever 
served  therein.  He  is  a  steadfast  Democrat,  but 
the  life  of  a  regular  politician  has  for  him  no 
charms. 


JSPIGELMYER  is  unquestionably  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  wide-awake  business 
men,  whose  lives  have  become  an  essential 
part  of  the  commercial  and  industrial  history  of 
Centre  county.  Tireless  energy,  keen  percep- 
tion, honesty  of  purpose,  genius  for  devising  and 
cuting  the  ri^ht  thing  at  the  right  time,  joined 
to  every-day  common  sense,  guided  by  resistless 
will  power,  are  the  chief  characteristics  of  the 
man.  He  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
merchants  of  Nfillbeim,  but  also  conducts  the 
leading  livery  stable  in  the  place,  and  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  coal  and  sawmill  business, 
thus  giving  employment  to  many  men,  and  ad- 
vancing the  interests  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Spigelmyer  was  born  July  23,  1853,  in 
Hartleton,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  and  is  a  worth) 
n  presentative  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  that 
place.  His  father,  Shem  Spigelmyer,  was  there 
horn,  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Spigelmyer,  a 
prominent  merchant  and  farmer  of  that  locality. 
Shem  Spigelmyer  wedded  Mary  J.  Lashell,  and 
to  them  were  born  seven  children  who  are  yet 
living,  and  four  now  deceased.  Those  who  still 
survive  are  (',.  R. ,  a  merchant  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county;  Mary,  widow  of  James  Haas,  of 
Mifflinburg,  Penn.;  Shem,  also  a  merchant  of 
Bellefonte.  J  ,  of  this  -ketch;  Hannah  J.,  wife  of 
James  Chambers,  of  Mifflinburg;  Charles  D.,  of 
Williamsport,  Penn. ;  and  Lydia  L.,  wife  of  James 
Aurand,  of  Milroy,  Penn.  The  father  was  for 
many  years  successfully  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life  at  the 
ol  seventy  four,  a  highly  respected  and  valued 
citizen  of  the  community  where  he  makes  his 
home.      He  was  practically  thrown  upon  bis  own 

resources  when  a  y< g  man,  and  through  his 

own  efforts  amassed  a  comfortable  competence. 
He  faithfully  performs  every  duty  of  citizenship, 
and  at  the  polls  uniformly  votes  the  Republii 
ticket.  For  years  he  has  been  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyti  nan  Church,  to  which  his  es- 
timable wife  also  belonged.  She  departed  this 
life  in  Mifflinburg  when  over  sixty  years  of 
and  there  her  remains  were  interred.  She  was 
of  Scotch  descent,  while  her  husband  was  of 
German  01  igin. 

During  his  boyhood  our  subject  attended  the 


public  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  later  wa< 
a  student  in  the  seminary  at  New  Berlin,  Penn 
When  old  enough  to  see  above  the  counter  h< 
began  assisting  his  father  in  the  store,  out  of 
school  hours,  and  thus  early  acquired  a  good 
practical  knowledge  of  business  methods.  Be- 
fore attaining  his  majority  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Spigelmyer  &  Sons,  who  were  then 
conducting  stores  in  Hartleton  and  Woodward. 
Centre  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
was  married,  in  Mifflinburg,  to  Miss  Mar)  ( 
Vurand,  a  native  of  Lewisburg,  Penn.,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Aurand,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion She  received  the  benefit  of  more  than  or- 
dinary education,  being  a  student  in  advanced 
institutions  of  learning.  By  her  marriage  she 
has  become  the  mother  of  one  daughter.  Cam. 
M  .  an  accomplished  young  lady. 

On  dissolving    his   business   connection   with 
his  father  and  brothers,  Mr.  Spigelmyer  first 
tablished  a  store  in  Centre  Hall,  Penn.,  but  aft 
one  year  removed  to  Rebersburg,  Centre  count\ . 
and  in  1880  established  his  present  general  store 
in  Millheini.  which  he  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted.     In  connection  with  his  various  busini 
enterprises  he  also  owns  three  good  residences 
and  three   store   buildings.      He   is    one   of   the 
most     progressive,    public -spirited    and    enter- 
prising  citizens   of    Millheim,   doing   all    in   hi> 
power  to  further  the  interests  of  the  place,  and 
promote    the    general    welfare.      In    manner 
is  pleasant  and  genial,  in  disposition  kindly,  and 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  universally  held  is 
well  deserved.      He   is  a  stalwart    Republican  in 
politics,  and  though  the  town  has  a  strong  Dem- 
ocratic majority,  he  was  elected  chief   burgess,  a 
fact  which  plainly   indicates   his    popularity  and 
the  confidence  and  trust  reposed   in   him.      Soci- 
ally he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle  No.    353,  of   Millheim,  and  his  estimal 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church. 


SIDNEY  W.  BAIRFOOT,  who  in  his  lifetime 
w.is  one  of  the  prominent  and  represent 
citizens  of    Centre    Hall,  Centre  county.  | 
away  011  the   26th  of  October,    iSSS,  after   a  life 
of  industry,  and    rich  in   those   rare  possessions 
which  only  a  high   character  can  give,      lb 
labored   with   all   the  strength   of  a  great  nature 
and   all   the  earnestness  of  a  true   heart   for  the 
bettering  of   the  world   about  him,  and   when  he 
was  called   to  the  rest  and   reward  of  the  l 
world  his  best  monument  was   found  in  the    love 
and  respect  of  the  community  in  which  al 
ins  entiri    life  had  been  passed. 

In    Milroy,    Penn.,    Mr.    Bairfoot    was    1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


479 


Tuly  10,  1854,  and  he  first  came  to  Centre  county 
when  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  going  with  his 
mother  to  the  home  of  ex-County  Treasurer  D. 
C.  Keller,  of  Potter  township,  where  she  was  em- 
ployed as  a  seamstress.  When  she  was  ready  to 
leave,  such  an  attachment  had  sprung  up  between 
Mr.  Keller  and  the  child  that  she  concluded  to 
allow  him  to  remain  for  a  time;  but  each  day 
tightened  the  bands  of  friendship  and  the  in- 
tended temporary  stay  became  permanent. 
Being  an  excellent  boy,  he  fortunately  had  a 
home  with  one  of  the  best  families  of  Potter 
township,  where  his  traits  of  character  were  ap- 
preciated, and  he  was  treated  as  one  of  the 
family.  In  the  schools  of  Centre  Hall  he 
obtained  a  good  practical  education. 

When  a  young  man,  Mr.  Bairfoot  began  his 
business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  in 
Lewistown,  Penn.,  where  he  remained  for  eight- 
een months,  and  subsequently  for  several  years 
served  as  manager  of  a  store  for  his  uncle  in 
Chicago,  111.  During  that  time,  however,  he 
contracted  malaria,  which  necessitated  his  re- 
turning "home",  as  he  called  it.  Mr.  Keller 
beingengaged  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  stock  in 
Centre  Hall,  he  became  familiar  with  the  business, 
which  he  followed  after  that  gentleman's  election 
to  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Centre  county,  and 
for  some  time  was  his  partner  in  business.  He 
was  the  trusted  confidant  of  Mr.  Keller,  and  in 
no  instance  was  that  confidence  ever  abused.  In 
all  the  relations  of  life  he  was  upright  and  hon- 
orable, and  thus  had  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  On  July  14, 
1886,  in  Centre  Hall,  he  wedded  Miss  Flora  O. 
Neff,  who  was  born  February  2,  1855,  the  only 
child  of  Dr.  P.  D.  and  Sarah  C.  (Motz)  Neff. 
Herbirth  occurred  in  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county, 
but  since  the  age  of  three  years  she  has  made  her 
home  in  Centre  Hall.  When  twelve  she  entered 
the  Moravian  Academy  at  Bethlehem,  Penn., 
where  she  graduated  July  I,   1873. 

Dr.  Neff,  one  of  the  most  successful  practi- 
tioners and  business  men  of  Centre  county,  was 
born  in  18 17,  and  was  the  son  of  Major  John 
Neff,  who  was  prominent  in  the  early  history  of 
Penn's  Valley.  The  latter  was  born  in  1790, 
and  died  April  4,  1870,  in  Centre  Hall.  In  1858 
the  Doctor  left  Aaronsburg  and  located  in 
Centre  Hall,  where  he  soon  built  up  an  excellent 
practice  and  accumulated  a  handsome  property. 
He  continued  the  prosecution  of  his  profession 
up  to  his  death,  which  occurred  April  7,  1880, 
at  the  bedside  of  a  patient  in  Potter  township. 
His  loving  wife  survived  him  until  April  7,  1887, 
and  both  now  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  Centre 
Hall.       She   belonged    to    the   well-known    Motz 


family  of  Woodward,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Motz.  The  Doctor  and 
his  wife  were  held  in  the  highest  regard  through- 
out the  community,  with  whose  interests  they 
had  long  and  prominently  been  identified.  His 
father  being  a  farmer,  the  Doctor  passed  his 
early  life  on  a  farm,  but  he  was  always  a  great 
student,  and  his  daughter  has  often  heard  him 
speak  of  his  studying  at  nights  and  working  hard 
to  secure  his  education.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Jefferson  Medical  College.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat,  but  not  active  or  obtrusive  in  the 
work  of  the  party. 

Early  in  the  year  1886,  Mr.  Bairfoot  pur- 
chased a  stationery  store  in  Bellefonte,  which  he 
conducted  in  partnership  with  Oscar  Wetzel  for 
a  time,  and  then  became  sole  owner,  but  failing 
health  necessitated  his  selling  out,  which  he  did 
in  May,  1888.  He  then  removed  to  the  old 
homestead  of  Dr.  Neff  in  Centre  Hall,  where  his 
death  occurred.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat, 
but  never  aspired  to  public  office.  As  a  young 
man  he  was  steady  and  reliable,  which  traits 
characterized  his  entire  career.  He  was  quiet 
and  unassuming,  a  man  of  few  words,  but  a  great 
reader  and  excellent  penman.  When  a  boy,  in 
Lewistown,  Penn.,  he  committed  to  memory  a 
certain  amount  of  the  catechism,  and  far  excelled 
the  other  competitors  who  were  striving  for  the 
prize — a  dictionary — which  he  presented  to  the 
Sabbath-school  where  he  won  it.  He  was  a 
great  Bible  student,  followed  closely  its  teach- 
ings, and  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  name  will  be  cherished  for  many 
generations,  as  that  of  a  man  who  acted  well  his 
part  and  lived  a  worthy  and  honorable  life.  Mrs. 
Bairfoot,  who  still  survives  her  husband,  occu- 
pies the  old  homestead  of  her  parents,  and  is 
surrounded  by  many  warm  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, who  have  for  her  the  highest  regard. 


JOHN  ANDREW  HUNTER,  B.  S.  and  M. 
E.,  instructor  in  mechanical  engineering  at 
Pennsylvania  State  College,  is  rapidly  win- 
ning distinction  as  an  able  and  successful  educa- 
tor. To  judge  of  his  future  by  his  past,  we  may 
well  believe  that  his  steady  purpose  will  carry 
him  forward  to  increased  effectiveness  and  wider 
influence. 

Mr.  Hunter  is  a  native  of  Half  Moon  Valley, 
Centre  county,  having  first  seen  the  light  at 
Stormstown,  May  15,  1868.  His  father,  John  A. 
Hunter,  Sr. ,  a  native  of  Pine  Grove,  has  been 
for  many  years  a  prominent  agriculturist  at 
Stormstown,  and  he  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth   El- 


1-n 


(OMMHMOUA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


der,  are  among  the  most  highly  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  that  vicinity. 

Prof.  Hunter  enjoyed  in  boyhood  the  benefits 
of  wholesome  country  life,  and  in  1884  he  left 
the  old  farm  to  enter  the  preparatory  department 
of  State  College.  In  1890  he  completed  the 
course  in  mechanical  engineering,  graduating  with 
the  degree  ot  1!  S.  In  the  same  year  he  began 
his  professional  career  as  an  instructor  in  Me- 
chanic Arts  at  Macon,  da.,  and  soon  after  was 
appointed  principal  of  Parson's  Technological 
School  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1893.  He  then  returned  to  his  Alma  Mater 
for  a  post-graduate  course  in  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineering,  gaining  the  degree  of  M. 
E.  In  1894  he  assumed  the  duties  of  his  present 
position,  for  which  his  abilities  and  training  have 
admirably  fitted  him. 

Prof.  Hunter  is  a  member  of  the  Scientific 
Association  of  State  College,  and,  while  thor- 
oughly devoted  to  his  chosen  line  of  study,  he 
takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  all  questions  of  the 
time.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat. 
So  far  Prof.  Hunter  has  not  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  happy  benedicts. 


WILLIAM  II  DENLINGER,  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Denlinger  Bros.,  whole- 
sale jobbers  in  oil,  with  offices  in  Pittsburg  and 
Philipsburg,  is  a  citizen  whose  history  and  char- 
acter are  especially  deserving  ol  portrayal  in  a 
volume  which  aims  to  preserve  the  records  of 
leading  men  An  able,  energetic  business  man, 
he  is  actively  interested  in  many  important  enter- 
prises, while  at  the  same  time  his  public  spirit  is 
manifested  in  his  hearty  co-operation  in  the  varied 
phases  of  local  progress — social,  political,  and 
philanthropic. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone  State, 
born  November  13,  1*53.  and  is  descended  from 
an  old  Pennsylvania-Dutch  family,  his  ancesl 
having  located  in  Lancaster  county  at  a  ver) 
early  period.  His  grandfather,  Christian  Den- 
linger, left  that  locality  with  two  brothers,  Mar- 
tin and  Henry,  to  make  their  homes  in  Blair 
county,  Penn.  The  descendants  ol  the  brothers 
are  now  located  mainly  at  different  points  in  the 
West.  Christian  Denlinger  settled  near  Holli- 
daysburg,  and  married  Miss  Jane  Holliday,  a 
member  of  the  honored  pioneer  family  f"r  whom 
that  city  was  named. 

Our  subject's  father,  Christian   Denlingei 
was  born  in  Blair  county,  in  1823.      He  had  one 
brother,   William,    now   a  resident  of   Michigan, 
and  formerly  a  prominent  journalist  of  Weston. 
Penn       A  half-sister,    Lli/abeth,    married    John 


Jones,  of  Westmoreland  county,  Penn.,  and  died 
in  1865.  Christian  Denlinger  (21  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade  in  early  life,  and  later  was  for 
many  years  an  official  in  the  Allegheny  County 
Work  House.  He  was  married  in  Pittsburg  to 
Miss  Fannie  Shidle,  a  native  of  that  city,  born 
m  1825,  who  died  in  April,  1S65.  his  own  death 
occurring  in  June,  1891.  The  Shidle  family  - 
of  Maryland  stock,  and  James  Shidle,  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  left  his  home  in  Baltimore 
to  locate  in  Pittsburg,  walking  the  entire  distance 
on  the  old  National  turnpike.  He  was  born  in 
1800,  and  died  in  1879.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Elmira  Crosby,  and  they  had  six  children: 
Geter,  John,  Henry,  James,  George,  and  Fannie 
(  Mrs.  Denlinger).  To  Christian  and  Fannie  Den- 
linger four  children  were  born:  Jennie,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Elmira  C,  wife  of  John  Van  Bus- 
kirk,  of  Pittsburg;  William  H.,  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  James  S.,  who  was  born  January  2, 
1856,  and  was  reared  in  Pittsburg.  He  married 
Miss  Alice  Goff,  and  has  four  children:  Fanni. 
William  Holliday,  Christian  and  Charlotte. 

William  H.  Denlinger  received  his  education 
in  Pittsburg,  but  as  a  boy   he  spent  seven  years 
in    Minnesota,     his    parents    having    gone    there 
temporarily.      His    unusual    ability    attracted  at- 
tention   before    he    had    outlived    his    "teens, 
and  he  was  appointed  to   the  office  of    deputy 
gauger  of  Pittsburg,  in  which  capacity  he  set 
for    nine   years.      In     1879    he    and    his    brother 
James  S.,  formed   the   firm   of  Denlinger  Bi 
with  the  main   house  at   No.  804   Duquesneway. 
Pittsburg.     In  order  to  accommodate  their  rapid  1) 
developing  trade,  they    opened   the  branch  office 
at  Philipsburg  in  1883,  with   W.  H.  Denlinger  in 
charge.      By  his  characteristic  energy  and  tact  he 
has  greatly  increased  the  scope  of  the  busun 
and  at  the  same  time   he    has    identified    himself 
thoroughly    with    the    interests    of    the    locality 
which  he   has  chosen  for  a   home.      Few   nun, 
perhaps  none,  are  more  active  and  influential  in 
the  various  public  and    semi-public  moveiw 
there,  certainly  no   other   man  of  his  years  can 
compare  with  him  in   this   regard.      He   is  pri 
dent    of  the    Board   of  Trade;   president   of  the 
Citizens  Building  &  Loan  Association;   was  pi 
dent  id  the  Borough  Council   in  1896;  a  dire, 
in    the    Welivar   Manufacturing   Company.   »M 
lent  of  the  furniture  factors 

Mrs.   Denlinger  is  a    member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,    while    Mr.   Denlinger,  though    no  mein- 

of  any  religious  persuasion,  is  a  liberal' 
tributor  to  all.  Socially,  he  and  his  ace 
plished  wife   are   an   acquisition  to    Philips 

is  married  June  4,    1889,  to    Miss   N.mn  M 
'  I    I  aughlin,  a  native  of  Clearfield,  born   \ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


481 


i 5,  i S65.  Her  father,  James  McLaughlin,  was 
formerly  treasurer  of  Clearfield  county.  Two 
sons,  William  H.,  Jr.,  and  James  McLaughlin 
Denlinger  have  blessed  this  union.  Mr.  Den- 
linger  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Masonic  order, 
and  is  a  past  master  of  Moshannon  Lodge  No. 
391;  past  high  priest  of  Clearfield  Chapter  No. 
228;  and  post  E.  C.  commander  of  Moshannon 
Commandery  No.  74.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  takes  no  active  interest  therein  except 
for  his  friends. 

Christian  Denlinger,  our  subject's  father, 
served  three  years  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
as  corporal  in  the  Second  Minnesota  Battery  of 
Artillery,  was  never  wounded,  but  was  taken 
prisoner  near  Shelbyville,  Tenn.,  confined  in 
Libby  Prison  a  short  time,  and  exchanged  in  the 
spring  of  1864.  At  that  time  he  was  sick,  and 
his  son,  our  subject,  went  to  Annapolis  to  visit 
him,  and  there  entered  the  service  of  Dr.  Van- 
degrift,  surgeon-in-charge,  as  orderly,  and  served 
till  the  close  of  the  war. 


PERRY  H.  STOVER,  senior  member  of  the 
well-known  firm  of  Stover  &  Whitmyer, 
lumber  merchants  of  Coburn,  Centre  county,  is 
an  able  business  man  and  a  public-spirited  citizen 
whose  genial  disposition  and  high  character  have 
attracted  to  him  a  host  of  friends. 

As  he  is  descended  from  two  leading  families,  a 
review  of  his  ancestral  history  will  be  of  interest. 
His  great-grandfather,  George  Stover,  had  but 
two  children,  Jacob  and  John,  of  whom  the 
former  went  to  California  during  the  ' '  gold  fever" 
of  1849,  and  while  at  sea  on  his  way  home  a  few 
years  later,  had  a  sunstroke,  from  the  effects  of 
which  he  died  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.  John  Stover, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  killed  in  early 
manhood  while  blasting  rock  in  the  construction 
of  the  first  railroad  from  Millheim  to  Brush  Val- 
ley, which  lay  along  Elk  creek,  but  on  the  oppo- 
site side  from  the  present  road.  His  wife,  Mary 
(Yeagley),  died  from  colic,  neither  of  them  having 
attained  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Both  were 
buried  at  Aaronsburg,  where  they  resided  when 
their  only  child,  George  W.,  was  born,  February 
17,  1826. 

The  late  George  W.  Stover,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  reared  by  his  maternal  grandmother, 
Anna  Maria  Yeagley,  wife  of  John  Yeagley,  in 
what  was  then  Haines  (now  Penn)  township, 
Centre  county.  After  a  course  in  the  district 
schools  he  studied  higher  branches  at  Mifrlintown 
and  Mifflinburg,  and,  thus  prepared,  began  the 
work  of  teaching,  in  which  he  continued  success- 
fully for  three  or  four  years.       In  1842  he  began 

31 


to  learn  the  miller's  trade  at  Pine  Creek  Mills, 
and  after  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  work  re- 
mained there  for  a  time  as  an  employee.  Later  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Nittany  Hall.  In 
1 848  Mr.  Stover  was  married  in  Haines  township, 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Reese,  a  Lutheran  minister,  to  Miss 
Malinda  A.  Kreider,  who  was  born  September 
13,  1829,  in  Lebanon,  Penn.,  where  her  grand- 
father, Jacob  Kreider,  was  a  well-known  citizen 
in  his  day.  He  and  his  wife,  Catherine  (Smith), 
reared  a  family  of  five  children — two  sons  and 
three  daughters — Philip,  Mrs.  Stover's  father, 
being  the  eldest.  The  other  son,  Jacob,  died  in 
1  S  1  1 . 

Philip  Kreider  married  Leah  Bowman,  and  in 
April,  1834,  removed  with  his  family  to  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Centre  Hall,  traveling  in  a  wagon, 
the  journey  from  Lebanon  county  requiring  three 
days.  He  and  Christian  Hoffer,  who  with  his 
family  made  the  trip  at  the  same  time,  purchased 
what  was  then  known  as  the  James  Lyons  farm, 
and  divided  it,  Mr.  Kreider  taking  the  lower  por- 
tion where  Centre  Hall  now  stands.  Four 
years  later  he  moved  to  Linden  Hall,  and  after 
one  year  there  located  in  what  is  now  Penn 
township,  Centre  county.  He  was  a  carpenter 
in  his  younger  days,  later  becoming  a  merchant 
and  hotel  keeper,  his  thrifty  and  industrious  life 
enabling  him  to  secure  a  comfortable  competence. 
He  and  his  wife  were  devout  members  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  and  were  highly  esteemed  in  the 
community.  The  wife  died  April  4,  1836,  the 
husband  on  January  7,  1842,  and  the  remains  of 
both  were  laid  to  rest  at  Aaronsburg.  Their 
children  were  Malinda  A.  (Mrs.  Stover);  Will- 
iam S.,  who  died  in  1855  in  Penn  township. 
Centre  county;  Rosanna.  who  died  in  infancy; 
John  P.,  who  died  in  Miles  township,  Centre 
county,  at  the  age  of  forty-four;  George  B.  and 
Reuben  H.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Jacob  B.,  a 
physician  at  Bucyrus,  Ohio,  and  Mary  C,  now 
Mrs.  Daniel  Weaver,  of  Miles  township,  Centre 
county. 

Our  subject's  parents  began  housekeeping  at 
Nittany  Hall,  and  remained  until  June,  1849, 
when  they  settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  Mrs.  Stover.  It  had  belonged  to  her  father, 
and  the  claims  of  the  other  heirs  were  purchased 
in  order  to  acquire  it.  There  was  only  a  log 
cabin  upon  the  place,  once  used  as  a  distillery, 
but  they  made  their  home  there  until  the  pres- 
ent comfortable  residence  could  be  built.  The 
first  purchase  was  five  acres,  and  later  eighty 
acres  adjoining  were  secured  to  make  the  farm 
as  it  is  to-day.  Before  leaving  Nittany  Valley, 
Mr.  Stover  had  bought  tracts  of  timber  land, 
which    he    afterward    developed    profitably.      In 


182 


CO  UMBMQRATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the  spring  of  1859  he  engaged  in  the  distillery 
business  in  a  small  way,  continuing  more  than 
twenty-five  year.--,  and  this  and  other  enterprises 
so  t-i  I   his  time  that  the  care  of  the  farm 

was  left  to  the  otlur  members  of  the  family  or 
to  hired  help.  During  the  last  rive  years  of  his 
life  he  suffered  from  paralysis.  His  death  oc- 
curred Ma)  2,  [889,  and  he  was  buried  at  Aa- 
ronsburg. 

more  than  forty-five  years  he  was  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  serving 
■  Urn  as  deacon,  and  being  always  ready  to  con- 
tribute  toward  the  advancement  of  the  work. 
He  helped  to  build  three  churches  of  this  denom- 
ination, his  liberality  in  this  direction  being  one 
phase  ot  a  lifelong  interest  in  all  the  movements 
which  would  promote  the  public  welfare.  He 
was  a  Democrat,  although  the  family  had  in  the 
mam  belonged  to  other  parties.  His  interest  in 
public  affairs  was  keen,  and  he  served  in  various 
township  offices — auditor,  school  director,  asses- 
sor and  |ii>ti(e  of  the  peace — and  he  was  a  warm 
friend  of  improvement  in  the  schools  of  his  dis- 
trict, At  his  death  he  left  his  property  to  his 
widow,  a  woman  of  kindly  heart  and  noble  char- 

1.  who  was  of  great  assistance  to  him  in  his 
career.  She  is  well  preserved,  and  although  she 
has  met  with  accidents  at  various  times  which 
have  caused  seven  bone  fractures,  she  has  un- 
usual vitality  and  is  very  active  for  one  of  her 
Her  memory  is  remarkable,  especially  of 
dates,  her  reminiscences  of  early  life  being  very  in- 
teresting, and  her  natural  abilities  are  of  a  high 
order.  Sine,  1844  she  has  been  a  constant 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church.  Our  subject 
was  the  tirst  child  in  a  family  of  five,  the  others 
being  Mary  E.,  born  October  29,  i S 53,  mar- 
ried Thomas  B.  Mot/,  of  Penn  township,  Centre 
county;  John  C,  born  May  27,  1855,  died  Octo- 
1m  1  20,  [893,  leaving  a  widow;  Oscar  J.,  born 
July,  25,  i860,  lived  only  two  years;  Kinder  H., 
born  July  12,   1873,  is  a  telegraph  operator 

Pens   II    Stover  was   born  at    Nittany    Flail, 
1  en  iber  4,   1S4S,  and   was  but  a 

child  when  his  parent-  removed  to  the  present 
homestead.  He  attended  the  local  schools. 
which  were  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present 
daw  and  then  pursued  his  studies  further  at  Re- 
bersburg  under  Supt,  Magee,  and  at  Aaronsburg 
with  Prof.  Gotwalt.  His  parents  being  well- 
to-do,  and  basing  a  high  estimate  of  the  value  ol 
a  good  education,  gave  to  all  their  children  much 
better  opportunities  than  fell  to  the  lot  of  most 
young  people  of  their  time.  On  leaving  school, 
Mi.  Stover  taught  successfully  for  three  years  in 
Penn  township, Centre  county,  and  Long  Swamp, 
Berks  Co.,  Penn.      All  his  spare  time,  either  as 


student  or  teacher,  was  spent  at  home,  his  father 's 
numerous  and  varied  enterprises  affording  an 
abundance  of  work  for  him  as  the  eldest  son. 
Later  he  gave  his  entire  attention  to  these  inb  r- 
ests,  residing  with  his  parents  until  October. 
1877,  and  his  services  were  of  no  small  value. 

In  1X75,  Mr.  Stover  was  married  in  Mil  - 
township,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Wolf, 
who  was  born  August  1,  1851,  the  daughter  of 
Henry  Wolf,  a  leading  farmer  of  Brush  Valley. 
In  the  fall  of  1877.  Mr.  Stover  and  his  young 
wife  removed  to  Coburn,  where  he  opened 
the  "Coburn  Hotel,  "a  well-known  hostelry  built 
by  his  father.  He  remained  there  lour  years 
and  a  half,  conducting  also  a  livery  business.  In 
the  meantime  he  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  a  grain  business,  which,  w  ith  the  coal 
business  connected  with  it,  came  into  his  hands 
in  1880.  As  sole  owner  he  continued  until  Feh- 
ruary,  1884,  when  he  sold  out  to  Smith  &  ( 
In  1887  he  entered  the  employ  of  William  Whit- 
mer  iV  Sons,  lumber  dealers,  and  occupied  a  re- 
sponsible position  with  them  until  1894,  when 
the  present  partnership  was  formed. 

Mr.  Stover    is  a   member   of   the   Refot 
Church,  and  his  wife  is  a  Lutheran.      Thej 
no  children.      Their  home  in  Coburn  is  a  pleasant 
one,  and  at  the  time  it  was  built  by  Mr.  E 
it  was  considered  one  of  the  best  in  that  section 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  his  keen  intei   if 
in  the  success  of- his  party  is  quite  impersonal  as 
he  is  not  anxious  for  office.      He  has   served  one 
term  as  justice  of   the  peace,  however.      Frater- 
nally he  belongs  to  the  Odd   Fellows    Lodge  at 
Millheim,  and  is  a   charter  member  of  the  Patri- 
otic Order  Sons  of  America  at  Coburn. 


J    SWIRES,  one  of  Philipsburg's    leading  citi- 
zens and  most  successful   business    men 
plays  in  his  career  the  characteristic  Amer 

lergy,   and  clear-sighted   judgment 
As  merchant  and  coal  operator,  he  conducts  his 
extensive    interest    with    dispatch,  while    in    the 
various  other  lines  of  work    in    which    he    ; 
oiislv  gained  knowledge  of  the  world  and 
oped  his  business  tact,  he  was    equally    efficient. 
Mr.  Swires  is  a  native    of    Cambria    count). 
Penn.,    born    March    26,   1854,  and    of    German 
parentage.      His    father,    Anthony    Sw  I 
born  in   the    Fatherland,  and    came    to    Penn-sl- 
vania  as  a  young   man,  engaging    in    the    luinher 
business,  and  conducting  a   saw  null    on    hi- 
account.      During  the   greater    part  of  his 
business  career  he  lived   in   Cambria  county,  hut 
at  the  time  of  his  death  (in   1864  or  '65)  In- 
dence  was  in  Blair  counts.      He  was  married    in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


483 


Pennsylvania  to  Miss  Mary  Dunmyer,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  survived  him,  her  death  occurring 
in  1893.  She  married  a  second  husband,  John 
Beck.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  was  the  eldest;  (2) 
Mary  (Mrs.  Anthony  Beck)  resides  in  Altoona; 
{3)  John  is  a  railway  conductor,  and  resides  at 
Bellwood,  and  (4)  Joseph  is  a  resident  of  Al- 
toona. There  were  two  children  by  the  second 
union:  Annie,  now  Mrs.  Boehm,  and  Amanda, 
who  lives  at  Altoona. 

Until  the  age  of  seventeen  Mr.  Swires  made 
his  home  in  Cambria  and  Blair  counties,  with 
three  years  in  Clearfield  county,  but,  on  attain- 
ing that  stage  of  life  when  ambition  prompts  a 
youth  to  prepare  for  the  serious  tasks  of  gaining 
a  livelihood,  he  went  to  Philipsburg,  and  learned 
the  blacksmith's  trade  with  Joseph  Jones.  He 
followed  this  trade  until  1885,  when  he  became 
interested  in  the  livery  business,  which  he  sold 
three  years  later  to  engage  in  a  mercantile  part- 
nership under  the  firm  name  of  Swires  &  Baker. 
After  a  year  he  began  operating  in  the  coal  fields, 
and  is  now  conducting  the  work  at  the  Montana 
mines  in  addition  to  his  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  the  Swires  Store  Company. 

Mr.  Swires  has  a  pleasant  home  in  Philips- 
burg, where  he  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Ber- 
tha Hunter,  a  native  of  Clearfield  county,  born 
in  1858.  They  have  four  children;  Eva,  Joseph, 
Jesse,  and  Ralph.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Swires  has  won  his  success  by  his  de- 
votion to  business,  he  has  always  been  able  to  find 
time  to  forward  public  interests  as  opportunity 
has  arisen.  He  is  chairman  of  the  Second  Ward 
Democratic  Committee,  and  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Altoona  Fire  Company,  having  been  its 
president  since  its  organization. 


JABEZ  C.  P.  JONES,  the  present  popular 
mayor  of  Milesburg,  and  proprietor  of  a  res- 
taurant at  that  place,  is  classed  among  the 
enterprising  and  wide-awake  business  men  of 
Centre  county.  He  is  ever  ready  to  assist  in 
any  movement  tending  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides,  and  is 
highly  respected  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

A  native  of  Centre  county,  Mr.  Jones  was 
born  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  July  12,  1833.  His 
parents,  David  and  Sarah  E.  (Carter)  Jones, 
were  natives  of  Vermont  and  Connecticut,  re- 
spectively, were  married  in  the  former  State, 
and  in  1806  came  in  a  sleigh  to  Centre  county, 
Penn.,  where  they  spent  their  remaining  days, 
the  father  dying  in  February,  1854,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years,  and  the  mother  in  September, 


1883,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Hannah,  who  married  John  Glenn,  but 
both  are  now  deceased;  Chauncey,  Silvey  and 
Harvey,  all  three  deceased;  Henry,  a  resident  of 
Clinton  county,  Penn.;  Sarah  J.,  deceased;  and 
Jabez  C.  P.,  of  this  review.  By  occupation  the 
father  was  a  general  farmer,  was  a  Whig  in  poli- 
tics, and  for  ten  years  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  of  Union  township,  Centre  county.  He 
was  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
in  which  he  was  class  leader  for  twenty-one 
years.  His  father,  Jabez  Jones,  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  of  Welch  extraction,  while  his 
(Jabez's)  wife's  father  was  a  native  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State.  Neither  ever  lived  in  Centre 
county. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys  our  sub- 
ject spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  upon  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  cabinet  maker's  trade,  which 
he  followed  until  i860.  For  one  year  thereafter 
he  was  engaged  in  a  mercantile  establishment. 
The  Civil  war  having  broken  out,  he  enlisted,  in 
1 86 1,  in  Company  B,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  but  he 
was  taken  ill,  and  after  seven  months  and  fifteen 
days  spent  in  the  service,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  returned  home.  For  four  years  he 
then  engaged  in  clerking,  after  which  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  huckster  and  peddler  for  some  years. 
Subsequently  he  followed  contracting  and  gen- 
eral carpenter  work  two  years,  and  then  opened 
his  present  restaurant  at  Milesburg,  which  he  has 
since  successfully  conducted. 

In  March,  1854,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Parsons,  a  native  of  Milesburg, 
who  died  March  25,  1 87 1 .  To  them  were  born 
nine  children — three  sons  and  six  daughters — five 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Mary, 
wife  of  Thomas  Dougherty,  of  Oakpond,  Penn. ; 
James  T. ,  of  Clinton  county,  this  State;  David, 
of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county;  and  Silvey,  of 
Pittsburg.  On  July  23,  1873,  Mr.  Jones  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs. 
Bella  Murray,  and  they  have  eight  children,  all 
at  home,  namely:  Erma  E.,  Grace  T. ,  Lester 
V.,  Bella  V.,  Fenetta  J.,  Edna  R. ,  Clara  V.  and 
Iva  J.  Mrs.  Jones  was  born  at  Milesburg,  March 
15,  1843,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  and 
Euretta  (Roberts)  Hall,  in  whose  family  were  the 
following  children:  James,  deceased;  Mary,  wife 
of  Col.  James  F.  Weaver;  Mrs.  Ellen  Swires,  a 
widow;  Benjamin,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Clara, 
who  married  A.  T.  Boggs,  of  Milesburg,  but  is 
now  deceased;  Henry  and  George,  both  deceased; 
Dr.  William,  who  is  living  in  Milesburg;  Bella, 
wife    of  our  subject;   and    Joseph,  a    resident   of 


484 


COM  1/ EMORATIYE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Missouri.  The  father  of  these  children  con- 
ducted a  hotel  at  Milesburg,  was  a  prominent 
Democratic  politician,  and  served  as  sheriff  of 
Centre  count} 

Mr.  | < iiu-s  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  several 
official  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in  his  local- 
it},  the  duties  of  which  he  has  discharged  in  a 
most  capable  manner.  He  has  served  as  coun- 
cilman, assessor,  and  school  director  for  twenty- 
two  years,  being  secretary  of  the  board  for  six- 
teen years  and  president  two  years  of  that  time. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
health,  and  auditor  of  the  town  for  eleven  years. 
In  January,  1895,  be  was  appointed  burgess, 
which  responsible  office  he  is  now  acceptably 
filling,  On  account  of  the  injurious  effects  of 
his  army  service,  he  now  receives  a  pension  of 
$30  per  month.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  in 
politics,  and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  Post  of  Milesburg,  of  which  he  was  com- 
mands  for  one  year. 


©1  <  >RGE  WIR  1',  who  in  his  lifetime  was  one 
of  the  representative  and  leading  citizens  of 
Penn  township.  Centre  county,  began  his  ca- 
reer at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  without  other  re- 
sources than  his  own  indomitable  vvill  and  steady, 
plodding  industry,  and  worked  Ins  way  upward 
until  he  became  possessed  of  a  handsome  1 
petence. 

Mr  Wirt  was  born  in  Dauphin  count},  Penn., 
in  Jul}',  1826,  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Mary  Noll) 
Wirt,  who  brought  their  family  to  Centre  county, 
when  our  subject    wa  n  years   old.      A 

tanner   by  occupation,  the   father  located   upon 
Penn  creek,  in    Penn    township,  where    be   oper- 

1  rented  land,  but  later  purchased  a  tract  in 
Haines  township,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
years.  He  died,  however,  in  Dauphin  county, 
in  1867,  while  on  a  visit,  but  his  bod\  was 
brought  back  and  interred  in  the  cemetery  at 
Aaronsburg,  where  lus  wife,  who  died  at  the 
oi  eight}  loin  years,  was  also  laid  to  rest.  They 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church,  and  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all  who 
knew  them.      Although   the   father  began   Hi 

i  man,  by  dint  of  bard   work  he  succeeded  in 

■  uiin-  well-to-do 

Our    subject    was    the    eldest    m    a    laim 
eighl     children,    the    others    being    as    follows: 

is,  a  resident  of  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county; 
Josiab.  oi  Aaronsburg;  William,  of  Sugar  Val 
Mary  A.,  widow  of  William  Guismite,  and  a  1 
ident    of    Woodward,   Centre   count}';   Amanda, 
wife  1  'I    Frank    Weaver,  of    Varonsbui  g; 
wifi     ol    William     Bear,    of     Kcbersbure,,    Centre 


counts     and  Caroline,  wife  of   Emanuel   Swartz 
<>f  I '.rush  Valley. 

George  Wirt  was  reared  in  the  usual  manner 
of  farmer  boys,  and   in   the   German   school  1 
his  home  received  a  fair  education.      In   Novem- 
ber,   1848,  by    Rev.  Sebastian    Mussel,   Mr.  Wirt 
was  married  to  Miss  Susannah  Zerley,  who  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county.  An 
20,  1826,  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Hannah    S 
day)   Zerley.      Her  twin  sister,  Mrs    Sarah   An 
man,  is  also  still  living.       To  Mr.  and  Mrs    Wirt 
were    bom     five    children:      Sarah,  who    married 
[ohn    Breon,   of    Millheim,   and   has    one   child; 
Emma,  wife  of  Al    Keen,  of  Penn  township,  bj 
whom    she    has    nme   children;    Mary,  widow 
William    (.nines,    of    Penn    township,    b\    whim 
she  had  three  children;  and  Henry  and  Catharine, 
who  died  in  childhood. 

Mr.  Wirt  began   his  domestic   life    upon  th.- 
old  Wilson    farm    in    Haines   township,  which  h. 
rented  for  twelve  years,  and   for  the  lony  pt 
of  twenty-one  years  lived  on  the  farm  of  Philip 
Gephart,    near    Millheim.      In    March.   1882,  he 
purchased  from  his  brother    William  a  farm  1 
sisting  of  eighty  acres  of  fine  land.      In    his  eo 
deavors  to  secure  a  home  he  was  ably  assisted  h\ 
his  faithful  wife,  who   indeed  proved  a  helpn 
to  him,  and  is  one  of  the  best   house-keepers'  to 
be  found  anywhere.      f"hey  were   widely  and  fa- 
vorably  known    throughout    this    section  of  the 
county,  with  whose  interests  they  wen-  identified 
for   so    man}'    years.      The    political    support    of 
Mr.  Wirt  was  given  the  principles  and  candid 
of  the   Democratic  party,  with  which   his  fathei 
was  also  identified.     That  he  was  a  thorough 
skillful  farmer  was  evidenced  by   the  Ion 
which  he  operated  the  two  rented    farms,  wl 
his    successors   have  signally  failed.      In  Au§ 
1896,   Mr.  Wirt  laid  aside   the  cares   of   life,  and 
passed  to  the  realms  of   rest  and  peace 


KT   SMITH,    a   prominent    resident     I 
Splint;    Mills,    Centre   county,    now    1 
from  active  business,  is  a   self-made   man   wh 
present   prosperity  shows   unusual    ability   as 
financier,    the   foundation  of   his  success  hai 
been  laid  by  his  savings  as  a  mechanic,      He 
man  of  few  words,    and   in   manner  is  quiet   and 
unassuming;   but    while  devoting    himself  e* 
ly  to  bis  own  business  he  has  always  wi 
degree  of  respect  from  his  fellow    citizens  which 
!■■  who  seek  popular  favor  fail  to  secui 
Mr.    Smith    was   born    February    5,    1 84 1 
Haim      township.    Centre   count},    neai 
P    0.,  where  Ins  parents.  Charles   and  El 
<  Schnure)  Smith,  owned   a   farm.      1 1< 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


485 


youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children — three  sons 
and  two  daughters — and  was  reared  after  the 
usual  custom  in  that  time  and  locality,  assisting 
in  the  "chores"  at  home,  and  securing  such  in- 
struction as  he  could  in  the  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. His  first  teacher  was  J.  G.  Meyer, 
who  conducted  a  subscription  school  in  the  St. 
Paul  district.  At  that  time  the  present  system 
of  free  schools  had  not  been  introduced  there, 
but  a  few  years  later  the  change  was  made,  his 
first  teacher  under  the  new  order  being  Jake 
Lukenbach.  The  opportunities  afforded  were 
much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present  time,  and 
Mr.  Smith  feeling  his  own  deprivation  is  a  firm 
friend  to  the  policy  of  securing  for  every  child  in 
the  commonwealth  a  chance  to  receive  a  thor- 
ough education. 

At  eighteen  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade  with  Squire  Rinehart,  and  after  one  year 
engaged  in  work  as  a  journeyman.  Having  a 
laudable  desire  to  see  something  of  the  world,  he 
spent  some  years  in  traveling  about,  working  at 
his  trade  in  various  places  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  and  visiting  the  main  points  of  inter- 
est in  this  country.  In  1873,  weary  of  roving, 
and  with  a  mind  well  stored  with  the  practical 
information  thus  gained,  he  returned  to  Centre 
county  and  located  at  Bellefonte,  entering  the 
employ  of  W.  V.  Hughes,  as  an  ordinary  work- 
man. By  the  end  of  a  year  he  had  shown  such 
marked  ability  in  all  lines  of  work,  that  he  was 
made  foreman,  and  this  responsible  position  he 
held  some  thirteen  years,  overseeing  the  con- 
struction of  many  important  buildings  from  foun- 
dation to  roof.  He  then  undertook,  on  his  own 
account,  the  contract  for  the  Reformed  church 
building  at  Aaronsburg,  and  after  the  successful 
completion  of  that  work  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  spent  two  years  visiting  friends 
and  doing  some  work  as  occasion  offered.  On 
his  return  in  1889,  he  resumed  his  old  position 
with  Mr.  Hughes  and  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  two  buildings  at  Johnstown,  Penn. — 
the  Library  and  the  Cambria  Iron  Company's 
store — replacing  those  destroyed  by  the  flood. 
In  the  fall  of  1891  he  gave  up  his  position 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  1892  he  purchased  from 
the  Barcroft  estate  some  valuable  property,  at 
Spring  Mills,  comprising  a  hotel,  which  he  sold  in 
1896,  two  residences,  and  two  store  buildings. 
These  he  placed  in  thorough  repair,  and  since 
February,  1893,  ne  has  made  his  home  at  Spring 
Mills,  his  elegant  and  luxuriously  furnished  resi- 
dence being  a  delightful  spot  in  which  to  pass  his 
well-earned  leisure.  He  was  married  at  Belle- 
fonte, in  1890,  to  Miss  Emma  Heckman,  of  Penn 
Hall,  daughter  of  John   F.  and   Fietta  (Fisher) 


Heckman.  Two  children  have  blessed  this  union: 
Rosa,  born  in  January,  1891,  and  Ruth,  born 
May  1,  1896.  Mr.  Smith  and  his  wife  are  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  he 
has  held  office  as  deacon  and  elder  therein.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  of  Bellefonte. 

Mr.  Smith  has  worked  hard  and  made  a 
thrifty  disposition  of  his  earnings,  and  has  neither 
been  extravagant  nor  practiced  undue  self-denial 
in  order  to  accumulate  his  fortune.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  his  first  vote 
in  a  Presidential  campaign  was  cast,  in  1864,  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  is  a  regular  voter,  and 
takes  much  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party, 
but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 


B.  HARTSWICK.  This  gentleman,  who 
spent  his  early  manhood  in  active  business, 
and  mainly  in  agricultural  pursuits,  is  now  living 
retired  on  a  fine  farm  in  Ferguson  township, 
Centre  county,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  1868.  It  is  a  most  beautiful  place,  pleas- 
antly situated  within  a  half  mile  of  State  College, 
and  plainly  indicates  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of 
the  owner.  A  man  of  great  energy  and  more 
than  ordinary  business  capacity,  his  success  in 
life  has  been  largely  due  to  his  own  efforts,  and 
the  sound  judgment  by  which  he  has  taken  good 
advantage  of  his  own  resources. 

Mr.  Hartswick  was  born  in  Harris  township, 
Centre  county,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Mary 
(Miller)  Hartswick,  also  natives  of  Centre  county, 
where  they  were  married  January  2,  1830.  By 
trade  the  father  was  a  blacksmith.  His  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Holland,  crossed  the  Atlan- 
tic to  the  New  World  in  1792,  landing  at  Phila- 
delphia, while  his  wife  (who  was  a  Miss  Boozer) 
was  born  in  Switzerland.  Our  subject  was  third 
in  order  of  birth  in  their  family  of  eight  children, 
the  others  being  as  follows:  (1)  Dr.  John  G.  was 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
for  forty  years  in  Clearfield,  Penn. ,  and  for  two 
years  in  Hublersburg,  Centre  county ;  he  died  in 
March,  1896,  leaving  a  widow  and  one  son  and 
one  daughter.  (2)  Margaret  is  the  widow  of 
Henry  Evey,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Spottsylvania  during  the  Civil  war,  and  left  seven 
children.  (4)  Adam  M.  married  Sarah  Mothers- 
baugh,  of  Altoona,  Penn.  (5)  Christian  died  in 
1853,  in  his  seventeenth  year.  (6)  Elizabeth 
died  in  May,  1841,  at  the  age  of  six  years.  (7) 
May  J.  died  in  Clearfield,  Penn.,  in  1891.  (8) 
William  H.,  born  in  1841,  died  the  same  year. 

In  the  free  schools  of  Centre  county,  H.  B. 
Hartswick  acquired  his  literary  education,  and  in 
1852  he  began  teaching  before  there  was  a  super- 


486 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOG HAfll I'M.  RECORD. 


intendent  of  schools  in  Pennsylvania.  For  a 
time  he  followed  that  profession,  but  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  his  business  career  he  engaged 

in    fanning    with  g 1   success.      On    March   20, 

1S61,  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Neidigh,  and  to 
them  were  born  seven  children  (three  of  whom 
survive):  (i)  Anna  M.  died  in  infancy. 
Clara  E. died  August  I,  1890,  when  in  her  twenty- 
fifth  year;  she  would  have  graduated  the  follow- 
ing year  from  the  State  College  of  Pennsylvania. 
|.  Milton,  born  November  4.  1868,  married 
Helen  McCalmont,  and  has  three  children;  he 
was  educated  in  the  State  College,  and  is  a 
teacher  by  profession,  making  his  home  in  Fer- 
guson township.  14)  Naomi  died  in  infancy.  (5) 
Newton  Neidigh,  born  August  10,  1872,  married 
Elizabeth  Thomas,  and  lives  in  Ferguson  town- 
ship; he  also  was  educated  in  the  State  College, 
and  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  teaching.  (6) 
Adam  H..  born  February  16,  18 — ,  married 
Annie  dinger.  (7)  Christian  W.,  born  January 
29,   1879,  died  July  26,   1884. 

Mr.  Hartswick  is  not  an  active  politician,  but 
quietly  votes,  as  his  sentiments  and  beliefs  dic- 
tate,  with  the  Republican  party.  A  conscientious, 
Christian  gentleman,  he  is  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Reformed  Church.  Intelligent,  affable  and 
courteous,  he  is  a  true  type  of  an  American  citi- 
i,  and  his  circle  of  friends  throughout  the 
community  is  only  limited  by  his  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances. 


JAM]  S  HENDERSON.  Among  the  active 
and  energetic  agriculturists  of  Centre  county, 
there  is  probably  no  more  prominent  figure 
than  this  gentleman,  who  owns  and  operates  a 
good  farm  in  Benner  township.  On  starting  out 
in  life  for  himself  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, which   he  continued  to   follow   for  twentj 

is,  but  since  1871  he  has  turned  his  attention 
to  farming,  in  which  he  has  met  with  a  fair  de- 
gree of  success. 

Mr  Henderson  is  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Mar- 
garet (Gamble)  Henderson,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  In 
their  family  were  six  children:  Thomas,  who  died 
in  Clearfield  county,  Penn.,  in  1893;  Robert,  a 
retired  fanner  of  College  township.  Centre  coun- 
ty; one  whose  name  is  not  given,  a  farmer,  who 
died  in  Clearfield  county;  Samuel,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Blair  county,  Penn.;  James,  of  this 
sketch;  and  Margaret,  who  is  living  in  Clearfield 
ci  mnty. 

On  reaching  manhood,  James  Henderson  was 
united  in  marriage  with   Miss  Margaret  Math 
who  was  born  in  County  Tyrone.  Ireland,  and  in 


1S47,  with  her  parents,  came  to  America,  locat- 
ing in  Clearfield  county,  Penn.  Of  this  union 
six  children  were  born,  as  follows:  (i )  Robert  M  . 
a  resident  of  Benner  township.  Centre  county, 
married  Rachel  Hinton,  and  has  two  children. 
(Ji  Sophronia  married  C.  L.  Knox,  and  in  1884 
removed  to  Minnesota,  where  the  husband  died, 
after   which    she    returned    to   Centre   county  in 

I   1891,  and  now  makes   her  home  in    Bellefonte. 

;  she  has  five  children.       31  B.  K..  also  a  resident 

1  of  Bellefonte,  was  married  in  1895  to  Jennie 
Taylor.  (4)  Mabel  E.  and  (5  <  alvin  L.  are 
next  in  order  of  birth.      (6)   Emma    L. ,  a   most 

\  accomplished  lady,  is  still  with  her  parents 

Mr.  Henderson  is  practically  a  self-made  man. 
having  commenced   life    with    no    capital    except 
strong  arms,  an  iron  constitution,  and  an  ei 
of  purpose  that  was  bound  to  win.    His  fine  farn 
is  a  standing   monument   to    his  industry,  pi 
verance    and    good    management,    coupled    with 
economy  and  a  praiseworthy  frugality.      He  is  a 
stalwart  Democrat   in  politics,  and    a  consistent 
and  active  member  of   the    Presbyterian  Church. 


BAYID  ATHERTON,  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Jackman  &  Atherton,  Philips- 
burg,  Centre  count\ .  is  widely  known  in  busin 
circles  as  a  man  of  undoubted  integrity,  conduct- 
ing his  interests  with  ability  and  strict  regard  to 
details.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
prominent  English  family,  and  was  born  in  Liver- 
pool, England,  February  1  1.  [858,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Sophia  (Bessett  Atherton,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  that  country.  The  father 
was  a  quiet,  unassuming  man,  a  coal  operator  by 
occupation,  and  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan 
Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belonged.  H 
died  in  1S75,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and 
she  passed  away  two  years  previously  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two. 

Ten  children  wen    born  to  this  worthy  couple. 
namely:   Robert,  who  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in   Liverpool;    Thomas,   who  1-  engaged   in 
butchering  business    in    Leigh,  Lancashire,! 
land;    Abraham,    a    lead-pipe    manufactui 
Prescott,  England;  Hannah,  wife  of  James  1 
ex-police  superintendent   of    Lancashire;    James 
B.,  a  manufacturer  of   insulating  electric  wire  in 
Prescott,    England,    owning   one  of    the  lar- 
plants   in    the  country,  worth    a   million  doll 
Sarah,  wife  of  James   Kerfoot,  who  is  inten 
in  a  grist  mill   in  Leigh.  England;  Jacob,  wh 
with  his  brother  |ames   in   business;   Job,  wh 
connected  with  coal  mining  in  England,  and  died 
in  1893,  at  the  age  of   twenty-six  years;  and  D 
vid.  of  this  review.      Our  subject,  who  is  the  only 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


487 


one  of  the  family  living  in  this  country,  has 
twenty-six  nieces  and  twenty-eight  nephews. 

Until  sixteen  years  of  age  David  Atherton  at- 
tended school,  thus  acquiring  a  good  practical 
education.  He  then  began  his  business  career  as 
a  bricklayer,  and  for  eight  years  successfully 
engaged  in  contracting  along  that  line  in  his  na- 
tive land,  making  his  home  with  his  parents  un- 
til twenty  years  of  age.  In  1881  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  America,  and  for  a  year  and  a  half 
was  a  resident  of  Wellsville,  Ohio,  where  he 
contracted  in  brick  laying.  Coming  to  Philips- 
burg,  he  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  the 
same  business  here,  and  erected  all  of  the  State 
College  buildings  in  Centre  county  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  old  stone  one.  He  also  put  up  a 
National  Bank  building  in  Huntingdon  county, 
Penn.  For  the  past  three  years,  however,  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  coal  interests  of 
Centre  county  in  partnership  with  E.  R.  Jack- 
man,  owning  and  operating  the  Colorado  mine 
No.  3,  located  on  Beach  road,  Cambria  Co., 
Penn.,  which  covers  420  acres.  It  has  a  capac- 
ity of  100,000  tons  per  year  of  the  best  bitumi- 
nous coal.  Mr.  Atherton  is  also  sole  owner  of 
the  Juniata  Coal  mine,  located  on  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad  in  Cambria  county,  which  covers 
106  acres  and  has  a  capacity  of  60,000  tons  an- 
nually. He  has  met  with  a  well-deserved  suc- 
cess in  his  business  venture,  is  straightforward 
and  reliable  in  all  transactions,  and  from  the  pub- 
lic receives  a  liberal  patronage,  for  his  honorable 
dealing  and  courteous  treatment  commend  him 
to  the  confidence  of  all. 

In  Philipsburg,  May  16,  1888,  Mr.  Atherton 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  L. 
Goldman.  They  are  consistent  and  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  leader  in  musical 
circles,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  promoting 
that  art  throughout  the  county.  He  comes  of  a 
family  which  is  noted  for  its  musical  talent,  its 
members  being  naturally  good  instrumental  and 
vocal  musicians.  In  disposition  he  is  genial,  in 
manner  courteous  and  affable,  and  those  who 
know  him  recognize  the  true  worth  of  his  char- 
acter, and  therefore  entertain  for  him  the  high- 
est regard. 


H 


A.  MOORE,  the  well-known  druggist  and 
postmaster  at  Howard,  Centre  county,  is  a 
native  of  the  county,  having  been  born  at  Pleas- 
ant Gap,  March  15,  1854,  a  son  of  Agnew  and 
Mary  (Furey)  Moore,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Centre  county. 

There  the  parents  continued  to   remain  until 


1878,  when  they  removed  to  Missoula,  Mont., 
where  the  father  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  until  his  death,  December  28,  1892, 
when  he  was  aged  sixty-four  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
place,  a  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democracy, 
and  serving  as  alderman  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belongs.  She 
was  born  March  13,  1836,  and  is  still  a  resident 
of  Missoula.  Her  parents,  William  P.  and 
Rachel  (Williams)  Furey,  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  Centre  county.  Her  father  was  called  upon 
to  serve  in  several  official  positions,  being  county 
commissioner  nine  years,  commissioner's  clerk 
six  years,  and  justice  of  the  peace  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  Bellefonte.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Riddle)  Moore,  were  natives  of  Scot- 
land and  County  Down,  Ireland,  respectively. 
At  an  early  day  they  came  to  America,  and  they 
were  married  in  Centre  county,  Penn.,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  For  a 
number  of  years  the  grandfather  served  as  man- 
ager of  the  Hickley  ore  mines  in  the  county,  and 
also  engaged  in  farming. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  the  others  being:  Rachel  J.,  wife  of 
Abraham  Weber,  a  merchant  of  Howard,  Penn. ; 
Mary  R.,  who  is  with  her  mother;  Clara,  wife  of 
John  Bloilean,  of  Missoula,  Mont.;  William,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years;  Thomas,  a 
jeweler  of  Bellefonte,  Penn.;  Emma,  at  home; 
Ralph,  second  assistant  bookkeeper  for  the 
Northern  Pacific  railroad  at  Missoula;  and  three 
who  died  in  infancy.  Until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  Howard  A.  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof,  attending  school,  and  assisting  his 
father  at  carpentering  during  the  summer  months. 
After  leaving  home  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
under  Dr.  C.  H.  Else,  a  druggist,  of  Milesburg, 
Penn.,  with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years. 
He  then  established  his  present  store  in  Howard, 
and  has  since  carried  on  a  large  and  profitable 
drug  business. 

On  June  24,  1876,  Mr.  Moore  married  Miss 
Laura  Ryman,  and  they  have  three  children: 
Claude  C,  a  jeweler,  of  Bellefonte;  and  Mabel 
C.  and  Chester  A.,  at  home.  Mrs.  Moore  was 
born  in  Milesburg,  Centre  county,  March  27, 
1854,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ellen  (Lucas) 
Ryman,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  county. 
Her  father  was  a  well-known  miller  of  Milesburg, 
where  he  died  December  28,  1876,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-five  years.  Politically  he  gave  his  earnest 
support  to  the  Republican  party.  His  wife  passed 
away  January  4,  1894,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  sev- 


is- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


enty-eigbt  years  and  six  months.  In  their  family 
were  four  children:  Elizabeth,  widow  of  D.  H. 
Parsons,  of  Altoona,  Penn  .  Augustus,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-three  years;  Miles,  a  huxter; 
and  Laura,  wife  of  our  subject.  Her  paternal 
grandparents  were  David  and  Llizabeth  Ryman, 
who  died  in  Milesburg,  where  the  former  had  fol- 
lowed milling.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  Charles 
Lucas,  was  a  native  of  Centre  county. 

Mr.  Moore  has  won  for  himself  a  place  among 
the  representative  business  men  of  Howard,  and 
is  also  numbered   among  iding  and  influen- 

tial citizens,  whose  sterling  worth  and  many  ex- 
cellent traits  of  character  have  found  just  recog- 
nition. In  i  876  he  was  elected  town  clerk, which 
office  he  tilled  for  one  year;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  nine  years;  council- 
man three  years;  and  in  May,  1885,  was 
first    appointed     postmaster   at    Howard,    which 

tion   he  I  tilled   to  the  satisfaction  of 

all  concerned,  being  reappointed   in   May,   1890, 
and    again    on    September    21,    1893.       He    I 
proved  a  mosl    popular   and  efficient  officer,  dis- 

ging  his  duties  with  the  utmost  fidelity.  Fra- 
ternally lie  holds  membership  in  Lick  Run  Lodge 
No  311,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Howard;  and  Belief 
Lodge  No.  jos,  l  &  \  \[.  Politically  he 
Democrat,  fn  manner  he  is  genial  and  affable, 
and  has  the  esteem  of  many  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. 


*HOMAS  F.  BRUNGART,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing agriculturists  of  Centre  counts,  residing 
near  Wolfs  Store,  has  evidently  solved  the 
problem  of  making  farming  pa)  even  in  "hard 
times."  A  shrewd  and  systematic  manager,  he 
adapts  his  crops  to  the  market,  and  when  one 
article  falls  in  price  he  takes  pains  to  cultivate 

le  other  in  which   there   is  more   profit,  thus 

1  returns.     He  belongs  to  one  of  the 

old    families   of    Miles    township.  Centre  county, 

and  was  born  upon    the    same    farm    upon  which 

his  father,  Samuel  Brungart,  tirst   saw  the  light. 

Martin  Brungart,  his  great-grandfather,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  there,  bringing  with  him 
his  family,  among  whom  was  Jacob,  the  second 
son,  who  was  born  January  [5,  1786,  and  died 
September  5,  1862.  Jacob  Brungart  owned  and 
cultivated  the  homestead  which  is  now  the  prop- 
erty of  our  subject,  his  grandson,  and  was  one 
of  the  successful  tanners  of  his  day.  In  1813 
he  was  drafted;  but  being  so  situated  that  he 
could  not  enter  the  army  without  great  sacrifice, 
he  hired  William  P.  Brady,  of  Aaronsburg,  as  a 
substitute,  giving  him  $60  and  a  pair  of  shoes. 
Jacob    Brungart    had    six    sons — John,    George, 


Frederick,  Martin,  Jacob  and  Samuel;  and  six 
daughters — Mary  (Mrs.  John  Heckman),  Susan 
(Mrs.  John  Weaver).  Catherine  iMb.  Adam 
Bair).  Margaret  (Mis.  Jacob  Smeltzer),  Regina 
(who  married  John  Shaffer),  and  Sarah  (wife  of 
William  Johnson).  Of  this  family,  those  yet 
living  are  Frederick,  and  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Will 
iam    Johnson. 

Samuel  Brungart,  our  subject's  father,  bom 
April  21,  1S25,  was  among  the  younger  children 
of  this  large  family.  Farm  work  was  then  as 
plentiful  in  winter  as  in  summer,  and  conse- 
quently he  attended  school  but  little.  He  DOE 
sessed  unusual  mental  ability,  however,  and  an 
excellent  memory  enabled  him  to  make  the  most 
of  such  opportunities  as  came  in  his  way,  mak- 
ing him  quite  competent  to  transact  business  so 
greal  that,  although  he  had  never  been  instructed 
in  a  trade,  he  could  make  the  various  kinds  of 
tools  required  in  farm  work.  This  faculty  was 
also  displayed  in  the  management  of  his  farms. 
1  cess  being  SO  uniform  that  his  plans  and 
methods  were  eagerly  adopted  by  the  progressiva 
farmers  of  the  neighborhood.  He  was  larger 
than  the  average  man,  and  did  much  hard  worl 
in  his  lifetime,  gaining  a  success  which,  all  things 
considered,  was  remarkable.  Firm  and  steadfast 
in  his  ideas,  he  remained  throughout  life  a  stanch 
,md  in  religion  he  adhered  to  the 
Lutheran  faith,  contributing  liberally  to  the 
Church  and  holding  various  offices  therein.  He 
married  Harriet  Walker,  who  was  born  in  Brush 
Valley,  February  20,  1 83 1 ,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Hannah (Erhart)  Walker.  The  young  couple 
began  housekeeping  in  a  small  home  in  Brush 
Valley,  near  the  present  site  of  Walker's  Mill, 
and  from  there  removed  to  Madisonburg,  where 
our  subject's  father  rented  land  for  four  yean 
He  wished  to  buy  the  old  homestead  out,  but  a- 
his  father  declined  to  sell  it  he  rented  it  until  his 
father's  death,  when,  in  the  division  of  the  estatt, 
Samuel  Brungart  secured  the  farm  by  paying 
about  $4,000  to  the  other  heirs.  In  1868  he 
built  a  fine  barn,  102  x  45,  and  he  also  remodeled 
the  other  buildings.  He  and  his  wife  spent  tin 
last  days  at  the  old  homestead,  the  latter  dying 
July  6,  1892,  while  his  own  death  occurred  I  1 
ruary  10,  t893.  Both  were  buried  at  St.  Luk>  - 
Evangelical  Lutheran  cemetery,  in  Miles  town 
ship,  Centre  county,  where  our  subject  baa 
erected  a  handsome  monument  to  mark  their 
resting  place. 

Thomas  F.    Brungart.  our  subject,  was  born 
March  12,    1849,  and  the  Brungart   School,   near 
the  old  homestead,  furnished  him  his  first  educa- 
tional privileges.     As  he  was  but  a  child  wbei 
his  parents  removed  to  Madisonburg  he  had  the 


^  3v  /^^^^^^zr 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


489 


advantage  of  attending  the  schools  there  until 
the  return  of  the  family  to  the  eastern  end  of 
Brush  Valley,  where  he  completed  his  studies, 
with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  one  winter  at 
Rebersburg.  As  there  was  always  plenty  of 
work  to  be  done  at  home  he  never  "worked 
out,"  his  father  paying  him  wages  after  the  age 
of  twenty,  and  this  arrangement  was  only  inter- 
rupted by  our  subject's  marriage  and  settlement 
in  a  home  of  his  own.  His  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  united  in  Rebersburg,  February  16,  1S81, 
was  formerly  Miss  Emma  Corman.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Rachel  (Bair)  Corman, 
and  was  born  and  reared  in  Brush  Valley.  Their 
first  home  was  upon  a  farm  rented  by  our  sub- 
ject's brother-in-law,  James  Corman,  but  later 
Mr.  Brungart  rented  the  old  Poorman  farm,  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  county,  where  he  re- 
mained about  eleven  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1893,  the  homestead  having  been  left  vacant  by 
the  death  of  his  parents,  he  settled  there.  He 
has  in  that  estate  268  acres,  and  in  another  farm 
near  Wolfs  Store,  known  as  the  old  Wolf 
Homestead,  he  has  147  acres  more.  While  Mr. 
Brungart  does  not  do  much  manual  labor,  he 
oversees  all  the  details  of  the  work  upon  his  farm, 
and  the  results  of  his  careful  management  are 
seen  on  every  side. 

Five  children  brighten  his  home:  Mabel  O., 
Samuel  C,  Celia  V. ,  Tacie  H.  and  Elda  R. 
Mrs.  Brungart  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  but  our  subject  is  a  Lutheran,  and  is  an 
active  worker  in  the  Church,  having  held  office 
as  deacon  and  treasurer.  He  takes  great  interest 
in  all  movements  for  the  advancement  of  the 
community,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Grange.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat, but  notwithstanding  his  hearty  support  of 
the  doctrines  of  his  party  he  never  has  held 
office,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  to  his  own 
affairs. 


ICHAEL  WOODRING,  who  after  the 
labors  of  a  long  and  busy  life,  is  spending 
the  evening  of  life  in  ease  and  retirement  on  his 
farm  on  the  Philipsburg  pike,  in  Worth  township, 
Centre  couny,    is  a  native  of   Pennsylvania,   his 

I  birth  occurring  in  Berks  county,  August  14,   1820. 

I  There  his  parents,  Abraham  and  Saloma  (Sni- 
der) Woodring,  were  also  born,  reared,  and  mar- 
ried, later  removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  and  in 
1857  came  to  Centre  county,  locating  in  Worth 
township,  where  the  mother  died  May  1,  1872, 
aged  seventy-four  years,  nine  months  and  twenty- 
seven  days.  Subsequently  the  father  went  to 
Cambria  county,  Penn.,  where  his  death  occurred 


in  1886,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years. 
He  buried  his  family  record  in  the  casket  with 
his  wife.  He  was  an  extensive  horse  dealer  and 
farmer,  and  in  early  life  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  but  later  he  became  a  devout 
Roman  Catholic.  His  parents,  Samuel  and 
Maria  (Yorick)  Woodring,  were  natives  of  Berks 
county,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrated,  but 
in  1823  they  became  residents  of  Worth  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  The  former  was  of  Ger- 
man extraction,  and  a  farmer  and  miller  by  occu- 
pation. 

Our  subject  is  second  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  John,  who 
died  in  Tyrone,  Penn.;  Samuel,  born  October  15, 
1823,  died  December  6,  1886,  in  Philipsburg; 
Polly,  deceased  wife  of  Rank  Seek,  also  deceased; 
Betsey,  wife  of  Anthony  Gill,  a  farmer  of  Coal- 
port,  Penn. ;  Catherine,  who  died  unmarried;  and 
Beckie,  deceased  wife  of  Joseph  Gill. 

Until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  Michael 
Woodring  remained  upon  the  home  farm,  and 
then  started  out  empty-handed  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  After  working  by  the  month  for 
two  years,  he  and  his  brother  John  rented  a  farm 
at  Huntingdon  Furnace,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn., 
which  they  operated  for  fifteen  years,  and  then 
dissolved  partnership.  For  one  year  our  subject 
then  engaged  in  hauling  ore,  and  in  i860  came 
to  Centre  county  and  located  upon  his  present 
farm,  which  was  still  in  its  primitive  condition, 
covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  in  which 
deer  and  other  wild  animals  abounded.  To  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  place  he  at 
once  devoted  his  time  and  attention,  and  con- 
tinued his  labors  until  he  now  has  one  of  the  most 
desirable  farms  in  the  locality.  Politically,  he 
affiilates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  main- 
tains his  principles  in  this  regard  with  the  same 
steadfastness  which  has  characterized  him  in  all 
the  relations  of  life.  He  is  a  valued  and  honored 
citizen  of  the  community,  enjoying  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

On  September  30,  1845,  Mr.  Woodring  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  Halderman, 
who  was  born  in  Centre  county,  in  1824,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Wise)  Halder- 
man, who  spent  their  entire  lives  upon  a  farm  in 
Centre  county.  They  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics  her  father  was 
a  Democrat.  Mrs.  Woodring  was  one  of  their 
tamily  of  eleven  children,  namely:  Catherine, 
deceased  wife  of  John  Stover,  of  Bellefonte, 
Penn. ;  Jane,  widow  of  John  Woodring;  Eliza- 
beth, deceased;  Lavina,  deceased  wife  of  James 
Bailey,  also  deceased;  Margaret,  wife  of  Aaron 
Woodring,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  George, 


4SX) 


COMMKMoliA  T1V1-:  BIOGRAPHICAL  liF.fitRD. 


who  is  a  cabinet  maker  in  Ohio;  Jacob,  who 
died  in  the  army;  Susan,  who  married  Samuel 
Turner,  and  after  his  death  wedded  Samuel  Stine, 
a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  and  Fannie,  who 
married  Samuel  Woodring,  but  both  are  now 
deceased. 

To  Michael  Woodring  and  his  estimable  wife 
were  born  the  following  children:  William,  a 
farmer  residing  near  Port  Matilda,  Centre  county; 
George  W.,  a  lumberman  of  Virginia;  Abraham, 
a  lumberman  of  Port  Matilda;  General  J.,  pro- 
prietor of  a  hotel  at  that  place;  John  Q.,  who 
was  killed  in  1892  on  the  railroad  while  working 
at  Altoona,  Penn.;  Mary  and  Ella,  deceased; 
Harry  E. ,  and  Matilda,  wife  of  W.  W.  Thomas, 
a  farmer  of   Blair  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Harry  E.  Woodring,  of  this  family,  is  one  of 
the  energetic  and  progressive  young  farmers  of 
Worth  township,  and  is  engaged  in  operating  the 
old  borne  farm  with  good  success.  There  his 
birth  occurred  October  2,  1867,  and  in  the  usual 
manner  of  farmer  boys  he  was  reared  to  habits 
of  industry.  He  married  Miss  Sadie  Frantz,  a 
native  of  Centre  county,  and  they  have  a  daugh- 
ter,   Ruth  L.,  born  June  4,    1894. 

Abel  and  Nancy  E.  (Williams)  Frantz,  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Harry  Woodring,  were  natives  of 
Centre  and  Blair  counties,  Perm.,  respectively. 
Their  children  were:  Emeline;  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
Lawrence  Gill,  a  farmer  of  Cambria  county, 
Penn.;  Sarah  (01  Sadie  is  next  in  order  of  birth ; 
Ephraim   is  farming   in  Worth  township  for  his 

:le,  John  Frantz;  Jennie  lives  in  Port  Matilda; 

and  Bradie  is  a  resident  of  Coalport,  Clearfield 
county.  The  father  of  these,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  huxter,  was  bom  March  10,  1851,  and  died 
August  14,  1884.  He  was  a  son  of  Reuben  and 
Katie  (Woodring)  Frantz,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  Centre  county,  following  farming.  The 
mothei  nt  Mrs.  Harry  Woodring  was  born  in 
1851,  .1  daughtei  ol  (  aleb  and  Peggie  (Edmon- 
son) Williams,  farming  people  of  Blair  county. 
After  the  death  ol  her  firsl  husband  she  married 
James  Payscole,  ami  they  now  reside  in  Taylor 
township,  Centre  county.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  them,  namely:  Pearl  and  Khoda, 
both  at  home. 


ILLIAM  COL^  IK  in  one  who  has  risen 
(Hll  from  the  ranks  of  the  many  to  stand 
among  the  successful  few.  Among  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Centre  county  no  one  occupies  a 
position  of  relative  greater  importance  than  Mr. 
Colyer,  who  has  been  the  promob  1  1  it  varied  enter- 
prises that  have  resulted  to  the  material  benefit 
of   the  community.      He  has   not  only  won  pros- 


perity for  himself,  but  his  enterprise  has  been 
the  means  of  providing  labor  to  many  who  therebj 
have  achieved  success.  His  career  is  unparal- 
leled in  Potter  township.  Reared  without  edu- 
cational advantages,  ofttimes  amid  adverse  sur- 
roundings, and  without  even  careful  business 
training  in  his  youth,  he  has  surmounted  obsta- 
cles that  would  have  utterly  disheartened  many, 
and  to-day  stands  upon  the  high  plane  of  pi 
perity.  Such  a  life  cannot  fail  to  contain  many 
valuable  lessons,  if  others  will  but  heed  its 
teachings. 

William  Colyer  was  born  December  1  3,  1835, 
at  what  is  known  as  The  Loop  in  Potter  town- 
ship, a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Humel)  Colyer 
His  father  was  born  at  The  Loop,  and  the  grand- 
father was  a  native  of  New  England.  He  was 
a  farmer  in  very  limited  means,  and  married  a 
lady  whose  first  name  was  Dolly.  She  was  of 
German  extraction,  and  lived  to  be  ninety-six 
years  of  age 

The  father  of  our   subject   was   a  hard  work- 
ing man,  yet  lacked  the   executive    ability  neces- 
sary to  a  successful    management   of  his   affairs 
He  never  accumulated    property,  but   lived   in  a 
rented  home,  and  supported   his  family  by  work- 
ing at  the  stone    mason's   trade.      His    life,  how- 
ever, was  honorable,  and   he    had    the  respen 
all.      His    political    support    was   given    the    D( 
mocracy,  and  he  and  his  wife   were   members 
the  Reformed    Church.      He   died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six,  his  wife  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  and 
they    were    buried    in     Luke    Church    cemetery 
Their  children  were  as  follows:     John,  who  died 
at   the    age    of  sixteen    years,    William;    Rachel, 
who  married  Jacob   Neville,  and   died    in  Potter 
township;   Sarah,  who  married  John    Miller,  ami 
died  in  Potter  township;   Mary,  wife  ol    Franklin 
Wright,  of   Potter  township;   and    Susan.  wif( 
William  Burrell,  of  Pocahontas,  low 

William  Colyer,  as    the  only  surviving  son  in 
the  familv,  was  his  father's  assistant,  and  to  him 
ga\e  the  benefit  of  his  services  through  the  sum- 
mer  months    until  he  was    nineteen  years  of  B 
His  educational  pri\  ileges  were  extremely  limil 
but  he    became    familiar     with     the    rudiment 
branches  of  learning  in  the  district  schools,  which 
he   sometimes   attended    in    the    winter.      At 
early    age,    however,    he     began    working, 
sometimes  received  only   his  clothes,    and  SOI 
times  the    meager   sum   of    $3  per    month, 
compensation   for   his  services.      At   the 
fifteen  he  began  learning  the  stone  mason's  ti 
with  his  father,  and  with    him  worked  for  several 

irs.      Possessed  of  executive  ability  and 
ity,    which    his   father   lacked,  he   soon   saw  th  it 
affairs   were   not    properly    managed,  and  1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


491 


quently  laid  plans  to  conduct  the  business  along 
different  lines.  He  suffered  many  hardships, 
and  his  possessions  were  few,  his  best  suit  of 
clothes  often  being  the   one   in  which  he  worked 

daily. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age,  Mr.  Colyer  left 
his  father  and  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He 
rented  a  house  and  lot  near  what  is  now  Colyer 
post  office,  and  by  hard  work  and  economy  was 
enabled  to  save  some  money.  His  first  real  es- 
tate consisted  of  a  three-acre  lot  on  which  stood 
a  small  house,  for  which  property  he  paid  $560, 
going  in  debt  for  the  same;  but  six  years  later 
the  little  home  was  destroyed  by  fire  after  he 
had  spent  that  length  of  time  in  labor  to  pay  for 
it.  With  a  stout  heart  and  resolute  purpose, 
however,  he  continued  his  labor,  and  later  pur- 
chased a  sawmill  property  in  Potter  township. 
His  acquaintances  prophesied  a  failure,  but  that 
word  he  did  not  consider  had  a  place  in  his  vocab- 
ulary, for  he  re-constructed  the  mill  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  lumber.  In  1862  he  was 
drafted  for  service  in  the  army,  but  feeling  that 
he  could  not  leave  his  business  he  hired  a  substi- 
tute for  $300.  During  the  first  year  in  which  he 
engaged  in  the  sawmill  business  he  made  $1,000. 
He  continued  to  prosper,  and  as  he  secured  capi- 
tal purchased  timber  land  and  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business.  He  built  up  and 
improved  the  little  town  of  Colyer,  which  was 
named  in  his  honor,  and  its  growth  and  prosper- 
ity were  due  to  the  industries  which  he  there  es- 
tablished. He  now  owns  three  large  sawmills 
and  two  stavemills,  and  manufactures  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  nail  keg  heads  per  month, 
together  with  thousands  of  shingles  and  much 
[general  building  material.  His  landed  posses- 
sions aggregate  more  than  fifteen  hundred  acres 
'of  timber  and  farming  land.  In  the  spring  of  1894 
he  began  the  erection  of  the  many  substantial 
buildings  which  he  owns  in  Centre  Hall,  and  in 
March,  1896,  he  removed  to  the  town,  where 
'he  had  previously  conducted  business.  He  now 
owns  grain  warehouses,  extensive  coal  sheds, 
and  a  large  handle  factory  in  Centre  Hall,  all  of 
which  he  has  erected,  together  with  his  own 
ihome  and  a  good  residence  which  he  rents.  He 
personally  looks  after  his  extensive  lumber  inter- 
ests, and  in  addition  is  largely  engaged  in  coal 
ind  grain  dealing. 

Mr.  Colyer  married  Frances  Luse,  of  Gregg 
:ownship,  daughter  of  George  and  Sally  (Long) 
Luse.  Their  children  are:  Emma,  widow  of 
John  Cooney,  of  Punxsutawney,  Penn. ;  Almira, 
wife  of  George  Ishler,  of  Tusseyville,  Penn. ; 
Anna,  wife  of  James  Spiker,  of  Patton,  Centre 
:ounty;   Ida,  wife  of  Ambrose  Lambert,  of  Will- 


iamsburg; Mamie,  at  home;  Reuben  W.,  a 
farmer  of  Potter  township.  Mr.  Colyer's  pres- 
ent wife  was  the  widow  of  Daniel  Gunder.  She 
is  a  native  of  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  and  her 
maiden  name  was  Stiffler.  They  have  one  son, 
William,  at  home.  Mr.  Colyer  votes  with  the 
Democracy  at  State  and  National  elections,  and 
believes  strongly  in  Democratic  principles,  but 
when  no  issue  is  involved  supports  the  man  whom 
he  thinks  best  qualified  for  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows  Society  of  Centre  Hall. 
It  was  through  his  instrumentality  that  the  post 
office  was  established  at  Colyer,  and  too  much 
credit  cannot  be  given  him  for  his  promotion  of 
the  material  interests  of  the  community.  His 
life  has  been  eminently  successful,  and  it  is  the 
success  which  is  the  pride  of  America — that  of  a 
self-made   man. 


OBERT  ARMSTRONG.  Industry,  frugal- 
ity, and  honesty  make  an  excellent  founda- 
tion for  success  in  life,  and  the  subject  of  this 
brief  biography,  a  prosperous  citizen  of  Belle- 
fonte,  Centre  county,  has  shown  that  he  possesses 
in  a  high  degree  all  of  these  desirable  character- 
istics. Like  many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
county,  he  is  of  Irish  stock,  having  been  born  in 
County  Monaghan,  Ireland,  in  July,   1839. 

John  and  Jane  (Mullen)  Armstrong,  parents 
of  our  subject,  were  both  natives  of  that  locality 
and  passed  their  lives  there,  the  father  being  by 
occupation  a  farmer.  Neither  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Of  their  three  sons,  our  subject 
was  the  eldest.  John  and  James,  the  younger 
members  of  the  trio,  are  still  living  in  Ireland, 
and  are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  As  a 
boy  our  subject  worked  upon  his  father's  farm, 
at  the  same  time  attending  the  schools  of  a  neigh- 
boring town.  His  desire  to  come  to  America 
was  not  fulfilled  until  1867,  when  he  crossed  the 
ocean  and  speedily  found  employment  and  es- 
tablished his  home  at  Bellefonte.  Faithful  and 
diligent  in  the  discharge  of  any  work  undertaken, 
he  has  won  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
had  any  dealings.  On  June  1,  1877,  he  took 
charge  of  the  gas  works  for  the  Bellefonte  Steam 
Heat  and  Light  Co.,  and  every  day  for  more 
than  nineteen  years  he  has  been  at  his  post  of 
duty.  A  goodly  share  of  prosperity  has  rewarded 
his  well-directed  efforts,  and  he  owns  some  val- 
uable property. 

In  1 88 1,  Mr.  Armstrong  married  Miss  Sarah 
Clark,  also  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  1844, 
and  their  home  is  made  bright  by  three  children, 
John,  Walter  and  Jennie.  A  typical  Irishman, 
our  subject's  warm  heart   and  alert   mind  bring 


192 


OOMMBMORA  T1VK  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


him  into  sympathy  with  all  phases  of  progress 
in  his  adopted  country.  In  religious  faith  he  in- 
clines toward  the  Episcopal  Church. 


n  LFRED  \\  \I.IKR,  cashier  of  the  Mill- 
.AA.  heim  Banking  Company,  at  Millheim,  Cen- 
tre count}-,  has  won  a  high  position  in  the  com- 
munity despite  heavy  odds.    Born  of  poor,  thoi 

pectable,  parents,  left  fatherless  at  the  age  of 
ten  years,  without  rich  relatives  or  influential 
friends,  and  coming  as  a  stranger  to  Centre 
county  in  his  boyhood,  he  won  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  all  who  met  him    by    his  upright 

iduct,  his  attention  to  his  business,  and  his 
straightforward  manner.  Among  those  who 
were  thus  attracted  to  him  was  J.  t  Motz,  one 
of  the  shrewdest  business  nun  of  Penn's  Vail 
and  the  last  person  to  repose  confidence  where 
he  was  not  convinced  of  the  existence  of  sterling 
worth  and  integrity.  Judging  only  by  what  he 
had  seen  of   Mr.  Walter  as  a  boy  clerking  in  a 

re,  he  placed  him.  in  1872,  as  cashier  in  the 
bank  organized  then  at  Millheim  by  ].  C.  Mol 
.\  (  ..  No  security  was  asked  or  offered,  as  he 
placed  implicit  faith  in  the  integrity  of  his  pro- 
.  and  the  result  has  demonstrated  the  sound- 
ness of  his  •judgment. 

Mr.  Walter  was  born  at  Middleburg,  Snyder 
Co.,  Penn.,  February  3,  1S50,  the  son  of  Isaac 
and  Lucinda  (Reninger)  Walter,  both  natives  oi 
Snyder  county.  The  father,  who  was  a  brick- 
layer and  farmer  by  occupation,  died  in  i860, 
and  the  mother  in  1S67.  Of  five  children  our 
subject  was  the  eldest;  Emma  J.  married  Mr. 
Hilbish,  ol  Bristol,  Ind. ;  Thomas  died  in  Phila- 
delphia; Christian  resides  in  Union  county.  Penn. , 
and  Amelia  married  W  M  Miller,  of  Union 
county. 

The  little  family  was  scattered  at  the  father's 
death,  and  thus  it  happened  that,  when  only  ten 
years  old,  Mr.  Walter  went  to  live  with  Chris- 
tian Walter,  of  Kreamer,  Snyder  county,  upon 
whose  farm  he  worked  tor  five  years,  attending 
the  district  school  in  the  meantime.  He  then 
began  clerking  for  Walter  &  Smith,  merchants 
al  Kreamer,  receiving  only  his  board  and  clothes 
After  two  years  the  linn  dissolved  partnership, 
and  Mr.  Walter  went  to  Woodward,  Centre 
county,  to  clerk  for  J.  W  Snook  at  $15  per 
month;  when  the  business  changed  hands  he  still 
retained  his  situation,  remaining  three  years  in 
all.  His  salary  there  was  the  first  money  that  he 
had  ever  earned,  and  his  savings  enabled  him  to 
take  a  course  at  the  Eastman  Business  College, 
in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  On  his  return  to  Centre 
county,  he  went  to  Millheim  to  enter  the  store  of 


J.  W.  Snook  as  a  clerk;  six  months  later,  at  the 
organization  of   the   banking    firm  of  J.  C.  Mot/ 
&Co.,  he  became  cashier  of  the  institution,  and 
has  since  continued   in  that   capacity.      In 
six   years  after  its  foundation,  the   firm   was  n 
organized  under  the  name  of  the  Millheim  Hank 
ing  Company,  as  at  present  known. 

Mi.  Walter  is  a  safe  and  trusty  counselor  in 
financial  matters  and  in  local  affairs,  and  altl 
he  is  unostentatious  in  manner  and  retiring  in  dis- 
position, he  wields  an  influence  in  the  communitv 
that  is  difficult  to  measure.  He  is  ever  ready  to 
encourage  anj  enterprise  which  will  promote  the 
;tS  of  his  locality,  and  his  substantial  sup 
port  is  freely  given  when  required. 

In  May,  1877,  Mr.  Walter  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Junie  A  Musser,  who  was  born 
in  Millheim,  August  5,  1S55,  the  daughter  of  D. 
A  and  Lydia  A.  (Shreffler)  Musser.  No  children 
were  born  of  this  union.  Mr.  Walter  and  his 
wife  are  prominent  socially,  and  he  is  a  membei 
of  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  also  a  leading 
worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  flav- 
in;,' held  the  office  of  trustee  for  some  time. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Walter  is  a  Randall  Democrat. 
He  does  not  endorse  any  Democratic  platT 
every  part.  In  this  respect  he  shows  the  same 
conservatism  which  governs  his  business  tra 
tions,  and  no  issue  is  fully  accepted  until  he  thor- 
oughly understands  it  as  a  result  of  careful  study 
and  research. 


J     A.  REDELIN,  M.  D.,  a  leading  phys 
_  _L   of  Boalsburg,  whose  professional  repul 
and  social  acquaintance  extend  beyond  the  bound> 
of  Centre  county,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Feb- 
ruary   28,     1 S69,    a    son     of    Charles    and    Ella 
(Bishop)  Redelin.     The  father  was  a  natm 
Sweden,  born  in   Tidhola,  near  Stockholm,  and 
for  twenty  years  was  a  sea   captain. 

In  1865  he  emigrated  to  the  United  St« 
and  was  employed  in  rigging  vessels  in  Philadel- 
phia, when  he  met  Miss    Klla    Bishop,  who 
came    his    wife    January     1.    1867.      She    wa- 
daughter    of  an    Adams   county   1  Penn.  1  farn 
In  1871  the  parents  removed   to   Mifflin  com 
tins  State,  where  the  father  became  foreman  of 
the  Burnham   Steel  Works,  but   was   killed  b 
fall  from  some  rigging,  in  1S82.      The  famth 
cle    included    seven    children,  namely;      I     ' 
born  in  September,    1868,  died  in  infancy;  A    \ 
is  the  second;  J.  S..  born  in  1872,  is  a  machinist 
in  Mifflin  county;   Sarah  M.,  born  in    1874.  I 
home;   Anna,    born    in    1876,    is    also    with    her 
mother;   Charles,  born  in  1878,  died  in  infai 
and  Gertrude,  born  in  1881,  is  at  home. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


498 


The  primary  education  of  our  subject  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  Lewistown,  Penn., 
and  in  the  academy  of  that  place  he  completed 
his  literary  course.  In  1890  he  entered  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  at  Philadelphia,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1893, 
but  in  the  meantime  had  served  as  bookkeeper  in 
the  Burnham  Steel  Works  during  his  vacations, 
and  in  that  way  earned  the  money  with  which  to 
pay  his  expenses  through  college.  He  began 
practice  in  Burnham  with  Dr.  McKim,  but  in 
1893  located  in  Boalsburg.  Although  he  came 
into  active  competition  with  older  physicians  of 
large  experience,  he  soon  gained  the  public  con- 
fidence, and  has  now  a  practice  which  might  well 
be  envied  by  many  who  have  been  much  longer 
in  business  than  he.  He  has  been  a  close  stu- 
dent of  the  profession,  and  his  broad  knowledge 
and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  patients  have 
won  him  a  skill  and  gained  him  a  reputation  that 
is  indeed  enviable. 

Dr.  Redelin  was  married  January  12,  1892, 
to  Miss  Clara  Kreig,  fifth  in  the  family  of  six 
children  born  to  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Kreig,  of 
Yeagertown,  Mifflin  county,  where  the  father 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  axes.  The 
Doctor  and  his  wife  have  two  interesting  chil- 
dren: Albert  N.,  born  April  15,  1893;  and  Cath- 
erine A.,  born  November  4,  1895.  The  family 
occupy  a  pleasant  home  on  Main  street,  and  hold 
a  high  position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  com- 
munity. Politically,  Dr.  Redelin  is  an  earnest 
Democrat,  and  is  secretary  of  the  Boalsburg 
school  board.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Centre  County  Medical  Society  of  Bellefonte. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  also  an  active  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  is  now  serving 
as  class  leader. 


>\AMUEL  H.  STINE,  a  well-known  and  highly 
respected  agriculturist  of  Patton  township, 
Centre  county,  was  one  of  the  brave  "boys  in 
'blue  "  who  so  gallantly  went  forth  to  aid  their 
country  in  putting  down  the  Rebellion.  He  was 
iborn  July  22,  [825,  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn., 
iwhence  in  1830  he  was  brought  to  Centre  coun- 
ty, by  his  parents,  Jonas  and  Elizabeth  (Gray) 
iStine,  both  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  State. 
I  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  John;  a  cabinet  maker  by 
trade,  married  Rachel  Leary,  reared  a  family, 
'and  died  over  twenty  years  ago.  Hannah  mar- 
ried Jesse  Whippo,  who  died  leaving  a  large 
family  of  children,  and  some  years  after  his  death 
she  wedded  John  Hicks,  who  passed  away  about 
^o.      Leah    is  the  widow    of    Michael    Myers, 


who  died  about  nine  or  ten  years  ago  leaving  a 
family,  and  she  now  resides  in  Bald  Eagle  Val- 
ley, Centre  county.  Jonas,  a  farmer  of  Patton 
township,  is  married  and  has  a  family.  Cathar- 
ine became  the  wife  of  Joel  Lauder,  and  died  in 
1885,  leaving  eight  children.  Samuel  H.  was 
next  in  order  of  birth.  Elizabeth  died  in  girl- 
hood. 

The  education  of  Samuel  H.  Stine  was  such 
as  the  public  schools  of  Patton  township  afforded, 
and  he  early  became  familiar  with  all  kinds  of 
farm  labor,  so  that  he  is  now  a  thorough  and. 
skilled  agriculturist.  On  attaining  to  man's 
estate  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rachel 
Myers,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children,  six  of  whom  died  in  childhood.  The 
wife  died  in  August,  1876,  and  in  1881  Mr.  Stine 
wedded  Mrs.  Susanna  Turner,  widow  of  Samuel 
Turner.  The  children  of  our  subject  who  are 
still  living  are:  Elmira,  wife  of  Scott  Woods,  of 
Philipsburg,  Penn. ;  Margaret  E.,  wife  of  William 
Lytle,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  Harrison,  who 
has  lived  in  Philipsburg  since  1888;  LaFayette 
and  Daniel,  who  are  residents  of  the  same  place; 
William  E.,  who  is  married,  and  is  connected 
with  the  lumber  interests  of  McKean  county, 
Penn.  ;  and  Bert,  who  enlisted  in  July,  1895,  for 
three  years  in  the  United   States  standing  army. 

On  February  11,  1862,  Mr.  Stine  laid  aside 
personal  considerations  and  joined  Company  H, 
56th  P.  V.  I.  He  participated  in  many  impor- 
tant engagements,  including  those  of  Gettysburg, 
Antietam,  South  Mountain  and  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  and  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor 
was  wounded,  June  2,  1864.  When  his  term  of 
enlistment  had  expired  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  mustered  out  February  18,  1865. 
He  now  receives  a  pension  of  $12  per  month, 
and  is  the  owner  of  a  good  home  of  fourteen 
acres  in  Patton  township,  near  Paradise.  He 
uniformly  votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket, 
and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Methodist.  No  man 
takes  a  deeper  interest  or  greater  pride  in  the 
moral  and  material  welfare  of  the  community,  or 
is  held  in  higher  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens 
than  Samuel  H.  Stine. 


F 


*  W.    KRUMRINE.       This  gentleman  occu- 


pies no  unimportant  position  among  the 
leading  citizens  and  farmers  of  Ferguson  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  He  was  born  September 
6,  1857,  in  the  township  where  he  still  resides, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Rosetta  (Musser) 
Krumrine,  also  natives  of  Centre  county.  In  their 
family  were  six  children,  namely:  Sarah,  who 
married  Calvin  Myer,  and  died  eighteen    months 


494 


COMMKMtillA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   UKfORD. 


later,  leaving  a  daughter,  May;  Susan  K.,  wife  of 
D.  H.  Fye,  a  farmer  of  Ferguson  township,  by 
whom  she  has  six  children;  F.  \\\,  of  this  re- 
view; Laura  M.,  i  resident  of  Johnstown,  Penn.  ; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  Benjamin  Roup,  of  Spruce  Creek, 
Penn.;  and  Elsie,  who  is  living  with  her  mother 
at  State  College,  Centre  county.  Our  subject  is 
descended  from  good  old  Revolutionary  stock. 
his  ancestors  having  aided  the  (  in   their 

struggle  for  independence. 

Mr.  Krumrine,  whose  name  opens  this  sketch, 
is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of  Ferguson 
township  for  his  educational  privileges,  and  since 
laying  aside  Ins  text  books  he  has  turned  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  valuable  farm  of  106  acres,  which  he  has 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  im- 
proved with  good,  substantial  farm  buildings. 

On  September  iS,  1879,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Anme  Garner,  and  one  child — John  Frank- 
lin— graces  this  union.  Politically,  our  subject 
is  a  Jefferson ian  Democrat,  strongly  favoring  the 
free  coinage  of  gold  and  silver.  He  holds  a 
prominent  place  among  the  intelligent  farmers  of 
the  county,  and  his  integrity,  manliness  and  true 
Christian  character  have  won  for  him  the  respect 
ol  the  entire  community.  Religiously,  he  is  a 
faithful  member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 


WILLIAM  J.  MYERS,  of  Pine  Grove  Mills, 
Centre  county,  is  a  native  of  the  county, 
born  in  Harris  township,  August  [8,  1S46,  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Weaver)  Myers.  The 
latter  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Weaver,  of  Lnion 
county,  Pennsylvania. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  numerous  family,  the 
others  in  the  order  of  birth  being  as  follows:  1  1  1 
Amos  was  killed  during  the  three-days'  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  in  July,  1863,  and  was  buried  on  the 
battlefield,  but  nine  days  later  was  disinterred, 
and  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  Boalsburg, 
Centre  county.  (2)  John,  who  died  in  June. 
1884,  was  also  buried  at- Boalsburg.  (3)  Mary 
is  living  with  our  subject  (4)  Sarah  C.  married 
John  Hummel,  a  hotel-keeper  of  Lilyville,  Mif- 
flin Co.,  Penn.,  and  died  three  years  ago  leasing 
seven  children.  (5)  I).  \\\,  a  butcher  of  Boals- 
burg, married  Emma  Stover,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. (6)  Wesley,  also  a  butcher  of  the  same 
place,  married  Lizzie  Heintzelman,  and  has  two 
children — John  and  Edward.  (7)  J.  !•'..  a  fan 
of  Ferguson  township,  (  entre  count}-,  wedded 
Mary  Lutz,  and  has  three  children.  (8)  John 
and  (9)  Calvin  died  in  infancy.  (10)  Henry  F., 
a  coach  maker  of  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  Co., 
Penn.,  married    Laura   Foster,  by  whom    he  had 


two  children,  and  after  her  death  he  weddec 
Jennie  Rishel.  (il)  The  next  child  died  in  in- 
fancy. (12)  Adaline  is  the  widow  of  Willian 
Rline,  a  farmer  of  Benner  township.  Centre 
county,  who  died  in  [889;  she  has  four  children, 
and  now  makes  her  home  in  State  College,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  elementary  education  of  W.  |.  Myei 
was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Singleton,  Centre 
county,  and  this  was  supplemented  by  a  course 
in  the  Boalsburg  Academy,  under  Prof.  Lescher, 
who  afterward  became  a  Lutheran  minister. 
Learning  the  trade  of  a  carriage  maker,  Mr 
Myers  has  since  followed  that  occupation,  am: 
the  work  which  he  turns  out  is  first-class  in  every 
particular.  He  was  married  in  April,  1874,  t< 
Miss  Jennie  F.  Knode,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  P. 
Knode,  of  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn. 
Four  children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  H. 
C,  born  March  17,  1875,  on  September  29,  1896, 
entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  Phil- 
adelphia, where  he  expects  to  take  a  four-years 
course  in  medicine;  and  D.  E.,  Hattie  P.  and 
Franklin  K.,  at  home. 

For  twenty-three  years  Mr.  Myers  has  affili- 
ated with  the  fndependent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows; in  religious  faith  he  is  identified  with  tht. 
Reformed  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart 
Democrat,  and  favors  the  free  coinage  of  silver, 
believing  that  prosperity  is  doubtful  with  tht 
single  standard.  He  is  a  man  whom  to  know  is 
to  admire,  amiable  in  disposition,  courteous  in 
manner,  and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellow  men.  With  these  characteristics  it  is  not 
strange  that  he  enjoys  the  friendship  of  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM   NEESE.     The  Neese  family  ol 
Penn  township,  Centre   county,  is  of  oni 
oldest  and  best  pioneer  stock,  and  one  of  its  most 
esteemed  representatives  in  this  day  is  th< 
tleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch.     The 
first   American    ancestor   was    William    \ 
German  by  birth  and  a  sailor  by  occupation,  who 
to  this  State  in    Colonial  times  and  settled 
first   in    Snyder  county,  in    the    locality  which  in- 
still   known  as    "Neese    Hollow,"  having 
named  in  tiis  honor.      Later  he  moved  towh.it  H 
now  Centre  county,  and  secured   a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Penn  township,  where  he  made  his  honw 
over  a  hundred  years  ago. 

Among  his  large  family  was  a  son  Peter,  our 
subject's  grandfather,  who  as  a  boy  voluni 
as  a  soldier  during   the   Revolutionary  war,  »od 
served  gallantly  in  the  ranks.      He  was  a  man  "1 
great  muscular  power,  and  until  a  few  years 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


495 


fore  his  death  enjoyed  perfect  health.  As  a 
farmer  he  was  very  successful,  and  he  was  the 
first  to  improve  the  portion  of  the  original  tract 
now  occupied  by  our  subject,  and  built  the  first 
building  there,  the  log  dwelling  house  remaining 
still  as  an  interesting  relic  of  the  past.  He  died 
there,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years,  his  wife, 
Christina  (Hess),  surviving  him  some  time.  They 
had  ten  children — four  sons  and  six  daughters — 
but  all  did  not  live  to   maturity. 

David  Neese,  the  eldest  son,  and  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  born  at  the  old  home  about 
1799,  and  was  reared  at  the  old  home.  He,  too, 
was  a  successful  farmer,  and  at  one  time  owned 
about  250  acres  of  land.  As  a  citizen  he  was 
highly  respected,  and  he  contributed  generously 
to  Church  work  and  to  other  progressive  move- 
ments. Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  but, 
while  he  served  in  various  township  offices,  he 
never  became  a  politician  as  that  word  is  gener- 
ally understood.  He  died  in  1872,  and  his  wife, 
Susan,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Valentine  Ker- 
steter,  survived  him  only  two  months,  the  re- 
mains of  both  being  interred  in  Heckman  ceme- 
tery. Twelve  children  blessed  their  union:  Eliz- 
abeth, the  widow  of  Henry  Alexander,  and  who 
for  more  than  forty  years  resided  with  our  sub- 
ject, died  in  November,  1896;  William  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below;  David  is  a  farmer  on  a 
portion  of  the  original  homestead;  John  died  at 
Spring  Mills;  Jacob  is  a  blacksmith  at  Farmers 
Mills;  Samuel  resides  with  our  subject;  Benjamin 
died  in  Wisconsin;  Harriet  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject;  Sarah  married  William  Grove,  Jr. , 
of  Benner  township,  Centre  county;  Rebecca 
married  Henry  Moyer,  of  Gregg  township,.  Cen- 
tre county;  Emanuel  also  resided  in  Gregg  town- 
ship; and  Daniel  died  in  childhood. 

William  Neese  was  born  July  16,  1826,  and 
since  the  age  of  seven  years  has  resided  on  the 
old  farm,  which  has  now  been  in  the  hands  of 
some  member  of  his  family  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury. As  a  farmer's  son  he  was  reared  after  the 
customs  of  the  times,  his  education  being  ac- 
quired in  the  local  schools,  with  his  uncle,  Jacob 
Neese,  as  his  first  teacher.  A  few  years  before 
I  his  father's  death,  Mr.  Neese  rented  a  part  of  the 
home  farm,  and  later  he  purchased  the  interest  of 
the  other  heirs,  paying  them  in  all  over  $6,000. 
Both  parents  dying  about  the  same  time,  there 
were  two  payments  falling  due  very  close  to- 
gether, causing  Mr.  Neese  great  inconvenience, 
but  he  was  equal  to  the  effort  required.  He  now 
owns  about  1 19  acres  of  fine  land,  representing  a 
handsome  competence,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  the  township.  He  has 
never  married.     A  nephew,  W.  H.  Grove,  son  of 


William  Grove,  Jr.,  and  Sarah  (Neese),  resides 
with  him,  and  two  of  Mr.  Neese's  sisters  and  a 
brother  also  make  their  home  there,  as  stated 
above.  In  the  spring  of  1895,  Mr.  Neese  retired 
from  active  work,  and  enjoys  in  peace  the  fruits 
of  his  past  years  of  labor.  He  has  always  shown 
a  loyal  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity, contributing  freely  to  religious  and  other 
movements.  He  is  an  intelligent  observer  of 
political  affairs,  and  while  he  is  a  Democrat  on 
national  issues,  he  is  not  at  all  bigoted,  voting 
independently  when  local  interests  only  are  in- 
volved. 

William  Grove,  the  foster  son  of  our  subject, 
was  born  January  30,  1867,  and  his  mother  was  a 
sister  of  William  Neese.  He  was  educaied  in  the 
common  schools  of  Penn  township,  and  came  to 
live  with  his  uncle  when  but  two  years  of  age;  in 
fact  was  born  on  this  farm,  working  for  his  uncle 
till  he  was  twenty-eight  years  old,  since  when  he 
has  operated  the  farm.  On  February  5,  1895, 
he  was  married,  and  then  he  took  charge  of  the 
farm.  He  married  Tammie  N.  Corman,  daughter 
of  John  Corman,  and  they  had  one  child,  Dor- 
sey  Monroe,  born  January  27,  1897,  died  June 
24,  1897.  In  politics  Mr.  Grove  is  a  Democrat; 
in  religious  faith  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


JB.  SPANGLER.  Among  the  progressive, 
enterprising  and  energetic  farmers  of  Centre 
county  there  are  very  few  who  are  the  peers 
of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch.  His  en- 
tire life  has  here  been  passed,  having  been  born 
April  4,  1847,  in  Potter  township,  where  he  still 
makes  his  home.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Cath- 
arine (Wagner)  Spangler,  are  both  now  de- 
ceased, the  former  dying  in  1874,  and  the  latter 
in  1873. 

Our  subject  began  his  education  in  the  Rock 
Grove  school,  John  McMinn  being  among  his  first 
teachers.  His  advantages  along  this  line  were 
limited  to  the  district  schools  of  his  boyhood, 
which  were  much  inferior  to  those  of  the  present 
day;  but  he  learned  well  and  rapidly,  and  is  a 
well-informed  man.  His  training  at  farm  labor 
was  not  so  meagre,  and  his  first  lessons  in  agri- 
culture were  upon  the  place  of  his  birth,  where 
he  continued  to  live  with  his  parents  until  his  fa- 
ther purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides, and  the  family  removed  thereon.  By  the 
provisions  of  his  father's  will  he  was  to  have  the 
use  of  the  farm  for  a  period  of  five  years,  which 
he  took  advantage  of,  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  time  purchased  it.  It  is  a  valuable  tract  of 
114  acres,  which  he  has  transformed  into  richly 


496 


'  0  umkmoua  Tl  VB  Hloiiii.xfllli  Af.  i;/:<  'OBD. 


cultivated  fields,  and  placed  thereon  many  use- 
ful improvements. 

In  February,  [88o,  in  Potter  township,  Mr. 
Spangler  married  Miss  Euphemia  Fortney,  a 
daughter  of  John  Fortney,  and  they  have  two 
children,  namely;  J.  J.,  born  in  January,  i<S8i; 
and  Myra  K. 

In  his  political  affiliations.  Mi.  Spangler  is  a 
stanch  Democrat,  an  adviser  and  counselor  of  his 
party  in  his  section,  and  an  earnest  worker  for  its 
success.  He  has  served  in  a  number  of  local  po- 
sitions, such  as  tax  collector,  supervisor,  overseer 
of  the  poor  and  assessor,  and  has  always  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  office  with  promptness 
and  fidelity.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous, 
energetic  and  industrious  agriculturist-  of  his 
township,  securing  the  best  results  from  his  work; 
is  numbered  among  its  better  class  of  citizens, 
and  enjoys  the  friendship  of  a  large  circle  of 
acquaintances.  His  estimable  wife  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Lutheran  Church. 


FJ.  WEAVER  has  throughout  his  entire  life 
been  connected  with  the  agricultural  and 
commercial  interests  of  Haines  township.  Centre 
county,  being  at  the  present  time  a  successful 
Imtcher  in  the  village  of  Aaronsburg.  He  was 
born  in  that  township,  August  29,  1837,  the 
yungest  son  of  Frederick  and  Catherine  (Mark) 
Weaver,  and  his  early  education  was  such  as  the 
country  schools  of  the  locality  afforded.  His 
health  being  poor,  he  was  unable  to  attend  school 
much  of  the  time  during  his  boyhood. 

I  1  urn  the  home  farm  Mr.  Weaver  was  re 
in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys,  assisting  in 
the  work  when  his  health  would  permit,  and  then 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  rented  the  old  home- 
stead, which  he  successfully  operated  some  thirty- 
years,  the  place  yielding  to  him  a  golden  tribute 
in  return  for  the  labor  devoted  to  its  cultivation. 
On  the  death  of  his  father  he  purchased  the  farm, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  his 
removal  to  Aaronsburg  in  1886,  since  which  time 
he  has  engaged  in  the  butchering  business  with 
the  exception  ol  the  year  1895,  when  he  rented 
In-  shop.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive  busi- 
ness man,  and  a  well-deserved  success  has 
crowned  his  efforts.  He  was  married,  when  21 
years  old,  in  Haibes  township,  to  Miss  Amanda 
West,  a  native  of  Millersburg,  Dauphin  Co., 
l'i mi.,  and  a  daughtei  of  Solomon  West.  Thn  e 
daughters  were  Imni  of  this  union:  Olivia,  wife 
Ulster,  1 .1  1  lames  township ;  [oanna, 
wife  of  Willis  Musser,  of  Millheim  county; 

and  Mary  K  ,  twin  sistei  ''1   [oanna,  and  the  wife 
1  il  William   Aiinian,  of  Millheim. 


In  connection  with  his  business  in  Aaronsl 
Mr.  Weaver,  still  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  200 
acres  in  Haines  township,  and  has  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  homes  111  the  village.  He  has  al- 
ways been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  has  never  missed  an 
election  since  casting  his  first  ballot  after  reach- 
ing the  age  of  twenty-one.  He  has  always  cheer- 
fully given  of  his  means  for  the  promotion  of  tlv- 
welfare  of  the  community,  and  is  truly  one  of  the 
representative  and  prominent  citizens  of  Aaron- 
burg. 


CHARLES  C.  LOOSE.  One  of  the  chid 
benefits  of  biographical  research  is  found  in 
the  examples  thus  brought  to  life  of  men  who,  by 
persistent  and  well-planned  effort,  have  won  sub- 
stantial success.  The  story  of  the  life  of  1  I 
Loose,  now  a  prominent  resident  of  Rebersburg, 
Centre  count)',  and  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
business  men  of   Brush  Valley,  is  a  case  in  point. 

He  is  a  native  of    Millheim,  Centre  count)  . 
and  a  son  of  Samuel  Loose,  a  well-known  car- 
penter and  builder  of    Rebersburg,  whose  skillful 
work  is  shown   in   many  important  structures  in 
this    section,    including    the    German    Reformed 
church  at  Madisonburg.     The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  Abraham  Loose,  a  cooper,  who  fol- 
lowed   that   trade    for   many  years   in   Lebanon 
county,  Penn.,  where   he  also  owned  and  culti- 
vated a  farm  of  thirty  or  forty  acres.      Later  he 
sold  this  and  rented  a  farm  in  Dauphin  county, 
six  miles  from  Harrisburg,  but  his  last  days  were 
spent  on  a  farm  near  Hogstown,  Cumberland 
Penn.,  where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age.      His  wife. 
Elizabeth   Petry,  died  some  years  before  him  .it 
the  same  place.      He  was  an  industrious  man,  al- 
though  he   never   accumulated    much   property 
He  stood  well   in  the  community  where  he  made 
his  home,  and  was  a  consistent   member  of  the 
German  Reformed  Church.      In  politics  he  ■ 
Democrat,      Of  his  large  family  of  children  all 
lived  to  adult  age,  and  all  married.      There  were 
thirteen    in   number,  as   follows:      Daniel,    ; 
Dennis.  Samuel   and  Joe  (twins*,  Hem)',    I 
Catherine,    Elizabeth,    Mary,    Susannah,    - 
and    Matilda.      Two   are    still  living— Denni 
Millheim,  and  Henry,  at  Elkhart,  Indiana 

Samuel    Loose  was   born  in  Lebanon  count). 
August  1,   1819,  and  received  but  1 
tion    in   his    youth.      The  schools  of    his 
(ount)   were   all    Cierman,  and  when   hi 
Dauphin  count)-,  when    thi    instruction   ■ 
in  English,  he  had  to  1  tin  in  all  bran 

Among  so  many  boys  his  help  was  not  n 
the  farm,  and  in  April,  18 


! 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


497 


anon  county  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
his  brother  Daniel.  In  the  spring  of  1839  the 
latter  moved  to  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county, 
where  the  young  apprentice  completed  his  term. 
He  spent  one  summer  at  farm  work  in  Cumber- 
land county,  and  then  came  back  to  Centre 
county,  and  followed  his  trade  at  Millheim  until 
1847,  when  he  removed  to  Morrow  county,  Ohio. 
Here  he  located  upon  a  farm,  and  in  addition  to 
the  work  of  the  place  carried  on  his  trade  suc- 
cessfully. In  1850  he  returned  to  Millheim,  and 
after  some  years  he  settled  in  Brush  Valley, 
where  he  again  engaged  in  farming  in  connection 
with  his  other  business.  With  advancing  years 
and  increasing  wealth  he  decided  to  make  his 
home  in  Rebersburg,  where  he  might  the  better 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  years  of  toil.  His  sterling 
qualities  of  character  won  the  respect  of  all  who 
met  him,  and  as  a  citizen  he  was  influential  in  a 
quiet  way.  Although  he  was  not  a  politician,  he 
was  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  died  in  October, 
1896. 

On  January  2,   1845,  Samuel  Loose  was  mar- 
ried,   in  Millheim,  to   Miss    Elizabeth    Brickley, 
who  was  born  January  18,  1821,  in  Union  county, 
Penn.      Her  family  is  noted  for  intellectual  abil- 
ity,   several    of  her   brothers  being   Evangelical 
ministers,  and  one  a   physician.      Eight  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage,  their  names  with  dates 
of  birth  being  as  follows:     Sarah    C,  December 
11,  1845,   married   John    Ocker,  of   Miles   town- 
1  ship;  Mary    L. ,   July   22,    1848,    died    March  13, 
1849;  Annie    E.,    September    28,    185 1,    is    now 
.  Mrs.  Thomas  Walker,  of   Miles   township;  Mag- 
i  dalena,    June    13,  1853,  died  January    14,    1857; 
Agnes,  September  7,  1856,  married  Titus  Gram- 
|  ley,  of  Spring  Mills;  Charles  C,  April    14,  1858, 
is   the    next    in   the    order   of    birth;    Alice    R. ; 
August  14,   1859,  is  the   wife   of   Charles    Gram- 
1  ley,  of  Kane  county,  111.;  and  Ellen  M.,  Septem- 
:  ber    18,    1861,  is   now    Mrs.   Calvin    Mallory,  of 
J  Miles  township.      The  mother  of  this  family,  who 
was  a  devout    Christian,  and  a   member    of    the 
Evangelical  Church,  died  February  6,   1889,  and 
her  remains  now  lie  buried  in  Rebersburg   ceme- 
;  tery.      Samuel  Loose  for  his  second  wife  married 
J  Miss  Lydia  Bierly,  of  Miles  township,  who  is  yet 
'living.  . 

I        The  early  boyhood   of  our   subject  was  spent 

\  in  Millheim,  where  he  attended  school  for  a  time, 

j  his   first  teacher  being  Miss  Lizzie  Cook.      After 

the  removal  of  the  family  to  Miles  township,  he 

attended  the   country    schools    near  his   father's 

farm,  and  in   1876  he  attended   the  County  Nor- 

School  at  Milesburg    for   a   term,  preparing 

In  the  fall  of  1878  he  took  charge 

school  at    Madisonburg,    where    he  taught 

32 


mal 

for  teaching 

of 


two  terms,  and  afterward  he   tauf  nt  one  term  in 
the  Harter  school,  in  Miles  towns  lip. 

On  March  4,  1879,  Mr.  Loose  was  married 
in  Millheim  to  Miss  Ella  Harter,  a  native  of 
Miles  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Emanuel  and 
Alvina  (Bierly)  Harter.  He  began  housekeep- 
ing on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  rented  from 
the  spring  of  1880  to  the  spring  of  1884,  when 
he  moved  to  Rebersburg  and  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile business,  remaining  four  years.  With  capital 
secured  by  the  sale  of  his  stock  and  goodwill  he 
began  the  lumber  business.  His  first  purchase 
of  timber  land  was  in  the  mountain  north  of  Re- 
bersburg, and  his  timber  cut  from  it  was  sawed  up 
at  another  man's  mill.  Later  other  tracts  were 
bought,  and  Mr.  Loose  .engaged  in  milling  on 
his  account.  Since  then  he  has  often  had  as 
many  as  three  mills  at  work,  two  of  his  own  and 
one  leased,  and  he  now  operates  extensively  in 
Union  and  Centre  counties,  employing  on  the 
average  thirty  men  the  year  round.  In  1891  he 
built  his  present  home,  and  his  grounds,  which 
were  merely  a  vacant  lot  when  he  bought  them, 
are  now  beautifully  laid  out  and  adorned.  He 
owns  two  houses  in  Rebersburg  and  considerable 
farming  land  in  Miles  township.  He  also  has 
135  acres  of  farming  land  near  Rebersburg  with 
250  acres  of  timber  land  in  connection. 

As  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Loose  has  been  active  in 
local  politics,  and  has  held  township  offices  at 
various  times.  Thoroughly  progressive  in  his 
ideas,  he  is  in  sympathy  with  all  movements 
which  he  thinks  beneficial  to  the  community.  He 
has  served  several  years  as  school  director,  and 
is  now  in  his  fifth  year  as  secretary  of  the  board. 
He  is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Mill- 
heim Electric  Telephone  Co.,  and  president  of 
the  Rebersburg  Water  Co.  This  last  organiza- 
tion was  chartered  in  the  fall  of  1896,  prior  to 
which  one-third  of  the  town  of  Rebersburg  was 
formed  into  a  company  and  furnished  water  for 
themselves,  while  two-thirds  of  the  town  were 
without  water.  Mr.  Loose  was  one  of  the  eight 
men  who  applied  for  a  charter,  and  after  same 
had  been  granted  was  the  chief  one  to  effect  a 
compromise  between  the  two  companies  (not 
without  much  opposition, however),  so  to-day  the 
entire  town  is  consolidated  into  one  company, 
satisfactory  to  all. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loose  are  prominent  members 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church,  and  at  present 
he  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  and 
trustee  in  the  Church,  to  which  he  is  one  of  the 
most  liberal  contributors.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Rebersburg  Lodge  No.  1031,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
a  member  of  Bellefonte  Encampment,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  belongs  to  the  Rebersburg  Grange 


198 


OOMMBMORA  77  V  i:  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


— 

C\  A.  KRAP  •. .  a  representative  and  prominent 
t  citizen  of  iregg  township,  Centre  county,  is 
successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
is  a  business  man  oi  more  than  ordinary  capac- 
ity, enterprising  and  energetic.  He  belongs  to  a 
Family  that  lias  been  long  and  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  interests  of  this  section  of  the  State, 
and  has  been  an  important  factor  in  its  advance- 
ment and  upbuilding.  It  was  founded  in  Centre 
and  adjoining  counties  by  four  brothers — Jacob, 
ii.  William  and  Abraham  Krape — who  came 
from  Dauphin  county,  and  located  in  Brush, 
Nittany  and  Penn's  Valleys,  and  their  descend- 
ants are  now  numerous  throughout  this  region. 

One  of  these,  William  Krape,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  horn  in  Dauphin  county, 
about  1784,  and,  on  coming  to  Centre  county 
when  a  young  man,  located  in  Miles  township. 
In  Brush  Valley  he  married  Miss  Susannah, 
daughter  of  Francis  Gramley,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Gregg  township,  and  about  1827 
took  up  his  residence  upon  the  farm,  in  the  same 
township  where  the  father  of  our  subject  now 
resides,  and  there  spent  his  remaining  days,  dy- 
ing in  1S60.  His  wife  had  passed  away  many 
years  previously,  and  they  now  sleep  side  by  side 
in  the  Union  cemetery.  In  early  life  he  worked 
at  the  weaver's  trade  in  Spring  Mills,  but  later 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  be- 
coming one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of 
Gregg  township.  Originally  he  was  a  Whig  in 
politics,  and  later  a  Republican,  while  in  religious 
faith  both  himself  and  family  were  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church.  To  the  grandpar-  I 
ents  were  born  the  following  children:  Maria, 
who  married  John  Royer,  and  died  in  George's 
Valley  at  an  advanced  age;  George,  the  father  of 
our  subject;  Peggy,  who  married  John  Emerick, 
and  died  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county; 
David,  a  resident  of  Haines  township,  Centre 
county;  Betsey,  wife  of  William  Ziegler,  of  Farm- 
ville,  Ya.;  Christina,  who  married  Peter  Yearick, 
and  died  in  Brush  Yalle\  ,  Susannah,  who  mar- 
ried Aaron  Weaver,  and  died  in  Aaronsburg,  Cen- 
to   counts. 

George  Krape  was  born  June  21,  [816,  in 
-township,  where  he  acquired  his  education 
m  the  public  schools.  As  a  boy  he  was  a  natur- 
ral  mechanic,  displaying  a  fondness  for  tools  and 
an  aptness  in  their  use.  and  in  early  life  worked 
at  various  trades,  while  in  later  years  he  did 
much  of  his  own  work  along  those  lines.  He  in- 
vented a  corn  planter,  which  proved  quite  succ. 
ful,  and  sold  several  of  them.  After  reaching 
man's  estate  he  was  mostly  employed  upon  the 
home  farm,  much  of  which  he  cleared  At  the 
of   twenty-six  years,  he  was   married  in 


lona,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  to  Mis>  Annie  Best, 
who  was  born  near  that  city  in  1825,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Peter  Best,  a  farmer  by  occupation 
For  one  year  after  their  marriage  they  lived  upon 
a  rented  farm  in  Gregg  township,  and  then  lo- 
cated near  Salona.  Clinton  county,  where  Mr. 
Krape  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  from  his 
father-in-law,  and  there  made  his  home  some 
fifteen  years.  In  1856,  however,  he  returned  t 
the  old  homestead  in  Gregg  township,  which  he 
purchased  a  year  or  two  after  his  father's  death, 
and  to  which  he  has  added  thirteen  acres,  so 
that  he  now  has  a  valuable  and  productive  tract 
of  200  acres. 

Eleven    children    constituted     the    famil 
George  and  Annie  1  Best  1    Krape,  namely:     Man 
S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of   seven  years;  William 
B.,  a  resident  of  Spring  Mills,  who  was  born  J11K 
2,   1  .^44,  and  during  the  Civil  war  served  for  two 
years  and  seven   months  as  a   member  of  Com- 
pany   D.    148th  P.  V.   I.  ;  Jennie   R. ,  wife  of  John 
Potter,  of  Milesburg,  Centre   county;  Jame- 
carpenter     of     Seattle,    Wash.;     Samuel    S,,   of 
Spring   Mills;  Harriet,    wife  of  Stephen  H.  Best, 
of    Gregg  township;   Alfred    P.,  of  Centre    Hall; 
Chesty,    an    accomplished    musician,  who  is  en- 
gaged in   teaching    instrumental    music    in    I 
dena,  Cal. ;  C.    A.   and    Howard  G.   (twins),  the 
latter   a    music    dealer    of     Rebersburg,     Centre 
county;  and  Florence  M..  wife  of    Prof.   F    1 
Kearick,  of  Spring  Mills.        The  mother  of  these 
children,  who  was    a  consistent    member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  died    in  July,    1 877,  and   was 
buried  in  the  Union  cemetery. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Krape 
laid  aside  active  business,  and  erected  a  very 
commodious  and  substantial  home  upon  his  farm, 
where  he  is  now  living  retired.  On  November 
16,  1880,  he  wedded  Miss  Catharine  Decker,  who 
was  bom  in  Gregg  township,  November  11, 
1832,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  { Weiland) 
Decker.  He  has  ever  enjoyed  perfect  health, 
although  throughout  Ins  active  business  life  he 
toiled  early  and  late  in  all  sorts  of  weather.  Hi8 
first  vote  was  cast  in  support  of  the  Whig  , 
Later  he  became  a  Know-Nothing,  and  is  now  n 
stanch  Republican.  Taking  an  active  intei 
the  improvement  of  schools,  he  served  .for  ten' 
years  as  an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  has  also  served  his  fellow  citizens  in  the 
capacity  of  supervisor  for  several  term 
faithful  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  he 
took  an  active  part  in  Church  work  for  years. 
and  has  always  given  his  support  to  all  worthy 
ts  winch  tend  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
community.  His  estimable  wife  is  a  Lutheran 
in  religious  belief 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


499 


C.  A.  Krape,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  was  born  near  Spring  Mills,  Gregg  town- 
ship, November  3,  1859,  and  received  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Penn  Hall. 
At  one  time  it  was  his  intention  to  attend  col- 
lege, but  he  later  gave  up  the  idea,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  taught  for  one  term  in  Gregg 
township,  after  which  he  began  learning  telegra- 
phy in  the  railroad  depot  at  Spring  Mills,  where 
he  remained  for  fifteen  months.  Entering  the 
store  of  G.  R.  Spigelmyer,  of  that  place,  he 
followed  clerking  for  seven  years,  and  subse- 
quently purchased  the  half  interest  in  the  Spring 
Mills  Creamery  belonging  to  R.  G.  Eisenhart, 
which  in  connection  with  T.  M.  Gramley  he  con- 
tinued for  several  years,  meeting  with  excellent 
success  in  the  undertaking.  He  next  embarked 
in  merchandising,  owning  the  store  now  con- 
ducted by  C.  A.  Mayer,  and  successfully  carried 
on  operations  along  that  line  until  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  retire.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
the  cultivation  of  his  fine  farm  of  eighty-five 
acres  in  Gregg  township,  and  also  handles  cream 
separators,  of  which  he  sells  more  than  any 
other  agent  in  Centre  county.  Besides  his  own 
comfortable  home,  he  owns  another  good  resi- 
dence and  business  block  in  Spring  Mills.  The 
success  that  he  has  achieved  is  due  to  his  own 
untiring  efforts,  enterprise  and  good  manage- 
ment, and  he  well  deserves  to  be  numbered 
among  the  leading  and  most  capable  business 
men  of  Gregg  township. 

On  December  31,  1885,  in  Gregg  township, 
Mr.  Krape  was  married  to  Miss  Birdie  R.  Fetter- 
alf,  a  native  of  Spring  Mills,  and  a  daughter  of 
Elias  and  Rachel  Fetteralf.  She  is  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  while  Mr. 
Krape  is  connected  with  the  Reformed  Church, 
to  which  he  has  been  a  liberal  contributor,  aiding 
greatly  in  the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship. 
He  has  served  as  deacon,  and  secretary  of  the 
Sunday-school,  as  well  as  chorister,  his  excellent 
tenor  voice  well  fitting  him  for  such  service.  He 
is  one  of  the  leading  and  most  active  members 
of  the  Republican  party  in  his  community,  work- 
ing hard  for  its  success,  and  has  been  elected 
auditor  of  Gregg  township,  overcoming  a  large 
Democratic  majority,  a  fact  which  plainly  indi- 
cates his  popularity.  Socially,  he  affiliates  with 
the  Grange. 


LAWRENCE  C.  HARMAN,  M.  D.,  a  well- 
j  known  physician  and  surgeon  of  Philipsburg, 
Centre  county,  is  no  less  noted  for  his  ability  in 
business  and  finance  than  for  his  skill  in  his  pro- 
fession.     He  is  president  of  the  Mahoning  Lum- 


ber Co.,  and  has  extensive  real-estate  holdings, 
including  a  fine  brick  residence  in  Philipsburg 
and  a  tract  of  145  acres  of  land  at  Aughwick 
Mills,  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  where  he 
erected  a  beautiful  villa  about  eight  years  ago. 
His  professional  interests  are  not  sacrificed  to 
any  others,  however,  as  his  best  energies  are 
given  to  his  practice.  For  three  years  he  was 
assistant  surgeon  of  Philipsburg  hospital,  and  for 
almost  four  years  he  was  surgeon-in-chief. 

Dr.  Harman  was  born  in  Huntingdon  county, 
October  7,  i860,  and  is  the  son  of  Jackson  and 
Mary  (Slack)  Harman.  His  father  is  a  native  of 
Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  was  in  early  life  engaged 
in  the  furniture  business,  and  for  eleven  years 
was  superintendent  of  the  County  Home  in  Hun- 
tingdon county.  He  is  now  living  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years,  and  takes  charge  of  our  sub- 
ject's lands,  spending  his  winters  in  Philipsburg 
and  his  summers  at  the  villa  at  Aughwick  Mills. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
prominent  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Joab  Slack,  a  leading 
resident  of  Salisbury,  Penn.,  and  a  manufacturer 
of  plows  and  other  iron  implements  and  utensils. 
Her  mother  died  at  the  age  of  fifty,  and  her 
grandmother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Crown- 
over,  attained  the  age  of  ninety.  The  Crown- 
overs  were  prosperous  millers  and  agriculturists 
of  Huntingdon  county.  Jackson  and  Mary 
(Slack)  Harman  had  seven  children:  (1)  Clara, 
Mrs.  J.  B.  Shipton,  of  Ennisville,  Huntingdon 
county;  (2)  John  A.,  a  farmer  at  Manor  Hill,  Penn.  ; 
(3)  Oscar,  who  died  in  infancy;  (4)  Lawrence 
C.,  of  this  sketch;  (5)  Sadie  (Mrs.  George  W. 
Miller),  who  died  in  June,  1895,  leaving  a  son — 
Frank  Lawrence  Miller — 'who  resides  with  our 
subject;  (6)  Annie  M.,  and  (7)  Minnie,  both  of 
whom  also  make  their  home  with  our  subject. 

The  Doctor's  youth  was  spent  in  his  native 
county,  where  he  attended  the  common  schools. 
When  prepared,  he  entered  Stone  Valley  Acad- 
emy, and  later  studied  at  Dickinson  Seminary, 
afterward  teaching  for  one  year.  His  medical 
studies  were  then  begun  under  the  direction  of 
Hon.  W.  P.  McKnight,  of  Shirleysburg,  and  con- 
tinued in  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  was  graduated  in  1882.  For  a 
time  he  practiced  with  his  preceptor,  and  he  then 
located  in  Philipsburg.  Here  his  professional 
abilities  won  speedy  recognition.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  State  Medical  Association,  of  the 
West  Branch  Medical  Association,  and  of  the 
County  Medical  Association.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  movements  of  the  time, 
and  he  firmly  believes  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Re- 
publican    party.      Socially    he    belongs    to    the 


500 


( 'OM  \1  F.MORA  Tl  YE  BIOQRAl'UU  M.   RECORD. 


Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  a  director  of  theMoshan- 
National  Bank,  which  was  established  May 
i  J,  1897,  he  being  one  of  the  organizers,  and  is 
a  director  of  the  Citizens  Building  <.V  Loan  Co., 
sei  \  ing  hi>  sea  »nd  term.  Up  to  this  time  he  has 
maintained  a  state  of  single  blessedness. 


T*7I1.1. 1AM  J.  SINGER,  an  able  and  ener- 
W  ^ctii  lawyer  "I  Bellefonte,  now  serving 
his  second  term  as  district  attorney,  is  deserving 
of  especial  mention  in  these  records  as  one  of 
Centre  county's  enterprising  sons.  Like  many 
of  tlic  most  successful  citizens  of  this  country, 
he  is  of  German  descent  in  both  paternal  and 
maternal  lines. 

Conrad  Singer,  lather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  near  Wet/lar,  in  southwestern  Prussia,  in 
1837,  and  came  to  America  with  his  widowed 
mother  in  1S50.  He  was  the  eldest  of  four  chil- 
dren, the  others  being:  [2)  Margaret,  who  mar- 
ried John  Creger,  of  Centre  county;  (3)  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  John  Glassner  (both  are  now 
deceased  ;  and  4)  William,  also  deceased.  This 
little  band  landed  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  a  per- 
111. mi -ni  home  was  soon  found  in  Bald  Eagle  Val- 
ley, Centre  county.  Conrad  Singer  became  a 
blacksmith,  and  carried  on  his  trade  at  Romola 
for  many  years.  His  wife.  Margaret  Glassner, 
was  born  in  Centre  county  in  1840,  her  father, 
Christian  Glassner,  having  come  from  Germany, 
soon  aftei  his  marriage,  to  settle  in  Curtin  town- 
ship, lie  had  been  in  the  military  service  in  his 
native  land,  but  fortunately  his  adopted  country 
made  ni  call  upon  him  for  other  than  deeds  of 
peace.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a  man  of  deep 
religious  feeling,  anda  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  Our  subject's  mother,  who  resides  in 
Nittanj  \  alley,  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
four  children,  the  others  being:  Henry  (de- 
ceased) was  a  resident  of  Centre  county;  Samp- 
son (deceased)  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and 
cabinet  maker;  Jacob  is  a  laborer  in  Centre 
count\ . 

Of   the  m\  living  children  of  Conrad  and  M.u 
garel  Singer,  our  subject  is  the  eldest;     21  Fran- 
ces   married    John    Royhorm,    of  Clearfield;   (3) 
Malinda  is  not  married;  ra  is  the  wife  "I 

William  Beck,  of  Snydertown,  Penn. ;  5  Mabel 
and  6)  Benjamin  an  not  married;  one  child  di<  .1 
in  infant 

W     f.  Singer,  our  subject,  was  born  April  21, 

■.  in  Curtin  township,  Centre  county.     Until 

the  age  ol   fift'een  he  attended  the  public  schools 

1 'I  Romola,  but  his  further  progress  requiring 

ter  opportunities,  hi  |uently    attended  the 

lies  at  I  toward  and  i  M  ills,  pn  | 


ing  for  the  work  of  teaching,  the  usual  stepping 
stone  of    ambitious   legal   aspirants   who   depend 
upon  their  own  resources.      He  was    just  seven- 
teen when  this  hope  was  realized,  and  by  teach- 
ing  one   term    he   secured    funds   for  a  siiinn 
study   in    the    Normal    School    at   Lock  Haven, 
Penn.      He   taught   school    for  four  winters,  and 
then  entered  the  freshman  class  111  State  College, 
his  studies   there   being   supplemented  with 
year  under  a  private  tutor,  and  a    short  time  m 
the  academy   at   Spring  Mills.      In   April,   (886, 
he  went  to   Bellefonte  and  began   to  read   law 
with  Orvis,  Bower  &  Orvis,  and  April  22,   iNKq, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.      He  remained  with 
Ins  preceptors  until  the  fall  of  1892,  when  he  was 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket    to  his  pre- 
office,  which  he  has  tilled  satisfactorily  since  Jan 
uary  1,   1893,  having  been  re-elected  in  Novem- 
ber,   181.15,   for  another  term. 

On  November  20,  1890.  Mr.  Singer  mai 
Miss  Edna  Clark  Trafford,  who  was  born  March 
9,  1868,  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.  The} 
take  great  interest  in  various  social  and  religion- 
movements,  and  are  identified  with  the  Reformed 
Church.  Two  sons,  Edward  L.  and  John  Traf- 
ford, brighten  their  home.  Mr.  Singer  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
National  Guard  since  1885,  having  entered  as  a 
private.  In  1S88  he  was  promoted  from  the 
ranks  to  the  post  of  commissary  sergeant  ol  the 
brigade.  In  May,  1892,  he  was  appointed  com- 
missary of  the  Second  Brigade.  His  post  is  00 
sinecure,  and  he  had  charge  of  the  commissary  of 
the  brigade  at  Homestead  and   Punxsutawney. 


LYMAN    T    EDDY,  the  efficient   and  popular 
manager  of  the    Mc<  0}    &    Linn  Cold  Blast 
(  liarcoal     Furnace,    Rolling     Mills     and     Chain 
Works,  located  at  Milesburg,  Centre  county, 
there    born    |anuary    30,   1841,  and    is    a    sen 
Thomas  H.  and  Sarah  M.  (Mosesi  Eddy,  nati 
of  Connecticut,  where  they  were  married  and 
inained    until    1838,   when    they    came    to    Cei 
county,  locating   near   the    Harvey    Mam 
Factor} 

For  about  lour  years  the   fathei  was  a  hi 
and   striker   in    the   same,  and    then    rem 
Milesburg,  where,  in  connection  with  his  broth 
in-law,  Reuben  l.oveland,  he  opened  ai 

"I   his  own,  conducting  the  same  for  thi 
years.      On  going  to  <  linton  county,  tin    S 
on  the  expiration  of  that   time,  he  opei 
axe  factor)  under  the  firm   name  of  Loveland 
Eddy  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in    • 
when  he  was  aged  fifty-two  years.      H 
an    active    member    ■>(    the    Methodi 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


501 


Church,  a  great  Sunday-school  worker,  and  be- 
ing an  excellent  vocalist  took  quite  a  prominent 
part  in  the  singing  at  camp  meetings.  He  was 
first  a  Whig  in  politics,  later  giving  his  support 
to  the  Republican  party.  After  his  death  our 
subject  took  charge  of  his  business  interests  for 
two  years,  and  then  leased  his  share  of  the  fac- 
tory to  Mr.  Loveland  for  three  years,  who  later 
purchased  the  same. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  born 
August  2,  1 8 1 8,  died  February  6,  1897;  she,  too, 
was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  In  her  family  were  four  children: 
Walter,  who  was  scalded  to  death  at  the  age  of 
two  years;  Lyman  T. ,  of  this  review;  Nancy, 
wife  of  Samuel  Watson,  of  Lamar;  and  Ira  C, 
a  bookkeeper,  of  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 

The  educational  privileges  afforded  Lyman 
T.  Eddy  were  rather  meagre,  and  as  a  farm  hand 
he  earned  the  money  with  which  to  pay  his  tui- 
tion at  Dickinson  Seminary,  which  he  attended 
at  intervals  for  six  years.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  was  compelled  to  lay  aside  his  text  books, 
and  in  October,  1857,  began  teaching  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Lamar,  his  term  there  covering  a 
period  of  seven  months.  For  the  two  succeed- 
ing winters  he  taught  at  Hublersburg,  Centre 
county,  then  again  at  Lamar,  and  the  next  winter 
at  Flemington,  Clinton  county,  while  the  follow- 
ing year  he  had  charge  of  a  school  at  Williams- 
port,  Penn.,  from  the  1st  of  September  until  the 
•1st  of  November.  For  thirty-eight  months  he 
followed  that  profession  mostly  during  the  winter 
season,  before  attaining  his  majority,  while  the 
summers  were  spent  in  farm  work  and  in  attend- 
ing the  seminary  at  Williamsport.  Mr.  Eddy 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Washington  Iron 
Works,  at  Lamar,  where  he  remained  some  ten 
years,  filling  the  positions  of  bookkeeper,  sales- 
man and  manager.  On  November  1,  1872,  he  ac- 
cepted his  present  responsible  position,  which  he 
has  so  capably  and  acceptably  rilled,  as  his  long 
retention  plainly  indicates. 

On  August  10,  1862,  Mr.  Eddy  was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Walker,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  two  children:  Alma  F.,  wife  of  Calvin 
Zimmerman,  of  Milesburg;  and  Clarence  P.,  de- 
ceased when  one  year  old.  The  mother's  birth 
occurred  in  Clinton  county,  October  30,  1837, 
and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Judith  (Moyer) 
Walker,  of  Centre  county,  where  the  father  died. 
He  was  a  prominent  farmer,  was  called  upon  to 
fill  several  official  positions  of  honor  and  trust, 
and  was  an  active  worker  in  the  Evangelical 
Church.  The  mother,  who  was  born  in  1808, 
is  still  living  on  a  farm  at  Clintonville,  Penn.  In 
their  family  were  six  children,  namely:  Margaret 


E.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Cyrus,  who  operates  the 
old  homestead  farm  in  Clinton  county;  Nannie 
B.,  at  home  with  her  mother;  Harry  A.,  a 
merchant  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. ;  James,  who  was 
killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse;  and  Abigail  J.,  de- 
ceased. 

For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Mr.  Eddy 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  business 
and  political  interests  of  Milesburg,  being  elected 
to  several  important  official  positions,  the  duties 
of  which  he  has  always  promptly  and  faithfully 
discharged.  He  has  served  as  school  director, 
councilman  and  auditor,  filling  the  last  named 
office  at  the  present  time.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Bald  Eagle  Lodge  No.  410,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs. 

Like  his  honored  parents,  Mr.  Eddy  is  also  a 
prominent  Church  worker,  belonging  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Milesburg,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  steward,  recording  stew- 
ard, trustee,  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
president  of  the  Epworth  League,  and  class 
leader  for  seventeen  years.  For  thirty  years  he 
has  also  been  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  ten 
years  of  which  time  he  served  in  that  capacity 
in  Lamar,  and  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  at  Miles- 
burg. He  takes  great  delight  in  music,  which 
he  reads  readily,  is  a  vocalist  of  much  ability, 
and  has  devoted  his  talent  in  this  respect  toward 
raising  money  for  Church  work.  The  poor  and 
needy  always  find  in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  no 
man  in  Milesburg  is  more  universally  beloved  and 
respected  than  Lyman  T.  Eddy. 


OBERT  NELSON  LOYD.  A  unique  in- 
terest attaches  to  everything  which  is  asso- 
ciated even  indirectly  with  the  days  when  this 
section  was  a  "waste,  howling  wilderness,"  and 
its  thriving  towns  existed  not  even  in  the  fertile 
imagination  of  the  hardy  pioneer  who  cleared  the 
forest  from  the  sites  upon  which  they  have  since 
been  established. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 9,  1825,  in  Philipsburg,  Centre  county, 
at  what  is  now  known  as  Grant's  Corner,  is  a  son 
of  Charles  Loyd,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  who 
went  to  that  locality  as  a  young  man,  with  Dr. 
Plumb,  and  for  some  time  conducted  a  boarding- 
house  for  Philips  and  Plumb.  He  was  also  the 
' '  boss  farmer  "  for  Mr.  Philips,  who  was  then  en- 
gaged in  clearing  extensive  tracts  of  land.  Charles 
A.  Loyd  was  married  at  Philipsburg  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Nelson,  and  his  death  occurred  a  few  years 
later,  when  he  was  aged  thirty-one.  Being  a 
member  of   the  State  militia,  he  was  buried  with 


J 


:.i  12 


roMUKMOUATIVE  HloiiUM'lI  1<  A  I    UECOIW. 


military  honors.  Three  children  were  born  of 
this  union,  viz.:  (i)  Robert  X.  is  our  subject. 
(2)  Sarah  Ann  married  Joshua  Carney,  of  Phil- 
ipsburg, and  both  died  and  were  buried  at  that 
place.  (3)  Martha  married  William  Washburn, 
and  died  at  Philipsburg.  Our  subject's  mother 
was  born  in  Delaware  about  the  year  I  8oo,  and 
died  in  1875.  In  early  womanhood  she  accom- 
panied her  mother  and  stepfather,  Mr.  McClos- 
key,  to  Centre  county.  She  was  of  old  New 
England  stock,  her  ancestors  having  come  to 
America  in  early  Colonial  days.  •  After  the  death 
of  her  first  husband,  she  married  a  Mr.  McClos- 
key,  whose  mother  taught  the  first  school  at 
Philipsburg,  the  sessions  being  held  at  night. 

As  Mr.  Loyd  was  a  mere  child  when  his  fa- 
ther died,  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  an 
uncle,  William  Parker,  residing  at  Bellefonte, 
and  he  afterward  kept  the  "  Black  Bear  Hotel," 
four  miles  east  of  Philipsburg.  In  the  spring  of 
1  K40  he  returned  to  Philipsburg,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  1842  he  learned  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  1859, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  building 
the  "Loyd  House."  This  he  conducted  for 
twenty  years  with  gratifying  success,  and  in  the 
meantime  he  was  interested  also  in  the  lumber 
business  to  some  extent.  Since  retiring  from  the 
hotel  he  has  given  but  little  attention  to  business, 
looking  well  to  his  property.  He  was  one  of  the 
six  who  organized  the  old  Moshannon  Bank  in 
1881.  He  is  interested  in  mining  at  Winburne, 
ind  owns  some  real  estate  at  N.  Philipsburg. 

Mr.  Loyd  was  married  the  first  time,  in  1849, 
to  Miss  Amanda  J.  White,  a  native  of  Philips- 
burg. They  had  two  children :  (1)  Charles,  who 
is  married  and  resides  at  Vulcan,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  mining,  and  (2)  Martha,  who  was  edu- 
cated at  Tipton  Seminary,  in  Blair  county,  Penn. 
She  married  E.  W.  Bradner,  and  has  four 
children:  Robert,  John,  Josephine  and  Carrie 
Russell.  The  mother  of  these  died  in  1852,  and 
Mr.  Loyd  for  his  second  wife  married  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth Ayers,  who  'lied  leaving  one  daughter, 
Miriam,  now  the  wife  of  George  W.  Morrison,  of 
Jersey  Shore,  Penn.:  they  have  three  childp  n 
Edwin  Loyd,  Louis  and  Frederick. 

After  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Loyd 
married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Stewart,  by  whom  he 
had  five  children:  11  Ida  M .,  who  married  Will- 
iam E.  Tyson,  and  has  one  son — Edwin    Loyd; 

Lula  Belle,  who  was  educated  at  Bordentown, 
\  I  ,  and  is  now  at  home;  1  ;  Robert  P.,  4) 
William  P.  and  15)  Harry  A.  Death  again  en- 
tered our  subject's  home,  taking  the  mother  of 
this  little  family;  and  Mr.  Loyd  formed  a  fourth 
matrimonial  union,  this  time  with  Miss  Margaret 


j  Cross,  his  present  wife.  They  have  no  children 
Mr.  Loyd  is  an  Episcopalian  in  religious  faith: 
socially  he  has  for  many  years  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity;  politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  he  has  always  taken  great  interest  in 
public  questions.  lb-  has  been  a  councilman  for 
several  years,  also  served  on  the  school  board, 
and  was  supervisor  several  terms.  In  1 
when  the  State  was  invaded,  he  responded  to  the 

I  Governor's  call  for  "emergency  men,"  and 
served  under  Capt.  Canoe  and  Lieut.  Williams. 
of  Bald  Eagle. 


E 


•■MANUEL  HARTER,  a  prominent  and  well- 


2jj  to-do  agriculturist  of  Miles  township, 
tre  county,  is  deserving  of  mention  in  this  vol- 
ume not  only  for  his  own  achievements,  but  be- 
cause of  his  being  a  member  of  a  well-known 
pioneer  family. 

Andrew  Harter,  his  grandfather,  was   re 
on    the    banks    of     the    Tulpehocken    river,    and 
shortly  after  marriage  with    Miss  Sails   Rupp  set- 
tled  (about    1790)    in    Haines    township,    Centra 
county,  near    Aaronsburg,  upon    a    farm    of    100 
acres  which  he   had   previously  purchased.      The 
journey    was   made    in   a    covered   wagon,  and  a 
shoemaker  accompanied  the  party  to  its  destina- 
tion      Andrew   Harter  was  a   carpenter  by  trade, 
but  most  of  his  time  was    given    to  clearing  and 
cultivating  his  land,  which  he  took  in  a  primitive 
state       He  built  a  cabin  of  hewed   trees   in  one 
day,  occupying   it    tin    next,  and   in    this  humble 
abode    blankets    two    years    served  as    tin-    only 
doors    they    had.       Although    he    never  became 
wealthy,    he   acquired    a    competence,  and    after 
twelve  years  the  original   cabin   was  replaced  by 
a   more   commodious  structure.      In   religion   he 
was  a    Lutheran,  and    he    helped    to    found    the 
Aaronsburg  Church.      One    noticeable    trait 
his  frankness  of  speech,  even   the  minister  I" 
subject    to    this    outspoken    critic    on    occasion. 
Honest  and  upright,  his   "word  was  as  good 
his  bond  "   in  a  business  deal.      His  political  O 
victions  as   a   Democrat  were    maintained    with 
characteristic  firmness.      During  his  later  \ 
did  no  work  at  his  trade  except    in  improving 
own  pj ,  iperty,  but  throughout  his  life  he  was  often 
called  upon  to   doctor    horses,  as   he   seemed 
have    a    talent    for    understanding    and    tr< 
their  ailments.      At  the  time  of   his  death.  whi<  li 
occurred    during    the   Civil   war,  he    was    in    ' 
eighty-eighth    year,    yet   every   one    of  his   teeth 
was  in  place  ami   perfectly  sound.      His  wife  had 
died  many  years  before,  and  the  remains  of  hot  I 
were  interred    at    Aaronsburg.      They   had   nine 
children,  of  wh six  lived   to  adult  age;     Johr 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


503 


died  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county;  Jacob, 
in  Nittany  Valley;  Andrew,  in  Penn  township, 
Centre  county;  George  is  mentioned  more  fully 
below;  William  died  in  Haines  township,  Centre 
county;  and  Lydia  (Mrs.  Henry  Swartz) .  died 
near  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county. 

George  Harter,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Haines  township,  Centre  county,  in 
1805,  and  was  reared  to  farm  work.  There 
were  no  free  schools  then,  his  early  instruction 
being  secured  entirely  in  the  German  schools  of 
the  day.  He  was  an  excellent  penman,  and  in 
later  years  became  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
locality,  noted  for  his  successful  management  of 
his  farms,  his  estate  being  at  his  death  estimated 
at  $17,000.  He  was  five  feet,  eight  inches  in 
height,  and  weighed  155  pounds,  was  strong  and 
robust,  and  an  industrious  worker.  Although  he 
was  never  afraid  to  give  voice  to  his  opinion,  he 
was  not  quarrelsome,  and  never  sued  or  was 
sued  in  court.  He  was  a  Lutheran  in  early  life, 
later  becoming  an  active  member  of  the  U.  B. 
Church,  and  he  always  took  great  interest  in  all 
that  pertained  to  local  improvement.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  His  first  wife,  Mary  (Wolfe) 
(our  subject's  mother),  was  born  in  Haines  town- 
ship, in  1808,  a  daughter  of  George  Valentine 
and  Sally  (Wise)  Wolfe.  The  young  couple  set- 
tled upon  a  rented  farm  in  Haines  township, 
Andrew  Harter  giving  to  this  son,  as  to  all  the 
others,  two  horses,  a  wagon,  a  cow  and  two  pigs. 
Nearly  all  of  the  boys  prospered  after  being  thus 
started  in  life,  and  George  Harter  was  able,  in 
1 84 1,  to  buy  from  Jefferson  Royer  a  farm  of  210 
acres  near  Rockville,  Centre  county.  Later  he 
sold  this  and  purchased  the  old  Haines  farm,  in 
Penn  township,  Centre  county,  where  he  lived 
until  old  age  caused  him  to  retire  from  active 
work.  His  last  days  were  spent  at  Millheim, 
and  there  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight. 
His  first  wife  passed  away  in  Penn  township, 
aged  fifty-three  years,  and  his  remains  rest  beside 
hers  at  Millheim.  His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Sally 
Droxel,  a  widow,  survived  him,  and  after  his 
death  returned  to  her  early  home  at  Annville, 
Lebanon  Co.,  Penn.,  where  she  died.  There 
were  no  children  by  the  second  union,  but  by  the 
first  there  were  twelve,  namely:  Polly,  widow 
of  George  Royer,  of  Rebersburg;  Lydia,  who  died 
in  childhood;  Emanuel,  our  subject;  Absalom,  a 
farmer  of  Haines  township,  Centre  county;  Susan 
(Mrs.  Michael  Fiedler),  of  Millheim;  Sarah,  who 
married  Rev.  Lewis  Fleisher,  a  minister  of  the 
U.  B.  Church,  and  died  in  Lebanon  county, 
Penn.;  Daniel,  a  farmer  of  Brush  Valley;  Cath- 
erine, widow  of  William  Neese,  of  Brush  Valley; 
Reuben,  of  Penn  township,  Centre  county;  James, 


who  died  in  childhood;  Phoebe  (Mrs.  A.  R.  Alex- 
ander), of  Penn  township,  Centre  county;  and 
George  W. ,  of  Millheim. 

Emanuel  Harter  was  born  on  the  old  farm  in 
Haines  township,  Centre  county,  July  31,  1831, 
and  while  he  was  a  boy  his  parents  removed  to 
Brush  Valley.  As  he  was  the  eldest  son  and  his 
help  was  needed  at  home,  his  school  attendance 
was  irregular,  and  he  could  not  even  take  full 
advantage  of  such  opportunities  as  the  locality  af- 
forded. His  father  was  engaged  for  many  years 
in  hauling  merchandise  to  and  from  Lewistown, 
Lewisburg,  Lock  Haven,  Flemington  and  other 
points,  and  often  hauled  coal  from  Snow  Shoe 
for  the  use  of  blacksmiths.  Emanuel  proved  him- 
self so  capable  and  trustworthy  that  at  an  eariy 
age  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  team,  helping 
even  to  haul  clover  seed  to  Little  York,  a  trip 
requiring  fifteen  days,  and  in  all  his  work  he 
never  had  a  horse  die  or  a  wagon  break  down,  or 
met  with  any  serious  accident  of  any  kind. 
After  the  age  of  eighteen  he  did  not  go  to  school 
at  all,  but  remained  at  home  until  he  was  about 
twenty-five  years  old,  his  labor  being  given  to 
his  father.  He  was  a  dutiful  son,  and  there  was 
never  an  impatient  word  passed  between  him  and 
his  parents.  On  January  19,  1856,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Millheim  to  Miss  Lavina  Bierly,  of  Brush 
Valley,  a  native  of  Rebersburg,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  aud  Priscilla  (Wolfe)  Bierly.  Mr.  Har- 
ter rented  the  old  Jacob  Brungart  farm  in  Brush 
Valley,  and  established  himself  there  temporarily, 
his  outfit  being  entirely  second-hand  and  pur- 
chased niostly  "on  time."  He  also  lived  for  a 
time  upon  rented  farms  in  Penn  township,  Centre 
county,  and  in  the  Nittany  Valley,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, but  in  1868  he  purchased  218  acres  of  land 
near  Rebersburg,  and  has  ever  since  resided 
there.  He  sold  102  acres  immediately  after  its 
purchase  to  Samuel  Loose,  and  for  the  portion 
retained,  which  was  worth  $9,000,  he  went  in 
debt,  having  only  about  $7,000,  which  he  had 
saved,  to  apply  upon  it.  About  1875  he  pur- 
chased an  additional  thirty  acres  from  William 
Foster  for  $3,000,  and  this  is  now  a  part  of  his 
farm.  At  various  times  Mr.  Harter  has  owned 
extensive  tracts  of  mountain  land,  and  still  has 
some  of  it,  although  he  has  sold  portions  as  oc- 
casion offered.  His  farm  is  well-improved,  and 
a  number  of  substantial  buildings  have  been 
built  by  Mr.  Harter,  in  addition  to  those  upon 
the  homestead.  His  home  is  well-furnished,  the 
equipment  including  a  fine  piano,  one  of  the  few 
in  Brush  Valley.  While  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
ter have  received  property  from  their  parents, 
their  losses  have  been  greater  than  the  amount 
thus  obtained,  and  their  present  prosperity  is  due 


504 


(  OMMBMOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  their  own  effort.  They  had  three  children: 
James  C.  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Susan 
Ella  married  C.  C.  Loose,  of  Rebersburg;  and 
Sally,  an  accomplished  young  lady,  is  at  home. 
Mr.  Harter's  sympathies  are  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  the  main,  but  when  the  best  men 
are  on  the  other  ticket  be  is  sufficiently  patriotic 
and  independent  to  vote  for  them.  He  has  been 
supervisor  and  o\  of  the  poor,  and  his  pub- 

lic work  has  been  marked  by  the  same  quiet 
votion  to  duty  which  has  won  his  success  in  his 
private  business.  For  nineteen  years  he  was 
manager  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  Nittany,  Penn,  and 
ih  Valleys  Turn  Pike,  this  long  term  of  suc- 
iful  service  reflecting  redit   upon  him. 

II-  is  not  connected  with  an)  Church,  but  has 
lent  more  substantial  assistance  to  various  re- 
ligious movements  than  many  who  are  members. 


TLLIAM    M.    ALLISON.      The     Scotch- 

V  Irish  race,  with  its  mixture  of  the  pi 
cal  common  sense  of  the  "canny  Scott"  and 
the  warm  impulses  of  the  impressionable  Celt, 
has  produced  a  large  proportion  of  the  men  who 
have  led  and  are  leading  in  the  \aried  lines  of 
effort  upon  which  our  modern  civilization  is 
based 

The  Allison  family,  which  is  so  prominently 
identified  with  the  development  of  Penn's  Valley, 
furnishes  many  notable  examples  of  this  class, 
and  a  luiet  review  of  their  history  will  enhance 
tin-  interest  in  the  sketch  of  our  subject,  who  is, 
himself,  a  worth}  representative.  The  first 
American  ancestor,  Archibald  Allison,  Sr.,  the 
great-grandfather  of  the  gentleman  w  h.  -.<     name 

ns  this  sketch,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  married  there  to  Mar}  Kennedy,  who  was 
born  November  i,  1730,  in  Scotland,  Shire  of 
Galloway,  Parish  of  Kirkmaiden,  the  third 
daughter  of  fohn  Kennedy.  The}  came  to 
America  with  their  family  in  1773,  landing  on 
the  1 8th  of  June,  and  settled  in  this  State. 
Archibald  Allison,  Sr.  .died  in  Paxton  township, 
in  what  is  now  Dauphin  county,  October6,  1783, 
and  his  widow  passed  away  June  6,  1808,  in 
Potter  township.  Centre  county. 

Of  their  children,  Matthew,  who  was  born 
in  1750,  was  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  the  ar- 
rival of  the  family  in  this  country,  and  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  breaking  out  soon  afterward  he 
served  as  a  soldier  on  the  side  of  freedom. 
Later  he  settled  in  the  Nittany  Valley,  and  be- 
came an  influential  pioneer  citizen  of  Centre 
county,  In  ing  one  of  its  first  commissioners.  He 
died  in  Lamar  township,  February  9,  1828,  at 
the    age    of    seventy-eight,    leaving   a  numerous 


family.      By  his  first  wife,  Sarah  Mahaffey,  there 
were  four  children:      Margaret   (who  married  J< 
seph  Johnston),  William,  Mary  and  Sarah.      H 

nd  wd,-,   Catherine   Lamb,  had  six  children: 
Jane,  Catherine,  Samuel  L.,   Eleanor,  Archibald. 
Jr.,  and  John.      His  third  wife  survived  him  with 
five  children,  all  young:   Jackson.    Mary,  Robert 
O,    Fred'rick   E.  and  an   infant  in  arms.      I 
\<  ungest    son    of    Archibald    Allison,     Sr. ,    w 
John  Allison,  the  father    >f   Senator  William   B 
Allison,  of  Iowa 

Archibald  Allison,  Jr.,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Ireland  April   15,    1761,  and 
young  as   he  was   at  the   time   of  the   Revolution 
he  took  an  active  part  in  the  defense  of  the  front- 
ier during  the  troublous  times  which  accompanied 
the  struggle   for    independence.      He    was  stout 
and  heavily    built,  with   a  round,  ruddy  face  and 
flaxen  hair,  and  possessed  great  muscular  pov 
together  with  a  bold  and  courageous   spirit.      In 
politics   he    was    a   Federalist,    and  in  religious 
faith     he      was     a     Presbyterian.       After 
close    of   the    Revolutionary    war    he  sought 
home   for  himself  in    Penn's  Valley,  purchas 
from   the   Penns  the  eastern   third   of  what  > 
then   known  as  the   Manor  of  Succoth,  north 
tin •  Croat  Spring  Tract.      The  homestead  which 
he    founded    is  still  in   the    possession    of  his 
scendants.      On  May  7,  [789,  he  married  I 
McCormick,  third  daughter  of  George  and   Mar- 

t   McCormick.      Her   father  was  the  first  set- 
tler at  Spring  Mills,  having  bought  land  of  Reuben 
Haines,    and  he   built    the    first    mill  there.      In 
17S7  he  took  up  a  tract  of  land    south  of    tin 
creek,  but  owing  to  financial  reverses  this  passed 
into  the   hands  of  James  Cook,  who  sold   it 
[ames  Duncan.      Archibald  Allison,  Jr.,  died  M 
3,  h845,  and  his  widow  passed  away  Jantian 
1S4S,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.      They  had  nine 
children  of  whom  eight  ai  Mil,  their  nai 

with  dates  of  birth  and  death   being  as  follows 
George,  August    18,   1792 — September  28,   181 
William,    April    5,     1794 — February     11. 
James.   February  26,   1796 — September  1 8,  1 ft 
died    at    North    Liberty,    Adams    county,  01 
Margaret,  May    26,  1797     May    12,  1846,  mar- 
ried William  Kelly,  son  of  Col.  John  Kelley,  ami 
died    in  Union  county;   David,    May  22,    1 
December  22,  1877,  married  Lucetta  McKibh 
and  his  death  occurred   in  Clinton  county;  Mary, 
May     11,    1801 — September    27,    1856,   died    in 
Adams  county,  Ohio;  John  November  22,  1803 
January23,  1844;  Jane,  September22,  1805,  mar- 
ried Thomas    Riley,  and   died  in    Kansas.     1 
youngest  child,  Eleanor,  was  born  Februan 
181  1,  married    Dr.  John   Grossman,  and  died  111 
Adams  county.  Ohio,  April  10,   1895. 


■ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


505 


William  Allison,  Esq.,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, inherited  the  sterling  traits  of  his  ancestors, 
and  at  an  early  age  entered  upon  his  business  ca- 
reer as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Harrisburg,  where  he 
remained  six  or  seven  years.  In  July,  1827,  in 
company  with  James  and  John  Potter,  he  opened 
a  store  at  Browns  Mills,  now  Reedville,  Mifflin 
county.  In  1829  the  firm  was  dissolved,  and 
Mr.  Allison  carried  on  the  business  alone  for  a 
few  years,  when  he  moved  to  his  old  home  near 
Spring  Mills.  The  death  of  his  father  in  1845 
left  him  and  his  brother  James  and  David  and 
James  Potter  executors  of  a  large  estate,  with 
many  powers  and  trusts  to  be  executed,  and  these 
duties,  together  with  the  work  of  improving  the 
farms,  buildings,  barns  and  sawmills  brought  a 
large  amount  of  business  upon  his  shoulders 
which  he  managed  with  great  success.  On  June 
25,  1S47,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  McNitt,  daugh- 
ter of  William  R.  and  Esther  (McCoy)  McNitt. 
Her  father  was  son  a  of  Robert  McNitt,  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Kishacoquillas  Valley.  In 
1847  occurred  the  failure  of  James  and  John  Pot- 
ter, of  whom  Mr.  Allison  was  a  creditor  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  He  was  preferred  by  them  on 
account  of  old  intimacy  and  business  relations, 
and  the  judgment  they  gave  him  resulted  in  pro- 
tracted litigation,  Mr.  Allison  sustaining  his  claim 
ultimately.  Meanwhile  having  purchased  the 
factory,  hotel,  and  real  estate  at  Potters  Mills,  he 
removed  thither,  occupying  the  old  residence  of 
James  Potter.  Here  he  managed  his  large  inter- 
ests with  his  accustomed  business  skill,  and, 
backed  by  large  experience,  as  a  result  uninter- 
rupted prosperity  marked  his  declining  years. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  executive  ability,  laying 
his  plans  with  much  discretion,  and  following 
them  up  with  vigor  and  determination.  While 
always  well-informed  on  current  events,  he  was 
especially  noted  as  a  chronicler  of  the  past.  His 
wonderful  memory  coupled  with  opportunities  de- 
rived from  his  father's  great  age  and  unusual 
fund  of  reminiscence,  made  him  a  veritable  en- 
cyclopedia— a  walking  digest  of  the  history  of 
Penn's  Valley. 

Mr.  Allison  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  later 
years,  and  previously  a  Whig,  but  while  he  man- 
ifested great  interest  in  the  success  of  the  prin- 
ciples which  he  espoused,  he  was  not  a  politician. 
He  was  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  government  dur- 
ing the  Rebellion,  and  his  devotion  was  shown 
in  many  ways.  Many  regiments  from  the  north- 
ern tier  of  counties  passed  over  the  pike  on  their 
way  to  the  railroad  at  Lewistown,  and  in  a  sin- 
gle year  he  donated  nearly  a  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  provision  and  meals.  Although  he  was 
confined  to  his  home  for  a  number  of  years  pre- 


vious to  his  death  by  a  paralytic  stroke,  yet  he  was 
always  cheerful,  and  glad  to  see  his  friends.  His 
remains  now  rest  in  the  private  cemetery  of  the 
Allisons  near  Spring  Mills.  His  widow,  who  was 
a  highly  respected  resident  of  Potters  Mills,  died 
December  18,  1896.  Five  children  also  survive: 
William  M.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Esther 
E.,  born  January  15,  1852,  now  the  wife  of 
Frank  McCoy,  of  the  firm  of  Linn  &  McCoy, 
iron-masters;  Edward,  born  August  2,  1855,  a 
farmer  in  Potter  township;  Lillie  E.,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  i860;  and  Archibald,  born  June  27, 
1863,  now  a  plumber  of  Bellefonte. 

With  this  introduction  we  may  now  turn  to 
the  personal  history  of  Hon.  William  M.  Allison, 
who  now  holds  an  enviable  position  in  this  sec- 
tion as  a  substantial  business  man,  and  an 
honored  and  influential  citizen.  Illingworth,  in 
his  work,  "  A  Passing  Glance  at  Penn's  Valley," 
says  of  him:  "Associating  himself  with  busi- 
ness enterprises,  he  developed  the  talent  neces- 
sary to  manage  successfully  a  large  estate,  and 
to-day,  besides  his  many  interests,  he  is  interested 
in  a  large  tract  of  the  finest  farming  land  in  the 
Valley."  In  disposition  and  manner  he  bears  a 
marked  resemblance  to  his  father,  and  his  career 
has  added  new  luster  to  the  family  name.  He 
was  born  November  4,  1850,  in  Gregg  township, 
Centre  county,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Spring 
Mills.  His  education  was  carefully  provided  for, 
his  elementary  instruction  being  obtained  at  Penn 
Hall,  where  unusually  good  opportunities  for 
that  time  were  to  be  found.  Later  he  pursued 
his  studies  at  Perrysville,  Penn.,  and  at  State 
College.  His  first  business  venture  was  the 
management  of  the  woolen  factory  at  Potters 
Mills  in  partnership  with  his  brothers,  Edward 
and  Archibald,  and  his  ability  and  tact  were  dem- 
onstrated in  its  success.  In  1887  he  moved  to 
Spring  Mills,  and,  in  connection  with  the  firm 
of  Allison  Bros.,  purchased  the  gristmill  prop- 
erty then  belonging  to  the  Barcroft  estate.  In 
the  following  year  the  mill  was  thoroughly  re- 
paired and  remodeled  at  an  expense  of  $9,000. 
The  John  I.  Noye  rolls  were  introduced,  and  the 
Smith  system  inaugurated,  the  establishment  being 
"  up-to-date  "  in  every  respect.  In  addition  to 
this  enterprise  Mr.  Allison  is  interested  in  the 
coal  business  and  in  the  marketing  of  farm  prod- 
uce, his  purchases  in  this  line  disbursing  annu- 
ally many  thousand  of  dollars  in  his  locality. 
His  own  extensive  farming  interests  require  and 
receive  his  supervision,  but  despite  his  cares 
and  his  high  position  in  the  community  he  is  easy 
of  approach  and  friendly  to  every  comer,  even 
the  smallest  boy  being  certain  of  kindly  and 
prompt  attention  to  any  errand. 


.-.or, 


COMMEMOUA  'FIVE  Blmi  UAPIIH  AL  RECORD. 


Mr  Allison  is  fond  of  good  horses,  and  his 
-tables  have  held  some  fine  specimens.  He  be- 
lli -ves  in  making  proper  use  of  all  the  good  things 
of  life,  and  his  elegant  home  near  Spring  Mills, 
one  of  the  finest  in  Penn's  Valley,  is  supplied  with 
every  possible  convenience.  Socially  he  is  very 
popular,  his  intelligence  and  geniality  making 
him  a  most  pleasing  companion.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Centre  Hall;  also 
In -longs  to  the  State  Millers'  Association,  and  in 
I  896  accompanied  that  body  on  an  excursion  to 
Duluth  and  other  points  on  Lake  Superior. 

On  June  2.  1880,  Mr.  Allison  was  married  to 
Miss  Lurana  1!.  Higman,  daughter  of  John  Hig- 
man,  of  Corning.  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  is  a 
member  of  one  of  the  well-known  families  of  that 
section,  and  is  highly  accomplished,  her  educa- 
tion having  been  completed  at  the  Ehnira  Col- 
lege. Elmira,  N.  Y.  Four  children — Charles  E., 
Mabel,  William  H.  and  Frank — brighten  their 
home.  Mrs.  Allison  was  formerly  a  Baptist,  but 
there  being  no  church  of  that  denomination  at 
Spring  Mills  she  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Possessing  in  a  high  degree  the  public  spirit 
which  has  always  characterized  his  family,  Mr. 
Allison  has  great  influence  in  local  affairs,  and  is 
one  of  the  leading  Republicans  of  Centre  county. 
He  has  served  creditably  in  several  official  posi- 
tions, and  when  a  candidate  he  receives  the  sup- 
port of  many  political  opponents,  his  popularity 
not  being  limited  by  party  lines.  His  first  office 
was  as  judge  of  elections  at  Potters  Mills,  a 
strongly  Democratic  locality.  In  1887  and  [888 
he  represented  Centre  county  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature, being  elected  in  the  face  of  a  normal  Dem- 
ocratic majority  of  1000,  which  speaks  volumes 
for  the  confidence  which  his  character  and  career 
had  inspired  among  all  classes.  His  defeat  in 
the  previous  campaign  for  the  same  office  was 
caused  by  members  of  his  own  party,  who  under- 
estimating his  strength,  sought  to  "trade  him 
off"  in  the  interests  of  another  candidate.  Not- 
withstanding this  defection,  he  came  within  thir- 
teen votes  of  winning  the  place,  which,  taking 
all  the  circumstances  into  consideration,  was  a 
remarkable  tc  si  ol  strength.  He  is  a  generous 
supporter  of  all  local  movements  which  tend  to 
promote  progress,  being  especially  interested  in 
educational  affairs,  and  is  now  serving  a  third 
term  as  member  of  the  school  board  at  Spring 
Mills. 


J   DAM   MAYER.      The  histories  of  some  of 
L    the  self-made   business    men    of    this  land 
show  such   marvelous  changes  from  poverty   to 


wealth,  and  such  pluck  and  endurance  in  th« 
face  of  misfortune,  that  the  reader  is  constrained 
to  believe  that  prosperity  can  be  attained  by  an\ 
one  who  patiently  and  diligently  makes  the  best 
of  his  opportunities.  Luck,  some  say,  is  a 
factor,  but  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  a 
prosperous  business  man  of  Philipsburg,  did  not 
trust  to  luck  when  he  left  his  early  home  in  < 
many  at  the  age  of  twenty  and  landed  at  New 
York,  and  it  was  by  determined  and  well-directed 
effort  that  he  established  a  foothold  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  as  the  following  biography  will  show. 

Mr.  Mayer  was  born  near  the  "storied 
Rhine,"  September  26,  1834,  in  the  village  of 
Geiselberg,  county  of  Waldfischbach,  Rhine- 
Bavaria,  the  son  of  Adam  Mayer,  and  grandson 
of  Peter  Mayer,  who  died  before  our  subject  wa> 
born.  Adam  Mayer,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
same  locality,  was  born  in  1812,  and  died  111 
1893.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  stone 
mason.  He  married  Eva  Fdinger,  who  was  born 
in  1S16,  and  departed  this  life  in  1872.  In  i8j 4 
he  and  his  eldest  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
came  to  America,  spending  thirty  days  on  the 
ocean.  They  had  not  money  enough  to  pas 
their  way  from  New  York  City  to  their  destina- 
tion at  Philipsburg,  and  consequently  thej 
walked  the  entire  distance  amid  the  bleak  and 
wintry  scenes  of  the  month  of  February.  Thej 
found  employment  about  eight  miles  from  Philips 
burg,  with  Capt.  Grove,  a  lumberman,  and 
worked  for  him  in  the  woods  at  cutting  logs,  for 
three  years.  A  small  farm  was  purchased  in 
Clearfield  county,  and  111  1S56  the  mother  and 
other  members  of  the  family  came  over,  and 
the  interrupted  home  life  was  again  enjoyed  b) 
all.  There  were  nine  children  besides  our  sub- 
ject: 12)  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  Jacob  M 
resides  in  Kylertown,  Clearfield  counts  . 
Catherine  married  Jacob  Mesenbagh,  and  1 
in  LaSalle,  III.;  (4)  Peter  is  a  farmer  at  Kyler- 
;  town;  (5)  Michael  is  a  resident  of  Centre  counts  . 
(6)  Henry  died  a  soldier's  death  as  a  membei 
the  famous  Forty-ninth  Regiment,  1'  \  1 
Jacob  lives  in  Helena.  Mont  .  (8)  Philip  is  a 
fanner  in  this  Mate,  9)  Gottlieb  went  t"  the 
West,  and  now  resides  in  Wyoming;  (  10)  John 
died  at  Kylertown,  Pennsylvania. 

Before  coming  to  this  country   Adam   M 
had  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  Bl 
ing  good  use  of  the  opportunities  they  afforc 
and  he  had  also  learned  the  details  of  carpel 
ing  and    stonemasonry.      He  did  not  underst 
English  at  all,  however,  and  as  he  had  but 
cents  in  his  pocket   when  he  arrived  at  Philips- 
burg he  took  the   first   work    that    could  be  ob- 
tained.     After  working   in  the  woods  for   some 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


o07 


time  he  secured  more  congenial  and  profitable 
employment  as  a  carpenter  and  a  stonemason, 
and  for  twenty-five  years  he  followed  those  occu- 
pations, and  at  the  same  time  conducted  his  farm 
of  125  acres  in  Clearfield  county.  He  still  owns 
this  estate,  but  about  fourteen  years  ago  he  moved 
to  Philipsburg,  where  he  bought  a  two-story 
building  for  business  purposes,  155  x  25  feet 
with  an  "L"  25x40.  For  several  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  flour  and  feed  business,  but  after 
disposing  of  that  he  was  not  especially  engaged 
in  any  line  until  1891,  when  he  took  charge  of 
his  present  furniture  store.  In  this  enterprise  he 
has  succeeded,  as  might  be  supposed  from  his 
past  triumphs,  and  he  carries  a  large  and  well- 
selected  stock.  Some  years  ago,  after  learning 
the  methods  employed  in  the  lumber  business, 
he  made  some  profitable  ventures  in  that  line 
himself,  buying  and  clearing  land  and  rafting  on 
the  river.  Land  was  cheap,  and  at  one  time 
he  owned  about  eight  hundred  acres.  He  in- 
tended to  give  a  farm  to  each  of  his  children, 
but  during  the  coal  excitement  it  was  found  that 
his  lands  were  very  valuable  for  mining,  and  he 
sold  them  at  a  good  price. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Mayer  went  to  De  Pere,  Wis., 
and  spent  four  years  in  a  sawmill.  While  there 
he  met  Miss  Christina  Switzer,  who  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Nurtingen,  Kingdom  of  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  November  28,  1833.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  November  17,  1859, 
and  have  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  nine  are 
living.  The  first  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and 
died  in  infancy  at  De  Pere,  five  miles  above 
Green  Bay;  at  that  time  there  were  no  railroads 
in  that  vicinity,  and  boats  furnished  the  only 
convenient  means  of  travel.  (2)  Mary  married 
Andy  Neubauer,  a  farmer  of  Clearfield  county, 
and  has  six  children — Jennie,  Charlie,  Effie, 
Harry,  Perry,  and  Henry;  of  these,  the  eldest, 
Jennie,  is  married  to  August  Johnson,  who  was 
born  in  Sweden,  and  is  now  a  merchant  at  All- 
port,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.  (3)  Henry,  who 
conducts  his  father's  farm,  married  Miss  Tillie 
Hoover,  and  has  three  children — Grover,  and 
May  and  Duff  (twins).  (4)  Ellen,  the  wife  of 
John  Stewart,  of  Clearfield,  has  two  children — 
Statie  and  Christie.  (5)  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
Herbert  Caldwell,  has  two  children — Gordon 
and  Samuel.  (6)  Clara  married  John  Williams, 
of  Punxsutawney,  Penn.,  and  has  two  living  chil- 
dren— Clara  and  Ruth,  three  others  having  died 
at  an  early  age.  (7)  Adam,  who  resides  in  Punx- 
sutawney, married  Ruth  Neal,  and  had  two  chil- 
dren, neither  of  whom  is  now  living.  (8)  Beckie 
married  Louis  Ernst,  of  Pittsburg,  and  has  no 
children.     (9)   Barbara  and  (10)  Herman  are  at 


home;  and  (11)  Perry  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  and  seven  months. 

Mr.  Mayer  and  his  family  are  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  has  always 
been  interested  in  local  progress.  In  politics  he 
was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  of  late  he  has 
voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  in  1896  he  was 
an  advocate  of  free  silver  at  "  sixteen  to  one." 
He  is  a  director  and  stockholder  in  the  New  Mo- 
shannon  National  Bank  (belonging  to  the  Free- 
masons), which  was  organized  in  May,    1896. 

Mrs.  Mayer  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mag- 
dalena  (Aberly)  Switzer,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many, where  they  died,  the  father  when 
Mrs.  Mayer  was  but  a  child,  the  mother  about 
1862.  They  had  six  children  who  reached  ma- 
turity: George,  Jacob,  Wilhelm, Rebecca, Henry 
and  Christena,  none  of  whom  came  to  America 
except  the  last  named,  who  was  twenty  years  old 
at  the  time  of  his  emigration. 


OBERT  HUDSON.  No  country  has  af- 
forded greater  opportunities  to  the  poor 
man  thamAmerica;  it  is  indeed  the  poor  man's 
land.  Here  an  industrious,  frugal  man  has  a 
chance  to  accumulate  wealth.  Many  fail  to  do 
so,  but  the  best  lay  by  some  of  their  earnings, 
and  soon  find  themselves  in  the  possession  of  a 
handsome  property.  Among  them  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  introduces  this  article,  a  lead- 
ing harness  maker  and  saddler  of  Philipsburg. 

Mr.  Hudson  was  born  November  13,  1830, 
in  the  city  which  is  still  his  home,  a  son  of  John 
and  Hannah  (Gattice)  Hudson,  natives  of  Stock- 
port, Lancashire,  England,  and  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, respectively.  They  met  and  were  married 
in  Philipsburg,  whither  the  father  had  come  with 
Hardin  Philips  in  179-.  He  was  a  butcher  by 
trade,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  a  Miss  Dale,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children:  Hannah,  widow  of  Serines  Howe,  who 
served  as  sheriff  of  Clearfield  county,  Penn.; 
Mary  A.,  deceased  wife  of  William  Henfield, 
who  is  now  living  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  Erie, 
Penn. ;  and  Lloyd,  who  died  when  young.  By 
his  marriage  with  the  mother  of  our  subject 
he  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
John,  who  is  living  retired  in  Philipsburg;  Robert; 
William,  ex-street  commissioner  of  Philipsburg; 
and  Emma,  who  married  Thomas  Freeman,  and 
after  his  death  wedded  a  Mr.  Clark,  of  Madison, 
Maine. 

Since  the  tender  age  of  ten  years,  Robert 
Hudson  has  been  dependent  upon  his  own  re- 
sources for  a  livelihood,  first  being  employed  by 


r«  is 


OOMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Rev.  Lord,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  with  whom 
he  remained  for  one  year.  During  the  following 
two  years  he  wa  ed    in    farming,  and   then 

I"  nt  nine  months  in  teaming.  Subsequently  he 
made  his  home  with  I  >r.  Hill  for  three  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  allowed  to  attend 
school.  On  leaving  the  Doctor,  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years  to  the  saddlery  busi- 

-  with  [ames  Alexander,  but  later  was  in  the 
employ  of  Dr.  1  oster,  ofPhilipsburg,  for  one  year. 
After  a  short  time  spent  in  Pittsburg,  Penn. ,  he 
returned  to  his  native  city,  where  he  worked  five 
years  for  [esse  L.  Test,  a  saddler  and  barn 
maker,  when  he  purchased  the  business,  becom- 
ing proprietor  in  [859.  After  successfully  con- 
ducting the  establishment  for  two  years,  the 
Civil  war  broke  out,  and  prompted  by  a  spirit  of 
patriotism  he  laid  aside  personal  interests  and 
enlisted  in  Company  11.  [48th  P.  V.  I.,  under 
I  apt.  Furland,  .1  ph)  >i<  ian  oi  Bellefonte.  1  le 
was  never  wounded,  and  when  the  war  was  over 
was  honorably  di  d,   fune  1 ,   1  865. 

Returning  to  his  home  in  Pbilipsburg,  Mr. 
Hudson  I  business,  and    soon    built    up    a 

large  and  profitable  trade.  Owing  to  ill  health 
In-  was  obliged  to  lay  aside  active  labor  on  |hne 
9,  1896,  but  after  six  weeks  spent  in  Anson, 
Maine,  he  had  s<  gained  his  usual  health  as 

to  be  abl  an  open  Ins  store  in  Philipsburg. 

He  is  widel)  known  in  business  circles  as  a  man 
ol  undoubted  integrity,  conducting  his  interests 
with  ability  and  a  stint  regard  to  details.  He  is 
a  stalwart  Republican  in  politics,  and  fraternally 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  1".  Lodge  No.  206, 
of  Philipsburg,  of  the  < ,.  \  K  .  and  of  the  R.  O. 
\  1.  As  a  citizen  he  deserves  the  high  regard 
in  which  he  is  universally  held,  and  in  social 
circles  he  and  his  estimable  wife  hold  an  enviable 
p.  isition. 

<  >n  the  24th  of  December,  [868,  at  Philips- 
burg, Mr.  Hudson  was  married  by  Rev.  Foster, 
to  Miss  Susan  Harpster,  and  seven  children  came 
to  bless  their  union:  Margaret  M.  (wife  of  N.  N. 
Davis,  a  jeweler  of  Philipsburg  .  Laura,  Charles 
R.,  Thornly  B.  and  Stanley  J.,  all  at  home, 
Lewis,  deceased;   ami  Jesse  L.  T. ,  at  home. 


JOHN  (i.  PLATT,  of  Philipsburg,  Centre  | 
county,  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  en- 
ter prising  citizens  of  that  thriving  city,  his 
extensive  wholesale  grocery  business  being  con- 
ducted  after  metropolitan  methods,  and  reflect- 
ing unusual  judgment  and  skill.  Although  the 
business  is  owned  by  a  stock  company,  he  was  i 
its  chief  promoter,  and  has  been  its  manager  and 
chief  from  the  start,  achieving  a  success  which  1 


would  have  done  credit  to  a  much  older  head. 
Besides  the  store  in  Philipsburg,  which  is  equal, 
in  magnitude  and  business,  to  any  large  citv 
establishment,  he  has  another  at  Du  Hois,  in 
Clearfield  county,  of  equal  proportions,  and  six 
salesmen  are  kept  constantly  on  the  road.  I 
business  is  exclusively  wholesale,  and  sta: 
second  to  none  of  the  kind  in   the  State 

Mr.  Piatt  was  born    May  7,   1863,  at   Ypsil- 
anti.  Mich.,  and  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  wh 
various  members  ha\  e  held    honorable  positi 
in  life  wherever  the)  might  be  placed.      His  lie 
of  descent  is  traced  to   one  of  two  brothers    . 
came  from  France  at  an  early  day  to  make  their 
homes  in  America,  one  locating  in  New  York  City, 
and  the  other  at   the  site   o|   the   present   citj 
Plattsburg,    N.    Y.      From    the    latter   v 
scended  James   Piatt,  our  subject's  great-grand- 
father, who  lived  and  died  in  Rensselaer  count\ 
New  York.      Edwin  A.  Piatt,  the  grandfathi  1 
our  subject,   was  born   at    Stephen  town,    Ri 
selaer  county,  N.  Y.,  whence  in  1833  hen 
to  Michigan,  where  he  passed  his  remaining  yi 
in  agricultural  pursuits.      His  wife,  (  aroline  Par- 
also  died    in    Michigan.      Of    their  five  chil- 
dren, Alfonso  Piatt,  our  subject's  father,  was  thi 
eldest:     (2)  Pardee,  now  a  resident  of   Detroit, 
married  Miss  Fannie  Alger,  sistei  oi    Gen.  K    A 
Alger,  formed)    governor  of    Michigan,  and 
many  years  past  a    prominent   figure    in   national 
politics.      (3)   Henry   D.  is   a   farmer  at   the  old 
homestead     (bought     in     1833),    near    Ypsilanti. 
Mich.      14     Susan    married    John    Koreson. 
Lenota,  who  has  not  married,  resides  at   Luding- 
ton,  Mich.       The  Michigan  branch  of   the  family 
is  highly  connected,  and  Mrs.  Don  M.  Dickenson, 
of  Detroit,  was  a    Miss   Piatt,  and  full   cousil 
our   subject's     lather.      Mrs.    Caroline    (Pard 
Piatt,  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  related  to  an  old  family  of  Rensse- 
laer county,  N.   Y.      She    was    a    sister   of   A: 
Pardee,  of  Hazelton,  Penn.,  a  millionaire  lumber 
and  coal    "king."     The  Pardee   family,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Platts,  moved  to  Michigan  in  [8 
settling  near  Ypsilanti. 

Alfonso   Piatt   was  born  November  10.    < 
at  the  old  home  in  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y  ,  but 
accompanied    his    parents   to    the  West  when  a 
child,  and  was  reared  there.      Mercantile  life  at- 
tracted  him,  and  after  clerking  in   a   store   for 
some  time,  he   engaged  in   business   for  hine 
at   Ypsilanti,  remaining    until    he    was   forty-tiw 
years  old,  when  he  moved  to  Hazelton,  Penn., 
to   take  charge  of  a   store  for  A.  Pardee  &  I 
Later  he  spent  six  years  in   Virginia,  but  return- 
ing to  Hazelton  he  resided  there  eight  years  be- 
fore finally  locating  in  Philipsburg,  where  he  is 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


509 


now  living  in  retirement.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Martha  E. 
Tower,  who  died  in  1865,  aged  thirty-two  years; 
only  two  of  their  six  children  lived  to  maturity, 
John  G.  and  Ario  Pardee.  His  second  wife  was 
Harriet  (Redner)  Tower,  and  two  children,  Pearl 
and  Harcy,  were  born  to  this  union. 

J.  G.  Piatt  was  five  years  old  when  his  father 
removed  to  this  State,  and  he  attended  the  first 
school  in  Hazelton.  After  a  brief  residence  in 
Virginia,  he  spent  some  time  in  Michigan,  and 
acquired  a  practical  education  in  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Ypsilanti.  He  then  clerked  in  a 
wholesale  grocery  store  in  Detroit,  for  a  time, 
and  on  his  return  to  Hazelton  he  became  book- 
keeper for  J.  F.  Barber  &  Co.,  remaining  with 
them  several  years.  With  his  abilities  thus  devel- 
oped by  experience,  he  went  to  Philipsburg  in 
1888,  and  established  his  present  mammoth  es- 
tablishment, speedily  winning  a 
business  circles.  His  offices  are 
for  business,  and  are  thoroughly 
equipment. 

Mr.  Piatt's  wife,  formerly  Miss  Alice  Turn- 
bach,  is  a  native  of  Black  Creek  township,  Lu- 
zerne Co.,  Penn.,  born  in  January,  1863.  One 
daughter,  Lucile,  brightens  their  home.  The 
entire  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  active  workers  therein.  Socially 
Mr.  Piatt  is  a  Freemason,  and  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum.  In  his  political  predilections 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  efficiently  served  on 
the  city  council  three  years. 


high  rank  in 
well  adapted 
up-to-date   in 


F^RANK  McFARLANE.  Among  the  best  cit- 
izens of  the  country,  there  are  few  that  are 
the  peers  of  the  representatives  of  the  Scotch- 
Irish  race,  who  have  taken  so  active  and  prom- 
inent a  part  in  the  development  and  upbuilding 
of  theNew  World.  Their  sturdy  physical  strength 
and  inborn  frugality,  thrift  and  industry,  are  still 
characteristically  developed  in  their  representa- 
tives in  America.  The  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Harris  township, 
is  a  magnificent  specimen  of  this  hardy  race. 
He  occupies  an  elegant  brick  residence  one-half 
mile  east  of  Boalsburg,  surrounded  by  a  beauti- 
ful lawn,  and  is  on  the  site  of  the  old  Springfield 
mill,  near  the  head  waters  of  Spring  creek. 

Our  subject  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  James 
McFarlane,  who  made  his  home  in  Huntingdon 
county,  near  Lewistown,  Penn.,  and  on  March 
14.  1782,  wedded  Mary  Smith.  Their  family 
numbered  ten  children,  as  follows:  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, who  was  born  May  16,  1783,  and  married 
John  Thompson;   Rosanna,    born    February  23, 


1786;  Janet,  who  was  born  July  15,  1788,  and 
became  the  maternal  grandmother  of  our  subject; 
James,  who  was  born  November  3,  1790,  and  be- 
came the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject; 
Mary,  born  April  15,  1793;  William,  born  Jan- 
uary 30,  1796;  Margaret,  born  July  17,  1798; 
Robert,  born  December  9,  1800;  Andrew,  born 
February  20,  1803;  and  Nancy,  born  May  14, 
1805. 

James  McFarlane,  Jr.,  when  a  young  man 
became  a  resident  of  Harris  township,  Centre 
county,  his  home  being  near  Branch,  where  he 
owned  and  cleared  atractof  land.  On  March  30, 
1824,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lilly 
Henry,  whose  death  occurred  May  21,  1828.  He 
survived  her  many  years,  dying  near  Lemont, 
Centre  county,  October  8,  1869.  Two  children 
were  born  to  them:  William,  the  father  of  our 
subject;  and  Robert,  who  was  born  November  6, 
1826.  The  latter  held  a  colonel's  commission  in 
the  Civil  war,  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness in  Bellefonte,  but  died  in  his  store  in  Belle- 
fonte  May  18,   1 891. 

The  birth  of  William  McFarlane,  father  of 
our  subject,  occurred  at  Branch,  Harris  town- 
ship, January  8,  1825,  and  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  place  and  Shingletown  he  se- 
cured his  early  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented with  a  course  in  the  academies  at  Boals- 
burg and  McAlistervilie,  Penn.  On  leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  returned  to  his 
father's  farm,  which  he  operated  for  several 
years.  He  was  married  May  30,  1849,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Kyle,  who  died  February  21,  1869. 
Four  children  blessed  their  union:  James,  born 
May  3,  1852,  died  August  20,  1853;  Joseph  Iv, 
born  January  30,  1854,  is  a  farmer  of  Buffalo 
Run  Valley,  Centre  county;  Frank  is  next  in  or- 
der of  birth;  and  Janet,  born  October  23,  1861, 
is  living  with  our  subject.  For  a  year  after  his 
marriage,  the  father  continued  to  reside  at 
Branch,  and  then  for  five  years  made  his  home 
at  Buffalo  Run,  Centre  county,  while  for  fourteen 
years  subsequently  he  lived  at  Puddingtown, 
near  Lemont,  College  township.  In  1872  he 
purchased  195  acres  near  Boalsburg,  on  which  he 
made  many  excellent  improvements,  and  there 
died  August  12,  1893,  honored  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew1  him. 

At  Buffalo  Run,  Centre  county,  Frank  Mc- 
Farlane was  born  June  14,  1857,  and  in  the 
common  schools  of  Centre  Furnace  began  his 
literary  education.  After  taking  a  preparatory 
course  in  Boalsburg  Academy,  he  entered  the 
agricultural  department  of  State  College,  but  at 
the  end  of  two  years  was  obliged  to  give  up 
study  on  account  of  his  eyesight,  which  had  been 


510 


CO  VMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


affected  by  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever.  He  then 
became  overseer  of  the  estate  near  Boalsburg, 
which  position  he  is  still  acceptably  rilling,  and 
with  him  resides  his  sister  Janet.  They  are 
widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  com- 
munity, and  enjoy  the  friendship  of  a  large  circle 
of  acquaintances.  He  is  a  prominent  and  active 
member  of  t h<-  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  and 
an  ardent  Republican  in  politics,  advocating  the 
gold  standard.  He  has  two  relics  which  he 
values  very  highly  one,  a  gold-mounted  sword 
presented  to  his  uncle  Robert  by  the  men  of  the 
ij.Xth  P.  V.  I.,  of  which  regiment  he  was  colo- 
nel; the  other  relic  is  a  cane  of  straight-grained 
hickory,  whittled  from  an  octagonal  piece  of 
wood  by  his  great-greatuncle,  William  McFar- 
lane,  a  captain  in  the  Continental  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  This  was  done  while  he 
was  in  prison  in  New  York  City,  held  as  a  British 
captive.  The  cane  is  forty-eight  inches  long, 
.mil  bears  the  inscription:  "Capt.  William  Mc- 
Farlane,  prisoner  one  year,  ten  months  and  five 
days,   New  York,   September  21,    1776." 


PILLIAM  K.  CRUST,  well  known  through- 


out Benner  township  and  vicinity,  has 
-p.nt  his  entire  life  in  Centre  county.  He  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  of  150  acres, 
lo  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  which  he 
devotes  his  time  and  attention  with  most  satis- 
factory results.  The  well-tilled  fields  and  sub- 
stantial farm  buildings  stand  as  monuments  to 
his  thrift,  industry  and   enterprise. 

Mr.  ("rust  was  born  in  College  township,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  an  1  Marj  I  >smer)  Crust,  both 
natives  of  England,  During  his  youth  the  fa- 
ther crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  while  the 
mother  was  brought  here  when  two  years  of  a 
by  her  parents,  who  spent  their  last  days  in  Ben- 
ner township,  Centre  county.  In  the  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crust  were  the  following  children: 
M.11  \  Ann,  widow  of  Samuel  Saxon,  who  was 
killed  in  the  Scotia  mines;  Sarah  J.,  deceased 
wife  of  Georgi  Singleton,  who  has  again  married 
since  her  death,  and  is  now  living  in  Canoe  \ 
ley,  Blair  Co.,  Penn. ;  Janus  H.,  who  died  leav- 
ing a  family,  now  residents  ol  Scotia,  Centre 
count}-:  Katharine,  wife  of  Edward  Marshall,  of 
Patton  township.  Centre  county;  Emetine,  wife 
of  William  I. ut/.  of  Benner  township;  I 
who  died  in  infancy;  Sophia,  wife  of  John  Reed, 
of  Huntingdon  counts,  Penn.;  R.  H.,  who  mar- 
ried [ennie  Shope,  and  is  living  in  Patton  town 
ship;  William  E.,  of  this  sketch ;  Adaline,  wife  of 
ph  Shope,   of   Renin  o,  Clinton    Co.,  Penn.; 


Amelia,  wife  of  David  Hoover,  of  Altoona,  Penn. 
T.  L. ,  a  school  teacher  of  Peru  Station,  Centn 
count\;  Ira.  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years 
ami  Eva  I...  wife  of  Robert  Coral. 

On  reaching  a  sufficient  age,  William  1. 
Crust  entered  the  public  schools  of  College  town 
ship,  but  completed  his  education  in  Spnn 
township,  Centre  county.  He  was  reared  t 
farm  work,  which  he  made  his  life  occupatCn 
On  February  5,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marring 
with  Mary  Martin,  and  they  became  the  parent 
of  six  children:  Miles,  who  died  November  2 
1 88 1 ;  Mary  A.;  Edgar,  who  died  in  infancy  0 
the  15th  of  May,  [883;  Charles  T. ;  James  I 
and  Clarence  W.  Mr.  Crust  is  an  earm 
porter  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republic 
an  party,  and  in  religious  faith  is  a  Methodist 
He  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  hi 
neighbors,  and  is  regarded  in  all  respects  as  a 
honest  man  ana  a  good  citizen. 


JOHN  B.  WETZEL,  a  typical,  self-mad 
man,  is  one  of  those,  who,  without  extraoi 
dinary  family  or  pecuniary  advantages  at  th 
commencement  of  life,  have  battled  eat 
and  energetically,  and  by  indomitable  courag 
and  integrity  achieved  both  character  and  tor 
tune.  By  sheer  force  of  will  and  untiring 
he  has  worked  his  way  upward.  He  is  now  thi 
proprietor  of  the  Empirelron  Works,  located  ,1 
Howard,  Centre  county. 

Mr.  Wetzel  is  a  nativeof  Centre  county,  ban 
in  Hublersburg,  March    1,  1863,  and  is  a  son  0 
Tobias    B.    and    Mary    (Mitchell)    Wetzel,    whi 
were  natives  of  New   Berlin,  Union  Co.,  Penn. 
where    they   were    married    and   remained 
1855,  which  year  witnessed   their  arrival  111  *  1  D 
tre  county.      They  first  located  near  Hublersburg 
whence,  in  1865,  they  removed  to  Millheim.  late 
tn  Flemington,  Clinton  county,  and  are  no\ 
dents  of    Lock   Haven,  Penn.,  where   the   fathe 
is   engaged    in    farming    and    dairying.      II 
public-spirited,  energetic  man,  taking   a   1 
nent  part   in  public    affairs,  and    has    held  & 
local  offices.      His   political  support   is  givi 
Republican  party,  and  in   religious  belief  I 
Lutheran.      Four  children  constitute  his  family 
namely:      Howard,  a  machinist  of  Lock  II 
Curtm,  a  well    driller    ol    the    same    place 
IV.  of    this    sketch;  and    Emma,    wife   of 
Aullabaugh,    who   is  connected    with   the  W     *> 
Hileman  Furniture  Co.,  of  Lock  Haven. 

Until  [883  our  subject  remained  with  his  pW 
cuts,  attending  school  and  aiding  his  father  in 
the  work  ol  the    farm.      He    also   served  an   ap- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


511 


prenticeship  to  the  machinist's  trade  in  the  Nov- 
elty Iron  Works  of  Lock  Haven,  and  after  leav- 
ing home  went  to  Moshannon,  Centre  county, 
where  in  partnership  with  John  McCartney  he 
established  the  Empire  Iron  Works.  At  the  end 
of  two  years  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest, 
and  continued  the  business  alone  for  a  year, 
when  his  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  then 
came  to  Howard  and  erected  his  present  iron 
works,  which  he  has  since  successfully  operated, 
manufacturing  plows,  building  engines,  and  do- 
ing general  repair  work  of  all  kinds.  He  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  with  a  cash  capital  of  but 
$35,  and  from  this  small  beginning  has  built  up 
his  present  extensive  business. 

On  July  1,  1886,  Mr.  Wetzel  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bechdol,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  five  children:  David  and  Edward 
(twins),  who  died  in  infancy;  Mamie  L. ,  who  also 
died  in  infancy;  and  Harry  T.  and  William  G., 
at  home.  Mrs.  Wetzel  was  born  at  Marsh 
Creek,  Centre  county,  March  15,  1855,  an^  is  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Thiel)  Bechdol, 
natives  of  Eagleville,  Centre  county.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Disciple  Church,  while  the  mother 
held  membership  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church.  He  died  March  4,  1 891,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight  years  and  twenty-six  days,  and 
she  passed  away  March  13,  1867,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-seven  years.  In  their  family  were  seven 
children,  as  follows:  Lida,  who  resides  on  the 
old  homestead;  Susan,  wife  of  William  Wentzel, 
a  blacksmith  of  Flemington,  Penn. ;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  our  subject;  Sarah,  also  residing  on  the 
old  homestead;  David,  deceased;  Emma  and 
Jacob,  residing  with  their  sisters  at  the  old  home; 
and  Edward,  deceased. 

Although  a  young  man,  Mr.  Wetzel  has  al- 
ready attained  to  a  measure  of  prosperity  that 
many  a  one  who  started  out  on  life's  journey  be- 
fore him  might  envy.  He  has  a  wide  reputation 
as  a  most  capable  workman  and  an  upright,  reli- 
able business  man,  progressive  and  energetic. 
He  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  but  now 
holds  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  is  an  active  worker.  In 
politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
giving  his  influence  and  vote  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  its  measures  and  the  election  of  its  can- 
didates. 


G\EORGE  B.  UZZELL.       The  subject  of  this 
J  history  is  one  of   the   prominent  citizens  of 
,    Clarence,  Centre  county,  and  the  owner  and  pro- 
prietor  of   the    leading  hotel  of  the    place.      A 


native  of  Centre  county,  he  was  born  in  Snow 
Shoe,  May  10,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G. 
Uzzell,  a  Welchman  by  birth.  In  1843,  tne 
father  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  emigra- 
tion from  Wales  to  the  United  States,  being  at 
that  time  ten  years  of  age.  They  located  at 
Karthaus,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.,  where  the 
grandfather  obtained  employment  at  the  furnace. 

In  1854  John  G.  Uzzell  came  to  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  at  first  engaged  in  blacksmithing  in  Snow 
Shoe,  where  in  1862  he  erected  a  hotel,  which 
is  still  in  use.  He  is  now  principally  interested 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  upon  a  tract  of  500 
acres  in  the  Alleghany  Mountains  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  deer,  while  the  streams  he 
has  well  stocked  with  fish.  An  enterprising, 
progressive  man,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  clear 
land  in  Snow  Shoe  township.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Etters,  born  in  Centre  county,  in  1838, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  sons:  John,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  George  B.,  of  this 
sketch;  and  James  F.,  at  home.  George  B.  ob- 
tained a  good  practical  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Centre  county,  and  continued  to  assist 
his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm  and  in  the 
hotel  until  1893,  when  he  purchased  his  present 
hotel  in  Clarence,  and  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted the  same.  The  interests  and  comforts  of 
his  guests  are  the  great  objects  that  he  is  striving 
for,  and  no  more  genial  and  pleasant  landlord 
can  be  found  in  a  wide  range  of  country.  The 
house  is  well  fitted  up,  is  convenient  and  com- 
fortable, and  the  cuisine  is  unexceptionable. 

In  May,  1886,  at  Snow  Shoe,  Mr.  Uzzell  was 
married  to  Miss  Fannie  Kramer,  and  five  children 
were  born  to  them:  Bernice,  who  died  of  diph- 
theria, at  the  age  of  seven  years;  Elizabeth,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two;  Annie,  who  also  died  of 
diphtheria  when  two  and  one-half  years  old; 
James  G.,  who  is  with  his  parents;  and  one  who 
died  unnamed.  Mrs.  Uzzell  was  born  in  Pine 
Glen,  Centre  county,  June  24,  1866,  a  daughter 
of  John  H.  and  Rebecca  J.  (Fye)  Kramer,  na- 
tives of  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  the  former 
born  December  16,  1830,  and  the  latter  May 
27,  1 84 1.  They  were  married  in  Burnside  town- 
ship, same  county,  and  became  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Annie,  wife  of  James  Emerick,  a 
hardware  agent  residing  in  Somerset  county, 
Penn. ;  Carrie,  wife  of  Edward  Davis,  a  mine 
foreman  of  Clearfield  county,  Penn.;  Fannie; 
Harry,  a  blacksmith  of  Holt  Mines,  Centre 
county;  and  Theodore,  a  railroad  fireman  of 
Clearfield.  For  a  short  time  after  their  marriage, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kramer  made  their  home  in  Clear- 
field county,  and  then  returned  to  Centre  county, 
where  they  are  now  living  retired.      By  trade  the 


512 


<  OMMEMORATWE  BIOGRM'IW  M.   HKCORD. 


father  is  a  carpenter.       The    maternal  grandpar- 
ents of   Mrs.   rjzzell,  John  and  Margaret  (Bow 
Fye,  were  natives  of  Ireland. 

Mr.  Uzzell  takes  an  active  interest  in  civic 
societies,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Golden  Eagle,  the  American  Mechanics  and  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternities,  while  politically  he  is 
a  stanch  adherent  to  the  principles  formulated  by 
the  Democr.  ty.      He  and  his  wife  hold  an 

enviable  position  in  the  social  circles  of  the  com- 
munity where    they    make   their  home,  and  h 
main  warm  friends  throughout  the  county. 


of  the   vestry.      He   affiliates   with  the   1  ,\  A 

M.,   Lodge    No.    391,    at    Philipsburg,    and  with 

the   Royal   Arcanum,    Centre   Council    No.  So;, 
etc.      In  politic  >  he  is  a   Democrat. 


JALBER  I  WALK  IN,  postmaster  at  Philips- 
burg, Centre  county,  is  a  genial  young 
gentleman  whose  efficiency  in  any  line  of  effort 
undertaken  bespeaks  unusual  ability  and  energj 
He  was  born  in  England,  May  [3,  1867,  a  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Cook)  Walton,  both  also  na- 
mes of  that  country,  who  came  to  America 
wlnii  our  subject  was  about  two  years  old,  and 
located  at  Philipsburg,  Penn. ,  before  the  develop- 
ment of  the  coal  fields  of  this  section  was  begun. 
In  that  work  John  Walton  took  an  active  part, 
becoming  one  of  the  leading  prospectors,  and 
he  also  developed  and  operated  some  valuable 
coal  lands.  He  had  been  a  contractor  in  Eng- 
land, and  had  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of 
coal  mining  there.  He  still  owns  an  interest  in 
:  1  i  n  properties,  but  has  retired  from  active 
business,  and  with  Ins  estimable  wife  is  enjoying 
a  <|iiiet  life  at  their  home  in  Philipsburg. 

J.  Albert  Walton  is  the  only  child  of  his  par- 
ents, and  as  he  has  lived  in  Philipsburg  from 
childhood,  he  is  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
place.  After  completing  a  course  of  studv  in 
the  public  schools  there,  he  became  a  book- 
keeper in  the  office  connected  with  his  fatb 
mining  business.  At  an  early  age  he  began  to 
show  a  liking  lor  politics,  and  time  has  demon- 
strated his  possession  of  decided  ability  in  that 
line.      In  Jum  he  was  commissioned  post- 

master at  Philipsburg,  by  President  Cleveland; 
confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  re-commissioned 
by  President  McKinley  in  March,  [897.  He  has 
since  filled  the  office  to  the  entire  satisfaction  "f 
all  concerned. 

On  July  IS.    [889,   Mr.   Walton  was  unit 
marriage     with    Miss    Annie    Laura    Burchfield, 
daughter  '>t   William   b     Burchfield,    ex-register 
of    1  f    (  entn     1  ounty.      Three    children 

have  blessed  this  union:  Sue  I.  ,  John  and 
William  B.  In  musical  and  social  life  Mr.  Wal- 
ton and  his  wife  hold  a  leading  pla<  e.  The  fam- 
ily is  connected  with  the  I  piscopal  Church,  and 
oui  n    secret. u\ 


WILLIAM  T.  HILLIBISH,  of  Bellefonte, 
Centre  county,  enjoys  an  exceptionally 
high  reputation  in  business  circles  as  a  manager 
of  large  enterprises,  and  the  same  qualities  which 
have  won  him  this  distinction,  when  applied  to 
municipal  affairs,  have  made  him  prominent  in 
that  line  also,  the  people  in  their  corporate  ca- 
pacity recognizing  in  him  one  to  whom  they  ma\ 
wisely  delegate  the  power  to  carry  their  \vi- 
into  practical  effect. 

Mr.   Hillibish   is   a   native  of  Bellefonte,  born 
May  20.   1858,  and   his   father,  the  late  Nicho 
Hillibish,  who  died  at   an  advanced  age,  was  for 
fifty  years  a  prominent  business  man  of  that  city, 
having  gone  there  from   his   native  place  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Penn.,  early  in  life,  to  establish  a 
hardware   store  and   tin   shop.      His  wife,  whi 
maiden    name   was   Johanna   McKean,  was  born 
near  Lewistown,  Mifflin   Co.,  Penn..  and  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven.     They  had  nine  childn 
Lydia  T..  wife  of   Maj.  Chessman,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  an  employee  in  the  Pension  Depart 
inent;  Maria  L.,  who   is   nol    married;  James  B 
who  died  some  years  ago;    Franklin   S..  of  Can- 
ton, Ohio;  Joseph  I\.,  formerly  a   membi  1 
city  council  of  Bradford,  Penn.,  where  he  died  in 
1893;    George    P.    and    Edward,    who    reside   in 
Canton,  Ohio;  William  T.,  our  subject,  and  John 
\l      of  Canton.  <  )hio. 

The     excellent     advantages    offered    by 
schools    of    Bellefonte   enabled    Mr.   Hillibish  to 
acquire  a  good   practical   education,  a  course  in 
the  high    school    being    followed    by  one    in   the 
academy  of  which  he  is  a  graduate.      On  lea\ 
school  he  learned  the   machinist's  trade  with  W 
P.  Duncan  &  Co.,  and  later  spent  sevi  ra 
with  them  as  foreman.      He  was  chief  engineer 
at  the  nail  works  for  three  year-,  and  then  loan- 
ing a   partnership  opened  the   Bellefonte  Supply 
House;  but  he  disposed  ol   his  interest  not  It 
afterward,   and    went    to    Lorain,    Ohio,    to   take 
charge    of    the    shape    mill     in     Johnson's 
work-.      He  returned  to  Bellefonte  recently,  a 
is   now    in   the  employ  of   the  Jenkins   L 
Coal  Co.,  at  Howard,  as  their  sup  lent. 

Mr.   Hillibish    is   an  ardent    supporter   ol 
doctrines   ol  the    Republican  party,  and 

n  intimated,  the  com,  1  .1  in  hue 

all  cli  him   a    popular   cand 

rally,  tions   ol    trust        In    [88 

ted  a  member  of  the  Bellefonte  council   fri 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


513 


the  West  ward,  serving  three  years,  and  then 
after  one  year  of  absence  was  again  returned, 
and  still  holds  that  office.  He  is  also  a  candi- 
date for  the  post  of  city  tax  collector.  Socially 
he  is  prominent  as  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  the  Encampment,  and  for  twenty  years  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  Logan  Steam  Fire  & 
Engine  Company. 


GV\EORGE  NOLL.  Among  the  leading  and 
_Jf  representative  agriculturists  of  Boggs  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  stalwart  and  sturdy  tillers  of 
the  soil,  there  is  none  who  stands  a  more  promi- 
nent figure  than  the  gentleman  of  whom  this  no- 
tice is  written.  Besides  being  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming,  he  is  the  proprietor  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "Washington  Dairy,"  which  he  es- 
tablished in  1 89 1,  and  has  since  conducted  very 
profitably.  Since  1872  he  has  resided  upon  his 
present  farm  of  seventy  acres,  previous  to  which 
time  he  had  rented  land  in  Spring  township, 
Centre  county. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Spring  township, 
October  25,  1841,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Emanuel 
and  Mary  P.  (Wegley)  Noll,  natives  of  Berks 
county,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrated, 
after  which  they  came  to  Centre  county.  The 
father  had  previously  been  a  resident  of  the 
county,  coming  here  with  his  parents,  but  in 
1828  he  returned  to  Berks  county.  Here  his 
death  occurred  in  May,  1886,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-six years.  By  occupation  he  was  a  general 
farmer,  and  in  his  younger  years  was  a  member 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also 
belonged.  She  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  Her  father,  William  Wegley,  was 
also  born  in  Berks  county,  of  German  descent, 
and  was  a  colonel  in  the  war  of  1812.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  George  and 
Margaret  (Lape)  Noll,  were  natives  of  Berks 
county,  whence  in  1820  they  came  to  Centre 
county,  where  the  grandfather  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  called  from  this  life. 

George  Noll,  of  this  review,  is  the  third  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  twelve  children,  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Hannah,  deceased  wife 
of  Elias  J.  Markel,  a  wagon  maker,  of  Hublers- 
burg,  Penn. ;  Liddie,  deceased  wife  of  James  B. 
Grove,  of  Johnstown,  Perm.  ;  Rebecca,  wife  of 
H.  Walker,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county;  John, 
of  Marion  county,  Kans. ;  Emanuel,  of  Belle- 
fonte;  two  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary,  wife  of  J. 
Schwartz,  who  is  living  retired  in  Somerset  coun- 
ty, Perm.;  William  T. ,  a  stone  mason,  of  Spring 

township;   Henry  L. ,  deceased;  and  James  B.,  of 
33 


Milesburg,  Centre  county.  In  the  public  schools, 
George  Noll  obtained  a  rather  limited  education, 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  started  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  working  as  a  farm 
hand  for  six  years.  Prompted  by  a  spirit  of 
patriotism,  he,  in  1 861,  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
Second  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  the  company 
starting  out  with  P.  B.  Wilson,  of  Bellefonte, 
as  captain,  and  Thomas  Snyder  as  first  lieuten- 
ant. He  was  with  this  regiment  in  all  the  im- 
portant engagements  in  which  it  took  part  until 
February  22,  1863,  when  he  was  taken  prisoner 
and  incarcerated  in  Libby  prison  until  the  11th 
of  April,  at  which  time  he  was  paroled.  He  was 
never  in  hospital,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
August-  15,  1865.  For  a  year  and  a  half  he 
served  as  corporal  of  his  company.  Arriving 
home  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  the  next  morn- 
ing found  him  at  work  upon  a  farm,  and  he  has 
since  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  agricult- 
ural pursuits. 

On  March  10,  1870,  Mr.  Noll  was  married  to 
Miss  Annie  Garlrick,  by  whom  he  has  four  chil- 
dren: Urbah  M.,  wife  of  G.  H.  Moore,  of  Eric, 
Penn.,  a  conductor  on  the  Pennsylvania  &  Erie 
railroad;  and  Emanuel  L.,  James  O.  and  George 
H.,  all  three  at  home.  Mrs.  Noll  was  born  Au- 
gust 3,  1S49,  m  Centre  county,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Susannah  (Yonada)  Garlrick,  na- 
tives of  Union  and  Centre  counties,  respectively. 
Their  deaths  occurred  in  the  latter  county.  Dur- 
ing his  younger  years  the  father  followed  carpen- 
tering, but  after  his  marriage  turned  his  attention 
to  farming,  and  at  his  death  owned  some  valu- 
able land.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  be- 
ing Anna  Hoy,  and  to  them  were  born  srx  childen: 
Catherine,  wife  of  P.  Shory,  who  operates  the 
old  Garlrick  homestead  in  Centre  county;  Amos, 
of  Coalville,  Penn.;  Rebecca  J.,  wife  of  Martin 
Meese,  of  Michigan;  Henry,  deceased;  Emeline, 
deceased  wife  of  John  Meese;  and  John,  of  Coal- 
ville, Penn.  Mrs.  Noll  is  one  of  the  three  chil- 
dren born  of  the  second  union,  the  others  being 
Levi  and  George  W-,  both  deceased. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noll  are  faithful  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  he  has  be- 
longed for  twenty-three  years,  and  for  the  past 
eighteen  years  has  been  an  elder  in  the  san 
Socially,  he  holds  membership  in  the  U.  V.  L. 
and  of  the  P.  O.  H.  R.  His  political  support  is 
given  the  Democratic  party,  but  he  cares  nothing 
for  official  distinction,  preferring  to  give  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  business  interests.  He  is 
one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  citizens 
of  Boggs  township,  widely  and  favorably  known, 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  en- 
tire community. 


514 


CO  UMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


BENJAMIN  ROUSH,  ol  Madisonburg,  Centre 
county,    is    one    of    those    wholesome,  gen- 
ble  individuals  to  whom  old  age  brings 
piril   and  breadth  of  view  which 
maki  h,    however  beautiful    and  charming, 

tnd incomplete.      Born  July  10,  [820, 
in   Washington    township,  Snyder  (now    Union) 

nty,  he  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  section 
t<>  wh  1  li  this  volume  is  devoted. 

derick  Roush,  his  father,  was  born  in  Sny- 
der county,  and  made  his  home  there  until  1832, 
when  with  his  wife,  Dorothy  Nogle,  and  their  lit- 
tle   family,  he   moved   to   Brush    Valley,  Centre 

nty  lie  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and. 
after  living  lor  a  time  in  a  rented  house  in  an- 
other part  of  Miles  township,  lie  settled  in  Mad- 

iburg,  where  he  continued  his  business  until 
a  few  years  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
when  he  was  sixty-two  years  old;  his  wife  lived 
to  be  ninety-three  years  old,  and  both  are  buried 
at  Madisonburg.  The  father  was  a  man  of  in- 
fluence among  his  associates,  and  was  elected  on 
the  Den  ticket  to  various  township  offices. 

Although  a  hard  worker,  he  never  accumulated 
much,  his  earnings  sufficing  only  to  give  the  fam- 
ily a  comfortable  living.  He  was  a  good-sized 
man,  and  enjoyed  excellent  health  previous  to 
his  last  illness.  In  religious  faith  he  and  his 
wil'   were  Lutherans,  and  for  many  years  he  held 

e  in  the  Church,  as  deacon  and  elder.  Their 
children  were:  ti)  Catherine,  now  Mrs.  Abra- 
ham Snyder,  of  Nittany  Valley;  (2)  Benjamin, 
our  subject;  (3)  Daniel,  of  Madisonburg;  14! 
Mary,  who  married  John  Smith,  and  died  at 
Reedsville,  Penn. ;     (5)  Louisa  (Mrs.  Noah  Mus- 

.  who  died  in  Half  Moon  Valley;  (6  Eliza- 
beth, widow  of  John  Rachua,  of  Greg-  township, 
Centre  county;  (71  Susannah,  widow  of  Israel 
Vonada,  of  the  same  township;  and  (8)  Henry, 
who  died  in  Stephenson  county,  Illinois. 

Benjamin  Roush  spent  his  early  years  in 
tin-  vicinity  of  Freeburg,  Snyder  county,  and 
received     such     educational     ad\  as    the 

hi  of  that  locality  then  afforded.  Under  his 
father's  instructions  lie  became  familiar  with  the 
details  of  the  shoema  kei  's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  he  was  about  twenty-five  years  old, 
saving  from  his  wages  $600.  On  March  13, 
1849,  he  was  married  in  township,  Centre 

c ty,  to  Miss  Margaret    Hoy,  the  only  chil 

John  and   Margaret    Hoy.      As  his   wife   and  her 

ents  desired  the  family   life   to  continue   un- 
broken,  Mr.   Roush   gave    up    his   trade    and 
came  a  tanner  on  the  Hoj   hi  d,  remaining 

there  until  [880,  when  he  moved  to  Madisonburg. 

He  purchased    a    lai  .  1        house    opposite  the 

"Miller    Motel,'     and   made    his    home    thereuntil 


after  the  death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred  Ma\ 
30,     1889,      She    was    a    lady    of  fine    Christian 

ter,  a  devout  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  her  death  was  deeply  mourned  by 
all  who  knew  her.  live  children  survive  her 
John  H.  is  a  farmer  in  Gregg  township,  Centre 
county;  Sarah  J.  married  A.  H.  Vonada,  of  Miles 
township,  Centre  counts';  Mary  A.  married  D 
D.  Royer,  of  the  same  township;  Jeremiah  L. . 
a  ministei  of  the  Reformed  Church,  resides 
in  Pennsburg,  Montgomery  Co.,  Penn.;  Emma 
J.  married  Jacob  Deitrich,  of  Miles  township, 
Centre  county,  and  for  some  years  Mr.  Roush  has 

it  their  pleasant    home   near    Madisonburg. 
His  sons  a  1  liters  have  without"  exception 

taken  honorable  positions  in  life,  and  make  a 
family  of  whom  any  parent  would  be  proud. 
Few,  if  any,  fathers  in  this  section  have  con- 
tributed so  liberally  to  start  their  children  in  life 
as  has  Mr.  Roush,  no  less  than  $7,000  having 
been  given  to  each  as  the  time  came  to  leave 
the  home  nest.  Each  has  received  a  farm,  and 
he  has  thus  disposed  of  the  five  which  he  for- 
merly owned.  He  believes  that  help  should  b* 
given  to  the  children  while  they  an  young  and 
can  benefit  by  it;  and  certainly  the  results  jus- 
tit\  the  theory.  Fortunately  he  still  has  plenty 
to  keep  "the  wolf  from  the  dooi  ls  he  is  yet 
iated  among  the  wealthy  men  of   the  county. 

Mr.   Roush   has   been    an    industrious    worker 
and  shrewd  manager,  and  well  deserves  his 
cess  in  life.      His  time  has  been   given  mainly  to 
the  care  of   the    estates,  but    for   three   and   one- 
hall   years  he  conducted  a  mercantile  busim 
Madisonburg,  having  been  obliged  at  one  time  to 
secure  certain  bail  money  for  which  he  was  liable 
by  buying  a  stock   of  goods.      Politically,  hi 
sti  adfa  '   I1  mocrat,  and  his  fellow  citizens  have 
called  him  to   the   service   of  the    community    at 

lit  tunes  as  supervisor  and  school  din 
He  has  always  been  .1  .  heerful  givei  to  religious 
movements,  and  especially  to  the  Reformed 
Church,  in  which  he  is  at  present  a  trustee.  He 
was  one  oi  the  building  committee  of  two  at  the 
time  the  society  built  their  church  edit: 
Madisonburg,  ami  he  gave  liberally  of  both  time 
and  money  to  insure  the  success  of  the  under- 
taking. 

fOHN  A    CONFER,  undertaker  and  furniture 
is  one  of   the  leading  and  successful 
business  men   ol    Milesburg,  (  entre  countj 
lb-  is  a  1  I  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born 

September  30,  [859,  in  Porter  township,  Clint 
county,  and    is  a    son   ol    Solomon   Confer,  who 
was  botn   111    Snidertown,  Centre  county,  in  N 
\  ember.  1  838.       I  lie  father  is  also  an  undertaker. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


515 


and  engaged  in  that  business  for  twelve  years  at 
Unionville,  Penn. ,  but  since  1883  has  made  his 
home  in  Milesburg.  At  Aaronsburg,  Centre 
county,  Solomon  Confer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  J.  Shields,  a  native  of  Clinton 
county,  Penn.,  who  died  March  17,  1889,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-one  years.  Six  children  were  born 
of  this  union,  but  with  the  exception  of  our  sub- 
ject all  died  in  infancy.  The  parents  were  both 
consistent  member  of  the  Evangelical  Church, 
and  in  politics  the  .father  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Confer,  of  this  review,  remained  at  home 
with  hig  parents  until  his  marriage,  but  began  his 
business  career  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  working 
for  the  first  four  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
with  his  father.  He  then  engaged  in  clerking 
for  the  Washington  Iron  Co.,  of  Clinton  county, 
for  two  years,  and  subsequently  helped  to  re- 
build a  tannery  at  Lock  Haven,  Penn,,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  He  then  returned  to  Lamar, 
Clinton  county,  but  a  few  months  later  removed 
to  Millheim,  Centre  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  for  one  year.  During  the  winter  he 
clerked  in  a  store,  and  the  following  spring  went 
to  Hublersburg,  Penn.,  where  he  worked  in  the 
mines  for  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  came  to  Milesburg,  doing  the  carpenter  work 
for  the  McCoy  &  Linn  Iron  Foundry  for  one  year. 
In  1885  he  embarked  in  the  furniture  business  at 
Milesburg,  in  connection  with  his  father,  who 
was  the  undertaker,  but  on  September  1 1,  1894, 
he  purchased  the  latter's  interest,  and  has  since 
been  alone.  He  began  business  on  a  small  scale, 
but  as  his  patronage  steadily  increased,  he  en- 
larged his  facilities,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  an 
extensive  trade.  In  1895  he  removed  from  his 
old  stand  to  a  handsome  new  store  building. 

On  March  18,  1879,  Mr.  Confer  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Miss  Eva  E.  Clark,  a  daughter 
of  Josiah  and  Naomi  (Mann)  Clark,  and  to  them 
were  born  five  children,  all  yet  at  home,  namely: 
Mary  J.,  Sarah  E.,  Solomon,  Clark  and  Marian. 
The  mother  of  these  died  April  30,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-six  years.  Mr.  Confer  was  again 
married,  March  21,  1893,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Miss  Ida  M.  Loveland,  by  whom  he  has 
one  son,  Wilbur  F.  Mrs.  Confer  was  born  July 
11,  1861,  in  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  and  is  the 
only  child  of  Wilbur  F.  and  Hannah  (Watson) 
Loveland,  also  natives  of  Clinton  county,  where 
the  father  is  now  living  retired.  In  early  life  he 
engaged  in  the  axe  business.  The  mother  died 
in  1865,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  and  he 
later  married  Josephine  Custard,  who  bore  him 
two  sons,  Harry  and  Reuben.  Both  parents  of 
Mrs.  Confer  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


Politically,  our  subject  adheres  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party,  takes  an  active  part 
in  its  work,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  central  committee. 
For  four  terms  he  has  filled  the  office  of  overseer 
of  the  poor,  and  has  also  been  auditor  and  school 
director  in  his  township.  Fraternally,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Odd  Fellows  Society  of  Miles- 
burg, No.  410.  He  is  a  straightforward,  reliable 
business  man,  and  in  his  work  is  ably  assisted  by 
his  wife,  who  is  also  a  practical  embalmer,  hav- 
ing attended  the  Oriental  School  of  Embalming, 
and  becoming  quite  proficient  in  that  art.  Both 
are  well  known  throughout  the  community,  and 
have  many  warm  friends. 


IfSAAC  MILLER,  a  well-known  and  highly  es- 
_L  teemed  citizen  of  Bellefonte,  is  a  native  son 
of  Centre  county,  born  in  Spring  township, 
August  23,  1839.  His  parents,  Robert  V.  and 
Elizabeth  (Lytle)  Miller,  were  natives  of  Chester 
and  Centre  counties,  Penn.,  respectively,  the 
former  born  in  1795,  and  the  latter  in  1807.  In 
Chester  county,  the  paternal  grandfather,  Reuben 
Miller,  who  was  of  English  descent,  spent  their 
entire  life,  while  the  maternal  grandfather  was 
born  in  Centre  county,  but  passed  his  last  days 
in  Clearfield  county. 

Robert  V.  Miller  was  a  nephew  of  the  Valen- 
tines of  Bellefonte,  in  which  place  he  made  his 
home  for  some  time,  working  in  the  iron  mills 
until  1833,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  four 
miles  east  of  the  city,  and  operated  the  same  un- 
til 1-858.  In  that  year  he  became  a  resident  of 
Pleasant  Gap,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1863; 
his  wife  departed  this  life  in  1869.  For  five 
years  before  his  death  he  was  totally  blind.  He 
was  a  loyal,  patriotic  citizen,  devoted  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  country,  and  always  supported  the 
party  whose  principles  he  thought  would  best 
advance  its  interests,  being  at  different  times  an 
Abolitionist,  Know-Nothing  and  Republican.  A 
conscientious,  earnest  Christian,  he  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  a  just, 
upright  man  in  all  things. 

In  Spring  township  Isaac  Miller  grew  to  man- 
hood, assisting  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
and  learning  to  "  read,  write  and  cipher  "  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He  re- 
mained upon  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage, 
January  17,  1865,  to  Miss  Catherine  Pennington, 
who  was  born  in  Penn's  Valley,  May  2,  1841. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Elizabeth  L. ,  wife  of  Ed  P.  Moore,  of  Tyrone, 
Penn.,  by  whom  she  has  one  child — Catherine 
P.;   Isaac    P.,  who    is    clerking    in    a    dry-goods 


516 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


house  in    Philadelphia;  Annie,    who  was  born   in 
,.  and  died  in  [871  ;  and  Mordecai,  at  home. 
The    wife    and    mother   has  served    as  toll-gate 
keeper  since  •  >cti  ibei .   1  ■•  ■ 

F01  ifter  his  marriage,  Mr.  Miller 

w.is  interested  in  the  coal  business,  later  owned 
and  1    a  threshing    machine,   and  ran   a 

jon  f"i  the  Valentine  store,  Belle- 
fonte.  Il<-  then  became  a  puddler  in  an 
iron  furnace,  where  he  is  still  employed.  In 
►5,  during  the  Civil  war,  he  was  drafted  for 
but  hostilities  had  ceased  before  his  com- 
pany was  >  ailed  upon  for  duty.  He  is  an  ardent 
Republican  in  polities,  and  a  worthy  member  of 
the  '<       nds.      Enjoying  the  esteem, 

.  onfidence  and  1  i  the  whole  community, 

Mr.  Miller  may  well  ed  among  the  pi 

meiit  and  representath  1  •  ■  mn- 

ty.  He  is  a  man  "I  the  strictest  integrity  and 
honor,  and  assuredly  merits  the  high  regard  in 
which  he  is  universally  held. 


DAVID     FIEDLER.       The    subject    of    this 
sk  I   tin    prominent  and   repre- 

>:  mers    oi     Penn     township.    Centre 
county,  and  has  made  hi  upon  his  present 

than  t.  .1 1  \  \  ears. 
!  hi    fii  Ids  are  well  tilled,  thi  lildings  neat 

and    substantial,    and,    in    fact,    the  whole   pi; 

of   thrift   and   prosperit) ,  which 
bout  the  place  of  an  industt 
and  thorough  agriculturist. 

A  nativ  1  inty,  Mr.  Fi(  llei 

1»  .1 11  in    ! 
nl    I  trine     Neese)    Fiedler.      The 

who  wa 
win  his    only    child,    was    but    six 

which   he    and    his    mother 
went  tn  live  with  her  father,  Pi  who 

was  n  township,  located  on  Penn 

k.      Tie  !    in   the  usual  man- 

in  1  of  farn  I  his  early  educa- 

tion in  the  subscription  his  firsl 

being    Henry    Raughhausei       He  completed   lu-> 
liter  Heckmai  1 ,"    but 

his  I  Inn-  v.  In 

Marj    J     \\  ise,  w  hi 
n  m   Haines  township,  Februarj 
dau|  |ohn  and   Cath 

ed    their   un 
in  iw  the  wifi  iwn- 

ship,  nty. 

P re v i o u s    to    hi 

ime    upon    his  pi  irm, 

then 

i  his 


domestic    life    then.       After   the    death    of   his 
tin-    farm,  for  which  he  had 
reatly  in  debt,  but  by  industry,  p 
and  economy  he  soon   paid   off  the  indebt 
edness. 

itically,  Mr.  Fiedler   is   an  ardent   Demo 
crat,  and  served  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  cap 
in  of  inspector  of  elections.  r  ol  the  pi 

supervisor    and    school    director,    the    duties   of 
which  offices  he  discharged  in  a   prompt  and  effi- 
cient manner.      A  man  of  unquestioned  integi 
and    honor,    he   has    lived     peacefully    with    li 

rs,  having  never  been  involved  in  a  ! 
suit,  and  is  held  in  the  high  regard  by  all  . 
know  him.      He  and  his  estimable-  wife 

i  and  sincere  Christians,  faithful   members 
thp  Lutheran  Church. 


Nil    YEARICK,  a   prominent    general 
chant,  and  postmaster  of  Jacksonville,  w; 
bom  in  Marion  township,  l  mnty,  August 

25,    1S50,   and   is    a  worthy  representativi 
family  that  has  long  been  identified  with  th 
ricultural  and  commercial  interests  of  the  counn 
His   father,  Henry   Yearick,  was  born   in   1 
township,   Centre    county,    January     IO,     l822,    .1 
—  11  of  John  and  Sarah  Saloma  (Rishel)  Yearick, 

nt\ ,  where    they 
entire  lives,  the  former  d)  ing  in  1 
si.\ty-se\  en  years,  and  the  latter  in  i  d  se\  - 

enty-seven.    In  their  family  werethe  followin 
Mary,  who  wedded  [ohn  Zupler,  bul 
are  m  I    Rebecca,  who  mat  1 

I'd  both  an-  deceased;  William.  .1  minis- 
ter of  the   Reformed  Church,  who  was  crippled 
through  rheumatism,  ami  died  at  th 
b<  th,   who    I 
1 fo) .   but    both    are  now 
the    I  -   our    sub  S  11. th,  who   n 

Phil  I  in  <  Him.  where  her 

death  I ;  John,  a  1  mei  "I  N 

Vallej  .  Clinton   Co.,  Penn. ;  Samui 
who  was  a    local    preacher  "f    the    Evangi 
Church,  but    spent    his    1;  in    retin 

:  111;  Ad;" 
ship.  '  1  mnty;  Catherine,  w 

S.    1 1  and   Julian.  .1. 

; 
■  hildren,  ind  1  W 

I    1 »  nip! 
but    v, 
county,  where  they  m  home  u] 

of  their  lives.      1" h e  n 
nal  gi  1.  Adam  Rishel, 

count)  .  b 
tmi    1  :  .  nn.  ,  w  i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


517 


sively  in  land,  but  spent  his  last  days  in   Clear- 
field county. 

Henry  Yearick,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
for  many  years  actively  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  merchandising,  but  is  now  enjoying 
a  well-earned  rest  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Jack- 
sonville, where  he  has  lived  retired  since  [886. 
Being  very  fond  of  reading,  much  of  his  time  is 
devoted  to  that  enjoyment.  In  1845,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  Leinbach, 
who  was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pemi., 
in  October,  1826,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Polly  (Foreinger)  Leinbach,  natives  of  Berks 
and  Lehigh  counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  In 
1850  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yearick  removed  to  Marion 
township,  Centre  county,  where  for  several  j 
they  made  their  home  upon  a  farm.  Thej 
faithful  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  and  respect  b 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  their  acquaintance. 

To  Henry  Yearick  and  wife  were  born  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Samuel  Alfred,  a  carpenter  of 
Superior,  Neb.;  Sarah,  wife  of  J.  J.  Hoy,  a 
farmer  of  Marion  township,  Centre  county;  N. 
H.,  of  this  review;  Mary,  twin  sister  oi  our  sub- 
ject, and  the  wife  of  Hugh  S.  Shaffer,  who  is 
serving  as  postmaster  of  Madisonburg,  Centre 
County;  Laura,  wife  of  James  S.  Martin,  a  farmer 
of  Jacksonville;  Cicero,  a  dentist  of  Detroit, 
Mich.;  Ida,  wife  of  J.  W.  Holmes,  who  operates 
a  steam  thresher  and  also  engages  in  carpenter 
ing  in  Jacksonville;  Charles  E.  and  John  \Y., 
both  farmers  of  Marion  township;  and  Tillie  E. , 
wife  of  Edwin  Peck,  a  merchant  of  Walker  town- 
ship, Centre  county. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject  were 
passed  in  attending  the  district  schools  and  assist- 
ing in  the  labors  of  the  home  farm  until  nineteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  began  clerking  for  his  fa- 
ther in  a  general  mercantile  store  at  Zion,  Cen- 
tre county,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
They  then  formed  a  partnership  in  Bellefonte, 
and  in  1876  they  established  a  business  at  Jack- 
sonville, under  the  firm  name  of  H.  Yearick  & 
Son.  This  connection  continued  until  1886, 
when  they  sold  out  to  W.  W.  D.  Yearick  & 
Brother,  but  two  years  later  our  subject  re-pur- 
chased the  store,  becoming  sole  owner,  and  has 
since  successfully  conducted  the  same.  He  car- 
ries a  large  and  well-selected  stock  of  general 
merchandise,  and  does  an  annual  business  of 
$7,000.  For  some  time  he  also  traveled  on  the 
road,  and  now,  in  connection  with  his  mercantile 
pursuits,  engages  in  farming.  In  January,  1872, 
in  Zion,  Centre  county,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jennie  E.  Rockey,  a  native  of  Mifflinburg,  Union 
county,  Penn.,  born  May  2,  1851,  and  they  have 


six  children,  whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are 
as  follows:  John  H.,  May  12,  1874;  Charles  N., 
December  31,  1876;  Earl  W.,  February  18,  1880; 
Alta  A.,  January  24,  1889;  Arthur  F. ,  March  7, 
[891;  and  Nevin  A.,  July  10,  1896.  All  are  at 
home  with  their  parents  with  the  exception  of 
John  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Marion 
township. 

John  L.  and  Amelia  (Katherman)  Rockey, 
the  parents  of  Mrs.  Yearick,  were  natives  of 
Mifflinburg,  Penn.,  where  the  father  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  fanning  until  1851,  when  he 
removed  to  Zion,  Centre  county.  There  he  died 
January  7,  1X81,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years; 
the  mother  still  resides  at  that  place  with  her 
John  I'.  She  was  born  June  3,  1820,  a 
daughter  of  Frederick  ami  Christine  (Stitzer) 
Katherman,  who  were  natives  of  Union  county, 
Penn.,  where  the)  died  at  an  early  age.  The 
paternal  grandparents    of  Mrs.    \  George 

ami  Elizabeth  (Loher)  Rockey,  were  also  natives 
ol   Union  county,   where  indfather  exten- 

iged    in     milling     and     became    quite 

ithv.  John  I..  Rockej  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  in  her  maidenhood  being  Miss  Mary 
A.  Rule,  of  Union  county,  and  to  them  was  born 
a  daughter,  Mary  A.,  the  deceased  wife  of  Sam- 
right,  a  lumber  merchant  of  Lewis- 
burg,  Penn.  By  his  second  union  Mr.  Rockey 
had  seven  children,  namely:  Sarah  K.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years;  [ane  E.,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  George  II.,  an  agriculturist  of  Zion;  Re- 
becca A.  ,the  wife  of  Christian  Dicker,  also  a  farm- 
er of  Zion;  John  P.,  a  farmer  of  the  same  place; 
and  William,  a  farmerof  Boalsburg,  Centrecoun- 
ty.  The  parents  of  these  children  were  consistent 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics 
the  father  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  self-made 
man  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term,  but  by  in- 
dustry and  good  management  became  quite 
wealthy. 

Mr.  Yearick  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  sup- 
port of  Democratic  principles,  and  takes  a  deep 
and  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs,  giv- 
ing his  aid  to  all  worthy  enterprises  which  will 
advance  the  welfare  of  the  community.  He  is 
one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of 
Marion  township,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact. In  religious  faith  he  holds  membership 
with  the  Reformed  Church. 


OHN  LEECH  COLE,  the   present   postmas- 
ter   of    Zion,  and    a    leading    and    energetic 
farmer  of  Walker   township.  Centre  county, 
was  born  October  25,   1863,  in  Belleville,  Mifflin 


518 


COMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Edward  T. ,  and  Marg; 
E.  (Leech)  Cole,  who  have  made  their  home  m 
Centre  county  -nice  the  spring  of  1868,  and  are 
now  living  retired  upon  a  farm  near  Zion.  The 
father's  birth  occurred  May  5,  1832,  in  Mifflin 
county,  where  his  parents,  who  were  of  English 
descent,  were  also  born,  but  died  in  Huntingdon 
county.  His  great-grandfather  died  in  the  war 
of  1812.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  a  native 
of  Huntingdon  county,  born  July  17.    1836. 

the  parents  were  born  ten  children,  in  ol- 
der of  birth  as  follows:  Lawrence  S.,  born  Sep- 
tember 8,  1855,  married  Eva  Mahin,  a  native  ol 
Ohio,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter;  he  is  a  mil- 
ler of  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  they  make  their 
home.  William  E.,  born  October  31,  1857, 
married  Emma  West,  by  whom  he  has  a  daugh- 
ter, and  is  now  living  in  Golden,  Colo.,  where  he 
is  superintendent  of  an  irrigating  company, 
Anna  I.,  born  in  1859,  is  the  wife  of  Azor  C. 
Kountz,  a  carpenter  of  Dayton,  Ohio.      Leah  A. 

died   in   childh i.     John   L.    is  the  next  in  the 

order  of  birth.  David  S.  is  still  with  his  parents. 
II  innah  L  ,  born  in  1868,  is  at  home.  Samuel 
Sugart,  born  April  23,  1870,  married  Cora  Robb, 
.1  daughtei  of  Henry  Robb,  of  Nittany,  Centre 
county,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  and  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Walker  township,  where  he  is  employed 
in  the  iron  mines.  Mary  P.  is  the  wife  of  Alfred 
Kohl),  a  school  teacher  of  Nittany.  James  Wil- 
son, an  engineer  living  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  was 
born  November  7,  1875,  and  was  therefore  four 
days  too  young  to  cast  his  ballot  for  W.  J.  Bryan, 
whom  he  would  have  supported,  being  a  Demo- 
crat in  politi 

The  education  ..I  John  L.  Cole  was  such  as 
the  common  schools  of  Centre  county  afforded, 
and  upon  th  farm,  under  his  father's  able 

instruction,  he  became  familiar  with  the  duties 
of  an  agriculturist.  On  starting  out  in  life  for 
himself  he  decided  to  follow  the  vocation  to  which 
he  had  1  and  lias  become  a  thorough 

and  skillful  tic   and   progressive. 

He  has  always  given  his  political  support  to  the 
Democratic    party,    and   in   religious   belief 
Lutheran.      ( >n  November  1,   [887,  he  w 
ried   to   Miss   Ida    B.    Shaffer,  daughter  of  John 
Shaffer,   a   farmer   of    Walker  township.    Centre 
county,  and  they  have  one'  son,    Nevin   E.,   born 

■  I  nary     1  Mr.     and    Mrs.     C 

widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  com- 
munity, and  ha\  if  warm  personal  friends. 


HENRY  J.  LIMBERT,  who  is  properly  ranked 
as  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, began  his  can  the  foot   of  the  ladder  in 


life,  without  other  resources  than  his  own  indom- 
itable will  and  steady,  plodding  industry.  From 
a  humble  position  he  has  risen  to  that  of  one  ol 
the  representative  men  of  a  more  than  ordinarily 
intelligent  community.  He  was  born  August  10, 
four  miles  west  of  McKees  Falls,  in  what  is 
now  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  but  was  then  Union 
county.  His  parents  were  John  and  Catherine' 
(Wise  Limbert,  the  former  a  son  of  Peter  Lim- 
bert, a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  the  latter  a 
daughter  of    1  1.  Wise,  a  carpenter. 

When  a   young   man   John    Limbert   came  to 
Centre  county,  and   being   a  carpenter   by    trade 
aided  in  the  construction  ol    the    'Miller  Hotel' 
in   Madisonburg.      While   thus  employed  he  fell 
from  the  roof  to  the  cellar,  and   it   was  ti 
he  was  killed,  but  he  finally  recovered.      At  that 
place  he  was  married    in    1 833,  and  at  on 
moved  to  Union  county,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  until  the  early  "fifties,"  when  he  returned 
to  Madisonburg.     There  he  followed   carpenter- 
ing for  a    time   and  later   worked  at   daj    laboi 
He   died   at  the    ripe    old    age  of  seventy-eight 
years;  his  wife  passed  away   when    over  1 
five  years  of  age,  and  they  now  sleep  side  b 
in  the  Madisonburg  cemetery.      Both  were  active 
and  prominent  members  ol  tin-  Reformed  Church, 
with  which  he   was  officially  connected,  and   Ins 
political  support  was  ever  given   the  I> 

Henry  J.   Limbert  is  the   oldest  in  the  family 
of    seven  children,    the    others    being    Rel 
wife  of  Aaron  Sniull,  of   Rockville,  (  entre 
ty;  John,    a    hotel    keeper    of   Dauphin    county, 
Penn.;   Frederick,    a    retired    fanner   ol   Aarons- 
burg,    Centre   county;    Benjamin,    a    resident    >! 

j    town-hip.   Centre  county;    Catharini 
of    [acob   Frank,  of  Madisonburg;   an 
who  makes  his  home  in  Lock  Haven,  Penn 
education  of  our  subject  was  all  acquired  1 
man  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  thirtei 
obliged  to  la\   aside    his   bo,,ks    ami  earn  his 
livelihood.      He    obtained    employment    with   a 
farmei  m  u   McKees  Falls,  Snyder  county,  where 
he  received  only  his  board    and  clothe-    1 
and,  in  addition,  $311  the   second,  ai 
the  third.      Later  he  was  with  another  man  who 
him   $60  per    year,  his    tune    th 
1  principally  at   work   in   th' 
fore  he  had  attained  his  eighteenth 
le. uning  tlitt  carpenter's   trade   with   1. 
with  whom  he  came   to    Madisonburg, 
he  had   n  the  business  began  work  witl 

John    B.  Shaffer,   serving  as  a  journeyman  until 

In  connection  with   different    partn 
then  engaged  in  business  for   himsel!   until 
when   In    resolved   to  try    his  fi  >n 
was  very  successful  in  his   undertaking    until  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


519 


fall  of  1876,  often  employing  as  many  as  fourteen 
hands,  and  in  the  summer  of  1868  paying  out  as 
much  as  $2,500  for  wages.  In  1877  he  em- 
barked in  farming,  which  he  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1892,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to 
mercantile  pursuits  as  a  partner  of  Benjamin 
Koush,  but  four  years  later  returned  to  his  farm, 
where  he  is  now  living. 

In  Rebersburg,  Mr.  Limbert  was  married 
March  20,  1856,  to  Miss  Caroline  Long,  who  was 
born  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  January  12,  1835, 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Polly  (Deck)  Long, 
and  they  have  six  children,  as  follows:  Josiah 
A.,  a  resident  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio;  Harvey 
M.,  of  Bellevue,  Ohio;  JohnD.,  of  Madisonburg, 
Centre  county;  George  E.,  a  German  Reformed 
minister  of  Grove  City,  Mercer  Co.,  Penn. ;  Will- 
iam H.,  a  school  teacher  of  Rebersburg;  and  Ann 
E.,  at  home. 

In  Madisonburg,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Limbert  began 
housekeeping  in  an  old  dwelling  which  he  had  pur- 
chased, together  with  four  lots,  having  paid  $60 
down,  and  going  in  debt  for  the  remainder  of  the 
amount.  He  borrowed  many  pieces  of  the  fur- 
niture, and  was  compelled  to  borrow  the  money 
to  purchase  the  remainder  of  his  scanty  house- 
hold goods;  but  as  time  advanced  and  he  pros- 
pered in  business,  he  was  able  to  build  a  sub- 
stantial and  commodious  residence  in  Madison- 
burg in  i860,  which  was  neatly  and  tastefully 
furnished.  There  the  family  made  their  home 
until  their  removal  to  the  farm  in  the  fall  of  1875. 
This  adjoins  the  village  and  comprises  ninety-two 
acres,  which  he  has  converted  from  a  wooded, 
stony  tract  into  richly  cultivated  fields,  taking 
from  it  as  many  as  3,000  loads  of  stone.  How- 
ever, it  is  now  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  in 
the  locality,  and  adjoining  it  he  also  owns  sev- 
enty-five acres  of  timber  land.  The  success  that 
he  has  achieved  in  life  seems  almost  marvelous, 
as  from  a  humble  position  he  has-worked  his  way 
upward  until  to-day  he  is  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  substantial  citizens  of  Miles  town- 
ship. 

A  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  honor, 
Mr.  Limbert  is  able  to  look  the  whole  world  in 
the  face  with  a  clear  conscience.  He  and  his 
excellent  wife  are  both  prominent  members  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
elder  for  several  years.  His  political  support  is 
unwaveringly  given  the  Democratic  party. 


HENRY  GRIMM,  the  well-known  merchant 
,  tailor  of  State  College,  Centre  county,  is  a 
man  of  marked  ability  and  enterprise,  and  al- 
though he  has  only  been  a  resident  of  that  place 


since  1892  his  excellent  qualities  have  won  for 
him  the  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
associated. 

Mr.  Grimm  is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  and  honored  family,  the 
patronymic  having  been  known  in  Bavarian  his- 
tory for  more  than  nine  hundred  years.  His 
grandfather,  John  Grimm,  was  a  merchant  in 
that  country,  and  Henry  Grimm,  our  subject's 
father,  spent  his  entire  life  there,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  1862.  The  mother  is  still  living  in 
Bavaria,  and  one  of  their  three  children,  our 
subject,  the  youngest,  is  the  only  one  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  New  World.  (1)  Charles  is  an  offi- 
cial in  the  Bavarian  government,  and  (2)  Freder- 
ica  married,  and  resides  in  her  native  land. 

Our  subject  was  born  March  4,  1857,  and  was 
but  five  years  old  when  he  lost  his  father.  On 
arriving  at  a  suitable  age  he  learned  the  tailor's 
trade,  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  at  his  old 
home  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  America. 
Locating  at  Philadelphia,  he  continued  to  work 
at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman,  but  in  1892  he  re- 
moved to  and  settled  at  State  College,  where  he 
went  into  business  on  his  own  account,  as  a  mer- 
chant tailor,  purchasing  a  shop  which  at  present 
monopolizes  the  business  of  the  vicinity  in  that 
particular  line.  As  Mr.  Grimm  is  an  expert  in 
high-class  tailoring,  keeping  thoroughly  up-to- 
date  in  style,  and  is,  withal,  moderate  in  his 
prices,  he  is  likely  to  retain  his  leadership  in  his 
chosen  calling.  He  has  a  fine  residence  at  State 
College,  purchased  in  1892. 

His  wife,  formerly  Miss  Carrie  Miller,  was 
born  thirty-four  years  ago  at  Philadelphia.  Their 
home  is  made  merry  by  the  presence  of  four 
children — Harry,  Liza,  Lattaand  Charles.  Since 
choosing  America  as  an  abiding  place,  Mr.  Grimm 
has  made  constant  and  thoughtful  study  of  all 
questions  which  affect  the  public  welfare,  and  he 
is  active  in  the  support  of  measures  of  which  he 
approves,  his  influence  being  given  politically  to 
the  Republican  party.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a 
Lutheran,  but  there  being  no  Church  of  that  de- 
nomination at  his  present  home,  he  attends  the 
Presbyterian  one. 


G\ENERAL  JACKSON  WOODRING,  the  gen- 
?  ial  and  popular  proprietor  of  the  "Wood- 
ring  Hotel,"  Port  Matilda,  Centre  county,  was 
born  September  30,  1853,  at  Huntingdon  Fur- 
nace, Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Nancy  (Halderman)  Woodring.  He  was 
twelve  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Centre  county,  locating  on  the  farm 
where  his  father  still  resides,  and  assisted  in  its 


521 1 


00  1/  VSMOBA  Tl  VB  BIOGRAPHICAL   UKiOHD. 


cultivation  and  improvement  until  1871,  when  he 
ttil  .nit  to  earn  his  own  livelihood,  working 
foi  one  year  in  a  gristmill  at  Roopsburg.  I. 
he  entered  the  mill  of  Joseph  Wilkerson,  where 
he  remained  until  1874,  when  he  returned  h 
and  assisted  his  father  during  the  following  sum- 
mer. Subsequently  hi  was  employed  in  various 
mill  a  miller  or  millwright  until  1 

when  he  began  the  operation  of  a  mill,  where  he 
had  previously  been  employed,  conducting  the 
same  for  two  For  five  years  he  operated 

a  flouring-mill  lor  his  brother,  ('■.  W.  Wood: 
in   Martha    I  i   then  returi  Port 

Matilda,  where,  alter  o  mill  foi 

■tied  his  present  hotel.      It  is  conven- 
iently ai  tnd  well  furnished,    and  in  all  its 
appointments,    under  its    present  able  man 
nit  nt,  a  first-class  hotel,  and    is  well  patroni 
Mr.    Woodring     was     married    December  5, 
i .  to  Miss  Bella  J.  Moore,  and   thej 

1  hildren:     <  ■  Margerie 

\  , .  Edith  I .    and    x-  ei      I       thi    last  named  died 
The  oth<  1  I  ill  with  their 

pai  1  ie  V.  is  now  organist  ol 

Methodist    I  I    Church    of   Port    Matilda, 

with  which  the  mothi  ire  all  identi- 

fied.     Mrs.  Woodring  was   born    at    Roopsburg, 
Mas     5,    1 854,    and    is  a  daughter 
of   Patrick  and    Margei  ie  (1 

Roopsburg  and  Unionville,  Centre  coun- 
ty, respectively.  The  fathei  I  in  farming 
at  the  former  place,  where  the  mother  died  Nov- 

of  thirty-foui  \> 

and  he  1  ved    to  M  hei      his 

last  days  were  spent  in  retirement,  dying  in  Feb- 
ruary,  1 

home  "I    his   daughter,  Maggie,  wife   of   San 
Myers.      I  fe  was  a  prominent  and  influential  man, 

a    1  >i :  1  .it    111  and   .1    member  "I 

Methodist  I  hurch,   to   which  his  w  ife 

alsi  id       He  was  bi  irn  on  the   1 1I1 1  h 

stead  farm,  which  his  father,  Hamilton  Mo 
had  (dr.md  and  improved.  The  latter  was  ana- 
tive  ol  Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  America  at  an 
early  day  located  at  Roopsburg  He  became 
one  of  the  leading  and  wealthy  citizens  of  the 
communil  y,  honored  and  1  d  by  all  who  knew 

him.  To  Patrick  Moon  and  wife  were  born 
hildren,  as  follows:  Alfred  <  .,  general 
at  for  a  sewing  machinecompanyat  Harrisburg, 
Penn.;  Maggie,  wife  oi  Samuel  Myers,  a  mill- 
wright of  Milesburg,  Penn.;  Charles  H.,  a  1 
dent  ot  Hellrfonte,  Penn. ;  Thomas  I'.,  oi  New 
Washington,  lVnn. ;  Bella  |..  wife  of  our  subject; 
Anna,  wife  ol  Peter  Cowher,  a  d  r,  ol  Ty- 

rone, Penn.,  and  Clarence,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Politically,  Mr.  Woodring   affiliates   with   the 


Democratic  party,  and  has  been  called  upon  t 

11  a  number  of  local    offices,  being  ta 
lector    three    years,     supervisor    one    year,    and 
school  director  for  the  past  three  years.      He  has 
een   prominently    connected    with  the  elec- 
tion hoard.      Pleasant  and  genial  in  manner  he  has 
many  warm  friends,  and  all  who  know  hit; 
for  him  the  higl  ml. 


FRANK  11.  CLEMSON   occupies  the  respon- 
sible position  of  manager  of  thi 
mines,  and  though  yet  a  young  man  ranks  ami 

the  representatives  of    business  inter- 

in  his  locality.      His   integrity  is  above  questi 
while  his  devotion  to  the    interests  intra 
his  care  is  provi  rbial,  and  he  has  the  respect  and 
nee  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in   contact. 

Mr.  Clemson  was  born  in  Baileyvilli 
county,  Penn.,  April    22,   1867,  and   is    a 
Amos  E.  and  Lydia  1  Rid  mson,  the  lat 

of  whom   was   a  daughter  of   Michael   Ri  l<  1 

irg,  Centre  county.     The  father  w 
near   Milton.    Northumberland   Co.,  Penn., 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.      The   mother  died  in 
September,   1891,  and  w  d  in  the  Luther- 

an cemeterj  at  ( iatesburg        Grandfathei  Cli 
who  was  a  man 

tive    bride,  who   on    the    other  hand    w  is 
came  in  an  eai  y  to  America,  wh 

the  oppo  atives  to  the  match  would 

be  of  no  avail,  and  they  were  here  married.   "I 

randparents  of  our  subject  insistent 

members  of   the   Church  of   England,  and  wi 
buried     in     Pequay    churchyard,    in     I. 
count  \ 

The  parents  of  our  subject  had  a  familj 
six  children:  [onathan,  who  died  at  the  age 
twenty-  .  and  was  buried  m  the  ('emit 

at   Gatesburg,    Penn.;    Daniel   M..    who   wed 
Alice  Gardner,  by   whom    he   has   two  sons.  1 
member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  tin    •■ 
gie    Steel    Co.,  limited,   and    make--    his    hon 
Pittsburg;  Ellen  is  unmarried:  Emma  is  the  w 
ol  Nathan  Dale,  a  farmer  of  Pleasant  < 

aty,  l'\  whom   she  has  one  child,  a  d aught 
Clarence  C  who  is  living  in  Williamsbuq    I 
county,   Penn.,  married    Ida   (dark,  and    had 
son  and  one  daughter  ( the    son,    Berwin,  died 
1  (ctober,   r8o,6,  in  his  third  year). 

uk   H.  Clemson,  whose   name   introdu 
this  review,    has  spent   his  entire    life   in   l 
( '  Hints ,  being  reared  under  the  parental  roi  ' 
educated    in    the   public   schools.      On   April 
he    married    Eva   Gray,  by    whom    hi 
three  children:      Frederick  Gray,  Daniel    R 


T^rzzsn^fc  <7\&,  x^c^^t^^^y 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


521 


and  Sarah  C.  His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  G.  W. 
Gray  and  a  niece  of  Dr.  E.  J.  Gray,  president  of 
Dickinson  Seminary,  Williamsport,  Penn. ,  and 
is  a  cultured  lady  who  presides  with  gracious  hos- 
pitality over  their  pleasant  home. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Clemson  was  appointed  to  his 
present  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Scotia 
ore  mines,  owned  by  the  Carnegie  Steel  Co. , 
limited.  This  company  purchased  the  land  in 
1880  for  $96,000,  and  the  plant  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  more  than  $100,000.  Something  of  the 
volume  of  business  done  may  be  imagined  from 
the  fact  that  more  than  $40,000  is  paid  out  an- 
nually for  labor  alone.  The  mines  are  situated 
in  Patton  township,  and  Mr.  Clemson  gives  to 
their  operation  his  personal  supervision.  While 
he  demands  good  work  from  the  men  in  his  em- 
ploy, he  is  always  considerate  in  his  treatment 
of  them,  and  extremely  just  in  all  things,  so  that 
he  has  their  confidence  and  high  regard.  He 
fully  merits  the  trust  that  is  reposed  in  him,  and 
no  duty  given  to  his  care  is  ever  slighted. 

In  religious  belief  Mr.  Clemson  is  a  Presby- 
terian, while  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Church.  Sinde  1890  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  he  is  a  benevolent 
and  charitable  man,  ever  ready  to  extend  a  help- 
ing hand  to  the  needy  or  distressed.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  for  the  past  five  years 
has  been  chairman  of  the  township  committee, 
and  done  effective  work  for  the  party.  In  busi- 
ness he  is  most  accommodating  and  courteous, 
and  at  all  times  is  a  genial,  affable  gentleman, 
whom  to  know  is  to  respect. 


J|OHN  GINGERY.  Among  those  agricultur- 
ists of  Centre  county  whose  places  manifest 

to  the  most  casual  observer  the  energy  and 
ability  of  the  owner  in  his  chosen  calling,  is  the 
subject  of  this  personal  history.  His  fine  farm 
in  Huston  township  is  on  the  Beaver  Mill  road 
in  Bald  Eagle  Valley. 

Mr.  Gingery  was  born  August  13,  1827,  in 
what  is  now  Mifflin  county,  but  was  then  a  part 
of  Juniata  county,  Penn.,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Fannie  (Stouffer)  Gingery,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  but  were  mar- 
ried in  Juniata  county,  where  they  remained 
until  1840,  which  year  witnessed  their  arrival  in 
Centre  county,  they  locating  at  Houserville,  in 
Spring  township.  Two  years  later  they  removed 
to  a  farm  belonging  to  the  Pennsylvania  Furnace 
Co.,  where  they  remained  for  the  same  length  of 
time,  and  then  went  to  Half  Moon  township. 
There  the  father  died  in  1S71,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years,  and  the   mother  afterward  went 


eleven 
Amos, 
town- 


to  Port  Matilda,  where  she  passed  away  in  1874, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  The  father  always 
followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  by  his  fellow 
citizens  was  elected  to  several  township  offices, 
which  he  capably  filled.  Both  were  consistent 
members  of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  The 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Christian  Stouffer,  of 
Lancaster  county.  By  the  German  emigrants 
who  founded  the  Gingery  family  in  the  New 
World,  the  name  was  spelled  Gingrich. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of 
children,  in  order  of  birth  as  follows: 
deceased;  Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Huston 
ship;  John,  of  this  review;  Betsy,  deceased  wife 
of  George  Gates,  a  farmer  of  Half  Moon  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  Sarah  who  makes  her  home 
with  her  brother  RudcHph  in  Tyrone,  Penn. ; 
Abel,  deceased;  Fannie,  wife  of  Michael  Rider, 
a  farmer  of  Nebraska;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of 
Jerry  M.  Berley,  also  deceased;  David,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  in  Missouri;  Katie, 
who  makes  her  home  in  Harrisburg,  Penn. ;  and 
Rudolph,  in  the  coal  business  in  Tyrone. 

Until  eighteen  years  of  age,  John  Gingery 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  a  manner  similar 
to  most  farmers'  sons,  aiding  in  the  labors  of  the 
fields,  and  attending  the  public  schools.  He 
then  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  on  the  Susque- 
hanna river  for  a  time,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Huston  township,  where  for  seven  years  he 
was  employed  in  a  sawmill,  and  subsequently 
operated  rented  land  until  1887,  when  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm.  He  was  married  Au- 
gust 31,  1856,  to  Miss  Rachel  R.  Dillen.  who  was 
born  in  Huston  township,  June  21,  1836,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Fulton)  Dil- 
len, natives  of  Centre  county  and  Pittsburg, 
Penn.,  respectively.  The  father,  who  was  a 
prominent  farmer  of  that  county,  died  in  1871, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  the  mother 
was  called  to  the  world  beyond  in  1840,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two.  Four  children  blessed  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gingery,  namely:  Cur- 
tin,  born  January  17,  1858,  married  Minnie  Mor- 
ris, and  resides  in  Lock  Haven,  Penn.  ;  Ann, 
born  August  27,  1861,  is  the  wife  of  George 
Stevens,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county;  William, 
born  April  20,  1864,  died  June  23,  1893;  and 
David,  born  May  30,  1866,  married  Cella  Bul- 
lock, and  is  a  farmer  of  Huston  township. 

Mr.  Gingery  is  a  man  of  sound  common 
sense,  just  and  honorable  in  his  business  transac- 
tions, very  public  spirited,  and  in  every  essen- 
tial a  good  citizen.  He  is  a  strong  Prohibition- 
ist, and  gives  that  party  his  hearty  support,  as 
he,  in  fact,  warmly  favors  any  movement  that 
will  elevate  the  moral  status   of  the    State.      As 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  liECORD. 


a  school  director  and  supervisor,  which  office 
held  for  two  years,  he  did  ^ood  service.      He  is 
a  member  oi   the  Baptist  Church,  as  is   also  his 
ellent   wife,  who  shares  with  him  the  respect 
of  the  entire  neighborhood. 


T  xTILEIAM  S.  MUSSER,  the  genial  propri- 
m/mI    etor  of  the  "  Hotel  Musser  "  at  Millheim, 

is  an  up-to-date,  systematic  manager,  whose 
hostelry  is  regarded  by  the  traveling  public  as 
second  to  none  in  Centre  county  for  comfort, 
neatness  and  attractive  cuisine. 

The  Musser  family  is  well  known  in  Centre 
county,  Sebastian  Musser,  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  having  located  there  at  an  early  day. 
His  only  chiKl,  Philip  B.  Musser,  married  Eliza- 
beth flgen,  and  reared  a  large  family,  among 
whom  was  a  son,  Major  William  L.  Musser,  our 
subject's  father,  a  prominent  merchant,  land 
holder  and  hotel  keeper  in  his  day.  He  was 
born  April  10,  1810,  near  Spring  Mills,  Gregg 
township,  Centre  county,  and  after  attending  the 
common  schools  of  that  village  for  some  years  he 
began  business  life  as  a  clerk  for  a   Mr.  Petrikin. 

On  August  13,  1835,  Maj.  William  L.  Mus- 
ser married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hubler,  one  of  the 
four  children  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Kepler) 
Hubler,  and  by  this  union  there  were  three 
daughters:  Maggie,  born  September  29,  1837,  t.\u>\ 
January  31,  1854;  Elizabeth,  born  August  24, 
1840,  now  the  widow  of  George  Condo,  formerly 
of  Indianapolis,  and  for  twenty-one  years  a  rail- 

d  employee;  and  Sarah  [.,  born  February  3, 
1X43,  married  to  Samuel  P.  Resman,  then  a 
merchant  and  fanner  a1  Millheim,  and  now  a 
farmer  in  Nebraska.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  at  Millheim,  March  28,  1845,  °f  l>- 
phoid  fever,  and  August  4,  1840,  the  father 
married  Mis  -r.  by  whom  he  had 

two  daughters  (twins  ,  born  Junes,  1848 — Clara 
M.,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Emma, now  the  wife 
(  apt.  Heimbach,  of  the  United  States  army, 
who  is  living  in  nt  at   Muncy,  Lycoming 

Co..  Penn.  tie  was  wounded  in  the  Civil  war. 
Mr.  Musser  had  been  commmissioned  sheriff  of 
Centre  county  under  Gov.  William  F.  Johnson, 
October  10,  1840,  and  had  removed  to  Belle- 
foiite,  where  his  second  wife  died  September  20, 
1 S49,  from  typhoid  fever.  He  was  married  (a 
third  time  January  24,  1850,  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Stine,  the  second  of  the  four  children  of  Isaac 
and  Elizabeth  Zergar  Stine,  wealths-  and  prom- 
inent residents  ol  Lebanon  county.  Her  eldest 
sister,  Maria,  now  the  widow  of  Henrj 
Weaver,  lives  in  .Millheim.  The  third  member 
of  the  family,  Elizabeth,  married  Dr.  Wagner,  a 


1    of    Lebanon,   Penn..    and   the  youngest. 
1.  is  a  car  inspector  al  Bellefonte. 
I  >nr      subject     is     the     eldest     of     the    four 
children    of    this    marriage,    the    others    b 
George  W.,  born  September  4,   [852,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Alice  R.,  born   June  12,    1854,  married  J. 
W.    loner,  a  resilient  of  Philadelphia;  Agn 
born  March  4,    1837,  married  John  L.   Noggle,  of 
Philadelphia,    who    has    been   employed    in    the 
custom  house  for  twenty-one  years.      The  father 
of  this  family  continued    to   reside    in    Bellefonte 
until  the  expiration  of   his   term  as  sheriff,  when 
he  returned  to  Millheim,  and   for  three  years  fol- 
lowed mercantile  pursuits.      He   then  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  in  a  hostelry  formerly  occupied 
by  Samuel  Haupt.      This   was  a    licensed  house 
and  a  central  stopping  place  between  Mifflinburg 
and   the  Old    Fort    in    Potter    township,  Centre 
county.      In  1877,  after  twenty-one  years  in  the 
hotel,    Mr.  Musser   retired  from    business  owing 
to    ill    health,  and  spent    his  remaining   d; 
quiet  in  a  pleasant  home  built  by  his  wife  in  Mid- 
dle l'enn  street.   Millheim        He  died   Octo 
1889,  of  old   age.      He  was  a  man  of  large  build, 
well-proportioned     and     straight,    full-faced   and 
very  active  both  physically  and  mentally.      \- 
conversationalist  he  was  unusually  gifted,  and  at 
times   he    made  political   speeches  of  mon 
ordinary  power.      An    ardent    Democrat,  he  was 
always  ready  to  defend  his  views,  and  was  one 
of    the   leading  politicians    of    the    county.      Al- 
ii he  was  not    a  Church  member,  he 
liberal  contributor  to  religious  movements  and  to 
relief  work  among  the  poor.        His  title  "|  "Ma- 
jor "  was  gained  by  service  in  the  First  Batl 
First    Regiment    Pennsylvania    National    Gl 
his  commission  dating  September  25,   1845.     IE- 
was  fond  of    fishing  and    hunting,  and   w..- 
successful    in    these    pursuits,    reliable   authority 
having  credited  him  with  having  killed    106 
in  bis  lifetime.      His  love  of  family  and  horn 
kind  husband    and    fl 
bject's  no  'ther.  who  inherited  wealth 
her  parents,  still  resides  in  her  luxurious  hoi 
Millheim,  and  at  seventy  years  of  age  is  111  1 
lent   health,   enjoying  life's  blessings  heartily. 

William   S.   Musser   was    born    at    Bi 
December   3,    1850,  during    Ins   father's 
sheriff.      His  parents  removed  to  Millheim  I 
Ins  school  daj  and    lie  acquired  his 

ii  there  mainly,  although  he  attended  A 
burg  Academy  for  a  time,  studying  undei 
Gutwalt  and  Prof.   Hoy.     When  a  boy  of  t< 

eled  in  the  West  with  his  parent- 
far    as    Iowa,    where   the}'    spent    one    summer. 
He    naturally    became    familiar    with    the    hotel 
business  as  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  at  an 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


523 


age  he  became  a  partner  in  a  tannery  with  his 
father. 

In  1875  Mr.  Musser  married  Miss  Annie  C. 
Harter,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Harter.  One 
daughter  was  born  of  this  union,  Loda  S.,  an 
accomplished  young  lady  now  attending  school 
in  Philadelphia.  Her  mother  died  in  May,  1889, 
of  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  after  an  illness  of 
only  three  days.  Afterward  Mr.  Musser  married 
his  present  wife,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Kreamer,  a  well-known  resident  of  Brush  Valley. 
She  is  a  woman  of  much  talent,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Reading  High  School.  Of  three 
children,  the  first,  Hyle,  died  in  infancy;  Ada  R. 
and  Margaret,  both  at  home,  are  beautiful  and 
interesting  children. 

Previous  to  his  first  marriage,  Mr.  Musser, 
while  out  hunting,  was  accidentally  shot  in  the 
shoulder,  resulting  in  a  permanent  injury.  On 
this  account  the  tannery  was  sold,  and  he  en- 
tered the  hotel  business,  renting  his  father's  es- 
tablishment. The  place  soon  showed  the  effects 
of  his  progressive  management.  He  built  addi- 
tions to  the  dining  room  and  kitchen,  furnished 
the  entire  house  in  excellent  style,  with  conven- 
iences far  beyond  what  might  be  expected,  in  a 
town  of  the  size  of  Millheim,  and  in  fact  trans- 
formed it  from  a  country  inn  to  a  first-class  hotel. 
"Billy,"  as  he  is  called  by  a  host  of  friends,  is 
jovial  and  kind-hearted,  and  his  genuine  interest 
in  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  his  guests  makes 
the  remembrance  of  a  sojourn  at  his  house  a 
pleasing  one.  Mr.  Musser  is  prominent  in  the 
local  Democratic  circles,  but  is  not  an  office 
seeker.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 


T^HOMAS  MERRYMAN.  The  stability  or 
substantial  progress  of  a  county  or  State  is 
due  largely  to  its  agriculturists,  and  of  this  class 
our  subject  is  a  worthy  representative.  He  was 
born  July  31,  1853,  on  his  present  homestead 
on  the  Fowler  road  in  Taylor  township,  Centre 
county. 

Leonard  Merryman,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  the  same  county,  March  2,  1812,  a 
son  of  Elijah  and  Elizabeth  (Hartline)  Merryman, 
natives  of  England.  On  reaching  manhood  he 
wedded  Miss  Maria  Arna,  who  was  also  born  in 
Centre  county,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Hester 
(Cox)  Ama.  They  spent  their  last  days  upon  the 
present  farm  of  our  subject,  the  father  dying  Fe- 
bruary 28,  1885,  and  the  mother  on  April  19, 
1875,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  three  months 
and  a  few  days.  Both  were  earnest  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  politics 


he  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party.  By  trade 
he  was  a  blacksmith,  but  during  the  later  years 
of  his  life  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  men 
of  the  community,  widely  and  favorably  known. 

Thomas  Merryman  is  the  youngest  in  a  family 
of  eight  children,  the  others  being  as  follows: 
Nancy,  born  September  19,  1838,  is  the  wife  of 
John  McMunagle,  a  sketch  of  whom  follows; 
John,  born  September  23,  1840,  died  January 
27,  1848;  Elizabeth,  born  May  27,  1842,  is  the 
widow  of  George  Calderwood,  of  Philipsburg, 
Penn. ;  Esther,  born  March'  8,  1844,  died  April 
25,  1862;  Elijah,  born  October  17,  1846,  died 
September  15,  1850;  Julian,  born  May  21,  1849, 
died  September  9,  1850;  and  Josephine,  born 
February  15,  185 1,  makes  her  home  with  her 
brother  Thomas.  Our  subject  has  spent  his 
entire  life  upon  his  present  farm,  and  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  locality  acquired  a  good 
practical  education,  which  has  well-fitted  him 
for  the  responsible  duties  of  life.  He  is  a  thor- 
ough and  skillful  farmer,  industrious  and  en- 
ergetic, and  the  well-tilled  fields  and  neat  appear- 
ance of  his  place  indicate  the  thrift  and  enterprise 
of  the  owner. 

On  July  2,  1885,  Mr.  Merryman  married 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Kelly,  and  they  have  had  six  chil- 
dren, in  the  order  of  birth  as  follows:  Harry, 
born  April  6,  1886,  died  January  11,  1887; 
Gertrude,  born  December  16,  1887;  George  T. , 
born  January  2,  1890;  Cicero,  born  February  21, 
1892,  died  on  the  11th  of  the  following  June; 
Lona,  born  September  23,  1893;  and  one,  born  in 
1896,  died  in  infancy.  Politically,  Mr.  Merryman 
casts  his  ballot  in  support  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Republican  party.  As  a  business  man 
he  possesses  excellent  judgment,  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  his  farming  operations,  and  in  all  respects 
is  accounted  a  useful  and  desirable  member  of  so- 
ciety, and  he  is  a  representative  and  leading  citizen 
of  the  community.  His  estimable  wife  belongs  to 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  which  he  also  at- 
tends, though  not  a  member. 

John  McMunagle,  brother-in-law  of  Thomas 
Merryman,  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Taylor 
township.  He  was  born  in  that  township,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1834,  one  mile  from  where  he  now 
resides,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen  H.  and  Eve 
(Frantz)  McMunagle,  natives  of  Centre  county. 
The  father  died  June  30,  1875,  aged  eighty-one 
years,  seven  months  and  four  days;  the  mother 
passed  away  in  April,  1884,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  They  were  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church;  in  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig, 
later  a  Republican,  and  served  as  poor  overseer, 
supervisor,  and   justice  of   the  peace   ten  years. 


524 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRA  /'///'  .1  /.   IIFJ'OIU). 


I  hey  were  the  parents  of  children  as  follows: 
\ln\  is  the  deceased  wife  of  David  Henderson, 
also  deceastl  David  is  also  deceased;  Henrv  is 
a  fanner  in  Kansas;  Christina  is  the  widow  of 
I'm    Melcher;   Jacob   lives  in    Altoona,   Penn. ; 

v  is  the    widow  of  Abraham    Burns,  and  ! 
in  Centre  co  farming  the  old  home- 

d;  Lair  is  the  d(  wife  of  David   Hard- 

man,  also  deceased;  Lavina  is  the  wife  of  David 
i     nire  county;  I  was 

married  .     Vaughn,  and  after    his 

Merryman,  also  now 
1  is  a  farmer  in  ('•  Stephen 

i  in  infancy;  John  is  tl  of  whom  we  now 

write;  and  Samuel  died  in  infani 

At  the  age  of  twenty-tw  fohn  McMun- 

agle    left    the    parental    roof    and  purchased    his 

ent    farm  in  Taylor  township,  which   at  that 
time  was  a   wilderni  ning   with    wild    ani- 

mals. On  December  t8,  [856,  he  married  Miss 
Nancy  Merryman,  and  eight  children,  as  follows, 

•  born  to  them;      Mary  is  the  wife  o 

Lewis,  a   railroad  conductor  at   Alt 1a,  Penn.; 

bert  R.  is  a  lumberman  at  I '"it  Matilda,  Penn.; 

M.  married  Miss  Maude  Clawson,  a  lumberman 
at     I  n.  ;  Stephi  a  died    al  e   of 

two    months;     I  is    unmarried,    and    li 

with  his  parents;  I  mma  is  the  wife  of  Samuel 
<  '<  iwher,  .1  f  m  in  niie  county;  and  I  ' 

1  a  farmi  unty,  married    En 

I  wings.      Mr.  McMunagle  in  his  political  prel 
ence  is  a   K>  looked  upon  as 

e  farmer  citizens  of 
his  township  and  i    unty. 


GEORGE    II.    SMULL.      In    endeavoring    to 
/e  in  this  volume  due  recognition  to  all  the 

prominent  families  of  the  section,  we  have  found 
the  most    inl  and   progressive   spirits  the 

;t  helpful  to   the  enterprise,  and  it  is  through 
the  oi  the  subject  of  this 

sketch  that  nabled  to  present  the  foil 

rtg  account  oi  the  Smull  family,  which 
has  been  well-known  in  Brush  Valley  from  pio- 
neer times. 

The   first    ''I    tin     line    in  America   was  - 
Smull,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject.      He 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  whence  he  came  to  this 
•country  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  1 
tury  to  locate  m  the  eastern  pan  of  Pennsylvania. 
Six  of  his  children  lived  to  adult  age     two  daugh- 
ters and  lour  sons,  the  names  of  the   latter bi 
Henry,   Jacob,    Peter    and    Jesse.      The     Smull 

ilj  in  Brush  Valle)  is  descended  from  the  first 
three    sons,  who    were    skilled    masons,  and    all 


went  at  the  same  time  to  Rebersburg  to  build  th. 
wall  foi  the  Lutheran  Reformed  1  hurch.     "1  i 
remained  in  the  Valley,  and,  living   in   German 
settlements,  they  and  their  children  adopted  th 
language  and cu  f  their  neighbors.     Of  th 

brothers,  Jacob,  in   later  years,  did   an   extensi\ 
business   in   cutting  tombstones    for  the   Reb 
burg  cemetery  from   native  rock,  and  several  1  t 
these  monuments  are  still  st;  Jacob  died 

at  his  home  below  Aaronsburg,  and  was  buried  at 
Rebersburg.    Peter  removed  in  later  life  to  S 
phenson  county.   111.,  and  died  there. 

Henry  Smull,  our  subje.  ndfather, 

born  in  eastern  Pennsyh  mia,   February  2,  1; 
and,  con  y   in  early  manhi 

with  no  capital  except  his  own  abilities  and  sti 
physique,  was  ob  work  for  man) 

a  day  I,.  He  sa\  ed   his  money,  h 

and   in   time   managed    to   buy  a    farm    betw 
Kreamerville  and  Centre  Mill.     The  ■  th 

place  dev<  >1'  Iiis  family  a> 

tinued  to  work  at  his  Politically  he  > 

.  but  aside  from  voting   negularl] 
public    affairs.       II. 
longed  to  the  I. nth.  ran  Church,  and  was 
stant  at.  i  active  worker,  I 

ous   offices.      Hi  nt  in   Rock- 

ville,  Penn.,  in  well-earned    .  his  toil  hav- 

ing gained   him  a  comfortable  competence,  and 

ied   February  2,    [879,  his  burial 

■     Rebersburg       ; 
pected  among  his  as-  tor  his  integrity, 

being   known    far   and   near   as   a  "man 

wnrd." 

After    his    removal    to    Brush    Valley    1! 
Smull   married    Miss   Elizabeth    Royer,   b)  whom 
he  had  the  following  children :    Poll)  Alis  \\ 
iam  Walker);  John,  now   postmaster  at   Reb< 
burg;     Harrison,    a    stonemason    by    trade,   who 
died  at  Rebersburg;   Abigail,  the  widow  of  Fran- 
cis Brownlee,  of   Freeport,  111.;   Lovina,  wife 
William  Bierly,  ol  Rebersburg;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried   Samuel    Gramlev,  and    died    at    Reb 
and     |efferson,    residing    in    Mackeyville,    Penn. 
The  mother  of  this  family  died  in    IS  — .  and 
remains   were   laid   to   rest    in   the   family  lot  in 
Rebersburg  cemetery.      Henry  Smull  for  b 
ond  wife   married  Catherine   Kreamer,  who 
born    near    Kreamerville,    October    22,    1806,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Kreamer,  and   died  N 

I887,  hei  funeral  being  held  at  Rebersbi 
re  were  five  children  by  this  union:      Aan 
a  resident  ol  Rockville,  Penn.;  Reuben,  our  sub- 
ject's father;  Simon,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  w 
died    in    Madisonburg;    Hannah,  now   Mrs,  I 
Fullmer,  of  Rebersburg;   and   Henry,  oi   Kream- 
erville. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


525. 


Reuben  Smull,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  October  30,  1838,  at  the  old  home  near 
Kreamerville.  He  first  attended  school  at  Re- 
bersburg,  with  John  Burkett  as  his  teacher,  and 
he  afterward  pursued  his  studies  as  he  could  in 
the  intervals  of  farm  work.  Short  as  the  winter 
terms  were,  he  could  not  attend  full  time,  his 
help  being  required  at  home.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  began  to  learn  the  mason's  trade  with 
his  father,  and  two  years  later,  having  become 
proficient  in  all  branches  of  the  work,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  brother  Harrison,  and  fol- 
lowed the  business  for  several  years. 

In  January,  1862,  Reuben  Smull  was  married 
in  Brush  Valley,  at  the  home  of  the  bride's  par- 
ents, to  Miss  Louisa  Gramley,  who  was  born  near 
Rebersburg,  June  12,  1 841 ,  the  daughter  of  Jos- 
eph and  Esther  (Schmeltzer)  Gramley.  The  fol- 
lowing year  they  spent  in  Rebersburg,  and  in 
1863  they  removed  to  a  farm  adjoining  Kreamer- 
ville  on  the  north,  and  then  belonging  to  Joseph 
Kreamer.  Mr.  Smull  rented  this,  and  remained 
there  until  1864,  when  he  went  to  a  farm  near 
Rockville,  and  while  engaged  in  agriculture  did 
some  work  at  his  trade.  In  the  spring  of  1888 
he  purchased  the  Joseph  Kreamer  estate,  and  re- 
turning to  it  has  since  resided  there,  giving  his 
attention  to  farming  exclusively.  The  place 
makes  an  attractive  homestead,  and  under  the 
able  management  of  its  owner  is  a  profitable  in- 
vestment. 

Reuben  Smull  is  a  man  of  no  pretensions, 
minding  his  own  business,  and  this,  by  the  way, 
is  a  characteristic  trait  of  his  family,  which  has 
produced  a  number  of  substantial,  successful,  yet 
unassuming  citizens.  He  upholds  the  principles 
ol  the  Democratic  party  on  national  issues,  but 
where  local  questions  only  are  involved,  he  de- 
clines to  surrender  his  judgment  blindly,  and 
votes  as  he  thinks  the  interests  of  the  people  de- 
mand. Official  honors  have  no  particular  charms 
for  him,  but  he  has  served  as  tax  collector  in 
Miles  township.  In  religion  he  is  a  Lutheran, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the 
Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  the  only 
son  of  his  parents,  was  born  at  Rockville,  June 
23,  1869.  Inheriting  the  sterling  qualities  of  his 
ancestry,  he  has  the  added  advantage  of  good 
schooling,  and  the  modern  spirit  of  enterprise 
makes  his  talents  practically  available  in  lines  in 
which  former  generations  took  no  part.  After 
completing  the  course  of  study  in  the  local 
schools,  he  pursued  other  branches  at  Spring 
Mills  and  Selins  Grove,  Penn.,  and  at  Dakota, 
111-  He  was  an  apt  student,  learning  rapidly, 
not  only  from  books  but  also  from  observation. 


and  several  years  spent  in  the  West  in  his  early 
"twenties"  served  to  broaden  his  views  of  men 
and  things  in  a  practical  way. 

On  returning  to  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Smull 
was  associated  for  some  years  with  the  circula- 
tion department  of  the  Keystone  Gazette  of  Belle- 
fonte,  his  duties  taking  him  to  all  parts  of  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania.  In  February,  1896,  he 
became  identified  with  the  New  York  Life  Insur- 
ance Co.,  as  a  subordinate  agent,  and  his  abilities 
quickly  won  the  approval  of  the  highest  officials. 
His  promotion  followed  not  through  any  "in- 
fluence," but  because  the  shrewd  men  at  the 
head  of  the  company  needed  just  such  tact,  en- 
ergy and  sound  judgment  as  they  saw  revealed 
in  his  work.  He  is  now  the  general  agent  for 
Centre,  Clinton,  Union  and  other  counties,  and 
exacting  as  are  the  requirements  of  the  post,  they 
are  met  promptly  and  satisfactorily. 

On  July  4,  1 89 1,  Mr.  Smull  was  united  in 
wedlock  with  Miss  Daisy  Blanche  Stover,  a  na- 
tive of  Rebersburg,  born  May  15,  1873.  She  is 
a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  re- 
spected families  of  Brush  Valley,  and  is  the  eld- 
est of  three  children  of  Cornelius  and  Chestie 
Stover.  She  is  an  attractive,  accomplished  lady, 
and  held  in  high  esteen  by  all  her  many  friends. 
Mr.  Smull.  built  a  pleasant  residence  in  Rebers- 
burg, which  he  now  rents,  he  and  his  wife  pre- 
ferring to  remain  at  their  country  home.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smull  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  are  living  supporters  of  its  work. 
In  fact  Mr.  Smull  has  already  shown  his  public 
spirit  in  many  ways,  being  always  ready  to  en- 
courage any  movement  that  might  tend  to  prog- 
ress. At  one  time  he  was  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, but  of  late  he  has  endorsed  the  doctrines  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  one  of  its  advis- 
ers and  counsellors  in  his  locality.  He  is  a  di- 
rect descendant  from  John  A.  Smull,  the  author 
of  Smull's  "Legislator's  Hand  Book  and  Man- 
ual of  Pennsylvania." 


BiENJAMIN  CORL,  a  well-known,  wide- 
.)  awake  farmer  of  Ferguson  township,  Centre 
county,  was  born  December  3,  1830,  in  Union 
Penn.,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Corl,  Sr. , 
birth  occurred  in  Chester  county,  this 
During  his  youth  the  father  had  re- 
to  Union  county,  and  later  came  to 
Centre  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  For  twenty  years  he  followed  black- 
smithing,  but  later  in  life  gave  his  exclusive  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eliza- 
beth Vonada,  was  a  native  of  Centre  county. 


county, 
whose 
State, 
moved 


COM&EMOBA  TIVE  BI0OBArJIir.il.   RECORD. 


In  June,  [863,  Benjamin  Corl,  our  subject, 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Neidigh,  who  was 
called  to  her   final   1  rried    life  of 

eighteen  years  Four  children  graced  their  un- 
ion,  namely:  Henry,  born  April  24,  1868,  assists 
his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm; 
Amanda  C,  burn  June  21,  1S72,  is  the  wife  of 
Milton  Zeigler,  a  sawyer  by  trade,  living  in  Luth- 
ersburg,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn. ;  Bella  is  the  wife 
of  Philip  C.nnable,  a  farmer  of  Huntingdon 
county,  i  ind  Alfred,  born  August  12,  1 879, 

is  living  in  Half  Moon,  Centre  county.      In  18 
Mr.    (  orl   was  again    married,  his  second  union 

ng    with    Mrs.     Young,    who    has    a    son     by 

d,  named   George    I)    Young, 

who  was  bom  June  4,    [881,  and  is  still   with  his 

mother,      Mr.   and    Mis    Corl   have  a  daughter, 

Mary  F..  who  was  born  August  27.   1S84. 

Mi.  Corl  is  one  o(  the  most  enterprising,  in- 
dustrious and  energetic  farmers  of  Ferguson 
township,  where  he  owns  a  good  farm,  the  neat 
and  thrifty  appearance  of  which  plainly  indicates 
the  supervision  ol  a  careful  manager.  He  c 
his  ballot  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the   Demon  rty,  but  cares  nothing  for  the 

honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office.  He  is 
an  earnest  and  consistent  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  .md,  socially,  affiliates  with  the 
Gran  1  He  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  and 
respect  by  his  neighbors,  and  has  the  confidence 
and  "I   all  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 

tact, whether  in  a  business  or  a  social  way. 


PETER  LAUCK,  a  leading  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  Ferguson  township.  Centre  coun- 
ty, is  .1  native  of  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born 
in  York  county,  November  26,  1825,  and  is  of 
German  and  Scotch  descent.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  Revolutionary  hero,  having  fought 
under  Gen.  Washington.  Our  subject  is  the 
youngest  of  the  five  children  born  to  Peter  and 
Elizabeth  (Lephart)  Lauck,  the  others  being  as 
follows;  [ohn,  who  reared  his  family  in  Illinois, 
and  then-  died;  Catharine  and  Hannah,  who 
spent  their  married  lives  in  Ohio,  where  their 
deaths  occurred;  and  1  lizabeth,  who  died  in 
Yoi  1.  ci  mnl  ■. .  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Lauck  is  the  owner  oi  a  splendid  farm  in 
Ferguson  township,  but  is  now  practically  livin 
retire. I  life,  having   laid    aside  thi 

ilities  of  a  business   career,  and   enjoying 
a    well-earned   rest.      In    1  N40    he    ca  the 

county,  ami  since  1 S 3 1  has  resided  upon  his 
present  farm  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  ol  windmills,  but  later  gave  his  en- 
tire time   and    attention  to    agricultural    pursuits, 


becoming    a    most    prosperous    and    well-to- 
farmer. 

On  February  8,  [847,  Mr  Lauck  w. 
Miss  Sarah  M.  Crumrine,  and  their  union  has 
I  with  thirteen  children:  John  II  . 
who  died  in  infancy;  Rebecca,  who  tirst  married 
William  Heberling,  and  after  his  death  wedded 
John  Hicks;  I).  I ■".,  who  married  Catharine  Shoe- 
maker; Margaret  B.,  who  was  born  March  12 
[855;  Anna  C,  wife  of  William  Dutrow,  b\ 
whom  she  has  five  children;  William,  who  mar- 
ried Lillie  McGivitt,  and  has  four  children;  Sally. 
wife  of  William  Dougherty;  Adam  F.,  who  mar- 
ried Emma  Gummo,  and  has  three  children;  J. 
W.,  who  dud  April  6,  1880;  Green,  who  was 
born  January  [6,  1863,  and  died  September  iS. 
[864;  George  B.  McClellan,  who  was  born  March 
3,  1864,  and  died  on  the  16th  of  the  following 
September;  James,  who  died  in  infancy;  an.l 
Alice  C. ,  who  was  bom  January  17,  [871,  an.l 
in  childhood. 

Of  a  social,  generous  disposition,  Mr  Lauck 
has  made  many  warm  friends  and  acquaintan 
.luring  his  long  residence  in  (  entre  county,  and 
has  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  wl 
he  has  come  in  contacl  either  in  business  or  social 
life.  He  is  a  typical  American,  progressive  in 
his  ideas  and  active  and  energetic  in  manner  In 
politics  he  is  an  earnest  Democrat,  and  an  advo- 
cate of  free  silver. 


MAX    SHELL.     Among  some  of  the    a 
enterprising  citizens  of   Centre  county  are 
those  who  were  born  in  Germany,  and  who  h 
brought  to  this  fertile  and  productive  country  th 
thrift  and  economy  of   the   Old  World.      Am 
these   there   is   no   figure    that   stands  out   m 
prominently   in    the    history  of   Taylor  township 
than  Mr.   Shell,  whose   tine   farm    is  located  ni 
Di\  Station  on  the  old  plank  road. 

Mr.  Shell  was  bom  in  Witzberick,  Germ 
May  20,  1  825,  a  son  ol  John  and  Andonia  (  Millet 
Shell,    also  natives   of   that    country,  wh 
mother  died  in    [828,  at  the  age    of    t h i  1 1 
There  the  fattier  was  again    married,  his 
union   being    with    Rosilla    Hoover,  and  in  it 
with   seven    of  the  children,  they   emigi 
the    United   Mates,  one  son,  Joseph,   remain 
behind.      In    the    following    year,    however, 
joined    the    family  in    America.      By    trade 
father  was  a  nail  maker,   but    spent    his  !,. 
in  retirement  at   tin-  home  ..I    Ins  son,    I\. :\      I 
Shell,  at  Altoona,  Penn..  where  he  died  in  18 
at  1I1.  ghty-four  years.      In  religious 

lief    he   was   a    t  atholic.      His   second   wife 
p  u  ted  ilii-  life  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  sixtj  •■• 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


527 


By  his  first  marriage  John  Shell  had  six  chil- 
dren, in  order  of  birth  as  follows:  Joseph  (de- 
ceased) was  a  machinist  of  Altoona,  Penn.  ;  Caro- 
line is  the  deceased  wife  of  Joe  Sedar,  who  died 
in  the  West;  Considine  is  a  farmer  of  Blair  coin. 
ty,  Penn.;  Max  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Andonia  married  Jake  Snider,  and  after  his  death 
wedded  Adam  Clacy,  but  both  are  now  deceased; 
and  Rechina  was  also  twice  married;  her  first 
husband,  a  Mr.  Pittner,  was  accidentally  drowned, 
and  she  afterward  wedded  Mike  Long,  who  is 
also  deceased.  Two  sons  were  born  of  the  sec- 
ond union  of  John  Shell;  George  L.,  a  railroad 
bridge  builder  of  Tyrone,  Penn. ;  and  Rev.  John, 
a  prominent  priest  of  the  Catholic  Church,  who 
died  at  Altoona. 

Max  Shell  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  when 
he  embarked  with  his  parents  on  a  sailing  vessel 
bound  for  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  they  arrived 
after  a  voyage  of  four  weeks.  He  had  been  pro- 
vided with  excellent  school  advantages  in  his  na- 
tive land,  and  is  an  intelligent,  well-read  man. 
He  was  drafted  for  service  in  the  German  army, 
but  being  in  delicate  health  was  rejected.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  in  this  country  he  was  also 
drafted,  but  was  again  discharged,  as  at  this  time 
he  was  past  the  age  for  service.  After  reaching 
the  shores  of  the  New  World,  Mr.  Shell  went  to 
Hollidaysburg,  Blair  Co.,  Penn.,  where  for  a 
short  time  he  worked  on  a  farm,  and  then  for 
nine  months  was  employed  in  an  ore  bank. 
Coining  to  Bald  Eagle  Furnace,  Centre  county, 
he  was  employed  by  the  furnace  company  at  sta- 
ble work  for  the  long  period  of  twenty  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Blair  county,  where 
for  six  years  he  worked  on  the  railroad.  He 
then  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Taylor  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  This  fine  property,  on 
which  he  has  made  some  very  valuable  improve- 
ments, is  the  result  of  his  own  diligence,  energy 
and  good  management,  and  stands  to-dav  a 
monument  to  the  industry  and  thrift  that  he 
possesses. 

In  October,  1 851,  Mr.  Shell,  our  subject,  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Jane  Reed,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  five  children:  Jennie,  now 
residing  at  Snow  Shoe,  Penn.,  is  the  widow  of 
Martin  Vail,  who  was  superintendent  of  the  Beach 
Creek  railroad,  and  died,  leaving  seven  children; 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  William  McNeallis,  employed 
in  the  paper-mill  of  Tyrone,  Penn. ;  William,  a 
railroad  conductor,   of   Renovo,    Penn.,    married 

Ella ;  Joe,  a  railroad  engineer  of  Tyrone, 

wedded  Mary  Flinn;  and  Agnes  is  the  wife  of 
James  McNeallis  (brother  of  her  sister's  husband), 
a  flagman  on  the  railroad  at  Tyrone.  There  are 
also  twenty-two  grandchildren. 


Mrs.  Shell  was  born  in  Blair  county,  Penn., 
November  23,  1828,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Jane  W.  (Logan)  Reed,  natives  of  Maryland 
and  Ireland,  respectively.  When  quite  young 
her  father  ran  away  from  home,  going  to  Blair 
county,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Logan,  then 
only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  was  crushed  while 
working  in  an  ore  bank  in  that  county,  and  died 
from  the  effects  a  few  days  later,  when  Mrs.  Shell 
was  quite  small.  In  religious  belief  ne  was  a 
Presbyterian.  His  last  words  to  his  wife  were: 
"  Go  to  Maryland  and  attend  to  a  fortune  which 
has  been  left  us;"  but  this  has  never  been  done, 
though  it  is  supposed  an  estate  was  left  to  the 
Reed  family.  Mrs.  Reed  long  survived  her  hus- 
band, dying  at  the  home  of  her  son  Joseph,  in 
Hollidaysburg,  in  1892,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventy-eight  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  the 
following  children:  William,  who  died  in  Ten- 
nessee; Mary,  deceased;  Dennis,  who  died  at 
Bald  Eagle  Furnace,  Centre  county;  John,  an 
iron  worker  in  the  West;  Joseph,  a  railroad  en- 
gineer of  Hollidaysburg;  Jane,  the  estimable  wife 
of  our  subject;  and  Catherine,  who  first  wedded 
William  McAteer,  and  after  his  death  married 
James  Hawkins,  a  machinist  of  Altoona.  Her 
death  was  caused  by  the  explosion  of  a  coal-oil 
lamp. 

Mr.  Shell  is  a  devout  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  in  which  faith  he  was  reared,  and  both 
himself  and  wife  are  highly  respected  and  es- 
teemed as  valued  members  of  the  community. 
In  politics  he  affiliates  with  the  Democracy, 
deeming  that  in  that  party  is  the  best  guarantee 
for  the  perpetuation  of  our  principles  of  free  gov- 
ernment, and  is  an  advocate  of  free  silver.  He 
is  a  very  liberal  and  public-spirited  man,  and 
takes  a  foremost  position  in  every  movement  or 
enterprise  which  promises  to  accrue  to  the  bene- 
fit of  the  people  in  general. 


M 


ORGAN   M.    LUCAS.      Everywhere  in  our 


their  own  way  up  from  humble  beginnings  to 
leadership  in  the  commerce,  the  great  productive 
industries,  the  management  of  financial  affairs, 
and  in  controlling  the  veins  and  arteries  of  the 
traffic  and  exchanges  of  the  country.  It  is  one 
of  the  glories  of  the  nation  that  it  is  so.  It 
should  be  the  strongest  incentive  and  encourage- 
ment to  the  youth  of  the  country  that  it  is  so. 
Prominent  among  the  self-made  men  of  Centre 
county  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  residing 
on  Wallace  run  in  Boggs  township.  He  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  community, 


528 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


extensively  engaged  in  general  farming,  the  man- 
ufacture of  charcoal,  and  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Lucas  was  born  October  10,  1835,  m  tne 
township  which  is  still  his  home,  and  is  a  worth v 
representative  of  one  of  its  pioneer  families.  In 
Centre  county  his  parents,  Charles  and  Eliza- 
beth (Shirk  1  Lucas,  spent  their  entire  lives,  the 
former  dying  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  and  the  latter  in  [865,  al  the  age  of 
1  years.  In  their  family  were  four 
children:  James  M.,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  town- 
ship; Rebecca,  wife  of  Jacob  Brower,  of  Mil 
sota;  Charles,  a  fanner  of  Boggs  township,  and 
Morgan    M.,  of  this  review. 

The  father  was  the  first  white  man  to  cross 
the  Alleghany  Mountains  to  Snow  Shoe,  and  was 
at  that  place  when  it  was  given  its  name.  Several 
hunters  were  there  stopping  when  a  big  snow 
storm  came  up,  and  they  wen  obliged  to  make 
snow  shoes  in  oi  et  away.      Thus  the  vil- 

lage derived    its    name.      Mr.    Lucas  was    with 
Perry  when  he  wen  his  famous  victory 
on  Lake  Erie.      He  had  enlisted  in  the  militia, 
but  it  was  found  that  he  could  be  of  more  service 
as  a   canpenter,    and   while   he  remained    in   the 
ed   at   that   trade.      On  being 
his  hi  ime  and  resumed 
work  as  a  millwright,  which  trade  he  had 
in  early  life.      He   became  a  large  land  owner, 
his  property  was  operated  by  his  sons.      His 
last  days  he  spent  in  retirement  at  the  home  of 
our  subject,   but  he  died   when  on  a  visit  to  his 
r,  Jane,  who  al-  un- 

ship. 

Morgan  M.   I  his  early  life  in  lum- 

ind  farming,  the  age  oi   nineteen 

irking  at 
I  profitable.     *  hi  I  >e- 
cember  25,  married  Mi>s  Nancy  |.  I'oor- 

them  h  1  born  the  following 

children:    Adella,  wife  of  D  pp,  a  farmer 

of  I  'in  m  township,  nty;    [ohn    A.,    a 

farmer  of  B  B.,  an  agri- 

cull  Union  township;  Adelin 

wife    of   Andy   I  !  >wn- 

ship 

farmi  iwnship;  Annie   M.,   wifi 

Martin    Brower,  1     Union    township; 

Rebecca,   wife  of  '1  i  th,   a  farmei 

I  •  tow  nship;  and  Ri 

still    at    home.      Alt  Mi     I  ■ 

1  a  rented  farm  run,    I  '• 

township,  fo 

William  Marks,  whi  ned 

rs,    and    then    1 
and    has  recently  bought   another  ti 


Besides  general  farming,  however,  he  is  also 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  charcoal,  and  in 
the  lumber  business. 

Mr.  Lucas  is  a  straightforward,  reliable  busi- 
ness man,  honored,  respected  and  esteemed 
wherever  known.  He  never  acts  except  from 
honest  motives,  and,  in  all  of  his  varied  relations  in 
business  affairs  and  social  life,  he  has  maintained 
a  character  and  standing  that  has  impressed  all 
with  his  sincere  and  manly  purpose  to  do  by 
others  as  he  would  have  others  do  by  him.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  faithfully 
served  in  several  township  offices.  An  earnest 
Christian  gentleman,  he  is  a  consistent  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  of  which  he  is 
trustee. 


f  ILLIAM 


R.,   JOHN   C.    F.    and  JAI 
[V      F.  MOT/,  of  Woodward,  Centre  county, 
are  the  three  surviving  sons  and  only  children  of 
the  late  John  C.  Motz  and  his   wife,   Maranda  A. 
ird)  Mot./,  of  whom  mention  is  made  else- 
where in  this  volume. 

William  R.,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  in  \\ 
ward   September   I,   1S70,    and  received   his  ele- 
ducation  in  the  local  .  and  then 

after  studying  for  some  time  at   New  Berlin  and 
Williamsport  entered  State  College  in  1889     Hi 
left  that  institution  during  the  Sophomore 
and  took  a  course  at  the  Eastman   Busines 
lege,    at    Poughkeepsie,    N.    Y.      He    n 
\\   iodv  ird,     nd  conducts  the  business 
ther's  estate,  which  has  never  been  divided.      He 
is  a  leader  in  the  social  life  of  the  Valley. 

John  C.   I'.,  the   second   son,    horn    April 
[872,    was    educated    at   Williamsport,   at 
CoIIcl        l       u  ,    and    at   the    Eastman 

1  [e  gi  ^  .!  sjoi  id  insight  intobusim 
under  ti 
one  year  before  hi  |ohn,  individually, 

in   Woodward,    which   the   latti 
on   under  the  na 
J.  (  .  F.    Mot/. 

I      th e  y ou  n  ' 

1  874,  compli  '  1  if  stud) 

Mating  in   1 
in  electric   ,1:.  1  [e  1-   now    in  th 

Work-;.    ! 
sylvania. 

The  tin.  e  broth  ill   taking    pi 

iiimty.  in  which  the) 

lility,   and 

business   nun   of    tl  initv.      Their  I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


529 


carefully  instructed  them  in  the  details  of  his 
business,  and  although  he  suffered  from  rheuma- 
tism he  remained  at  the  helm  until  he  con- 
sidered his  sons  properly  fitted  for  the  task  of 
life. 

They  are  all  Republicans  in  their  political 
preferences,  while  in  matters  of  religion  they  are 
identified  with  the  Evangelical  Association. 
None  of  them  has  as  yet  enlisted  in  the  noble 
army  of  benedicts. 


DJ.  MUSSER.  The  Musser  family  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  in  Penn's  Valley,  and 
while  its  members  are  not  all  descended  from  the 
same  pioneer  settler,  their  ancestors  seem  to 
have  all  located  at  their  first  coming  in  what  is 
now  Gregg  township,  Centre  count)'. 

Of  the  different  branches,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  a  highly  respected  resident  of  Gregg 
township,  is  now  the  only  male  representative  in 
his  generation  (the  third)  from  Philip  Musser,  one 
of  the  original  settlers  who  located  at  the  present 
homestead  in  1802.  It  was  then  known  as  the 
"Rev.  James  Martin  farm,"  and  in  an  old  ceme- 
tery on  the  place  there  are  still  to  be  found 
tombstones  which  mark  the  graves  of  a  number 
of  pioneers.  One  bears  the  following  inscription: 
"  Here  lies  the  body  of  Rev.  James  Martin,  Pas- 
tor of  the  First  Presbyterian  congregation  in 
Penn's  Valley,  who  died  June  20,  1795,  aged 
about  sixty-five."  This  is  without  doubt  one 
of  the  earliest  interments  in  the  cemetery, 
which  was  abandoned  long  ago.  When  our  sub- 
ject's grandfather  took  the  estate  it  was  but  little 
changed  from  its  primitive  condition,  and  he 
cleared  and  improved  it,  some  of  the  buildings 
which  he  erected  being  still  in  use,  the  barn  dat- 
ing back  to  1812.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics, 
and  a  devout  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Thrifty  and  industrious,  a  typical  German  farm- 
er, he  acquired  a  goodly  competence.  He  lived 
to  be  nearly  eighty  years  old,  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Oswalt,  also  attained  an  advanced  age, 
but  the  mortal  remains  of  both  were  long  since 
laid  to  rest  in  the  Heckman  cemetery.  Their 
children  were:  John,  who  died  in  Trumbull 
county,  Ohio;  Philip  (2),  the  father  of  our  subject; 
Daniel,  who  removed  to  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
and  died  there;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  John  Durst),  who 
died  in  Potter  township,  Centre  county;  Han- 
nah, who  married  Adam  Shaffer,  and  died  in 
Madisonburg,  Centre  county;  Lydia  (Mrs.  Mi- 
chael Ream),  who  died  in  Gregg  township,  Cen- 
tre county;  and   Catherine    (Mrs.  Elias  Wasser), 

who  died  in   Kansas.      At   the   time   that   Philip 
34 


Musser,  Sr.,  came  to  Centre  county,  his  brother 
Michael  also  located  there.  He  had  a  large  fam- 
ily, among  whom  were  several  daughters  and  two 
sons,  Jonathan  and  George. 

Philip  Musser  (2),  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  Lehigh  county,  Penn..  in  September, 
1790,  and  was  a  boy  of  twelve  when  his  parents 
settled  at  the  present  homestead.  As  a  pioneer 
farmer's  son,  his  educational  advantages  were 
limited,  and  what  instruction  he  had  was  given 
in  German.  He  was  a  well-built  man,  weighing 
from  180  to  185  pounds,  and  was  an  active  and 
successful  businessman,  conducting  his  farm,  and 
also  a  sawmill,  which  was  built  by  his  father,  and 
is  still  run  by  water  power.  He  always  took  a 
prominent  part  in  religious  movements  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  held 
various  offices,  and  he  was  also  interested  in  poli- 
tics first  as  a  Whig,  and  later  as  a  Republican.  Al- 
though firm  in  his  convictions,  he  was  never  ag- 
gressive in  proclaiming  them,  being  a  man  of  few 
words,  and  he  was  universally  respected  as  an  up- 
right citizen.  He  died  in  November,  1871,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  Heckman  cemetery. 
He  was  married  four  times.  By  his  first  wife,  a 
Miss  Walburn,  he  had  three  children:  Mary 
A.  married  John  Oswalt,  and  died  in  Gregg 
township.  Centre  county;  Elizabeth  married 
Jacob  Condo,  and  moved  to  Illinois,  where 
her  death  occurred:  and  Rebecca,  the  widow 
of  Charles  Hennich,  resides  in  Penn  Hall.  The 
second  wife,  our  subject's  mother,  was  formerly 
a  Miss  Rush,  who  first  married  a  Mr.  Peters, 
and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Musser 
was  a  widow.  She  died  about  183 1.  Her  chil- 
dren were  John,  who  died  at  two  years  of  age; 
George,  who  died  when  fourteen;  D.  J.,  our  sub- 
ject; and  Hannah  (Mrs.  William  Adamson),  who 
died  in  Kansas.  By  the  third  wife,  Polly  Musser, 
widow  of  Daniel  Condo,  and  the  fourth.  Susan 
Miller,  widow  of  David  Oswalt,  there  were  no 
children. 

D.  J.  Musser  was  born  at  the  old  homestead, 
March  19,  1829,  and  as  a  boy  attended  the 
neighboring  district  schools,  the  instruction  being 
mainly  in  German.  The  labor-saving  devices  of 
the  present  time  were  then  unknown,  and  work 
was  plenty  even  in  the  winter  season,  it  being  his 
duty  to  ride  the  horses  while  threshing  out  the 
grain  in  the  old-fashioned  way.  His  time  was 
sometimes  so  taken  up  with  his  work  that  dur- 
ing one  whole  winter  he  was  allowed  to  attend 
school  only  seven  days.  Hauling  furnished  con- 
tinued employment  also,  as  coal  was  brought 
in  wagons  from  Snow  Shoe,  and  grain  was  taken 
to  market  at  Lewistown,  Mifflin  county,  over 
Seven  Mountains,  by   the  same  means.      He  has 


'  VEMOBA  TIVB  BIOGHM'lllcM.  UKCORD. 


always  lived  at  tin-  homestead,  and  as  he  grew 
older  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  estate, 
conducting  the  farm  and  the  old  mill.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  married  Miss  Catherine  Rearick, 
who  was  born  in  Haines  township.  Centre  coun- 
ty, in  October,  1827,  the  daughter  of  William  and 

(  Friesc  1  Rearick.    Twelve  children  blessed 

the  union:  Alice  R.  married  John  Swarm,  of 
Centre  Hall;  John  P.  died  at  an  early  age;  Mary 
A.  is  at  home;  Charles  A.  died  in  July,  1S96,  at 
the  age  of  forty-two.  leaving  a  widow  and  one 
son,  Wallace,  who  is  of  the  fifth  generation  of 
this  family  to  reside  at  the  homestead;  William 
H.  is  a  farmer  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county; 
Cornelius,  a  (armer,  lives  in  Miles  township, 
Centre  county;  Melancthon  is  an  agriculturist  of 
Potter  township,  Centre  county;  Luther  resides 
in  Gregg  township;  George  lives  at  Rebersburi;; 
Calvin  F.  is  employed  in  the  freight  office  of  the 
Reading  R.  R.  Co.  at  Williamsport,  Penn.  ; 
Frank  resides  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county; 
and  Lucy  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Musser  has  an  excellent  farm,  containing 
124  acres,  and  in  1883,  when  he  retired  from  act- 
ive  business,  he  built  for  himself  a  substantial  res- 
idence on  the  farm  some  distance  from  the  old 
home,  which  is  occupied  by  one  of  his  sons,  who 
now  manages  the  estate.  He  has  always  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs,  though  never  an 
office  seeker,  and  was  first  a  Whig,  then  a  Re- 
publii  an,  and  since  1892  he  has  been  a  Prohi- 
bitionist, being  strongly  opposed  to  the  liquor 
traffic.  He-  and  his  wife  are  leading  members  of 
tin  Lutheran  Church,  and  for  many  years  he 
took  an  active  put  in  the  affairs,  holding  office 
as  deacon  and  elder.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  he  has  done  much  hard  work  in  his  life,  he  is 
well  preserved  for  one  of  his  age,  and  his  mental 
faculties  are  unusually  good,  his  memory  being 
remarkable. 


ILI.IAM  II  MEYER,  the  leading  mer- 
ut  of  Coburn,  Centre  count}-,  is  a  rep- 
entative  of  a  prominent  and  well  known 
family  of  central  Pennsylvania,  who  trace  their 
ancestry  back  to  a  gentleman  of  German  birth 
who  came  to  the  New  World  at  an  early  day  in 
its  history.  His  fourth  son.  Christopher  Meyer, 
was  born  in  Muhlbach,  Lancaster  Co.,  Penn.,  in 
1744,  from  which  place  he  removed  to  Camp- 
bell town,  Lebanon  county,  this  State,  where  he 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land.  There  his  death 
occurred  August  2,  1801.  He  wedded  Anna 
Maria  Schaeffer,  who  was  born  in  Heidelb 
township,  Lancaster  county,   February  19,    1744, 


a  daughter   of  All  leffer,   who  came 

from  Palatinate,  Prussia,  to  the  United  States ir 
She  died  January  1,  1  s - 3 .  In  their  fam- 
il\  were  nine  children,  namely:  Henry,  John, 
Michael,  Jacob,  Christopher,  George,  Catharine, 
Christina  and  Mary. 

George  Meyer  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
come  to  Haines  township.  Centre  county.  He 
was  born  in  Campbelltown,  March  25,  [782, and 
m  iS:;  came  to  Centre  county,  buying  a  farm 
and  millsite  on  Pine  creek,  where  he  erected  a 
mill.  He  was  a  giant  in  strength,  yet  inferior 
to  his  brothers,  Henry,  John  and  Michael.  He 
married  Catharine  Meyer,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1788,  a  daughter  of  John  Jacob  V 
and  died  March  13,  1S5S.  He  passed  away 
January  1,  1854,  and  was  buried  with  his  wife  at 
Aaronsburg,  Centre  county.  Their  family  con- 
stituted the  following  children:  George,  born 
January  13,  1806,  was  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject;  John,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  in 
Penn's  Valley,  January  2S,  [878;  Catharine  mar- 
ried Andrew  Harter,  and  died  in  Penn's  Valley, 
October  3,  1872;  Henry  died  in  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  March  9,  1877;  Mary  wed- 
ded Andrew  Stover,  and  lives  in  Penn's  Valley; 
Philip  died  in  Haines  township.  June-  25.  1876; 
and  Jacob  G.,  a  resident  of  Aaronsburg,  at 
one  time  represented  his  district  in  the  State 
Legislature. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject    was  reared 
upon  a  farm,  and    was   married   in  Haines  town- 
ship to  Miss    Lvdia  Harter.  who  was  there  born 
May  16,  1807,  a  daughtei  "I  Andrew  Harter,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  six  children:  C. 
J.  is  the    lather  of   our   subject;    Julia    A.,  horn 
December  20,   1831,  is  the  wife  of  John  Wi 
of  Penn    township,    Centre   county;    Maria 
[anuary  26,   1837,    is  the   wife   of  Jacob  Ketner. 
of  Haines  township.  Samuel,  born  July  13. 
was  a  miller   by    trade,    and  died   in   Millheim, 
Centre   county;    Sarah,    born    April  12,   1 S42,   is 
the  widow  of  Daniel    Miller,  oi  Haines  township, 
ml  Andrew,  bom   January  17,   1 S48,  is  a  niilLr 
ol  the  same  township.      The  father  of  these  chil- 
dren taught  two  terms  of  school  after  his  mar- 
riage.     He  began  housekeeping  upon   a  rented 
farm    111    Haines    township,    and    to    agricultural 
pursuits  mainly    devoted    his    attention   until 
death  at  the  age  of   forty-seven  years.      He 
never  a    robust    man,  and    catching   cold.  1; 
veloped    into    consumption,    which    caused    his 
death,      Politically  he   was  a  Democrat,  and  r 
ligiously  he  was  a   member  of   the   German 

d    Church.      His    wife   survived    him    only 
about  two  and  one-hall  years. 

George  J.  Meyer,    the  father  of  our  subject, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


531 


was  born  in  Haines  township,  January  17,  1830, 
and  acquired  his  education  in  the  primitive 
schools  of  early  times.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  began  learning  the  miller's  trade  with  his  un- 
cle, John  Meyer,  of  Pine  Creek,  serving  a  two- 
years'  apprenticeship,  during  which  time  he  re- 
ceived $60  for  his  services.  He  then  worked  as 
a  journeyman  at  the  Pine  Creek  Mill  for  one 
year,  and  then  returned  and  conducted  it  on  his 
own  account  for  the  same  length  of  time.  Re- 
moving to  Lewis  township,  Union  county,  Penn., 
he  operated  a  rented  mill  there  for  a  time,  and 
later  worked  for  the  owner.  On  leaving  his 
employ  he  conducted  a  rented  mill  in  Haines 
township,  Centre  county,  for  eight  years,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Penn  township,  where  his 
family  resided,  while  he  was  at  Oil  City,  Penn., 
a  part  of  one  summer.  For  a  period  of  two 
years  and  a  half  he  then  engaged  in  farming, 
later  operated  a  grist  and  saw  mill  at  Pine  Creek 
eleven  years,  and  for  nine  years  was  in  the  mill- 
ing business  at  Linden  Hall,  Centre  county.  In 
the  spring  of  1889  he  came  to  Coburn,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  for  a  time, 
but  later  sold  out  to  his  son  William,  and  is  now 
living  a  retired  life,  making  his  home  with  his 
children.  He  is  a  highly  respected  and  honored 
citizen,  an  earnest  supporter  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 

In  Haines  township,  in  June,  in  1852,  George 
J.  Meyer  was  wedded  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Arbogast, 
who  was  born  in  1832,  in  Freeburg,  Snyder  Co., 
Penn.  (then  Union  county),  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Arbogast,  a  potter  by  trade.  Six  children  bless 
this  union:  Emma  J.,  wife  of  Nicodemus  Lose, 
of  Haines  township;  Agnes,  wife  of  Daniel  Kra- 
der,  of  Gregg  township,  Centre  county;  William 
H.,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch;  Austin 
E.,  a  miller  of  Linden  Hall;  Thomas  F. ,  a  mer- 
chant of  Coburn;  and  Temmie  E. .  wife  of  John 
H.  Rishel,  a  merchant  of  Farmers  Mills,  Penn. 
The  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  March 
26,  1894,  and  her  remains  were  interred  in  the 
cemetery  of  Aaronsburg.  Like  her  husband,  she 
was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Reformed  Church. 

In  Hartle  township,  Union  county,  William 
H.  Meyer  was  born  July  31,  1855,  whence, 
when  a  child,  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
i  Woodward,  Centre  county,  of  which  county  he 
has  since  been  a  resident.  He  was  educated  in 
its  common  schools,  first  attending  school  at 
Woodward,  where  his  teacher  was  "Old  Hill." 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  learning  the  mill- 
er's trade  with  his  father  at  Pine  Creek,  and 
later  worked  at  that  business  in  various  places  in 
Centre   county,  and  also   at   York,  Penn.,  for   a 


time.  In  1890  he  embarked  in  merchandising 
at  Coburn,  first  occupying  a  building  opposite 
the  depot,  and  later  succeeded  E.  L.  Auman  in 
business  at  his  present  stand.  He  had  never 
stood  behind  a  counter  previous  to  starting  in 
business  for  himself,  but  seemed  naturally  adapt- 
ed to  the  pursuit,  and  has  met  with  a  we!1- 
deserved  success,  having  now  one  of  the  leading 
general  stores  in  Penn's  Valley,  and  by  far  the 
most  complete  one  in  Coburn. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  Mr.  Meyer  was  mar- 
ried in  Bellefonte  to  Miss  Hulda  Lee,  a  native  of 
Tusseyville,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Lee,  a  farmer.  They  have  one  child,  Verna, 
born  in  November,  1875.  The  parents  are  both 
consistent  members  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
while  in  politics  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat, and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  Blanchard 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Eagleville,  Penn.  He  is 
a  prosperous,  obliging  merchant,  one  who  has 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and  deserves  no 
little  credit  for  the  wonderful  success  he  has 
achieved.  As  a  business  man  he  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence of  a  wide  circle  of  patrons,  and  he  and 
his  wife  hold  an  equally  high  position  in  social 
circles. 


JOHN  CARVER,  an  intelligent  and  energetic 
farmer  of  Benner  township,  Centre  county, 
is  a  native  of  the  county,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  in  1848.  His  par- 
ents, Joseph  and  Mary  (Neiman)  Carver,  were 
also  natives  of  that  county,  and  highly  respected 
and  honored  people.  In  their  family  were  eleven 
children,  in  order  of  birth  as  follows:  Sarah  A. 
is  the  wife  of  John  Stonebreaker,  of  Sandy  Ridge, 
Centre  county;  Joseph  enlisted  in  the  148th  P. 
V.  I.,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 
Maria  wedded  Gabriel  Fike,  who  was  also  a 
Union  soldier,  and  both  are  now  deceased. 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Sharrow,  of 
Johnstown,  Penn.,  where  they  were  living  dur- 
ing the  memorable  flood  at  that  place.  Henry, 
who  was  also  a  brave  defender  of  the  Union,  was 
taken  prisoner  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and 
died  in  Libby  prison.  Frederick,  who  was  a  member 
of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  during  the  Rebellion, 
died  in  January,  1896.  William  died  in  boyhood 
in  Bald  Eagle.  Mary  Ann  died  in  childhood. 
John  is  next  in  order  of  birth.  Jacob  is  married 
and  living  in  Snow  Shoe,  Penn.  Barbara  is  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Ginger,  of  Roopsburg,  Centre 
county. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Centre  county,  Mr. 
Carver,  the  subject  of  this  review,  secured  agood 
practical  education,    and    early   became    familiar 


532 


COMMEMollA  T1VE  lilor,  HAl'IIIfAI.   EEiDltD. 


with  farm  work  in  its  various  departments.  Since 
1858  lie  lias  been  a  resident  of  Benner  township, 
and  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  has  made 
his  home  upon  bis  present  farm,  a  tract  of 
twenty-five  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  which 
he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
It  is  chiefly  owing  to  his  own  industry  and  good 
management  that  he  is  the  possessor  of  this  well- 
improved  place.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  is  in  favor  of  any  movement  which  is  for  the 
benefit  of  the  community,  or  calculated  to  elevate 
the  tone  of  society  in  general.  By  his  neighbors 
he  is  classed  among  the  leading  agriculturists  of 
Benner  township. 


JOHN  II.  ROUSH,  a  prominent  agriculturist, 
residing  near  Madisonburg,  Centre  count}',  is 
one  of  the  progressive,  wide-awake  men  who 
naturally  take  the  lead  in  any  calling  which  they 
may  undertake.  He  was  born  March  22,  1850, 
on  the  same  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies, and  was  the  eldest  child  of  Benjamin  and 
Margaret  (Hoy)  Roush.  The  estate  was  formerly 
known  as  the  "John  Hoy  homestead,"  and  the 
Hoy  famil)  were  from  early  times  identified  with 
that  locality.  The  neighboring  district  school 
wascalli  school,  and  there  Mr.  Roush  re- 

ceived his  education,  one  of  his  first  teachers  be- 
ing John  Houtz. 

Farm  life  presents  many  advantages  to  a 
11.  healthful  work,  relieved  by  pleasant  out- 
dooi  recreation,  forming  wholesome  habits  and 
developing  and  strengthening  the  physique. 
There  was  always  plenty  to  do  at  home,  and 
Mr.  Roush's  parents  being  well-to-do,  he  never 
"  worked  out  "  for  other  farmers.  As  he  became 
familiar  with  the  management  of  the  farm  he  as- 
sumed much  of  the  responsibility,  and  as  a  young 
man  he  I  the  qualities  which  have 

contributed  to  his  later  success.  In  January, 
[873,  he  was  married  at  Rebersburg  to  Miss 
Margaret  J.  Shaffer,  daughter  of  John  and  Fran- 
ces (Schmeltzer)  Shaffer.  She  was  a  native  of 
Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county,  born  in  December, 
[850,  but  her  early  life  was  mainly  spent  in 
>h  Valley.  Alter  his  marriage  Mr.  Roush  lo- 
d  in  Sugar  Valley,  renting  the  farm  upon 
which  Mrs  Roush  was  born.  He  remained 
there  until  the  spring  "I  1876,  when  he  1 
tn  a  farm  in  Spring  township,  I  entre  county, 
near  Axemann.      In   the  spi  ing  of  i  I      left 

this   place    to   take   his    permanent    resideno 

s;g  township,  at  the  old  homestead,  which  he 
has  greatly  improved   in  various  ways.      Thi 
tat  e  ci  m tains  18  !  I  choice  land,  and  is  con- 

sidered one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  locality. 


Mr.    and    Mrs.    Roush    have  three  daughl 
arrie  E.  married   A.    J.   Hazel,  of   Madison- 
burg, and   has  two  children;    (2)    Minnie  E.  and 
3     Frances  E.,  are  at  home.      The  family  holds 
a   leading   place    in  the   social   life   of    the   com- 
munity.     Mr.    Roush   is  a   member  of    the    Re- 
formed Church,  in  which   he  has  served  as  dea- 
con,   and    Mrs.    Roush   is   a    Lutheran   in   faith 
Politically  he  is  a  stanch  and  steadfast  Democrat, 
and  has  much  influence  in  the  local  organization. 
While  living  in  Spring  township  he  held  office  as 
school   director  and    assistant    assessor,    and    at 
present  he  is  the  director  of  the  "  Hoy  district 
school,"  which  he  attended   in  boyhood.      He  is 
a  member  of  the  Grange,  and  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Lodge    No.   955,   at    Millheim,  and   is  a  charter 
member  of   Madison   Castle   No.  360,  K.  C    I 
at  Madisonburg. 


WILLIAM    M.    LUTZ.      Prominent  among 
the  successful  and  enterprising  farmc 
Centre  county  will  be   found  the  subject  of   this 
biographical    sketch,  whose    home    is  situated   in 
Benner  township,  and   who   is   considered  one  of 
the  most  industrious  and  worthy  citizens  of   that 
part  of    the  county.      He    was    born    in    Spring 
township,  Centre  county,  in  1850,  a  son  of  John 
and  Margaret  (Martin)  Lutz,   the  former  of 
man  descent   and   the   latter   of    Irish  parentage 
The    father,    who    was    a    native    of     Schuylkill 
county,   Penn. ,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years 
and  .even  months. 

<  >ur  subject,  who  is  one  ol  a  family  of  tint 
children,  obtained  a  good  common-school  educ- 
tion, and  upon  the  home  farm  became  familiar 
with  the  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agricult- 
urist. On  attaining  to  man's  estate  he  was 
I' lined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Emma  Crust,  a  na- 
tive of    England,  who    when    five   years  old  w  tl 

lit  to  the  New  World  by  her  parents,   I 
and    Mary   (Osnier)    Crust.      The    pleasant  home 
circle  <  I   Mr.  and  Mrs    I. utz  consists  of  four  clul- 
namely:      Charles    E.,    Janus.    Mary  and 
Nettie.      They  also  lust  one,  who  died  at  tl 
of  five  months. 

Politically,  Mr.  Lutz  affiliates  with  the  D( 
cratic  party,  and    is    a    strong   and  earnest 
cate  of  its  principles.      For  the  past  five  years  he 
has  held  membership  in  the  Grange.     An  ii 
trious,  intelligent  farmer,  he  is  system. iti 

thods,  and  his  fields  are  made  to  yield 
ful  harvests.      The  improvements  upon 
city  are   "I    a    substantial 

thing    manifests    the    thrift    and    prosperity  0 
wide-awake  farmer  and  capable    busines 
He  is  a  highh    1  a   of  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


533 


nity,  and  an  excellent  specimen  of  the  genial, 
hospitable  people  who  are  born  and  reared  in 
Centre  county. 


JTVEORGE  WASHINGTON  STEELE.      The 

\jF  subject  of  this  notice  is  certainly  entitled 
to  be  considered  not  only  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  of  Huston  township,  Centre  county,  but 
one  of  its  respected  and  honored  citizens,  and  a 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  He  has  al- 
ways turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  successful,  and  since 
his  marriage  has  resided  at  his  present  home  in 
Bald  Eagle  Valley. 

Mr.  Steele  is  a  native  of  Huston  township, 
born  February  20,  1853.  His  father,  William 
Wilson  Steele,  was  born  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn., 
November  19,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  and 
Mary  (Moore)  Steele,  natives  of  Chester  and 
Centre  counties,  Penn.,  respectively.  The  former 
was  a  son  of  Francis  and  Margaret  (Steele) 
Steele,  who  were  born  in  Ireland,  and  on  coming 
to  America  at  an  early  day  located  in  Centre 
county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  upon  a  farm.  The  paternal  grandmother 
of  our  subject    was   a    daughter   of  Robert   and 

■ (Wilson)  Moore,  also  natives  of  Ireland  and 

early  pioneers  of  Centre  county.  Martin  Steele 
and  wife  were  married  in  Centre  county,  and  in 
1824  removed  to  Mifflin  county,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  returned  to  their  former  home, 
where  they  passed  away  in  1844  and  1864  re- 
spectively. He  was  an  iron  ore  miner,  and 
served  as  supervisor  of  Patton  township,  Cen- 
tre county.  In  their  family  were  the  following 
children:  Jane,  wife  of  Hubert  Glenn;  Marga- 
ret, wife  of  David  Aters;  Robert,  of  Ohio;  Vi- 
enna, wife  of  James  Peoples;  Hestrane,  wife  of 
Robert  Moore;  Mary  E. ,  wife  of  Jacob  Johnson- 
baugh;  William  W. ;  and  Martha,  wife  of  George 
Mays.  All  are  deceased  with  the  exception  of 
the  father  of  our  subject. 

In  early  life,  William  W.  Steele  engaged  in 
lumbering  during  the  winter  season,  while  the 
summers  were  spent  in  farm  work.  In  1835  he 
located  at  Buffalo  Run,  but  in  1853  removed  to 
his  present  farm,  to  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  time  and 
attention.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  served  as  constable, 
school  director,  and  supervisor  of  his  township. 
He  was  also  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  but  de- 
clined to  accept  the  office.  On  March  19,  1849, 
he  married  Elizabeth  Mays,  who  was  born  in 
Huston  township,  May  10,  1826,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel    and    Sarah    (Decker)    Mays,  natives    of 


Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county,  who  spent  their 
last  days  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Steele,  the  former 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty  and  the  latter  at  the 
age  of  eighty:five  years.  In  their  family  were 
nine  children:  Catherine,  widow  of  J.  Saxton, 
of  Kansas;  Jane,  deceased  wife  of  James  Mc- 
Clelland, also  deceased;  Sarah,  deceased  wife  of 
Joe  Sinker;  Mary,  widow  of  James  Flick,  of 
Forest  county,  Penn. ;  Elizabeth,  mother  of  our 
subject;  George,  who  died  in  Forest  county; 
Eberhart,  a  farmer  of  that  county;  Jesse,  who 
died  in  Kansas;  and  Washington,  a  veterinary 
surgeon  of  Clarendon,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Steele,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family 
of  children,  the  others  being  as  follows;  Sarah, 
wife  of  David  Richards,  a  farmer  and  carpenter 
of  Centre  county;  Robert,  who  died  when  young; 
William  M.,  who  also  died  when  young;  Jasper, 
a  farmer  of  Huston  township;  and  Warren,  at 
home.  Our  subject  obtained  his  literary  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  and  became  familiar 
with  agricultural  pursuits  upon  the  home  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  his  marriage,  May  29, 
1 879,  to  Miss  Nettie  E.  Mays.  To  them  were 
born  six  children:  Mattie  is  at. home;  Gordon 
is  deceased;  William  died  in  infancy;  Elwood  is 
at  home;  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
months;   and  one  died  in  infancy. 

In  Clarendon,  Forest  Co. ,  Penn.,  Mrs.  Steele 
was  born  January  29,  1859,  a  daughter  of  George 
I.  and  Martha  C.  (Steele)  Mays,  natives  of  Cen- 
tre county,  where  they  remained  until  1848, 
when  they  removed  to  Forest  county.  The  fa- 
ther followed  the  occupation  of  farming  and 
blacksmithing  throughout  life,  dying  in  April,' 
1893,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  His  wife 
passed  away  in  January,  1892,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  In  early  life  they  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  later  joined 
the  United  Brethren.  Their  family  constituted 
ten  children:  Ella,  wife  of  Alex  Chatley,  a  mill- 
wright of  Forest  county;  Sarah,  deceased  wife  of 
William  Burkwalter,  a  lumberman;  Josephine, 
wife  of  Joseph  Showber,  a  farmer  of  Centre 
county;  Jennie,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  William 
Burkwalter;  Nettie  E.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Mag- 
gie, wife  of  Loren  McGee,  a  carpenter;  Priscilla, 
a  resident  of  Forest  county;  Laura,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nine  years;  Warren,  of  whom  nothing 
is  known;  and  Bertrand,  of  Forest  county.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Steele  were  Sam- 
uel and  Sarah  A.  (Decker)  Mays,  who  located  in 
Centre  county  at  an  early  day,  and  there  their 
deaths  occurred.  The  maternal  grandparents, 
Martin  and  Mary  (Moore)  Steele,  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  the  same  county. 


534 


OOMMBMORA  TITS  BIOGRAPHICAL  IiECORD. 


Mr.  Steele  is  a  clear-headed,  intelligent  man, 
with  sound  common-sense  views  of  life  and  its 
duties;  he  is  active  in  well-doing,  sober,  indus- 
trious and  of  good  business  habits;  in  fart,  pos- 
sessing in  an  eminent  degree  all  the  qualifications 
that  go  to  make  up  a  good  citizen  and  honorable 
man.  In  politics  he  sides  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  for  three  years  was  an  efficient  school 
director. 


J<)I1N  C.  WAGNER  is  extensively  engaged 
in  farming  in  Centre  county,  and  makes  his 
home  in  Central  City.  He  is  a  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  the  locality, 
and  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  county 
wherein  he  now.  resides.  He  was  born  in  Belle- 
fonte,  June  10,  I  S 5 7 ,  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Su- 
sanna (Hahn)  Wagner,  natives  of  Lebanon 
county  and  Centre  county,  Penn.,  respectively. 
Their  family  numbered  ten  children:  William, 
who  operates  a  gristmill  in  Boggs  township,  for- 
merly owned  by  the  father;  Franklin,  deceased; 
Mary,  wife  of  Frank  B.  Weaver,  of  State  College, 
Penn.;  Sarah,  wife  of  John  M.  Keichline,  of 
Bellefonte;  Jennie,  wife  of  Peter  Keichline,  of 
it*.-;  johnC;  Alice,  wife  of  James  Weaver, 
a  farmer  of  Boggs  township ;  Carrie,  wife  of  Louis 
Wallace,  of  Boggs  township;  Annie,  deceased 
wife  of  James  Williams,  of  Bellefonte;  and  Ella, 
who  is  living  with  her  mother  at  the  family  home- 
stead. The  father  of  this  family  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  business  interests  of  Centre 
county,  and  largelj  promoted  its  commercial  ac- 
tivity. From  1S67  until  1869  he  was  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  Milesburg,  and  throughout  the 
iter  part  of  his  life  owned  and  operated  a 
(arm.  In  [875  he  erected  a  gristmill  in  Central 
City,  which  he  conducted  until  1884,  when  he 
was  joined  in  the  business  by  his  son,  John  C, 
under  the  firm  name  of  John  M.  Wagner  iV  Son. 
This  connection  continued  until  the  father's 
death,  which  occurred  Ma)  5,  [892,  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  He  achieved 
a  hand  h  his  own  labors. 

His  religious  views  were  greatly  in  accord  with 
the  doctrine  of  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
but  he  held  liberal  ideas.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  Republican.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
1824,  is  still  living  <>n  the  old  homestead.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  a 
most  estimable  lady. 

John  C.  Wagner  spent  the  first  seven  years 
of  his  life  in  the  city  of  his  nativity,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1  Sn.j  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval from  Bellefonte  to  the  farm  in  Boggs  town- 
ship.     He  was  there  reared  to  manhood,  and   in 


the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  acquired 
his  (duration.  He  continued  at  home  until  he  ■ 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  at  which  time  re- 
joined his  father  in  the  gristmill  business,  being 
connected  with  that  enterprise  for  eight  yi 
when  his  father  died,  and  he  sold  his  interest  in 
the  mill.  He  then  removed  to  his  farm,  which 
is  a  valuable  and  richly  cultivated  tract  of  land 
that  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. Among  the  excellent  improvements  upon 
it  is  a  two-story  brick  residence,  built  in  a  modern 
style  of  architecture  and  tastefully  and  comfort- 
ably furnished. 

On  October  8,  1884,  Mr.  Wagner  was  married 
to  Miss  Ella  De  Long,  and  they  have  an  interest m„- 
family  of  three  children:  Mabel  E. ,  |<>hn  M.  and 
Mu a  E.  They  have  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends 
who  esteem  them  highly  for  their  sterling  worth. 
Mr.  Wagner  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  Republican  party,  and  was  ap- 
pointed and  served  as  township  supervisor  one 
term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
of  Bellefonte.  His  life  record  is  that  of  a  straight- 
forward business  man,  true  to  the  duties  ol  ho 
and  country,  and  of  public  and  of  private  life. 


J  A.  DIETRK  11.  The  subject  of  this  -4 
occupies  a  prominent  position  among  thi 
terprising  farmers  and  successful  stock-raisers 
ol  Miles  township,  Centre  county,  where  he  owns 
a  fine  farm  of  102  acres,  known  as  the  old  Grimm 
homestead,  which  he  purchased  in  the  spring  of 
1889,  and  has  made  many  valuable  and  useful 
improvements  thereon.      Having  iced  life 

with  small  means,  his  financial  position  is  ample 
evidence  of  the  manner  in  which  he  has  em- 
ployed his  time,  and  the  good  judgment  of  which 
he  is  the  fortunate  possessor.  He  has  one  of  tin- 
best  appointed  homesteads  in  the  township,  and 
on  account  of  his  strii  I  integrity  and  high  cl 
acter  is  numbered  among  its  most  valua 
■ns. 

Mi     Dietrich  was  horn   near  Hublersburf 
N'ittanv    Valley,    Centre  county.    September 
1856,  and  is  of  Swiss  extraction,  his  grandfatfa 
Martin  Dietrich,  being   a    native    of    Switzerland. 
He  was  an  energetic,  industrious  man,  who  - 
ceede<l  in  securing  a  small  home  in  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  near   the    mountains  north 
of    Aaronsburg,    and    there    engaged    in  gem 
farming  and  fruit  growing,  by  which   he 
comfortable  living  foi    hi  ind   wife       1*1 

had  two  children:       John,   the  father  of  our   - 

t;  and  A 11  nil-,  who  married  a  Mr.  Furrow, 
died  in  Tioga  county,   Pennsylvania. 

Being  a  naturally  bright    boy.  John  Dieti 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


535 


the  father,  secured  a  good  practical  education 
even  though  the  schools  of  his  time  were  poor, 
and  in  later  years  participated  in  many  local  de- 
bates, in  which  he  took  great  enjoyment.  As 
the  little  farm  of  his  father  did  not  furnish  enough 
work  for  two,  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
years,  and  worked  for  others,  giving  his  wages  to 
his  parents  until  he  had  attained  his  majority. 
Learning  the  plasterer's  trade,  he  worked  at  it 
for  some  time  in  Big  Sugar  and  Nittany  Valleys. 
In  the  latter  place  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Dunkle,  who  was  born  on  the  old 
Dunkle  homestead  near  Hublersburg,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  a  well-to-do  farmer,  from  whom  she 
inherited  some  property.  By  working  at  his 
trade,  Mr.  Dietrich  was  able  to  add  to  this  until 
at  the  time  of  his  death  they  had  144  acres  of 
good  land,  now  owned  by  their  two  sens,  Lewis 

C.  and  Henry  M.  The  father  was  an  adherent 
of  Democratic  principles,  and  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  be- 
longed. After  a  lingering  illness  he  died  in  the 
fall  of  1887,  and  she  passed  away  in  1891,  both 
when  over  sixty-seven  years  of  age,  and  their  re- 
mains were  interred  in  the  Hublersburg  cemetery. 
In  the  Dietrich  family  were  eight  children,  as 
follows:  Lewis  C. ,  a  farmer  in  Nittany  Valley; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Fulton,  of  the  same 
place;  John,  a  plasterer  and  painter  of  Belle- 
fonte,  Centre  county;  Sarah  A.,  who  married 
John  White,  and  died  near  Hecla,  Penn. ;  Henry 
M.,  who  is  living  on  the  old  homestead;  J.  A.  and 

D.  A.  (twins),  the  former  being  our  subject,  and 
the  latter  the  railroad  agent  at  Hublersburg;  and 
B.  F.,  of  Bellefonte. 

J.  A.  Dietrich  began  his  education  in  the  old 
"  Eight  Square  school  house"  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  Martha  Gordon,  and  later  pursued  his 
studies  with  William  Mallory,  William  Decker 
and  Jasper  Wolfe  as  teachers.  Upon  the  home 
farm  he  was  reared  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  began  working  for  others,  giving  his 
parents  his  wages  with  the  exception  of  what 
was  needed  for  his  clothes.  He  was  employed 
by  farmers  in  Brush  Valley  until  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  began  working  in  the  woods  for 
Ocker  &  Royer,  and  continued  to  follow  the  lum- 
ber business  for  over  four  years. 

In  Madisonburg,  Mr.  Dietrich  was  married  in 
July,  1882,  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Roush,  who  was 
born  in  Gregg  township,  Centre  county,  in  May, 
1859,  and  is  the  youngest  child  of  Benjamin  and 
Margaret  (Hoy)  Roush.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dietrich 
have  two  children,  Alma  M.  and  Mary  E.  The 
parents  began  their  domestic  life  upon  her  fa- 
ther's farm,  where  they  remained  until  their  re- 
moval to   their   present   place    in    the   spring  of 


1889.  They  are  members  in  good  standing  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as 
deacon,  of  the  Sunday-school  of  which  he  for 
several  years  was  secretary.  They  are  greatly 
esteemed  in  their  community  as  representing  the 
best  type  of  its  moral  and  social  element.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Dietrich  is  a  Democrat;  has  served 
as  overseer  in  the  west  precinct  of  Miles  town- 
ship, and  is  at  present  a  director  of  the  Madison- 
burg schools.  Socially,  he  affiliates  with  the 
Grange,  and  was  at  one  time  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 


FLEMING  POORMAN.  a  leading  and  ener- 
getic agriculturist  of  Boggs  township.  Cen- 
tre county,  was  born  February  14,  1858,  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Fetzer)  Poorman,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  Centre  county,  where  they  spent  their 
entire  lives. 

In  their  family  were  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Maria,  deceased  wife  of  Jacob  Yarnal,  a 
farmer  in  Centre  county;  Jane,  wife  of  Morgan 
M.  Lucas,  a  farmer  of  the  same  county;  Mary, 
wife  of  Stanley  Watson,  an  agriculturist  of 
Boggs  township;  William,  of  Central  City,  Penn. ; 
Daniel  F. ,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Boggs  town- 
ship; John  E.,  a  merchant  of  Boggs  township; 
Arminta,  wife  of  Joseph  Williams,  an  engineer 
of  Williamsport,  Penn. ;  Alice,  wife  of  William 
Fetzer,  a  farmer  of  Boggs  township;  and  Flem- 
ing, of  this  review.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  socially  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  religious  belief  a  Lu- 
theran, while  politically  he  supported  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  as  did  his  father  before  him.  The 
latter  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  B.  (Harper) 
Poorman,  who  were  born  at  Brush  Valley,  Cen- 
tre county,  where  they  were  engaged  in  farming. 
The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  Mi- 
chael and  Mary  (Homier)  Fetzer,  were  natives  of 
Germany,  and  New  Jersey  respectively.  At  an 
early  day  they  took  up  their  residence  in  Centre 
county,  where  they  both  died. 

In  the  public  schools  Fleming  Poorman  ac- 
quired a  good,  practical  education  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  began  his  business  career  in  the 
woods  of  Centre  county,  peeling  bark  during  one 
season.  In  the  following  year  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand,  and.  then  went  to  Bellefonte,  where 
he  served  a  two-years'  apprenticeship  as  engineer 
at  the  pump  station  of  the  reservoir.  For  the 
following  six  months  he  ran  an  engine  in  Blair 
county,  Penn.,  after  which  he  removed  to  Ber- 
wick, Penn.,  where  he  learned  the  puddling 
trade,    at  which  he  was  employed  some    seven 


586 


<  CMMRMOUATIVK  UK", IIM'IW M.   RECORD. 


years  Returning  to  the  old  homestead  farm,  he 
rented  the  same  until  1895,  when  he  purchased 
it,  and  to  its  cultivation  gives  his  time  and  at- 
tention. 

Mr.  Poorman  was  married  April  27,  1882,  to 
Miss  Ida  Lucas,  by  whom  he.  has  five  children: 
Maud,  Malcolm,  Charles,  Clyde  and  Linn.  Mrs, 
Poorman  was  born  at  Snow  Shoe,  Centre  county, 
January  28,  1863,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Lynn  (Askey)  Lucas,  who  are  also  natives  of 
that  county.  They  now  reside  at  Chester  Hill, 
where  the  father  is  engaged  in  merchandising. 
He  served  as  captain  during  the  Civil  war,  and  in 
politics  is  an  ardent  Republican.  His  wife  holds 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  both  .iii-  highly  respected  and  valued  citizens 
of  the  community  where  they  make  their  home. 
Hi-  parents  were  David  and  Elizabeth  (Green) 
Lucas,  of  Centre  county,  and  her  parents  v 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Whiteman)  Askey,  of 
Clearfield   county,  Penn.      Mrs.    Poorman   is  the 

st  in  the  famil\r  of  seven  children,  the  others 
being  Laura,  now  the  wife  of  James  Stott,  of 
Philipsburg,  Penn.;  Harry,  attending  Westches- 
ter College;  Effie,  residing  at  Williamsport,  Penn.  ; 
John,  an  express  messenger  on  the  Beach  ('reek 
railroad;  .mil  Gertrude  and  Cameron  I).,  who 
an-  still  with  their  parents, 

Fraternally,  Mi.  Poorman  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange  .it  Milesburg,  in  polities  is  an  earnest 
Den  nil  in  religious  faith  attends  the  serv- 

oi  tin-  lug  Church,  He  is  meeting  with  a 
well -deserved  success  in  his  chosen  calling,  and 
his  line,  well-ordered  farm,  with  its  carefully  cult- 
ured fields,  its  neat  buildings  and  all  their  sur- 
roundings, denote  the  skillful  management,  in- 
dustry and  well-directed  labors  of  the  owner.  He 
is  eminently  worthy  the  trust  and  high  regard  in 
which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow-citizens. 


trade,  and  at  one  time  operated  a  foundry  in 
Bellefonte,  Centre  county;  he  died  in  Roopsburg. 
To  them  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  he  w; ■ 
the  youngest,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Ann 
C,  now  the  wife  of  Mitchell  Baker,  of  Norwalk, 
Warren  Co.,  Iowa,  by  whom  she  has  one  child 
Jacob  \\\,  deceased;  Mary  V.,  wife  of  John 
Archie,  of  Roland,  Centre  county;  Alice  A  .  wii 
of  Thomas  P.  Cowdrick.  of  Bellefonte,  by  whoi.i 
she  has  a  son.  Morris;  and  one  who  died  in 
childhood. 

The  elementary  education  of  Edward  M.  Re 
lin,  which  was  obtained  in  the  free  schools  o| 
Bellefonte.  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the 
Bellefonte  Academy,  where  he  completed  his  lit- 
erary training.  He  is  a  prepossessing  yoai  g 
man,  upright  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealing-, 
and  has  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact  either  in  business 
or  social  life.  Since  attaining  his  majority  he 
has  given  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  part), 
and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Lutheran. 


EiDWARD  M.   RERUN  is  one    of  the    prom- 
'/  inent  and    reliable    young    men    of    Benner 

township.  Centre  county,  The  business  interests 
of  the  community  are  well  represented  by  him, 
and  whether  in  public  or  private  life  he  is  always 
a  courteous,  genial  gentleman,  well  deserving  the 
high  regard  in  which  he  is  held.  His  occupation 
is  that  of  a  miller,  and  he  now  has  charge  of  the 
Roopsburg  Mills,  which  he  is  managing  with  skill 
and  ability. 

Mr.  Reilin  was  born  in  the  county  which  is 
still  his  home,  October  31,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
Daniel  K.  and  Catharine  (Poorman)  Rerlin,  the 
former  a  native  of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  the 
latter  also  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth.  The  father, 
who  was    of   Welsh    descent,  was    a     miller    by 


JAMES  E.  Ml'SSKR.      Among  tin    prominent 
and  progressive  young  men,  who  regard  I 
tre  county  as  their  home,   and   are   tin 
their  attention  to  agricultural   pursuits,  is   Jam  - 
E.    Mussei.    1 -I     Ferguson  township.     Altl 
young   in  years,    still,   having   excellent   business 
abilities,  he  has  already  placed  himself  in  a  posi- 
tion to  be  regarded  as  a  successful  and  scientitic 
farmer.      He  has  been  chiefly  interested  in  the 
cattle  and  sheep  business,  in  which   line  success 
has  been   his  portion.      His  political   support  is 
ever  given   to  the   Republican   party,  and   in  re- 
ligious belief  he  is  a  Lutheran. 

Mr.  Musser  was  born  April  27,  1868,  an  i 
-on  ot  William  and  Eliza  A.  (Ruble    Mu-ser,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Peter  Ruble,  of  Tusseyville, 
Penn.      The  family  is  of  German  origin.      To  the 
parents  of  our  subject  were  born  eight  chil 
as  follows:   Mazella,  who  died   in  infanc) 
A.,  wife   of   J.    H.   Ross,  a    merchant   of    Linden 
Hall,  Centre  county,    by  whom  she  has  six  chil- 
dren; Alvin  C.    I kkeeper  for  Booker  &  Elder. 

of  Altoona),  who  married  Ettie  llartzell,  and  has 
two  children:  Anna  M.,  a  milliner  of  Pine  1 
Mills,    Centre    Co.;    James    E.,    of    this    sketch; 
Ella    M  .  who  died   in   childhood;   J.  William.    I 
fanner,  who  removed   to  Illinois  in  the  spriof 
[896;    ami    Alka    E.,   a   resident   of    Pine   I 
Mills.      About    1840  the  parents  came  to  Centre 
county,  where  their  marriage  was  celebrate  I 
for  many  years  the  father  owned    and   op* 
the  farm  where  a   part  of    the  family  yet  reside. 
During   the  Civil    war  he  was  drafted,   but 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


537 


never  called  into  service.  The  family  has  long 
been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Centre  coun- 
ty, and  is  widely  and  favorably  known. 


*\MW  ^'  HUBLER.  Among  the  young  men 
jcjC  of  Centre  county  who  have  selected  agri- 
culture as  their  vocation  in  life,  and  judging  from 
their  present  indications  are  bound  to  succeed  in 
their  chosen  calling,  is  the  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical notice,  who  is  a  resident  of  Miles  town- 
ship, where  he  has  thirty-five  acres  of  excellent 
farming  land.  He  was  born  in  that  township, 
July  17,  1869,  a  son  of  George  M.  and  Margaret 
E.  (Stover)  Hubler.  John  George  Hubler,  the 
paternal  grandfather,  who  was  the  founder  of 
the  family  in  Miles  township,  was  born  in  1785, 
and  died  August  2,  1857,  at  his  home  near  Rock- 
ville,  in  Brush  Valley,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Anna  B.  Musser,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  George  M. ;  J.  P.,  who  died 
in  Miles  township,  in  1894;  and  Sadie  E.,  wife 
•of  Aaron  Bartges,  of  Loganton,  Pennsylvania. 

George  M.  Hubler  was  born  in  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  along  Pine  creek,  at  what 
is  known  as  Myer's  Mill,  which  his  father  then 
owned,  but  subsequently  they  removed  to  near 
Rockville,  Miles  township.  He  assisted  his  fa- 
ther to  some  extent  in  the  mill,  but  mainly  gave 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1865, 
he  was  married,  in  Brush  Valley,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet E.  Stover,  who  was  born  in  Rebersburg, 
December  17,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Elias  and 
Harriet  (Hippie)  Stover.  Her  father,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Margaret  (Guiswite)  Stover,  was  born 
April  14,  1820,  in  Haines  township,  where  he 
was  reared,  and  in  1845  came  to  Brush  Valley, 
making  his  home  in  Rebersburg,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  of  carpentering,  and  still  lives  at  that 
place.  His  wife,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Mid- 
dleburg,  Penn.,  December  4,  1822,  was  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Leib)  Hip- 
pie. Her  father,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  died 
when  she  was  quite  young,  and  she  was  reared  by 
a  half  sister.  Her  death  occurred  May  27,  1895. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Stover  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: Margaret  E.,  the  mother  of  our  subject; 
William  F. ,  a  tinner  of  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  born 
June  28,  1850;  and  Sarah  J.,  who  was  born  April 
'7.  1855,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  G.  Krape, 
of  Rebersburg. 

After  his  marriage,  George  M.  Hubler  located 
upon  the  home  farm,  and  cared  for  his  parents 
until  they  were  called  to  their  final  rest,  when 
he  inherited  the  place,  which  he  cleared  from 
debt.      He  always   turned   his   attention    to  agri- 


cultural pursuits,  in  which  he  was  quite  successful, 
leaving  at  the  time  of  his  death  100  acres  of  good 
farming  land  and  250  acres  of  timber  land,  and 
being  fond  of  hunting,  found  his  chief  recreation 
in  that  sport.  He  was  rather  stout  in  appear- 
ance, and  in  height  was  five  feet,  ten  inches. 
His  political  support  was  always  given  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  though  never  an  office  seeker, 
was  chosen  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  serve  as  su- 
pervisor, tax-collector  and  constable.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
later  becoming  a  Lutheran,  and  always  contrib- 
uted liberally  to  all  Church  or  religious  work. 
His  death  occurred  August  5,  1896,  having  sur- 
vived his  wife  for  about  a  year,  as  she  passed 
awav  September  1,  1895,  and  both  were  laid  to 
rest  in  the  Union  Cemetery  of  Rebersburg. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children:  Frank 
A.,  a  farmer  of  Miles  township;  W.  T. ,  of  this 
sketch;  and  Anna  H.,  wife  of  T.  J.  Ocker,  of 
Rebersburg.  The  parents  were  people  of  prom- 
inence in  the  community,  and  justly  deserved  the 
high  regard  in  which  they  were  universally  held. 

Like  most  farmer  lads,  W.  T.  Hubler  spent 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  aiding  in  the 
labors  of  the  farm  and  attending  the  local 
schools.  On  first  starting  to  school  in  Rebers- 
burg his  teacher  was  Libbie  Royer.  He  contin- 
ued with  his  parents  until  April,  1893,  when  he 
located  upon  his  present  farm  at  Rockville, 
Miles  township,  which  he  now  has  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  the  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance of  the  place  testifies  to  his  industry  and 
enterprise. 

On  October  19,  1891,  in  Rockville,  Mr.  Hub- 
ler was  married  by  Rev.  Rearick,  a  Lutheran 
minister,  to  Miss  Ada  E.  Gramley,  who  was  born 
near  that  place  November  19,  1869,  and  is  the 
youngest  child  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  J.  (Small) 
Gramley.  Two  children  came  of  this  union:  Har- 
ry G. ,  born  June  15,  1893,  and  Samuel  L.  The 
parents  are  both  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  in  his  political  views  Mr.  Hubler  is  an  ar- 
dent Democrat.  They  hold  an  enviable  position 
in  the  social  circles  of  the  community,  and  their 
friends  throughout  the  county  are  many. 


S\AMUEL  W.  WAITE,  a  progressive,  wide- 
_J  awake  business  man  of  Rebersburg,  Centre 
county,  who  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world 
from  an  early  age,  is  a  native  of  the  county,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Miles  township  July  4, 
1852.  His  father,  John  F.  Wate  (as  the  name 
was  originally  spelled),  was  born  January  18, 
1825,  in  Huntingdon,  Huntingdon  county,  Penn., 
a  son  of  Samuel  and  Polly  (Oswalt)  Wate,  also 


538 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


natives  of  Huntingdon  counts.  Samuel  was  one 
of  five  sons,  whose  father  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, while  his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Adam 
Oswalt,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent.  The  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  a  day  laborer,  driving  a 
team  fur  different  furnaces  in  central  Pennsyl- 
vania for  many  years.  In  early  life  he  made  his 
home  in  Clinton  count}',  but  later  removed  to 
Montour  county,  his  death  occurring  in  Danville, 
November  2,  1879.  His  wife  survived  him  some 
years,  and  passed  away  in  Milesburg,  Centre 
county.  Both  were  earnest  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  while  in  politics  he  was  first  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican. 

John  F.  Wat'  was  the  eldest  of  the  seven 
children  of  the  family  who  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turitv,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Bartholomew, 
born  April  23,  1830,  is  a  resident  of  Danville, 
Penn.  ;  Samuel,  born  February  28,  1832,  lives  in 
Jersey  Shore,  Penn. ;  Alexander,  born  November 
13,  1834,  lives  in  Danville,  Penn.;  William,  born 
February  10,  1837,  makes  his  home  at  Beach 
Creek,  Penn.  .  Hlizabeth,  born  March  30,  1839, 
is  the  wife  of  Josiah  Miller,  of  Nittany  Valley, 
Centre  county;  and  John  H.  McGill,  born  June 
1S.  1842,  is  a  resident  of  Danville.  The  educa- 
tional privileges  of  John  1".  W'ate  were  limited  to 
one  year's  attendance  at  the  common  schools,  as 
his  parents  were  quite  poor,  and  at  an  early  day 
he  started  out  to  fight  life's  battle.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  began  weaving  carpets,  coverlets, 
table  cloths,  etc.,  under  John  II.  March,  of 
Salona,  Centre  county,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1849,  wlu-n  he  removed  to  Kramerville, 
Brush  Valley,  where  he  has  since  been  employed 
at  his  trade  or  general  labor.  On  State  or  Na- 
tional questions  he  votes  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  at  local  elections  is  not  bound  by  party 
ties.  Since  1849  fie  has  been  a  faithful  member 
of  tin-  Evangelical  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also 
belou 

On  I  >er  2X,   1845,  John    F.  W'ate  mar- 

ried Mary  M.  Gramly,  who  was  born  in  Brush 
Valley,  Centre  county,  August  6,  1825,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  M.  (Kline)  Gramly.  They 
have  now  traveled  life's  journey  together  for 
over  half  a  century,  sharing  its  joys  and  sorrows, 
its  adversity  ami  prosperity,  and  in  1895  cele- 
brated their  golden  wedding.  Ten  children 
blessed  their  union,  namely:  Sarah  E. ,  born 
December  16,  1846,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen; 
Elmeda  F. ,  born  June  15,  1849,  died  when 
youn- ;  Samuel  W.  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Harvey  I...  horn  1  >e<  ember  30,  1 85 3,  died  at  the 
of  two  years;  Mary  C,  born  September  24, 
1856,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  L.  Beck,  of  Brush 
Valley;  Franklin,  born  January  4,   1859,  is  a  res- 


ident of  Rebersbur^;    Emma   1    .  born  August   1, 

1,  is  the    wife  of  William  Bjreon,  of  Clint 
county,    Penn.;  Hester   A.,  born   November 
1863.  died  young;   George  B.   Ma,  bun  Dei  em- 
ber 17,   1866,  is  a  resident  of   Brush  Valley;  and 
John  W.,  born  May  9,   1869,  makes  his  home  in 
Loganton,   Pennsylvania. 

The  advantages  afforded  our  subject  for  se- 
curing an  education  were  very  meagre,  ami  at  an 
early  age  he  started  out  to  earn  his  own  liveli- 
hood, first  working  as  a  hostler  for  Dr.  Hillbish. 
of  Rebersburg,  with  whom  he  remained  for  four 
years.  His  first  experience  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits was  in  the  employ  of  W.  F.  Bailey,  of  the 
same  place,  his  wages  being  $3  per  week.  H< 
accompanied  his  employer  on  his  removal 
Woodward,  Centre  county,  and    lat'  les- 

burg,   111.,  where  he  remained  for  several   years. 
but  finally  returned  to  Spring  Mills,  Penn..  clerk- 
ing,   there   for  a    time.      Later  he  rented  a  farm 
near    Sprucetown,    Centre   county,    for    a    j 
and   for  the  following  six  years  operated  rented 
land    in    Gregg    township,    in    the   same    county 
Subsequently  he  lived  for  one  year  upon  the  farm 
of  Abram  Miller,  at  Pleasant  Gap.      In  the  spring 
of    [892  Mr.   Waite  purchased    a   lot    in    Rebi 
burg,  on  which   he  erected  a  residence  and  si 
building,  and  the  following  spring  began  general 
merchandising,   which    he    has   since   continued 
with  excellent  success,  his  courteous  manner  and 
fair  dealing  winning  him  a  liberal  share  of  public 
patronage. 

On  August  22.  [885,  Mr.  Waite  married  Miss 
Anna,  daughter  of  G.  W.   Lonberger,   a  farmei 
of  Pleasant    (.ap,   and  their  wedding   ceremonj 
was  performed  at   Spring   Mills   by   Rev.  st.un- 
baugh.      Three  children  have  been  born  to  th 
Annie  M.,  who  died    in    1894;   and    Mary    P 
Paul    L.  at  home       Mrs.  Waite  is  a  coi 
member  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church      Mi 
Waite   uses    his   right  of   franchise  in  support 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.      rh 
serves  no  little  credit  for  the  success  he  has  mi 
in  life,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  and  pi 
nenl   business  men  of  the  village,  where  during 
early  life  he  served  as  a  stable   boy  and  hostler, 
a  fact  that  shows  what  can   be   accomplished 
industry,  perseverance  and  economy. 


MO.V    JOHN    P.    GEPHART.      Am 
,_L   honored    citizens    of     Bellefonte, 
county,    is  the  subject  of   this  brief   biography, 
whose  able  service  in  various  positions  of  public 
trust  is  too  well  known  to  need  comment. 
less  in  his  advocacy  of  the  right  as  he  sees  it,  he 
has  won  the  confidence  of  all  classes,  but  he  has 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


539 


never  hesitated  to  make  enemies  for  the  sake  of 
a  good  cause,  and  his  record  speaks  for  itself  of 
his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  constituents. 

Mr.  Gephart  was  born  at  Bellefonte,  January 
9,  1827,  and  his  family,  which  is  of  Dutch  origin, 
has  been  identified  with  this  State  for  several 
generations.  His  grandfather,  John  P.  Gep- 
hart, a  native  of  Bucks  county,  married  a  Miss 
Gephart,  who,  though  of  the  same  name,  and 
born  in  the  same  county,  was  no  relation.  Some 
years  after  their  marriage  they  moved,  in  1809, 
to  Union  county,  Penn.,  locating  in  Buffalo  Val- 
ley, two  miles  west  of  Lewisburg.  During  the 
Black  Hawk  war  our  subject's  grandmother 
patriotically  furnished  entertainment  to  the  sol- 
diers en  route.  She  died  in  18 12,  and  the  grand- 
father, who  was  a  farmer  and  distiller  by  occu- 
pation, passed  away  in  18 16.  They  had  several 
children,  among  whom  was  a  son,  Michael  Gep- 
hart, born  September  30,  1803,  in  Bucks  coun- 
ty, Penn.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Union 
county;  but  in  1826  he  located  in  Centre  county, 
in  what  is  now  Penn  township,  then  a  part  of 
Haines  township.  He  owned  a  fine  farm  near 
Millheim,  and  was  more  than  ordinarily  success- 
ful. His  wife,  Elizabeth  Emmert,  who  was  born 
January  29,  1803,  in  Lebanon  county,  Penn., 
died  at  the  homestead  near  Millheim  May  7, 
1852;  he  survived  her  many  years,  his  death  oc- 
curring August  26,  1873.  Only  two  of  their 
children  lived  to  mature  age,  and  of  these,  the 
younger,  Jacob,  died  in  the  fall  of   1892. 

The  subscription  schools  of  Millheim,  fur- 
nished rudely  with  slab  benches  with  smooth 
side  up,  andofferinga  no  less  primitive  curriculum, 
furnished  our  subject  an  elementary  education, 
to  which  observation  and  private  study  had 
added  largely.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  until 
he  was  .thirty-one  he  worked  upon  the  home  farm, 
and  then  for  seven  years  he  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  Millheim.  His  popularity  had 
in  the  meantime  led  to  his  entrance  into  the  polit- 
ical arena,  and  in  1863  he  was  elected  clerk  and 
register  and  recorder  of  the  Orphans'  Court. 
After  serving  two  terms  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  Orvis  &  Alexander  as  clerk,  and  remained 
there  until  his  election,  May  30,  1870,  to  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  South  and 
Westwards  of  Bellefonte.  In  1875  he  was  re- 
elected on  the  Democratic  ticket,  this  time  for 
the  North  ward,  with  a  majority  of  forty-eight, 
overcoming  the  usual  Republican  majority  of 
ninety.  In  1878  he  became  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  County  Committee,  and  in  the  same 
year  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  his 
re-election  in  1880  marking  the  people's  apprecia- 
tion of    his  efforts.      While  in  that  body  he  held 


positions  on  several  important  committees,  in- 
cluding those  on  Appropriations  and  Schools, 
and  he  was  active  in  securing  the  defeat  of  the 
Pillsbury  Bill. 

Mr.  Gephart  owns  the  old  farm  in  Penn 
township,  comprising  about  400  acres.  As  ad- 
ministrator he  was  under  heavy  bonds  for  the 
settlement  of  the  estate,  but  he  and  his  brother 
never  divided  it,  sharing  its  proceeds  in  peace. 
On  August  1,  1847,  Mr.  Gephart  was  united  in 
matrimony  with  Miss  May  M.  Swartz,  who  was 
born  at  Millheim,  September  18,  1829.  Three 
children  blessed  this  union:  (1)  Sarah  E.,  born 
June  14,  185 1,  married  L.  T.  Munson,  and  has 
one  son,  named  for  our  subject.  (2)  J.  Wesley, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere.  (3)  May, 
born  November  21,  1856,  married  J.  W.  Dix,  of 
Dayton,  Ohio.  The  mother  of  this  family  died 
December  14,  1874,  and  Mr.  Gephart  for  his 
second  wife  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Corshells,  of 
Loganton,  Clinton  county,  Pennsylvania. 


0 


Mc- 
:rom 
The 


W.  McENTIRE,  M.  D.,  of  Howard,  Centre 
county,  where  he  is  also  engaged  in  the  drug 
business,  has  descended  on  his  mother's  side 
from  one  of  the  first  families  to  settle  within  the 
territory  now  comprising  Centre  county. 

Dr.  McEntire  is  a  son  of  Lawrence  B.  McEn- 
tire  (now  and  for  many  years  past  a  merchant 
and  postmaster,  and  a  respected  citizen  of  Fill- 
more, Centre  county)  and  Martha  (Houser 
Entire.  The  McEntires  were  originally 
Ireland,  and  the  Housers  from  Germany, 
first  of  the  latter  family  to  come  to  America  was 
the  great-great-grandfather  of  our  subject.  He 
came  as  a  redemptioner,  and  was  obliged  to 
work  an  entire  year  for  one  of  his  more  fortu- 
nate countrymen  in  order  to  pay  his  passage. 
Jacob  Houser,  son  of  this  emigrant,  came  in 
1788  from  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  to  Spring 
Creek,  now  the  site  of  Houserville,  having  the 
year  previously  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  of 
Josiah  Matlack,  known  as  the  Isaac  Catherell 
Survey,  December  5,  1774.  He  was  prosperous 
and  became  a  wealthy  farmer.  Of  his  eight 
children,  Martin  was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Lawrence 
McEntire. 

Dr.  McEntire,  as  is  his  mother,  is  a  native  of 
Houserville,  having  been  born  there  in  1859.  As 
he  grew  to  manhood  he  clerked  in  his  father's 
store  at  Fillmore,  receiving  his  early  education 
in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  Later  he 
was  prepared  for  college  at  Penn  Hall  Academy, 
and  at  Centre  Hall,  then,  late  in  the  "seven- 
ties," entered  Pennsylvania  State  College,  where 
he  pursued   his   studies   for   a  year   and    a    half. 


.-,1(1 


i  'OMMEMORA  TIVE  BIOUliA  Villi  A  I.  A'/.'  'OBD. 


After  this  he  went  to  Washington,  I).  C,  and 
studied  medicine  in  the  office,  and  under  the  di- 
rection, of  Thomas  B  Hood,  M.  D.  He  at- 
tended  lectures  in  the  medical  department  of 
Howard  University,  in  that  city,  and  was  gradu- 
ated  in  1884.  After  his  graduation  he  returned 
to  Fillmore,  Penn.,  and  there  began  the  practice 
(il  medicine,  remaining  at  that  point  one  year. 
I  1    11    ii  he  went   to  Mill    Hall,  and    followed 

lu>  profession  fur  several  years,  thence  going  to 
Philadelphia,  where  in  1X91  he  was  graduated 
from  (efferson  Medical  College  While  attend- 
ing lectures  at  this  institution,  he  also  was  a 
student  at  thi  ylvania  School  of   Anatomy. 

Returning  to  Centre  county,  he  located  in  prac- 
tice  at  Howard,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Clinton  and  Centre 
Countj  Medical  Society;  also  of  West  Branch 
Medical  Society.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle;  P.  O.  S.  of  A.  : 
and  of  thr  [unior  Order  American  Mechanics.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  The  Doctor  is  well 
equipped  for  a  successful  career,  and  is  aln 
in  the  midst  of  a  busy  practice. 

In    1886   1  >i     McEntire  was    married    to    Miss 
I'  mine  A.  Sellars,  (laughter  of  Agnew  ami  1  ath- 
erinc    Kephart    Sellars,  highly  respected  farn 
of  the    vicinity   of   Fillmore.     To  this  man 
was  born,  in    1887,  a  daughter  named    [osephine 
Catherine, 


J 


1  >11\   GHANER.       Among  thr    worthy    citi- 
zens that  Germany  has  furnished  to  tin    New 
World    is  numbered   this  gentleman.     The 
best  justification  for  our  Republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment lies  in  the  fact  that  it  gives  to  all  equal 
opportunities  that  thr  people  of  other  lands  may 
e   here    and    seek    to    establish    comfortable 
homes  ami  secure  success  through  honorable  deal- 
ing, unhampered  bj  thi    repressing   influences  of 
te  01    class,  being    allowed    to  exercise    to  tin 
full  their    business    abilities    and    their    energies. 
I  In    \h    Ghaner  has  done,  and  as  a  result  he  has 
acquired  a  o  imfortable  competence  which  1  lasses 
him  at ig  the  substantial  citizens   oi   the  com- 
munity in  which  he  makes  his  home. 

John  Ghanei  was  born  January  24,  [827,  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  and  spent  the  days  of 
Ins  boyhood  and  youth  in  that  land.  He  was 
of  a  family  of  four  children,  the  others  being 
Magdalene,  who  died  in  Germany;  Regina  and 
Jacob.  Mr.  Chaner,  of  this  review,  was  drafted 
for  service-  in  the  German  arms  in  [848,  and  for 
lour  years  his  life  was  that  ol  a  soldier.  When 
iing  man  of  twenty-five  he  resolved  to  seek 
a  home  in  America  with  its   better  opportunities, 


more  liberal  advantages  and  livelier  competition 
He    took    up    his    residence     in    Centre    county, 
Penn..  where  he  has   since    made    his  home,  and 
for    a   number   of  years    thereafter   followed    thi 
stone   mason's   trade,  which    he    had   learned  in 
the  land  of  his  nativity       He  was  very   industri- 
ous and  energetic,  and  his  close  application,  per- 
severance and   economy   at   length   enabled  him 
to  acquire  the  capital    with   which  he   pun  I 
Ins  present  farm.      He  now  gives  his  attention  to 
agricultural    pursuits,  and    has   a   well-developed 
the  highly-cultivated  fields  yielding  to  him 
a  golden  tribute  in  return  for    the  care  and  labor 
he  bestows  upon  them. 

In  the  year   1853,  Mr.  Ghaner  was  unit' 
marriage  with  Miss  Magdalene  Behrer,  who  died  in 

On  July  21,   1864,  he  wedded  Susai 
del, daughter  of  Peter  Snyder,  of  Penn's  Valli 
the  seven  children  by  the  first  union  and  four  by 
the  second,  we  have  record  as  follows:     Jao 

esiding  in  Scotia,  Centre  county; 
Wilson  married  Ella  Meese,  and  is  engaged  in 
working  with  ore  in  Scotia;  Mary,  is  the  wile  ol 
Reub«  n  <  ronemiller,  a  mai  Inuist  of  Scotia. 
Susan;  William;  David  married  in  Michigan, 
and  makes  his  home  there.  Mr.  Ghanei 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  of 
the  Grange.  His  political  support  is  given  the 
Democracy  but  he  has  neither  sought  nor  de- 
sired public  office,  preferring  to  give  his  attention 
to  his  business  interests.  Honorable  in  all  his 
dealings,  in  business  transactions  his  word  is  n 
good  as  his  bond. 


PI    IKK    SMITH,  who   for  upward   of   tw< 
years    has    been  a  resident   ol    near   Centre 
Hill,  Potter  township,  Centre  county,   is  one  of 
the  substantial  agriculturists  of  this  section. 

Born  December  27,   1837,  in  Northumberland 
county,    Penn.,    Mr.    Smith    is    the  son  of   l'r 
Charles   and    Kebecca    i  Trion     Smith,  born,    the 
former   in   August,    [811,   in   Lycoming   county, 
Penn.,  and  the  latter  in  Northumberland  county, 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Frederick  Trion.    Dr. Charles 
Smith  was  one  of  the  early  physicians  of  Potter 
township,  his  practice  extending  as  far  as  V 
w.nd  in    Penn's   Valley.      He  began   life  a 
boy.  and  the  success  he  achieved  was  due  to  his 
own  efforts.      At    one   time    he  followed  h: 
fession  at  Penn  Hall  and  also  in  Snyder  CO 
Later  he  removed  to  Nittany  Valley,   where  In- 
still resides  at  an  advanced  age,  making  his 
in    Lamar  township.      His   wife  passed  away  m 
1882,  aged    sixty-four   years.      She   was   a 
woman,   ami  she  and  lu-i  husband  were  e\'(  i 
in  high  esteem.      To  their   marriage   were 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


541 


four  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the 
eldest. 

Peter  Smith  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents 
located  in  Potter  township.  He  recalls  that  the 
first  school  he  attended  was  held  in  an  old  build- 
ing which  stood  near  Colyer,  and  his  first  teacher 
was  Squire  Hahn.  When  a  child  his  health  was 
poor,  which  prevented  him  from  getting  full 
benefit  of  the  opportunities  presented.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  in  his  twenty-ninth  year, 
when  he  was  married  at  Aaronsburg  to  Miss  Julia 
Neese,  born  in  Haines  township,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Neese.  He  then  located  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  where 
he  remained  until  moving  to  Potter  township, 
Centre  county,  March  2,  1876,  where  he  has 
since  resided  and  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits 
on  a  farm  that  his  father  had  owned  many  years. 
Our  subject  is  fond  of  good  horses,  and  has  given 
considerable  attention  to  this  class  of  stock.  He 
has  owned  some  fine  animals,  and  is  a  most  ex- 
cellent judge  of  a  horse.  He  is  an  enterprising 
and  public-spirited  citizen.  To  his  marriage  one 
son,  Calvin  F.,  was  born,  who  is  now  a  physician 
at  Howard,  Penn.  The  parents  have  given  a 
home  to  two  boys,  one  of  whom  lived  with  them 
ten  years  and  the  other  eighteen.  In  their  re- 
ligious belief  the  father  is  of  the  Evangelical  and 
the  mother  of  the  Lutheran  persuasion.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat,  but  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  Prohibition  party.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange.  Mr.  Smith  has  met  with  suc- 
cess in  life.  He  is  an  exemplary  citizen,  and  a 
prosperous  farmer. 


M 


M.  SWARTZ,  a  prosperous  and  honored 
citizen  and  well-known  agriculturist  of  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  was  born  June  7,  1837, 
in  that  township,  near  Millheim.  He  is  a  wor- 
thy representative  of  one  of  its  pioneer  families, 
his  grandfather,  George  Swartz,  having  located 
in  Penn  township  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  and  built  the  first  sawmill  on  Elk 
creek,  which  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent mill  of  our  subject.  He  also  followed  farm- 
ing in  connection  with  its  operation.  He  reared 
a  large  family,  and  died  in  Millheim. 

George  Swartz,  Jr.,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  on  the  family  homestead  in  Penn  town- 
ship, about  1798,  and  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth  aided  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
and  mill.  He  also  erected  a  clover  mill,  where 
the  farmers  hauled  their  clover  to  be  hulled,  and 
he  often  threshed  1600  bushels  in  one  season. 
After  his  marriage  he  made  his  home  at  various 
places  in  Penn  and   Gregg  townships,  Brush  Val- 


ley, and  on  the  old  homestead  farm  where  he 
lived  for  several  years,  but  finally  built  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  our  subject,  where  he  died  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one  years.  His  faith- 
ful wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-six, 
and  they  now  sleep  side  by  side  in  the  Millheim 
cemetery.  He  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Michael,  a  resident  of  Stephen- 
son county,  111. ;  John,  who  is  also  living  in  that 
State;  Philip,  who  died  in  Penn  township;  Cath- 
arine, widow  of  Joseph  Luse,  of  Michigan ; 
George,  who  died  in  Punxsutawney,  Penn. ;  Molly, 
who  married  Philip  Gephart,  and  died  in  Belle- 
fonte,  Centre  county;  Daniel,  who  died  in  Lew- 
isburg,  Penn.;  Mary,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Samuel,  a  resident  of  Potter  township,  Centre 
county;  David,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  H.  M., 
of  this  sketch. 

Our  subject  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  schools  of  Millheim,  and  was  for  two  terms  a 
student  in  the  Aaronsburg  Academy.  He  was 
reared  to  farm  work,  but  being  of  a  mechanical 
turn  of  mind,  he  at  the  age  of  eighteen  began 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade  under  Joseph  Luse, 
and  also  became  a  skilled  millwright.  On  Sep- 
tember 7,  1862,  in  Aaronsburg,  Mr.  Swartz  was 
married  to  Miss  Susan  Frank,  who  was  born  in 
Haines  township,  Centre  county,  February  11, 
1840,  and  is  the  second  daughter  and  third  child 
in  the  family  of  eight  children  whose  parents  are 
Michael  and  Annie  (Homan)  Frank.  Five  children 
graced  their  union:  Sarah  A.,  who  married  H. 
O.  Bower,  and  died  in  Penn  township,  in  1895; 
Ella,  wife  of  N.  H.  Fiedler,  of  Brush  Valley, 
Centre  county;  Maggie,  wife  of  Ammon  Snook, 
of  Penn  township;  W.  H.,  residing  at  home,  who 
married  Lizzie  M.  Bierly,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Bierly,  of  Madisonburg,  Penn.,  and  has  one 
child — Carrie;  and  Katy,  wife  of  Luther  Seyler, 
of  Nittany  Valley,  Centre  county. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Swartz  located  upon 
a  rented  farm  near  Millheim,  but  remained  there 
only  a  short  time,  and  then  removed  to  what  is 
known  as  Weavers  Mills,  above  Millheim,  where 
he  made  his  home  for  eight  years.  Since  1872 
he  has  occupied  his  present  residence,  at  first 
purchasing  twenty  acres  of  land,  but  now  owns  a 
valuable  tract  of  seventy-two  acres,  which  is  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  operated  the 
old  sawmill  standing  thereon  until  the  great  flood 
of  1889,  when  it  was  destroyed,  but  with  charac- 
teristic energy  he  soon  replaced  it,  and  the  new 
mill  has  been  equipped  with  the  latest  improved 
machinery. 


542 


COMVEMOUA  TIVK   /!/(>>; HM-IIH  .1  /    liBCORD. 


Mr.   Swartz  casts  his  ballot  in  support  of   the 
men  and  measures  of  th     I  ratic  party,  and 

has  held  some  offices,  including  that  of  school  di- 
rector. A  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and 
honor,    his    word    is  red    as  good    as    his 

bond,  and  he  receives  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  the  entire  community.  For  overacentur\  the 
Swartz  family  has  been  identified  with  the  mill- 
ing interests  of  Penn  township,  and  is  justly  en- 
titled to  mention  among  the  valued  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Centre  county 


Wll  SMITH,  an  industrious  and  thorough 
farmer,  who  has  a  pleasant  home  in  Penn 
township,  Centre  county,  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship October  17,  1S40,  a  son  of  Capt.  Henry  and 
Annie  1  I'.ehl  1  Smith. 

The  father  of  our   subject    was   also   a   native 

•  ntre  county,  and  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
nine  children — five  sons  and  four  daughters. 
During  his  youth  he  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  but  as  his  strength  was  not  sufficient  to 

id  such  arduous  labor  he  abandoned  the, busi- 
ness and  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  owned  and  operated  a  small  farm,  in 
addition  also  working  by  the  day  in  order  to  sup- 
port hU  lamily.  His  title  ol  "Captain"  was 
tained  by  serving  as  such  in  a  militia  company. 
At  the  polls  he  always  east  his  ballot  in  support 
ot  the  Democratic  party,  in  the  success  of  which 
.he  took  a  deep  interest,  and  creditably  filled  the 
position  of  constable  and  other  township  offices. 
In  1  arly  life  he  was  a  Lutheran,  but  later  joined 
the  Evangelical  Church.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  when 
about  in  her  seventieth  \ 

Mi  Smith,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,    was  upon    the   home    farm    until 

twentj  years  of  age,  attending  the  public  schools 
of  the  neighborhood,  and  becoming  familiar  with 
tin  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  oi  the  agriculturist. 
On  leaving  the  parental  rool  he  began  learning 
the  carpenter's  trade  under  tl  ;  ion  of  Henry 

Bartley,  a  brother-in-law,  but  after  one  summei 
took  ii))  shoemaking  as  he  did  not  like  the  former 
occupation.  He  served  a  two-years' apprenl 
ship  with  a  certain  party,  and  was  to  hav< 
ceived  $40  and  some  tools,  but  was  given  only  a 
few  clothes.  For  almost  a  yeai  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  Sugar  Valley,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Penn  township,  and  at  his  father's  home  carried 
on  shoemaking  lor  a  time,  supporting  Ins  fathei 
for  the  rent  ol  the  farm.  Often  he  would  work  all 
day  in  the  fields,  while  he  would  spend  the  [light  111 

work  at  the  bench  in  order  toget  along.    At  the  age 


of  twenty-three  years,  he  was  married  in  Aaron-- 
burg,  Centre  county,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Frank,  a 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Annie  (Homan)  Frank, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children:  Anni.  . 
now  the  wife  of  l)a\id  Stover,  of  Potter 
ship.  Centre  county;  William  E.,  a  residi 
Millheim;  and  Herbert,  at  home.  After  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Smith  continued  to  live  upon  his  fa- 
I  .1  time,  and  then  removed  to  Smith- 
town,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  five  years, 
which   he  operated   in  com  with   work  at 

ide.  In  the  spring  of  r88o  he  remo\. 
his  present  place,  known  as  the  old  Swartz  home- 
stead, which  he  rented  for  three  years  and  then 
purchased.  It  is  a  good  farm  of  sixty-six  acres, 
which  yields  a  golden  tribute  in  return  for  the  care 
and  labor  expended  upon  it,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  places  in  the  locality. 

Politically  Mr.  Smith  follows  in  the  foot- 
of  Ins  father,  alw  a\  s  voting  the  Democratic  ticket, 
and  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  overseer  of 
the  poor,  supervisor  and  school  director.    He  and 
his  wife  are  earnest  members  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical Church,  of  which  he  has  been  tn 
for  the  past  ten  years.      A  man  of   unquestioned 
integrity,    he    has   never  intentionally  defrauded 
any  one,  and  has   the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
all  who  come  in  contact  with  him  in  thi 
walks  of  life.      His  success  is  but  the  just  reward 
of  his  own  industry  and  good  management, 
starting  out  111  life  for  himself  his  capital  consisted 
of    naught   save   a   pair   of   willing    hands  and   .1 
determination  to  succeed. 


JOHN  H.  KFFSER,  a  well-known  merchant 
of  Snow  Shoe.  Centre  county,  where  he  suc- 
cessfully conduits  a  butcher  shop,  bakeryand 
grocery,  also  interested  to  some  i  x  tint  in  fann- 
ing and  mining,  is  a  i  of  the  county,  horn  in 
Haines  township,   [une  2,   [842. 

II   me  Reeser,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  v  I  in  an  Fish 

family,    as     Ins    parents    died    when    he    w 
young,  and  when  a    boy  he  1  lUD- 

t\,  where  he  died  in    1884,   at  the  agi 
four  years.      He   married    Rebecca    Muss 
departed  this  life  in  1878,  aged  fifty  yeai        I 
une    the    parents   of    seven    children,  nam 
Jacob,  who   was  wounded    .it   the   battle  oi 
Wilderness,   after    which    he    was    taken    pria 
and  died  in  a  Rebel  prison;    John  H.,  of  th 
view,   who    was   also  drafted,   but  his  father  Ii 
a  substitute  for  him;  Elizabeth,  deceased.1' 
M. .  who  is  th    butchering  busim  • 

Mahaffey,  Clearfield   Co.,  Penn.;   Susan,  wit 


COMMEMORATIVE  BWORAPHICAL  RECORD. 


543 


Daniel  Heckler,  a  farmer  of  Benner  township. 
Centre  county;  Emeline,  wife  of  Wilson  S.  Scholl, 
a  carpenter  of  Bellefonte;  and  William,  a  farmer 
of  Ohio. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  John  H. 
Reeser  was  reared  and  educated,  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  when  he  rented  the  old  homestead  farm, 
which  he  operated  for  two  years.  Subsequently 
he  removed  to  Spring  township.  Centre  county, 
where  he  made  his  home  until  coming  to  Snow 
Shoe,  in  1S95,  at  which  time  he  purchased  his 
present  business  from  his  brother.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  progressive,  wide-awake  and  enterpris- 
ing business  men  of  the  place,  and  has  already 
succeeded  in  building  up  an  excellent  trade  which 
is  constantly  increasing.  His  political  support  is 
ever  given  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

On  February  4,  1867,  in  Bellefonte,  Mr. 
Reeser  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Musser, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children: 
Andrew  M.,  Minnie  K.,  Harry  A.  and  Bessie  K. 
Mrs.  Reeser  was  born  in  Spring  township,  Centre 
county,  May  12,  1842,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Rachel  (Hoobler)  Musser,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Penn's  Valley,  in  the  same  county.  In 
1842  they  removed  to  a  farm  in  Spring  township, 
where  they  spent  their  remaining  days,  the  fa- 
ther dying  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years, 
and  the  mother  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 
They  were  earnest  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  in  politics  the  father  was  a  Repub- 
lican. Ten  children  have  graced  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Musser,  namely.  Noll,  who  died 
in  Centre  county,  in  1890;  William  and  Michael, 
deceased  in  childhood;  Samuel,  agent  for  agri- 
cultural implements  in  Kansas  City,  Mo. ; 
Rosetta,  living  with  our  subject;  John,  in  the 
agricultural  implement  business  in  Colfax,  Iowa; 
Anna  M.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Phoebe,  wife  of 
Landis  Gerberick,  who  is  now  living  retired  in 
Lebanon,  Penn. ;  Ellen,  wife  of  Silas  Manspeak- 
er,  a  railroad  engineer  of  Saxton,  Penn. ;  and 
James  G.,  a  seed  agent  at  Fillmore,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Hagenberger)  Musser, 
the  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Reeser,  were 
the  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject.  Both 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  latter  born  in 
Centre  county,  where  the  grandfather  located  at 
an  early  day  and  there  engaged  in  farming 
throughout  life.  His  father,  a  native  of  Germany, 
came  to  America  when  a  young  man,  and  be- 
came a  land  owner  in  Pennsylvania.  The  ma- 
ternal grandparents  of  Mrs.  Reeser  were  John 
and  Christian  (Johnsonbaugh)  Hoobler,  the  former 


a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Centre 
county.  The  grandfather  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  early  life,  making  his  home  in 
Centre  county,  but  returned  to  Germany  to  ob- 
tain a  fortune  left  him.  Alter  securing  it  he 
again  started  for  the  New  World,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed he  was  murdered  on"  the  vessel  as  nothing 
has  since  been  heard  of  him. 


RS.  MARTHA  P.  ODENKIRK,  widow  of 
George  Odenkirk,  is  one  of  the  highly  re- 
spected and  honored  citizens  of  Centre  Hall. 
She  was  born  in  1830,  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn., 
one  mile  east  of  Milroy,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Leonard  and  Elizabeth  (Allison)  Lingle,  who 
came  to  Potter  township,  Centre  county,  when 
Mrs.  Odenkirk  was  but  a  child,  and  located  near 
Centre  Hall.  In  early  life  the  father  was  a 
miller,  but  later  turned  his  attention  to  farming, 
and  became  the  owner  of  a  comfortable  home 
and  two  valuable  farms.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
Mifflin  county,  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  The}'  now  sleep  side  by 
side  in  the  cemetery  at  Centre  Hill. 

Mrs.  Odenkirk  is  the  youngest  and  the  only  one 
now  living  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
the  others  are  as  follows:  William,  who  died 
unmarried  in  Mifflin  county;  Mary,  who  was  also 
single,  and  died  in  Potter  township,  Centre  coun- 
ty; James,  who  died  in  Centre  Hall;  John,  who 
died  in  Potter  township;  Eliza,  who  died  unmar- 
ried in  Potter  township;  Matilda  and  Jane,  who 
were  also  single  at  the  time  of  their  deaths,  which 
occurred  in  Potter  township;  Sally,  who  married 
John  Shannon,  and  died  in  the  same  township; 
and  Thomas,  who  married  Elizabeth  Sinclair, 
and  died  in  Potter  township,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren. 

Upon  the  home  farm,  Mrs.  Odenkirk  was 
reared,  and  in  the  district  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood obtained  a  good,  practical  education. 
She  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  her 
marriage,  which  was  celebrated  in  Potter  town- 
ship, April  7,  1863.  Mr.  Odenkirk  was  also  a 
native  of  Mifflin  county,  born  January  25,  1805, 
and  in  Armagh  township,  that  county,  he  was 
married  March  22,  1832,  to  Nancy  Porter,  a  na- 
tive of  Mifflin  county.  They  had  five  children, 
namely:  Mary  J.,  born  December  31,  1832, 
died  September  15,  1842;  Elizabeth,  born  No- 
vember 16,  1835,  died  October  6,  1842;  Nahcy, 
born  March  14,  1837,  is  now  Mrs.  William  Ben- 
ner, of  Potter  township;  John  H.,  born  July  6, 
1839,  in  connection  with  farming  was  proprietor 
of  the  "  Old  Fort  Hotel  "  in  Potter  township  for 


•Ml 


COMMKMOliA  TlVfC  BIOGRAPEU  . I  /.   /.'/•.'  <>UD. 


twenty  years,  and  died  November  6,  1893;  and 
James  P..  born  January  14.  1S42,  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  New  Mexico.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren departed  this  life  June  9,  1861.  Mr.  Oden- 
kirk,  who  was  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  his  community,  was  tin-  owner 
of  a  large  estate  surrounding  and  including  the 
old  fort  in  Potter  township,  all  of  which  he  ac- 
cumulated by  industry,  economy  and  good  man- 

ment.      He  was  widely   known  and   1 red 

throughout  the  county  as  a  man  of  inflexible 
honor  and  stability  of  character,  and  had  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  He  was  called  to  his  final  rest  October 
4,  1877,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the 
cemetery  of  Centre  Hall. 

After  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Odenkirk  and  her 
husband  lived  in  Centre  Hall  for  a  year  or  two, 
and  then  removed  to  her  present  comfortable 
home,  where  she  has  since  continued  to  reside. 
She  is  a  woman  of  good  business  ability  and 
sound  judgment,  and  has  ably  managed  the  prop- 
erty left  her.  With  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Centre  Hall  she  holds  membership.  She  merits 
and  receives  the  highest  respect  and  esteem  of 
the  whole  community,  and  is  much  beloved  by 
every  one  with  whom  she  comes  in  contact  for 
her  gentle  ways  and  genial  manner. 


H 


has  two  children;  Jacob  died  in  1874;  Isaiah,  of 
Jefferson  county,  Kans. ,  married  Bella  Thomas, 
of  Pineville,  Penn. ;  Catharine  is  the  wife  of 
William  Tibbins,  of  Virginia,  by  whom  she  has 
five  children;  our  subject  is  next  in  order  of  birth: 
Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Gersham  Piddle,  ol  Lev 
isburg,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  by  whom  she  has  one 
child;  (harks  T.  died  in  Perry,  Kans.,  in  1878; 
Sarah  J.  is  the  wife  of  William  Thomas,  of  Miles- 
burg,  l>v  whom  she  has  four  children;  and  Lew 
F.  died  in   [88] . 

In   1879  Mr.  Zimmerman  wedded  Miss  Je 
Mai  tin,  and    seven    children    bless    their    union, 
whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows 
Oscar   Martin,    1880;    Eva    I . .  August    10,  1882; 
Marian   s. .  September   10,   1884;   Roy  F.,  1886; 
Paul    Peritan,     [888;    Homer    David.    1890;  and 
Alta,   1893.      Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a  Republican  at 
all  times,  and  uniformly  supports  the  principles 
of   his  party,  while,  religiously,  he  is  a  com 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.      His  life  is 
exemplary  in  all   respects,  and   he  has  ever  sup- 
ported those  interests  which  are  calculated  to  up- 
lift   and    benefit    humanity,   while    his    own    hiji 
moral    worth    is   deserving  of  the  highest    com- 
mendation. 


■'..  ZIMMERMAN.     Prominent  among  the 

more  intelligent,  active  and  enterprising  cit- 
i  ol    Benner  township,  Centre  county,  is  the 

ileinan  whose  name  introduces  this  biography. 
His  reputation  for  integrity  and  industry  is  second 
to  none  in  the  county,  and,  being  a  man  ol  rare 
intellectual  attainments,  his  advice  is  often 
sought  by  the  people  of  the  community.  His 
pleasant  home  is  surrounded  bj  a  fine  farm  of 
180  acres,  which  is  well  improved  and  highly 
cultivated 

Of  German  descent,  Mr.  Zimmerman  was 
horn  in  Marion  township.  Centre  county,  in  1844. 
and  is  a  son  of  Elias  and  Eve  (Pontius)  Zimmer- 
man, the  former  born  in  l8lO,  the  latter  in  1.X12. 
When  twenty-five  years  ol  age  the  father  came 
to  Centre  county,  where  for  a  time  he  worked  at 
his  trade  of  carpentering,  but  for  the  last  thirty- 
four  years  of  his  life  he  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  The  mother  departed  this  life  in  1882, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  Miles- 
burg,  Centre  county.  Then  family  consisted  <>f 
ten  children,  namely:  Lucy  A.  is  the  wifi 
David  Harter,  of  Marion  township,  l>y  whom  she 
has  three  children;  John  P.,  who  is  living  in  Moi 
ris  county,   Kans..   married   a    Miss     1'h as,  and 


\AT    "     l "LOSE,  the  well-known  postn 
Wm     at  Oak  Hall  Station.  Centre  count] 
born  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn. ,  September  27,  1844, 
a  son  of  [ohn  and  Rachel  (Longwell)  Close,  also 
natives   of    that    county.      The   paternal  grand- 
father,   Petei    <  lose,    was    born    in    Germany, 
whence,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  he  came  to  Aunt  i<  .1  and  took  up  hi>  I 
dence  in  Mifflin  count).  Penn.,  where   his  death 
I  occurred   March    24,    [838.      His   wife,  who   I 
the   maiden   name  of  Jane   Orr,  died   March 
1864,  at  the   age  of  eighty-six   years.      Six  chil- 
dren   constituted    their    family:    John,    Willi 
who  die, I  m  infancy;  Henry,  who  died  in   Mifflin 

unty,  in  1894;  Adam  E.,  who  died  in  thea 
county  in    1893;    Eliza  J . .  who  married  William 
Aitkens,    a   blacksmith,   and   died  in    [851 
William  T..  a  farmer  of  Mifflin  counts,  who 
in   [892. 

In  the  common  schools  ol   Siglerville,  M 
county,  John  (lose  obtained  Ins  education,  1" 
an  early  age  he  left  school  and  learned  the  si 
maki  le   with    Matthew    Longwell,   wha 

daughter,    Rachel,    he   afterward    married.     Mr 

•well  lived   to   the   extreme  old 
hundred  3  ears  and  ten   months.      After  his  1 
riage,    Mi      (lose    operated    rented    (arms  111  Ins 
native  countj    some  twenty  years,  and  th 
cated  in  Penn's  Valley,  near  Spring  Mills.  I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


545 


county,  where  he  made  his  home  for  two  years, 
while  the  following  three  years  he  passed  near 
Callensburg,  Clarion  Co.,  Penn.  He  died,  how- 
ever, in  Mifflin  county,  of  dropsy,  December  24, 
1862.  His  wife,  who  was  born  March  4,  18 14, 
in  that    county,   died    of  pneumonia,    December 

30.  1873- 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren: Eliza  J.,  born  September  27,  1833,  is  the 
widow  of  John  D.  Miller,  a  school  teacher,  for- 
merly of  Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county,  who  died 
in  1892;  Catherine  E.,  born  March  9,  1835,  is 
the  wife  of  Christian  Lowry,  of  Rock  Forge, 
Centre  county;  Mary  H.,  born  May  25,  1837,  is 
the  wife  of  William  Benner,  of  Lemont,  Centre 
county;  Sarah  M.,  born  May  20,  1840,  is  the  wife 
of  Adam  Thomas,  a  carpenter  of  State  College; 
John  A.,  twin  brother  of  Sarah,  died  on  his  re- 

I  turn  from  the  war,  June  20,  1S65;  W.'  H.  is  next 
in  order  of  birth;  a  daughter,  whose  name  is  not 

j  given,  born  January  7,  1847,  is  the  wife  of  Fran- 
cis McBath;   Frances    M.,    born    September  21, 

I  1849,  became  the  wife  of  A.  J.  Hassinger,  of  Le- 

"  mont,  and  died  March  16,  1888. 

The  first  school  which  our  subject  attended 
was  held  in  the  Beatty  school  house,  in  Mifflin 
county,  and  was   taught   by  John  Swartzel.      He 

<  was  ten  years  of  age  before  beginning  his  educa- 
tion, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  it  was  completed, 
since  which  time  he  has  made  his  own  way  in 
the    world.      On    coming    to    Centre    county   in 

1 1862,  he  rented  land  for  a  time,  but  December 
22,  1863,  he  laid  aside  personal  interests  and  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  148th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt. 
George  Baird,  of  Bellefonte.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Poor  River, 
Spottsylvania  Court  House  and  Antietam.  He 
received   two   wounds   in    the   knee   joint,  which 

'makes  the  leg  stiff,  and  one  in  the  jaw  which 
completely  severed  the  bone,  and  knocked  out 
several  teeth. 

Mr.  Close  was  married  December  15,  1867, 
to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Benner,  a  granddaughter  of  Gen. 
Benner,  who  received  his  title  in  the  Revolution- 
iry  war.  Four  children  bless  their  union:  Eva, 
aorn  October  6,  1868,  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Car- 
nan,  an  implement  agent  at  Oak  Hall  Station; 
fohn  Henry,  born  March  15,  1871,  is  a  lumber- 
pan  by  occupation;  and  Milo  M.,  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  1875,  and  Clifford  E.,  born  May  24, 
[1884  are  at  home.  After  his  marriage,  Mr. 
-lose  operated  rented  land  in  Benner  township, 
Centre  county,  until  1883,  when  failing  health 
Compelled  him  to  abandon  it,  and  for  two  and 
one-half  years  he  was  ill.  In  1887  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at   Oak  Hall   Station,  which 

position  he  has  since  acceptably  filled.      Casting 
35* 


his  first  Presidential  vote  for  George  B.  McClel- 
lan,  he  has  ever  been  a  stalwart  Democrat  in 
politics,  is  a  member  of  Robert  M.  Foster  Post 
No.  197,  G.  A.  R. ,  and  for  twenty-three  years 
has  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  Centre  county,  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact,  either  in  business  or  social  life. 


ISAAC  GUSS,  M.  D.,  dentist  and  physician  in 
the  borough  of   Philipsburg,   Centre  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  resides. 


D^AVID  A.  DEITRICH,  the  well-known  e.x- 
'  press  and  ticket  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  railroad  at  Hublersburg,  is  a  native  of 
Centre  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Walker  township,  September  29,  1856.  On  the 
paternal  side  his  ancestors  came  to  this  country 
from  Switzerland, but  hisfather,  John  H.  Deitrich, 
was  born  in  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county,  and  died 
there  September  15,  1S85.  The  mother,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  A.  Dunkle,  was 
of  German  origin.  They  were  highly  respected 
by  all  who  knew  them,  and  were  laid  to  rest  in 
the  Hublersburg  cemetery. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren: Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  William  C.  Ful- 
ton, a  farmer  and  miner  of  Walker  township. 
Centre  county,  and  they  have  six  children;  Lewis 
C. ,  also  an  agriculturist  of  Walker  township, 
married  Ettie  Markle,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Markle,  and  they  have  five  children;  John,  a 
plasterer  living  at  Bellefonte,  Centre  county, 
married  Minerva  Hiller,  who  died  in  1890,  leav- 
ing two  children;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  John  H. 
White,,  a  farmer  and  laborer,  by  whom  she  has 
five  children;  Henry  M. ,  a  farmer  of  Walker 
township,  married  Amanda  Hubler,  and  has  six 
children;  Jacob  A.,  an  agriculturist  of  Miles 
township,  Centre  county,  married  Emma  Roush, 
and  has  two  children;  David  A.,  of  this  sketch, 
is  the  twin  brother  of  Jacob  A. ;  and  Benjamin 
F  ,  who  makes  his  home  in  Bellefonte,  married 
Emma  Dugan,  and  has  two  children. 

David  A.  Deitrich  received  an  excellent  edu- 
cation, attending  the  common  schools  until  he 
had  attained  his  majority,  and  completing  his 
literary  course  in  a  select  school  in  Spring  Mills. 
For  twelve  years  he  then  followed  the  profession 
of  teaching  through  the  winter  months,  proving 
a  most  able  and  competent  instructor,  while  the 


546 


COMMEMORA  Tl  VS  UHKiUM-llKAI.  RECORD. 


summer  season  he  passed  in  farming.  For  the 
past  three  years  he  has  capably  filled  his  present 
position,  and  not  only  have  his  labors  been  per- 
formed to  the  satisfaction  of  his  employers,  but 
he  has  also  proved  a  most  obliging  and  accom- 
modating agent,  very  popular  with  the  traveling 
public. 

On  March  26,  [882,  Mr.  Deitrich  married 
Miss  Emma  L.  White,  a  daughter  of  John  White, 
of  Walker  township,  and  the)  have  four  children: 
I  .mm  M..  bom  August  9,  1883 ;  Lillie  Annetta, 
born  October  31,  1886;  Ezra  M.,  born  March  22, 
1888,  and  died  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month; 
and  David  A.,  born  September  9,  1892.  Mr. 
Deitrich  is  a  stalwart  I  1  rat   in   politics,   and 

in   religious  faith  is  a  consistent   member  of  thi 
Reformed  Church.      He  is  a  well-<  ale- 

man,    of    pleasing  address,    has    made    host 
friends,  and  enjoys  in  a  marked  degree   the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


II  B.  YARNELL  was  bom  in  Centre  county, 
J\L  in  [840,  a  son  of  H.  B.  and  Mary  McCle- 
lathan)  Yarnell,  who  wen-  also  natives  of  Centre 
county,  and  of  Irish  descent,  the  maternal  grand- 
nati\  es    >f  the  Emerald  Isle. 

1  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  born 
eleven  children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  1  1 
Mary  became  the  wife  of  Squire  George  Jack,  a 
merchant  of  Boalsburg,  Centre  county,  who  died 
in  1876,  and  her  death  occurred  in  November. 
1S90.  (2)  William,  who  made  his  home  in  Mis- 
souri, enlisted  in  the  Union  service,  and  was 
probably  killed  as  he  was  never  afterward  heard 
from.  (3)  Ruth  died  in  1S70,  and  was  buried  in 
Mt.  Pleasant  cemet.i\  B  iggs  township,  Centre 
county,  where  her  parents  were  also  interred. 
ji  Thomas  married;  his  wife  died  in  February. 
1894,  and  he  died  in  September.  [892,  leaving 
ten  children.  (5)  Isaac,  who  was  married  and 
reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  was  tilled  in 
a     railroad    accident     in     February,     1 8< 

tries  died  in  infancy.  (7)  Jane  is  the  wife  of 
John  Shuey,  of  Michigan.  [8)  Samuel  died  in 
infancy.  (9)  Nathan  enlisted  August  21,  1 
in  Company  C,  [48th  P.  V.  I.,  was  a  brave 
and  gallant  soldier,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Chancellorsville.  where  he  was  three  times 
slightly  wounded  before  receiving  his  death 
wound,     (in    Heber,  who  enlisted  September  16, 

•    in  I  ompany  G,   148th  1'.  V.   I.,  is  married 
and  has  a  family. 

Hardly  had   the  echoes  from    Fort   Sumter's 
guns  di  J    when  >iect     joined    the 

Union  army,  enlisting   April    14,    [8fcu,  in   Com- 

,   II.  Seventh  Pennsylvania  Reserves 


IFSAAC  SHAFER,  one  of  the  earliest  men  tc 
.  engage  in  the  business  of  lumbering  on  the 
west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  a  business  whii  b 
has  been  a  I  actor  in  the  growth  and  wealth 

oi  Clinton  count}',  is  now,  with  his  estimable  wife, 
living  retired  at  Lock  Haven.  Clinton  count., 
where  they  are  passing  the  evening  of  their  lives 
in  a  comfortable  home  surrounded  by  a  host  ol 
friends. 

The  Shafer  family  located  in  Centre  count\ 
in  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Philip 
Shafer,  father  of  Isaac,  was  born  in  liirdsbor- 
ough.  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  and  in  early  manho  I 
came  to  Centre-  county,  and  here,  and  in  Clint  1: 
county,  passed  the  rest  of  his  life;  however,  his 
death  occurred  in  187S,  at  some  point  in  tli- 
ry  probably  in  Arkansas,  while  on  a  trip 
to  that  section.      His  father  was  ft  rmany. 

On  March  8,   [81 1,  Philip  Shafer  married    M   rj 
Resides,    who   was   born  in  Centre   county,   hei 
r   being  a    native  of  Ireland.      She  died  in 
Centre   county,    in    1824.      Their   children,    win 
are  now  living,  are:      Reuben,  born  in   182 
resident     of    Flemmington,     Penn.,    and 
our  subject.     Those  deceased  are:     Eliza,  John, 
,   Reuben  and  Mary. 
Isaac   Shafer    was    born   January    12.     1 
near  the  borough  of    Bellefonte.    Centre  county. 
The    schools  of   his  neighborhood   and   In 
roundings  were  not  such  as  to  afford  him  an    p- 
portunity  toward  an  education.      His  lathi 
occupied    in  burning  charcoal,  and  from  tl 
of  twelve  years  young  Isaac  had  to  assist  him  111 
the  work.      He  worked  through  the  summers  and 
until  about  the  time  snow  began  to  fall,  when  he 
would  attend  a   two-months'  term  at  school;  he 
attended  about  two  of  these  schools,  then 
the  battle  of   lif<    for   himself.      About  this  time, 
along  in  the  thirties,  the  West  Branch  division  of 
the  Pennsylvania  canal    was    being   const  1 
and  on  this  he  worked  two  years.      Next  h 
to  work  for  John  Skinner,  a   neighboring  I 
with  whom  he  remained  five  years,  receivi: 
his  services  fifty  cents  per  day.      He   then 
to     Farrandsville,     Clinton    county,    and 
lumbering,  a  business   with   which  he   coir 
with  little  exception  throughout  life.     He  < 
off  the  timber    from   Lick   run,    and   in   l^ 
d    the   logs  down  the  stream,  the  first 
of  the  kind  ever  performed  there.      Ri 
were,  in  the  woods,  with  but   limited   adv.v 
and  no  means,  our  subject  early  becan 
pendent   and    self-reliant,    and    was,  through   his 
industrious  habits  and    economy,  enabled  : 
ally,  and  yet  surely,  to  move  forward,  and  I 

that  position  and  success  in  life  reached 
only  by  a  few.      In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


547 


lican.  He  has  never  cared  for  public  notoriety, 
and  though  elected  to  several  minor  offices  he 
has  paid  a  fine  rather  than  serve.  He,  how- 
ever, in  1893,  did  accept  an  election  to  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  and  served  one  term, 
and  his  acts  in  that  body  were  always  character- 
ized with  that  prudence  and  wisdom  with  which 
his  whole  business  career  abounded.  An  earnest 
Christian,  and  an  upright  business  man,  he  has 
the  respect  of  everybody. 

In  1846,  Mr.  Shafer  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Proctor,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Proctor,  of 
Clinton  county,  and  five  children  came  to  this 
marriage:  Perry  is  in  business  in  Jefferson 
county;  Clara  is  deceased;  Dollie  is  the  wife  of 
O.  E.  Aldrich,  cashier  of  the  bank  at  Johnson- 
burg,  Penn. ;  Katie  is  deceased;  John  is  at  John- 
sonburg,  Penn.  The  mother  of  these  died  in  Oc- 
tober, 1890.  Our  subject  was  again  married,  on 
March  20,  1892,  this  time  to  Fredericka  Kinz- 
ing;  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 


T\>AVID  O.   ETTERS,  Superintendent  of   the 
!  J^  City  Schools  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  County, 
Pennsylvania. 


J 


OSEPH  F.  McGUIRE  has  demonstrated  the 
true  meaning  of  the  word  success  as  the  full 
accomplishment  of  an  honorable  purpose. 
Energy,  close  application,  perseverance  and  good 
management — these  are  the  elements  that  have 
entered  into  his  business  career  and  crowned  the 
efforts  of  prosperity.  He  now  resides  in  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  where  he  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  general  farming  and  the  raising 
of  tobacco. 

Mr.  McGuire  was  born  near  the  "Half-Way 
House, "in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county, 
January  18,  1845,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  old 
and  honored  families  of  that  community.  His 
grandfather,  Joseph  McGuire,  was  a  native  of 
one  of  the  lower  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  to  this  section  of  theState  at  an  early  date, 
taking  up  his  residence  in  Pine  Creek  township 
when  it  was  still  a  part  of  Northumberland  coun- 
ty. His  home  was  near  the  well-known  "  Half- 
Way  House  "  between  Lock  Haven  and  Jersey 
Shore,  and  there  he  owned  137  acres  of  land, 
which  he  greatly  improved,  building  thereon  one 
of  the  first  brick  dwellings  in  the  township.  He 
became  the  owner  of  the  "  Half-Way  House," 
but  rented  it  to  other  parties.  In  his  family  he 
reared  Matthew  Rogers,  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
tlers in  Pine  Creek  township,  who  made  his  home 


with  Mr.  McGuire  for  forty-five  years.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  one  of  the  valued  and 
honored  citizens  of  this  community,  died  on  his 
farm  in  Pine  Creek  township,  in  1S78,  and  was 
buried  at  Jersey  Shore.  In  politics,  he  was  a 
Whig,  and,  in  religious  belief,  a  Presbyterian,  to 
which  Church  his  estimable  wife  also  belonged.  In 
their  family  were  four  children,  namely:  Ellen, 
deceased  wife  of  James  Ferguson;  Mary  A., 
widow  of  Woods  Ferguson;  Jane,  wife  of  Ed- 
mund Love,  and  David,  father  of  our  subject. 

David  McGuire  received  only  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  schools,  and.  as  he  was 
the  only  son,  he  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  old 
homestead  with  his  father  and  mother,  operating 
the  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March 
13,  1865,  when  quite  young.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  widejy  and  favorably  known. 
In  Pine  Creek  township  he  had  married  Cather- 
ine Staver,  who  was  of  German  descent.  She  is 
still  living,  and  now  makes  her  home  in  Jersey 
Shore.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother 
of  five  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eld- 
est. (2)  Margaret  died  unmarried,  August  7, 
1894.  (3)  Jane  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Bartholo- 
mew,-of  Dunnstown,  Clinton  county,  and  had  six 
children — Torrance,  Nora,  Nellie,  Stella,  Joseph 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  (4)  Perry,  a 
farmer  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Sour,  of  that  township,  and  has 
one  son,  George  S.,  born  in  187S.  (5)  David  R. 
died  at  the  age  of  nine  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  pursued  his  studies 
in  the  McGuire  school  house  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, under  the  direction  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
and  has  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  be- 
coming a  well-read  man.  He  is  a  subscriber  to 
several  daily  papers  and  magazines.  After  his 
father's  death  he  remained  on  the  old  home- 
stead with  his  grandfather  and  mother,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  started  out  in  life  (or  himseif. 
He  first  rented  a  part  of  the  Brown  farm,  where 
he  engaged  in  raising  tobacco  until  1879,  when 
with  his  mother  he  removed  to  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship and  bought  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
has  made  many  improvements,  including  the 
erection  of  a  barn.  For  four  years  he  there  car- 
ried on  tobacco  raising,  and  then  sold  the  place 
and  purchased  fifty-eight  acres  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, where  he  followed  farming  for  three  years, 
and  he  has  since  rented  the  place.  In  18S6  he 
removed  to  his  present  farm  in  the  same  county, 
and  he  is 'now  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to 
the  raising  of  tobacco  and  in  general  farming  with 
most  satisfactory  results.  The  Republican  party 
finds  in  him  a  stanch  supporter,  and  although  he 
has   never   cared    for   office,    he    has    acceptably 


548 


CO.VAtK.Voli A  TIVE  liKniUM'll V  A  I.  RB(  <>HD. 


served  as  tax  collector  of  the  township.  He  is  a 
strong  temperance  man.  and  a  useful  and  va! 
citizen.  In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  he 
and  bis  wife  hold  membership,  and  they  receive 
the  merit  and  high  regard  of  the  entire  commu- 
nity. His  public  and  private  life  are  above  re- 
pp iach,  for  his  career  has  ever  been  one  character- 
ized by  the  utmost  fidelity  to  duty. 

On  February  \<j.  1XS0,  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, Mr.  McGuire  was  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet E.  Emery,  who  was  born  there  March  2, 
Her  father,  Jacob  Emery,  was  born  Au- 
gust 22,  1812,  in  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  wi 
his  father,  Henry  Emery,  engaged  in  farim 
The  former  also  made  that  occupation  his  life 
\\«>rk.  and  on  coming  to  Pine  Creek  township. 
Clinton  county,  in  1S40,  bought  the  Thomas 
farm  of  180  acres,  which  he  operated  with  good 
success  until  his  death  September  23,  1890.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  engaged  in 
stock  raising  and  the  culture  of  tobacco.  He, 
too,  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to 
which  his  wile  and  family  also  belonged.  In  Ly- 
coming  county,  he  married  Rebecca  Martin,  who 
was  born  at  Larry's  Creek,  that  county,  in  May, 
1817,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Sarah  Mar- 
tin, of  English  descent.  She  was  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  three  children,  and  died  September  6, 
[880.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Emery  now  sleep  side  by 
side  in  the  Jersey  Shi  etery,      In  their  fam- 

ily were  nine  children:  Henry  J.,  a  resident  of 
Pine  Creek  township;  Sarah,  wife  of  Frank  Al- 
len; Mary,  wife  of  Clayton  Peppeman ;  Martin  A. 
and  Margaret  A.,  who  died  when  young;  Rebec- 
ca J.,  wife  of  James  Shaw,  son  of  Squire  Shaw; 
George  \V..  of  Pine  Creek  township;  Clara  N. , 
wife  ot  Jacob  Bannell,  a  railroad  man  of  Ji  1 
Shore;  and  Margaret  E.,  the  honored  wife  o( 
subji 


HON.  CHARM  S   A    MAYER,  of   Lock  Ha- 
ven,   Clinton     county,    has    now    held 
thirty  years  the    pos  I   President  Judg< 

the  Twenty-fifth  Judicial  District  of   Pennsjlva- 
I  his  ability,  learning  and   high  cl 

■ 
He  h  uit- 

able   candidate   foi    the    Bench    of   t! 

;   this   State,  but   his  attachn  ent 

for  []  ii  nds       I  most    amiable- 

trait  in    his  character — has   led    him  to  stea 

any  movement  toward  securing  ti 
ination. 

Jud  :  was  horn   December    15,   i 

m  York  county,  Penn.,  and  his  youth  was  spent 


mainly   in   Chambersburg,   Franklin  Co.,  Penn.. 
his  parents  having  located  there   during  his  boy- 
hood.     He  was  educated  in  the  academy  at  that 
place,   then   an   institution    of    high  reputation, 
under  the   able    management    of    Prof.    YV.    Y 
Davis.    After  completing  a  course  of  study  then 
he    entered     Franklin     and      Marshall     1 
located    near  Mercersburg,  Franklin  county, 
in    1S4S    he  was   graduated.      He    then    entered 
upon  the  study  0  and  continued  ab 

two  years,  when  he  decided  to   change   this  pi 
fession  for  that  of   the    law.      In   January.    1 
he  went   to   Lock    Haven    to   enter  the   offio 
White  ec  1  'niggle  as  a  student,  devoting  himself 
to  his  studies  with   great  diligence.      In  1 S 54  h 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of   Clinton  county,  and 
at  once  entered  upon  a  lucrative  practice  as  the 
successor  of  his  preceptors.     He  was  subsequent- 
ly  elected   District  Attorney  of  Clinton  countv. 
served  two  terms  in  that  position  to  the  eminent 
satisfaction   of   his  constituents,  and  with  credit 
to  himself. 

In  186S  he  became  a  candidate  for  President 
Judge  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Judicial  District,  a 
posed  of  Centre.  Clearfield  and  Clinton  coun- 
His  competitors  were  Hon.  J.  H.  Orvi~. 
who  was  presented  by  Centre  county,  and  ex- 
Judge  George  R.  Barrett,  presented  by  Clear- 
field county.  After  a  tedious  struggle,  in  which 
Judge  Mayer  was   sustained    by  friends    and  sup- 

ters  in  all  the  counties,  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  by  a  large  majority  over  Hon.  J.  B.  M 
Enally,  then  President  Judge  of  the  District,  by 
appointment.      In    1878    he  was   renominated  by 
the  concurrence  of  his   party  convention   in  all 
three  of  the  counties,  and  re-elected  over  Chai 
S.    McCormick.    Esq.,   a   member  of  the  Clinton 
Countv    Bar.    who   was  announced    as   an    It 
pendent    candidate.      In    1888    Judge   Ma)    1 
again  nominated  and  re-elected,  and  is  thus  see- 
ing his  third    term,  and  will   be  renominated 
both  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties  of  this 

1  ict    for   a    fourth    term.       In    1883    the   Ji 
cial  District  was  changed  from  Clearfield,  ' 
and  Clinton  counties  to  Cameron.  Elk  and  Cl 

1,    which  counties   have   since   compi 
Twenty-fifth  Judicial  District.    A  natural 

1  t.  •  the  law.  and   an  extraordinarily  n 
memory,  together  with  intelKitn.il  qualitii  - 
high   gi  I    habit    ol    close    study    1  il    l< 

pr<  iblen  I  In:  fudge  at  the   ! 

his  profession.      His  decisions  on  the  Bench 
marked  by  strict   impartiality  and  integrity,  1 
a  sti  t   dutj  governs  his  conduct  at 

times. 

On    January     2.     1861,    Judge     Ma; 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Helen  McCormi 


^-.  &,  2^-z£L^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


549 


daughter  of  Saul  McCormick,  of  Lock  Haven. 
She  died  February  16,  1893,  leaving  two  daugh- 
ters: Mary  B.,  wife  of  Col.  James  B.  Coryall, 
of  Williamsport,  Penn.,  colonel  of  the  Twelfth 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  N.  G.,  and  Miss  Helen 
E.  Mayer,  who  is  at  home.  Socially  the  family 
is  prominent,  and  the  Judge  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  belongs  to  the  Chapter,  and 
is  a  Knight  Templar.  In  politics  he  is  an  un- 
swerving Democrat. 


CAPTAIN    ROBERT    S.    BARKER,    deputy 
'  sheriff  of  Clinton  County,  Pennsylvania,  re- 
sidence at  Lockhaven. 


T^HOMAS  M.  WOLF.  Among  the  reliable, 
substantial  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  there  is  prob- 
ably none  who  stands  higher  in  the  public  esti- 
mation than  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces 
this  article.  On  the  farm  where  he  still  con- 
tinues to  reside  he  was  born  November  4,  1852. 
His  grandfather,  Michael  Wolf,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  struggle  he 
took  a  very  active  part.  He  located  in  Berks 
county,  Penn..  where  he  reared  bis  family  and 
continued  to  reside  for  some  years,  but  spent 
his  last  days  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Michael, 
in  Clinton  county.  He  was  one  of  those  hardy 
pioneers  who  were  noted  for  their  industry,  in- 
tegrity and  sterling  worth.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religious  belief  he  was  a 
Lutheran. 

Michael  Wolf,  Jr.,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Berks  county, 
receiving  instruction  in  both  German  and  Eng- 
lish. He  continued  under  the  parental  roof 
until  his  marriage  to  Miss  Catherine  Miller, 
also  a  native  of  Berks  county,  and,  with  his 
bride  and  two  brothers,  he  then  removed  to 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  Penn.,  locating 
near  Rebersburg,  where  he  spent  several  years. 
He  then  came  to  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  purchased  300  acres  of  land, 
the  greater  part  of  which  he  cleared  and  im- 
proved with  good,  substantial  buildings.  In  con- 
nection with  the  cultivation  of  his  land  he  operated 
a  gristmill  in  the  same  township,  and  was  a  very 
hard-working,  energetic  and  progressive  man.  He 
cared  for  his  aged  parents  during  their  declining 
days,  was  an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  was  a  stanch  Democrat 
m  politics.  On  one  occasion,  while  riding  a 
horse  to  Jersey  Shore,  it  fell  upon  him,  injuring 


his  arm  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  it  useless  to 
him  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
in  1 85  1 ,  on  the  old  homestead  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, where  his  wife  also  departed  this  life.  In 
the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  eleven 
children,  namely:  John,  deceased;  Elizabeth, 
deceased  wife  of  John  Hegarty;  Michael,  who 
died  when  a  young  man;  George,  deceased; 
Henry  A.,  a  resident  of  Tioga  county,  Penn.; 
Catherine,  wife  of  John  Stout,  of  Illinois;  Sarah, 
deceased  wife  of  Jacob  Bonnel;  Jacob,  of  Kan- 
sas; Susan,  deceased  wife  of  Thomas  Bonnel; 
Thomas  M. ,  the  subject  of  this  review;  and 
William,  deceased. 

Thomas  M.  Wolf  was  provided  with  only  a 
common-school  education,  his  farm  training,  how- 
ever, being  not  so  meagre.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  left  home  and  began  working  among  the 
neighboring  farmers,  but  his  wages  were  given  to 
his  parents  until  he  attained  his  majority.  He 
then  obtained  seventy-five  acres  of  the  old  home- 
stead farm,  on  which  he  has  made  many  excel- 
lent improvements,  which  add  greatly  to  its  value 
and  attractive  appearance,  including  the  erection 
of  a  good  residence,  barns,  sheds,  etc.  Since 
1 88 1  he  has  been  interested  in  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco  in  connection  with  general  farming,  and 
in  that  undertaking  he  is  also  meeting  with  a 
well-deserved  success. 

In  1847,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Mr.  Wolf 
was  married  to  Miss  Esther  Kline,  a  native  of 
Berks  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kline,  a 
farmer  of  that  county,  who  was  of  German  de- 
scent. Eleven  children  blessed  this  union,  in 
order  of  birth  as  follows:  Catherine,  now  the 
wife  of  David  Saladay,  of  Pine  Creek  township; 
Mary,  wife  of  Peraville  Snyder,  a  farmer  of  Col- 
orado; Louisa,  wife  of  William  Stevenson,  of 
Jersey  Shore,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.;  William,  at 
home;  Jacob,  a  railroad  man  living  at  Jersey 
Shore  Junction;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  child- 
hood; Ida,  widow  of  James  Kissel;  Alice,  wife  of 
George  Guff,  of  Pine  Creek  township;  Minnie, 
who  died  in  childhood;  Edward,  of  Williamsport, 
Penn.  ;  and  Thomas,  who  died  when  young. 

The  Democratic  party  finds  in  Mr.  Wolf  an 
earnest  advocate  and  a  stalwart  supporter,  and 
he  has  been  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens  with 
the  offices  of  president  of  the  school  board  and 
county  commissioner  of  Clinton  county,  having 
been  elected  to  the  latter  position  in  1869  for  a 
term  of  three  years,  during  which  time  the  court 
house  was  completed,  two  iron  bridges  built  and 
many  other  improvements  made  in  the  county. 
He  is  regarded  by  all  as  one  of  the  most  public- 
spirited  and  representative  men  of  Pine  Creek 
township,  and  merits  and  receives  the  warmest 


COMMEMORA  TIVB  RIOORAPIIK'AL  RECORD. 


confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community.  He 
is  one  of  the  active  and  leading  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  was  a  member  of  the 
building  committee  at  the  time  of  the  rebuilding 
of  the  present  house  of  worship  in  i  869,  ami  is 
now  serving  as  trustee  of  the  Church. 


PATRICK  M<  MAHON  (deceased)  was  one  of 
the  honored  ami  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Renovo,  Clinton  comity,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1SS4.  He  was  a  native  of  County 
Clare,  Ireland,  where  he  spent  the  greater  pari 
of  his  life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  in 
[860  he  bade  goodbye  to  friends  and  native  land, 
and  with  his  family  came  to  America.  He  first 
located  in  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  where  be  resided 
for  a  us,  and  then  came  to  Renovo,  mak- 

ing it  his  home  until  1  ailed  to  his  final  rest. 

In  Ireland  Mi  McMahon  had  wedded  Miss 
Mary  Crowley,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Brid- 
get (Chambers)  Crowley,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  that  country.  To  our  subject  and  his 
worth}-  wife  were  born  five  daughters,  who 
yet  living,  namely:  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Kramer,  a  resident  of  Australia;  Mrs. 
Joseph  Swartzfish,  oi  Renovo;  Anna,  wife  of  M. 
J.  Dillen,  oi  1,  X.  Y.,  and  Mollie  and  Sue, 

who  make  their  home   with   their   mother   in  Re- 
There    were    also    two   sons:      John,    who 

1    in    1871,  and    Michael,    who    died   in    1891. 
Mrs.    McMahon    and    her   daughters,  Mollie    and 

,    occupy    a   comfortable    home    at    Xo.    1 
Erie    avenui      I  md   socially    they  stand 

high,    being    numbet  mg  the  most    highly 

res]  th     place.      In    religious 

belief  they  olics,  to   which   Church   Mr. 

\1  Mahon  also  belonged.  He  was  a  kind  and 
indulgent  husband  and  father,  and  his  memory 
will  red  inheritance  to  his  children,  and 

will  also  be  cherished  by  a  multitude  of  friends. 
Thi  i     oi    continued    and    far- 

reaching  usefulness,  his  duties  were  performed 
with  the   great  and    during   a   1<  mg 

his  p  integrity    were   without 

blemish. 


[ON.  JAMES  W  FREDERICKS,  of  Lock 
Haven,  who  has  been  twice  chosen  to  rep- 
ti  in  a  unity  in  the  St  ;  islature, 
is  a  man  of  commanding  influence  in  this  section, 
and  his  popularity  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he 
is  the  second  Republican  ever  elected  as  a  repre- 
sentative from  his  county.  He  bears  an  e.v 
lent  record,  and  his  career  carries  out  the  prom- 
of  earlier  years,  when,  as  a  mere  boy,  he  did 


gallant  service  in  the    Civil  war   in    defense   of  a 
righteous  cause. 

He  was  born  in  Clinton  county  in  1843,  a  son 
of  Benjamin  H.  and  Margaret  (Dunn)  Fredericks, 
both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
The  father,  who  died  in  1880,  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  lumbering  during  the  greater  port!" n 
of  his  life,  and  although  he  was  an  intelligent 
and  progressive  citizen  he  took  but  little  part  in 
public  affairs.  The  mother  passed  away  in  189:, 
ng  three  children:  James  \\\,  Miss  Ella  M 
and  J.    H. 

Major  Fredericks  was  reared  upon  a  farm  un- 
til he  reached  the  age  of   fifteen,  his  educational 
opportunities  being  limited  to   the   rural   schools 
<>f  his  time.      The  questions  at  issue  between  the 
Xorth    and    South  interested    him   deeply,    and. 
when  the  war    broke   out,  he    enlisted,    altl 
he  was  but  seventeen  years  old,  in  Company  I». 
nth  1'.  V.  I.,   the    first    troops   that  went   from 
the  "West  Branch."     His  regiment  was  an 
the    first    to    enter    the    Shenandoah   Valle) 
|nl\  2,   r86l,  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fall- 
ing  Waters,  where  he  first   experienced  the  un- 
mt  sensation  of  seeing  men  killed  or  wound- 
ed by  shot  and  shell.      At  the  expiration  of  his 
term    of    nine    months    he    returned    homi 
raised    a    new  company   of    105    men,    who  were 
led   in    the    207th    P.    Y.     I.      For    eleven 
months    he    served    as  captain,  participatii 
several   fierce   engagements,    including    th 
tie  of   Dutch   Gap,  and   a    number    in   the  vicin- 
ity of  Petersburg.      At    Fort    Steadman  hi 
promoted    to  the    rank    of    major,  and  hi 
important  mentwasat  Hatcher's  Run.    He 

remained   in  the  army  as  Ion-  is  any 

fighting  to  be  done,  but  fortunateh 
capture  or  serious  wounds.  When  ho.~; 
ceased  he  came  back  home  and  engaged  in 
ness,  meeting  with  success  from  the  star 
1  s s 5  he  has  conducted  a  hardwan 
stove  business  at  Lock  Haven. 

lb-  work  m  support  ol  the   Ri  ] 

party  was  red  some  yi 

pointment  in  the  United   States  re\  en 
as  gauger   and  deputy    revenue  coiled 
position  he  held  for  eight  years.      In  1894b 
elected   to  the  I     .   slature,   ami  so    well  did  he 

(  lintoh  county  b 

e  that  he  was  re  elected  in  [896,  I 
other  term.  lb'  is  now  .1  member  of  tin 
mittees  on  Railroads  and  on  Labor  Ri  I 

January    25,     1  :  subject    mat 

Miss  Emily  J.  Walton,  1  I 

Walton,  of  Lycoming  county,  Penn.     The  W  ■ 
ton  family  1-  one  of  the  oldest  in   the  Sti  I 
now  holds  dei  d  by  William  Penn  an 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


551 


son.  Two  children  have  blessed  our  subject's 
home:  Benjamin  W.,  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and 
Edith  M.  Maxwell,  of  Troy,  Penn.  Socially  the 
family  is  prominent,  and  Mrs.  Fredericks  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  while 
the  Major  is  identified  with  several  fraternal 
orders,  including  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  P.  O.  S. 
of  A.  and  the  G.  A.  R. 


BH.  FURST,  of  the  firm  of  Furst  Brothers, 
manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  all  kinds  of 
grain,  flour,  feed,  plaster,  salt  and  general  mer- 
chandise, Cedar  Springs,  Pennsylvania. 


fATHEW  ROGERS,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  honored  citizens  of  Clinton  county, 
has  spent  almost  his  entire  life  in  Pine  Creek 
township,  where  his  birth  occurred  December  2, 
1 8 1 2,  and  is  a  son  of  Seth  and  Elizabeth  (  Books) 
Rogers,  the  former  a  native  of  Kilkenny,  Ireland, 
and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  From  the  age  of 
ten  years  he  was  reared  by  a  Mr.  McGuire,  and 
was  provided  with  fair  school  privileges  and  a 
good  moral  training,  which  well  fitted  him  for 
life's  responsible  duties. 

Until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  forty  years, 
Mr.  Rogers  continued  to  make  his  home  with  Mr. 
McGuire,  though  in  the  meantime  he  often 
worked  for  neighboring  farmers  in  Pine  Creek 
township,  and  was  also  employed  in  the  lumber 
woods,  pealing  bark,  or  in  rafting  or  boating  on 
the  river.  In  1S52  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  fifty  acres,  upon  which  he  has  made  all 
of  the  improvements,  but  at  one  time  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  his  barns,  sheds  and  other  out- 
buildings by  a  flood,  which  damaged  his  property 
to  the  amount  of  $5,000;  but  with  characteristic 
energy  he  at  once  rebuilt,  and  now  has  a  well- 
improved  and  highly-cultivated  farm  which  stands 
as  a  monument  to  his  thrift  and  industry.  He 
was  the  first  in  this  section  to  raise  tobacco,  and 
he  continued  to  actively  engage  in  business  until 
1896,  when  he  was  eighty-four  years  of  age.  At 
this  writing  he  is  living  retired,  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  rest. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  married  in  1845,  in  Pine 
Creek  township,  to  Miss  Mary  Staver,  who  was 
born  in  that  township,  in  182 1,  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  Staver,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. Three  daughters  blessed  this  union: 
Martha  J. ;  Mary  E. ;  and  Margaret,  wife  of  A. 
K.  Hamilton.  For  the  long  period  of  thirty-five 
years  the  wife  and  mother  was  an  invalid,  but 
hnally,  in  1894,  death  released  her  from  her  suf- 
ferings.    The  two  older  daughters  tenderly  cared 


for  her,  making  great  sacrifices  in  her  behalf,  and 
they  now  look  after  the  business  interests  of  their 
father,  being  ladies  of  good  business  ability  and 
sound  judgment.  Wherever  known  they  are 
held  in  high  regard,  and  their  friends  are  many. 
Politically,  Mr.  Rogers  was  first  a  Whig  and 
is  now  a  Republican,  casting  his  first  Presidential 
ballot  in  1883,  and  his  last  in  1896  for  Major 
McKinley.  On  election  days  he  is  always  found 
at  the  polls,  has  taken  a  deep  and  commendable 
interest  in  political  affairs,  and  now  advocates 
sound  money.  For  some  eighty-five  years  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Clinton 
county,  and  his  has  been  a  long  and  busy  career. 
His  life  has  ever  been  such  as  to  commend  him  to 
the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact, and  he  has  the  respect  and  esteem  of  old 
and  young,  rich  and  poor. 


LEWIS  ARMSTRONG  (deceased).  Of  the 
_j  middle-aged  business  men  of  Clinton  county, 
probably  none  developed  so  early  in  life,  and  at- 
tained so  prominent  a  position  among  the  busi- 
ness men  of  the  State,  as  did  Lewis  Armstrong, 
who  was  born  in  1859,  in  Sullivan  county,  Penn. 
Peter  Armstrong,  his  father,  also  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  a  manufacturer  of  paper,  be- 
ing identified  with  mills  at  Philadelphia  and  else- 
where, haying  his  residence  in  Philadelphia.  He 
married  Miss  Hannah  Taylor,  who,  too,  was  born 
in  the   Keystone  State. 

Lewis  Armstrong,  at  the  age  of  seven  years, 
went  to  Philadelphia  to  live,  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  he  received  his  school  train- 
ing. When  but  fourteen  he  started  out  on  the 
road  traveling  as  a  salesman  for  the  mills  with 
which  his  father  was  connected,  and  he  was 
reared  and  trained  in  the  paper  business,  and 
understood  it  thoroughly.  His  traveling  experi- 
ence brought  him  early  in  touch  with  men  prom- 
inent in  the  same  business  throughout  the  State 
and  beyond  State  lines,  and  he  became  exten- 
sively known  to  and  prominently  identified  with 
the  manufacturers  of  paper  throughout  the  East. 
He  and  his  brother  built  the  paper  mills  at  Lock 
Haven,  as  well  as  other  mills  elsewhere,  and  he 
was  associated  with  some  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York  City.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  vice-president  of  the 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Paper  Co.,  and  pres- 
ident of  the  Armstrong  Real  Estate  Improve- 
ment Co.  of  Johnsonburg,  Penn.,  where  some  of 
the  mills  of  the  company  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected were  located.  He  was  ambitious,  and 
hoped  to  control  the  paper  mills  of  the  country, 
but    overworked    himself,    which    resulted  in  his 


i  OMMR  VOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  BEt  <>1U>. 


th.      He  had  left  home  on   a  business  trip  to 
New  York  when  his  death,  coming  suddenly,  was 
caused  by  the  bursting  of    a    blood  vessel   at   the 
base  of  the  brain.      Socially  he  was   i  mi  mb 
the   Manufa  i  lub,  and  ol   the   Manhattan 

Athletic  Club,  both  ol  New  York.  He  led  a 
most  active  and  busy  life,  and  his  death  was 
greatly  deplored  in  business  circles. 

In  1S7S  Mr.  Armsti  married  to  Miss 

Ida  M.  Kelly  (who  was  bom  in  Philadelphia,  and 
was   1   I  there),  a  daughter  of   Samuel   J. 

and  Mai  Kelly.     The  marriage  of  our 

ject  and  wife  was  blessed  with  the  following 
children:  Grace,  Calvin,  Russell,  Ervin  Scott. 
and  Dorothy;  the  sons  are  now  preparing  for 
college,  and  the   daught  nding  a  college 

in  Virginia.  Mrs.  Armstrong,  who  is  a  woman 
of  culture  and  refinement,  is  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


HENRY  S.  BAKER,  a  prominent  resident  of 
Lock  Haven,  has  been  engaged  in  the  hard- 
wire business  there  for  many  years,  and  his  judi- 
cious management,  fair  dealing  and  unfailing 
courtesy  have  won  foi  him  a  substantial  success. 

Mr  Bal  was  born  in  November,  [842,  in 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mar} 
(Shutter)  Baker,  who  were  both  natives  ol  the 
Keystom  Mate.  The  father  was  a  weaver  by 
trade  in  early  life,  but  afterward  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  continued  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1S90.  Our  subject's  mother  passed  to 
the  unseen  life  in  1883,  and  of  a  large  family  ol 
children  only  live   arc   now    livin.  mi,    wife 

of  John  Fitzgerald;  Mary,  wifeof  William  Mayer; 

ih,  wife  of  Levi  Reitnauer;  Christine,  who 
in, 11 1  I'd    John     Stires;     and    Henry    S.,    of    this 

tch. 

H.  S.  Baker  was  reared  in  Montgomerj  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  havin  taken  there  in  his  b 
bond.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  began  to 
!•  am  the  tinner's  trade,  an  apprenticeshi| 
three  years  giving  him  a  complete  knowledge  of 
the  business,  .Settling  at  Lock  Haven, 
working  nearly  I  rneyman,  he- 
established  a  business  of  Ins  own,  which  he  has 
successfully  conducted  evei  sinci  His  stock  has 
been  gradually  enlarged  as  his  custom  has  grown 
in  volume,  until  he  probabl)  ha  line 
of  hardware,  stoves  sehold  utensils  to  be 
found  in  Clinton  county.  He  is  devoted  to  busi- 
ness, and  has  never  given  any  time  to  politics, 
although  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  a  firm  op- 
ponent of  monopolies. 

In    1861    Mr.    Baker    married    Miss    Mary   E. 


Waggner,  whose  father,  a  resident   at  one  t: 
of   Mechanicsburg,  Penn..  met   a  soldier's  death 
during   the  Civil  war,  at   the   battle   of  Atlai 
Three  children  were  born  of  this  union,  all  now 
deceased.      Mi  ind  his  wife  are  lean 

members  of  Trinity   Methodist   Church  at   I. 
Haven,    and   at   present   he    holds   the   office 
trustee       He  also   belongs  to  numerous  social  or- 
ders,   including  the   K.   ('..    E.,  the   K.    ol  I 
which  he  is  a  past  chancellor),  the   I.  O.  0.    I 
Great  Island    Lodgi    No.    320    (in    which    he 
past    noble  grand  1,  and    the   Masonic   fraternitv 
being  a  Knight  Templar. 


EY.    DR.    R.    \Y.    PERKINS.      "To    make 
the  world  within   his    reach    somewhat    I 
better  for  his  being,  and  gladder  for  his  human 
speech  "  is  an  ambition  which  calls  forth  a  mi 
noblest  energies,  and  in    the    helpful   life  of 
well-known  clergyman  it  has  been  brought  tofull 
fruition.      As  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Lock   Haven,  Clinton  county,   he  has  intro- 
duced    and     maintained    numerous     movent 
which  have   already  produced   good    results, 
which  promise  to  wield   still  greater   influence  in 
the  future. 

Dr.    Perkin  his  zeal   and  enthu- 

from  a  long  line   ol  -   ancestors,    d  I 

back  to  the  old  Brandywine  Baptist  Church 
the  battlefield  of  that  name  of  the  Kevolun 
and  covering  than  two  hundred  years     1 

one    branch    of   his   maternal  ancestors  were 

iker  origin,  buying  their  land  directly  I: 
Penn.  They  becami  Baptists  before  1700— 
other  branch  was  a  Baptist  family  from  W  I 
who  in  1755  settled  in  Chester  county.  The  1 
sons  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  in  tl 
company,  holding,  in  ordi  the  four  hi 

est  commission^  company — one  afterw 

became   a    Baptist  minister.      Their  desi 
have  been    mostly  well-to-do   farmers   or  sch 
teachers,  a  number  were  lawyers,  somejud 
the    Courts,  principals  of  academies  and   hie 
schools  of    learning,    and  college  and   univen 
professors  and  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

The  family  was  a  very  lai 

patriots,  but  kept  out  of  active  politu  ■ 
were  nearly  all  Church  members.      A    few 
1 'i     I'd  kuw  was  one  of  sixteen  cousin 
Baptist  ministry.     Joseph  Perkins,  the  fatl 
Dr.  R.  \V.  Perkins,  of  a  race  of  prospei 

of  Revolutionary  stock,  lived  and  died  on 
farm  where  he  was  born,  following  agricult 
an  occupation,  and  giving  in  his  useful  yet 
existence  an  example  worthy  of  the  imital 
all   men.      He  died   in    1SS7.  and   his   estun.. 


^^/L^^ 


L 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


553 


wife,  Margaret  T.  Frame,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  the  same  county,  died  in  1884.  Dr.  Perkins 
is  the  eldest  of  four  children;  the  others  living  are: 
Martha  J.  and  Joseph  \V.,  who  reside  at  the  old 
homestead  near  Elam,  Delaware  Co.,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  Doctor's  birth  occurred  March  12,  1847, 
and  his  elementary  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  near  his  home.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  completed  his  academic  course  and 
engaged  in  teaching,  which  he  continued  for 
about  four  years.  He  then  entered  Bucknell 
University,  and  in  1872  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  In  pursuance  of  a  long-cher- 
ished wish  to  enter  the  ministry,  he  took  a  course 
in  the  Crozer  Theological  Seminary,  and,  after 
graduating  in  1875,  he  remained  there  over  a 
year,  taking  a  post-graduate  course  in  philosophy 
and  theology.  In  the  meantime  he  served  as 
assistant  to  the  pastor  of  the  Upland  Baptist 
Church,  and  on  leaving  the  seminary  was  or- 
dained pastor  (in  1877)  of  the  Third  Baptist 
Church  at  Camden,  N.  J.,  where  he  spent  over 
ten  years.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  work, 
and,  aside  from  his  labors  in  behalf  of  denomi- 
national Church  work  and  Union  Sunday-school 
work,  took  an  active  part  in  the  local  charitable 
organizations  and  in  temperance  work,  serving  as 
president  of  the  Camden  County  Temperance 
Society  for  several  years.  During  this  time  he 
was  also  examiner  of  Sunday-school  books  for 
the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society.  In 
1887  he  took  charge  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
at  Lock  Haven,  and  under  his  ministrations  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  congregation  has  been  quick- 
ened and  the  enrollment  increased  four-fold,  the 
once  crushing  debts  have  all  been  paid  off,  the 
church  edifice,  a  handsome  and  commodious 
structure,  has  been  renovated,  and  everything  is 
in  a  prosperous  condition.  Dr.  Perkins  is  an 
earnest  student,  especially  in  theology,  philoso- 
phy and  history,  his  very  large  library  containing 
a  very  fine  collection  of  works  on  these  subjects. 
Since  locating  at  Lock  Haven  he  has  devoted 
some  time  to  teaching  languages,  literature  and 
philosophy  in  the  State  Normal  School,  and  for 
one  year  he  conducted  a  large  Monday-evening 
union  Bible-class  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
His  sympathetic  nature,  his  wide  culture  and  his 
unfailing  energy  have  made  him  a  helpful  factor 
in  all  charitable  and  evangelistic  enterprises.  He 
has  given  much  study  to  hymnology,  sacred  mu- 
sic and  congregational  singing,  and  has  been 
president  of  the  Lock  Haven  Chorus  since  its 
organization.  He  began  advocating  a  public 
hospital  that  culminated  in  the  Lock  Haven  Hos- 
pital.    Some  years  ago  his  alma  mater  conferred 


upon  him  the  Doctorate.  For  several  years  he 
has  been  chairman  of  the  Book  Committee  of  the 
Lock  Haven  Library. 

In  1S93  Dr.  Perkins  was  married  to  Miss 
Sallie  E.  Rhoads,  widely  known  as  a  successful 
teacher  in  the  Lock  Haven  High  School.  She  be- 
longs to  a  well-known  family,  and  her  father, 
Joseph  A.  Rhoads,  formerly  a  student  at  Buck- 
nell University  in  its  first  class,  is  a  highly  re- 
spected resident  of  Lock  Haven.  Her  father's 
family  were  religious  refugees  from  the  Palatinate, 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  settling  in  Berks 
county,  Penn.  Like  the  most  of  the  Germans, 
they  kept  aloof  from  the  governmental  affairs 
until  the  struggle  for  freedom  against  George  III, 
and  then  they  entered  the  Revolutionary  army. 
Mrs.  Perkins'  ancestors  in  three  lines  fought  in 
the  Revolution.  One  of  her  great-grandfathers 
was  an  officer  of  distinction.  She  is  a  charter 
member  and  historian  of  a  successful  chapter  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  The 
families  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins  were  loyal  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  and  rendered  all  the  aid  in 
their  power  to  the  government.  Both  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Perkins  took  an  active  part  in  a  flourishing 
Shakespeare  Society,  and  in  the  University  Ex- 
tension Society.  While  Dr.  Perkins  is  a  man  of 
affairs  whose  advice  is  widely  sought,  still  his 
greatest  pleasure  is  in  fulfilling  the  simple  duties 
of  the  Gospel  minister. 


First  Baptist  Church. — The  records  of  the 
early  history  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lock 
Haven  are  very  fragmentary.  The  Church  was 
gathered  under  the  auspices  of  Rev.  George  Hig- 
gins,  then  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Jersey 
Shore,  Lycoming  county.  It  is  very  probable 
that  it  was  organized  in  1836,  as  the  first  item  of 
Church  record  states  that  the  first  communion 
season  of  the  Church  was  held  December  15, 
1836.  The  formal  public  recognition  occurred 
June,  1838.  The  services  were  conducted  in  a 
private  house  by  Revs.  George  Higgins,  Charles 
Tucker  and  G.  M.  Spratt,  D.  D.  On  December 
1,  1 84 1,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  J.  F.  Jones, 
who  labored  successfully  for  two  years  in  enlarg- 
ing the  membership.  That  able  and  distinguished 
minister,  Rev.  Charles  Tucker,  having  succeeded 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  Jersey  Shore  Church, 
began  to  supply  this  Church  January  4,  1843, 
and  continued  to  do  so  somewhat  regularly 
for  more  than  a  year;  upwards  of  thirty  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church  as  the  result 
of  meetings  held  in  the  old  court  house  in 
the  spring  of  1843.  Mr.  Tucker  is  spoken  of  as  a 
man  of  marked  ability  and  fine  oratorical  powers. 
On  April  1,  1845,  Rev.  J.  G.  Miles  became  pastor 


55  I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOOHM-lil'Al.  RECORD. 


of  the  Church;  he  was  then  young  and  commended 
himself  to  the  community,  and  had  a  successful 
pastorate,  and  his  goin^;  awa\  was  unfortunate 
for  the  Church,  fur  his  labors  had  been  abund- 
antly blessed  and  at  the  end  of  his  pastorate  the 
Church  numbered  150  members.  They  should 
have  gone  forward  and  built,  but  timid  coun- 
sels   prevailed,    some    removals    occurred,    and 

n  [851  to  [860  the  Church  was  without  a 
pastor,  and  hail  only  an  occasional  sermon.  It 
will  take  at  least  three  generations  to  get  over 
the  crippling  effect  of  that  blunder.  They  had 
occasional  suppli  1  lessors  of  the  Un- 

iversity at  Lewisburg,  now  Bucknell  University, 
especially  from  the  president,  Dn  |  R.  Loomis, 
.ui<l  ('..  M.  Spratt,  D.  D.,  secretary  of  tin-  Penn- 
sylvania Baptist  Education  Society,  but  the 
(  1 1  inch  dwindled  almost  to  disorganization.  In 
i860  Rev.  A.  J.  Furman,  a  graduate  from  Buck- 
nell,  was  ordained  pastor,  and  after  two  years  of 
very  successful  labor  m  gathering  the  - 
Church,  and  baptizing  thirty-three,  resigned  to 
become  chaplain  in  thearmy.  He  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Kirkpatrick,  who  bought  the 
present  site  of  the  Church,  and  added  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  to  the  membership,  but  his 
pastorate  was  only  two  years;  and  from  about 
the  middle  oi  1  So  1  until  April,  1  866,  the  Chui 
was  supplied  part  of  the  time  by  the  Mi 
Committee  of   the    Northumberland  tion; 

al  that  date  Rev.  J.  G.  Miles  was  again  indm 
to  take  charge  of  the  Church.      He  gave  Ins  at- 
tention to  the  erection    of   the    present    house  of 

hip,  winch  was  so  far  completed  as  to 
the  Church  to  worship  in  the  lecture  room,  for 
up  to  this  time  the  Church  had  been  hind: 
and  cramped  for  want  of  a  permanent  place  of 
worship.  Mr.  Miles  labored  hard  and  planned  wise- 
ly, but  resigned  in  1868.  ["he  I  hurch  soon  called 
Rev.  A.  B.  Runyan,  who  beganin  April,  1869,  and 
'  15.   1  s  —  1 .      1 !  ess- 

ful  in  putting  the  dome  on  th  I  .in 

reducing   the  debt,  and    1  I    to   tak<- 

tation  of  the  Church  at  Eagle- 
ville,  now  Blanchard,  (  entre  county.  Then 
Re\     Gei  rge   W.    Snydei    became   pastor,    who 

ipleted  the  main  audience  room  and  dedicated 
the  (.hurch  in    June.    1873;  the  Church    pi 

■  1  immodious  structure.      Mr     Snj 
was   a    successful    and     judicious     minister,     but 
his    health  w  as  ci  impletely  bi  1  ion 

afterwaid    died.      Mr.  Sn  eded  by 

Re\    (      I      Barto,  pastor  f r<  mi    January  1 .   [8 
I  1  I  ■  1 1 1 1 1 . 1 1  \    1 .   1  875 ;  and  Re\     R.   1  mnlap,  p  1 
October  17.    1875,  until    March    3,  [877       1  1 
this   time    for    n  -   the  Church  was  again 

D.  D      if  the   First 


Baptist  Church,  Williamsport,  tried  to  have 
somewhat  regular  supplies  for  the  Church).  In 
1882,  Re\  F.  H.  Cooper,  a  graduate  of  Buck- 
nell, was  ordained  pastor,  in  June,  and  served 
until    the   spring    of     1886.      After  another  dis- 

anizing  interregnum  of  eighteen  months, 
the  present  pastor,  Rev.  l>r.  R.  W.  Perkins,  be- 
gan  his  labors,  in  November,  1887;  the  church 
edifice  has  been  frescoed,  many  repairs  and  im- 
provements have  been  made,  and  thedebtshave 
been  paid; an  additional  adjoining  lot  purchased, 
the  membership  largely  and  materially  increased, 
and  the  Church  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

The  present  officers  (1898)  are:  John  Mac- 
Nanl,  Archibald  Munro,  Theodore  Myers,  Prof 
\\  J.  Wolverton,  Thomas  Gummo,  S.  II.  Laird, 
O.  G.  Munro.  William  Munro,  II.  E.  Chamber- 
lain. I.  1  Loveland,  R  F.  Bowers.  President 
Board  of  Trustees,  Archibald  Munro;  Church 
Clerk,  Theodore  Myers.  Two  young  men,  grad- 
uates of  Bucknell  University,  sons  of  deacon- 
this     Church,    are    esl  I    and     able     Bapti-t 

ministers— Rev.    Henry    C.    Munro,    son  of 

Deacon  Alexander  Munro,  and  Rev.  Willard 
C.    MacNaul,   son    of    Deacon    John    Ma   s- 
Mr.     MacNaul    was    a    student    at     Yale    Divi 
School,  and  was  graduated  at  Divinity  Scho 
the  I  in\  ei  sity  of  Chicago 


The  Lock  Haven  Hospital. — On  June 
1896,    Rev.   Dr.  Perkins   wrote  an  article  for  tins 
Daily  Democrat,  and   one  of   like    import  b>r 
Lock  Haven    Express,  tircim;   the   necessity 

sibility  of  starting  a   hospital  here  and  outlin- 
ing the  general  work  of  .1  hospital.      The  proj 
met  with  general  favor,  and  the  physicians.  mi 
m-  a   few   days   later,  gave   the   enterprise  their 

rtiest  endorsement  and    published   in  the  | 
pers  what    had   been    done  in  surrounding  I 
-tih'    same  class  in   general   h"spital   work. 
the  possibility    of    Lock    Haven  doing  thi 
The  projeel  was   often  the   subject   "I    favoi 
private  remark.       The    ministers   and    phj 
met  at  Dr.  R.   P..  Watson's  office,  July  22,  1  ■- 
I  »i    Perkins  presided.      An  earnest  and  frank  ■ 
eds,  the  possible   resoun  !  - 
pai  ticipated    in    bj   1  Irs.  Ball, 
Armstrong,    Watson.     1!  Shoemaker    a 

Dumm,  and  the  ministers  Rev.   |    E.  Wright, 
D  .  Revs    i    II.   Black.    L.    Nichols,  W    II    I 
ley,    I      l>-  rr,     II      Arlt.    and    (       S    Long 
1  the  project   feasible.      \ 

in  it  1 1' publii    meel  ings,    I  >rs.  Perkins,  Ai 

nd  Ball,  was  appi  linted      I  >n  a<  1 

made  meetings  and  revival  meetings,  it  » 

ruary  i".   [897,  before  a  general  meeting* 
called    by    the   committee    in   the   Y.    M.    C.     \ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


555 


rooms.  Wilson  Kistler,  Esq.,  presided,  and  Dr. 
Perkins  was  secretary.  Addresses  highly  com- 
mending the  feasibility  and  necessity  of  the  hos- 
pital were  made  by  T.  C.  Hippie,  Esq.,  H.  T. 
Harvey,  Esq,,  Rev.  J.  Harper  Black,  Rev.  Dr. 
Wright,  Drs.  Ball,  Church,  Hayes,  Watson  and 
Armstrong.  By  unanimous  vote,  standing  com- 
mittees were  appointed  on  charter  and  nomina- 
tion of  officers:  Rev.  Dr.  J.  E.  Wright,  Rev.  L. 
Nichols,  T.  M.  Stevenson,  Esq.;  and  on  finance: 
David  Salmon,  J.  F.  McCormick,  E.  A.  Monag- 
han,  T.  R.  Mann,  George  Loder,  Dr.  H.  E.  Brady, 
C.  H.  Myers,  Wilson  Kistler,  and  the  following 
ladies:  Dr.  R.  B.  Church,  Miss  Clara  Kreamer, 
Mrs.  L.  A.  Scott,  Mrs.  T.  C.  Hippie,  Mrs.  D. 
Salmon,  Mrs.  R.  W.  Perkins.  The  various  com- 
mittees did  a  very  great  deal  of  earnest  work, 
and  the  newspapers  from  time  to  time  commend- 
ed the  work.  Miss  Clara  Kreamer  was  made 
secretary  of  the  finance  committee.  At  last  a 
public  meeting  was  called  for  May  27,  at  the 
court  house,  over  which  Wilson  Kistler  presided 
and  S.  M.  McCormick,  Esq.,  was  secretary.  Dr. 
Perkins  gave  a  brief  history  of  the  movement. 
Dr.  Wright  offered  the  charter,  which  was  adopt- 
ed, making  provision  for  a  general  annual  meet- 
ing, with  general  officers  of  president,  vice-presi- 
dent, secretary  and  treasurer,  with  a  board  of 
managers  of  fifteen,  who  should  have  charge 
of  the  management  of  the  hospital,  and  who 
should  make  an  annual  report  to  the  mem- 
bers and  subscribers.  The  following  board  of 
managers  was  elected:  Drs.  R.  Armstrong,  F. 
P.  Ball,  R.  B.  Watson,  J.  H.  Hayes,  W.  H. 
Shoemaker,  R.  G.  Furst,  Rev.  Dr.  R.  W.  Per- 
kins, Rev.  Lewis  Nichols,  Messrs.  W.  Kistler, 
J.  A.  Bickford,  E.  A.  Monaghan,  David  Salmon, 
Joseph  B.  Furst,  J.  A.  Marshall  and  F.  L.  Whit- 
aker.  David  Salmon,  chairman  of  the  finance 
committee,  reported  pledges  and  money  amount- 
ing to  $2,062.50.  The  meeting  adjourned  to 
meet  June  10,  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  to  perfect  the 
organization,  Dr.  Perkins  presiding,  S.  M.  Mc- 
Cormick, Esq.,  secretary.  The  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  society:  President,  W.  Kist- 
ler; vice-president,  Charles  Kreamer;  secretary, 
W.  A.  Kinsloe;  treasurer,  T.  R.  Mann.  The 
committee  on  place,  Dr.  Armstrong,  chair- 
man, reported  in  favor  of  the  Proctor-Myers 
Estate,  on  Water  street.  C.  H.  Myers  then 
offered  the  property  until  the  following  spring 
rent  free.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the 
place  selected  for  the  hospital.  The  committee 
on  charter,  Dr.  J.  E.  Wright,  Rev.  L.  Nichols 
and  T.  M.  Stevenson,  Esq.,  were  instructed  to 
take  the  necessary  legal  steps  to  secure  the  char- 


ter. 


The   board   of    managers  organized    with: 


President,  Dr.  R.  Armstrong;  Secretary,  Rev.  L. 
Nichols;  Executive  Committee,  Dr.  F.  P.  Ball, 
Dr.  R.  B.  Watson,  Dr.  R.  W.  Perkins,  W.  Kis- 
tler, E.  A.  Monaghan.  Dr.  R.  B.  Church  was 
elected  superintendent  and  matron,  and  the 
work  of  gathering  supplies  has  slowly  progressed, 
for  the  magnitude  of  the  work  has  made  the 
progress  necessarily  slow.  Every  one  whose 
name  is  mentioned  has  given  much  time  to  the 
enterprise,  and  many, whose  names  are  not  men- 
tioned here,  have  given  invaluable  aid.  The 
heaviest  burdens  have  naturally  fallen  on  the 
physicians  who  have  labored  with  the  self-sacri- 
ficing public  spirit  characteristic  of  that  learned 
profession. 

The  Ladies  Aid  Society,  of  the  Lock  Haven 
Hospital,  was  organized  with  Mrs.  R.  W.  Per- 
kins, president;  vice-presidents,  Mrs.  S.  D.  Ball, 
Mrs.  Herman  Simon,  and  Miss  Puella  Dorn- 
blazer;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  William  Keiner; 
corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  C.  G.  Furst; 
treasurer,  Miss  Eleanor  Gearhart;  executive 
committee,  Mrs.  David  Salmon,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Wright,  Mrs.  T.  C.  Hippie,  Mrs.  D.  M.  Fred- 
ericks, and  Miss  Kate  Monaghan.  The  hospital 
is  doing  a  good  work  and  is  meeting  with  general 
favor. 

The  Lock  Haven  Chorus. — The  Lock  Ha- 
ven Chorus  owes  its  existence  to  the  untiring 
zeal  and  musical  talent  of  its  accomplished  di- 
rector, Mr.  T.  C.  Hilton,  one  of  Lock  Haven's 
prosperous  druggists.  The  Chorus  was  organ- 
ized in  1893  with  Rev.  Dr.  R.  W.  Perkins, 
president;  E.  E.  Adams,  vice-president;  S.  D. 
Furst,  Esq.,  secretary;  S.  M.  McCormick,  Esq., 
treasurer;  T.  C.  Hilton,  musical  director;  and 
Messrs.  T.  C.  Hilton,  James  Snyder  and  W.  J. 
Wolverton,  executive  committee.  The  Chorus 
is  composed  of  the  best  people  of  the  city,  num- 
bering at  various  seasons  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  members.  They  have  rendered  Gaul's 
Holy  City,  Joan  of  Arc,  Haydn's  Creation,  and 
many  choice  selections  from  the  great  masters. 
Their  annual  May  Festival  is  a  society  event. 


The  Lock  Haven  Library. — The  Lock  Ha- 
ven Library  Company  was  chartered  May  31, 
1866,  and  Was  fully  organized  in  July,  1868,  with 
the  following  officers:  President,  Rev.  G.  W. 
Shinn;  secretary,  L.  D.  Squire;  librarian.  Dr.  J. 
H.  Barton;  treasurer,  John  C.  Zellars.  The  or- 
ganization owes  it  origin  to  that  public  benefactor, 
Philip  M.  Price,  Esq.,  who  provided  in  his  will 
for  the  maintenance  of  a  public  library  and  read- 
ing room.  The  object  of  this  society  is  to  pro- 
vide choice   reading   at  a  trifling  expense  for  all 


( 'OM  VEMORA  Tl  I  'B  UK";  It  A  PIIICA  L  REOOR  /'. 


who  choose  to  avail   themselves  of  the  opportun- 
ity  thus  afforded.      Dr.  J.  H.  Barton,  for   many 
i-  librarian,  did  leal  for  the  library. 

There  are  now  over  5,000  volumes  in  the  library, 
officers  are:  President,  S.  I).  Ball,  Esq. ; 
presidents,  Hon.  C.  A.  Mayer  and  Moore 
I  redericks;  secretary.  T.  C.  Hilton;  librarian  and 
treasurer,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Karskaddon;  directors, 
Rev.  Dr.  R.  W.  Perkins,  H.  T.  Hall,  Esq  I 
M.  Stevenson,  Esq.,  Dr.  F.  P.  Ball,  and  A.  S. 
Grow.  The  rooms  of  the  library  in  Mayer's 
Block,  Water  street,  are  open  every  day,  Sun- 
days  excepted. 


QEORGE  \V.  HIPPLE,  a  prominent  manu- 
facturer of  Clinton  county,  and  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  extensive  lumber  firm  of  Hippie  iV 
Kintzing,  doing  business  in  the  city  of  Lock 
Haven,  is  descended  from  one  of  the  substantial 
families  of  this  Commonwealth.  He  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  July  ;,  and  is  the 

eldest  son  of  Henry  and  Catharine  Graeff  Hippie. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  removed  from  the 
Quaker  City  with  his  parents,  when  he  was  about 
one  year  old.  His  childhood  and  youth  were 
passed  at  Jersey  Shore,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn., 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  the 
Jersey  Shore  High  School,  the  latter  being  an  in- 
corporated institution  of  considerable  repute  in 
its  <iay  for  its  thorough  methods  and  high  educa- 
tional standard.  He  completed  the  course  at 
this  High  School  when  about  nineteen  years  of 
I  then  entered  upon  tin  study  of  the  law 
in  the  office  of   Hon.     |ames   Gamble,  of  Jersey 

re,  a  leading  lawyer  of  that  section,  and  con- 
tinued  the  same  upward  of  two  years.  He,  how- 
1  ii"t  entirely  fancy  the  law,  and  discon- 
tinued his  studies,  having  determined  to  learn 
and  pursue  the  trade  and  vocation  of  his  father, 
who  was  a  well-known  and  successful  builder 
and  contractor.  Having  served  a  thorough 
prenticeship,  Mr.  Hippie  soon  became  a  partner 
with  his  father  in  contracting  and  building.  His 
brother,  Henry  G.,  subsequently  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  which  was  known  as  Henry  Hip- 
pie &  Sons.  Their  firm  operated  extensively, 
and  their  handiwork  exists  throughout  this  sec- 
tion as  good  evidence  of  their  energy,  skill  and 
reliability.  They  also  engaged  considerably  in 
lumbering  with  satisfactory  succi 

In  1867  Mr.  Hippie  went  to  Michigan,  where 
his  wife's  parents  then  resided,  intending  to  lo- 
cate permanentl)  .>t  Saginaw,  in  that  State.  He 
purchased  timber  lands  in  that  locality,  erected 
a  sawmill  and  engaged  in  the  lumber-manufact- 
uring business,  in  connection  with  merchandising, 


for  about  three  years.  He  did  not.  however,  re- 
main there  steadily,  because  of  indifferent  health. 
Having  meanwhile  purchas  interest  of  Alli- 

son White  in  the  planing-mill  and  sash  and  doer 
factory,  then  conducted  by  White,  Hip, 
at  the  same  place  as  that  now  operated  by  Hij  • 
pie  &  Kintzing,  he  returned  to  Lock  Haven  in 
where  he  has  ever  since  been  in  that  busi- 
ness. 

The  present  firm  of  Hippie  &  Kinl 
extensively   in   the   wholesale    manufacturing  1  I 
doors,  sash  and  house-building  supplies,  ha 
large  trade  in  Philadelphia  and  other  citie 
ranking  high  among  dealers  in  their  line.     Their 
establishment  is  one    of  the    reliable-  and  impor- 
tant industries  of  the  West  Branch    Region,  and 
gives  steady  employment  to   a  large  number  ol 
men. 

Mr.  Hippie  was  married  December  2,  1 
at  Jerse\  Shore,  I  Miss  Helen  A.  Chapman, 
daughter  of  George  W.  Chapman,  an  extensive 
railroad  contractor,  and  member  of  the  firm  of 
Dillon  &  Chapman,  then  of  New  York  City. 
Mrs.  Hippie  was  born  June  S,  1839,  at  Richmond, 
Mass.,  and  died  at  Lock  Haven,  July  6, 
She  possessed  many  kindly  and  Christian  traits 
which  endeared  her  to  the  people  of  the  commu- 
nity in  which  she'  lived. 

Our  subject  is  an  active  and  efficient  member 
of  the  Trinity  M.   E.  Church  of  Lock  Haven,  in 
which  he  has   for   many  years    held  official  posi- 
tion.     He  served  twelve  years  continuous!} 
member  of  the  City  I    >uncil  ol  Lock  Haven,  and 
was  for  a  number  of  years  president  of  that 
He  has  for  a  long  time  been  one  of  the  tr 
of  the   flourishing  Central   State   Normal  School 
of  Lock  Haven,  and  is  at  present  vice 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  institution. 


JOELH    HERB,  a  well-known  citizen  ol   I. 
gan  township,  Clinton  county,   is  numb 
among  the  self-made  men  1    Valley, 

his  accumulations  being  the  result  of  his  ow 
dustry,  obtained  bj  self-denial  and  econom 
the  exercise  of  a  naturally  good  judgtm 
in    regard  to    agricultural    pursuits   anil   business 
matters.      He  was  born   near  Reading,  in   I 
county,    Penn.,    July  2,    1S17,    and    is 
son  of  John  Herb,  a  native  of  Germany,  w 
coming  to  this  country  located  in    Berks  count\. 
where   he    followed    the   occupation  of   farming 
and  spent  his  remaining  da 

Abram    Herb,     the    father    of     our    sub 
was  also  born  111  Berks  county,  where  he  re<- 
a  German  education,  and  engaged  in  agricu 
pursuits  throughout  life,  his  farm  beinu 


iz^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


557 


in  Oley  township,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1872.  He  was  a  pronounced  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics, and  was  widely  known  and  highly  respected. 
He  married  Catharine  Bachtel,  also  a  native  of 
Berks  county,  by  whom  he  had  thirteen  children 
— Rachel,  Hattie,  Isaac,  Mary,  John  H.,  Cath- 
arine, Abram,  Hannah,  David,  Harriet,  Daniel, 
John,  and  one  whose  name  is  unknown.  The 
mother,  who  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  died  while  making  her  home 
with  one  of  her  children  in  Schuylkill  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  only  a 
limited  education  in  the  German  language,  and 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  working  on  the 
home  farm  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
left  the  parental  roof  and  started  out  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  empty-handed.  He  first 
worked  among  farmers,  and  his  small  wages 
were  all  given  to  his  parents.  Two  years  were 
spent  in  Schuylkill  county,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  to  Dauphin  county,  where  he 
learned  the  miller's  trade  with  Henry  Reninger, 
remaining  there  for  four  years.  Hearing  that 
the  business  prospects  were  better  in  central 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Herb  came  to  Clinton  county 
in  1 84 1,  and  located  in  Sugar  Valley,  where  he 
rented  the  Klickner  Mills  at  Loganton  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  flour  for  nine  years. 
The  following  two  years  were  spent  in  the  mill- 
ing business  in  Woodward,  Centre  county,  and 
he  was  similarly  employed  in  Greenbriar,  Penn 
Valley,  for  the  same  length  of  time.  Renting 
the  Logan  Mills  in  Logan  township,  Clinton 
county,  he  operated  them  quite  successfully  for 
four  years,  and  in  1859  bought  the  Jacob  Miller 
farm  of  ninety-seven  acres  in  the  same  town- 
ship. He  cleared  and  improved  the  place  with 
good  and  substantial  buildings,  and  devoted  his 
energies  to  agricultural  pursuits  until  1887,  when 
he  rented  the  farm,  and  now  lives  retired,  enjoy- 
ing the  rest  that  he  so  well  deserves. 

In  Logan  township,  Mr.  Herb  married  Miss 
Mary  Brungart,  a  native  of  Sugar  Valley,  and  to 
them  were  born  five  children:  Harriet,  wife  of 
William  O.  Groninger,  of  Jasper  county,  Mo., 
by  whom  she  has  seventeen  children;  Joseph, 
who  is  now  living  retired  in  Booneville,  Clinton 
Co. ,  Penn. ;  Jefferson  B. ,  a  farmer  of  Green  town- 
ship, same  county;  Calista,  wife  of  Harvey 
Wise,  of  Woodward  township,  Clinton  county; 
and  John,  of  Madisonburg,  Centre  county.  Mrs. 
Herb  was  called  to  her  final  rest  January  21, 
i89i,and  her  remains  were  interred  in  the  Sugar 
Valley  cemetery.  She  was  an  earnest  Christian 
woman  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  to  which  her  husband  also  belongs.      In 


his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Herb  is  a  Democrat. 
On  reaching  Sugar  Valley  his  cash  capital  con- 
sisted of  twenty-five  cents,  and  the  old  clothes 
that  he  wore  constituted  his  other  property;  but 
by  hard  work,  strict  ceconomy,  perseverance 
and  honorable  dealing,  he  succeeded  in  accumu- 
lating a  comfortable  competence,  and  is  now  able 
to  lay  aside  business  cares  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
his  former  toil.  He  has  won  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  entire  community,  and  his 
friends  are  many. 


WILLIAM  HUFF  was  for  many  years  act- 
ively identified  with  the  lumber  and  farm- 
ing interests  of  this  section  of  the  State,  but  is 
now  living  retired  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clin- 
ton county.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimina- 
tion and  sound  judgment,  and  his  executive  abil- 
ity and  excellent  management  gained  for  him 
a  well-deserved  success  in  his  undertaking,  so 
that  he  is  to-day  numbered  among  the  prosper- 
ous and  substantial  citizens  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Huff  was  born  March  10,  18 17,  at  Far- 
randsville.  Clinton  county,  when  it  still  formed 
a  part  of  Lycoming  county,  and  he  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Susan  Huff.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  that  portion  of  Northumberland  county 
which  afterward  became  Lycoming  county,  and 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  business  ca- 
reer followed  the  occupations  of  farming  and 
lumbering.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
passed  away  in  1855,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
our  subject,  their  four  children  have  also  de- 
parted this  life. 

The  opportunities  afforded  our  subject  for 
obtaining  a  good  education  were  very  poor.  The 
nearest  school  house  was  three  miles  from  his 
home,  and  to  reach  it  he  was  obliged  to  cross 
the  river  twice.  The  terms  were  also  short,  and 
the  teachers  but  poorly  equipped  for  their  duties. 
Until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  he 
worked  for  his  father,  who  was  a  lumberman 
and  farmer,  and  then  followed  those  occupa- 
tions on  his  own  account.  Although  he  has  re- 
sided in  Clinton  county  for  sixty-five  years,  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  he  has  spent  in  the  lum- 
ber woods  of  Clearfield  county,  where  he  has 
owned  large  tracts  of  timber  land.  He  now  has 
two  valuable  and  well-improved  farms,  and  one 
hundred  acres  of  timber  land  in  Bald  Eagle  and 
Beech  Creek  townships.  As  a  business  man  he 
has  been  progressive,  upright  and  honorable, 
and  succeeded  in  winning  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

On  October  6,  1855,  Mr.  Huff  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Susan  McCormick,  a  daughter 


COMMKMOHA  TITS  BIOGRAPHICAL  UF.ioRD. 


of  Joseph  McCormick,  who  was  widely  and  favor- 
ably known  throughout  Lycoming  and  Clinton 
counties  during  pioneer  days.  Two  children 
blessed  this  union:  Joseph  H.,  a  prominent 
farmer,  of  Bald  Eagle  township,  and  Anna  I 
wife  of  Charles  Salmon,  a  farmer  of  Beech  Creek 
township,  Clinton  county.  The  wife  and  mol 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1889.  Although 
Mr.  Huff  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  official 
honors,  he  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  many 
local  positions  in  his  township  He  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Christian  Church.  At  this  writing 
he  is  nearing  the  eighty-first  milestone  on  life's 
rney,  but  in  spirit  and  interests  seems  yet  in 
his  prime.  There  is  an  old  age  that  is  a  bi 
diction  to  all  that  comes  in  contact  with  it,  that 
gives  oul  of  its  rich  stores  of  learning  and  ex- 
perieni  and  grows  stronger  intellectually  and 
spiritually  as  the  years  pass.  Such  is  the  life  of 
Mr.  Huff,  an  encouragement  to  his  associ 
and  an  example  well  worthy  of  emulation  to  the 
young. 


E 


PHRAIM  W    BIGl  >NY,  late  of  Lock  Haven, 
LL^    Clinton  county,  where  he  carried  on  a 

!  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  ice  business, 
had  been  identified  with  the  business  and  social 
affairs  of  the  place  for  thirty-five  years,  an  hon- 
ored and  esteemed  citizen. 

Joseph  Bigony.  his  father,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Penn.,  and  there  was  married 
to  Rachel  Wesley,  also  a  native  of  Montgomery 
county.  They  passed  the  greater  part  of  their 
lives  in  their  native  county  as  farming  people, 
plain,  substantial   and    good   citizens.      While    a 

eral  fanner  Mi  Bigony  dealt  largely  in  stock, 
and  for  years  was  a  venue  crier.  Hi's  death  oc- 
curred in  November,  1869,  that  of  his  wife  in 
May.  i- 

Ephraim  W.  Bigony  was  born  March  9,  1828, 
in  Berks  county,  Penn.      His  father  had   a  lai 
family,  and    being  a    man    of  but   limited    mi 
was  enabled  to   afford  our    subject    only    m< 
school  privileges.     In   his  boyhood   the  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  were   pay  schools,  and  ki  pi 
only  three  months    in    the   year,  the   childrei 
the  family  going  generally  by  turns.      From  four- 
teen   to    twent)  one   years  of    age    Mr.    Bigony 
served  a  seven-years'  apprenticeship  at  the  trade 
of  manufacturing  woolen  goods,  in  the  woolen- 
mills  of  Marlsboro,  Montgomery  county,  Penn., 
but  strange  as  it  may  seem,  after  the  completion 
ol   the  long  apprenticeship  he   never  worked  at 
the  business.     On  leaving  the  woolen-mills,  and 
from  1849   to    1853,  he    clerked    in    a    dry-goods 


store  at  Reading,  Penn.      From  this  employmeni 

he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  and  for  a 
of   fourteen  years  was  a  most  popular  and 
able  landlord,  having  an  extended   acquan 
with   the    thousands   of  traveling    men    and    tin 
tanners  of  that   locality    that   stopped    with  bin 
during  that  1  d.      Some  of  the  hotels  hi 

were   located    at    Troj     (Penn.  .  Allentowr 
(Perm.),  the    "Fallon  House,"  at   Lock   1 1 
and  the  "  Bush  House,"  at  Bellefonte.      Follow 
ing  this  he  became   interested    in    the   coal  busi- 
ness in  Bellefonte.   Penn.,   with   W.  W.  Rankir 
until    1877,    when   from   his    large   experience   ir 
and  thorough   knowledge  of  the   hotel    business, 
he  was  tendered   and   accepted    the  stew 
of  the    Central    state    Normal    School    at    I. 
Haven.      This  position  he  filled  very  satisfacto- 
rily some  six  years.      In  1  884  he  managed  a  sum- 
mer resort   at    Ronceverte,    W     Va. ,    but    ne\ei 
up  his    residence    in    the    former  city.      H. 
then  resumed  the  coal  business,  keepin. 
and  feed,  which   he   conducted    until  his  death, 
November  17.  [897.      His  life  had  been  an  active 
one,  a  business  career  characterized  by  inl 
and  honor,  and  one  which   his   posterity  1 
\  lew  with  pride. 

In  January,   1853,  Mr.  Bigony   was  unit 
marriage    with    Mary    B.   Knause,  a   daughl 
Solomon   Knause,  of  Allentown,  Penn.       ! 
marriage,  were    born:      Alpheus    Joseph,  w 
engaged   in   the  coal   business  at    Lock    1! 
Charles  Solomon,  who  is  a  resident  of  Sunbury, 
Penn.;   and   Ephraim   Keck,  who  is  at  Lock  Ha- 
ven.     An    adopted   daughter    is  now    Mrs    E.   E 
Stewart,    whose   husband    is  a    business   man  of 
Reynoldsville,  Penn.      The  mother  of  these,  the 
youngest  son,  and  the  one  next  to  him.  are  iden- 

I  with  the   Episcopal    Church.     The   I 
too,  affiliated  with  that  denomination.      Thi 
est  son  is  a    Presbyterian.      Socially,  our  s 
was  identified  with  the  F.  &  A    M 


THOMAS  B.  REED,  of  the  firm  of  Mus 
&  Reed,  of  Lock  Haven.  Clinton  a 
is  a  representative  business  man  of  this  - 
of  the  State.  The  firm  is  known  far  and  n 
one  characterized  by  fair  dealing,  promp 
and  for  the  care  exercised  in  earning  0 
promises  made  to  then  patn  ins. 

Samuel    Reed,    father    of    Thomas    B      1 
was  born  in   Lycoming  county,    Penn..   and  u.i 
occupied  in  early  life  in  agricultural  pursuits 
the  excitement  and  impetus  given   to  what 
became  Farrandsvillc.  on  the  Susquehann 
miles  above  Lock  Haven,  when  that  vicinil 

opened   up   and   coal   and   iron  industries 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


559 


established,  he  located  there,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  "thirties"  became  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business,  keeping  one  of  the  old-time  tav- 
erns. At  that  period  Farrandsville  was  a  point 
of  considerable  importance  and  business.  Some 
years  later,  early  in  the  "forties,"  he  located  at 
Lock  Haven,  was  there  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  for  a  time,  and  subsequently  carried  on 
farming.  By  his  marriage  with  Mary  Clenden- 
ning,  a  native  of  Lycoming  county,  he  had  chil- 
dren as  follows:  John  R. ,  of  Shamokin,  Penn. ; 
Rebecca  (Mrs.  Samuel  S.  Seeley),  of  Jersey 
Shore;  Mary  (Mrs.  L.  Mussina),  of  Lock  Haven, 
Penn.;  Jane  (unmarried),  of  Lock  Haven;  Daniel 
T. ,  of  Lock  Haven;  Thomas  B.  (our  subject); 
Samuel  S.,  of  Lock  Haven,  who  was  in  the  Civil 
war,  served  in  Company  C,  52nd  P.  V.  I.,  and 
contracted  a  disability  from  which  he  never  re- 
covered; and  Lizzie  (Mrs.  Charles  Worthmani, 
of  Philadelphia.  The  father  of  these  children 
died  in  1862,  and  the  mother  in  1S65;  both  were 
estimable  people. 

Our  subject  was  born  December  25,  1840,  at 
Farrandsville,  Penn.,  and  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Lock  Haven,  in  which 
city  the  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  passed. 
Until  out  of  his  'teens  he  was  occupied  chiefly  in 
performing  farm  work  for  others,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  may  be  said  to  have  become 
his  own  boss,  as  at  that  time  he  reaped  the  re- 
ward of  his  own  labor.  Later  on  he  became  engaged 
in  tobacco  growing  and  canal-boating.  About 
the  year  1870  he  formed  his  present  partnership 
with  L.  Mussina  in  Lock  Haven,  at  first  handling 
only  coal,  later  adding  ice,  and  they  have  the 
largest  ice  house  on  the  river;  still  later  they 
added  grain  and  groceries.  They  have  com- 
modious buildings.  Mr.  Reed  has  earned  the  rep- 
utation of  being  a  conservative  and  careful  busi- 
ness man.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  is 
quite  active  in  public  affairs.  He  has  served 
three  terms  in  the  city  council,  and  two  as  water- 
commissioner,  in  both  capacities  with  credit  to 
himself  and  very  acceptably  to  the  public.  In 
his  religious  views  he  leans  toward  the  doctrine 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Lock  Haven  Business  Men's  Club.  He  is 
a  typical  and  successful  self-made  man,  a  thor- 
oughly representative  American.  In  addition  to 
other  property,  he  owns  improved  real  estate 
both  in  and  out  of  Lock  Haven.  He  has  never 
married. 


MT.    KESSLER,  a  prominent  business    man 
._  and  a  successful   general   merchant    of    Pin 
Station,  Clinton  county,  is  a   native   of    Pen-nsyl- 


vania,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Allentown, 
Northumberland  county,  June  22,  1844.  His 
father,  Jacob  Kessler,  was  born  near  Easton, 
in  Northampton  county,  of  German  ancestry, 
and  received  a  very  limited  education.  He  made 
farming  his  life  occupation,  following  that  pur- 
suit both  in  his  native  country  and  in  Northum- 
berland county.  Later  he  rented  a  farm  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  and  lo- 
cated on  the  Cook  farm,  in  Porter  township, 
renting  that  place  for  three  years.  Subsequently 
he  rented  another  farm  in  the  same  township, 
and  from  there  removed  to  Jersey  Shore,  Ly- 
coming county,  where  the  following  two  years 
were  passed  in  retirement  from  active  labor. 
He  next  lived  with  his  son  John  in  Dewart, 
Northumberland  county,  and  spent  his  last  days 
in  Watsontown,  same  county,  where  he  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years  and  eight 
months.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  later  a 
Republican,  and  in  religious  belief  was  a  Lu- 
theran, to  which  Church  his  wife  also  belonged. 
She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Marks,  was 
of  English  descent,  and  died  at  Jersey  Shore. 

In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  nine 
children,  namely:  Annie  L. ,  deceased  wife  of 
Edward  Sheckler,  of  Lehigh  county,  Penn.  ; 
Maria,  wife  of  Mr.  Regellnee,  of  Berks  county; 
Susanna,  who  died  unmarried;  Mary,  deceased; 
William,  a  resident  of  North  Carolina;  George 
W. ,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war;  John 
M.,  who  also  fought  in  that  war;  H.  T. ,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Alfred,  of  Jersey 
Shore. 

The  opportunities  afforded  our  subject  for  ob- 
taining an  education  were  very  meagre,  as  his 
parents  were  in  very  limited  circumstances.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  started  out  to  fight  life's  bat- 
tles, at  first  working  as  a  farm  laborer  at  $4  per 
month.  From  his  birthplace  he  went  to  Hunter- 
don county,  N.  J.,  where  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm  for  two  years,  and  in  Belvidere,  that  State, 
spent  the  following  two  years,  after  which  he 
came  to  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  and  worked  in 
the  lumber  woods  for  six  years.  He  was  next 
employed  in  a  sawmill  in  Williamsport  for  two 
summers,  and  clerked  in  the  store  of  John  Greggs 
at  Pine  Station,  for  a  time.  Buying  out  his  em- 
ployer, he  conducted  the  store  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  sold  it  to  its  original  owner,  and  re- 
turned to  Williamsport,  where  he  clerked  in  the 
store  of  M.  Greggs.  Returning  to  Pine  Station 
in  1 88 1,  he  embarked  in  the  general  merchandis- 
ing, and  by  the  courteous  treatment  of  his  cus- 
tomers, and  fair  and  honorable  dealing,  he  soon 
built  up  an  excellent  trade,  which  he  still  enjoys 


m  i 


"  VEMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


II-     also  owns  and  operates  a  small   farm,  and 
has  erected  a  good  store  building  and  residence 
Pine  Station,  the  former  at   the  cost  of  $1,000 
and  the  latter  costing  $1,800. 

[n  Easton,  Northampton  county,  Penn.,  Mr. 
Kessler  enlisted,  in  [865,  in  Company  E,  215th 
P. '  V.  I,  under  Capt.  W.  Wallace,  and  sei 
for  four  months  in  the  Anns  of  the  Potomac, 
doing  guard  duty  at  Camp  Dover,  Fort  Dela- 
ware and  Fairfax  Court  House.  When  the  war 
was  over  he  was  nw  it  at   Fort  Dennison 

and  returned  home;  he  now  holds  membership  in 
Bitnei  Post  No.  112,  G.  A.  R..  of  Lock  Haven. 
He    is    an    uncompn  Republican    in  pol- 

itics, and  served  as  postmaster  at  Pine  Sta- 
tion from  1 S90  to  1S94       An    earnest    Christian 

itleman,  he  is  an  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  has  taught  in  the  Sun- 
day-schools, and  served  as  trustee  of  the  Church. 
He  to-day  enjoys  the  reward  of  his  painstaking 
and  conscientious  work.  By  his  energy,  prese- 
verance,  and  fine  business  ability,  he  has  ac- 
quired a  comfortable  competence,  and  has  also 
gained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 

On  December  28,  1870,  Mr.  Kessler  was 
married  in  Pine  Station  to  Maggie  A.  Henry, 
who  was  bom  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty. May  17,  (845,  and  as  they  have  no  children  oi 
their  own  they  have  adopted  a  daughter,  Grace 
M.  Thomas  Henry.  Mrs.  Kessler's  father,  was 
born  in  the  same  township,  August  17.  1812,  and 
was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Love)  Henry. 
The  grandfather,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  township, 
was  drowned  while  crossing  the  west  branch  of 
the  Susquehanna,  and  his  wife  died  in  PineCrtek 
township,  Clinton  county.  Thomas  Henry  ac- 
c]iiired  his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
during    his   youth    he    learned    the    shoemaker  ~ 

le,  which  he  followed  throughout  his  active 
business    life.      He    also   owned   ami  operated   a 

11  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Wayne  township, 
but  since  [885  he  has  lived  retired,  and  finds  a 
pleasant  home  with  our  subject.  Since  1S95  he 
has  been  blind.  His  political  support  has  <\'i 
1  given  to  the  men  ami  measures  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  ami  in  religion  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  devout  members  of  the  Methodist  1  . 
copal  Church.  In  the  community  where  tiny 
have  so  long  made  their  home  they  have  a  1 
oi  warm  friends,  ami  all  who  know  them  enter- 
tain for  them  the  highest  respect. 

On  March  28,   1842,  in  Wayne  township.  Mr. 
Henry  was  united   in   marriage  with  Miss   Eli 
beth  Shaner,  who  was  born  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship,   Clinton   county.   May   1;,   1 
ol  Adam   and  Jane  (Wisner)  Shaner.      Ten  chil- 


dren  have  blessed  this   union,  namely:      M 
A.,  wife  of- our  subject;  Sarah,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Shirk,    of    Watsontown.     Northumberland 
Penn.;  Albert  and  Harvey,  residents  of   Indian.;. 
Matilda,  wife  of    Lewis  Carson,  of  Williamsport; 
Flora,    wife   of    William    Quiggle,    of    the 
place;  Cordia  H..  wife  of    Walter  Thompson,     f 
Illinois;   Dora,    who   died    unmarried;   and    Alii  e 
and  Emily  J.,  who  died  when  young. 


Gl.   MORLO(  K,  assistant  cashier  of  the  First 
Nan. nil  Bank,  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. 


CHARLES  STEWART  McC<  >RMICK,  a  pi 
inent  member  of  the  Clinton  County  Bar, 
and  an  influential  citizen  of  Lock  Haven,  where 
he  has  passed  nearly  forty  years  in  the  practice 
of  law,  is  one  of  the  representatives  of  a  family 
which  for  upward  of  125  years  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth. 

The    McCormick,     McCormack,    Mc< 
etc.,  family  derive  their  surname  from  an  ancient 
kingly  source,  meaning,  literally,  the  son  ol 
mac,  and,  etymologically,  ' '  the  son  of  a  chariot. " 
Cormac  ruled  Ireland,  as  King,  in  the  third  1 
tury,  and  whose  interference  was  called  for  m 
continuous  quarrels  of   the   two  rival  tribe- 
the   Scotch-Irish,  a   branch   of   the  great    Celtic 
family,  that  found    their    way    into    the  North    I 
Ireland,   across   the   channel,  from   the  we 
shores  ol    North    Britain   and  established  t 
selvi  s  at  a  very  early  period  in  what  is  now  called 
Ulster.     Cormac's  palace  at  Tara,  County  M 
was  the  seat  of  this  celebrated  monarch.     This 
was  the  magnificent  royal  residence  of  tin    K 
of  Ireland — especially  of  Cormac,  with  his  retinue 
of  I  50  brave  champions  and  1,050  soldiers,  and 
his   bards,  druids  and   law-givers.      It  is  related 
as  a   fragment    ol    Breton   Law,    that    1  • 
McCormack,  a  kinsman  of  King  Cormac,  ha> 
carried  away,  by  force,  the  niece  of  another ch 
tam,  tin    lattei   determined  to  take  revengi 
the  insult,  hurried    to    Tara.  where    the 
was    then     a     guest.       He    arrived    alter    sun 
Now  there  was  a  law  prohibiting  any  person  0 
ing    armed    into    the    palace    after  sunset    - 
went  unarmed,  and  taking  down  Cormai 
from  the  place  where  it  hung  in  the  hall,  he  k 
1    allach   McCormac  on  the  spot,  and  draw 
back  the  spear  with  great  force,  the  ferrol 
out  the  King's  eye.      Soon  after  the   Km 
cated,  in  ice  to  a  law  or  custom  th 

hibited  "in-  exi  -  ■■  1  reignty  who-. 

was  1>1> 


£  5. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


561 


Cormac's  Round  Tower  and  chapel  upon  the 
Rock  of  Cashel,  County  Tipperary,  are  also  as- 
sociated with  the  annalsiof  this  family,  and  are, 
perhaps,  "the  most  interesting  assemblage  of 
architectural  ruins  in  the  British  Isles."  Part  of 
these  ruins  consists  of  a  beautiful  stone-roofed 
church  of  what  is  called  the  Norman  style,  and 
familiarly  known  as  Cormac's  chapel.  The  in- 
terior of  the  cathedral  is  crowded  with  monu- 
ments of  great  antiquity.  The  tomb  of  Cormac 
is  near  the  north  porch  to  the  entrance.to  the 
chapel.  This  Cormac,  King  of  Minister,  was 
born  in  831,  and  spent  a  large  part  of  his  time 
in  a  monastery.  He  was  nearly  seventy  years 
old  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  and  was  killed 
in  battle  A.  D.  908. 

Londonderry,  as  a  city,  has  been  the  scene 
of  violence  for  ages,  so  much  so  that  only  the 
ancient  walls  remain,  which  are  almost  as  per- 
fect as  they  were  during  the  memorable  siege  of, 
1688-9,  when  it  became  the  great  stronghold  of. 
the  Protestants,  who  resisted  effectually  the  ef- 
forts of  James  II.,  with  his  French  allies,  to  sub- 
jugate them.  The  siege  lasted  one  hundred  and 
five  days,  during  which  2,300  citizens  suffered 
death  from  famine  and  violence.  This  victory, 
followed  a  year  later  by  that  of  the  battle  of, 
Boyne,  gave  liberty,  civil  and  religious,  broad 
lands,  and  dominant  sway  to  the  Protestants  as 
supporters  of  William  and  Mar)-.  Ulsterland 
thenceforth  became  the  permanent  and  peaceful 
possession  mainly  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterians. 

Somehow  a  branch  of  the  McCormac  family 
sprang  up  in  Scotland  as  if  a  twig  from  the  par- 
ent trunk  in  some  political  convulsion  had  been 
torn  and  borne  by  favoring  winds  from  the  land  of 
the  Shamrock  to  the  land  of  the  Thistle.  At 
any  rate  we  find  the  names  spelled  exactly  the 
same  in  both  of  these  lands,  yet. having  distinctly 
different  armorial  bearings,  all  of  Scotch  origin. 
James  McCormick,  evidently  a  Scotch  Presbyte- 
rian, was  in  the  siege  of  Londonderry.  His 
name  appears  as  one  of  the  signers  of  the  ad- 
dress of  the  "  Governor  officers,  clergy  and  other 
gentlemen  in  the  City  and  Garrison  of  Lou 
derry,  to  William  and  Mary,  July  29,  1689." 
He  left  sons:  Hugh,  Thomas  and  another,  it  is 
supposed,  bearing  his  own  name,  James.  From 
this  Scotch-Irish  ancestor  {James  McCormick), 
through  his  sons  and  daughters,  have  come  m 
Americans  who  honor  his  name  and  memory  in 
their  different  walks  and  vocations,  and  v 
lives  have  been  a  beneficence  to  the  human  rai  1 
According  to  history  of  the,  McCormick  family, 
from  which  the  foregoing  is  extracted — James 
McCormick— the  missing    brother  of   Hugh   and 

Thomas,  all  the  sons  of  James  of  Londonderry. 
33* 


was  probably  the  McCormick  who  came  to  this 
country  about  1761,  and  whose  son  John,  born 
in  the  North  of  Ireland  in  1748,  became  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Clinton  county  family  as  follows: 
The  great-grandfather  of  the  well-known  citizen 
of  Lock  Haven  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  immigrated  to  this  country  about  the 
year  1761,  leaving  one  of  his  sons,  named  John, 
behind  him  to  be  educated  by  his  grandparents. 
John  was  then  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  1748,  and  being  of  an  enterpris- 
ing disposition,  and  having  a  natural  longing  to 
see  his  parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  he  soon  re- 
solved to  follow  them.  After  much  anxiety  and  toil 
and  many  hardships  he  reached  his  parents  in  Ches- 
ter county,  Penn. ,  and  as  he  arrived  in  the  evening 
he  thought  he  would  play  a  joke  on  his  mother. 
Pretending  to  be  a  stranger,  he  asked  her  to  give 
him  a  night's  lodging,  and  she  refused,  telling' 
him  that  he  must  go  to  the  tavern;  but  after  he 
made  himself  known  "  the  fattedxalf  was  killed," 
metaphorically  speaking,  and  he  was  received 
with  great  rejoicing.  In  1772,  the  year  North- 
umberland county  was  organized,  John  McCor- 
mick removed  to  Loyalsock,  Lycoming  count}-, 
and  in  the  following  spring  he  went  to  Great 
Islam!  where  he  built  the  house  familiarly  known 
as  the  "Sassafras  Cabin."  Subsequently  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  from  Joseph  Fleming 
known  as  the  "  point  ",  lying  immediately  west 
of  the  junction  of  the  Susquehanna  with  the 
Bald  Eagle.  There  he  spent  his  remaining  years, 
his  death  occurring  when  he  had  reached  the 
ripe  old  age  of  ninety-six.  Among  the  eventful 
scenes  in  which  he  participated  was  the  "Big 
Runaway"  in  June,  1778.  In  due  time  he  re- 
turned with  the  rest  of  the  fugitives,  and  from 
this  to  its  close  his  life  was  smooth  and  trandquil. 
He  was  an  honored  and  useful  member  of  the 
community,  taking  part  in  the  various  progressive 
movements  of  the  time.  The  Great  Island 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Lock  Haven,  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  has  still  in  its  possession  a 
subscription  paper  showing  the  provision  that 
was  made  for  the  support  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
year  1788.  The  heading  is  as  follows;  "We 
trie  subscribers  do  promise  to  deliver  to  the 
house  of  Robert  Fleming  or  David  Hannah  the 
quantity  of  wheat,  rye  and  corn  that  is  annexed 
ach  of  our  names,  on  or  before  the  first  day 
of  February  next.  We  do  also  constitute  and 
appoint  David  Luck,  William  Reid,  Sr. ,  and 
|ames  Rogers  to  mak£  sale  of  said  grain  to  the 
use  of  paying  the  Presbyterian  ministers  that 
come  to  preach  the  ensuing  year.  In  witness 
whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  this 
first  day    of  December,   1787.  "      Following  this 


562 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


is  a  list  of  names,  thirty-three  in  all,  and  oppo- 
site them  the  quantities  of  wheat,  rye  or  corn 
which  the  subscribers  agreed  respectively  to  give. 
In  this  honorable  list,  along  with  the  names  al- 
ready mentioned,  is  that  of  John  McCormick 
with  a  liberal  contribution.  John  McCormick 
married  Elizabeth  Fleming,  and  they  had  the 
fellowing  children:  Alexander,  Benjamin,  John 
Fleming,  David.  Mollie,  Elizabeth,  Robert  and 
Saul;  all  deceased.  Elizabeth,  the  last  survivor, 
died  in  186S,  Benjamin  was  drowned  in  early 
life  and  David  and  Saul  were  both  leading  elders 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Lock  Haven. 
Alexander  bequeathed  to  the  same  Church  $500, 
and  the  interest  of  it  had  been  paid  annually 
since  April,  1850,  as  a  small  but  welcome  addi- 
tion to  the  pastor's  salary.  All  of  his  children 
are  deceased,  but  numerous  grandchildren  and 
great-grandchildren  perpetuate  his  name  and 
cherish  his  memory. 

Robert  McCormick,  our  subject's  father, 
passed  his  life  in  Clinton  county,  and  was  en- 
gaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  man 
of  quiet  habits,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by 
his  associates.  His  death  was  caused  by  an  ac- 
cident. As  he  was  returning  from  a  trip  to  a 
mill,  where  he  had  taken  a  load  of  wheat,  his 
v  gon  was  struck  by  an  engint  of  the  Philadel- 
phia &  Erie  railroad,  and  he  was  thrown  vio- 
lently to  the  ground,  fracturing  hi>  skull  and 
of  his  thigh  bones.  He  was  carried  to  the  resi- 
dence of  his  son,  Charles,  in  Lock  Haven,  white 
he  died  on  the  following  Sabbath  morning,  Oc- 
tober 20,  1867.  The  community  felt  the  shock, 
and  gave  free  vent  to  the  expression  of  its  sym- 
pathy. A  valuable  citizen,  extensively  con- 
nected and  universally  respected,  had  been 
stricken  down  with  fearful  suddenness.  The 
stoutest  hearts  were  touched,  and  eyes  unused  to 
weeping,  wept.  His  charactei  was  bright  and 
beautiful.  While  unswervingly  upright,  he  was 
in  an  unusual  degree  kind  and  courteous.  Hi 
was  an  eminently  successful  life,  a  continuous 
growth  in  all  that  tends  to  ripe  manhood,  faith- 
ful in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  liberal  tow 
public  chariti  incere  friend;  he  lived  in  the 

fear  of  God,  quietly  and  peaceably  during  the 
days  that  were  given  him.  In  1 S2  1  he  was  hap- 
pily married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Col.  John 
White,  who  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  the 
qualities  of  wife  and  motherhood.  She  died 
November  12,  1S78.  To  be  able  to  trace  ances- 
try to  such  a  source  is  enough  to  thrill 
American  heart  with  pride.  It  should  be  an  un- 
failing stimulant  to  good  citizenship  in  this,  our 
new  world.  The  motto  on  the  coat  of  arms, 
" sine  timore,"  is  characteristic  of  the  race. 


Robert  and    Mary  (White)    McCormick  bad 
eight  sons,  of  whom  Charles  Stewart  is  the  sev- 
enth.     Four  of  these  sons  still  survive,  viz.;  (1) 
John  is  a  physician  in  Kansas.      (2)     Robert  W 
and  (3)  William  H.  reside  in  Lock  Haven. 

Charles    Stewart    McCormick    was    born    in 
November,    1836,    at    the    old    homestead    near 
Lock  Haven,  and  received  his  elementary  educa- 
tion in  the  schools   of  that  city.      Later  he  at- 
tended    Dickinson     Seminary   at    Williamsport. 
Penn.,  for  two  years,  then  took  a  course  in  La- 
Fayette  College  at  Eastern,  Penn.,  and  graduat- 
ing from   that    institution    in    1858,  he    at  once 
entered  the  office  of  C.  G.  Furst,  of  Lock  Haven, 
as  a  law  student,  and  since   being   admitted  to 
practice  in  December,  i860,  he  has  been  active- 
ly  engaged     in    professional    work.      His 
attention  to  his  business  is  a  leading  factor  in  his 
successful  career,  and  in  his  nearly  forty  years  of 
practice  he  has  not  absented  himself  from  his 
office  two  weeks  at  any  one  time.      He  is  widely 
known    throughout    central     Pennsylvania,  and 
stands  high  socially  and  professionally.      In  1 
he  was  married  to  Susan  Fleming,  widow  of  T. 
M.  Reesman  and   daughter  of  Algernon  Sidn  j 
Fleming.      Four  sons  blessed  this  union:   Alii 
White,  born    March    1,   1S64,  graduated   at    L 
Fayette  College  in  [885,  read  law  with  his  fathei 
admitted     to    the    Bar    in     18S8.      Charles 
Stewart,  born    May  4.  r866,  died   November  7, 
1867.      Sidney    Fleming,    born    July    21, 
dealer    in     real-estate.      Robert    B.,  born    July, 
1873,  graduated  in   LaFayette  College   in 
read  law    with   his   father,  was    admitted    to  the 
Bar  in  1896.      All  three  reside  in  Lock  Haven, 
and  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which    their    father    is    an    elder.       Politically 
Charles  Stewart  McCormick  has  been  idei 
with  the  Democratic   party   for   many   yeai 
from  district  attorney  he  has  held  no  | 
office,  as  he   prefers  to  give  bis  entire  ti 
profession. 

Elizabeth  Fleming  (wile  of  John  McCorn 
he  daughter    of  John    Fleming,    who  de- 
led  from  the  Earl  of  Wigtown;  the  lattei  - 
descendants  still  prize  and  use  his  Coat  of 
Mr    Fleming  was  anions  the  early  settlers  of  the 
West  Branch  Valley;  an  account  of  bis  - 
ment  and  family  is  given  farther  on.     The  sur- 
name of  the  Fleming  family,  according  t 
sentiments  of  the    most   approved  historian 
intiquarians,  was  at  first  assumed  from  a   1 
of  distinction,  who  in  the  days  of  King   Da\ 
(1124  ,  a  Fleming  by   nation,  transplanted 
self  into  Scotland,  and   took  the  surname 

is,  or  Le  Fleming,  from  the  country  of  his 
origin.      Robert  Le  Fleming,  the  direct  and  ii 


cS/afr^foT^r^^^c^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


563 


mediate  ancestor.  aL  the  earls  of  Wigtown,  was 
one  of  the  greaLbarons  of  Scotland,  under  King 
Edward  I.  of  England  (i 272-1 309).  In  Fur- 
ness  Abbey,  Lancashire,  England,  an  ancient 
burial  place  of  the  Fleming  family,  may  be  seen 
the  statue  of  an  armed  Knight  with  a  fret  upon 
his  shield;  hands  elevated  in  a  praying  posture. 
Robert  Le  Fleming  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Sir  Malcolm  Fleming,  Lord  of  Fulwood,  also  in 
great  favor  with  the  King,  who  made  him  a  large 
grant  of  land  in  Wigtownshire,  and  also  Gover- 
nor of  Dumbarton  Castle  and  sheriff  of  the  coun- 
ty. Sir  Malcolm  Fleming  was  succeeded  by  his 
son  of  the  same  name,  who  was  a  forwarder  and 
assister  of  the  right  and  title  of  David  II.,  Bru- 
cian  line.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  Governor 
of  Dumbarton  Castle.  During  the  whole  of  the 
usurpation  of  Baliol,  this  castle  was  a  place  to 
which  the  royalists  did  freely  and  with  great 
security  resort.  Here  Sir  Malcolm  had  the 
honor  to  shelter  and  protect,  in  that  evil  time, 
Robert,  Lord  High  Steward  of  Scotland,  after- 
ward King  Robert  II.  (1371).  His  highness 
was  graciously  pleased  in  reward  to  Sir  Mal- 
colm's signal  loyalty  and  fidelity  in  his  service, 
to  create  him  Earl  of  Wigtown.  On  his  death 
he  left  his  estates  and  title  to  his  grandson, 
Thomas  Fleming,  second  Earl  of  Wigtown.  Mal- 
colm Fleming,  Earl  of  Wigtown,  was  in  great 
favor  with  James  V.,  by  whom  he  was  consti- 
tuted Lord  High  Chamberlain  of  Scotland.  He 
was  slain  in  the  service  of  his  country  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Pinky,  September  10,  1545.  He  married 
Janet,  daughter  of  King  James  IV.,  and  by  her 
had  a  son,  James  Fleming,  who,  being  a  noble- 
man of  fine  and  polite  parts,  was  by  special 
favor  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  made  her  Lord 
High  Chancellor.  He  accompanied  Queen  Mary 
to  Scotland,  and  died  in  Paris,  December  1, 
1558.  He  was  Governor  of  Dumbarton  Castle, 
and  distinguished  himself  for  his  zeal  and  loyalty 
to  his  queen. 

The  Flemings  who  became  Lords  of  the  Bar- 
ony of  Slane,  County  Meath,  Ireland,  descended 
from  Archibald  Fleming,  who  went  from  Eng- 
land to  Ireland,  A.  D.  1 1 73,  with  Gilbert  de 
Clare,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  took  part  in  the 
Norman  Invasion  and  Conquest  of  Ireland.  The 
Lords  Fleming,  of  Slane  Castle,  numbered  suc- 
cessively, twenty-three.  This  branch  of  the 
family  came  also  originally  from  Flanders,  with 
William  the  Conqueror,  whose  wife  is  known 
in  history  as  Matilda  of  Flanders.  Sir  Thomas 
Fleming,  son  of  Earl  of  Wigtown,  emigrated 
to  Virginia,  in  16 16.  Many  of  the  family  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  same  colony,  one  of  whom 
was  Col.    William  Fleming,     and    another,   the 


father  of  James  Fleming,  who  was  born  in  Iredell 
county,  N.  C,  in  1762.  He  served  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war;  afterward  removed  to  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  1832.  He  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  Hon.  Josiah  Mitchell  Fleming,  of 
Denver,  Colo.  Another  descendant  of  these 
Wigtownshire  Flemings  was  Col.  John  Fleming, 
who  migrated  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  in 
1790.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Hon.  John 
Donaldson  Fleming,  late  United  States  District 
Attorney  for  Colorado. 

A  grandson  of  Sir  Thomas  Fleming,  who 
came  to  Virginia  in  1616,  removed,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  to  Chester 
county,  Penn.,  and  located  upon  lands  what 
were  known  as  the  London  Cross  Roads.  Here 
his  son  John  married  Susan  Chatham,  who  was 
born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  coun- 
try when  quite  an  infant.  About  the  year  1765 
Col.  Chatham  and  his  son-in-law,  John  Fleming, 
visited  the  West  Branch  Valley.  The  former 
purchased  a  body  of  lands  on  what  is  now  Chat- 
ham's run,  and  from  whom,  it  is  said,  the  run 
derives  its  name.  In  1773  John  Fleming  bought 
the  tract  of  land,  containing  over  1,600  acres,  in 
the  warranty  name  of  Dr.  Francis  Allison. 
There  either  was  erected,  or  Colonel  Chatham 
built  a  mill  on  Chatham's  run,  and  there  lived 
out  the  balance  of  his  days.  John  Fleming  built 
a  house  near  where  the  southern  abutment  of  the 
dam  was  afterward  located,  the  hearthstones  of 
the  chimney  of  which  were  found  by  the  work- 
men in  making  excavations  for  the  abutment. 
In  1798  he  was  appointed  associate  judge  of  Ly- 
comingcounty  by  Governor  Mifflin.  Judge  Fleming 
died  in  the  house  at  the  south  end  of  the  abut- 
ment in  1777,  leaving  to  survive  him  six  sons  and 
three  daughters.  By  a  provision  in  his  will  the 
tract  of  land  in  the  warranty  name  of  Dr.  Fran- 
cis Allison  was  in  1784  divided  into  nine  shares 
or  purparts,  one  of  which  was  taken  by  each  of  the 
children.  The  Lot  No.  1  extended  from  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Bald  Eagle  creek  and  the  west  branch 
of  Susquehanna  river  to  the  eastern  line  of  what 
is  now  the  Fleming  farm.  The  city  of  Lock  Ha- 
ven is  built  on  lots  No.  4  and  No.  5,  and  Flem- 
ington  borough  is  also  upon  a  part  of  this  same 
land.  John  Fleming  was  called  for  his  father, 
and  occupied  a  portion  of  this  land,  east  of  the 
city,  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1863.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  associate  judges  of  Clinton 
county,  his  term  of  office  extending  from  De- 
cember, 1839,  until  February,  1845.  His  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  who  still  survive  have 
occupied  the  land  down  to  the  present  time. 

Algernon  S.  Fleming,  a  son  of  John  Fleming, 
who  purchased   the  lands    in    1773,  was  elected 


564 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sheriff  of  the  county  in  1S66,  and  died  before  the 
expiration  of  his  term,  leaving  four  sons  and  three 
daughters;  one  of  these,  Susan  C. ,  who  retains 
the  ancient  family  name,  is  the  wife  of  the  person 
whose  name  opens  this  article.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  the  preamble  and  resolutions  by  the 
Bar  of  Clinton  county  bearing  testimony  of  his 
unblemished  character,  rare  fidelity,  truth  and 
honor  were  spread  upon  the  records  of  the  court. 


IERT  W.  McCORMICK,  who  through  a 
XX  long  life  has  been  extensively  and  success- 
fully identified  with  the  great  lumber  and  agri- 
cultural interests  of  this  section,  is  a  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Clinton 
county — a  family  of  prominence  in  its  history. 
A  sketch  of  the  McCormick  family,  and  of  Robert 
McCormick,  our  subject's  father,  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Robert  W.  McCormick  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead,  near  Luck  Haven,  Clinton  county, 
April  15,  1830.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  and  was  for  a  time  in  school 
at  Oswego,  X.  Y.  He  followed  fanning  exclu- 
sively as  an  occupation  until  1864,  when  he 
came  to  Lock  Haven,  and  was  one  of  a  company 
that  built  the  bill  sawmill  near  the  junction  of 
the  R.  &  E.  .V  Bellefonte  R.  R.,  this  being  the 
first  mill  built  to  saw  all  kinds  of  timber  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  The  company  conducted 
this  business  four  or  five  years  when  they  sold 
out,  and  Mr.  McCormick  bought  a  mill  called 
the  Satterlee  mill,  which  was  one  of  the  first  built 
in  that  locality.  Alt.  1  the  death  of  his  partner, 
Mr.  Robert  G.  Cook,  Mr.  McCormick  sold  out 
his  interest  in  the  mill  and  purchased  an  111U 
in  the  mills  of  N.  Shaw  &  Co.  After  a  time  he 
sold  his  holdings  in  the  concern,  and  bought  the 
products  of  the  N.  \V.  Frederick  sawmills  at 
Farrandsville,  which  coi  1  some  40,000,- 

000  feet  of  different   ki  amber.      During 

all  of  these  years,  since    1  869,  he  has  been  more 
or  I  1  in    the  square-timber  busin 

handled  in  that  period  many  million  feet 
er.      Mr.  McCi  irmick  has  also,  all  his  life, 
been  interested  in  i  inite 

extensively.  He  now  owns  a  very  fine  fan? 
some  130  acres  located  at  the  head  of  (> 
Island.      He  ha  life, 

all  of  which  has  been  passed  in  [ 
its   vicinity.      He    sustains   the 
by  his  Scotch  ai  ..rity  was 

nd  questi  d    whose    reputation   for 

citizenship  was  proverbial.      He  ha-  suc- 

cessful man. 

On  June  5,   i860,  our  subject  was  marri 


Miss  Emily  W.,  daughter  of   Judge    Flemii 
sketch  of  whom  is  given  in    the    Robert   McCor- 
mick biography     Five  children  came  of  this  union 
three  of  whom  are  living:   John  is  a  partner  of  hi- 
father  in  the  lumber  business;  William   is  an  at- 
torney at  Pittsburg;  Mary  W.  is  at  home.      Th< 
parents  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
In  politics  Mr.   McCormick    has   been    a   lifelong 
K   publican. 


kEN.    JESSE    MERRILL,    of   Lock    Haver.. 
Clinton  county,  is  the  city's   repre- 

sentative   citizens,    his   ability    as  a   lawyer,   hi- 
haracter  as  a  man,  and.  his  gallant  record 
as  a  soldier,  affording  an    example   th 
worthy  of  emulation. 

1 1     w  is  born    March    2 
lin,  Penn..  and  is  a  member  of  an  excellent  fan  - 
ily,  his  father,  Hon.  James  Merrill 
a  leading  1  Pennsylvan 

delegate     to,  the    Constitutional    ( 
1838.      The     1  1 

Lewis,  was  a  daughter  of  tl 
a  well-known  resident  of   Buffalo  Valli 
county. 

n.  Merrill  attend 
New  Berlin  until  he  w 
he   entere  !     I        arora   Academj .    in 
Juniat      < 

then  began  the  stud  lw  with  his  brother  in 

New  Berlin,  i 

Penn.,  to  enter  the  office  ol    Lawson   &  Bi 
with  whoi  ntil  April.  1 

he  was  admitted   to    the    .  mbury, 

In  the  following 
veil,  and  I  start  his 

and    his   gentlemanly  and    ad 

the  friendship  and 
his     pi 
strated.      He   is  a    m 

six  feet  in  height,  and.  it 
there  is  bul  1  ■■ 

tairlii.  .  and   tl 

lack 

i 
a    April 
-th  P.  V.  C,  with 
On   j 
ant, 

I 
tomb 

and  in  1  '■  h 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


565 


quarters  at  Louisville,  Ky.  On  May  9,  1S62,  he 
was  elected  captain  of  his  old  company,  but  early 
in  the  same  year  he  became  chief  signal  officer 
in  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  joining  that  army  im- 
mediately after  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing. 
He  participated  in  the  campaign  around  Hunts- 
ville,  Ala.,  and  through  Tennessee  and  Kentucky, 
being  in  the  battle  of  Perryville.-  When  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  re-organized  he 
was  made  chief  signal  officer,  and  as  such  took 
part  in  several  important  engagements,  including 
the  battles  of  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  and 
Missionary  Ridge.  Later  he  served  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  as  chief  signal  officer  for  the  De- 
partment of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  but 
during  the  summer  of  1864  he  was  assigned  to 
the  Department  of  the  South,  where  he  served 
in  the  same  capacity  until  October  3,  1865,  the 
date  of  his  discharge  from  the  army  under  a 
special  order  of  the  War  department.  On  the 
16th  of  the  same  month  he  was  given  a  brevet  as 
major,  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  as 
a  reward  "for  long,  faithful,  and  meritorious 
service."  In  November,  1865,  he  resumed  his 
practice  at  Lock  Haven,  but  he  has  always  felt 
a  keen  interest  in  military  affairs,  and  on  April 
24,  1 87 1,  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  of 
Pennsylvania  as  major-general  of  the  Eleventh 
Division,  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania.  Dur- 
ing his  term  this  division  was  called  out  to  assist 
in  quelling  the  riot  at  Williamsport.  The  Gen- 
eral is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  his 
only  official  position  has  been  that  of  postmaster 
at  Lock  Haven,  which  he  held  one  term. 

In  1866  he  married  Miss  Julia  J.  McCleery, 
daughter  of  Dr.  William  McCleery,  a  leading 
physician  of  Milton,  Penn.  She  died  January  5, 
1893,  her  death  causing  sincere  grief  throughout 
the  community,  where  all  classes  had  felt  the  in- 
fluence of  her  kindly  heart.  Seldom  is  there 
found  such  a  union  of  gentleness  and  sympathy 
with  strong  character  and  executive  ability,  and 
her  effective  memorial  in  the  hearts  of  the  people 
of  Lock  Haven.  For  man)'  years  the  General 
has  been  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  for  ten  years  he  has  held  the  office  of  pres- 
ident of  the  board  of  trustees. 


WILLIAM  WEBSTER  BARROWS  (de- 
MlW  ceased).  For  nearly  a  half  century  the 
name  of  William  Webster  Barrows  was  identi- 
fied with  the  history  of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton 
county.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  lumbermen 
on  the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river, 


and  throughout  a  busy  life  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  lumbering  interests  of  this 
section. 

Atwood  and  Mary  (Webster)  Barrows,  his 
parents,  were  of  prominent  families  of  the  State 
of  Maine.  The  former  was  a  man  of  distinction 
and  prominence  in  the  community  in  which  he 
resided,  and  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  State. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
Maine,  contemporaneous  with  Hon.  James  G. 
Blaine.  He  was  born  July  17,  1798,  and  died 
at  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  December  23,  1873;  and 
his  wife's  birth  and  death,  respectively,  were 
September  7,  1799,  and  December  iS,  1877. 

Our  subject  was  a  native  of  Maine,  born  at 
Hebron,  November  14,  1S22.  He  received  his 
education  at  Fryburg  Academy,  an  institution  in 
which  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster  in  his  young 
days  was  an  instructor.  In  1850,  in  company 
with  Dudley  Blanchard,  Mr.  Barrows  located  at 
Lock  Haven  and  became  one  of  the  pioneer  lum- 
bermen on  the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna 
river.  It  has  been  said  that  he  was  the  first 
man  of  the  locality  to  drive  short  logs,  i.e.,  in 
length,  for  the  mill,  down  that  branch.  In  his 
old  age  he  enjoyed  recalling  his  early  experien- 
ces in  this  line,  and  especially  delighted  in  telling 
of  the  difficulties  he  had  in  making  the  people 
owning  the  lands  understand  that  they  did  not 
own  the  logs  left  on  the  banks  of  the  river  when 
the  water  receded.  Mr.  Barrows  led  a  very  active 
and  busy  life,  and  succeeded  in  accumulating 
considerable  means.  He  was  a  successful  busi- 
ness man,  a  useful  citizen,  always  interested  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  development  of  the 
county's  resources  and  the  growth  of  its  seat  of 
justice. 

On  February  14,  1854,  Mr.  Barrows  was 
married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  late  Will- 
iam White,  of  Lock  Haven;  she  was  born  April 
14,  1829,  at  Clearfield,  Penn.  Their  children 
are:  Mary  W.  B. ;  Ross  B.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business;  Nancy,  who  is  now  in  Paris 
studying  art;  and  Mrs.  John  W.  Peale,  of  New 
York  City.  All  are  identified  with  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  our  subject  was  a 
vestryman.      He  died  on  June  19,  1893. 


JB.  G.  KINSLOE  (deceased),  who  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  one  of  the  oldest  print- 
ers, editors,  and  publishers  in  Pennsylvania, 
was  born  near  Mexico,  Mifflin  (now  Juniata) 
county,' this  State,  April  5,  1820. 

In  the  spring  of  1827  his  parents  removed  to 
Lewistown,  the  county  seat,  and  on  the  evening 
of  their  arrival  young  Kinsloe  made  the  acquaint- 


566 


'  oMMEMORA  TIVE  B10GHAP11VM.   RECORD. 


r, 


ance  of  Levi  Reynolds,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Mifflin  Eagle,  ami  was  a  daily  visitor  to  the 
office,  spending  his  leisure  hours  in  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  the  "art  preservative"  until  in 
1834,  when  he  became  a  journeyman  printer,  at 
$16  per  month  in  the  office  of  the  Lewistown 
Gazette.  During  the  administration  of  Joseph 
Rittner,  Mr.  Kinsloe  served  as  clerk  in  the  pro- 
thonotary's  office  under  William  Brothers.  In 
1838,  in  company  with  his  oldest  brother,  W. 
A  Kinsloe,  he  published  the  Eagle,  afterward 
called  the  Clintonian,  in  Lock  Haven.  At  the 
close  of  the  memorable  campaign  in  1840,  the 
paper  was   suspended,  when  Robert  McCormick 

1  the  subject  of  this  sketch  soon  after  renewed 
it  tinder  the  name  of  the  Clinton  County  Whig. 
In  [841  Mr.  Kinsloe  purchased  an  office  in  Mif- 
flintown,  and  removed  it  toThompsontown,  where 
he  became  the  publisher  of  the  Juniata  Free 
Press,  at  onetime  edited  by  Hon.  A.  K.  McClure, 
and  a  monthly  journal  called  the  Temperance 
nt.  In  1842  he  removed  the  office  to  Ship- 
pensburg,  Penn  ,  wherein  connection  with  his 
brother  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
Cumberland  Valley,  also  continuing  the  Temper- 
ance Agent  at  the  same  point.  Afterward  we 
find  him  in  Philadelphia  during  the  exciting  times 
of  the  native  American  riots,  and  up  to  1846  in 
the  office  of  the  daily  Spirit  <>f  tin-  '/'inns,  as 
foreman  and  night  clerk. 

During  1849-50  he  was  in  the  employ  of  L. 
Johnson  &  Co.,  the  oldest  type  founders  in  Amer- 
ii  1,  as  general  jobber,  engaged  in  getting  up 
their  magnificent  specimen  book.  In  that  estab- 
lishment he  acquired  much  useful  knowledge  re- 
lating to  the  secret  of  fine  printing.  Soon  after 
this  he  received  a  "call"  to  Knoxville,  Tenn., 
where  he  removed  in  1S51  and  took  charge  of 
the  Presbyterian  Witness  with  Rev.  A.  Black- 
burn as  editor.  The  Knoxville  Register  was  put 
up  for  public  sale  in  a  few  years  after  his  removal 
to  the  place,  ami  he  purchased  it.  Rev.  A. 
Blackburn's  interest  was  sold  to  W.  A.  Kinsloe, 

1  under  the  firm  name  of  Kinsloe  &  Brother, 
the  first  power  press  was  introduced  into  East 
Tennessee.  In  1854  they  purchased  Brownlow's 
Knoxville  Whig,  retaining  Mr.  Brownlow  as  ed- 
itor. VV.  A.  Kinsloe  remained  in  Philadelphia, 
while  J.  B.  G.  had  the  entire  management 
control  of  the  large  establishment,  to  which  he 
had  added  a  first-class  bindery  and  a  monthly 
I  journal,  edited  by  Dr.  Richard  O.  Curry. 

Soon  after  W.  \  sold  his  one-half  interest 
to  Charles  A.  Rice,  to  whom  J.  B.  G.  also  sold 
in  1859,  and  shortly  after  this  W.  G.  Brownlow 
purchased  it  at  sheriff's  sale,  and  J.  B.  G.  con- 
tinued  with   him   as   business   manager  until  the 


Whig  ceased  to  exist.  When  Tennessee  w 
declared  out  of  the  Union — the  last  paper  being 
printed  and  sent  out  after  Brownlow  had  left  the 
city,  with  the  hope  of  stealing  through  the  Rebel 
lines  at  Cumberland  Gap,  or  some  other  point 
in  the  mountains — Mr.  Kinsloe  remained  in 
Knoxville  throughout  the  fearful  struggle 
until  six  months  after  Burnside's  army  captured 
the  place.  This  occurred  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  and  as  Kinsloe  had  purchased  a 
job  office  of  J.  A.  Sperry,  just  before  the  evacua- 
ti  n  1  Knoxville  by  the  Rebel  forces,  he  issued 
a  small  daily  the  next  morning,  and  continued 
Its  publication  until  the  return  of  Parson  Brown- 
low, who  at  once  resuscitated  the  Whig. 

Mr.  Kinsloe  then  took  a  position  in  the  cus- 
tom house,  where  he  remained  until  April  14, 
1864,  when  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  pur- 
chased a  one-half  interest  in  the  West  Branch 
Bulletin,  at  Williamsport,  of  P.  C.  Van(. 
about  the  1st  of  June,  1S64,  and  in  May,  1868, 
he  was  elected  city  clerk  of  the  select  branch  of 
city  councils,  of  Williamsport,  which  position  he 
filled  acceptably  for  two  years,  and  until  that 
branch  discontinued.  In  November,  18' 
Bulletin  and  LycomingGasettev/ere  consolidated, 
and  the  Gazette  and  Bulletin  Publishing  Associa- 
tion organized,  with  J.  B.  G.  Kinsloe  as  business 
manager  and  treasurer.  On  September  9,  1871, 
he  disposed  of  his  stock  in  the  association,  but 
remained  in  the  office  until  February  28,  1874, 
performing  whatever  duties  were  required  of  him. 
In  March  following,  he  purchased  the  Clinton 
Republican,  and  at  once  made  Lock  Haven  his 
home,  being  up  to  his  death  deeply  interested  in 
evi  i\  thing  connected  with  the  city.  In  March, 
1882,  the  l-.veuiug  Express,  a  daily  newspaper, 
was  established  by  Kinsloe  Brothers,  sons  of  J. 
B.  G.  Kinsloe,  and  issued  from  the  office  of  the 
Clinton  Republican.  From  the  spring  of 
the  Clinton  Republican  and  Evening  Express 
were  published  by  J.  B.  G.  Kinsloe  &  Sons,  and 
since  the  death  of  the  senior  partner  they  have 
been  conducted  by  the  two  suns.  Mr.  Kinsloe 
died  July  30,  1896,  ag<  ity-six  years,  three 

months  and  twenty-five  days. 

He  was  a  man  of  deep  religious  convictions. 
and  failed  not  in  doing  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and 
a  Christian.  He  was,  moreover,  a  useful  and 
prominent  citizen.  He  had  been  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Central  State  Normal  S 
since  June  14,  1881,  and  always  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  and  success  of  that  institu- 
tion. For  a  number  of  years  he  gave  annually 
a  free  scholarship  to  some  deserving  young  man 
or  woman,  and  to  his  generosity  some  of  the 
Normal  graduates  are   indebted    for   the   higher 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


567 


education  they  received  at  the  Normal.  For 
many  years  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  Trinity 
M.  E.  Church,  and  in  1875  ne  was  among  the 
foremost  in  Sunday-school  work. 

On  July  3,  1851,  J.  B.  G.  Kinsloe  was  mar- 
ried to  Kate  Hefflefinger,  and  three  children 
were  born  to  them,  two  sons  and  one  daughter, 
William  A.,  Frank  G.,  and  Lucy  E.,  now  Mrs. 
Duncan  E.  Shaffer,  of  Frostburg,  Md.  Mr. 
Kinsloe  was  a  man  of  active,  energetic  habits, 
faithful  to  all  his  trusts,  and  a  true  friend.  His 
life's  work  is  ended,  and  he  has  passed  into  the 
great  beyond.  Peaceful  in  death,  he  has  laid 
down  life's  cares  for  a  well-earned  rest,  but  the 
influence  for  good  which  he  leaves  behind  can 
■j  never  be  measured. 


and  Eliza  Clark  died 
Hall.  Their  children 
,  John  F.,  Wilbur  H., 


JUDGE  JAMES    W.    CLARK,    the   manager 
and  one    of  the  publishers  of    the    Clinton 
Democrat,  Lock  Haven,  is  a  native  of  Clin- 
ton county,  born  July  28,  1843,  at  Mill  Hall. 

His  parents  were  David  and  Eliza  Clark,  who 
were  born,  David,  February  28,  1809,  in  Nit- 
tany  Valley,  and  Eliza,  December  8,  1809,  in  Bald 
Eagle  township.  David  Clark  died  November 
12,    1879,    at    Mill  Hall, 

j  March   27,  1883,  at   Mill 

i-were:  Joseph   F.,  W.  W. 

i;  James  W.  and  Sutton  G. 

James  W.  Clark  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Mill  Hall.  In  1857  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  the  Clinton  Democrat  at  Lock 
Haven,  as  an  apprentice  to  the  printer's  trade. 
He  remained  in  that  office  until  in  August,  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  137th  P.  V.  I., 

j  commanded  by  Capt.  Samuel  H.  Brown.  The 
regiment  formed  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  it  was  first  assigned  to  Gen.  Han- 
cock's Brigade,  Smith's  Division,  6th  Corps. 
The  regiment  was  at  South  Mountain,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam;  it  was  in  pursuit  of  Stuart 
when  that  general  made  his  cavalry  raid  into 
Pennsylvania.  Next  it  maneuvered  in  the  de- 
fenses of  Washington;  it  performed  duty  about 
Fredericksburg  under  Gen.  Burnside.  Later, 
it  was  assigned  to  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Di- 
vision, First  Army  Corps,  and  was  in  the  cam- 
paign under  Gen.  Hooker;  it  fought  at  Franklin 
and  figured  about  Chancellorsville.  Mr.  Clark 
shared  the  fortunes  of  the  command,  and  was 
mustered  out  with  it  June  1,  1863.  He  returned 
to  Lock  Haven,  where  he  secured  a  clerkship  in 
the  post  office  under  Postmaster  A.  M.  Coe.  In 
1  June,  1864,  under  the  President  Lincoln  admin- 
istration, he  was  appointed  mail-agent  and  as- 
signed to  duty  on  the  route  from  Lock  Haven  to 


Ridgway.  He  remained  in  the  service  several 
years,  and  then  entered  the  office  of  the  Clinton 
Democrat,  at  the  time  conducted  by  Whaley  & 
Orth,  and  followed  his  trade  until  the  summer  of 
1876.  At  this  time  he  received  the  nomination 
for  the  office  of  register  of  wills  and  recorder  of 
deeds,  to  which  he  was  elected  that  fall.  He 
was  re-elected  to  the  same  office  in  1879,  and 
again  in  1882.  On  the  expiration  of  his  third 
term,  in  1888,  he  opened  a  bookstore  at  Lock 
Haven,  and  continued  in  that  business  until  in 
February,  1890.  The  following  August  he  was 
nominated  by  his  party  for  the  office  of  associate 
judge  of  Clinton  county.  That  fall  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  and  served  one  term.  At  its 
close  he  became  one  of  the  publishers  and  the 
manager  of  the  Clinton  Democrat,  a  weekly 
newspaper,  and  the  Lock  Haven  Democrat,  an 
evening  publication.  He  is  a  large  stockholder 
in  the  Democratic  News  and  Publishing  Co.,  at 
Lock  Haven.  The  career  of  Judge  Clark  has 
been  an  honorable  one.  As  a  public  servant  he 
was  efficient,  careful  and  just,  and  as  a  business 
man  he  is  able  and  successful.  He  has  ever 
been  interested  in  seeing  the  affairs  of  his  native 
country  advanced,  and  is  friendly  to  all  move- 
ments having  for  their  objects  the  building  up  and 
improvement  of  Lock  Haven.  He  is  a  stanch 
Democrat. 

On  June  19,  1881,  Judge  Clark  was  married 
to  Barbara  Brady,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Margaret  Brady,  of  Lamar  township. 


JOSEPH  H.  HAYES,  M.  D.,  a  representative 
citizen  of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county,  and 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  medi- 
cal profession  of  his  section,  has  descended  from 
one  of  the  early  families  to  settle  in  the  State. 

John  Hayes,  his  great-great-great-grandfa- 
ther, came  from  Londonderry,  Ireland  in  1740. 
Robert  Hayes,  his  great-great-grandfather,  born 
in  Chester  county,  removed  to  Northampton  in 
1742;  he  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  army  in  1776. 
William  Hayes,  the  Doctor's  father,  was  born  in 
Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  in  18 17,  and  in 
1 841  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Reeder,  a  native 
of  Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  born  in  1823, 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Betsey  Reeder;  their 
children  now  living  are:  Albert  R. ,  Bruce,  James 
B.,  Mary  W.  and  Joseph  H.,  our  subject.  The 
father  of  these  died  in  1861,  and  the  mother  in 
1896.  The  father  for  years  was  a  merchant  of 
McEwensville,  Penn.,  a  respected  and  esteemed 
citizen;  he  was  a  quiet  and  unassuming  man, 
whose  life  was  given  to  his  family  and  to  his  own 
business  affairs. 


568 


COMMEMi'UA  'LIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Our  subject  was  born  April  9,  1841.  in  N  r 
thumberland  county.  He  was  graduated  from 
Lafayette  College.  Easton,  Penn.,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  and  then  began  the  studj 
medicine  under  Dr.  Armstrong,  of  Lock  Haven 
In  the  spring  of  1862  he  was  graduated  from  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia.  The 
same  year  he  offered  his  services  to  his  country, 
and  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of  the  88th 
P.  V.  I.  In  1863  he  was  made  surgeon  of  the 
90th  P.  V.  I.,  and  as  such  served  until  the  cl 
of  the  war,  early  in  1S65,  when  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  Dr.  Hayes  is  - 
to  have  been  the  youngest  surgeon  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac;  his  army  experiences  were  var- 
ied and  hardships  many,  but  the  satisfaction  of 
having  performed  his  duty  in  so  noble  a  cause  is 
more  than  a  recompense  for  the  privations  under- 
gone, a  heritage  that  will  be  treasured  by  his 
children  and  children's  children.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  the  Doctor  returned  to  Lock  Haven  and 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  has 
since  been  so  occupied.  He  is  a  physician  of 
ability,  and  has  enjoyed  a  good  practice.  In  1 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  H.  Mackey, 
a  native  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  a  daughter  "I 
Hon.  L.  A.  Mackey,  of  Lock  Haven.  Two  sons 
were  born  to  the  union:  Mackey  and  W.  Bruce. 
Mrs.  Hayes,  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement, 
is  esteemed  for  her  many  virtues;  she  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  enjoys  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  Dr.  Ha 
in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  now  the  cor- 
oner of  Clinton  county;  also  is  member  of  the 
pension  board  of  examining  surgeons.  He  is 
identified  with  the  order  of  B.  P.  O.  E.,  as  are  also 
his  two  sons. 


HON.  WILSON  CONRAD  KRESS,  of  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  is  one  of  the  best- 
known  lawyers  of  the  State.  His  success  as  a 
practitioner,  his  services  in  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion, and  his  general  conduct  as  a  man  have 
innstrated  his  fitness  for  any  office  requiring 
ability  and  fidelity.  Few  men  enjoy  in  as  great 
a  degree  the  respect  and  confidence  of  their  fellow- 
mell. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Conrad  Kress,  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  when  he  was  two  years  of 
age  came  with  his  parents  to  the  Colony  of 
Pennsylvania  in  the  year  17G0.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  enlisted  ami 
served  with  the  patriots  until  peace  was  declared. 
Subsequently  he  married  Mary  Iddings,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  Iddings,  who  had  emigrated  from 
Wiles  to  Chester   county,    Penn.,    many   years 


before  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  wife  of 
Jonathan  Iddings  was  a  native  of  England, 
ami  their  daughter  Mary  was  born  in  Chester 
county  in  1 761 .  Jonathan  moved  into  Buffal  > 
Valley  mow  Union  county),  Penn.,  befon  tl 
Revolutionary  war,  and  he  and  his  five  sons 
served  in  that  war.  In  1778,  when  Mary  ■ 
sevi  ears  of  age,  she  and  her  mother,  with 

her  sisters,  were  in  what  was  called  the  "Big  Run- 
away,'' when  the  inhabitants  of  central  Pennsyl- 
vania were  compelled,  for  fear  of  the  Indians,  t 
abandon    their    homes    and    go    to    the    eastern 
counties  of  the  State,  there  to  remain  until  ti. 

i  close  of  the  war. 

Conrad  and  Mary  Kress  had  four  daughl 
and  one  son,  George  B.,  who  married  Eliza  I 

I  lop,  of  Penn's  Valley,  whose  sweetness  of  dispo- 
sition, true  piety  and  many  virtues  endeared  her 
to  all  her  acquaintances.      Of  this  union  the  - 
ject  of   this   sketch  was  born.  July   14,  1836,  in 
Lycoming    township.    Lycoming  county,    Penn 
His  father  was  a  farmer  with  a  large  family. 
was  unable  to  give   his   children   more  than 
customary  common-school  education.    This 
therefore,  taught  school  in  order  to  obtain  fu 
for  a  course  at  Dickinson  Seminary,  at  Willia 
port,    Penn.,  where  he  was  graduated  in    1 
after  which   he  continued  to  teach  school   an  I 
study  law  at  the  same  time.      In  June,   [861,  he 
established  the  Lock  Haven  Press, a  K   | 
newspaper,  of  which  he  was  both  publisher  and 
editor.      In  August,    1S62.    his  newsp 
was  interrupted  by  his  entering  the  army,  etili.-t - 
ing  in  the   137th  P.  V.  I.      He  was  elected  hr-t 
lieutenant  in  Company  E,  of  said  regiment.      In 
December  of  that  year  his  printing  office  was  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  fire   that  devastated  I 
Haven.     In  June,  1863,  he  was  discharged 
his  regiment  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term    I 
service,    and    in    the    following    month    hi 
elected  captain  of  Company    K.  37th    1 
of  Pennsylvania  militia,  and  assigned  to  si 
in    the    Army   of    the    Cumberland.      When  his 
regiment  was  mustered  out,  he  received  tli 
pointment  of  deputy  provost  marshal  of  his  district, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  close  of  th« 
In  October,    ieT>4,    while   in    Keating   township, 
Clinton  county,  in  the  discharge  of  his  din 
was  shot  by  Isaac  Gaines,  Jr.,  a  desertei 
the  army.      The  ball  entered   his  body  on  the 
right  side,  wounded  both  lungs,  and  was  exti 
from  the  left  side.      The  wound  was  \ 
and  his  life  for  a  time  was  despaired  of,  but  he 
astonished  the  surgeons  and  his  friends  I 
recovery.      In    May.     1864,    a    brothei      1 
Guyer,  a  member  of  the  6 2d   P.  V.  I  .  was  shut 
and  killed  at  the  battle      f  Spottsylvania  Court 


Ur/c/kfaM 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


569 


House.  Another  brother,  Mortimer  Newton, 
served  during  the  war  in  the  First  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

After  the  war  Col.  Kress  finished  his  law  stud- 
ies, and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Clinton  county 
in  May,  1866.  He  soon  gained  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice,  which  he  has  enjoyed  ever  since. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
while  not  desiring  political  office,  he  has  given 
considerable  attention  to  the  'interests  of  his 
party.  He  has  frequently  represented  his  party 
in  Republican  State  conventions,  has  often  been 
a  member  of  the  State  committee,  and  has  served 
a  number  of  times  as  chairman  of  the  county 
committee.  From  18S1  to  1884  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council  from  the  First  ward  of  the 
city  of  Lock  Haven.  In  iSSS  he  was  elected 
councilman  at  large  under  the  Act  of  1SS7,  and 
served  as  president  of  select  councii  for  more 
than  a  year,  when  the  Act  was  declared  uncon- 
stitutional. In  1S88  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Electoral  college,  which  cast  its  vote  for  Gen. 
Harrison  for  President.  In  1S91  he  was  chosen 
as  a  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention. 
His  interest  in  military  affairs  has  always  been 
active.  He  served  at  one  time  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania militia  as  assistant  adjutant-general,  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  While  acting  in 
this  capacity  his  division  was  called  into  active 
service  during  the  great  Williamsport  riots  in 
1872,  and  the  Colonel  served  two  weeks  in  the 
field.  In  1895  he  was  appointed  State  reporter, 
his  duties  being  to  report  the  decisions  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
when  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State  was  organ- 
ized in  1896,  he  became,  by  virtue  of  his  office, 
the  reporter  of  that  court  also. 

In  1 869  he  married  Eliza  J.  Chatham,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  James  Chatham,  who  was  a  well- 
known  citizen  and  a  leading  lawyer  of  Lock 
Haven.  Mrs.  Kress'  mother  was  Henrietta  De- 
Haas,  who  was  a  great-granddaughter  of  Brig. - 
Gen.  John  Philip  De  Haas,  whose  honorable 
services  in  the  Revolutionary  war  are  well  known, 
and  a  granddaughter  of  Gen.  De  Haas'  son, 
Major  De  Haas,  who  was  also  a  gallant  officer  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Major  De  Haas'  wife 
was  Ann  Shippen,  a  daughter  of  Captain  Ship- 
pen,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Princeton. 

Col.  and  Mrs.  Kress  have  had  seven  children, 
five  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  youngest  son 
died  in  infancy,  and  the  others  are  still  living. 
The  family  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  is  prominent  in  social  life  in  Lock 
Haven.  The  Colonel  belongs  to  various  fraternal 
orders,  including  the  F.  &  A.  M.  and  the  G.  A. 
R-,  in    which   he  is   a   past    commander   of   the 


John  S.  Bittner  Post  No.    122,    Department  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Although  Col.  Kress'  labors  have  always  been 
assiduous,  yet  he  retains  the  remarkable  consti- 
tution with  which  nature  so  generously  provided 
him,  while  his  energies  continue  unabated,  and 
his  working  powers  seem  now  to  be  only  attain- 
ing their  highest  degree  of  efficiency. 


w  ON.  JOHN  UPTON  SHAFFER  has  gained 
J3L  a  distinguished  position  in  journalistic  and 
legislative  circles,  and  ranks  to-day  among  the 
public-spirited  and  representative  men  of  the 
State,  whose  force  of  character  have  made  them 
leaders  of  thought  and  action.  A  man  of  strong 
mentality,  a  close  student  of  the  signs  of  the 
times,  he  views  with  a  broad  outlook  the  needs 
of  the  people,  and  in  the  General  Assembly  and 
through  the  columns  of  the  press  has  advocated 
the  measures  best  calculated  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  His  influence  has  been  strongly 
felt,  especially  in  behalf  of  educational  interests, 
and  Clinton  county  numbers  no  more  valuable 
citizen  than  this  gentleman. 

Mr.  Shaffer,  who  is  now  the  editor  of  the 
Rcnovo  Record,  was  born  in  McConnellsburg, 
Penn.,  March  27,  1843,  and  at  the  age  of  five 
years  was  left  by  his  parents  at  the  home  of  an 
uncle  for  whom  he  was  named,  while  they  re- 
moved to  the  West.  His  uncle  liberally  educated 
him  through  private  instruction,  and  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  printing  business,  serving  a 
usual  term  of  years.  From  the  position  of  com- 
positor he  was  promoted  to  that  of  local  editor 
in  the  Fulton  Republican,  and  ably  served  in 
that  capacity  for  a  year,  when  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burg and  readily  found  employment  on  one  of 
the  leading  dailies  in  that  city.  In  February, 
1862,  he  returned  to  his  native  town,  where  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Fulton  Democrat, 
forming  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Henry  G. 
Smith,  who  afterward  became  an  associate  edi- 
tor of  the  Lancaster  Daily  Intelligencer,  and  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1873. 

Shortly  after  his  return  to  McConnellsburg, 
Mr.  Shaffer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Salinda,  a 
daughter  of  William  B.  Shaffer,  of  the  same 
county.'  In  1S65  our  subject  sold  his  interest  in 
the  Fulton  Democrat  and  accepted  a  position  in 
the  printing  department  of  the  New  York  World, 
being  connected  with  that  journal  for  nearly  a 
year.  Returning  then  to  Pennsylvania,  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  two  Democratic  papers  in 
Hanover — one   English    and    one   German,    but 


'"MM!  MORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  REi 


time  he   disposed  of  his   interest  in   both 

these,  and  went  to   Baltimore,  where  he  obtained 

a  p  in   the  .  .  with  which   he 

lected  for  four  years. 

On  account   of   failing  health,  in   the    fall   of 

'  I  led  his  pi  ad  again 

ansylvania,  joining  the   staff  of   the 

Republican,  published  at   Lock  Haven, 

man.      Ail  ving    in   that 

for  two  years,  his  attention 

thi  th   of  the   new  railroad   town   of 

Rei  |  of  its 

to   establish  a  weekly  m 
p  i]  Accordingly,  on  Decern!  :\ . 

the  first  issue  of  the  Renovo  Record  was  given  to 
i        '■    nture  h  !  a  financial 

■  in.l  the  paper  h 
tor  in  molding  I  al  sentimenl  nn- 

tv.      It  is  a  well 

ir    in  its  treatment  of  th  as   ami 

•  ■  • 

Mr.  Shaffei  h  id  not   li  >n  I  in  Renovo 

sition  of  prominence 
m  public  affairs      He  served  as  clerk  of  the  town 

until   i  I  in  the  last  year  became  the  i 

nomin  •  itive  to 

thi  I  tion  he 

i    the    Republican    candid  ite,   A.   J. 
b  lyler,   b  \|,     >h 

■I  it   thi  ,  Hon. 

I   seph    W.    Merrey,  who    bad  I  the 

mtj  in  th  I    gislature  in  I  >ur- 

rg.Mr  Sh  iffei  introdm 

the  Central    Normal    S<  hool    building  at    I 

Hav,  ii.    which     had    remain  i    unnni- 

The  1  in's 

hen  bill 

D,  which  |  | 

majoril  pular  in  the  lum- 

>k  much 
int<  ■  tlv  to  Sei 

nefiting  icational    ai  trial 

inti 

tn'    I  ker 

t  the  li 
mission  of  lunacy  and  chat  mly 

I  li  mocratic  i 

on   that   com  a.     In  1889  Mr.  Shan" 

ien  iminated  by  the  Democracy  of  Clinton 
ty  by  an  almost   unanimous  vote,  an 
by  a  lai  I  ,,bor 

Reform     tnd     Pi  lidates 

winter  of  that    year,    the    Central   N    rmal 
1      :.    Haven  was  burned  I 


the  ground,  entailing  a  loss  of  over  $100,000, 
upon  which  the  State  had  only  $10,000.  Dur- 
the  session  of  the  Assembly  Mr.  Shaffer  in- 
! nee. I  an  appropriation  bill  for  $100,000  to 
replace  the  burned  building.  The  committee  on 
appropriations,  was  at  first  reluctant  to  make  an 
appropriation,  but  after  careful  consideration 
■:ed  to  report  the  bill  to  the  House  for  $85,- 
000,  which  subsequently  passed  both  houses  and 
became  a  law.  During  the  same  session  several 
important  bills  in  the  interest  of  lumbermen  and 
other  industrial  interests  became  laws.  During 
his  service  Mr.  Shaffer  served  on  various  impor- 
tant committees,  including  that  of  congres- 
sional and  legislative  apportionment,  constitu- 
tional reform,  retrenchment  and  reform,  print- 
ing, mines  and  mining,  and  a  number  of  special 
committees  appointed  by  the  speaker.  During 
the  session  of  1891  he  went  to  Harrisburg  at  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  the  officers  of  the  Centr  al 
Normal  School  at  Lock  Haven  to  assist  the 
Clinton  county  member  in  getting  through  that 
body  a  further  appropriation  for  that  institution, 
and  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the 
passage  of  a  bill  giving  $20,000  to  the  school. 
While  performing  effective  service  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  State  at  large,  Mr.  Shaffer  has  not 
been  neglectful  of  his  duty  to  the  community  in 
which  he  resides.  He  has  been  a  very  imp 01 
tant  factor  in  local  affairs,  advancing  the  interest 
of  Renovo  by  a  liberal  support  of  all  public  m< 
calculated  for  the  general  good.  Eul 
would  be  superfluous  in  connection  with  the  rec- 
ord of  Mr.  Shaffer.  His  career  speaks  for  itself, 
lie  finds  his  reward  in  the  gratitude  and  es- 
n  of  the  people  who  recognize  his  beneficent 
service\  and  accord  to  him  their  warmest  regard 
and  confidence. 


HON     JAMES    <       QUIGGLE,    one   of    the 
most  prominent  representative   citizens  of 
Clinton  county,  is  a   native  of  same,    born   De- 
1851,  at    Lock   Haven.      He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Hon.  James  \Y    Quiggle  and  Cordelia 
Ma)  ter  of   Judge  C.  A     Mayer.      She   is 

still  livii 

In    1  11    subject's   parents   removed    to 

Philadelphia,  andin  is  59  he  accompanied  them  to 
Antwerp,  Belgium,  his  father  being  United  St 
-ul  at  that  port,  where  he  sojourned  for  ah 

nd  a  half,  and   attended   French  and 
nan    schools.      In   November,    1861,    he  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia  with  his  parents,   where 
ne   '  I  school  and  commercial 

led    for  the  law,  and  was 
student    in   the  court      1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


571 


common  pleas  of  Philadelphia,  but  after  reading 
about  a  year  he  was  obliged,  owing  to  defective 
eyesight,  to  abandon  his  intentions  to  follow  the 
profession.  In  October,  1871,  before  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  tendered  the  office  of 
United  States  consular  agent  at  Cornwall,  Can- 
ada, which  he  accepted,  serving  until  March  10, 
1872,  when  he  resigned.  In  1873  he  removed 
to  his  father's  farm  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  has  since  resided  (except  while 
in  Canada),  engaged  in  agricultural  and  lumber- 
ing pursuits.  In  1876  he  was  selected  to  fill  an 
important  position  in  the  office  of  the  chief  secre- 
tary of  the  United  States  centennial  commission 
at  Philadelphia,  which  he  held  for  five  months. 
He  has  been  treasurer  and  auditor  of  Wayne 
township,  and  in  February,  1879,  was  unani- 
mously elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  served 
until  September  1,  1887,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  United  States  consulship  at  Port 
Stanley  and  St.  Thomas,  Canada,  to  which  he 
had  been  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  on 
August  31,  1887,  which  office  he  held  until  April 
19,  1890,  when  he  was  superceded  for  purely  po- 
litical reasons  by  the  Harrison  administration,  he 
having  represented  his  country  so  acceptably  as 
to  call  forth  the  commendation  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  State  in  a  special  dispatch,  thanking 
him  for  the  satisfactory  and  economical  manner 
in  which  he  conducted  the  business  of  his  office. 
Before  his  return  from  Canada  Mr.  Quiggle 
was  unanimously  re-elected  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Wayne  township  for  five  years  from  May, 
1890,  but  resigned  December  1,  1890.  In  Au- 
gust, 1890,  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation  for 
member  of  the  Assembly,  by  the  Democratic 
convention  of  Clinton  county,  and  was  elected  in 
November  following  over  Capt.  James  W.  Fred- 
ericks (Republican)  by  546  majority.  He  served 
in  the  Legislature  as  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tees on  Ways  and  Means,  Federal  Relations, 
Manufactures  and  Bureau  of  Statistics.  In  1892 
he  was  again  nominated  for  the  Legislature,  and 
elected  without  opposition  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  In  the  session  of  1 893  he  served  on  the 
committees  of  Appropriations,  Elections,  Federal 
Relations,  and  Printing.  On  October  10,  1893, 
he  resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  of  U.  S. 
consul  at  Collingwood,  Canada,  and  served  till 
September  6,  1897,  when  he  resigned.  Mr. 
Quiggle  has  always  been  a  consistent  Democrat, 
and  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics.  He  has 
been  a  delegate  to  county  conventions,  and  in 
1885  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  State 
Convention,  and  for  five  years  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  Standing  Committee,  serving 
as  its  secretary  in  1884. 


On  February  23,  1882,  Mr.  Quiggle  was 
married  to  Miss  Ella  L.  Quiggle,  eldest  daughter 
of  Jacob  Quiggle,  of  Pine  Station,  and  three 
children  were  born  to  them:  James  W. ,  Jr., 
Edmund  B.,  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  Our 
subject  owns  a  fine  property  of  some  3,500 
acres,  on  which  he  has  an  excellent  residence 
and  other  commodious  buildings. 


H 


TON.    S.    WOODS    CALDWELL,  of   Lock 


Haven,  Clinton  county,  is  one  of  the  in- 
fluential men  of  his  locality,  his  ability  and  pub- 
lic spirit  being  recognized  by  all  classes.  When 
a  mere  youth  he  spent  three  years  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war.  In  1 880  and  1 88 1  he 
represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature, 
and  for  many  years  he  has  been  active  in  the 
Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Caldwell  was  born  May  18,  1845,  in 
Montour  county,  Penn.,  and  comes  of  good  pio- 
neer ancestry.  John  Woods  Caldwell,  his  father, 
was  a  prosperous  farmer,  of  Irish  blood,  while 
his  wife,  Susanna  (Fuhlmer),  traced  her  descent 
Irom  some  of  the  early  German  settlers  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Caldwell  spent  his  boyhood  upon 
the  old  farm,  attending  the  Limestoneville  Acad- 
emy to  complete  his  education.  In  1861  he  en- 
listed for  three  years  in  Company  C,  14th  P.  V. 
I.,  and  went  to  the  front.  In  1865  he  formed  a 
business  partnership  with  his  brother,  James  H. 
Caldwell,  of  Titusville,  Penn.,  and  for  three 
years  they  operated  in  oil  in  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. In.1871  he  purchased  the  "  Irvin  House," 
maintaining  it  as  the  leading  hotel  in  the  city  of 
Lock  Haven. 

As  our  subject  always  took  a  deep  interest  in 
politics,  he  was  naturally  drawn  into  public  life. 
In  the  winter  of  1880  he  received  the  Democratic 
nomination  from  Clinton  county  for  the  Legisla- 
ture. An  exciting  campaign  followed,  which  re- 
sulted in  his  election  by  a  majority  of  751  votes 
over  Gen.  Jesse  Merrill.  In  1882  his  name  was  pre- 
sented as  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  Democrats 
of  Clinton  county  for  the- State  senatorship;  but 
after  protracted  balloting  and  several  adjourn- 
ments from  place  to  place,  Mr.  Caldwell  with- 
drew from  the  contest  on  account  of  an  attempt 
to  bribe  his  conferees.  In  August,  1890,  he  was 
elected  county  treasurer  for  a  term  of  three  years, 
which  he  filled  satisfactorily,  and  in  1894  he  be- 
came a  candidate  for  the  nomination  to  the  State 
Senate  from  the  Thirty-fourth  District,  composed 
of  Clinton,  Centre  and  Clearfield  counties.  For 
more  than  twenty  years  the  Democratic  party  in 
that  district  had  made  its  nominations  for  this 
office  by  a   conference    of    nine   delegates,  three 


CORD. 


unty,  the  manner  of  rli 
it   to  their  n 

the  counties  had  an 
but  in  I 
rule  whi<  i  nee  that  I 

ct  confi  ■  ntions 

should  be  apportioned   ai 

irlield  county 
quently 

put  it  into 
county  sending  nim 

Clintoi         unty.    bavin 
cided  to  maintain  the    rii 
sent  but  three,  Mr.  Caldwell  beinj  hoice, 

Id   county  presented  the  nai 
Matti         -  mty  the  name 

vin   Meyer       1  1 

... 

Mi.  S  vhilethethn  Clinton  county 

illy  anni  mm  i  I 

ith  nominatii 
by  the  Dauphin  count)  -  i  the  two  co 

n  the 
I 
publican,  Mr    I  i  field  county. 

In 

' ]  1'..  njamin  Myers, 

a  well-known  citi.  child 

1  this  ii;  \V.      Tin-  family  is 

which 

well  is 

the  |"hn  S.  Bitti  I ,    A.  K. 


J       I  I'll    MACKEV   <  ORSON,    M     D.      Not 
ir  by  influence  i 
n.  but 

bility 
winning  him  . 

on  th'  .  had 

nplished  | 
■ 

Clinton  county  i-    Di 

m 
I  h  idier  ;,    1868,   in 

Shrew  hip,  in   tin-  L\  - 

coming  county,  Penn 

who  w  .    in    tin-  hip.   April    4, 

1  8  ;  r.  ch  an.  estry       I  h 

hools  in  th. 
I  lyhood   h  id  afterward 

I  'In-  Minus  State  Not  m.ii  - 
:  it-  tir^t  graduates.     On  the  old  1 
his  birth  occurred  he  spent   In-  entii 
owning  and  op  the  (arm  of  300  acres,  on 


which  he  made  many  valuable  and  useful  improve- 
rs, including  the  re-erection  of  a  good  frame 
larns    and    other    outbuildings.       In 
connection  "with  general  farming   he   was  exten- 
di the  stock  business,  buying  and 
ttle,    sheep,  etc.      He  was  a   lover  of 
tin.  "I  which  he  kept  several  for  driving 

put  1  nd  was  regarded  as  an  excellent  judge 

of  cattle  He  has  also  been  interested  in  the 
real-est  uess,  owning  several  building  lots 

in  both  Picture  Rock,  and  Hughesville,  Lyconi- 
nty,  but  is  now   living   practically  retired 
imily   homestead   in   that  count)', 
enjoying  the  ease  and  quiet  which  should  always 
foil  tig  and  useful  career.      He  is  an  advo- 

cate .f  the  free  coinage  of  silver  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party,  served  as  tax 
collector  of  his  township    for  sixteen  years,  and 

-sessor,  school  director  and  t: 
urer.      A  Lutheran   in   religious    belief,    he   has 
n  active   and    prominent  part  in  Church 
work,  and  has  filled   various  Church   offices,  in- 
cluding that  of  elder. 

In  Muncy  township,  Lycoming  county,  Jacob 
I  Corson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emma  J.  Neece,  who  was  born  in  that  township 
in  1840,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Neece,  a  merchant 
'  of  Pennsville,  Lycoming  county.  Six  children 
were  born  of  this  un  mely:     Clara  B.,  wife 

I 'r    11.  M.  Essick,  the  well-known  owner   of 
the    Essick  of    Highland    Lake,    Penn.; 

Thomas  N.,  who  married   Iola  Taylor,  by  whom 
.hild,  and  now  operates  the  old  home 
(arm.      Will  S.,  who  graduated  from  a  comi 
cial  college,  and  engaged  in  bookkeeping  until  his 
aving  a  wife,  formerly  Miss  Sadie 
I  Picture  Rock,  and  a  son  and  daughter; 
ph    Mackey,    of    this    sketch;  Flora    A.,    at 
Ernest,  who  died   at   the  age  of  t 
and  a  half. 
During  his  early  boyhood  our  subject  pursued 
his  public  schools  of   his   native 

-hip,  for  two  years  attended  the  Muncy  Uni- 
ty, of  Lycoming  county,  and  after  his  grad- 
.  red   the   Factoryville  Acad- 
.  where   he  also   graduated   at   the  end  of  a 
lb    then  spent  one   year  at 
Union  county,  Penn.      Hav- 
I    j  hood  to  become  a 
began  reading  medicine  un- 
his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Es- 
re  Rock,  where  he  spent  two  years, 
triculated  at    Jefferson    Medical 
iduating  from  that  noted 
insti  j,  with  the  degree  of  M. 

\  ear   he  was   in   partnership 
March,  1893,  established 


with  1  lr. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


573 


an  office  at  Charlton,  Pine  Creek  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  succeeding  the  late  Dr.  A.  S.  Stokes, 
and  has  since  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice. He  is  the  only  physician  between  Lock 
Haven  and  Jersey  Shore,  and  his  practice  ex- 
tends over  a  large  territory. 

On  June  15,  1893,  at  Hughesville,  Lycoming 
county,  Dr.  Corson  was  married  to  Miss  Ella 
May  Boak,  who  was  born  in  that  place,  where 
her  father,  James  K.  Boak,  is  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  furniture.  The  Doctor  and  his 
wife  now  have  two  children:  J.  Alan,  born  July 
12,  1894,  and  James  K.,  born  August  2,  1896. 
The  parents  are  both  active  workers  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  Sunday-school,  and 
Mrs.  Corson  is  also  a  member  of  the  Epworth 
League.  The  Doctor  is  censor  of  the  County 
Medical  Society,  and  is  also  secretary  of  the  West 
Branch  Medical  Society.  Politically,  he  is  what 
may  be  termed  a  gold  Democrat,  being  greatly 
opposed  to  the  free  coinage  of  silver.  Constant 
study  and  close  application  to  the  details  of  his 
profession  have  made  him  a  leader  in  the  medi- 
cal fraternity,  and  as  a  pleasant,  affable  gentle- 
man he  occupies  an  enviable  position  in  social 
circles. 


[ON.  JOSEPH  W.  MERREY,  a  leading  resi- 
dent of  Beech  Creek  borough,  Clinton 
county,  has  for  many  years  held  an  influential 
position  in  the  business  and  political  life  of  this 
section,  and  has  several  times  been  called  upon 
to  fill  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility. 

Mr.  Merrey  was  born  December  15,  1846,  in 
England,  a  son  of  James.Merrey  (merchant)  and 
his  wife  Sarah  (Staley),  both  of  whom  were  also 
natives  of  England,  where  they  passed  their  entire 
lives.  They  had  seven  children,  as  follows: 
Michael  died  in  infancy;  Emily  married  Thomas 
Philips  (deceased),  and,  if  living,  is  somewhere 
in  the  West;  Clara  died  in  England;  Joseph  W. 
is  our  subject;  Charles  R.  is  a  clerk  in  England; 
Sarah  died  in  that  country;  James  T.  resides  in 
Beech  Creek,  Clinton  county. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land,  and  when  twenty  years 
old  came  to  this  country  to  seek  his  fortune, 
making  his  home  in  Pennsylvania.  Within  two 
months  after  his  arrival  he  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  brewing  ale  and  beer  at  Flemington,  Clin- 
ton county,  and  two  years  later  he  became 
interested  in  lumbering,  merchandising,  and 
hotel-keeping  at  Keating,  in  the  same  county. 
These  enterprises  he  conducted  successfully  for 
twenty  years,  and  in  the  meantime  he  invested  in 
good  farming  land   at    different    points,  also    in 


valuable  mining  property  in  Clearfield  county, 
the  management  of  these  interests  occupying 
much  attention  at  times.  He  has  also  been 
associated  with  various  brewing  companies  as 
manager,  and  at  present  he  has  charge  of  the 
Lock  Haven  branch  of  the  business  of  the  Hoster 
Brewing  Company,  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  one  plank  in  his 
platform  being  the  principle  of  opposition  to 
monopolies.  He'  is  active  in  party  work,  and 
has  served  on  the  State  central  committee  and 
on  the  County  committee,  over  which  he  has 
several  times  presided  as  chairman.  Among  the 
local  offices  which  he  has  held  we  mention  those 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  school  director,  treasurer, 
and  president  of  the  borough  council.  His 
abilities  have  also  been  displayed  in  a  wider 
sphere,  as  he  served  in  1883  and  1884  as  a  repre- 
sentative from  Clinton  county  to  the  State  Leg- 
islature. While  in  that  body  he  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  Federal  Relations,  and  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  Ways  and  Means, 
and  of  the  committee  on  Corporations.  In  1888 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Convention. 

In  1868  Mr.  Merrey  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Eliza  Bailey,  ne'e  Magnus,  a  daughter  of  George 
Magnus,  of  Lewistown,  Penn.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1896,  leaving  two  children:  Josephine, 
who  married  Harry  C.  Clark,  and  Lillian,  who 
is  at  home.  By  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Bailey  Mrs. 
Merrey  had  two  daughters:  Ella  and  Sadie, 
Sadie  being  now  the  wife  of  F.  T.  Ouigley,  of 
Keating,  Penn.  Mr.  Merrey's  family  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  he  is  still  an  adherent.  Fraternally,  he  is 
a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  of  Lock  Haven. 


WILLIAM  FRANKLIN  ELLIOT.  For 
nearly  twenty  years  the  Novelty  Iron 
Works,  at  Lock  Haven,  conducted  by  him  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch,  has  been  an  indus- 
try that  has  contributed  to  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  that  city  and  of  Clinton  county. 

The  Elliot  and  Spangler  families  have  been 
represented  in  the  Commonwealth  by  their  de- 
scendants since  the  years  1732  and  1727, respect- 
ively, and  William  Franklin  Elliot  has  a  com- 
plete genealogical  record  in  the  form  of  a  family 
tree  on  both  sides  dating  back  to  the  year  11 50. 
The  Elliots  were  from  Scotland  and  the  Spang- 
lers  from  Germany.  William  D.  Elliot,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  November  19,  1828, 
at  York,  Penn.,  and  there  passed  his  life,  which 
was  a  very  busy  and  active  one.  He  was  a 
manufacturer  of  plug  tobacco.    He  took  an  active 


>  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


interest  in  public  affairs,  and  was  one  of  the 
I  i  minent  men  of  York.  He  was  mayor  of  that 
city,    ind,  duru.  ivil  war,  was  secretary  of 

the  Sanitar.    i  nission.      His    death  occurred 

in  1S89.  His  widow,  who  is  still  living,  a  resi- 
dent of   York,   and    whom  he    married  in   1 

Margaret  Spangler,  born    July   13,  1832,  at 
Y  rk,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Col.  M.  II   Spangler. 
Of  the  children  born  to  this  marriage,  the  follow- 
ing ire  living:      William    Franklin,    our  subject; 
1     rence  M. .  Frank  S  .  an  attorney  of  Philadel- 
phia;   Thomas  E.,  city    clerk    of    York,     lY'nn. ; 
ryE.,  wife  of  Alexander  Cathcart,  of  Chicago; 
James.  Walter.  Luther,    a    resident  of  Chicago; 
:  I   1.  uisa. 
William  Franklin  Llliot  was  reared   at   York 
!  there  educated,  attending  the  Collegiate  and 
Politecbnic  Institutes      After  leaving  school  he 
m  apprentii  eship  at  the  machinist's  trade, 
I  on  the  completion  of  the  latter   he  went  to 
New  York  City,  and  wa  years  in 

the  Delemeter  Iron  Work-      At  the  close  of  I 
period  (1879)  he  located    in    Lock    Haven    and 

bli  hed  hi    pn   1  nt  business,  which  I. 
developed  into  th  tnd  constantly  growing  in- 

du-trv    "f   to-day,  giving   employment    to  some 
ty    men       The    plant,   as    originally    built    in 
I  brick,  thn  h.   70  x  1 10, 

i.  with  a  found  r}  t, and  boiler-house 

30  ichinery    being  driven  1 

twenty-five-horsepowei  Stead    employ- 

ment was  thi  11  given  to  twenty  skilled  workin 

y  make  twmills, 

make  steam  1  everything  in  the  line 

of    mill   machim  eral   machine    work. 

t  of    Lo<  k   Haven's 

influential  and  prominent  in  its  business 

\t  tin-  time  he  i~  a  member 

■  I  '  rnity,  tbi  1  and 

tin    Grand   Ci  >mmandery,   Knights 

in  mb<  1  P.  O.  E      In   pi  ilitics 

Republican,  dent  of 

ncil 
On  Jum  Mr.  1  larried  to 

Mis     l        beth  1      aw,  and  three  childi 

thi  ii    hi  im« .    namely;     Willi 
Brown,    Marj  ui  riti       nd     Ub<  rl    Warn  n 
mother  "I  these  is  I  ter  ol    |acob  Brown 

inent  citi;  en  1  if 
1    1  k  Haven.     Oui  mem- 

•   St    Paul's  Episcopal  Chui 


HENRY    I      II  \K\  EY,  ol   Lo«  k   II    . 
of   the  leading    mei 
(  ounty  Bar,  I  in  successful  1  1 


re  than  thirty-three  years.  His  professional 
work  has  included  some  of  the  most  important 

iness  that  has  arisen  in  the  locality  during 
that  time;  he  is  also  identified  prominently  with 
extensive  financial  interests,  and   in  various  pro- 

ssive  movements,  political  and  non-political 
in  his  city. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  born  October  22,  1842,  111 
Clinton  county,  a  son  of  George  C.  and  grand- 
son of  Isaac  Harvey,  who  came  to  Clinton  coun- 
ty in  1 81 2,  and  in  181 8  settled  at  Salona.  Later 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  Lamar  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 
spent.  George  C.  Harvey  (father  of  Henry  T.  1 
was  a  native  of  Berks  county.  Penn.,  but  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Clinton  county,  and 
grew  to  manhood  there.  As  a  young  man  he 
engaged  in  milling  and  hat-manufacturing,  but 
afterward  studied  medicine  and  practiced  at  Sa- 
lona until  1850.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
he  became  interested  in  the  Salona  Foundry, 
where  a  large  business  was  done  at  that  time  in 
tin  manufacture  of  plows  and  threshing  ma- 
chines. He  decided  to  give  up  his  medical  prac- 
and,  in  1850,  began  to  devote  his  entire  at- 
tention to  business.      In  1854   he  formed  a  part- 

hip  with  A.  H.  Best,  Hon.  L.  A.  Mackey, 
and  William  Fearon,  and  built  the  Lock  Haven 
1  indr)  and  Mai  bine  shop,  the  first  establish- 
ment of  the  kind  in  Lock  Haven.  Of  this  Dr. 
Harvey  had  the  full  management  until  1870. 
when  he  retired  from  business.  He  was  a  man 
of  much  influence  in  political  affairs  as  well  as 
in  financial  circles,  and  for  five  years  he  served 
as  associate  jud;.  uton  county.     His  death 

occurred  in  Lock  Haven  on  February  8,  [886,  at 
the   advanced    age  of    eighty   years.      His    wife, 
whose   maiden   name   was   Roxanna  S.  Atwood, 
born    in    New   Haven,    Conn.,    in  January, 
and  died  October  15.  [885. 

Henrj  I  Harvej  received  his  elementary  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  ol  Salona  and  Lock 
Haven,  and.  in  1857,  he  entered  the  academy 
in  Lock  Haven,  where  for  two  years  he  continued 
In-  studi  I       1  ;        Ri  1    rs       In  1859  he  be- 

in  thi   Agricultural  College  of  Penn- 
sylvi  1     ntre   county,   and   on  graduating,  in 

Hue   a    law    student   in   the  office  of 
Orvi  Lock    Haven.      In  1863.  dur- 

the  Civil  war.  his  studies  were  interrupt!  d  b\ 
an  enlistment  in  the  26th  P.  V.   I. ;  but  his  patri- 

thwarted    by   an    attack 

typl  :  which  so  injured  his  health  that  he 

from  the  service.      On  returning 

his  legal  researches,  and.  in 

lu     was  admitted  to  practice, 

and    at  tied    an   office  in   Lock  Haven, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


575 


where  he  has  ever  since  been  actively  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  professional  work. 

Notwithstanding  the  important  nature  of  his 
legal  practice,  and  his  steadfast  devotion  to  his 
work,  Mr.  Harvey  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  political  work  and  in  various  financial  or- 
ganizations. He  was  instrumental  in  founding 
the  Lock  Haven  Trust  &  Safe  Deposit  Company, 
and  has  been  president  of  the  institution  ever 
since  its  organization  in  1 89 1 .  This  ranks  among 
the  prosperous  financial  concerns  of  this  section 
of  the  State,  its  assets  being  now  more  than 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Harvey 
shows  a  generous  interest  in  educational  affairs, 
and  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Pennsylvania  State 
College  and  of  the  Central  State  Normal  School 
for  some  years,  having  been  identified  with  the 
latter  institution  ever  since  it  was  founded.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and,  in  1876, 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  of 
his  party.  His  name  has  been  mentioned  in 
connection  with  several  important  offices,  and 
he  has  received  more  than  once  the  indorsement 
of  Clinton  county  for  the  office  of  Congressman 
from  his  district.  On  April  18,  1872,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Pollock,  of  Philadelphia. 
Three  children  were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom 
one,  James  Pollock,  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
The  survivors,  Sarah  Hepburn  and  Henry  T. , 
Jr.,  are  at  home.  Mr.  Harvey  and  his  wife  are 
both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Harvey  has  served  as 
trustee. 


IRA  MILTON  HARVEY,  Lock  Haven's  popu- 
__  lar  and  efficient  postmaster,  is  a  man  who  ex- 
erts more  than  ordinary  influence  in  his  locality, 
and  as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Clinton 
Democrat,  he  has  done  much  to  strengthen  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  section. 

Mr.  Harvey  is  a  native  of  Clinton  county, 
born  November  4,  1854,  at  Cedar  Springs.  His 
parents,  Nathan  E.  and  Lydia  (Erb)  Harvey, 
who  were  both  born  in  Pennsylvania,  died  during 
his  childhood,  the  former  in  1863,  and  the  latter 
in  1857.  Nathan  E.  Harvey  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and,  with  that  sturdy  patriotism 
which  seems  to  characterize  the  tillers  of  the 
soil,  enlisted  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war 
in  Company  E,  7th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and 
met  his  death  in  an  engagement  with  the  enemy, 
near  Nashville,  Tenn.  Our  subject  was  the 
youngest  of  four  children,  the  others  being: 
Anna  (Mrs.  Joseph  Sayler),  Ella  (Mrs.  James 
Daley),  and  Lizzie  (Mrs.  James  Edmiston). 

At  the  age  of  eleven  years  our  subject,  who 


had  previously  begun  his  education  in  a  public 
school,  was  sent  to  the  Soldiers'  Orphans  School 
at  Orangeville,  Penn.,  where  he  remained  two 
years.  He  was  then  transferred  to  a  similar  in- 
stitution at  McAlisterville,  Penn.,  and  on  leaving 
that  school,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  engaged  in 
farm  work  for  a  year.  In  January,  1871,  he  be- 
gan to  learn  the  printer's  trade  at  Lock  Haven 
in  the  office  of  the  Clinton  Democrat,  and  in  No- 
vember, 1876,  having  acquired  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  business,  he  went  to  Williamsport, 
Penn.,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  journeyman 
printer  for  a  short  time.  Later  he  returned  to 
Lock  Haven,  and  in  1878  formed  a  partnership 
with  H.  Bixby,  A.  S.  Grow  and  John  Noble,  and 
established  the  Daily  Journal.  This  paper  was 
discontinued  in  1883,  the  material  being  sold, 
and  Mr.  Harvey,  in  partnership  with  John  No- 
ble, purchased  the  job  printing  office,  which  they 
conducted  until  September,  1S85.  Mr.  Harvey, 
at  that  time,  bought  a  one-third  interest  in  the 
Clinton  Democrat,  the  leading  Democratic  organ 
of  the  county,  and  for  several  years  he  had 
charge  of  the  office.  In  1893  ne  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Lock  Haven  by  President  Cleve- 
land, and  the  duties  of  that  position  have  since 
occupied  his  attention.  While  he  is  an  ardent 
Democrat,  he  has  not  been  an  office-seeker,  and 
aside  frojm  the  post  which  he  now  fills  so  ad- 
mirably, he  has  only  held  one  position,  that  of 
city  auditor.  He  has  always  been  strongly  op- 
posed to  monopolies,  and  his  paper  represents 
his  views  on  this  and  other  questions.  In  1882 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sallie  Coldwell,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Coldwell,  a  native  of  Leeds,  York- 
shire, England,  who  became  in  later  life  a 
prominent  resident  of  Lock  Haven.  Four  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  union:  Frank  J.,  Ira  S., 
Benjamin  C.  and  Edna  C.  The  parents  are  not 
members  of  any  religious  denomination,  but 
they  attend  the  Disciple  Church,  and  take  an 
interest  in  its  various  lines  of  work.  The  father 
belongs  to  several  fraternal  orders,  including  the 
B.  P.  O.  E. ,  and,  by  virtue  of  his  father's  gallant 
record  as  a  defender  of  the  Union,  is  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans. 


P;HILIP  PETER  RITTMAN,  who  to-day  is  at 
tiie  head  of  one  of  Lock  Haven's  important 
manufacturing  plants  as  its  manager  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  controlling  it,  is  a  self-made  man, 
and  one  whose  influence  is  far-reaching. 

John  Michael  Rittman,  his  father  (who  was  a 
son  of  John  and  Sophia  Agnes  Stiokel),  was  born 
September  15,  1795,  at  Wittenberg,  Germany, 
and     on    September     25,     1831,    there     married 


570 


VOBATJ}  UPHICAL  RECORD. 


Margaret    Kothfuss,   wh  itive  of   the 

ter  Fuss, 

fan  Ject 

were  born    thr<  viz.: 

I 

set.      On    coming   to 

irents  li  <  n  a  farm 

i  Williai  'id   tlicr.  ;  the 

i  ttman  dying    in 

Mrs.  Rittman   in    1894,  .■.  hty- 

thn  i  that  sturdy  and  fru- 

ndustry  and 

rtably. 

Philip    Peter    Rittm  n    March  25, 

it  Williamsport,  Penn       \  ■  : I  ten 

:Ui   by   the    family  to   Lock 

Haven.      Here     he     attended    a    private   school 

M  >s  Bi 

I  at  the  old  ac 

1   when  our 

thrown 

n    leavin  ;  !   lie 

nun  I  nd  deci- 

into  the    furnishing  business,  in 

wh  a    store 

nd    Church 
1  with  this  business,  he  e.-i 

ly  i  >ne  in  the 

in- 

!  that  in  mpelled   to  seek 

!  to  his  present  coin- 

nue 

the  firm  carry- 

1  Furnitui  ind 

>try  in    Lock   Haven.      1  : 

»yl- 

in 
Mr.   Ritt- 

1 1       However,  h 

men  in  tl 

II 

lb  icil, 

and                                    sident  ol  md 

rongly  Republi- 

Mr.  Rittman  w  This  is 

oi  the  man- 


agers of  the  Building  ec  Loan  Association.      He  is 
a  Knight  Templar,  F.  and  A.  M. 

M  '.  1  .  1876,  Mr.  Rittman  was  married 
to  Toosie  Keller,  a  daughter  of  Col.  Reuben  Kel- 
ler, of  Lock  Haven,  and  their  children  are: 
Harry,  who  is  in  charge  of  his  father's  furnish- 
and  loan  business;  Joe  is  studying  pharmacy; 
and  Mary  Margaret  is  at  home. 


HON.  WILLIAM  DUNN  (deceased  1  was  born 
cember  1,  1S11,  on  Great  Island,  about 
one  mile  below  the  present  city  of  Lock  Haven, 
and  died  very  suddenly  in  that  city  on  Septem- 
ber 7.   [877. 

William  Dunn,  his  grandfather,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  that  portion  of  the  Valley  of 
the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  He  pur- 
chased the  Great  Island,  first,  from  the  Indians, 
then  from  the  State,  and  passed  it  by  will  to  his 
sun.  Washington  Dunn,  Esq.,  who  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  leading  and  most  intelliT 
;  and  reputable  citizens  of  his  locality,  and 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  to  whom  he 
transmitted  a  portion  of  his  homestead,  includ- 
ing his  residence. 

the  day  of  his  death.  Judge  Dunn,  as  he 
frequently  did,  came  to  Lock  Haven  to  transact 
some  business  and  greet  some  of  his  many  friends 
and  associates.  Just  after  partaking  of  a  social 
supper,    with  d    friends,    he    remarked   to 

them  that  he  felt  chilly,  and  at  once  drew  his 
chair  near  to  the  stove.  In  a  moment  or  two 
he  fell  from  the  chair  in  a  helpless  state.  Dr. 
Larimer  quickly  responded  to  the  call  fur  medi- 
cal aid,  and  other  physicians  soon  came  to  his 
i  ittack   proved  to  be  a  severe 

nd   all    efforts  to  produce  a 
tem  failed.      In  less  than  an 
hour  all  hope  ol  ng   life  was  given  up,  as 

.  idently  occurred.      His  son,  an  only 
chil.  tiding  railroads  in  the  W 

em  Ter;  vas  at  once  telegraphed  for,  and 

reti.  atend  the  funeral  on  the  fol- 

family  burying-place  at 

Dun  the  north  side  of  the  river  from 

md. 

in  the  time  he  was   able  to    read,  Judge 

of  his  father's  exten 

i  library,  and  not  being   at   any 

ssity  of  or  much  disposed  to 

1  a  great  part  of  his  time 

iphy  and  poetry 

r  in  the  county.      When  yet 

-   unanimously  presented  by 

linton  county  for  Congress, 

tin  the  nomination.      Always  an 


WILLIAM    DUNN 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


577 


active  politician,  he  was  in  a  few  years  thereafter 
twice  nominated  and  elected  to  the  State  Legis- 
lature from  the  district,  then  composed  of  the 
counties  of  Clinton  and  Lycoming,  each  time 
largely  leading  his  party  ticket  in  the  popular  vote. 
He  was  an  industrious  and  faithful  representative, 
and  besides  discharging  his  general  duties  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  district,  also  accomplished 
all  the  local  legislation  desired  at  the  time.  In 
1862  he  was  again  presented  by  the  Democracy  of 
Clinton  county  for  Congress,  but  again  failed  to 
obtain  the  district  nomination.  In  1871  he  was 
nominated  by  his  party  for  the  office  of  associate 
judge,  and  was  elected  by  a  creditable  majority. 
After  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  devoted  him- 
self mainly  to  his  farm.  He  had  had  an  attack 
of  paralysis  a  few  years  before  his  death,  but  it 
was  thought  had  fully  recovered  from  it.  His 
worthy  and  respected  father  died  of  dropsy. 

In  his  religious  views  Judge  Dunn  may  be 
described  as  a  theoretical  moralist.  He  was  a 
kind  man,  and  his  temper  was  rarely  if  ever  seri- 
ously disturbed.  He  was  very  charitable  in 
sentiment  and  with  his  means,  and  none  more 
seriously  regretted  his  death  than  his  poor  neigh- 
bors. He  was  fond  of  social  enjoyment  and  of  the 
company  of  the  intelligent,  and  we  are  no  doubt 
safe  in  saying  that  he  died  without  an  enemy.  His 
character  for  integrity  and  honor  stands,  as  it 
always  stood,  unimpeached.  He  was  public- 
spirited,  and  always  gave  a  helping  hand  to  all 
enterprises  that  promised  to  benefit  the  public. 
His  acquaintance  was  very  extensive,  and  there 
are  few  in  his  county  who  did  not  know  him. 
He  was  of  quiet,  unassuming,  and  unobtrusive 
disposition,  and  never  crowded  himself  into 
prominence.  Few  there  are  who  will  be  more 
kindly  and  generally  remembered  after  death. 

Of  William  Dunn,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
the  following  has  been  written:  "About  the  year 
1768  a  party  of  surveyors  visited  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  West  Branch  Valley  for  the  purpose 
of  running  off  Allison  tract,  and  probably  other 
tracts  in  the  vicinity.  They  were  accompanied 
by  William  Dunn,  a  native  of  York  county, 
Penn.,  who  acted  in  the  capacity  of  hunter  for 
the  party,  it  being  his  business  to  furnish  the 
company  with  wild  game  for  food.  Dunn  car- 
ried splendid  equipments,  with  rifle  to  correspond, 
which  attracted  the  especial  attention  and  ad- 
miration of  an  Indian  chief,  the  owner  of  the 
Great  Island.  The  chief's  admiration  for  Dunn's 
accoutrements  grew  into  a  determination  to  pos- 
sess them,  but  the  owner  declined  to  part  with 
them  till  the  chief,  being  naturally  more  inclined 
to  follow  the  war-path  than  the  plow,  offered  to 
give  his  island  for  Dunn's  rifle  and  trappings  and 

37A 


a  keg  of  whiskey  which  the  surveyors  had  with 
them.  Dunn,  having  an  eye  to  business,  accept- 
ed the  offer,  and  took  possession  of  the  Big 
Island,  as  it  was  generally  called  at  that  time. 
After  having  drank  the  whiskey  the  Indian,  boy- 
like, wished  to  'trade  back,'  but  Dunn  held  fast 
to  his  purchase.  It  is  no  wonder  the  Indian  re- 
gretted his  bargain,  and  wished  to  again  get  pos- 
session of  his  island  home,  for  it  was  one  of  the 
most  delightful  spots  in  the  West  Branch  Valley, 
and  had  long  been  a  favorite  resort  for  the  Red- 
men.  There  they  had  met  in  solemn  council  in 
times  of  war,  and  there  they  had  rested  beneath 
the  tall  elms  when  peace  had  prevailed.  No 
wonder  the  Indians  were  loath  to  give  up  and 
depart  forever  from  a  place  which  had  been  held 
sacred  by  them  from  childhood,  a  place  where 
their  fathers  had  trod  long  years  before,  and 
where  their  children  had  sported  in  their  inno- 
cent glee.  Indeed,  home,  with  its  surroundings 
and  associations,  has  its  attractions  for  even  a 
savage  humanity." 

The  island  was  owned  by  Mr.  Dunn  for  many 
years,  and  at  his  death  was  divided  among  his 
heirs.  The  eastern  end  is  still  in  the  family,  be- 
ing now  owned  by  the  Hon.  William  Dunn, 
grandson  of  the  original  settler.  The  remainder 
is  owned  by  Henry  and  Robert  McCormick,  John 
Meyer's  heirs  and  Richard  Dorey.  It  is  all  un- 
der cultivation  and  is  highly  productive. 

William  Dunn,  the  elder,  took  an  active  part 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  being  one  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety  for  Northumberland  county, 
of  which  the  Island  was  then  a  part.  At  the 
time  of  the  •  'big  runaway,"  in  July,  1768,  he 
was  forced  like  his  neighbors  to  leave  his  house 
and  fly  to  a  place  of  safety.  He  found  his  way 
to  York,  which  place  he  had  left  a  few  years  be- 
fore, and  enlisted  in  the  army.  He  participated 
in  several  battles,  among  others  those  of  Ger- 
mantown  and  Trenton.  After  the  latter  the  gov- 
erment  pressed  all  teams  into  the  service  that 
were  available.  Mr.  Dunn  was  surprised  one 
day  to  see  his  own  horses  and  wagon  brought 
into  camp,  and  immediately  asked  to  take  charge 
of  them,  which  was  granted,  so  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  driving  his  own  team  if  he  was  a 
soldier. 

In  Dunstable  township,  in  1833,  Judge  Dunn 
was  married  to  Elizabeth  Barker,  who  was  born 
in  Nippenose  Valley,  Penn.,  April  18,  1812, 
daughter  of  the  late  John  and  Nancy  (Ramsay) 
Barker,  who  were  the  grandparents  of  Capt. 
Barker,  deputy  sheriff  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn. 
She  attended  the  primitive  subscription  schools 
of  Jersey  Shore,  the  school  houses  in  those  early 
days  being  constructed  of  logs  and  furnished  with 


KMBJiOBATn  RAPHICAL  RECORD. 


slab  while  thi 

stricl        '      four  winter   months   each    year,  th. 

scholars  having  to  pay  tl 

and  a  half  per  quarter.      Wh 

ith    her 
I    family,    wl  tl  I  '    :  stable 

iship,  (  In-  'in- 

William    Dunn,  om- 

menced  hoi  the  old  on, 

whi 

ro  add  to  hei  sorro 

r   she   I  nly  child 

Washington,  born  August  July  14. 

;.  in  tin-  prime  "t    life,    1    fine   man  in  all  re- 
irnamenl  ty.      This  w 

terrible  blow  t..  tin-  widowed,  and  now  childl 

tliet  ;  Imii  ,{'■  with 

Christian  humility.      Sin  of  her  I 

i.   Mi~    1  >mm  has  after  tl 

■  ie  farm 
in  general,  stock  fune  flood  of 

■ 

ia  1 
gh     now    eighty-l 

■ 
thread  a   needle  without   gl 
hardly  impaired,  and  k  as  of  j 

n  facl       n  atl         I  luties  with  a 

!   her  \ 
She  is  a  membi 

Bib  1 .  and  she  attendi  :-t  Sabbath- 

held  m   Jei  -<  j  S  Mr-    \\  atson  be- 

perintendent,  an.!  Mr-    Gamm<  I,  ol    [ei 
I    teacher      Maj 
tn  her  numen  >us  friends  by  whom 
she  i.    and  held    in   so   high 


CHARLES   \\      BE(  K,  a  thi 
<  -us  agriculturist  "I  Lai  iton 

family  of  that  locality,  whose  men 

■\  the  qualiti 
iking  "I  .  ship 

Th 
definite    account    is    John    Bi 

who    was    hum    in    Northan 
county,  Pi  an  .  |anuarj  1.  178  j,  ai 
■  in  January    1,    1806,    to    M 
Snyder,  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
temper  :;.  1783.     Tl  time 

I     •••it     Nazareth    township,     Northampton 
'  J ,  hut  later  i  i  to  Centre  c 


located    upon   a    farm    near   HublersburL;.      John 
k  became   well   known  among  the  agricultur- 
ist section,  and  he   lived   several   years 
the    allotted    limit    of    man's    existence. 
away  July  27.  1858,  while  his  wife  sur- 
vived him   about    four   years,  dying    on   October 
They    had    the    following   children  : 
liel,    born    October  27,    1806,    died    Maj     - 
74;    John  G.,   our    subject's    father,    is  men- 
tioned    more     fully     farther    on;     Sarah,     born 

■  inber  2.  of  the  s 
,    Mary,  burn   September  14,   1810,  married 
Swartz,  ami  died  July  2,  1865;  Chat 
n   May  1  resides  in   Porter  township, 

iton  county;    Simon,  born  '  1 
d  March  »;   Catherine,  born  December 

1    November   9.    1881;    Henry,  born 
M, itch  24.   1817,  died    March   24.   [884;    Joseph, 

ary    24.     1820,    resides    in    Illim 
Mai  October  6,   1S21.  died  March  11. 

1S46;    Elizabeth,  born  June  4,   1824,   died  July 
1  ;,  S      in,  born  November  23,   1  : 

ember  25,   1  884. 
fohn  G.  Heck,  the  father  of  ect,  was 

Northampton   county,  near  the   present 
town  ol  Newburg.      At  the  time  of  the  removal 
tre  county  he  was  a  well-grown  lad,  and  a 
ater  he  returned  to  his  native  county. 
where  he  was  married,  in  [831,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Workheiser.      She  was  born  in  that  counts'  Au- 
9,     [81 1,   the    daughter    of    John    Work- 
heiser, a   wealthy   farmer.      Soon   after  his  mar- 
fohn  1  .    Beck  went  back  to  Centre  county, 
and   for  a  time  he  followed  the    mason 
there  and  elsewhere  in    this    State.      In    iS;5he 
purchased  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  subject, 
a  fine  property   lying  along    Fishing   creek,  and 
letlv   known    as    the  old   Porter  homestead. 
There  he  resided  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
much  of  his  time  being  devoted  to  his  trade.      In 
hi>  boyhood  he  was  crippled  by  a  fall  on  the  ice 
which  injured  his    left    hip,  but    notwithstanding 
this  handicap  hi  ged  to  do  a  great  deal  of 

hard  work  in  his   lifetime.      In    politics  he  w 

ilthough  he  never  sought  offi- 
wards,  and  for  many  years   he  was  an  act- 
ive member  of  the   Lutheran   Church,  in   which 

Me   was  a  large  man, 

while    his    wife   was    shorter    than    the    average 

-  quite  slender  in  build.      He  died 

October  1  1 ,  ml  her  death   occurred    Sep- 

the    remains  of   both  being  in- 

terv,  in  Porter  township, 

Clinton  county.     Our  subject  was   the  youngest 

:    children  whose   names  with 

th  are  as    follows:      Sarah.   March    1. 

1    Bartholemew,  and  died  in 


I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


579 


Porter  township,  Clinton  count}',  April  13,  1877; 
Rebecca,  July  21,  1S33,  married  Daniel  Korkman, 
and  died  in  Bellefonte  February  10,  1877; 
George,  September  27,  1834,  is  a  commission 
merchant  in  Pittsburg,  Penn. ;  Jeremiah,  June 
30,  1836,  is  a  carpenter  in  Williamsport,  Penn.; 
Daniel,  December  31,  1837,  is  a  farmer  near 
Charlton,  Penn.;  Mary.  October  20,  1839,  mar- 
ried R.  W.  Porter,  and  died  in  Mackeyvilie,  May 

10,  1S72;  Leah,  September  10,  1843,  married 
R.  \Y.  Porter,  and  died  January  1  I,  1892;  Eliza, 
September  1,  1844,  married  F.  E.  Beck,  and 
now  resides  in  Williamsport,  Penn.  ;  William  F., 
October  14,  1846,  is  an  accomplished  musician, 
and  at  present  is  engaged  in  piano  tuning  at 
Lock  Haven;  Harriet,  December  23,  1848,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Stably;  John,  May  7,   185  1,  died  May 

11.  1859;  and  Israel,  November  20,  1852,  is  a 
fanner  in  Porter  township,  Clinton  count}'. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  January 
14,  1855,  in  WfLlker  township,  Centre  count}', 
one  mile  from  Hublersburg,  and  was  but  an  in- 
fant when  his  parents  removed  to  the  present 
homestead.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
schools  of  Mackeyvilie.  his  first  teacher  being  a 
Mr.  Seward.  He  assisted  in  the  work  of  the 
farm  during  boyhood,  and  remained  at  home 
almost  continuously  until  1882,  when  he  went 
west  and  spent  some  time  in  Illinois,  Kansas, 
and  Wisconsin  as  a  farmhand  and  journeyman 
•carpenter.  While  staying  in  Freeport,  111.,  he 
took  lessons  in  vocal  music,  and  developed  an  ex- 
cellent basso  voice,  and  later  he  and  his  brother 
William  traveled  through  the  West  conducting 
singing-schools.  At  the  end  of  a  term  of  ten 
lessons  they  would  give  a  concert,  and  in  some 
towns  they  would  hold  musical  conventions 
which  aroused  great  interest.  Since  1887  Mr. 
Beck  has  had  charge  of  the  homestead,  manag- 
ing it  first  for  his  mother,  and  after  her  death  he 
made  an  arrangement  with  the  other  heirs  for 
renting  the  place.  While  he  is  not  a  politician, 
he  takes  much  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  a 
few  years  ago  he  left  the  Democratic  party, 
transferring  his  allegiance  to  the  Prohibition 
party.  Socially,  he  is  prominent  as  a  member 
of  the  K.  G.  E.  at  Lamar,  and  his  fine  musical 
gifts  are  often  called  into  service  at  public  gath- 
erings. At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the  choir 
of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Mackeyvilie. 

On  March  9,  1887,  Mr.  Beck  was  married  in 
Nittany  Valley  to  Miss  Mary  Maurer,  a  native  of 
Centre  county,  Penn.,  born  June  25,  1859.  One 
child  blessed  this  union,  Charles  R.,  who  died  in 
infancy.  Mrs.  Beck  is  an  intelligent  and  accom- 
plished woman,  and  for  four  years  previous  to 
her  marriage  she  taught  school,  one  term  being 


spent  in  Iowa.  Her  father,  the  late  Owen 
Maurer,  a  carpenter  by  occupation,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years,  and  her  mother, 
whose  maiden  same  was  Tena  Tate,  died  at  six- 
ty-eight. There  were  eight  children:  Robert 
T. ,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of 
the  7th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  was  killed  in 
Georgia;  Ellery  H.,  a  merchant  at  Viola  Center, 
Iowa;  W.  C. ,  of  Nebraska;  R.  I.,  of  Iowa;  H. 
G.,  of  Porter  township,  Clinton  county;  Emma, 
now  Mrs.  John  McGovern,  of  Iowa;  Barbara, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and 
Mrs.  Beck. 


PROF.  JAMES  W.  ELLIOTT,  superintendent 
of  the  Renovo  public  schools,  and  one  of  the 
most  able  instructors  in  central  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  in  1859,  in  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  this 
State,  a  son  of  Rev.  George  and  Laura  (Wilson) 
Elliott,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  re- 
spectively. The  father  was  born  in  a  Scotch 
settlement  in  Ohio,  and  belonged  to  the  "border 
Elliots"  who  came  from  England  to  America, 
while  his  wife,  who  is  still  living,  was  born  of 
Irish  and  English  parentage.  She  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Gen.  James  Potter,  of  Revolutionary 
fame.  During  the  years  of  his  manhood  Rev. 
Elliott  labored  in  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  after  a  long  and  useful  life  passed  to 
his  reward  in  the  spring  of  1895. 

Professor  Elliott  began  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Freeport,  111.,  and  later  attended  Mc- 
Ewensville  Academy,  this  State.  He  next  pur- 
sued his  studies  in  the  Pennsylvania  State  Col- 
lege, and  since  leaving  that  institution  in  1SS0 
has  successfully  engaged  in  teaching,  having  at 
different  times  charge  of  the  schools  at  Orbi- 
sonia,  Penn.,  and  Osceola  Mills.  He  was  also 
professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  Doylestown 
Seminary,  and  was,  later,  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  Bangor,  Penn.  In  1S96  he 
came  to  Renovo,  and  has  since  had  charge  of  the 
public  schools  at  this  place.  He  is  a  man  of 
scholarly  tastes,  and  has  the  happy  faculty  of 
imparting  easily  and  readily  to  others  the  knowl- 
edge he  has  acquired.  In  his  chosen  calling  he 
has  therefore  met  with  excellent  success. 

In  December,  1884,  Prof.  Elliott  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  May,  a  daughter  of  John 
H.  Vincent,  an  attorney  of  Northumberland, 
Penn.,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one  child, 
Kathryn  Vincent.  The  parents  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  social  circles 
occupy  an  enviable  position.  Fraternally  the 
Professor  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  while 
politically  he  is  a  Republican.      He  has  written 


I  OMMBMORATITB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lis  a  number  of  able 
•  nal  articles,  ami  has  frequently  lectured 
acceptably  before  thi  -  County  Instituti 

I 


WASHING  1  I  >N  DUNN.      Whether  tl 
meats  -  in   life   are  innate  attri- 

ol  the    individual,  or 
quickened  bv  a  process  of  circumstantial  d 
opment.  it  is  im|  clearly  determine. 

Yet  tin-  stud)  tul  life  is  none  thi 

sting  and  profitable  by  :■ 
ence  of  this  same  uncertainty.     The   march  of 
ivement  and  pn  -:  iccelerated  day  by 

day,  and  each    sui 
maud    of    men    a     broader    intelli  ind    a 

nt     than    did  the    preci 
Successful  men  in  this   age    must   be  progn 
men,  men  bristling  with  activity,  and  the  lessons 
of  biography   may  be  liing  to  an  extent 

lly  evident.  the   most  success- 

ful men  that    Clinton    county    has  produced  was 
lington  Dunn,  whose   name  introduces   this 
•  h. 

Born  on  Gi  H  Clinton 

I     on, .    m    i  >ii     of   Judge   William 

Dunn  t    was  i  chiefly  iii  the 

ils  of   that  city.      At   the  twenty  he 

1    with    •  il  engineering 

if  Sidney  1  Hllon,   who  built   the  Phil 

phia  '  i  lilroad.      After   having  thoroughly 

letails,  Mr.  Dunn. 
at  the  early  age  of  twenty-five,  built  thefirsl 
enty-five  miles  of  the  Western  &  Maryland  rail- 

•  5,000.     Sub- 
went  to  Utah,  and  constructed  the 
Mi  mtana,  known  as 
tah  &   Northern      After  building  1 1 8  miles 
of  that  narrow 

with  tlu-  Rocky  Mountain   I  the  North- 

ern Pacific,  built  the  i  nil   Lake 

■ 

.  and  then  V  .rk  in 

the  Cast  ade  Mi  mnl  lin  .    trib- 

'  his  mi  igineer 

led  the  follow  ii  n  of  Ji  lm 

Codman,  win  n  "  1  .ippim  ott  s  Mag- 

azine:"    "Ci 

f r<  -iii  here,  we  pursi  north- 

ward to  Butte,    Mont.     I    n<  r  the 

admiration  of  tl  ering  skill 

of  Washington    Dunn,   who    superintended    the 
truction  of  the   Utah  &   Northern,  and  who 
is    now     emp  m    the    Northern    Pacific. 

Much  i  'f  the   I  laid    over    the   lava 

the  most    difficult    formation  engineers 


.end  with,  and  the  most  expensive  to  grade. 

This  is    particularly    noticeabie    in    the  Beaver 

-n,  where  the  crossing  is   made  through  the 

main   range    of   the    Rocky    Mountains.     There 

lid  seem  to  have  been  scarcely  room 
enough  for  the  rushing  stream,  most  inappropri- 
ately named  I  >ry  Creek." 

July    M-   '^>s3.  while    on    his    way    from 

tland,  Oregon,  to  Missoula,  Mont.,  and  at 
some  point  west  of  the  latter  place,  on  the  line 
of  the  Northern  Pacific,  Mr.  Dunn  was  taken  ill 
of  heart  disease,  it  is  supposed,  and  after  a  brief 
illness  expired  in  the  sleeping  car.  Mrs.  Dunn  at 
once  started  westward  to  bring  his  body  back  to 
ild  home  for  interment;  but  as  the  railroads 
were  not  complete  in  that  Western  country,  the 

ains   had  to  be  conveyed   seventy   miles   by 

;  m,  and  it  was  four  weeks  after  his  death  be- 
fore they  were  finally  interred  in  Highland  cem- 
ry,  Lock  Haven.  Rev.  J.  Max  Lantz,  of 
Trinity  M.  E.  Church,  officiated  at  the  funeral, 
which  was  largely  attended,  and  the  once  busy 
man,  cut  off  in  the  heyday  of  his  manhood,  now 
sleeps  his  last  sleep. 

Mr.  Dunn's  sudden  taking  away  caused  deep 
sorrow  among  his  many  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, besides  creating  a  great  loss  to  Western 
railmad  interests.  He  was  a  man  of  indomitable 
en<  :  xcellent   organizer   and  manager  of 

railroad  labor,  and  one   of  the   active    agents    in 
bringing  in  the    great    public   works    which   are 

ilutionizing  the  material  and  social  life  of  the 

people.      In  many  respects  he  was  an  extraordi- 

man,  and  his    views  on  other  subjects  be- 

s  those  of  railroads  were  eminently  practiced. 
11  was  greater  than  a  theorist;  he  was  a  master. 
And  not  alone  for  the  important  part  he  took  in 
public  works,  but  for  the  prominent  and  worthy 
features  of  his  life  and  character,  is  he  deserving 
than  passing  notice.  His  disposition 
was  truly  kind  and  gentle.  His  relation-  with 
his  sub-contractors  and  subordinates  were  char- 

rized  by  such  fairness,  magnanimity  and 
kindness  as  to  win  an  extraordinary  share  of  confi- 
dence and  esteem,  and  each  one,  in  his  death, 
felt  the  loss  of  a  friend.  Endowed  by  nature 
with  a  sound  judgment  and  an  accurate  .  discrim- 
inating mind,  he  (eared  not  that  laborious  atten- 
tion details  of  business  so  necessary  to 
achieve  success,  and  this  essential  quality  was 
-ense  of  moral  right  which 
the    employment    of    only   those 

ins  that  would  beai  the  most  rigid  examina- 

by  a  fairness  of  intention  that  neither  sought 

se.      His  charity   was  great, 

and  the  practical  interest  he  took  in  the  struggle  of 

commencement  in  life  will  be 


I 


WASHINGTON    DUNN 


i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


581 


well  remembered  by  many  a  one  whom  he  quietly 
and  unostentatiously  assisted.  To  his  estimable 
family  his  sudden  departure  from  their  midst 
could  not  be  measured  by  words;  but  the  gloom 
of  their  bereavement  has  been  followed  by  the 
sweet  memories  of  a  well-spent  and  spotless  life 
in  his  useful  and  worthy  achievements. 

On  September  25,  1870,  Mr.  Dunn  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Louise  Ann  Fisk,  of  Lock  Haven, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  who  are  still  living:  William  Arthur, 
now  a  civil  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road; Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in 
Boston;  Clarence;  and  Ada.  Socially,  the  fam- 
ily is  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  Lock  Haven, 
and  their  home  is  noted  for  its  warm-hearted 
hospitality. 


P.  DARRAH,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
The  Evening  News,  of  Renovo,  Clinton 
county,  was  born  October  6,  1872,  in  Pittsburg, 
Penn.  His  parents  moving  to  Renovo  when  he 
was  quite  young,  he  obtained  his  rudimentary 
education  in  the  schools  of  that  town.  In  1886 
he  became  a  student  at  St.  Vincent's  College, 
Latrobe,  Westmoreland  county,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  classical  and  commercial  course,  gradu- 
ating in  1 89 1  with  the  degree  of  M.  A.  After 
completing  his  college  courses,  he  entered  upon 
his  course  as  a  bookkeeper,  but  finding  the  duties 
of  a  commercial  life  incongenial  to  his  tastes,  he 
entered  upon  journalism.  His  first  newspaper 
work  was  done  at  Renovo,  upon  the  paper  which 
he  now  conducts,  and  later  he  filled  responsible 
positions  on  the  staffs  of  journals  in  the  cities  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  and  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In 
1896  he  returned  to  Renovo,  and  in  December,  of 
that  year  obtained  possession  of  The  Evening 
News,  the  only  daily  paper  published  in  Clinton 
county  outside  of  the  county  seat.  His  able 
management  of  The  News  redounds  to  Mr.  Dar- 
rah's  credit  as  a  newspaper  publisher,  and  his 
tact  and  energy  as  an  editor  have  given  Renovo 
a  clean,  fearless  journal,  which  has  become  in- 
despensable  in  this  community. 


|EV.  JOHN  O.  ADAMS,  who  is  now  prac- 
JLJL  tically  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Dunns- 
town,  Woodward  township,  Clinton  county,  was 
born  January  24,  1826,  in  Loganton,  Sugar  Val- 
ley, the  same  county,  and  has  devoted  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

His  grandfather,  William  Adams,  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  and  of  English  descent.  He 
grew  to  manhood  in  that  State  when  the  country 


was  still  under  British  rule,  and  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolutionary  war  enlisted  in  the  Conti- 
nental army  under  Washington,  valiantly  fighting 
for  liberty  until  independence  was  achieved  and 
the  colonies  were  recognized  as  free  States.  On 
leaving  his  native  State  he  removed  to  one  of  the 
southern  counties  of  New  York,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  some  time,  and  then  came  to 
Stroudsburg,  Monroe  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  follow  that  occupation  throughout  his 
remaining  years.  He  was  a  well-educated  man, 
and  took  a  just  pride  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
aided  in  establishing  this  most  glorious  republic 
of  ours.  He  married  a  Miss  Everett,  of  Scotch 
descent,  who  also  died  at  Stroudsburg,  and  to 
them  were  born  six  children:  William,  Benja- 
min, Joseph,  Jesse,  John  and  Margaret. 

William  T.  Adams,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  Monroe  county,  in  1794,  and,  as  there 
were  no  public  schools  in  that  locality  during  his 
boyhood,  his  education  was  limited  to  the 
knowledge  he  could  acquire  through  his  own 
unaided  efforts.  He  spent  much  time  in  the 
reading  and  study  of  the  Bible.  Until  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  home  farm,  and  then  learned  the  mill- 
wright's trade,  which  he  followed  in  his  native 
county  for  twelve  years.  In  1824  he  located  in 
Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county  (then  a  part  of 
Centre  county),  where  he  assisted  in  building  the 
first  gristmill,  and  continued  to  follow  his  chosen 
occupation  in  Clinton,  Centre,  Lycoming, 
Dauphin,  Lebanon  and  Schuylkill  counties,  Penn. , 
until  he  had  secured  a  comfortable  competence 
which  enabled* him  to  lay  aside  business  cares  in 
1864.  He  then  removed  to  Berrysburg,  Dauphin 
county,  where  he  lived  retired  at  the  home  of 
our  subject  until  called  to  the  world  beyond  in 
1874,  and  now  sleeps  the  sleep  of  the  just  in  the 
silent  graveyard  at  Berrysburg.  He  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  to 
which  his  wife  also  belonged,  and  was  an  ardent 
Republican  in  politics. 

In  Sugar  Valley  William  T.  Adams  had  wed- 
ded Miss  Mary  Miller,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Lebanon  county,  in  1802,  and  of  the  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  them  our  subject  is  the  oldest.  He 
was  followed  by  Angelina,  now  the  widow  of 
William  Sharer,  of  Lock  Haven;  Jesse,  of  Will- 
iamsport,  Penn. ;  Martha,  wife  of  B.  F.  Roden- 
baugh,  of  Muncy,  Lycoming  county;  Charles, 
who  died  from  the  effect  of  wounds  received  at 
the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  during  his  service 
in  the  Civil  war;  George;  Thomas,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Petersburg;  Rebecca,  wife 
of  Daniel  Pottiger,  of  Renovo,  Penn. ;  and  Har- 
riet, wife  of  Jonathan  Overholtzer,  of  Iowa.     The 


VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


m.'ther  survived  her  husband  for  son  dy- 

ing at  the  li  subject  in  Dunnstown  in 

and  her  remains  were  interred  t: 
The    only    education  which    our    subject    re- 
ceived w.is  obtained  by  three  months'  atti 
during   the  winti  n   at  the  public 

and    h<  !    to  walk  A    two 

miles  to  the   school    house.      His  summi 

!  to  farm  labor  ii  .alley,  where  he 

tinued    I  :   until    sixteen  y 

With  his  lather  lie  then  leai  millwright's 

trade,  which  he  foil  tie. 

Union,    Dauphin    and    other 

nties  in  the  sumi  >n,  while  the  winter 

nths  were  devoted  I 

his  own 
mind,  and  lia\  in  ne  a 

mil  ted  much   atten- 

t   theol<.i;,\ .      At    the 
twenty-two   he  1    to  pn  the 

United    Brethn  Ni        1 1    .land, 

Lancastei  I  I  Ins  tir-t  charge  was 

in   the    H  circuit,  Lykens  Valley,  Dauphin 

inty,  whi  ttended  to  the  spiritual  w 

of  the  | pie  for  three   .  uring  which  time 

hi    built   a   church   at   Lykenstown,    .mother    at 
Cr<  lathird  lis  Valley.   From 

una 
mission  and  located  at  Linglestown,  Middle  1 

townsh  inty,  where    i 

on*  nd   built  a  fine  brick 

church.     The  next  I  in  Lan- 

n, ,  whei 
rship  and   made  other   ii  ents  in   the 

church  pn  ;  there'  he  moved    ti  i 

High  Spire,  Dauphin  county,  where  he  made  his 

which  tin 

it  his  trade.       In 

wh  followin  l  in 

tion  with  farming  he  also  serve 

preacher. 

Mr.  Ad  made    his    home    in    Dunns- 

tov.  ■',  and  ha  I  in  market 

ling,  owning  and  i  >pi  ratii  ill  farm.      In 

■  I  by  t: 

il I,  causin  k>,  and   he  then 

moved  to  hi  where   he  contii 

to  follow   gardening       1 1 

iching   the  ■,  but  has 

local  minister,  and  has  1  the 

Unit*  d  1  Irethren  Church       1 
torical  power,  h  hing  has 

ive,  and  he  has  been  thi  l  bringin 

lis   to   Christ.      Since  the  the 

Republican  party  he  has  t  its  eari 

ad>  nd.  heir.  :  nee  Wi  U 


he  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Good  Templars, 
and  also  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity  and  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  lodge  at  Berrysburg,  in 
which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs.  No  man  in 
Clinton  county  is  more  highly  respected,  or  is 
more  deserving  the  high  r<  gard  in  which  he  is 
uniformly  held  than  Rev.  John  Q. 'Adams. 

In  1S50.  at  Berrysburg,  Mr.  Adams  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hannah  Forney,  a 
native  of  that  place,  and  a  daughter  md 

Margaret  1  Rumberger)  Forney,  the  former  born  in 
Mifflin  township,  Dauphin  county,  in  1 7 S  s ,  and 
the  latter  in    Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  in 

;.      The  father  received  a  good  German  t 
cation  in  his  native  county,  and  made  farming  his 
life    occupat  ning    and   operating    several 

farm-  in  Dauphin  count}',  at  different  tin 
three  of  which  were  in  Mifflin  township.  He  be- 
came finite  well-to-do,  was  widely  and  favorably 
known,  was  1  Republican  in  politics  and  a  mem- 
ber of  tl  il  Church,  to  which  his  fam- 
ily also  belonged.      He  died  in    Mifflin   township, 

iphin  county,  in  1873,  and  his  wife  in    1 
In    their     family    were    the    following    children: 
Catharine,  wife   of  William   Mettz,    of    Dauphin 
county;    Susanna,    wife    of    Adam    Zortman,    of 
Northumberland  county;    Mary,  wife  of  Ge> 

it-,  of  Northumberland  county;  Hannah,  wife 

ur  subject;  and  Daniel,  who  died  at  the 
.teen  y< 

en  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr 
Mrs.  Adams,  namely:  1  William  O.,  born. 
March  15,  [854,  in  Linglestown,  Dauphin  coun- 
ty, began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  county,  and  later  attended  the  Berrysburg 
nd  Lebanon  Valley  College.  He  is 
□  in  the  car  shops  at  Roanoke,  Va. 
He  married  Sarah  Rodenbaugh,  and  has  four 
children-    Dottie,  Alice,  Lillian  and    Daisy. 

ph  M  .  born  April  23,    [856,  died    in    March, 
rth    E.,    bom    in    High    Spire, 
inty,  December    27,   r86i,   attended 
the  Berrysburg  public  schools,  and  graduated  at 
the  Seminary  of  that  place  and  also  at  the  busi- 
llege    in    Lock    Haven.      He  has  taught 
100I,  but   is    now    a    traveling  in    for  a 

lumber  Lock  Haven.      He   married 

Lock  Haven,  Penn.     (4     U 
S.    Cram,  born   November    [9,   1 S65,  in   Berrys- 
burg, where  he  pursued    his  studies  in  the  public 

d  in  teaching  in 

Dunnstown  and    Beach  Creeks,    Clinton   county. 

rapher,  of    New   York  City. 

Lillian  M  Berrysburg,  was  edu- 

cated in  the  public  schools  of  Clinton  county  and 
in  the  Central  State    Normal   School,  where  she 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


583 


graduated  in  the  spring  of  1897.  For  eight  years 
she  was  successfully  engaged  in  teaching,  six  in 
Castanea  and  two  in  Lockport.  She  possesses 
an  excellent  voice,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  choir.  (6)  Mary  H. , 
born  in  Berrysburg,  was  a  student  in  the  public 
schools  of  Clinton  county,  and  the  high  school 
of  Lock  Haven.  She  was  married  in  the  latter 
place  in  1893  to  Mackey  C.  Fargus,  of  Dunns- 
town,  and  now  has  a  son,  Grant  E.,  born  in 
1 895.  (7)  Edith  E.,  also  born  in  Berrysburg, 
and  a  student  in  the  public  schools  of  Clinton 
county  and  the  high  school  of  Lock  Haven, 
graduated  in  1895  at  the  Central  State  Normal 
School,  and  has  taught  for  one  year  in  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county.  She  also  sings 
in  the  Methodist  Church  choir.  As  will  be  seen, 
the  children  have  all  been  provided  with  excel- 
lent educations,  are  now  filling  important  posi- 
tions in  life,  and  occupy  a  prominent  place  in  so- 
cial circles. 


WH.  DORNBLASER,  a  leading  agricult- 
urist of  Porter  township,  Clinton  county, 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  one  of  the  old 
Colonial  familes. 

Mr.  Dornblaser  is  of  the  fifth  generation  in 
direct  descent  from  Gotlieb  Dornblaser,  who 
came  from  Germany  before  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  located  in  Northampton  county,  Penn. 
This  honored  pioneer  had  a  son,  Paul,  who  had 
a  son,  John  (our  subject's  grandfather),  who  set- 
tled in  Nittany  Valley  at  an  early  date. 

Gideon  Dornblaser  (the  father  of  our  subject) 
was  born  July  21,  181 7,  and  was  but  a  boy  when 
his  parents  removed  to  this  section.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  Matthew  Riddle,  near 
Pleasant  Gap,  Centre  county,  but  his  youth  was 
mainly  spent  upon  his  father's  farm,  his  educa- 
tion being  limited  to  an  attendance  at  the  schools 
of  that  locality.  In  early  manhood  he  was  mar- 
ried near  Nittany  Hall  to  Miss  Catherine  Miller, 
who  was  born  January  7,  1824,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Eve  Miller.  After  his  marriage  he  set- 
tled at  the  old  homestead  with  his  father,  and, 
except  for  making  improvements  upon  the  farm, 
he  did  not  work  at  his  trade.  In  time  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  September  24, 
1866,  his  life  being  doubtless  shortened  by  a 
severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever  in  1855.  He  was 
of  ordinary  build,  weighing  148  pounds  usually, 
and  until  weakened  by  the  fever  he  was  a  most 
industrious  worker.  In  the  management  of  his 
farm  he  was  very  successful,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  his  wife's  economy  he    gained    a    hand- 


some competence,  being  regarded  as  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  the  neighborhood.  He  was 
prominent  in  local  politics  as  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  after  serving  creditably  in 
various  township  offices  he  was  elected,  in  1S60, 
count)'  commissioner.  While  he  held  firm 
opinions,  he  was  not  inclined  to  argue,  and  could 
always  keep  his  temper  in  a  discussion.  In  re- 
ligious work  he  was  active,, being  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  in  which 
he  held  offices  almost  constantly.  Although  his 
sympathies  were  readily  awakened  in  behalf  of 
any  movement  which  promised  benefit  for  the 
community,  his  home  and  family  constituted  his 
chief  interest.  On  November  28,  1861,  his  be- 
loved wife  passed  to  the  other  world,  and  their 
remains  now  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Snydertown. 
Our  subject  was  the  eldest  of  eight  children,  the 
others  being:  John  M.,  born  May  2,  1846,  is  a 
merchant  at  Valley  Falls,  Kans. ;  Benjamin  F. , 
born  June  4,  1848,  died  in  1855;  Mary  E.,  born 
August  25,  1849,  is  now  Mrs.  Jacob  P.  Krope, 
of  Porter,  Penn.;  Sarah  O,  born  February  3, 
1852.  married  W.  J.  Burrell;  Miss  Emma  J., 
born  July  24,  1855,  resides  at  Lamar;  Clara  E. , 
born  August  12,  1859,  died  May  28,  i860;  and 
Annuel  G.,  born  May  10,  1861,  is  a  Lutheran 
minister  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

W.  H.  Dornblaser  was  born  June  30,  1844, 
at  the  present  homestead,  and  his  education  was 
obtained  in  the  Washington  school,  at  what  is 
now  known  as  Lamar,  his  first  teacher  being 
Jane  Watson.  As  the  eldest  son  there  was  al- 
ways plenty  of  work  for  him  at  home,  but  his 
parents  desired  him  to  make  the  most  of  his  op- 
portunities and  sent  him  to  school  as  much  as 
possible.  He  has  resided  at  the  homestead  all 
his  life,  and  after  his  father's  death  he  bought  a 
half  interest  in  the  estate,  in  which  he  and  his 
sister,  Miss  Emma,  are  now  equal  owners.  The 
management  of  the  place  devolves  entirely  upon 
him,  however,  and  he  is  recognized  as  an  enter- 
prising and  successful  farmer. 

On  November  13,  1866,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  J.  Beck,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Beck, 
who  is  mentioned  more  fully  farther  on.  Four 
children  have  blessed  this  union,  all  of  whom 
are  living:  (1)  Arthur  S.,  born  August  20,  1867, 
was  educated  at  the  Lock  Haven  Normal 
School,  Susquehanna  University,  Selins  Grove, 
and  the  Boston  School  of  Music.  At  present  he 
resides  at  Hagerstown,  Md.  He  married  Miss 
Betty  Isminger,  of  Funkstown,  Md..  and  has  one 
child,  Madge.  (21  Catherine  E.,  born  Septem- 
ber 1,  1869,  an  attractive  young  lady  now  at 
home,  studied  at  the  Lock  Haven  Normal  School 
and  later   was  graduated    from    the  Seminary  at 


I  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rstown,  Md       [3     Dora  B.,  born   March  4, 
and  (4    Edith    I 
are  at  home.      Mr.  D  1    and   his  » 

prominent  me  the   Luthei  h,  in 

which  he  holds  tli  n,  and  hi 

he    A.  O.  U.  \\        -I.         Ha     n;  I 
( ,    I ...  and  tl  Po- 

litical!)  hi  l,   and  I 

■ 

Chari  1       I  '.1  th     t  ither    of  Mrs     1 ' 

,  D      imber  i| 

nthsand 
le  his  home  with  <>ur  sub- 
•    and  most  highly 
■  :    that   locality.      He   was 
M  2,  in  Walker  township,  Centre 

county,  ti  t  John  and   Elizabeth 

i    came  imily    which   has    long 

well-known  in   I  the  Mate. 

For  n  Iture, 

in   which    he    was  ver)  11       wife, 

Elizabeth  Smith,  who  rn  April  20,   181 1, 

Dunnsl  ty,  died  N 

bei   1  leeply  lamented  b)  a 

■  he  youngi  st.     H  ■  :11<  fonti  . 

and  Elizabeth  is  now  the  wife   "I  G    W    Smith, 

of  til- 


CHARLES  (  <  >RSS  st  mem- 

bers "I  the   legal   fraternity  in   tlu>   section, 

Haven   for 
hi  thirtj  ility  and 

ning  have  won  w  ide  recogniti 
Mi  ,j  the 

1      <  )n  the  paternal 
hi   1-  ol  the  sixth  gi  ,  t  line, 

ettledin  D 
in    1690,  and  died  ii  i 

beth  Catlin,  and  the)  h  Dur- 

k  of  Deerfii  Id,  in  1703    |    I 
1  then   the  w  idow  ol   the   , 

killed,  and 

irty 
h  and  In 

Jan  bi  'in   at    Di  1  rfield   in  1 

f  wealth  and  mi'  I  i 

iti  >l  huntei  and  ti  id  during  the  French 

and   Indian  w.u   1  His  O  >ur- 

and  public  spiril 
old  age  approached,  for  he  ; 
vati  unk.  1  Hill,  although 

he  was  at    that   time  eight)  I       1 1. 

■ii.l    Thankful    Munn,  and    their    -"ii   Ash 


I  -grandfather,     was     born    111 
Mass.,  in  1737,  and   became  a  suc- 
sful  farmer  there,  his  tine  old  homestead  bi 
still  in  the  possession  of  one  of  his  descendants 
1  1  married  Submit  Chapin,  and  their 
Asher  I  our  subject's  grandfather, 

was  born  in  Greenfield  in  1774,  and  died  in  [814, 
his  life  having  been  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He    married   Lucy  Grennell,  of  Greenfield,   and 
de  In-  home  at  that  place.      Our  subjects  fa- 
ther.   Rev.  *  Chapin  Corss,  was   born   at 
Id,    May  22,    1803.  and   received   an    ex- 
cellent education,  graduating  from  Amherst  Col- 
and  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton, 
N.  J.      !                 the  ministr)  of  the  Presbyterian 
he  continued  to  preach   the  Gospel  for 
many  yi                      I  his  life  being  spent  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  located   in    1835,  residing   at 
Km                hen   in  Athens,  and   finally  in   Smith- 
held.      He  attained  the  venerable  age  of  ninety- 
thn                  his  death  occurring  in  His 
wife,    Ann    Hoyt,    was    born    in     181 7,    in    Kiii-- 
I'enn.,  and  died  August  7.  1 S 5 1 .      She  was 
a    descendant  of    Simon    Hoyt,  who  settled    at 
.   Mass.,  in    1630.      Her  immediate  ances- 
tors were  residents  ol  Danbury,  Conn. ,  her  great- 
grandfather, (apt.   Comfort  Hoyt,  and  grandfa- 
ther, Daniel    Hoyt,  having  been  prominent  citi- 
Her  father,  Ziba  Hoyt,  was  born  in  Dan- 
bur},  but  removed  to  Kingston  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

1  harles  Corss  was  born  July  20,  1837,  at  the 

old  home  at  Kingston,  and   as  his   parents  fully 

reciated  the   value    of  a    good  education,  he 

given   every    advantagi    within   their  reach. 

During  boyh i  he  pursued   his  studies  at  home 

under  his    fathei  nice,  and    was   thus   pre- 

l  to  enter  th  imore  year  at  Lafayi 

I      ton,  1  Vim  .  where  he  was  gradu- 

as    the  valedictorian  of    his  class. 

In  1  ived  his  Master's  degn  the 

•   institution,  and  was  chosen    to  deliver  an 

oration.      For  two  years  he  held  the  position  of 

tnt"i  in  and  in   the  meantime  began 

study  of  law  with  Judge  Henry  D.    Maxwell, 

ol  Easton.     In  iS6ohe  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 

n  the  fall  of  the    same  year    he  located  at 

hi    has  1    ntinued  in  success- 

•'>>  I'  e.      In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 

Republican,  but   he    has   never    sought    01    I 

In  [862,  Mi  was   married    to  his   first 

w'fe.  Mi  Ann  Kennedy,  oi  Belvidere,  N. 

J  •  who  dii   I    April  7,   1880.      On  June  5,    1889, 
ima  Pollock,  daughter  of  ex- 
Philadelphia,    Penn.      Three 
cml  "i  to  the  first  marriage,  namely: 


-r~2^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


585 


Mrs.  J.  F.  McCormick,  of  Lock  Haven;  James 
Kennedy,  born  April  14,  1S69,  and  Sarah  Ann, 
who  was  born  in  1S80  and  died  in  the  same  year. 
One  son,  Charles  Pollock,  born  in  1892,  has 
blessed  the  second  union.  James  Kennedy  Corss, 
who  is  a  young  man  of  marked  ability,  was  grad- 
uated from  Amherst  College  and  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  now  practicing  medicine 
at  Newport  News,  Va.  On  April  24,  1895,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Susan  E.  Seay,  of  Cumber- 
land, Maryland. 

Socially,  our  subject  and  family  are  promi- 
nent, but  he  has  not  joined  any  secret  society 
since  his  college  days,  when  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  a  Greek  letter  society. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  since 
1869  he  has  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Church. 


EV.  JOHN  ELIOT  WRIGHT,  D.  D. ,  the 
beloved  pastor  of  the  Great  Island  Pres- 
byterian Church,  at  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, has  a  remarkable  ancestry,  being  descended 
in  both  paternal  and  maternal  lines  from  several 
generations  of  clergymen.  The  Wright  family 
originated  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  but  it  has 
been  identified  with  the  New  World  for  more 
than  two  hundred  years. 

Hon.   John  Wright,  the  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,    was  a    resident    of    Westmoreland 
county,  Penn.,  and  Rev.   John  Wright  (grandfa- 
ther of  Rev.   John  Eliot   Wright)   was  a  promi- 
nent minister  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  early  days. 
Rev.  Edward  W.  Wright,    D.    D.,   our  subject's 
father,  was   born  and  reared  at  Lancaster,  and 
when   a   young    man    entered    the    Presbyterian 
ministry,  locating  in  Indiana,  where  he  spent  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life.      He  died  in  1866,  and 
his   wife,    whose    maiden    name    was    Henrietta 
Swift,  passed  away  in    1895.     She  was  born  in 
Pittsburg.  Penn.,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Elisha  P. 
Swift,  D.  D.,  of  Allegheny.  Penn.,  and  a  grand- 
daughter of  Rev.  Seth  Swift,  of  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  whose   wife   was   a  direct  descendant   of 
John  Eliot,  the  "Apostle  to  the  Indian."     The 
Swifts  and  the  Eliots  are  of  English  extraction, 
but  both  families  have  been  in  America  for  about 
two    centuries.      Rev.    Edward   Wright   and  his 
wife  had  a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom  the 
following  are  living:  Williamson  S.,  of  Portland, 
Ore.;  John  E.,    our  subject;  Jeannette  E. ,  Ed- 
ward E.,  and  Mrs.  Lucy  H.  Gerwig,  all  of  Pitts- 
burg; and  E.  P.  Swift  Wright,  of  New  York. 

Dr.  John  Eliot  Wright  was  born  December 
17,  1842,  in  Lafayette,  Ind.,  and,  having  deter- 
mined upon  his  vocation  at  an  early  age,  he  ap- 
plied himself  diligently   to   study,    and  in    1S62 


was  graduated  from  Jefferson  College,  at  Can- 
onsburg,  Penn.      In  1864  he  was  licensed  by  the 
Logansport   (Ind.)    Presbytery,  and   in    1865    he 
completed   his  course  at  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Princeton,  N.  J.      On  December  27,  1866, 
his  ordination  took   place  at  Allegheny,  Penn., 
and  for  two  years   he  remained   there    as  a  co- 
pastor  with   Rev.    L.  L.  Conrad  in   the   Second 
Presbyterian   Church.      In    186S   he   accepted   a 
call  to  the  Church  at  Greenville,  Penn.,  and  from 
1874  to  1878  he  was  pastor  of  the   First  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Walnut  Hills,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
On  leaving  that  place  he  took  charge  of  a  Church 
at    Madison,    Wis.,    remaining   until    1882.      He 
then  spent  some  time  as  pastor   of   the  Jefferson 
Park  Church,  at    Chicago,  but   later   removed  to 
Philadelphia  and  on  April  25,  18S3,  was  installed 
as  pastor  of  the  Market  Square  Church,  at  Ger- 
mantown.      In  the  fall  of    1892,  feeling  the  need 
of    complete   relief  from   care,  he  resigned,  and 
after  resting   for   a  few   months,  he    assumed  his 
present  charge,  arriving  in  December,  1893,  and 
was  installed  in  October,  1894.      His  work  there 
and  elsewhere  has  been  rewarded  with  abundant 
success,  and  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  wherever 
he  is  known.      At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

In  1869  Dr.  Wright  was  married  to  Miss 
Ellen  M.  Kerr,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Annie 
(Bakewell)  Kerr,  of  Pittsburg,  and  three  children 
brighten  their  home:  "Mary  Swift,  Gifford  King, 
and  Naomi. 


HON.    J.  HARRIS  McKINNEY,   one   of   the 
__  distinguished    citizens    of  Clinton    county, 
now  serving    as    associate    judge,  and  a  leading 
representative    of   the   agricultural  interests,  has 
back  of  him  an  ancestry  honorable  and  eminent. 
He  is  a  representative  of  the  Scotch-Irish  ele- 
ment  that    forms  so  important    a    factor   in  our 
American  citizenship.     The  name  was  originally 
spelled  McKinnie,  and  the  family  was  founded  in 
America    by   the    great-grandfather,  Henry  Mc- 
Kinney,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  or  the  north- 
ern part  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  in 
1720,  settling  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  followed  farming.      He  was  married  and  had 
several   children,  including  Henry,   James,  John 
and    Mathew.      When     young    men    James    and 
Mathew  removed  to  Mercer  county,  Penn.     The 
great-grandfather   died   in   Dauphin  county,  and 
is  supposed  to    have   been    buried    in  the  historic 
graveyard   surrounding    Deny    Church,  in  which 
Church  he  was  a  consistent  member  and  faithful 
worker. 

His   son,   John    McKinney,  was    born  on   the 


S 


- 


C0MM1  VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


banks    ol    Swatara    river,  Dauphin    county,  and 

making  farn 
his  n  irried  in  his 

inty  to  I  nd  they  bei  ame  the 

!   in 

rchyard. 

Th  were  ]•  ibn,  who 

!  in  N<  irthumber- 
land  county,  Penn.;  James  Harris,  father  of  the 

I  ihn    Inn  I  >un- 

iunty;   Mathew,    . 

ship,  L)  ty;    and 

William,  wh  tree 

in  Northumberland  county.      The  grandfather  re- 

North- 

umberland  county,  in  t78o,   travelin  im, 

mi  wliu  h  id  in  Turbut 

tow  nsh  his  remains 

■■  ith  thosi  other  meml 

of  the  family  rry  churchyard.      He  sen 

in   1  tauphin  a  >unty, 
which  was  known  .1-  thi  ng  (Inn 

ins  with 
the  In- 
randfather,    with 
!  the  Warrioi    Run  Church,  in  Northum- 

\  Inch  tli 
I  hurch.      Hi  I    unflinching 

munity. 
ney,  father  ol  the  [ud 

phii  on    his 

father's  farm  ai 

which  h  |y  at  ho 

When  mm  1  joined  the  army 

I  did  dul  \    Y..  with 

Warrior    Run    Kill.  \       Hi  his 

warded    in   1 
nment. 
•  •in    to  N 

:    in  farming    for 
to  N'ittanj  \ 

inty,  on 
which    he    1 
dui  then 

wnship,  1 

I  basing  the   Myi 

II  ■'■'       '"  111.I  he   built 

thl  : 

more  than   |  .  burning  the   brick   u] 

own    land.      He    also    built   a    barn,     ind    n 
in. 0  .-Hi   impi  ,  develo] 

'    "  ■  fat     -   in    the   township.      I  fe 

in-  land  under  a  high  stal 

• 
■ 


|ames  Harris  McKinney  was  married  January 
1.  [818,  in  Northumberland  county,  to   Ruth  L. 
11,     who   was    born    in    Northumberland 
ity.  April    11,   1799,    a  daughter    of    Andrew 
id,  a  farmer  of  Northumberland  county, 
scotch-Irish  descent.    They  had  nine  children: 
|ohn,    deceased;    Esther    G.,   deceased    wife   of 
Robert  M.  Russell,  of   Dew  art.    Northumberland 
■  ty;  Nancy,   who  died    in  young  womanhood; 
Andrew   C,  a    miller  of    Pine    Creek    township; 
William  L. ,  who  died  at  the   age  of  twenty-two 
t    ne.  who  died   in  Nittany  Valley;  David 
F.,  a  physician  and  now  a  resident  of  Frederick 
City,  Md.,  and  a  surgeon  of  the  87th    Regiment 
during  the  Wai  of  the  Rebellion,  married  Mary, 
only  daughter  of  William  E.  Trego,  of  Baltimore, 
Md. ;  J.   Harris,  the   Judge;  and    Priscilla.  widow 
of  Oliver  P.  Montgomery,  of  Watsontown,  Nor- 
thumberland  county.      The  father  of  this  family 
>i  domestic    taste.-,  who  did    all  in  his 
power  to  promote  the   happiness  and   welfare  of 
his  family.      Realizing  the  value  of  education  he 
his  children  excellent  advantages  in  this  di- 
rection.     He  was  a  stanch  part}'  man  who  voted 
the  Whig  ticket  in  early  life   and   afterward    the 
Republican.      He  and  his  family  were  consistent 
s  of    the  Presbyterian  Church.      He  died 
at    the    old    homestead    March    14,     1S79.      His 
wife,  who  had  been  to  him  a  faithful  companion 
helpmeet    on   life's  journey  for    more    than 
fifty   years,  died    Julys,     l88o,    and    both    v 
buried  at  Jersey  Shore.      His  well -spent  life  won 
him    the  pect    of  all  with  whom   he 

came  in  contact,  and  his  ability  led  to  his  selec- 
tion forvarious  local  offices,  in  which  he  served 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. 

Judge  J.   Harris   McKinney    acquired   his  pri- 
lucation  in  the  district  schools  of  his  na- 
hip,    and  afterward   attended  the  high 
I  Jersey  Shore,  where  he  was  graduated. 
He  then  returned  to  the  farm  where  he  has  since 
II       tred  for  his  parents  in  their  old 
and  after  his   father's   death  took  charge  of 
the  hom  1    which   he   has  made  some 

nt  improvements.      He  is   one   of   the  ex- 
tensive tobacco    growers    in    this  section  of  the 
nty,  and    has   built    excellent    tobacco  sheds. 
I  as  one  <>f   the   most  progressive 
farmers   in   this  section    of    the    count)',  and    the 
the    place    well    indicates  his 
:  vision. 
On  August   12,    1S74,  in  Watsontown,  North- 
umberland county,  Judge  McKinney  was  married 
to  F  vho  was  born  in  that  county, 

!    Robert   and  Sarah  (Caldwell)  Mc- 
11   r  father  was  a  farmer  of  Northumber- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


587 


land  county,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction. 
Mrs.  McKinney  was  one  of  five  children,  and  by 
her  marriage  became  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren: Sarah  McKee  and  Ruth  Ferguson  are 
twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school  in  Jersey  Shore,  taking  first  honors 
in  the  class  of  '95,  and  is  pursuing  her  musical 
education,  while  the  latter  died  in  infancy;  and 
Hester  Graham  is  a  student  in  the  high  school 
of  Jersey  Shore.  The  mother  died  May  29, 
1886,  and  the  Judge  was  again  married  Novem- 
ber 21,  1888,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Ella  Leib,  of  Wellsboro,  Tioga  Co.,  Penn.,  a 
daughter  of  George  Leib,  a  merchant  of  that 
county.  Her  death  occurred  September  5,  1895. 
Both  of  his  wives  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Judge  McKinney  has  been  prominent  in  po- 
litical affairs  as  a  leader  of  the  Republican  forces 
of  his  township  and  county.  He  was  elected 
township  auditor  for  six  terms,  and  in  1S95  was 
elected  associate  judge  of  Clinton  county  by  a 
good  majority,  his  personal  popularity  and  his 
sterling  worth  winning  him  many  votes  of  the 
Democracy.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  is 
prompt,  reliable  and  true  to  the  trust  reposed  in 
him.  He  is  an  active  advocate  of  the  cause  of 
temperance,  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  elder 
and  steward,  and  in  the  Sunday-school  he  has 
acted  as  teacher.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  and 
has  not  only  advanced  along  financial  lines,  but 
has  developed  his  scholarly  tastes  by  extensive 
reading,  and  is  to-day  a  well-informed  man  on 
the  political  and  general  issues  which  claim  the 
public  attention.  To  his  family  he  is  an  indul- 
gent father,  and  with  him  friendship  is  inviolable. 
He  receives  and  merits  the  highest  regard,  and  is 
well  deserving  of  mention  among  the  honored 
citizens  of  Clinton  county. 


JUDGE  JAMES  W.  CRAWFORD.  Men  of 
marked  ability  and  strong  individuality  leave 
their  impress  upon  the  world  in  such  indeli- 
ble characters  that  time  is  powerless  to  obliter- 
ate their  memory  or  sweep  it  from  the  minds  of 
men.  Their  commendable  acts  live  long  after 
they  have  passed  from  the  scene  of  their  earthly 
career. 

Judge  Crawford  is  one  of  the  strong  charac- 
ters who  have  become  an  integral  part  of  the 
business  life  of  Clinton  county,  and  by  the  exer- 
cise of  his  powers  has  not  only  advanced  his  in- 
dividual prosperity,  but  has  contributed  to  the 
welfare  of  the  county.  He  has  filled  public  po- 
sitions  of  honor    and    trust  in  a  most  creditable 


manner,  and  has  won  the  utmost  regard  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He  is  now 
one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Chapman 
township,  was  born  October  15,  1832,  near 
Chatham  Run,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  while  his  father,  James  Allison  Crawford, 
was  a  native  of  Wayne  township,  the  same 
county,  a  son  of  Robert  Crawford  and  a  brother 
of  the  late  Judge  George  Crawford,  an  old  settler 
of-  Pine  Creek  township.  The  father  obtained 
only  such  an  education  as  the  subscription  schools 
of  his  daj'  afforded,  and  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Wayne  township.  When  a  young  man 
he  removed  to  the  present  site  of  Charleston, 
Pine  Creek  township,  where  he  purchased  a 
small  tannery  and  engaged  in  its  operation  until 
1 S37,  when  he  bought  the  Duncan  farm  in  that 
township,  improving  and  cultivating  the  same 
for  ten  years.  In  1S47  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Lock  Haven  and  embarked  in  mer- 
chandising, which  business  he  successfully  carried 
on  until  1855,  when  he  sold  out  and  returned  to 
his  farm  in  Pine  Creek  township.  In  1862  he 
rented  the  place  and  again  moved  to  Lock  Haven, 
where  he  engaged  in  lumbering  a  short  time 
and  lived  retired  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  that  city,  August  12,  1884,  his  remains  being 
interred  in  Highland  cemetery.  He  and  his 
family  were  consistent  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  stalwart 
Democrat,  but  no  politician  in  the  sense  of  office- 
seeking. 

In  Pine  Creek  township,  James  Allison 
Crawford  was  married  to  Miss  Tabitha  White, 
who  was  born  in  that  township,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Whitesall)  White,  the 
former  of  English  descent.  Eight  children  were 
born  of  this  union,  namely:  Robert,  who  died 
in  1878;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  R.  R.  Bridgens, 
of  Lock  Haven;  James  W. ;  Charlotte,  who  died 
in  childhood;  Emma,  wife  of  Alexander  McDon- 
ald, of  New  York  City;  George,  who  resides  on 
the  old  homestead;  Thomas  E.,  a  contractor,  of 
Lock  Haven;  and  Isabella,  wife  of  S.  Peck,  of 
West  Virginia.  The  mother  died  in  Lock  Ha- 
ven in  1890,  and  was  also  buried  in  Highland 
cemetery. 

Judge  Crawford  began  his  education  in  an  old 
log  schoolhouse  supplied  with  plank  benches  and 
other  primitive  furniture,  having  for  his  teachers 
Alexander  Hamilton  and  a  Mr.  Walters.  After 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Lock  Haven,  he 
continued  his  studies  in  the  public  schools  dur- 
ing the  winter,  while  during  the  summer  months 
he  worked  in  his  father's  store,  and  in  his  em- 
ploy also  spent  one  year  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Clearfield  county.      In  1S50  he  came  to  North 


VORATH  BAPHWAL  RECORD. 


(then    known    as    \  Womanstown) 

worked    in   the  genera  of  his 

father   ami   Michael   •  and    also    1 

of  his   father,   re- 
maining in  their  for   four   years,  during 
which  time  he   mana  some   •■ 
1 1  <    then   purchased  his  father's  interest   in  the 
for  $1,300,  and,  in  partnership  with   Mr. 
Quigl                       n   business  until   in    [861  with 
I  le  then  turned  his  attentii  m   to 
the   lumber   business,  buying  timber  and  1 
ing  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  shipping  it 
to  different  points,  and  in  this  enterprise  he  was 
connected  with  Gammel,  White  &  1 
era]  years,      I  le  is  still  intei 

nt  farm  in  Chapman  township   is 
I  ol   117  acres  which  he  pun  hased  in 
On  ti  ted  a  a  imfortable 

where  he  continues  making  his  ! 
surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
luxui  life,     which    ha.  tained 

through  Ins  own  individual  effort,  sound  judg- 
ment, ai  ability. 

In    1  s ; 4 ,  .it    North    Bend,  Mr.  Crawford  was 
married  to  Miss    Frances  A.  Q  a  native  of 

that  1  Michael  Quig 

prominent  merchant,  lumberman  and  farmer,  who 
f  German  and  Irish  descent.     Tothemwere 
Emma,  \\  i  Samuel  W. 

at   home;  Lottie  McD.,  wife 
ink   Ransdorf,    and    [ames,   Ann 
I  whom  died  in  childhood.     The 

family  of  prominem  the  center  of 

■I  friend  quaintances,      Be- 

in    ardent    1  t,    Mr.   Crawford    was 

i.  that  ticket,  in   1 
Clinton   county,  and   so  satisfactorily  did 
the  term  of  five  years  that  in  1890  he 

u.is  again  the  nominee  "I  his  party,  and  v. 

I  by  the   Republican  party,  which   made 
ainst  him,  ti  gain,  thus 

beiiu  without  oppi  ;  which  in- 

sularity    and    t! 
trusl  in  him  by  hi  Foi 

he  served  r  in  Chap- 

man township,  and  at  the  same  tii 
as  auditor,  but  after  the  law  « 

from  holding  the  two  1  once, 

signed    the  latter.      Ik 
Hav<  nI  ,,  F.  &  .\.  M.  ;  Lock  I 

P.  B.  O.  E.,  and  with  his  fam- 
il\  1-  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  His 
een  well  -pent,  marked  bj  integrity  in 
business  relations  and  fidelity  to  ever)  duty, 
public  or  private.  His  sterling  worth  has  gained 
him  the  uniform  regard  of  all.  and  Clinton  1 
I  to  number  him  among  her  1 


ALVA  S.  GROW,  the  efficient  and  popular 
-ter  and  recorder  of  Clinton  county, 
with  residence  at  Lock  Haven,  is  a  native  of 
the  county,  born  July  28,    1856.  at  Mill  Hall. 

Mathias  Grow,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 

lier  in  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C,   1  ;,_th   P.  Y.  I.,  and  died  in  December, 

j,  in  Findlay  Hospital,  Washington,  District 
of  Columbia. 

Alva   S.  Crow    received  his  education   in  the 

iiers'  Orphan  Schools  of  the  State,  for  a  time 
ne  at  McAlisterville,  Juniata  county. 
In  October,  [872,  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Clinton  Democrat,  where  he  passed  three  years, 
learning  the  printing  trade  and  assisting  the  edi- 
tor, Hon.  J.  C.  C.  Whaley,  with  the  local  de- 
partment of  the  paper.  In  October.  1  S 7 7 ,  Mr. 
Grow  became  a  member  of  the  Journal  Associa- 
npany  with  Ira  M.  Harvey,  John  T. 
Noble  and  H.  Byxbe,  in  which  he  continued  un- 
til the  spring  of  [878,  when  he  went  to  Belle- 
fonte,  becoming  local  editor  of  the  Bellefonte  Re- 
publican.     In    February,    1879,    he  was  elected 

stant  burgess  on  the  same  ticket  with  (now) 
D.  H.  Hastings,  who  was  elected  chief 
burgess,  and  he  remained  at  Bellefonte  until  July 
1,  1879,  when  he  returned  to  Lock  Haven  and 
purchased  the  Journal  newspaper  establishment. 
Mr.  Crow  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  person  to  introduce  printing  by  steam  in 
Clinton  county,  and  at  the  same  time  was  the 
owner  of  the   most  rapid    press  in  the  county, 

n  to  the  present  time.  In  December,  1883, 
the  Journal  fixtures  were  sold  to  a  New  York 
party,  and  for  a  time  our  subject  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  in  Philadelphia.  In  the  spi 
of  1884  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Georv-  T.  Bisel  &  Co.,  publishers  and  booksell- 
if  Philadelphia,  remaining  with  the  firm  un- 
til May,  1889,  when,  selling  out  his  interest 
tlun  in.  he  returned  to  Lock  Haven,  and  at  once 

red  tin  office  of  Charles  M.  O'Connor,  as 
general  manager  of  that  gentleman's  extensive 
busim 

In  August.  [891,  Mr.  (.row  received  the  nom- 
ination of  the  Republican  party  for  register 
recorder  of  Clinton  county,  and  at  the  Novem- 
f  that  year  was  elected  by  a  major- 
ity ol  582,  In  1894  he  was  re-elected,  and  was 
thus  serving  his  second   term,  when,  in  October. 

7,  he  wa  ted   State  bank  examiner  by 

Gov.  Hastings,  and  at  once  assumed  the  duties 
of  I'  He  has  been  actively  identi- 

fied with  the  efforts  to  establish  new  enterprises 
'»  Lock  and   in  every   matter  pertaining 

e  of  the  county  he  has  given  much 
time.      Mr.    Crow    is    a    trustee    of    the    Central 


/VL.   &  *&r&u>s 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


589 


Normal  School,  a  director  of  the  Lock  Haven 
Library,  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  president  of  the  Lock 
Haven  Business-Men's  Club. 

In  September,  1883,  our  subject  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  W.  Cummings,  a  most  estimable 
Christian  woman,  who  died  in  December,  1895, 
leaving  to  survive  her  a  son. 


DANIEL  QUIGGLE,  Esq.,  who  has  been  for 
__ '  twenty  years  past  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
and  for  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  is  one 
of  the  oldest  citizens  of  that  locality,  and  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  know  him.  One 
remarkable  fact  in  connection  with  his  long  pub- 
lic service  is  that  no  appeal  has  ever  been  taken 
from  his  court,  and  this  speaks  volumes  for  the 
impartiality  and  wisdom  which  have  so  com- 
pletely won  the  confidence  of  the  people. 

Squire  Quiggle  was  born  August  27,  1818,  at 
the  old  family  homestead  on  the  banks  of  the 
Susquehanna  river,  in  the  same  township  in 
which  he  now  resides.  He  was  the  eldest  child 
of  George  Quiggle  and  his  second  wife,  Cather- 
ine (Strayer)  Quiggle,  who  are  more  fully  men- 
tioned elsewhere.  The  family  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  locality  from  an  early  day,  and  our 
subject's  brothers,  Jacob,  Robert  C,  Thomas, 
and  Richard  (now  deceased),  all  settled  in  the 
vicinity.  The  Squire  was  educated  in  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  his  boyhood  days,'  the  house 
being  built  of  logs  and  furnished  with  plank 
benches  and  slab  desks.  His  attendance  was 
limited  to  three  months  in  winter,  as  his  father 
needed  his  help  at  home  in  clearing  and  grub- 
bing the  timber  land  which  he  had  purchased  for 
a  homestead,  and  in  the  other  work  of  the  farm. 
Until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-six  the 
Squire  remained  at  home;  but  in  1844  he  was 
married  in  Wayne  township  to  Miss  Delilah 
Matter,  and  on  assuming  this  new  responsibility 
he  engaged  in  work  on  his  own  account,  secur- 
ing employment  on  the  canal,  which  was  then 
being  constructed.  Two  summers  were  spent  in 
this  way,  the  winters  being  devoted  to  lum- 
bering in  the  woods,  and  then  he  removed  to 
Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  where 
he  conducted  for  five  years  the  hotel  known 
as  the  "Half-way  House."  The  year  following 
was  passed  at  Jersey  Shore,  but  in  1856  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  township  and  settled  upon 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  an  excel- 
lent manager,  and  his  property  has  greatly  im- 
proved under  his  care,  a  comfortable  residence 
with  barn  and  other  outbuildings  having  been 
built  by  him.     During  all  this  time  he  was  more 


or  less  interested  in  buying  and  selling  grain  and 
lumber,  and  for  forty-six  years  he  was  a  pilot  on 
the  Susquehanna  river,  being  employed  at  vari- 
ous times  in  taking  "arks"  and  rafts  from  Lock 
Haven  to  Marietta  and  Columbia,  Penn.  In 
1892  he  retired  from  active  business,  but  not- 
withstanding his  many  years  of  toil  he  is  still 
hale  and  hearty,  few  young  men  possessing  his 
strength. 

Politically,  the  Squire  is  a  Democrat  of  the 
deepest  dye,  having  voted  the  party  ticket  since 
Van  Buren's  candidacy.  In  1878  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  served  continuously 
since  that  date,  settling  many  disputes  satisfac- 
torily. During  this  time  he  has  solemnized  two 
marriages.  At  different  periods  he  has  been 
called  to  fill  other  offices,  and  he  has  served  as 
judge  of  election,  township  assessor,  and  tax  col- 
lector, holding  the  latter  position  three  years. 

Our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  have  had 
five  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  adult  age:  (1) 
Catherine  married  Joseph  Shuler,  of  Lykens, 
Penn.,  and  they  have  two  children — Michael  and 
Maude.  (2)  Daniel  A.,  a  mechanic  at  McKees- 
port,  Penn.,  married  Miss  Anne  Hahndice,  and 
has  had  five  children — Louise,  Martha,  Grace, 
Dora,  and  Edna.  (3)  Michael  S. ,  an  employee 
of  the  National  Pipe  Line,  married  Miss  Carrie 
Probs,  of  Woodward  township,  Clinton  county, 
who  died  in  Wayne  township,  leaving  no  chil- 
dren. (4)  Robert  T. ,  a  resident  of  Beech  Creek, 
Penn.,  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  and  has 
had  eight  children — Stewart,  Jane,  James,  John, 
Scott,  Guy,  Tissie,  and  one  whose  name  is  not 
given,  who  died  at  an  early  age.  (5)  Binnie, 
who  died  in  1887,  was  the  wife  of  R.  Overdorf, 
of  Nippenose  Valley.  Squire  Quiggle  and  his 
family  are  Methodists  in  religious  faith,  and  for 
many  years  he  has  been  a  leading  member  of  the 
Church  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Mrs.  Quiggle,  with  whom  our  subject  has 
now  spent  more  than  a  half  century  of  happy 
wedded  life,  was  born  February  10,  1S24,  in 
Lykens  Valley,  Dauphin  county,  Penn.  Her 
grandfather,  John  Matter,  a  native  of  Germany, 
located  there  at  an  early  date,  purchasing  land 
for  a  homestead  where  he  and  his  wife,  whose 
name  is  not  now  recalled,  passed  their  remaining 
years.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  reared  their  family  in  that  faith. 
George  Matter,  Mrs.  Quiggle's  father,  was  born 
at  the  old  home  in  Lykens  Valley,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  both  English  and  German  in  the  schools 
of  the  locality,  being  especially  well-read  in  the 
latter  language.  Although  he  was  a  cooper  by 
trade  he  followed  farming  throughout  his  life, 
and  in  1838  he  removed  from  his  native  place  to 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


'.    Iley.  Clinton  county,  where  he  resided 

He  tip  n  settled  in  Si i  Valley, 

Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  making  a  perm 
;  ,    and    his   death    occurred    there    in 

Politically  he  was  alw  lys  a    Dem  icrat,  and,  like 
rents,  he  remain  Iherent  of 

thi    Luthei   n  Church      1 1  !'i  Ly- 

They 

who  died   in    Lykens 

y;    |onathan,  a  merchant  at  Lykens;   May, 

township, 
Hunt  mntj  .  I  hus- 

band,  |ames  Helli  !   in  the  Civil  war; 

and.  Delilah,  the  v  Mrs   I 

inly    (our  '.\  hen   shi 

i  Linton   county.     SI.  d  a  good 

i     and 
m   that   lanf  nd   she  -  I  nglish 

l  h      tudy  oi  the  Bible 
and    she    has   n  ad   thi     entire    volume    thi 

tament     thirty-two 
Although   m  •  from  rheuma- 

has  always  been  an  active  worker,  be- 
ing 'I  has  the  repu- 

township. 


RICHARD   ARMS!  RONG,   M.    D.,  ol  Lock 
nd(  '1  from 
promim  i  w  hi  ise  hist'  u 

interesting.  In  the  belt  of  country  in  the  south- 
ern part  "f  Scotland  near  the  border  of  England 
and  now  embraced  in  the  counties  "l  Dumfries 
and  Roxburgh,  once  dwi  I  re- 

;>h   lowland    families,  an: 
whom  were  the  i  lans  Johnston,  Elliot,  Doug] 

well,  (  hrisholm  and  Am  ind  ol  these 

the  clan  Ai  hich  the  subject  of  this 

worthy  the 

t  noted,  most  numerous,  and  most  powerful. 

I    onard     M.    Morrison     in    his     "Rambles    in 

of  the  h  lily  in  an 

interesting    style,  and   we    will    borrow  liberally 

;ion   of  countn 
the  "D( 
in  Scotland  it  wa  I  to  the  claims  of  England. 

It  was  often  overrun  by  the  am 

dom,  and   - itimes  stripped  and  despoiled  1a 

both,  and  by  thi  ndi- 

tionsand  the  I  n  which  they 

were  plait  d  b\  the  lawl  ge,  they 

wen-  forced  t"  resort  to  ■  xpedientsnot  justifia 
in  a  more  enlighten  sting  to 

•   the  origin  and  antiquity  ol  the  name  Arm- 
strong, as  it  was  without  doubt  conferred  upon 
le  individual  physical  strength  or  ti i 

p    in    perpetual    remembrance    some  act 


•tion  and  bravery.      This  supposition  is  sus- 
tained   b)    the    tradition    that  a    Scottish    King 

ing  his  horse  killed  under  him   in  battle  was 
immediately  remounted  by  Fairbairn,  his  armor- 
bearer,  who  took  the  king  by  the  thigh  and  set 
him  on  his  saddle.    For  this  timely  assistance  the 
king  rewarded  him  with  lands  on  the  border  and 
pellation  of  Armstrong,  assigning 
him  for  a  crest  a  mailed  hand  or  arm,  in  the  left 
hand  a  leg  or  foot  in  armor,  couped  at  thi 
all  proper      This  crest  is   borne  at  the  present 
branches   of  the  family.     It   was 
borne  in  the  county  of  Cumberland.  England,  in 
[235,  and  at  Berwick  on  Tweed   in    1335.      The 
an  ancient  one,  and   is  found  spelled   in 
forty-four  different  ways.      Letters  of  safe' con- 
ducl  i  anted  to  William  Armstrong  in  1 

and  1363.  It  is  not  till  [376  that  any  of  the 
name  can  be  identified  as  belonging  to  Liddens- 
dale,  in  the  "  Debatable  Country,"  but  they  may 
have  been  there  many  years  before.  Soon  after 
1376  Alexander  and  David  Armstrong  are  men- 
tinned  in  the  family  record:  Robert  Armsti 
and  Margaret  Temple,  his  wife,  being  in  posses- 
portion  ol  a  m.inorinThorpe,  England, 
m  [377 

Mangetton  castle  was  an  important  seat  of 
the  Armstrongs  and  the  residence  of  Thomas 
Armstrong,  the  chief  of  one  of  its  branches,  and 

her  of  Johnnie  Armstrong,  of  Gilmockie. 
The  original  deed  of  the  family  having  been  lost 

I,  the  towns  and  lands  were  re-grant 
by  Francis,  Earl  of  Bothwell,  to  Launcelot  Arm- 
strong on  October  9,  1586,  and  remained  in  pos- 
;ion  of  his  descendants  till  about  1730.  It 
stood  on  the  southwest  bank  of  the  Liddel  river, 
about  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Carlisle,  Ei 
land,  and  its  ruins  can  still  be  seen.  Another 
important  seat    of   the   family   was  at  the  "  Hol- 

-  "  in  Cannobie.  on  the  bank  of  or  near  the 
river     Hsk.      Here     dwelt    Johnnie     Armstroi 

lied  "  <  lilmockie,"  a  celebrated  bor- 
der Chieftain  who  caused  both  the  English  and 
the  Scottish  people  considerable  trouble.  He  was 
treai  j   taken    prisoner  with    many    of  his 

iners  in  1530,  by  King  James  V.  of  Scotland, 
and  he  and  thirty-five  of  his  men  were  hanged  at 
■no  is  still  a  familiar  one  upon 
the  border  and  in  the   border  poetry.      Many  of 
the  Arm  repose  in  the  old  cemetery    of 

Castleton,   and'  monument  we   find  the 

name   of   the  Rev.   Robert  Armstrong,  who    died 
April  16,  1732,  enty-two.      He   \\ ,. s  the 

father  ol  Dr.  John  Armstrong,  a  somewhat  noted 
physician  and  p<  ndon,  whose  writings  can 

ound    in  the  Linen    Hall    Library  in    1 

tnd.      There   are  also  stones  erected  to  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


591 


memory  of  Rev.  William  Armstrong  and  to 
Robert  Armstrong,  "  shepherd,"  thus  denoting 
his  occupation,  as  is  common  in  the  old  burial 
places.  The  "  Willhelm  Cross"  was  erected  in 
memory  of  some  Armstrong  as  early  as  1350. 

The  Clan  Armstrong  in  its  palmiest  days 
(about  1528)  numbered  with  its  adherents  up- 
wards of  three  thousand  horsemen,  and  the  dis- 
ruption of  the  clan  came  about  1530.  The  race 
is  not  numerous  in  the  locality  in  which  it  origi- 
nated; yet  many  members  of  it  are  found  in  Eng- 
land; great  numbers  in  Ireland,  and  not  a  few  in 
the  United  States  and  the  British  provinces.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  every  person  of  the  name 
Armstrong,  who  rightfully  bears  that  name,  is 
descended  from  the  powerful  clan  on  the  border 
of  the  "  Debatable  Country."  Among  the  man}' 
prominent  men  of  the  name  on  this  side  of  the 
blue  sea,  may  be  mentioned  George  W.  Arm- 
strong, Esq.,  of  Brookline,  Mass.,  and  Gen.  S. 
C.  Armstrong,  president  of  Hampton  Institute, 
Virginia.  Another  member  of  the  clan  who  de- 
serves especial  mention  is  Rev.  Richard  Arm- 
strong, our  subject's  uncle,  for  whom  he  was 
named.  For  many  years  he  was  a  missionary  in 
the  Sandwich  Isles,  and  did  much  good  among 
the  natives  of  that  far-off  land. 

The  branch  of  the  family  to  which  our  sub- 
ject belongs  became  identified  with  Pennsyl- 
vania at  a  very  early  day.  James  Armstrong, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  resident  of 
the  State,  and  James  Armstrong  (2),  our  sub- 
ject's father,  passed  his  life  within  its  borders, 
following  surveying  and  teaching.  He  was  a 
quiet,  unassuming  citizen,  but  he  was  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  died  in 
1 87 1 ,  and  his  wife,  Mary  Reader,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  died  in  1870.  The}' had 
five  children  (three  sons  and  two  daughters), 
and  of  those  three  are  now  living:  Dr.  Arm- 
strong, who  is  the  eldest  of  the  survivors,  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below;  George  B.,  residing  in 
Troy,  Penn. ;  and  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Morgan,  of  Troy,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Richard  Armstrong,  of  this  review,  was 
born  June  15,  1832,  at  McEwensville,  Northum- 
berland Co.,  Penn.,  and  received  his  literary  ed- 
ucation in  the  academy  at  that  place.  From  an 
early  age  he  had  a  clear  perception  as  to  his 
proper  vocation,  and  at  sixteen  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  R.  H.  Wat- 
son, of  McEwensville.  In  1850  he  entered  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1854,  and  at  once  engaged  in 
practice  there,  in  partnership  with  his  preceptor. 
In  1856  he  removed  to  Lock  Haven,  and  has 
since  been  continuously  engaged  in  practice  there, 


his  forty-one  years  of  earnest  professional  work 
making  him  the  senior  practitioner  of  that  lo- 
cality. His  skill  and  ability  are  widely  recog- 
nized, and  he  takes  a  prominent  part  in  various 
professional  organizations,  being  a  member  of 
the  Clinton  County  Medical  Society,  and  a  per- 
manent member  of  the  State  Medical  Society, 
and  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  He 
was  elected  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  State 
Medical  Society  at  its  meeting  in  Philadelphia 
May,  1894,  and  at  present  he  is  one  of  the  vice- 
presidents  of  the  Alumni  of  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.  He  has  also  served  on 
the  Board  of  Pension  Examiners,  and  his  advice 
and  influence  are  valued  in  lines  outside  of  his 
profession,  as  he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Lock  Haven  ever  since  it  was 
founded.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian, 
and  has  served  for  many  years  as  an  elder  in  the 
Church  at  Lock  Haven.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  has  held  himself  aloof  from  the 
partisan  strife  and  from  the  scramble  for  official 
honors. 

On  November  3,  1857,  he  married  Miss 
Mary  Fenton  Kintzing,  daughter  of  Tench  Kintz- 
ing,  Sr.,  and  a  member  of  an  old  Philadelphia 
family.  She  passed  away  May  24,  1894,  leav- 
ing four  children:  Carrie  K.,  wife  of  F.  J. 
Duffner,  of  Allegheny  City,  Penn. ;  Miss  M. 
Gertrude,  who  is  at  home;  William  N.,  a  med- 
ical student,  and  Miss  Mary  E.,  now  at  home. 


JOHN  DORNBLASER,  a  venerable  octogen- 
arian   and    retired    agriculturist    residing   at 
Lock    Haven,     Clinton   county,    bears     the 
name  of  a  family  that  through  generations  have 
played  an  honorable  part  in  the  history  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Gotlieb  Dornblaser,  his  great-grandfather, 
came  to  this  country  before  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  located  in  Lower  Nazareth  township, 
Northampton  county.  He  had  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely:  Paul  died  in  North- 
ampton county;  John  died  in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Stein- 
inger  died  near  Bath,  Penn. ;  Mrs.  John  Fogle 
lived  near  Foglesville,  Penn.;  and  Mrs.  Shaffer 
died  in  Ohio.  Of  these,  Paul  (the  grandfather  of 
our  subject)  had  nine  children,  seven  living  to 
old  age.  Two  died  in  infancy.  The  seven  were: 
Joseph,  Thomas,  Mary,  Benjamin,  Jacob,  John, 
and  George.  Of  these,  John  Dornblaser  (the 
father  of  our  subject)  was  born  January  14, 
1787,  in  Lower  Nazareth  township,  Northamp- 
ton county,  and  on  March  22,  1812,  in  the  same 
county,  was  married  to  Catherine  Lawall,  born 
July    16,   1788,    a   daughter   of    William   H.  and 


VMEMORA  TI7B  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


abeth    (Naulin     Lawall,    and   their  children 

ry   21,    1  lui 

:  n     July     21,     181 

ust 
14, 

■    Willia 
nship;    Benjamin,    b 
went  ti  i  llln.  var  of  the  I 

lion,  lived  at  Joliet,  later  in  Shelby  county,  and 

I        I   ' 
the-  md 

D  the  war  of     1812  he 

iny  from  his  sect! 
■  >l  the  Mate  that  went  to  oppose  the  advance 
the  British   on    Philadelphia       5        iquently  I 

>in  in  the  Mate  militia.      He 
■  irmer  in  1 
lived  until  in  April.  [831,  when  he  came  to  that 
Nittany    Valley,  which    is    n<»w    Porter 

his 
1  from  the  Watson  heirs.      He  became 
the  leading  men  ol  the  1  vas  always 

to  the  fi  the  welfare 

of    the    peo] 

nty  conn  He  was  active  in  Church 

is,  and  his  influi  t.    His 

death  occur  the   homestead,  <  >ctober  17, 

.',  and  that  1  il   hi  ice, 

both  arc  buried  in  Snydertown 

inty.     They  were   mem- 

ical    Lutheran    Church.      In 

Mi    1 1  i  nblaser  1  »i  mocrat. 

|ohn  1  lornbl  •  in   De- 

N  t-areth   township, 

thampton  count}      1  fe  w  1  m, 

and  ith  In-  1  the  lands  m  Porter 

1  which  t;  ted      The  journey 

ide  in   a   white  n    drawn    by 

they  were  six   'lays  on   the  road. 

Though  onlj  I   the  time,  Mr.  Dornbla 

the  trip.    The  coun- 
tr\  here  was  then  new,  and  the   ■ 

rd  manj  ad\  11 

wed   [arming  until    1879,  when  he  came  to 

tive  life.      In 

;  ried  ti  1   Mar}   M    Barthi  ilomew, 

a  native  of  Clinton   county,    born  October   17. 

itherine 
t    Barthi  Their  - 

ben,  Sarah  and  Emanuel  dii  d  in  infa 
W.  is  a  fanner    "l    I  '.nship.    Henry  is  a 

Lutheran  ministi  ngfield,  Oh  C. 

died  in  childhood;  and  Harrii  I  I         now  Mrs.  J. 
H.    Line  ton,    Penn.     Our  subject. 

r  his  marriage  and   until   he  came  to   Lock 
11   ■  ■  :..    resided   on   what   is   known  as  the 

rin       He  has  at  this  tin  all 


tract  of  land  in  the  borough  of  Flemington,  w  hich 
he  farms.  He  is  remarkably  well-preserved  for 
a  man  of  his  years,  retaining  his  mental  faculties 
almost    unimpaired.       He    has    been    an    active 

en,    industrious  and  economical,  and   now   is 

fortably  situated,  and  lives  in  ease  and  hap- 
-urrounded  by  a  family  of  which  he  is 
justly  proud.  He  has  served  as  county  auditor, 
ducting  the  affairs  of  the  office  in  a  most 
business-like  manner.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Lutheran  Church,  to  which  he  has  been  a  liberal 
contributor.      In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Referring  again  to  the  Lawall  family.  Will- 
iam H.,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 

of  German  extraction,  and  resided  on  the 
Easton  and  Bethlehem  road  in  Northampton 
nty.  He  kept  a  tavern  at  Farmersville  in 
that  county.  He  was  one  of  several  children. 
among  whom  were:  Michael;  one  that  married 
J.din  Brown  and  resided  at  Stroudsburg,  Penn.; 
one  that  married  Christian  Brown  and  resided  at 
Nazareth,  Penn. ;  one  that  married  John  Snyder 
and  resided  in  Walker  township,  Centre  county; 
and  one  that  married  a  Mr.  Boyer  and  lived  near 
Farmersville.  The  children  of  William  Lawall  and 

.  Elizabeth  Naulin,  were:  Daniel  W.,  Will- 
iam. Pi  '  Michael,  George,  Mrs.  Erdman,  Mrs. 
Glour-e,  Mrs.  Cole,  Mrs.  Towmend,  Mrs.  Roth- 
rock,  Mrs.  Suable,  and  Mrs.  John  Dornblaser. 


WILSON     KISTLER.      For    nearly  thirty 
is  Mr.   Kistler  has   been    prominent ly 
identified  with  the   business  and  social  interests 
t  Lock  Haven, Clinton  count}-.  At  the  head  of  one 
e  city's  greatest  industries  for  so  many  years 
and  a  long  period  of  service  as  one  of  the  direct- 
of  the  First   National  Bank,  he   has  gained  a 
reputation  as  a  financier  and   safe   business  man 
enjoyed  by  tew. 

phen    Kistler.  his  father,  was   born  Octo- 
ber   5 1,   1S14,    at    Kistlers  Valley.    Lehigh   Co., 
Penn.      He  was  a  tinner  by   trade,  and  followed 
that  business  as   an   occupation   throughout    his 
On  arriving  at  manhood  he  married  Esther 
Mosser,  win.,  too,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
bom   at    Mosserville,    Lehigh    county.    May   .24. 
1816.      Their  children  were:   Rufus,  of  Mt.  Jew- 
ett,  Penn.;  Milo,    of   Tannersville,    Penn.;  Mich- 
ael  !»..    ol     Morgantown,    N.    C. ;    Wilson,    our 
subject;  and  two — a  daughter  and    a  son — who 
died  after  arriving  at  womanhood  and  manhood. 
The  father   of    these,    who    was   a   conservative 
ness  man  of  practical  ideas,  and  possessed  of 
good  common  sense,  died   in  1880.  his  estimable 
i 'receded  him  three  years,  dying   in 
7;  she  wa  nan  of  many  good  traits  of 


'?Td^^  c^wl^r^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


59B 


character,    and    her   death   was    keenly   felt   by 
many  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Wilson  Kistler  was  born   October    12,  1S45, 
at     Lehighton,    Penn.',    his   father    removing    to 
Tannersville,  Penn.,  in  1850,  where  he  received 
his  education  in    the    common    schools    of    that 
place,  and  at  the  Allentown  Seminary.      In  1863, 
when  General  Lee  was   threatening   an    invasion 
of  Pennsylvania,  though  but  a  lad,  young  Kistler 
offered  his  services  to  the  government  and  joined 
the  energency  men  called  out  by  the  government, 
and    performed   several    months'    service   in    the 
southern  part  of  the  State  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany H,  27th  Regiment,  under  Col.  Frick.      On 
returning    to   his    home,    then    at    Tannersville, 
Penn.,  he  began  working  in  his  father's  tannery, 
and  remained  there  employed  until  in  1871  when 
he  came  to  Lock  Haven.      His  brother,  Charles 
E.,  now  deceased  (one  of  the  two  deceased  chil- 
dren of  the  family  referred  to),  had  preceded  him 
here  one  year,  and  established  the  West  Branch 
Tannery,  which  has   since   been    developed  into 
so  great  an  industry.      On  coming  to  Lock  Haven 
he  joined  his  brother  in  the  enterprise  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  which    he   has  ever  since  given  his 
best  efforts;  as   a   result  we   see    now   a   plant  of 
considerable    magnitude,  and    one   to  which   the 
city  points  with  pride,  as  it  gives  steady  employ- 
ment the  year  round  to  some  one  hundred  hands 
and  keeps  in  circulation   many  dollars.      The  ca- 
pacity of  the  tannery  is  nearly  one  hundred  thou- 
sand hides  peryear.      The  partnership  of  the  two 
brothers  continued  until  the  death  of  Charles  E. , 
March    22,   1880,  since   which    time    Wilson   has 
carried  on  operations   alone.      Besides  the   tan- 
nery in  question  Mr.  Kistler  is  interested  in  tan- 
neries at  St.  Mary's,    Johnsonburg,  Mt.  Jewett, 
Penn.,  and    at   Morgantown,    N.  C.      He  is   also 
interested  in  the  commission  business  of  Kistler, 
Lesh  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  Mass.      Mr.    Kistler  is  a 
broad-gauged  business  man,  and  a  successful  one. 
He  is  a   stockholder  in  the   First   National  Bank 
of  Lock    Haven,  of    which    he  is  vice-president. 
Since  1872  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  following  the  gold  wing  of  that  party 
in  1896.      He   has   been   absorbed  too   deeply  in 
business  to  enter   politics   to    any    great   extent, 
never  having  aspired  to  political  preferment.      He 
has    acceptably   served   his    fellow-citizens   as  a 
member  of  the  city  council   for  six  years.      He  is 
a  member  of    the    F.  &  A.  M.  and  of   the    Lock 
Haven  Club. 

On  May  28,  1867,  Mr.  Kistler  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Henrietta  Stauffer,  a  native  of 
Tannersville,  born  March  24,  1848;  she  was  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  S.  and  Anna  Stauffer,  natives 
of    Pennsylvania.      To   our   subject    and  his  wife 

38* 


have  come  the  following  children:  M.  Gertrude, 
the  wife  of  B.  W.  Frederick,  of  Chicago,  111. ; 
and  Sedgwick,  who  is  still  living  at  home.  The 
parents  of  these  are  identified  with  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Lock   Haven. 


FREDERICK  BRUNGART,  Sr.,  the  oldest 
living  male  representative  of  one  of  the 
most  honored  and  highly-respected  families  of 
Nittany  Valley,  was  born  December  11,  18 17, 
in  Miles  township,  Brush  Valley,  Centre  Co., 
Penn.,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Gephart) 
Brungart.  The  family  is  a  numerous  one  in  both 
Brush  and  Nittany  Valleys,  and  was  founded  here 
in  1798  by  Martin  Brungart,  who  came  from  the 
vicinity  of  Hanover,  York  Co.,  Penn.,  and  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  a  Mr.  Kreamer  in  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  east  end  of  Brush  Valley,  where 
he  located  permanently.  He  and  his  wife  died 
there,  and  were  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Re- 
bersburg. 

In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  was  Jacob 
Brungart,  our  subject's  father,  who  was  born 
January  15,  17S6,  and  died  September  5,  1862. 
When  but  a  boy  he  went  with  his  parents  to 
Brush  Valley,  where  he  was  reared  and  married 
to  a  Miss  Weaver,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: Polly,  Susan  and  John.  For  his  second 
wife  he  chose  Margaret  Gephart,  and  to  them 
were  born  the  following  children :  Martin ;  George ; 
Jacob;  Frederick;  Samuel:  Catharine,  wife  of 
Adam  Bear;  Margaret,  wife  of  Jacob  Smeltzer; 
Regina,  wife  of  John  Shaffer;  and  Sarah,  wife  of 
William  Johnson.  The  daughters  by  the  first 
wife — Mary  (or  Polly)  married  John  Heckman; 
and  Susan  married  John  Weaver.  The  father 
was  one  of  the  most  successful,  thrifty  and  highly 
esteemed  farmers  of  Brush  Valley,  owning  sev- 
eral fine  farms,  three  of  which  were  in  Nittany 
Valley,  Clinton  county,  and  these  he  gave  to  his 
sons,  John,  George  and  Frederick,  who  in  that 
order  came  to  this  locality. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  conned  his  lessons 
in  the  Brungart  school  in  the  east  end  of  Brush 
Valley,  which  was  conducted  on  the  subscription 
plan,  and  James  McGhee  was  one  of  his  first 
teachers.  He  early  became  familiar  with  all  the 
duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist, 
and  often  in  boyhood  took  loads  of  grain  to 
market  for  his  father,  going  as  far  as  Lewisburg. 
When  a  young  man  he  used  to  come  to  Nittany 
Valley  to  assist  his  brothers  who  had  previously 
located  here,  and  in  the  spring  of  1842  he  took 
up  his  residence  upon  his  present  farm  in  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  living  in  the  same 
house   which   has    since   been  greatly  remodeled 


VORATIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


that  tim< 
hall  d  to  its  furthi  ■  nt  and 

cultivat  ii  I 

the 

lity. 

[2,  in   S  ley,  Mr. 

d  to  M        I 
h,  who  «  n  Bi  ush 

Petei  ■••tli 

(Miller    Redabach  ind 

She 

i  i  i    William  I... 

in   the 

I  I   niel  H    !  i  I  in 

iiltiir.il  pursuits,  and  has  spent  h  life 

1  !■  D  t  in  poli- 

ind 

72, 

he  \\;i>  married,    in    i 

Mar)  J    Bii  rly,  wh<  .  ril,   i  841 ,  a 

.liter   of   Melchoir  and   (  atharim  irt) 

1  in  her 
f.ttl  Ij    who   ■  rity, 

the   othi 

ni     L.     I 

ier    14, 
1  iec- 

!  in  clerking  in  1 1 
I      ,  Pel  Marx    [.,  1 

A      |. 

in 

I 

ln>  r  the  D  he 

111- 
H  faithful  mem 

1 

igh 

-till   well  md 

fi 

nty,    wh  rid 

■  er. 


PI.  I  ER   B   SMITH,  ex-sheriff  of  Clii  I 
ty,  passed  1 

Hotel,"  .1  hostelrj  1 
Haven  mily 

wh  in  what  is  now  Clinton  county  a  hun- 

dred 

VI. im  Smith,  hiN  fathei 


;  ranch  Valley,  in  what  is  now  Wood- 
iwnship,  Clinton  county,  his  parents  hav- 
fi  >m    Dauphin   county,    this    State,  as 
1800.  and  located  on   the  "Muncytown 
On  this  original  farm  Adam  Smith  passed 
the  .  of   his  lifi         I  le  was   a    man   of 

sition,  genial  and  whole-souled,  which 
attracted  to  him  many  friends  and  gave  him  great 
ilarity.      He    was  possessed  of  good  business 
lifications,  and  was  a  useful  man  in  the  com- 
munity.     He   was   a   progressive    man,    and    v 

by  the  people  of  his  section  by  an  elec- 
to  the    board   of   county  commissioners. 
i|  which   he  discharged   acceptably.      His 
th  occurred  in  1876,  when   a  enty-six 

His    wife,  Hannah    1 
in    Northampton  county,    was    the    daughtei 

ihe  died  in  January,  1  d  sixty- 

is.      Of  their   children   now  living    Pel 
B.,  bject,    is  the  eldest;  the    others    are: 

ge  JohnW.,  of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county; 
rt    F„  of  1  I    Kinky  1). ,  of    Mill 

Hall        1  ^ceased  are:     Elizabeth   Packer 

and  A     B.   Smith. 

Pi  ter  B,  Smith  was  born  November  5,   1 
1  'ii  the  hi  ime  farm,  and  was  there  reared  amid  ag- 
Itural  pursuits.      In  the  days  of  his  youth  that 
quite  primitive,  the  old  school-house 
that  he  attended  was  one    built  of   logs,  having  a 
puncheon  lloor  and  slab  seats;   his  teachers  were 
men  of  little  learning,  and   his  opportunities  for 
iving  an  education  were  necessarily  limited. 
At  the  .«■.  he  left  the  farm 

went  to  Elk  county  and  engaged  in    lumbering. 
He  was  there  six  years,  and  in  [850  he  returned 
to  Wo  dward  township,  Clinton  county,  and  was 
there   occupied    in   farming   until  1869,  when  he 
pted  a  position   as   jailer   under  his   brother, 
then  sheriff  of    the  county.      He  tilled   this   posi- 
-   .  then  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
:  Lock  Haven,  and  in  1 88 1  he  was  elected 
'  the  ci  unity.      He  served  one  term — three 
1  efficient  officer.     On  the  expir- 
rm  of  office,  he  engaged   in  the  ho- 
tel  i  r  since  successfully  con- 

duct, d  the  "Eagle  Hotel,"  of  which  property  he 
is  the  owner.  A-  a  good  citizen  and  business 
mat  respect  and  esteem  of  his 

His  life  has  been  an  upright  and 

,  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
to    I  i    Heir,  of   Lycoming  county,  Penn  , 

wh  Novembei  1,  in  Germany, 

and  1  hildren   Lorn  to  the   union   four  sur- 

:     A.  D..  Robert  N.,  Clara  C    .Mrs. 
ili     .Mrs.  William  M  .- 
naf1,  Penn.      Those  deceased  are: 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


595 


Mary,  Elizabeth.  The  mother  of  these  died  in 
1884,  and  in  1S87  our  subject  was  married  to 
Amy  P.  Salmon,  of  Lock  Haven.  In  politics 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  Democrat.  Aside  from  his  career 
as  sheriff  he  has  served  in  some  local  offices.  He 
is  a  Knight  Templar,  F.  &  A.  M. 


JOSEPH  EDWARD  TIBBINS,  M.  D.,  who 
loyally  served  his  country  in  the  Civil  war, 
is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Beech  Creek,  and  is  a  man  of 
broad  humanitarian  principles  whose  deep  interest 
in  his  profession  and  in  his  fellowmen  has  made 
him  very  successful  in  his  chosen  calling. 

Born  November  18,  1847,  in  Centre  county, 
in  Nittany  Valley,  Dr.  Tibbins  is  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Garbrick)  Tibbins,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  this  State.  The  father 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  throughout  his 
active  business  career,  and  was  called  to  his  final 
rest  in  1897  after  passing  the  eightieth  mile- 
stone on  life's  journey.  His  estimable  wife  died 
in  1S79.  Their  children  are  William;  Henry  J. ; 
Angeline,  wife  of  John  Noll;  Joseph  E. ;  Jemima, 
wife  of  Edward  Godun;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Potter 
Tate;  Alice,  widow  of  Jacob  Showers;  and  Sam- 
uel I. 

Dr.  Tibbins  acquired  his  primary  education 
in  the  common  schools,  and  supplemented  it  by 
study  in  a  seminar}',  and  in  the  Centre  County 
Normal.  He  remained  on  the  home  farm  until 
seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then  donned  the  blue 
in  defense  of  his  country,  in  the  Civil  war,  enlist- 
ing in  Company  I,  98th  P.  V.  I.  He  was  in 
•active  service  for  three  and  a  half  months,  and 
upon  receiving  his  discharge  returned  to  his  home 
where  he  again  entered  school.  In  a  short  time, 
however,  he  turned  his  attention  to  teaching, 
and  followed  that  profession  for  five  terms. 
During  this  time  he  was  reading  medicine  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Joseph  Holloway  and 
Dr.  Dorsworth.  In  1875  he  was  graduated  in 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
and  at  once  came  to  Beech  Creek,  where  he 
opened  an  office.  He  is  now  established  in  a 
lucrative  practice,  and  in  his  professional  work 
has  been  very  successful.  From  the  faithful 
performance  of  each  day's  duty,  he  finds  strength 
and  inspiration  for  the  labors  of  the  next  and  his 
ability  has  given  him  high  rank  among  his  pro- 
fessional brethren.  Since  1893  he  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners  of 
Clinton  county. 

In  1868  Dr.  Tibbins  was   married  to  Emma 
R.  Hoy,  of  Centre  county,  who  died  in  January, 


1872,  leaving  one  son.  Dr.  George  Hoy  Tibbins, 
now  a  practitioner  of  Wyoming  county,  Penn. 
In  June,  1873,  the  Doctor  was  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Emma  J.  McDowell,  a  na- 
tive of  Centre  county,  by  whom  he  has  one  son, 
Perry  McDowell  Tibbins,  who  is  now  pursuing  a 
classical  course  in  Dickinson  Seminary,  Williams- 
port,  Penn.  The  Doctor  in  his  political  views  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religious  faith,  Mrs.  Tibbins  is  a 
Presbyterian.  Possessed  of  many  excellencies  of 
character,  they  have  the  warm  regard  of  all  with 
whom  they  have  been  brought  in  contact,  and 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  in  this 
localitv. 


SAMUEL  E.  WALKER.  If  the  title  of  the 
most  successful  business  man  and  farmer  of 
Nittany  Valley  could  be  consistently  bestowed 
upon  any  one  now  residing  in  that  beautiful  re- 
gion, the  subject  of  this  sketch  could  well  claim 
the  honor. 

Mr.  Walker  is  the  owner  of  four  large  valuable 
farms  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  rep- 
resenting an  outlay  of  more  than  $45,000,  and, 
although  he  now  contents  himself  with  a  general 
oversight,  he  was  for  many  years  an  active 
worker  in  the  practical  details  of  their  manage- 
ment. Dame  Fortune  has  smiled  upon  him, 
and  in  addition  to  his  extensive  real-estate  hold- 
ings mentioned,  as  well  as  valuable  real  estate 
in  the  State  of  Nebraska,  he  has  money  invested 
in  mortgages  and  various  enterprises.  He  is  the 
holder  of  considerable  stock  in  the  Lock  Haven 
Trust  &  Safe  Deposit  Company's  Bank,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member,  and  for  several  years 
served  as  one  of  its  directors.  He  is  also  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Lock  Haven. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Salona  Creamery 
Company,  and  for  several  years  held  the  office 
of  treasurer  of  the  same.  His  chief  interests, 
however,  have  been  agricultural,  and  he  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Lamar  Grange. 

Mr.  Walker  was  born  November  5,  1832,  in 
Miles  township,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  at  the  old 
Walker  homestead,  one  of  the  noted  land-marks 
in  the  early  days  of  Brush  Valley.  He  was  the 
eldest  son  and  second  child  of  Daniel  and  Han- 
nah (Erhart)  Walker,  who  are  mentioned  more 
fully  elsewhere,  and  was  taught  at  an  early  age 
to  make  himself  useful  upon  the  farm  and  in  his 
father's  grist  and  saw  mill.  He  first  attended  the 
Brungart  school  in  his  district,  but  owing  to  the 
need  of  his  help  at  home,  his  studies  were  pur- 
sued irregularly.  Later  he  attended  the  Aarons- 
burg  Academy,  of  which  Ilgen  Surrell  was  at  that 
time  at  the  head,  and  before  he  reached  the  age 


Willi- A  I.  RB(  ORD. 


teach,     'i 

tive 
winters,  hi-  I  th<    Heck- 

illey,  wl 

th       1    i    thn  -    winters 
wn   disti 

Mis 
sun  the  farm,  ai  i  at- 

taining his  i  id  him  at  the  i 

r  month   lui  ing  thi 

A  i  st  before 
manently,  he  went  to  Illii 
summer,  but  wis  lud<  d  that  tl 

ind   in   the  spring 
i  he  foi  -  rship  with  a  brother-in- 

law,  Reuben  Snook,  and  mo1  inty 

• 

i  >n  December  27,   i860,  he  was   married    to 
Mi  la  E.  Bri  daughti 

and     Elizabeth   (Wohlfort)    Brungarl 
township,  Clintoncounty.pl  e  agricultur- 

ol  that 

nd.  which  he  rented 
her.  and  on  April  2, 
theplace,  tl  first  farming  land  that  he 

r  owned.     It  1  which  he 

pai  ■      -till  in  his  possession. 

In  the  sprin  -    Mr    Walker  mi  Sal- 

id    in    thi  ttled  at    his 

■  s 

pot.      Mr.  Walk  shrewd    busii 

man,    hi^  involving  tl  -    of 

doll  by 

strict  honesty,  and    he    is    held   in  the  high 

itly  the 
vanl  1,  and   h  liil- 

In  his 
tion    "ii 
:  with  a  knowledge  of  the  real  worth 
dollar,    are    indis] 

ing  man  whethei    in 

.  children,  five   lived 

11     Mate 
•mil    Scl  of   G.    M. 

wnship, 

' 
:  1. ill.     Ruth,  • 

;  |este   1  .    born    I 

'  !•  I  '  .  h"rn    N 

1  le  married 
nnie   B.  Rute,  and   the)    h.r.  hild, 

I    Clement, 

Haven  Stal  il  in 

but  he  is  now  in  chat .  I  his 


father's   farms;  he  is   married  to  Miss  Lola  Eni- 

erick.      (5)  Charles  Edward,  born  April  3,   1869, 

course  of  study  at  the  Lock  Haven 

State   Normal    School,  graduating    therefrom    in 

1 .  also  later  at  the  Williamsport  Commercial 
College,  and  is  at  present  taking  a  special  course 
in  the  Normal    University   at    Ada,  Ohio.      He  is 

mng  man  of  excellent  qualities,  energetic  and 
industrious.  He  taught  school  successfully  for 
eight  years,  at  the  last  two,  being  principal  of  the 

10I  in  his  home  district.  (6  W.  Harrison, 
born  August  30,  1874,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere,  is  an  attorney  at  law  in  Bellefonte, 
Centre  Co..  Pennsylvania. 

The   mother    of    this   family,  who    was    born 
August  28,    1S41,  died  July  6,  1886,  and  isburied 
in  the  Cedar  Hill  cemetery  near  Salona. 
was  it  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church; 

an  affectionate  wife,  a  good  and  kind  mother, 
and  was  highly  esteemed  and  beloved  by  ail  who 
kmw  her  for  her  many  good  qualities.  Mr. 
Walker  has  since  married  Miss  Mary  C.  Best,  of 
Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Best,  a  well-known  citizen 
Porter  township,  Clinton  county 

Politically,  Mr.  Walker  is  a  stanch  Democrat, 
and  while  he  seems  quite  indifferent  to  political 
and  official  honors,  he  has  served  as  township  as- 
sessor and  auditor  several  times,  and  for  three 
years.  1  '</>,  fic  held   the  office  of  audi- 

tor of  Clinton  count)-,  tilling  the  same  most  ac- 
ceptably. He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  has  been  a  deacon  and 
elder,  and  at  present    is  serving  as   trustee    and 

-urer.      For  many  years   he  has  contributed 
liberally  of  his  time  and  means  to  the  support   of 
1  use. 


FRANKLIN   MOORE  ROSS  (deceased) 
in  in  Cape  May  county,  N.  J..  February 
son  of  John  Ross,  who  was  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Hand)  Ross.      John  Ross  was 
born    December    J 1 ,    1781,  and   died    Octobej 

-  mother  was  Sarah  Moore 
Hand,  born  March  27,  1805.  daughter  of  Jona- 
than Hand  and  wife,  Sarah  (Mo,, re). 

ndmi  ither    of     Franklin 
Moot  ,  was  one   of    the   thirteen    maidens 

who  strewed  the  path  of   Gen.  Washington   with 

I  his  reception  at   Trenf 
N.  J.,  April  21,  1  In  a  history  of  the  First 

;    in  Mount  Vernon  to  New 
I  Iphia  Times  o\  April  28,  18 
publish  iris,  and  give 

iumphal  arch,  taken  from  an  old 
print,  with   a  description  of  the  scene.      At  the 


77^<*^^1    APC.    J^-rt^, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


597 


bridge  over  the  Assumpink,  on  the  spot  where 
Washington  had  captured  the  Hessian  mercenar- 
ies in  1776,  a  triumphal  arch  had  been  erected 
decorated  with  evergreen  wreaths  and  emblems, 
celebrating  his  victory  at  Trenton.  Upon  the 
arch  was  the  motto:  "The  Hero  Who  Defended 
the  Mothers  Will  Protect  the  Daughters."  At 
one  side  of  the  Arch  stood  six  little  girls  dressed 
in  white  and  carrying  baskets  of  flowers,  and 
on  the  other  side  were  thirteen  maidens,  repre- 
senting the  thirteen  States.  Then"  follows  a  list 
of  these  "young  ladies,  the  belles  of  Trenton" 
— quoting  from  the  Times — among  whose  names 
is  that  of  Sarah  Moore.  It  was  the  duty  of 
these  maidens  to  strew  the  Hero's  path  with 
flowers,  while  the  six  little  girls  chanted  the  lines 
of  an  ode,  written  for  the  occasion. 

The   subject  of  this  sketch,  Franklin  Moore 
Ross,  went  from  his  home  to  Philadelphia,  when 
he  was  a  boy.      He  was  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, and  being  of  strong  will  and  good  cour- 
age, he  took  care  of  himself  until   he  became  a 
man,  forming  those  careful  and  prudent  business 
habits  that  were  so  characteristic  of  him  in  after 
life.      In  1865  he  came  to  Clinton  county,  to  take 
charge    of  the   interests   of   a   lumber  company, 
doing  business  at  Rosecrans,  in  the  Sugar  Valley 
Mountains.       He  finally   purchased    the   sawmill 
and  property,  and  carried  on  the  business,  a  few 
years  later  coming  to  Lock  Haven,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside,  enlarging  his  business  from  time 
to   time    until  he    became   one    of  the   extensive 
lumber  and    mill  men   of  this  section.      He   had 
the  city's  interest  at  heart,  and  labored  to  see  it 
improve   and    advance,    and    was    an    important 
factor  in  business  circles.      He  became  president 
and  general  manager  of  the   Lock    Haven  Gas 
and  Electric  Light  Co.      He  was  a  director  of  the 
Lock  Haven  Trust  and  Safe  Deposit  Co. ;"  also  a 
director  of  the  Steam  Heating  Co.,  and  trustee 
of  the  Lock  Haven  Club.      He  took  a  great  in- 
terest in  secret  societies  and   benevolent   institu- 
tions, and  was  prominent  in  these   at  home  and 
well-known   throughout   the   State.      He   was    a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Elks,  and  an  influential 
Mason,     being    connected    with    the    following- 
named  bodies:  Lafayette  Lodge  No.    199,   F.   & 
A.    M.,    Lafayette' Chapter  No.    163,  R.  A.  M., 
Hospitaller  Commandery  No.  46,  K.  T.,  of  Lock 
Haven,  Caldwell  Consistory,  32d  degree,  Blooms- 
burg,    Penn. ;   Lu    Lu   Temple,  A.  O.  N.  M.  S., 
Philadelphia,  and  was  Past  Master  of  Lodge  No! 
199,  Past  High  Priest  of  Chapter  No.    163,  and 
Past  Commander  of  Commandery  No.    46.      In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  but  no  office 
seeker,  though  often  urged  by  his  friends  to  al- 
low his  name  to  appear  for  preference. 


Mr.  Ross  was  very  energetic  and  prompt'  in 
all  matters  of  business,  and  kind  and  generous 
to  those  in  need.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  while  living  in  the 
Sugar  Valley  Mountains  gave  liberally  toward  the 
erection  of  a  church  in  a  neighborhood  that  was 
without  a  place  of  worship.  It  was  built  upon 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  was  used  by  differ- 
ent denominations  for  a  number  cf  years.  Dur- 
ing his  active  life  in  Clinton  county  and  Lock 
Haven,  of  more  than  thirty  years,  probably  none 
of  his  fellow-citizens  were  more  kindly  disposed 
toward  humanity  at  large. 

On  February  10,   18S0,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried to   R.    Annie   Halenbake,    of    Lock   Haven, 
daughter   of  G.    W.    Halenbake,  of  Bald   Eagle 
Valley.      Mr.  Ross  died  January  3,  1897. 


GILES    WINNE    HALENBAKE    (deceased). 
The  ancestors  of  Mr.  Halenbake  came  from 
Holland,  and    were    among  the  early  settlers  of 
Albany.      The  first  record  of  the   family   in  this 
country  is  that  of  the  baptism  of  one  of  the  name 
in  1684,  recorded  in  the  Dutch  Church.      There  is 
also  a  will  made  on  the  9th  of  September,  1685, 
by  Caspar   Halenbake,  disposing  of  some  prop- 
erty in  Albany  to  the  heirs.      Another  will,  dated 
1754,  leaves  an  estate    with    a  great    number  of 
negroes,  the  inhabitants  of  the   Province  of  New 
York  being  permitted  to  own  slaves  at  that  time. 
Hendrick  Halenbake,  after  whom  a  street  in 
Albany  was  named  in  olden   times,  was    born  in 
1692,  and  was  the  head  of  the  house  of  the  third 
generation.      He  was   apparently  a  man   of  con- 
siderable estate,  as   devised  by   his  will   made  in 
1764,  in  the  reign  of  his  Majesty 'George  III.     In 
the  quaint  language  of  the   time,    some    of  this 
land  is  described,  as  "abutting  to  ye  South   of 
ye  creek  commonly    called    Beaver  kil "   1  after- 
ward Buttermilk  creek),  and  to  the  north  "with 
ye  hills  and  ye  plain  lying  in  the  common."    This 
Hendrick  was  heir-at-law  ("Eare-at-law  "),  and 
married  ("marryd")at  27years  of  age  ("adge"). 
Some  of  the  descendants  disputed  his  possession, 
but  one  of  the  contestants  being  an  "  antient " 
man  did  not  "  chuse  "  to  proceed  against  them. 
There  was   until   June,   i860,  an   old   graveyard, 
an     ancient     landmark  in    Albany,    where    were 
buried  these  sturdy  Dutch  settlers  and  their  pos- 
terity.     One  of  the  boundaries   of  this    "Burial 
place  "  was    designated   by  a  cannon   which  re- 
mained in  the  ground  for  many  years;  probably  a 
relic  of  the  French  and   Indian  war,  or,  later,  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.      This  land  was  set  apart 
by  Hendrick  Halenbake  as    a    burial  ground  for 
his  family,  about  the   middle  of  the  last  century. 


VORATIVR  BIOGRAPBICAL  RECORD. 


It  was  finally  sold,  and    thii  pur- 

chased in  the   Rural  cemetery,  whither  th<  dead 
.nil  a  monumenl  heir 

A    street    was    opened    through    this 
ce  in  the  midst   ol    the   city,   and    the 
throngs  littli  ■'    a 

■ 
1  [alenbake,  the  '  1  lendrick, 

:  !i  in    i  744,      Henrj    1  [alenbake, 
nardus,  was  born  in  the  fathi 

the  subject  ol  this  sketch. 

( tiles  W    Halenbak  rn  in    1 

lucatii  'ii 
went   td    Philadelphia    where    he   I  t    .1 

men.  fi 
metime  in  the  "  thirtii  nds- 

ville,  Penn.,  as  secretary  and  cashier  for  the  i 

ny.     At  that   time   th 
;t   very  few  houses  in  the  future  tow 
Lock    H   •••11.    and    thi  ;    from    there 

I  [1  iw  ard  '■■■  1-  fullj  I  'hi-  way  through 

nfested   with  animal 
!  highway  robbers,  and  the  fi  1  g  it 

wire  but  thi  with  log-cabins  oi 

tiers.''   While  al  ■  Run  he  1  niein- 

nal'l,  Halenbake  &  I 
any   that   sent   their  pri iduce 
rn  mark'  ts,  by  1  vn  the 

Mi    II  ilenbake  was  om 
thi 
the  country  from  the 

iina    and 
other  Stati         fn  tl      lai  who 

knew  him  intimately:  11     .•.  is  01  !>ea- 

pths    of    a  social 
will  and    maintained    ind   kept  bright  his 

uity;  and  this 
through  the  ferment  of  the  trying  times,  that 
alw  >mpany  the    establisl  I    a  new 

I  ement         Aftei  a  few    years  the  iirm  cl< 
tin  ir  bu  with  their  families 

Bald  1  agle    \  alle}  .  «  hi  re   they   pui  md 

and  divided  it  into  four  adjoining  farms.      II 
he  huilt  an  .  which  is  still  standing,  and 

i  d   the  his 

ks,  and  ng   his    farm    inti  i  I 

r  in  the  n  st  Lock  Haven  Bank,  also 
or  m  the   Bi  iy       1  fe  alw 

nded  a   helping  hand  to  the  i r  and 

and  especially  to  any  ambitious  mind   struggling 

I  t  that  mind  v 

a  challenge   to  his  own,  t 
[earning  to  any  one  gi    |         in   the   dark. 

for  the   light   ol    knowledge.      In    re  th 

instance  he   taught  Latin,  algebra   and   geometry 
gratuitously  to  pei  ho   had  no  « 

tainingthe  knowledge  of  such  bi  In  this 


way  he  made  his  life  useful  to  others.      He  was  a 
1  >•  mocrat,  but  not  an  active  politician.       In  I 

William  Bigler  appointed  him  as  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  represent  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania at  the  "  Exhibition   of   the  Industry  of  all 
Nations"  at  New  York.      During    the    Civil 
hew  nch  Union  man,  and   used  all  of  his 

infiu  r  the  cause,  and  died  March  27,   1 

( in  January  15,  1843,  Mr.  Halenbake  mar- 
ried I  ram  1  -  |ohnson,  who  was  of  English  par- 
entage, havibg  been  born  in  England  in  1 
He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  and  two  daughters: 
Mr-,  [oseph  B  1  urst,  of  Flemingl  >n,  Penn.,  and 
Mrs.  Franklin  M.  Ross,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn- 
sylvania. 


PROF.  W.  A.  SNYDER,  of  Salona,  the 
cient  superintendent  of  public  schools  of  Clin- 
ton county,  was,  at  the  time  of  his  first  election 
in  1893,  the  youngest  man  ever  chosen  to  that 
nd  he  is  now  serving  a  second  term 
with  increased  prestige.  As  he  was  born 
reared  in  the  Nittany  Valley,  his  popularitv  is 
based  upon  sterling  merit,  which  could  stand 
the  test  of  long  acquaintance. 

The  Snyder  family  is  well-known  in  this  Si 

its  progenitor  having  come  from   Holland   in' the 

early  part  ol  the   eighteenth  century  to  locate  in 

iy.      Among    his  children  was  a  son, 

Christopher,  our  subject's  great-grandfather,  who 

removed  from  what  is  now  Snyder  county  ithen 

Union  count)     to    the    11st    end   of  the  Nittany 

Valley,  and  purchased  th  nt  homestead  in 

Lamar  township,  Clinton  counts-,  where  he  died 

v  years  later.      The  land   was  in  a  primitive 

idition    in  the    main,  ami    the    improvements 

which  have  made  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  that 

lit)'  are  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  old  pioneer 

and  his  des  ,  the   title  having  remain*  1 

in  the  family  from  his  day.      He  had  seven  chil- 

Harmon,  who  located  in  Clarion  counts, 

in.,  and    died    there    leaving    a  Iannis:   John, 

our   subject's   grandfather;    Benjamin;    lam 

Hannah;   Rachel;  and    Sarah.      Of  these,   only 

Harmon  and  John  lived  to  adult  age. 

John  Snyder,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
1 7 S S    in    svhat   is    nosv    Snyder 
county,    and    accompanied    his    parents    to    the 
Clinton  county    homestead,  svhich   in  time  came 
into  his  1  m.      He  resided  there  until   1S33, 

when  he  pui  mother  farm  in  the  east  end 

"I  ti  nd  removed  to  it,  renting  the  old 

w  farm  svas   at  the  time  im- 
proved but  little,  and  he  gave  much  time  to  pre- 
tanent    home.      In  his  later 
ad   dsvelling  house  up 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


599 


place  in  which  his  last  days  were  spent  in  retire- 
ment, his  death  occurring  July  4,  1S70,  when  he 
had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three. 
For  some  years  previous  to  his  death  he  was 
afflicted  with  a  cataract  in  his  eye,  and  although 
operations  gave  him  temporary  relief  he  was 
nearly  blind  for  years.  'While  he  was  of  ordi- 
nary build,  he  was  a  most  energetic  worker,  and 
he  acquired  a  handsome  competence.  He  was 
an  excellent  citizen,  a  good  Christian,  and  a 
member  of  the  New  Mennonite  Church.  Po- 
litically, he  was  first  a  Democrat  and  later  a 
Whig,  but  he  never  took  much  interest  in  public 
affairs,  and  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  becom- 
ing disgusted  with  the  work  of  the  politicians,  he 
seldom  attended  an  election.  In  early  manhood 
he  married  Miss  Nancy  Neff,  daughter  of  John 
Neff,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Centre  county.  She 
died  May  6,  1865,  in  her  seventy-fourth  3  ear, 
and  the  remains  of  both  rest  in  a  private  ceme- 
tery on  the  farm  where  their  last  years  were 
spent,  and  which  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
their  son,  Elias.  They  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Elizabeth,  who  married  Christian  Sheats, 
and  died  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county; 
Catherine,  who  married  a  Mr.  Knights,  and  also 
died  in  Lamar  township;  Nancy,  wife  of  Jacob 
Long,  of  Livingston  county,  N.  Y. ;  Susan,  wife 
of  H.  M.  Bean,  of  the  same  county;  Leah  (widow 
of  William  Sheats),  of  Lamar  township,  Clinton 
county;  John,  our  subject's  father;  Lucinda 
(widow  of  Levi  Zimmerman),  of  Jewell  county, 
Kans. ;  Fannie,  who  married  Henry  Neff,  and 
died  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county;  Hannah 
(widow  of  E.  A.  Hancy),  of  Oregon;  Elias,  a 
farmer  at  the  second  home;  and  Charlotte 
(widow  of  Samuel  P.  Burrell),  of  Lock  Haven, 
Pennsylvania. 

John  Snyder  (2),  our  subject's  father,  who  is 
now  a  highly  esteemed  resident  of  Lamar  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  was  born-  at  the  original 
homestead  November  5,  1824,  and  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  that  time  and  locality.  The 
furnishings  of  the  school  room  were  of  the  rud- 
est sort,  wooden  benches  running  around  the 
walls  being  the  only  seats,  and  the  apparatus 
was  equally  primitive,  quill  pens  being  used  for 
writing.  The  methods  of  discipline  were  also 
far  from  the  best  modern  standards,  and  during 
his  first  term  of  school  Mr.  Snyder,  on  being 
asked  by  the  teacher,,  his  uncle  Benjamin, 
whether  he  would  obey  the  rules,  failed  to  un- 
derstand the  question  as  he  could  not  speak  En- 
glish. He  made  an  unlucky  guess  as  to  the 
teacher's  meaning,  and  replied  "  No",  for  which 
he  was  rewarded  with  a  sound  whipping.  He 
was  reared  to  agricultural   work,  and  always  re- 


mained at  home  except  for  one  winter,  that  of 
1S46-47,  which  he  spent  in  St.  Louis  working 
as  a  deck  hand  on  the  steamer  "Lehigh". 
The  journey  west  was  made  by  water  from  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  Penn.,  following  the  Pennsylvania 
canal  and  the  rivers,  and  the  experience  gained 
during  his  absence  entirely  cured  the  young  man 
of  his  taste  for  wandering.  On  April  1,  1847, 
he  returned  home  where  he  was  employed  by 
the  month  for  a  time,  and  in  1848  he  rented  the 
place,  and  from  that  date  paid  his  board  when 
at  home.  On  December  11,  1851,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Lock  Haven  to  Miss  Jane  C.  McGuire, 
who  was  born  in  1S30  in  Union  county,  near  the 
city  of  Lewisburg.  When  she  was  about  eight 
years  old,  her  parents,  George  and  Jane  (Stew- 
art) McGuire,  removed  to  Lamar  township, 
Clinton  county,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Snyder  continued  to  re- 
side at  the  homestead,  where  he  has  made  many 
improvements;  in  1S65  he  built  a  barn  on  modern 
plans,  and  in  1871,  the  present  comfortable  res- 
idence was  erected.  The  estate  contains 
135  acres  of  excellent  land,  and  is  kept  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  Mr.  Snyder,  not- 
withstanding his  advanced  age,  giving  personal 
attention  to  the  management.  He  is  a  man  of 
much  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  and,  de- 
spite his  limited  educational  opportunities  in 
youth,  he  has  gathered  a  goodly  store  of  practical 
information.  In  politics  he  inclines  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic faith,  but  he  is  not  active  in  party  work. 
He  and  his  wife  are  both  prominent  members  of 
the  River  Brethren  Church,  and  they  have 
always  taken  keen  interest  in  all  phases  of  relig- 
ious enterprise.  Their  children  have  received 
good  educations,  and  several  of  them  have  be- 
come known  as  successful  teachers.  Nancy  E., 
who  was  once  a  teacher,  is  now  the  wife  of  J.  P. 
Anthony,  of  Lock  Haven;  Henry  M.  is  a  farmer 
in  Porter  township,  Clinton  county;  Miss  Ida  re- 
sides with  her  parents;  Clara  E.  died  at  the  age 
of  sixteen;  William  A.  will  be  mentioned  more 
fully  below;  Miss  Lottie  is  a  teacher,  and  resides 
at  home;  Elmer  N.  is  a  cutter  in  the  tailoring 
department  of  the  Indian  School  maintained  by 
the  United  States  Government  at  Carlisle,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Prof.  Snyder  was  b'orn  April  10,  1863,  at  the 
old  homestead,  and  is  of  the  fourth  gem  ration  of 
the  family  to  reside  upon  the  place.  His  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  district  schools  of  the 
locality,  his  first  teacher  being  Daniel  Herr,  who 
taught  thirty-seven  consecutive  terms  in  that 
township.  Before  our  subject  had  reached  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  had  completed  the  course  of 
study  offered   in   the   local  schools,  and  he  then 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RE* 


I     ■  '  ner 

!   work 
he  b  ig  in  Dun  wnship,  i 

iring  the  next  winter  hi 

:.  that  hi 

ty,  interrupted  only  1 

in  v  wnship  ,|tx       ' 1""' 

in   farm 

rk,  with  which  he   became   familiar    under  his 

|;itj.  n,    and   until    1893   he   made  his 

home  with  1  he 

laughter 

I     mar 

tow  l  linton  1 

In  May,  1893,  he   was  ele  I 
perintendent  -  in  his  county,  and 

tion  in  if  '  tne  af'i 

it  in  the  cause  ol 

is  higl  shed,  ha\ 

Iphia  for  some  tii 
her  mar  Sev- 

inty.      She  is 

1 
i]  »the    Pi  ' 

..  and  Margerj   C,  b 

ill   publ 

tioi         I 

I,  but  in 

vnship  or  count)  »de- 

lan." 


Bi  »BER  l    (     Ql  [GGL1         '  M  ility 

ht  he 
tak.  graphy." 

ill  ma k'    • 
nine  of  lasting  inti  i)  that 

the  I 

r,  Philip  ' 
h  will  re. 

which  the  thoughtful  will 
I  unit)  tl  larked 

n  in  bus 
th 
of  then  enterpri 

iketch,  .1   promim 
township,  Clinton  count)    1 


at  Fine   Station,  where  he   owns  valuable  prop- 
erty      He  was  born  in  that  township  August  22, 
Ison  of  Philip  Quiggle,  just  referred 
to  that  locality  from  York,  Penn.. 
rly  date,  and  purchased  160  acres  of  land 
tead,  his  labors  as  a  hunter,  fisher- 
man   farmer  and  lumberman  bringing  a  comfort- 
able livelihood  for  the  time.      With  the  assistance 
-  sons  he  cleared  his  land  and  built  a  com- 
house,  which  was  considered  quite  a 
lence  by  his  less  fortunate  or  less  ambi- 
,s.      He  and   his  wife,  whose  name 
Hester,  died  at  this  home,  and  their  remains 
Je's  cemeterv.  in  Waym  hip, 

cllll  ,v.      They  were  of  German  descent. 

?gle,  oursubject's  father,  was  born 
in,  rk  county,  Penn. ,  where  he  attended 

tion   schools  in  boyhood,  receiving  a  fair 
knowledi  '  ,h  and  German.      He  ac- 

he family  to  Clinton  county,  and  en- 
1  m  the  same  occupations  as  his  father,  and, 
3  employed  for  many  years  as  a  pilot 
Susquehanna  river.      He  s  "ear  the 

home  of  his  parents,  purchasing  160  acres  of  tim- 
ber land,  which  he  cleared  and  improved,  build- 
a    log   house.      Politically,  he  was   always  a 
at,   but  he  did    not  take  an  active  part 
in    public   affairs.      He    was   twice    married. 
first  wife  being  Hester  Swartz,  a  native  of    York 
ntv.  who  was   the  mother  of   four    children: 
William,  John,  and  Elizabeth    Mrs.  John 
Fisher),  none  of  whom  are  now  living.      His  sec- 
wile,  Catherine  (Strayer),  was  of  Gen 
scent,  but  her  family  had  resided  in  York  county. 
everal   generations.      She  wa 
ipril   7,     1 7"4-     the    daughter  ol   Henry 
tyer,  who  afterward  removed  to  Wayne  town- 
linton  county,  and   continued  his  business 
iving.      There  were-  nine  chil- 
this  union:      Daniel,  a  farmer   in  Wayne 
iship;   Isaac  (deceasi  d  I     fai    b,    1  1   sid<  1 
Wi  ship;   rhomas,  a  farmer  in  the  - 

E    rah,  a  widow  of  Nathan  Simcox; Rich- 
rtC,  our  subject;  Maria,  who 
married   Washington    Henninger,   of  New    York 
nd   Matilda,  wife  of    D.  A.   Cochran,  the 
Gamble    House."    at    Jc; 
Sho  The  father  died   in  1845.  and  the 

t her  survived  him  many  years,  her  death  oc- 
curring in  [  i 

Mi  iject)  may   be   said  to  be 

-  the  schools   of  his  section  v 

rly  times,  and  his  attendance 

was  lii  1   account    of   the  need   of  his  help 

ther's  death  he   went  into 

partnership   with    his   brother    Jacob    in  farming 

and  lui  ntinued   for   nearly  half  a 


/£ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


601 


century,  working  together  in  perfect  harmony 
and  keeping  a  common  treasury  upon  which 
either  could  draw  when  he  wanted  money.  Not- 
withstanding the  extent  of  their  business  and  the 
large  sums  constantly  passing  through  their  hands, 
they  never  felt  the  need  of  making  a  contract, 
and  at  their  settlement,  in  1892,  they  divided 
the  property  equally.  They  still  own  many 
acres  of  timber  land  in  partnership,  and  for  many 
years  they  had  an  extensive  tract' devoted  to  the 
raising  of  tobacco.  Our  subject  now  has  eighty 
acres  of  good  farming  land,  and  is  one  of  the 
chief  tobacco  growers  of  the  locality.  For  forty- 
two  years  he  was  a  pilot  on  the  Susquehanna, 
running  "arks"  and  rafts  down  to  Marietta, 
Penn.,  and,  in  addition  to  his  own  lumber  opera- 
tions, he  has  filled  many  contracts  for  carrying 
lumber  to  market  for  others.  In  all  his  under- 
takings he  has  been  successful, being  equal,  seem- 
ingly, to  any  task,  and  since  1894  he  and  his  son 
have  conducted  a  profitable  mercantile  business 
at  Pine  Station.  He  owns  a  fine  residence  there, 
built  after  designs  prepared  by  himself,  and  his 
tobacco  sheds  and  barns  also  were  designed  by 
him,  and  were  built  with  his  own  hands.  He  also 
owns  several  dwelling  houses  in  the  town.  De- 
spite all  his  hard  work  he  is  remarkably  vigorous, 
never  knowing  sickness,  and  he  can  now  do  as 
much  in  a  day  as  most  men  who  are  a  score  of 
years  younger.  In  politics  he  is  a  sound  Demo- 
crat, and  for  twenty-five  years  he  was  township 
assessor,  for  three  years  tax-collector,  and  for 
some  time  he  was  school  director,  acting  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board  during  a  part  of  the  period. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  holds  the  office  of  trustee, 
and  for  many  years  he  has  been  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school.  Socially,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  member  of  La- 
bell  Valley  Blue  Lodge,  No.  232,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Jersey  Shore;  Lafayette  Chapter,  No.  163,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  at  Lock  Haven;  Baldwin  Commandery, 
No.  22,  of  Williamsport;  and  the  Order  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  Philadelphia. 

On  June  17,  1856,  our  subject  was  married, 
at  Jersey  Shore,  to  Miss  Margaret  A.  Clark,  by 
whom  he  has  had  the  following  children:  (1) 
Ida  A.,  born  January  4,  1858,  was  crushed  to 
death,  in  1867,  by  some  floating  ice  in  the  West 
branch.  (2)  Clark  W.,  born  April  13,  i860, 
was  killed,  June  2,  1882,  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R., 
a  train  striking  a  team  which  he  was  driving. 
He  was  a  bright  young  man,  taking  much  of  the 
responsibility  of  his  father's  business,  in  which 
he  was  a  partner  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  he 
was  prominent  socially  as  a  member  of  Blue 
Lodge  No.  22,  F.  &  A.   M.,  at  Jersey  Shore.    He 


married  Miss  Jennie  Ferguson.  (3)  Clarissa, 
born  January  9,  1S62,  married  Dr.  B.  M.  Yost, 
of  Lycoming  county,  and  they  have  two  children 
— Edith  M.  and  Robert  Ouiggle.  (4)  Carson  R. , 
born  June  11,  1864,  is  now  in  partnership  with 
his  father,  and  is  considered  a  promising  business 
man.  He  was  educated  in  the  local  schools  and 
in  the  Williamsport  Commercial  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1893.  Like  his  father,  he 
is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  several 
fraternal  societies,  including  the  B.  P.  O.  E. , 
No.  182;  Lock  Haven  Lodge  No.  232,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  Jersey  Shore;  Lafayette  Chapter  No.  163, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Lock  Haven;  Hospitaller  Com- 
mandery No.  46,  K.  T. ,  and  Lulu  Temple  at 
Philadelphia,  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is 
not  married.  On  February  22,  1894,  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  at  Pine  Station,  and  resigned 
July  3.  1897.  (5)  Letitia  May,  born  May  6, 
1866,  married  Allen  D.  Russell,  who  is  men- 
tioned more  fully  below.  She  is  well  educated, 
as  all  of  our  subject's  children  are,  and  at  present 
she  is  postmaster  at  Pine  Station.  (6)  Kate  A., 
born  May  6,  1868,  married  Charles  H.  Rich, 
and  has  had  two  children — Edna  D.,  born  April 
3,  1887.  and  Mary  M.  L.,  born  April  30,  1891. 
Mrs.  Rich  is  an  accomplished  musician,  and  she 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  efficient  teachers 
of  the  art  in  her  locality.  She  is  also  well-known 
a  composer,    having  written    the     "Autumn 


:iS 


Waltz,"  and  the  "  Hyacinthe  March,"  which  she 
published  in  1895,  and  named  in  honor  of  her 
favorite  flower;  both  pieces  are  copyrighted,  and 
have  gained  recognition  among  musicians.  (7) 
Harvey  S.,  born  February  28,  1877,  died  from 
diphtheria  June  16,  1882. 

Mrs.  Margaret  A.  Ouiggle,  who  has  been  an 
able  helpmeet  to  her  husband,  was  born  April 
18,  1S35,  in  the  Nippenose  Valley,  Lycoming 
county,  where  her  ancestors  settled  many  years 
ago,  on  their  arrival  from  Ireland.  William 
Clark  (deceased),  the  father  of  Mrs.  Quiggle.was 
a  native  of  the  Valley,  and  owned  a  fine  farm  of 
200  acres  there  which  he  operated  until  his  sons 
were  old  enough  to  take  charge  of  it.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  the  same  locality, 
but  after  a  few  years  he  returned  to  his  farm  to 
spend  his  declining  years,  his  death  occurring  in 
1875.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a  firm  adherent  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  all  who  knew  him.  His  first  wife,  Agnes 
Gretner,  a  native  of  the  Nippenose  Valley,  died 
in  1846,  and  he  afterward  married  Clarissa  Stew- 
art, of  the  same  locality,  who  died  in  1880,  leav- 
ing no  children.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were 
seven  children:  Maria  (deceased),  formerly  the 
wife  of    John  Cochran;    Priscilla,    wife    of  John 


00MM1  VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mnty;  I  >a\  id   A 
merchant  in  the  Nip] 
Amelia,  wil  rmer  in 

line 

"I'h 
in-,  i  i  April    25,   1  I 

1   six  childrei 
David     hi.!   An-  His 

th'  ■ 

■ 
April  j,  ther  wh  tch 

■ 

lucation    in    the 
:ul  for  a  time 

twenty- 
take   a    1 

held 
winning  thi  and    the  conn- 

en  >- 
moted  to  th  the  Si  ind- 

t  P 

IV- 
hlS  'lilt: 

His    death, 

1    throughout    the   community, 

11  identified  \\  ith  the 
ind 
an 

1,  .ui.l  hi 

h    his  widow, 

ited  by  I  I 

Mr    Russell   v  ssful 

I  land  in  central 
nt  his  me 

his  habit 
dail  vjr. 


BOBERT   M     STEV1  NSi  IN 
I  tlie  ti"  1  .    manu- 

fabi  Chatham   Run,  I 

born  July   2 

worthj  •  1  tin-  highl)  -1 

ternal  |  Joh/i   an. I   Fann)    1  Brown 


m,  t  Irish  and  Scotch  nativity  respect- 
ively, lived  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  where 
the  former  followed  the  occupation  of  farming 
throughout  his  entire  life,  dying  there  in  1825  in 
the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
he  was  a  consistent  member.  In  his  family 
were  six  children:  George,  John,  William,  Alex- 
ander. David,  Sarah,  an.)  Elizabeth  (wife  of 
[an  In  1S40  the  mother  brought  her 

family  to  the  New  World  and   located   in  Jersey 
e,    Penn.,  where   she   departed   this   life   in 
remains   being   interred  at  that  place. 
She   was   a    most   estimable   woman,    highly    re- 
spected by  all  who  knew  her. 

.ander  Stevenson,    our    subject's    father, 

born   in   County   Tyrone,    Ireland,  in    1S15, 

lined    as  in    educaton    as  the  public- 

ols  of  that   day  in   his  native   land   afforded, 

the  carpenter's  trade   at    Barnscort 

Castle  which  he  helped  to  build.      On  attaining 

his  majority  he  bade  good-bye   to  the   Emerald 

Isle,  and  with  the  hope  of  making  a  fortun 

to  America  with  the  rest  of  the  family,    At  Lon- 

donderry,  Ireland,  they  boarded  a  sailing  vessel, 

ami  came  near  being  lost  on  two  occasions  as  the 

captain  was  intoxicated,  but  finally,  after  a  \ 

>ix  weeks,  reached  Philadelphia  in  saf< 

t  time  spent   in    that   city   they  took 

the  train    fur    Harrisbuig,    and   by   canal    packet 

to    their    destination — Jersey    Shore, 

Penn.,    which  was  then    a    mere    hamlet.      Mr. 

11    built    a    house    for    the    family,     his 

brother-in-law,    James   Moore,  doing  the  mason 

work,  and  it  was  often  remarked  that    Stevenson 

&  Moore  could  bmld  the  town.     He  remained  in 

Jersey  Shore  until    1859,  when    he    purchased   a 

t  of    1,000  acres    of    timberland    in    Clinton 

.t\.  "ii  which  was  erected  a  sawmill,  and   he 

d  in  tl  of    lumber   for   the 

lie  then  sold  his   property  and    returned 

locating  on  the  West  branch  of  the 

[uehanna,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  where  he 

winked    at    his    trade'    until    1SG7,  when    he    pur- 

tially-improved  farm  of  seventy  acres. 

I       '     further  development  and  cultivation   he 

Ins   energies   until    1890,  and  upon  the 

place  erected  a  good  residence,  barns  and  other 

outbuildings.     On   account   of  failing   health  he 

-t  three  years  of  his  life  in  retirement 

1.  and  die,!  in  1893,  being  buried 

at    Woolrich.      As   an    architect   and    builder    he 

tion  of  the  first  Methodist 

hurch    building  at   that  place,   and 

minently  identified  with  the  building  in- 

u  for  many  years.      He  was 

inch  adherent  of   the   Democratic  party,  and 

lithful  member  ot   the  Methodist   Episco- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


60S 


pal  Church,  in  which  he  held  the  office  of  trustee, 
class-leader  and  steward.  By  all  who  knew  him 
he  was  held  in  high  regard,  and  he  was  a  kind 
and  affectionate  husband  and  father. 

At  Jersey  Shore,  Alexander  Stevenson  mar- 
ried Sarah  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Linden,  Ly- 
coming Co.,  Penn.,  of  English  ancestry,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  five  children: 
George,  a  lumberman  and  farmer,  of  Arkansas; 
Robert  M. ;  John,  an  accountant  and  agricultur- 
ist, of  Sherman,  Texas;  Mary  Frances,  wife  of 
Charles  Cameron,  of  Dunstable  township,  Clin- 
ton county;  and  William,  partner  of  our  subject, 
in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  fabrics,  and  also  a 
member  of  the  lumber  firm  of  Kreamer  &  Stev- 
enson, of  Lock  Haven.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  in  1856,  in  Jersey  Shore,  where 
her  remains  are  interred,  and  Mr.  Stevenson 
was  again  married,  at  Jersey  Shore,  this  time  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Moore,  a  native  of  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  and  a  daughter  of  James  Moore,  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Eight  children  blessed 
this  union:  Sarah,  wife  of  O.  H.  Johnson,  of 
Woolrich;  Lizzie,  at  home;  Alexander,  who  died 
in  childhood;  Rebecca,  wife  of  D.  B.  Dunkel; 
Aimer  E.  and  Josephine  are  residents  of  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county;  Mattie  B. 
makes  her  home  with  William  H.,  in  Lock  Ha- 
ven; and  Lydia  E.,  who  died  in  childhood.  Mrs. 
Stevenson,  who  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Pine  Creek  township,  in  1889. 
One  of  her  sons,  Aimer  E.,  born  April  6,  1862, 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Woolrich,  and 
worked  at  home  until  1887,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  lumber  firm  of  Rreamer  &  Steven- 
son. He  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shingles  at  Chatham  Run,  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Robert  M.  Stevenson,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  sketch,  obtained  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Jersey  Shore,  and  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  until  twen- 
ty-four years  of  age,  when  he  obtained  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Rich  Woolen  Mills  at  Woolrich,  be- 
ing for  seventeen  years  connected  with  the  spin- 
ning department.  He  managed  to  save  some 
money  which  he  then  invested  in  the  Farley 
farm  of  108  acres,  near  Woolrich,  and  upon  that 
place  he  engaged  in  general  farming  and  tobacco 
growing,  with  fair  success  for  eight  years.  Sell- 
ing his  place  in  1894,  ne  an^  his  brother  William 
H.  bought  the  old  Rich  Mills  at  Chatham  Run, 
Dunstable  township,  put  in  new  machinery  at  a 
cost  of  $4,000,  and  are  now  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods,  mak- 


ing a  specialty  of  double  woolen-socks  and 
heavy  woolen-shirts,  known  as  the  Alaskan 
brand.  Our  subject  also  operates  a  small  farm 
of  forty  acres,  on  which  he  has  made  many  im- 
provements, and  runs  a  cider  press.  He  is  a 
wide-awake,  enterprising  business  man  of  pro- 
gressive ideas,  and  the  success  that  he  has 
achieved  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  indi- 
vidual efforts,  good  management  and  sound 
judgment. 

In  1868,  at  Woolrich,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Acirema  Crider,  who  was  born  in 
Dunstable  township,  of  German  extraction,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Philip  Crider,  an  agriculturist. 
Twelve  children  were  born  to  them,  namely: 
Torrence  R. ,  a  shingle  manufacturer  of  Cambria 
county,  Penn. ;  Charles,  a  traveling  salesman  for 
his  father,  married  Lizzie  Shultz,  and  has  two 
children — Helen  and  Robert;  Annie  H.,  who  died 
in  189^;  Mary  M.,  Jane  C,  Alice  L. ,  Nora  E., 
Sarah  E.,  John  R.,  William  E.  and  Leila  F.,  all 
at  home ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The  daugh- 
ters aid  their  father  in  the  work  of  the  factory, 
are  active  and  prominent  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  (to  which  the  parents  also 
belong).  In  social  circles  the  family  occupies  an 
enviable  position. 

Politically.  Mr.  Stevenson  is  not  bound  by 
party  ties.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  had  a  strong 
desire  to  enter  the  Union  army,  but  was  opposed 
by  his  parents.  However,  he  ran  away  from 
home  in  March,  1864,  crossed  the  West  branch 
and  took  the  train  for  Williamsport,  where  he 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  First  Pennsylvania  Cav- 
alry, under  Captain  McDonald  and  Colonel  Tay- 
lor, of  Mifflin  county,  Penn.  On  missing  him, 
his  father  followed  him  to  Williamsport,  but  find- 
ing that  he  was  already  in  soldier's  uniform,  he 
allowed  him  to  remain,  and  our  subject  partici- 
pated in  all  the  engagements  of  his  regiment 
from  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  up  to  the  time  of 
Lee's  surrender.  After  participating  in  the 
Grand  Review  at  Washington,  D.  C. ,  he  was 
mustered  out  July  10,  1865,  and  returned  home 
with  an  honorable  war  record,  of  which  he  may 
be  justly  proud. 


C CHARLES  SMITH,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  exten- 
di/ sive  land-owners  of  Clinton  county,  and  a 
retired  physician,  was  born  August  26,  1S14,  in 
Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  a  son  of  John  and 
Saloma  (Treon)  Smith. 

His  father  was  from  Pottstown,  Penn.,  and 
became  a  farmer  in  Black  Hole  Valley,  Lycom- 
ing county.  He  was  an  industrious,  energetic 
man,  but    possessed  a   kindly   nature   which   led 


601 


-o/.'.ir/i  EAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hin  ecurity  for  his  li 

casions,  and   in  this    waj    h  lerable. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Dei  and,  in  i 

faith,  a  Lutheran       Hi    died   al  I 

buried  in  Snydertown,  i 
tn  His  wil 

.  and   was    laid 

n       ["hej    had    five    children,   all    of    whom 

I    adult    age,  nami  Ij       I  I       kiel, 

wh  Her- 

Muncy;  1  ame  the  wife  of 

I  -  k,  and  died  in  Mun  who 

living   in    that  plain-;  and  a    practicing 

physician,  who  died  at  <  entre  Hall. 

I  h    (  bai  les  Smil  h  nd    edui 

in  Black  Hole  Valley,  his  a 

At  th  en- 

fterward 

:  m.      1  le   was  in 

th,   and    his    physician,    Dr.   Thomas 

\Y 

ig   with   that  gentlemen, 

I   with   Dr.  1  I  his 

father-in-law.      He  began  practice  about  1837  in 

Mahanoy,    Northumberland  in., 

\x  went    to  • '  Th<  ntre 

liits.  where   he   rema d   for  nil 

.  ing  them  e  to  Penn    Hall,  w  contin- 

1  for  .1  numbi  I  li    alsi  1   spent  four 

ent  home  in    P  vnship,  which  is   situated 

I  ik<        Hei  fortable 

ind  in    1  895  built  ellent  barn. 

I  [1     1    ntinui  '1    in 

tnl.    havi  \-    his 

i   he   made  judicious 
investments  in  I  :  new  ow 

'  lition   t  I  timber 

land. 

1  >r    Smith  w  as  mai  1  I  twenty- 

n    Northumberland   county, 
Rebi  I  o    •      •  1  rn  in  that  county,  in 

1  'i     Frederick  Ti     m 
:  tithful   helpn  nion   to 

husband.      i  hen 

the)  1"  -.in  hou  .  ,  but  si  d  him  in 

all  1  ..  and  not  .1  little  ol    his 

was  due  to  her  capable   management, 
a  consistent   member  of   tin-   Lutheran   Church, 
and  died  in  that  faith  in   February,   1882,  hi  1 

interred  at  Penn  Hall.     She  was  the 
ther  of  the  following  named  children:      1' 
rmer  of  Pi  itter  township,  (  entn 

n  Calvin  F.,  a  practicing  physician  of  In- 
lis,  Ind.,   who  I:  ter,  [ulia; 


ma,  at    I  '  >hn,   of   Lamar,  Penn.,  who 

has  three  children — Katie  K.,  Elnora  B.,  and 
M. ;  Charles  W.,  formerly  a  dentist, 
but  now  a  farmer  residing  near  Howard,  Cen- 
tre ci unity,  his  children  being — James  N.,  Mina, 
Willard,  and  Cora. 

Dr.  Smith  holds  membership  in  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and   exi  bis   r  1  •_; h t   of  franchise 

support     I  thi    Democracy,  but  has  never  been  an 
offie  His   life   has   been  a  worthy  one. 

marked  by  fidelity  to  duty  in  all  its  relations 
rhough  he  started  out  in  very  limited  circum- 
stances, he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward, 
all  obstacles  by  industry,  persever- 
ance and  ft  1.  md  prosperity  has  rewarded 
him. 


J\i  OB  QU1GGLE,  a  prominent  agriculturist 
I    tobacco    grower    of    Wayne     township, 
t  linton  county,  is   the   owner  of  a  fine  farm 

nergetic  and  judici 
management  insures  good  returns  notwithstand- 
riard  times"  so  commonly  heard 
in  the  past  few  years.      Although  his  business  in- 

ise  attention,  he  has   al- 
ways shown   much   public    spirit,  and    has  sei 
in   various    official    positions,    including    that    of 
nty  conn  r,  his  ability  and  fidelity  to 

duty  winning  the  approbation  of  the  people. 
Hi-  ligrated  from  Germany  in  an 

The    name    was    formerly    spelled 
fley,"  the  German  mode  of  spelling  being 
"Quickie."     Our  subject  derives  his  remarkable 
mental  and  physical  rom  the  German  stock 

which  has  furnished  -  1  many  able  citizens  to  this 
ntry.    Philip  Quiggle (or Quiggley  .  thegrand- 
father  of  our   subject,    was   born  and   reared   in 
York  county,  Penn.,  where   also   he  spent  some 
■    his   manhood.      He    married,    and   had 
ral  children,  but  his  wife's  name  is  not  km  iwn. 
in  life  Philip  Quiggle  decided  to  make  anew 
itral  Pennsylvania,"  then  a  wilderm 
and    removed    with    his    family  to    what    is    now 
Wayne  township,   Clinton   county,  the  territory 
1    that   time   a    part   ol    Northumberland 
He  took  up  ,1    homestead  of   160  acres 
of  timber  land,  which   he  proceeded  to  clear  and 
impi  !  that  was  considered 

quit  r  those  times.      A  com- 

fortable  livii  I  by  fishing,  hunting 

and  the  river,  while  the  proceeds  from 

the    clearing    of    the    homestead    also   proved  a 
rhi  1    mains  of  this  well-known 
pioi  -     1  !  his  wife  in  Ouig- 

in    Wayne    township,    Clinton 
nty 


crQ^e^V 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


605 


George  Quiggle,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
September  8,  1785,  in  York  county,  Penn.,  and 
received  a  fair  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  that  day,  learning  to  read  and  write 
both  English  and  German.  After  coming  to 
Clinton  county  with  the  family  he  followed  the 
same  occupation  as  his  father,  much  of  his  time 
being  spent  in  running  "arks"  and  rafts  on  the 
Susquehanna  river  from  Lock  Haven  to  Marietta 
and  Columbia,  Penn.,  carrying  grain  or  lumber 
on  the  downward  trips  and  bringing  back  mer- 
chandise. He  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in 
Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  where  he  made 
his  permanent  home,  building  a  log  house  and 
improving  the  place  as  his  time  and  means  per- 
mitted. In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
while  he  gave  loyal  support  to  his  party  at  all 
times  he  never  sought  official  honors.  His  death 
occurred  January  25,  1843,  and  he  was  buried  in 
the  family  plot  in  Ouiggle's  cemetery.  In  early 
manhood  he  was  married  in  Wayne  township, 
Clinton  county  (then  a  part  of  Lycoming  county), 
to  Miss  Hester  Swartz,  a  native  of  York  county, 
who  died  a  few  years  later,  leaving  four  children: 
George,  William,  John,  and  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  John 
Fisher),  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The 
father  of  these  was  again  married,  this  time  to 
Miss  Catherine  Strayer,  a  lady  of  German  descent, 
who  was  born  in  York  county,  April  7,  1794,  the 
daughter  of  Henry  Strayer,  also  a  native  of  York 
county,  and  in  later  life  a  farmer  and  weaver  of 
Wayne  township,  Clinton  county.  By  this  mar- 
riage there  were  nine  children:  Daniel,  a  farmer 
in  Wayne  township;  Isaac,  who  died  at  an  early 
age;  Jacob,  our  subject;  Thomas,  a  farmer  of 
Wayne  township;  Sarah,  widow  of  Nathan  Sim- 
cox;*  Richard,  who  died  in  Wayne  township; 
Robert  C. ,  a  farmer  of  Wayne  township;  Maria, 
wife  of  Washington  Henninger,  of  New  York 
State;  and  Matilda,  who  married  D.  A.  Cochran, 
the  proprietor  of  the  "  Gamble  House,"  at  Jer- 
sey Shore,  Penn.  The  mother  of  this  family 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
and  her  last  days  were  passed  at  the  home  of  her 
son,  Robert  C,  her  death  occurring  July  1,  1878. 
A  marble  monument  in  Ouiggle's  cemetery  testi- 
fies to  the  affectionate  regard  of  the  children  for 
their  honored  parents. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  October 
17,  1822,  at  the  old  homestead,  and  throughout 
his  life  he  has  resided  there.  He  had  but  limited 
educational  opportunities,  and  as  there  were  no 
school  houses  in  his  locality  during  his  boyhood 
he  attended  classes  in  the  log  homes  of  the 
neighbors,  Jesse  Price  being  his  first  teacher.  At 
that  time  the  teachers  were  paid  by  subscription, 
and  were  boarded    by  the    different    families  in 


turn.  As  a  boy  Mr.  Quiggle  formed  habits  of 
industry,  and  has  since  done  much  hard  work. 
For  forty  years  he  piloted  "  arks  "  and  rafts  on 
the  Susquehanna  to  Columbia  and  Marietta  with 
cargoes  of  lumber  and  grain,  and  for  ten  years  he 
was  a  captain  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  the 
"  Melissa,"  of  Jersey  Shore,  being  his  first  boat. 
During  these  years  he  also  engaged  extensively 
in  lumbering,  and  with  the  help  of  his  sons 
cleared  160  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  made 
many  improvements,  and  for  some  time  had  his 
residence.  In  1857  he  bought  the  Gallagher 
farm  of  160  acres,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  In  managing  his  farm  he  has  shown 
much  discretion,  choosing  crops  that  would  bring 
him  a  profit,  and  he  was  among  the  first  in  his 
county  to  attempt  to  raise  tobacco.  This  enter- 
prise has  proved  very  successful,  and  he  now 
ranks  among  the  largest  producers  of  the  crop  in 
his  locality.  Notwithstanding  his  hard  work  in 
the  past,  Mr.  Quiggle  is  still  strong  and  vigorous, 
quite  free  from  illness,  and  he  can  keep  up  with 
any  young  man  in  the  township  during  a  day's 
labor  in  the  wheat  field. 

Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and,  in 
1864,  he  was  elected  county  commissioner  by  a 
good  majority  for  a  term  of  three  years.  He 
served  with  such  satisfaction  to  the  people  that 
a  renomination  was  tendered  him,  but  he  declined. 
For  several  years  he  was  a  school  director  in  his 
township,  serving  as  president  of  the  board  dur- 
ing a  portion  of  the  time,  and  he  has  also  been 
assessor,  tax  collector,  and  supervisor,  the  du- 
ties of  each  position  being  discharged  creditably. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  which  he  has  always  contributed 
liberally,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Lodge  No.   101,  at  Jersey  Shore. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  he  married  Miss  Eliza  Hil- 
born,  and  eight  children  have  blessed  the  union. 
(1)  Ida  died  in  infancy.  (2)  Crawford  J.,  de- 
ceased, lived  to  adult  age.  (3)  Harry  L.,  born 
in  i860,  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  re- 
ceived a  public-school  education  there,  and  now 
has  charge  of  the  homestead  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  Jacob.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  cigars,  and  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful business  men  of  the  locality.  Like  all  the 
members  of  the  family,  he  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  at  present  he  holds  the  office  of  school 
director.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Methodist. 
On  April  8,  1883,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Ferguson,  of  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, a  daughter  of  Matthew  Ferguson,  and  they 
have  had  three  children — Bessie  (deceased), 
Eckley  B.  and  Chester  L.  (living).  (4)  Jacob  Vail 
and  (5)  one  unnamed   (twins)  were  born  April  8, 


VMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


i.  the  latter  ..I  whi<  h.weighii  Is  at 

birth,  died   in   infancy;  Jacob  V.  weighed  only  a 
ii.  1  and  a  half,  but  hi 

Ath.  and  md  healthy  man. 

U.  rtner  with  his  brother  in  (arming  and 

ir  manufacturing,  af- 

i  th(    Den    cratii   org  ini  the 

township,  having  served  two  tern 

H  Methodist  Church,  and  is 

lent  of  th  I,  in 

which   he  has   been   a    teacher  for  ars. 

ratified  with    I  &  A.  M., 

ig  t  o  B 1  u  e  1 

I     •    .  No. 

om- 
!  II  iven.      H 

.1    in   the   public 
-it  Wayne  township,  an. I  is  now  the  wife 
ited  States  consul  at 
I    •    --nil.  \  and  St.  Th  I        ida, 

under  the  fii  d  admin  ,  and  at 

I,  ( )ntai  la,  under  the  second. 

Th'  had   three  children — James  \\ '. ,   Ed- 

mund   l>  .  and  one   that    died    in    infant 
lie   M    pursu  I  udy  in  the  1 

and  man  i   <  i     W.  Smith,  ol  Baltimore, 
M.l  .  a  shi|  i  dard  Oil  Co.     They 

ha'.  I.,  L.  ,  and 

Lillian  I  Minnie  L.  was  edu- 

and  is   now  the  wife 

!      Smith,  a  banker  and  real-.  iler 

in  '  rk  <  itv.     They  have  three  childn  i 

1  1         rd  1        nd    Frances  M.      I  . 

W    Smith  and  W.  F.  Smith,  just  mentioned,  are 

.  and  dii  of  John  Quincy 

Ml  heen  a  true  help- 
meet to  her  husband  during  their  long  married 
life,  was  1" >rn  in  Northumbei  tin., 
th.                          Vbel  Hilborn  nd              laughter 

Samuel     Hill.    I  n.     ..f      Scotch-Il  lit. 

Abel    Hilborn   w.^   a    native   of    Roaring   (■ 
\    lie] .    V  irthumberlan  M  Peni    .when    he 

■   i   portion  .•(   his   lil  ■-  ing 

al   burnin  occupation       Hi    had   a 

• 

i  consistent 
mber  i  il    tin    Baptist   Church  f..r  man] 
He  to         eei       teresl  i  the 

time,  and  was  a  lirm  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party.      His   death  I  ille, 

I    tin.,    in    1863,    and    Ins    wife,   wh 
nan  I  lienor  Vail,  1  1  home  :   1 

dying  there  in  1  881 1,  the 
remains  of  both  being  interred  m  Quiggle's  cem- 
She  was  horn  in  Kingston,  <  mtario,  Can- 
the  daughter  of  Lewis  Vail,  whowasals 


.dian  by   birth,  and  was  of   English  descent. 
lienor    Hilborn   had   ten  children,  as 
Charlotte   (deceased     was   the   wife  of 
Jacob    Mover;   Lewis,    Hiram  and   Jesse  are  all 
deceased;  Calvin  resides  near  Chicago.  111.; 
\lb.  rt  Wetherald,  of  Frank- 
lin.   Ind. ;  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  our  subject.   Mary 
with   Mrs.    Quiggle;  Catherine  is  the  wife 
':  of  Jonas  Mincer,  of   Lock  Haven.  Clinton  county; 
and  Abel  is  a  res  I  Frankton,  Indiana. 


SAMUEL  L.    HEARD,  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  a  well-known  milli  lona,  Clinton 

county,  was  born  January  29,   1856. 

John  P.  and  Mary  J.  C.  McGhee)  Heard, 
his  parents,  were  born,  the  father,  April 
1816,  in  the  east  end  of  Nittany  Valley,  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  the  mother,  May  z, 
1826,  at  Salona.  The  parents  of  John  P.  Heard 
were  Robert  and  Annie  (Hazlett)  Heard,  the 
former  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  whose  family 
were  early  pioneers  of  Nittany  Valley.  Robert 
lb  ard,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  April 

[788,  and  died  February  28,  1843,  while  his 
wife  was  burn  December  13,  17SS,  and  died  De- 
cember 16,  1841.  Her  parents  were  John  and 
Margaret  Hazlett,  the  former  ..f  whom  was  born 
in  1742.  and  .lied  August  26,  1830.  and  the  lat- 
ter, born  in  1753,  dud  February  13,  1834.  Thej 
wen-  buried  at  Salona.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents of  0  ct  also  sleep  in  the  Method- 
ist cemetery  at  that  place.  In  their  family  were 
five  children:  Delinda,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Peter  Best,  of  Cedarville.  Stephenson  Co.,  111.; 
John  P.,  lather  of  our  subject;  William,  who 
.Ind  111  Freeport,  111.;  Robert,  who  died  in  Keo- 
kuk. I.,  w.i  .and  Margaret,  who  died  when  a  voting 

In  Nittany  Valley,  John  P.  Heard  was  reared 
t.i  manhood,  living  with  his  parents  in  Lamar 
and  Porter  townships,  Clinton  county.  He  at- 
led  the  public  schools  of  his  day  and  learned 
very  rapidly.  He  also  took  private  lessons  of  a 
Mr.  Berkley,  petent  instructor.   When 

iung  man  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade 
with  Samuel  B.  1  -  dona,  and  continued 

1"  «  until  ill  health  prevented  it. 

ht  man]  if  school,  was  an  ex- 

cellent   teacher,  and    among   his   pupils  was  the 

rd      became     his     wife. 
Many   ol   th  t    Lamar  township 

ittended  his  - 

P.  Heard  was  married 

whose  father,  John 

McG  rn  August  1.   1780,  in  Trunamul- 

leii.  Ireland,  in  which  country  his  father,  Thomas 


I 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


607 


McGhee 

life.      The  family 


followed   farming  and    spent  his  entire 


was  a  prominent  and   intelli- 


gent one,  and  the  son  received  a  good  education 
in  his  native  land.  When  a  young  man  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Penn's  Valley,  Penn.  He  began  learning  the 
millwright's  trade,  but  did  not  long  devote  his 
attention  to  it.  He  taught  school  for  many 
years,  and  in  the  possession  of  his  family  is  an 
old  agreement  which  shows  the  plan  of  hiring 
teachers  in  his  day,  and  is  as  follows:  "  Articles 
of  agreement  made  and  concluded  this  Decem- 
ber 1 8,  1802,  between  John  McGhee,  schoolmas- 
ter, of  the  first  part,  and  the  subscribers  of  the 
other  part,  both  parties  being  of  the  township 
of  Haines,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  witnesseth  and 
saith,  That  said  McGhee  on  his  part  doth  prom- 
ise to  teach  an  English  school  and  to  teach  all 
such  children  as  are  committed  to  his  care,  read- 
ing, writing  and  arithmetic,  so  far  as  his  skill 
and  their  abilities  will  admit,  for  the  term  of  one 
year,  reserving  to  himself  every  other  Saturday 
and  two  weeks  in  harvest.  And  we,  the  sub- 
scribers, do  on  our  part  promise  to  find  him  a 
sufficient  schoolhouse  with  every  accommodation 
necessary;  to  find  him  a  stove  in  the  winter  sea- 
son with  plenty  of  firewood;  and  we  likewise 
promise  to  pay  him  for  the  aforesaid  term  of  one 
year  the  sum  of  forty  pounds,  one-half  at  the  ex- 
piration of  the  first  six  months,  and  the  remain- 
der at  the  expiration  of  one  year;  we  likewise 
promise  to  find  him  on  sufficient  board  during 
said  term.  In  witness  whereof  we  the  subscrib- 
ers interchangeably  set  our  hands  and  number  of 
scholars." 

On  November  13,  1806,  John  McGhee  was 
married  in  what  is  now  Porter  township,  Clinton 
county,  to  Miss  Mary  T.  McKibben,  who  was 
born  in  Franklin  county,  Penn.,  December  8, 
1786,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Grimes) 
McKibben,  who  removed  from  that  county  to 
Porter  township,  then  a  part  of  Centre  county, 
in  the  spring  of  1787.  During  the  Revolutionary 
war  Mr.  McKibben  went  with  a  team  to  Balti- 
more for  goods,  being  there  at  the  time  Corn- 
wallis  was  in  that  city.  Both  Mr.  McKibben  and 
his  wife  were  buried  in  Jacksonville  cemetery. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGhee  began  housekeeping  in 
Brush  Valley,  but  in  the  spring  of  1819  came  to 
Salona,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  where  he  built  the  old 
stone  mill.  He  also  built  a  stone  mill  in  Clin- 
tondale,  and  both  were  operated  by  hired  millers. 
At  one  time  he  made  a  trip  to  Philadelphia,  and 
on  his  return  two  noted  desperadoes,  Lewis  and 
Connelly,  waited  in  a  tree  to  waylay  him ;  but 
coming  home  by  another  route  his  life  was  spared. 


He  died  in  Salona,  March  11,  1S31,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  September  20,  185S.  In  their 
family  were  six  children,  namely:  Thomas, 
born  September  25,  1810,  died  in  Lock  Haven; 
Joseph,  born  March  5,  1814,  died  in  childhood; 
John  C,  born  April  27,  18 18,  died  in  Lock 
Haven;  Sarah,  born  August  3,  1824,  married 
Thomas  Pollock,  and  died  in  Salona;  Mary  J.  C. 
is  the  mother  of  our  subject;  and  Isabella  M., 
born  November  15,  1829,  is  the  wife  of  David 
Griffith,  of  Kansas. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  John  P.  Heard 
and  his  brother  William  were  engaged  in  the 
foundry  business  in  Greencastle,  Franklin  Co., 
Penn.,  but  shortly  afterward  he  returned  to  Sa- 
lona, where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1855  he  removed  to 
the  home  where  his  last  years  were  passed,  dy- 
ing there  June  7,  1893,  and  his  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  Cedar  Hill  cemetery.  He  took  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs,  first  as  a  Whig, 
and  later  as  a  Republican;  for  twenty  years  he 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  for  a  long 
period  was  also  a  school  director.  He  was  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  most  valued  and  useful 
citizens  of  his  community,  and  scrupulously  per- 
formed every  duty  which  devolved  upon  him, 
whether  public  or  private.  For  a  third  of  a  cen- 
tury he  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  took  an  active  part  in  its 
work,  and  held  many  Church  offices.  His  widow 
still  resides  on  the  old  homestead,  and  she,  too, 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were 
seven  children,  namely:  Horace  McG.,  born 
October  28,  1846,  is  a  dairyman  of  Lamar  town- 
ship, Clinton  county;  Lorren  H.,  born  October 
5,  1848,  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years; 
Mary  V.,  born  August  7,  1 8 50,  lives  with  her 
mother;  Robert  T. ,  born  August  9,  1852,  is  a 
carriage-trimmer;  Samuel  L. ,  our  subject,  is  next 
in  order  of  birth;  Anna  M.,  born  October  19, 
1858,  is  the  wife  of  Edward  McDowell,  of  Irvona, 
Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.;  and  John  E.,  born  March 
4,   1 86 1,  died  in  infancy. 

Samuel  L.  Heard  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Salona,  beginning  his  education  under  the 
instruction  of  Lydia  Wilson.  He  early  became 
familiar  with  milling,  and  in  1876  went  to 
Chatham  Run,  where  he  worked  in  the  gristmill 
of  Joseph  Farley  for  some  time.  On  his  return 
to  Salona  he  took  charge  of  the  old  stone  mill 
erected  by  his  maternal  grandfather  in  1819,  and 
operated  it  until  1878,  when  he  went  to  Chanute, 
Kans.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  a  short 
time.  The  next  year  he  again  took  charge  of  the 
mill    in    Salona,  and     remained    here     until    the 


(  OMME  VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


when  he   wi  nt    to   Minneapolis, 
Minnesota       Shortlj 
in  the  Assini  intry,  in  Bril 

the  construi  I 

then    buildii  ly    he     retui 

Mini  '  's 

now  North  D  "1- 

sylvania 

ind 
in  t:  the 

-mill  in  ^  h  he  nov 

t  )n  Februarj  ..  Mi    Hi  ard  was  united 

in  marriage  to  Miss  Ida  Krapi 

a  daughter  oi  Robert  Ki  to  them  has 

|ohn    R  Republican 

ticket.  Mr.  i  I 

and  is 
ibly  lillm  He  is  a  stanch 

ind  does  all  in  his  power 
its  interests   and   insure  its  succi 

Balona,  in  promi- 

ing    citizen,     whi  to    all 

neral    wi 
His  the 

Mi  '  ;  hnrch. 


1j*H<  )M  ^S  iiding    in    Wayne 

g  the  highly- 
mn- 
in. I  has  been   id  vith   its  agricultural 

wild  and  unim- 
-n.      In  the  work  ol  developn 
in  ai  live  part,  and  lias  aided  in  open- 
Ltion        is  1 
tithfull)  . 
nship,   and    I 

nunity  hi 
the  old 
Mr 

the    f- Mirth    chili  e.      Wa; 

township  at   that   time  w 

inty.      In  gh- 

■ 
during   the   wint  ths,   while    tl 

pent    at    work    upon    the    linn. 
There  hi  ade 

many  valuable    and    useful    improvement 
the  place,  building  .1  fin 

which  ai ^OOO.     B  rm- 

Mi  forty-fh 

on  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna, 
running  from  Lock  Haven  to  Columbia,  Mari 

with   ■■  .m- 


\orked  in  the  lumber  regions  with 
his   brothers,    Jacob   and    Robert   C. .   but  sii 

I  his  entire    time  to   agricultural 
pursuits.      He  li  interested  in  the  raising 

60,  and  in  all  his  undertak- 
ings has  met  with  a  fair  degree  of  success,  being 
now  numbered  among  the  prosperous  and  sub- 
stantial citizens  ol  Wayne  township. 

In  1S50,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  Mr.  Quiggle  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie 
Willhelm,  a  native  of  Jersey  Shore,  Penn.,  and 
r  of  William  Willhelm.  To  them  were 
born  t\\"  children:  Fannie,  now  the  wife  of 
rles  Ingram,  of  Renovo.  Clinton  county; 
and  Richard,  who  married  Emma  Hager,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children,  Clarence  and  Fiona, 
and  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty  years. 
This  wife  of  our  subject,  who  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died 
in  Wayne  township,  in  1 S 5 3 ,  and  was  buried  in 
the  »  'niggle  cemetery-  Our  subject  was  again 
married,  in  1855,  his  second  union  being  with 
Catharine  Willhelm  (sister  of  his  first  wife),  by 
whom  he  had  six  children:  <  1  1  Tucker,  a  farmer 
ol  Wayne  township,  who  married  Arvilla  Young, 
of  that  township,  and  has  one  son,  Walter.  (2 
Ettie  married  Jerry  Chubb,  who  died  leaving  two 
children,  Torrence  and  Willard.  She  is  now  the 
wife  of  John  Corson.  (3)  Willard,  a  railroad 
man,    living    in    Williamsport,    married    Mag 

1,  and   has   three  children,  LeRoy.    Beu- 
lah    and    John.       4     Enola    is    the    wife  of  John 

■r.  a  furniture  manufacturer  and  under- 
taker ol  Rei  linton  county,  and  has  three 
cliil  '  rid  Dorothy.  1 5)  Carrie 
is  the  wife   of   William    Shurr.    of    Wayne   town- 

1   Arvilla  is  the  wife  of  William  Airgood, 
•  ■  wberry,  Lycoming  (  0  .  Penn.,  and  1 
child.  Thomas.      The  mother  of  this  family  died 
in    1878,  and   wa  nterred   in  the  <Hiiggle 

For   his   third  wife    Mr.    Quiggle  chose   Miss 
thaA  Corson,  who  was  born  March  24,  1S45. 
and    their   mam.'  celebrated   in    Salladas- 

burg,   I  unty,    in    1 S79.      Her  grand- 

father, Thoi  .1  native  of  Chest.  1 

I  French  descent.   Through- 
ntire   life   he    followed    agricultural   pur- 
111   his   native  county,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred      II.   was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  a  mem- 
I    1  1  tends.      He  was  twice 
wife  being  a  Miss  Pipps,  and 
the  father  of  twelve  children,  among  whom 
1 1      '  )uiggle's  father.    1  I 
n  Chester  county,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  until  after  his 
■  when  :  to  a  farm  near  Lin- 


THOMAS    OUIGGLE 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


609 


den,  in  Lycoming  county.  He  there  owned  200 
acres  of  land,  which  he  improved  with  good 
buildings,  and  continued  to  cultivate  until  called 
to  his  final  rest  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one. 
He  was  a  hard  working,  energetic  man,  and  was 
widely  and  favorably  known.  In  Chester  county 
he  married  Rachel  Harvey,  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Har- 
vey, a  hatter  by  trade,  who  was  of  English  de- 
scent, and  died  in  Williamsport,  Penn.  Mrs. 
Corson  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  a  most  estimable  lad}'.  She 
was  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  namely: 
Thomas  and  William,  both  farmers  of  Lycoming 
county;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of  Samuel  Everett; 
Emma,  deceased  wife  of  Robert  McWilliams,  of 
Harrisburg,  Penn. ;  Rebecca,  deceased  wife  of 
Charles  Mosely,  of  Muncy,  Penn.;  Sarah  J., 
widow  of  Joseph  McLain,  of  Johnsonburg,  Penn. ; 
John,  a  lumberman  of  Newberry,  Lycoming 
county;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Charles  Swain,  of 
Lewistown,  Penn.;  Rachel,  who  died  unmarried; 
Charles,  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Lycoming  county;  Martha,  who  first  married 
Charles  Blackwell  (who  died  in  1875),  and  is  now 
the  wife  of  our  subject;  and  Edmund,  a  farmer 
of  Level  Corners,  Lycoming  county. 

Socially  Mr.  Quiggle  affiliates  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  religiously  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  has  been  an  unwavering  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party  since  casting  his  first  vote  for 
James  K.  Polk,  and  at  the  last  election,  in  the 
fall  of  1896,  voted  for  William  J.  Bryan  and  the 
free  coinage  of  silver.  For  the  past  twelve  years 
he  has  served  as  school  director,  but  has  never 
cared  for  political  distinction,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  entire  time  to  his  business  interests.  He 
is  one  of  the  representative  and  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Wayne  township,  and  certainly  deserves 
honorable   mention   in  a  work  of   this  character. 


C\APT.  JAMES  S.  HALL,  deceased,  was  one 
1  of  the  men  who  valiantly  fought  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  during  the  dark  days 
of  the  Civil  war,  and  was  later  an  honored  and 
valued  citizen  of  Renovo.  He  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  his  birth  occurring  September  1 , 
1828,  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Centre  county,  a  son 
of  T.  M.  and  Uretta  (Roberts)  Hall,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  that  county.  The  Captain's 
primary  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of 
Bellefonte,  and  he  subsequently  attended  the 
Meadville  College  for  some  years,  after  which 
he  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  public 

schools  for  a  number  of  years.      He  also  served 
39* 


as  deputy  sheriff  under  his  father  from  1846  to 
'1849,  in  his  native  county. 

In  1S50,  in  company  with  E.  B.  Lipton,  also 
of  Milesburg,  Centre  county,  Mr.  Hall  went  to 
California,  expecting  to  make  his  fortune  in  the 
gold  mines.  The  venture,  however,  did  not 
prove  very  successful,  and  later  he  was  appointed 
and  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Nappa  county, 
that  State.  Failing  health  at  length  caused  him 
to  return  home  in  1854,  and  the  same  year  he 
wedded  Miss  Mary  A.  Iddings,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  (Henry)  Iddings,  also  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  Her  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  died  in  1865,  and  her  mother 
passed  away  in  1884,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-one  years.  In  their  family  were  ten  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  yet  living:  William,  a 
resident  of  Centre  county;  Mrs.  Ann  Moore,  of 
Grampian,  Clearfield  Co.,  Penn.;  Mrs.  Lydia 
H.  Root,  of  Blair  county,  Penn.;  and  Mrs.  Hall. 
To  James  S.  Hall  and  his  wife  were  born  ten 
children,  of  whom  four  sons  and  One  daughter 
are  now  deceased.  Those  living  are:  Alice  L., 
wife  of  John  McDonald,  of  Driftwood,  Penn. ; 
Edgar  H.,  of  Salisbury,  N.  C. ;  and  Wilburetta, 
Mary  and  Cornelia,  all  at  home.    . 

After  his  return  to  Pennsylvania  our  subject 
taught  school  and  engaged  in  clerking  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1S61  he  assisted 
Capt.  Kiernan  in  recruiting  Company  D,  53d  P. 
V.  I.,  of  which  company  he  was  commissioned 
lieutenant,  and  some  time  after  entering  the  serv- 
ice was  detailed  for  duty  in  the  Signal  Corps.  At 
that  period  the  department  was  in  its  infancy,  and 
he  rendered  his  superior  officers  valuable  service 
in  raising  it  to  a  high  state  of  perfection,  which, 
later  on,  proved  invaluable  to  the  army.  At 
Fredericksburg  he  was  with  Gen.  Burnside,  and 
when  Gen.  Hooker  succeeded  to  the  command  he 
was  retained,  and  continued  at  headquarters. 
After  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  when  the 
army  moved  northward,  he  accompanied  it  to 
Gettysburg,  and  was  sent  to  Little  Round  Top. 
On  the  memorable  2d  of  July,  when  Gen.  Long- 
street  was  forming  his  column  to  assault  that 
stronghold,  which  is  universally  conceded  to  have 
been  the  key  to  the  position  occupied  by  the 
Union  army,  he  gave  timely  notice  to  Gen. 
Meade  of  the  contemplated  movement.  Gen. 
Warren,  chief  of  the  staff,  hastened  to  Round 
Top  to  ascertain  the  situation.  Seizing  the  Cap- 
tain's field  glass  he  hastily  glanced  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Confederate  lines,  but  failed  to  note, 
from  some  cause,  the  forming  column.  Unusual 
as  it  was  for  Gen.  Warren  to  be  impatient,  he 
censured  the  Captain  for  being  unnecessarily 
alarmed.      The  controversy  continued  for  consid- 


610 


VORATTVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erable  time,  Captain    Hall   insisting  that   he 
correct  in  his  opinii  uliar  ac- 

tivity and  I  i  he  had   noted   and  sign 

was  the  precursor  of  an   assault. 
A  little  later  it  became  apparent  Warren 

that  u  was  onlj    too  true.     Aids  were   immedi- 
ately di  I  with  the  utmost  haste,  and  tr 
wen  li  a   double-quick,  and  arrived 
just  in  timi               I  and  hurl   back    1 

■mi,  led   by  the   Louis  I 

1  Round  Top  would  have  b 
the  Union  Army.     The  timely  warning  of 
tin  signal  i  ifficer  was  all  t  d  it. 

A  fi  l  !  treet  vis- 

tin    pui .  viewing  the 

I '■>"  i    line  wl 

it  confront*  I    R   und  Ti  ip.      Hi    n  fen  ed  to  the 
ten  winch  h  red  at  that  point, 

marking:     "  It  is 
all  '. .  and  I  hold  no  ill  feeling  toward  the 

sault  "ii  RoundTop,"  but 
ne  little 

d v  1  on  the   summit   and  vigorously 

il    flag,    Until'. 
his  premeditated  assault.  "  That  officer  was  Capl 
S,   I  [all,  ami  his  timely  warning  doubl 
i  'I  that  Capt.  Hall 

rvewiththe  Army  of  the  Potomac 
until  the  South  laid  down  it-  arms,  and  peace  was 

R<  turning  Capt.    Hall  lo- 

ad when   the   Philadelphia  & 
tablished  its  shops  there,  he  was 
t i. mi,  which 
ptably  filled  until  failing  health  caused  his 
i   the  la  -  of 

in   invalid  and  was   unabli 
rk,  hut  linn-  his  sufferings  without  a  mur- 
ium      Hi 

M.l,  and  died  a  Christian  soldier,  with 

'        H<  this   life    March 

.  and   bis   death  was  widely  and    deeply 

timed,  for  his  friends  were  man}        1  i    m  early 

life  he  stent   member  of 

the  Method 

■n\  horn  Ted  membi  i  Masonii 

1      ind  Armj 
estimal  a  ho  still  survives  him,  contin 

to  make  her  borne  in  Ri  i 
ular    and  highlj    n  lady,    !  lei) 

and   kindly 
words. 


native  of  what  is  now  the  county  of  Clinton,  b  irn 
;t  2  i .   [820,  in  B  le  township. 

i  ks,  hisfather,  was  born  in  1769, 

■  to  that  portion   of 
county  which  was  then  a  part  of  Centre, 
at  Mill  Hall,  where  he  and  a  brother-in- 
law  built  the  stone  gristmill  that  yet  stands  there. 
purchased  a  farm  on  the  banks 
ie  creek,  and  there  passed  the  rest  of 
d   as   a    farmer.      He   was   a    \ 
active  man.  energetic  and  thrifty,  yet  retiring — 
a  quiet,  una-  itizen  whose  life  was  given 

to  I  tei  1  lis  1  iw  n  affairs.    He  died  in  M 

1S4;,  a  respected  pioneer  of  the  Conn  ilth. 

11:-  estimable  wife,  who    was  born    in    1774  in 
1  hestei  county,  Penn.,  survived  him  seven  years, 
dying  in    1S30.      Their    children    were:     Gi 
\V.   dud    near    Peoria,  111.,   in     his    eighty-third 
r;  Benjamin  H.  died  at    Lock  Haven,  the  re- 
Milt  ol  a  fall  from  a  wagon,  in    his  seventy-first 
year;  John  died  at  the  age  of    thirty-five  years; 
11  1  11    died  in  Lock  Haven,  aged    sixty-four 
3;    Henrietta    died  when   eighty-threi 

1    to   be  sixty-tour  years  old; 
1  G.  W.Smith,  and   resides 
at  Peoria,  111.,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her  age; 
and  Newton  \Y.   is  our  subject. 

■■ton  \\  cks  had   but  limited  edu- 


cational advanta 


I'lie  li  1]  house,  w  ith 


NEWTON  \\    FREDERK  KJ  rthy 

f  Lock   1  ind    an  extensive 

fai  ■  business  man  of  Clinl 


its    pun  slab    seats    and    desks,    was     the 

"  tempi  rning, "  in  which  the  boys  and  girls 

of    his   day   were  taught.      He    was    reared   on   a 
farm,  an  ;  hat  occupation  as  a  means  of 

livelihood  until    in    1855,  when    he  embarked   in 

lumber    and  tire-brick  business,  and  he 
ever  since  been  chiefly  identified  with  these  lines 
of  business.      Winn  a    young   man    he  was  pos- 
I  business  ideas,  and.  by  exercising 
care  and  judgment,  together  with  close  appl; 
tion  to  his  business,  he  has  accumulated   a  coin- 
a   success  of  life.      He  owns 
ral   nice  farms  and    residence   property;  also 
ii  k  works  of  Fredericks,  Munroe 
irrandsville.      Although   Mr.  Freder- 
icks, at  this  writing,  is  in  the  seventy-seventh  year 
of  his  a  remarkably  well-pn  and 

ell  as  he  did  at  the 
fiftj       He    personally    superintends  the 
running  1  1  looks  after  his  various 

business  intei 

1"  '  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 

A  itsi  :..     .  daughter  of  George    Watson,  of 

Northumberland  county,  and  three  sons  and  one 

ih,    who    died    in    infancy,  were 

union,  the  sons  being:  George  Wat- 

mington,  Penn.; 

Worth,  a  partner  of    his  father    in   busi- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Gil 


iness  at  Farrandsville,  Clinton  county;  John 
Thomas,  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  the 
Williamsport  Bar.  Mrs.  Fredericks,  the  mother 
of  these,  died  in  1855,  and  Mr.  Fredericks  was 
again  married,  this  time  in  October,  1857,  to 
Charlotte  W.  (Crawford)  Guyer,  daughter  of 
George  Crawford,  of  Pine  Creek  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  and  two  daughters — Mary  C.,  wife 
of  Edgar  P.  Geary,  an  attorney  at  Lock  Haven, 
and  Rosetta  D.,  wife  of  George  W.  Howard,  of 
Latrobe,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn.,  were 
born  to  them,  both  of  whom  are  living.  The 
mother  of  these  died  on  May  31,  1894.  Our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
as  are  all  of  his  children,  and  also  as  were  his 
wises.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is 
conservative  in  his  views.  He  has  never  aspired 
to  any  office.  He  has  ever  been  found  on  the 
side  of  right  in  all  moral  questions  affecting  the 
good  of  the  community,  in  which  he  has  so  long 
resided,  and  of  which  he  has  been  so  important 
a  factor.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  director 
in  the  First  National  Bank  at  Lock  Haven. 


JOHN  W.  HARRIS,  an  efficient  alderman 
from  the  Third  ward,  and  who  for  morethan 
a  decade  was  the  popular  postmaster  of  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  his  place  of  residence, 
was  born  at  Williamsport,  Penn.,  February   25, 

1833. 

William  and  Sarah  (Grafius)  Harris,  his 
parents,  were  natives  of  this  State,  and  their 
lives  were  here  passed.  William  Harris  was 
born  April  9,  1797,  in  Maryland,  and  in  early 
life  was  engaged  as  a  mercantile  clerk  at  Will- 
iamsport, Penn.,  and  later  he  carried  on  a  boot 
and  shoe  store.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  Ly- 
coming county  when  quite  a  young  man,  and 
died  July  31,  1835,  while  serving  in  that  capacity. 
His  estimable  wife,  who  was  born  December  31, 
1807,  at  Williamsport,  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
dying  December  16,  1883,  aged  seventy-six 
years.  She  was  a  woman  of  lovely  character, 
and  drew  about  her  hosts  of  friends.  Of  the 
four  children  born  to  William  Harris  and  wife, 
the  following  three  are  living:  Mrs.  Dr.  Rhodes, 
of  Williamsport,  Penn. ;  Mrs.  Charles  Stewart, 
of  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  John,  our  subject; 
the  one  deceased  is  Jacob  G.,  who  died  in  No- 
vember, 1887. 

Alderman  Harris  in  youth  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  day,  also  the  select  schools 
then  in  vogue.  After  leaving  school  he  learned 
the  tanner's  and  currier's  trade,  although  he  did 
not  follow  it  long  as  an  occupation.  Some  time 
after  completing  his  trade  he   went  to   the    Mo- 


nongahela  river  at  a  point  above  Brownsville, 
Penn.,  where  he  superintended  the  job  of  build- 
ing dams  for  steamboat  navigation,  and  was  there 
employed  in  this  line  of  work  for  two  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1856  he  returned  to  his  native 
town,  Williamsport,  and  became  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  as  a  clerk,  continuing  until 
1859.  In  September  of  that  year  he  came  to 
Lock  Haven  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  partnership  with  his  brother,  J.  G.  Har- 
ris. This  business  was  conducted  until  1869, 
when  John  W.  Harris  was  appointed  postmaster 
of  Lock  Haven  by  President  Grant.  He  very 
creditably  to  himself,  and  most  satisfactorily  to 
the  public,  served  in  this  position  throughout 
President  Grant's  two  terms,  and  through  the 
Hayes  administration,  being  succeeded  to  the 
office  in  188 1.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Pattison  as  alderman  of  the  Third  ward, 
and  in  1885  was  elected  to  that  office;  he  was  re- 
elected in  1890,  and  in  1895,  and  is  still  serving. 
On  February  13,  1862,  Mr.  Harris  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  D.  White,  born  December  15, 
1840,  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton  county, 
Penn. ,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  White,  of  Clinton 
county,  and  two  sons  were  born  to  their  union: 
Andrew  W.  and  Charles  S.  The  former  is 
ticket  agent  of  the  Beech  Creek  railroad  at 
Castanea.  Penn.,  and  Charles  is  the  agent  of  the 
Adams  Express  Company,  at  Renovo,  Penn. 
Alderman  Harris  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Socially  he  is  identified 
with  the  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  also  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  In  politics  he  is  Republican  and  has 
been  an  active  worker  in  the  party  for  many 
years;  he  has  served  on  various  State  and  other 
important  committees.  Mr.  Harris  has  served 
as  the  treasurer  of  the  borough  of  Lock  Haven, 
and  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  for  a  period, 
he  was  one  of  the  emergency  men  called  out  by 
the  governor  when  General  Lee  invaded  the 
State.  He  is  one  of  Lock  Haven's  enterprising 
and  progressive  citizens  and  most  capable  busi- 
ness men. 


'AMES  A.  BICKFORD,  the  present  efficient 
manager  of  the  Queens  Run  Fire-Brick  Com- 
pany, at  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county,  is  a 
native  of  the  State  of  Maine,  born  July  27,  1S45, 
at  Bangor. 

Samuel  M.  and  Caroline  A.  (Higgins)  Bick- 
ford,  his  parents,  were  both  natives  of  Maine. 
They  were  married  in  1840,  and  their  children 
are:  Edith  H.  (Mrs.  W.  T.  VanDyke),  Frank 
E. ,  Charles  F.,  William  M.  (deceased),  and 
James   A.    (our  subject).     The   father  of    these 


612 


(  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RB(  ORD. 


with  family,  until  in  ine,  and 

th.it  year  located   il    I .  ck   1 1  ■••    n,  Penn.,  wl 
the   .  lived   the  their  li\ 

highly-]  the  fa- 

ther dying   in    [888,    and  tl 
Rear  !   in   a   lumber   Mate    Mr.  Bickford   early 
turned  his  attention  to  that  business  and  : 
it  t!  ut  his  lifetime.      I  i  -  the  Bick- 

kburn  and   S    M     Bii  kl  o.'s 

II  known  to  the 
n;  they  i  ten 

million  ment  to 

Jam-  -  A    Bi(  kford  d  in  a  lumbering 

district,   and  had   but   limit  rl  uni- 

attending  the  common  district  scl I  of  the 

nly  two  ■  ir  three  months 
in  the  ye  ir.     1  1  until  1 887  he  was 

upied  in  that  line  of  busii  In  that  year 

the  Queens  Run  pany  was  organ- 

d  and  im  I,  and  "I   this  company  Mr. 

!  was  ma  nan- 

T,  which  positions  he  has  since  held.    This  in- 
•  1  ust r\  is  quite   an  important   factor  in  the  busi- 
itei     '      I  I  I  i     en,  giving  employment 

ne  hundred  and  thirty  hands.      Mr.  Bii  kford 
1  etarj ,   ti  and  manager  of  the 

Clinton  Mining  Company,  another  of  the  promi- 
nent industries  ol  Lock  Haven.  In  the  conduct 
of  1  '.11  busim 

and  capacity       He  I  the  enterprising  and 

I  'lmt'. n  county.  In  politii  s 
he  1-  .1  Republican  though  not  a  politician  in  the 
trm  of   the   word.      He  as  a 

■  il. 
In  i  ject was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 

M.  Brunei .  wh(  1  was  born  May  21 1,  1  851 1,  at 
Mi  in.,  ami  to  the   marriage  were   born: 

la  M.  .  Mrs.  William  F  M  . 

L.   Fay,  M  |  J. 

Max.  all  Ir.  '  fohn  B.  and  Paul  A.  (twii 

itnied  with  the  M   E.  (  hun  h  .it  I  01  k  II.  1. 
The  fathi  1  !>er  of  th 


WILLI  VM  IGGL1        1  .v.  men  have 

financial 
litions  than  fell  to  tl  I  Ins  well-known 

and  enterpri  rthy 

■  ion. 

Mi 

In-  r,  Philip  • 

nl  ■     Pi  nn., having  been  among  thi  1  arly 

■  I  what  is  now  \\  lyne  township,  Clinton 

Penn     1  our  subj  nd- 


father,  made  his  home  in   the   same  locality  and 

reared  a  numerous  family  among  whom  were  Ja- 
R    l>ertC, Thomas, and  Richard, all  respected 
lents  of  Wayne  township.      Richard  Quig 
born  at  the  old  homestead  in  1829,  and  was 
educated  in  the   local   schools,  which   were  con- 
ducted on  the  subscription  plan.      He  grew   to 
manhood  at  the   farm,  and  then   after  spending 
-  as  a  pilot  on  the  Susquehanna  river, 
he  became   a  section   foreman   on   the   Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  a  position    he    rilled  satisfactorily 
for  some  time.      One  night  while  on  the  roadbe- 
twe  I  I  uid  Jersey  Shore,  he  was  at- 

tacked by  robbers  and  left  insensible  on  the* 
track  in  such  a  posture  that  a  passing  freight 
train  cut  off  one  of  his  legs.  The  railroad  com- 
pany paid  only  his  doctor  bill,  and  as  he  was  in- 
capacitated for  active  manual  labor,  he  located 
1  farm  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, and  in  connection  with  its  management  he 
operated  the  "  Quiggle  Ferry". 

AtPineStation,ClintonCo.,Penn. ,  Mr.  Quiggle 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Adams,  a  lady  of 
German  descent,  who  was  born  at  Muncy,  Penn., 
in  1829,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Adams.  .1  prosper- 
ous farmer.  She  died  in  Wayne  township, 
Clinton  county,  Decembei  [6,  [896,  her  husband 
passing  away  December  21,  1895.  Politically 
he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  both  consisl  mbers  ol  the  Methodist 

Church.       They     had     the      following    children: 
Mary,    wife  ol    John    Riggle,   of  Braymer,  Mo.; 
Di  morest  V.,  wife   ol  John  Gillen,  of  Pittsburg, 
Penn.;  Josephine,  wife  of  William  J.  Weaver,  of 
Reynoldsville,    Penn.;   William   C,  our  subject; 
Linus  G.,  a  t<  legrapher  at  Warren,  Ohio;  Flor- 
A  ,  wife   ol    Robert    Martin,   of   Newberry, 
ih   B.,  wife  of  Jesse  W.  Phillips,  of 
irlton,  Penn.  ;    Rebeca  comes  next  in  order  of 
birth;   Margaret  and  Clinton  H.,  both  of  whom 
dud  in  childh 

d  ijecl    of   our  sketch    was  born    March 

t.(.    1858,  in    Wayne   township,    Clinton   county, 

where  1.  d  the  public  schools  for  a  time, 

although  hi    is  mainly  indebted  to  his  own  efforts 

1.  private  study  enabling  him   to 

ition  on  the  topics  of 

day.      When    his    father  lost    his    limb,    the 

n  to    help    in   the  support   of  the 

1  ing  em]  at   on  the  railroad  at 

i   twelve  hours.      After  spending 

tlin  vork  he   went  to  Big    Ra] 

■'■■  when  employed  for  a  time  in  the 

lumberb  1    turning  home  he  rented 

m  Robert  C.  Cook,  of  Pine 

iship,    Clinton    county,    and    for  two 

pick   and  shovel  for  the 


J 


■  Q.  <f^L; 


-H- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


613 


National  Transit  Co.  (Standard  Oil  Co.),  receiv- 
ing $1.75  per  day.  Later  he  was  employed  for 
two  years  in  unloading  coal  for  the  same  com- 
pany (at  $50  per  month),  and  in  eight  years  he 
walked  the  pipe  line  something  over  29,000 
miles  (receiving  $60  per  month),  in  the  Cumber- 
land Valley,  Adams  county,  Penn.  He  also 
worked  for  them  as  foreman.  In  1895  he  was 
appointed  engineer  of  their  pumping  engines  at 
Pine  Station,  and,  as  he  had  become  a  proficient 
in  telegraphy  in  the  meantime,  he  was  also  made 
the  operator  and  engineer  at  that  point,  his  sal- 
ary for  this  being  at  present  $85  per  month.  His 
faithful  performance  of  every  duty  has  won  him 
the  entire  confidence  of  his  employers  and  the 
esteem  of  the  public.  In  1886  he  built  a  neat 
dwelling-house  in  the  town  at  a  cost  of  $1,000. 
He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
the  locality. 

On  June  15,  1885,  William  C.  Quiggle  was 
married  in  Pine  Creek  township  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Martin,  a  native  of  the  township,  where  her  fa- 
ther, the  late  Alexander  Martin,  and  her  uncle, 
Joseph  Martin,  were  well-known  as  citizens. 
Three  children  have  blessed  this  union — Walter  , 
Gregg,  born  in  1888;  Beulah  May,  born  in  1890; 
and  Joseph  Boyd,  born  in  1893.  Socially,  Mr. 
Quiggle  belongs  to  La  Belle  Valley  Lodge  No. 
232,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Jersey  Shore,  Penn.;  in  his 
religious  views  he  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Meth- 
odist Church  at  Pine  Station,  being  a  teacher  in 
the  Sabbath-school.  He  believes  in  the  princi- 
ples of  sound  money,  and  of  late  has  voted  the 
Republican  ticket,  though  formerly  a  Democrat. 
Any  movement  which  promises  to  benefit  the 
community  is  certain  to  receive  his  sympathy  and 
support,  and  he  is  especially  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  temperance.  Mr.  Quiggle  is  also  an  in- 
ventor, having  invented  a  lamp  burner,  in  which 
the  wick  can  be  adjusted  from  either  side  of  the 
lamp,  which  he  has  placed  with  a  firm  in  Massa- 
chusetts on  a  royalty,  which  nets  him  a  snug  in- 
come. 


JOHN  EARON,  now  living  retired  in  Lock 
Haven,  is  a  man  whose  sound  common 
sense  and  vigorous,  able  management  of  his 
affairs  have  been  important  factors  in  his  suc- 
cess, and,  with  his  undoubted  integrity  of  char- 
acter, have  given  him  an  honorable  position 
among  his  fellow-men.  His  entire  life  has  been 
passed  in  Clinton  county,  his  birth  occurring  in 
Coldbrook  township,  May  15,  1824. 

His  father,  Christian  Earon,  was  born  in 
Germany,  March  3,  1781,  and  for  four  years  in 
early  life  he  was  a  sailor  on  the  high  seas,  dur- 


ing which  time  he  sailed  all  over  the  world.  In 
that  capacity  he  came  to  the  United  States  when 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  after  landing 
in'  New  York  decided  to  remain  in  this  country, 
where  for  some  time  he  was  employed  as  a  ped- 
dler. While  traveling  through  central  Pennsyl- 
vania, he  met  and  married  Miss  Mary  Catharine 
Smith,  who  was  born  June  23,  1792,  a  daughter 
of  Adam  Smith.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Earon 
located  on  the  river  above  Lock  Haven,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred September  29,  1868,  when  he  was  over 
eighty-seven  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  Jan- 
uary 8,  1858,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  and  both 
were  buried  near  Flemington  in  Clinton  county. 
He  was  at  one  time  a  Republican,  but  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  supported  the  Democ- 
racy, and  served  his  fellow-citizens  as  overseer 
of  the  poor.  He  was  horiored  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  In  his  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children  who  reached  adult  age:  Jacob, 
a  resident  of  Sugar  Valley  Mountain;  Christian, 
who  for  several  years  lived  in  the  same  place, 
but  now  makes  his  home  with  his  children;  John, 
of  this  review;  Adam,  of  Pine  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county;  and  Henry  S.,  who  died  in  Cold- 
brook  township,  Clinton  county. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained 
under  great  difficulties,  but,  if  his  opportunities 
had  been  equal  to  his  ability  to  learn,  he  would 
have  become  one  of  the  best  informed  men  in 
this  section  of  the  State.  He  attended  the  sub- 
scription school,  but  to  reach  the  school  house 
he  was  obliged  to  cross  the  West  branch  of 
the  Susquehanna  river,  which  at  times  could  not 
be  crossed.  While  attending  school  during  the 
winter,  the  remainder  of  the  year  was  spent  in 
assisting  his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  home 
farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began 
work  in  the  woods,  at  first  driving  a  team. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  continued  to  en- 
gage in  lumbering,  and  endured  such  hardships 
as  only  a  man  of  a  remarkably  strong  constitu- 
tion could  stand.  He  became  familiar  with  all 
branches  of  the  lumber  business,  and  was  one 
of  the  best  judges  as  to  the  amount  of  lumber 
in  a  raft. 

On  December  9,  1 849,  Mr.  Earon  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eve  Catharine  Myers,  who  was  born 
in  Baden,  Germany,  December  31,  1828,  but 
when  only  a  year  old  was  brought  to  America 
by  her  parents.  Christian  and  Eve  Catharine 
(Ziegler)  Myers,  who  located  in  the  German  set- 
tlement in  Clinton  county.  Her  school  privi- 
leges were  limited  to  two  months'  attendance  at 
the  public  schools.  Mr.  Earon  began  house- 
keeping on   a  farm   of    150  acres  which  he  had 


814 


•■'  VBMORA  TIVB  BIOQRAPHIOAL  RECORD. 


pn  Jit   at    a  sheriff's  sale  for  $600. 

The  improvi  -ice  cons 

an  ,nt- 

while  their   household  -ted 

e  in 
it    in 
life.      During  tl 

was  .it  work   in   th<  .  his   wife  was 

to  !<'k- 

I   children   and  attending 
rk.      She  proved  a  most  faithful 
et  to  Iht  husband   in   those  ear!) 

ns.      When    their  means 
■ 

Mi  itinued    the    cultivati  im- 

ent  of  the  farm  until  the  spring  of  1 
when  he  sold  hi  and  imj  I  re- 

lish  his  j 
n,    William   M  ,    in    business    there.      On   the 

broke  up   h  vitb 

k  township, 
Clinton  county,  with  him   until  the 

Lock 
Haven  tl  >w   make   their  home  sur- 

nd    many   of  the 
I  by 
nest  toil,  my. 

I     Mr. and  Mrs   J  ihi  1  the  fol- 

low stian  M\ 

mnty  1  Sarah  C, 
wife   ol  Ad;  hip; 

Mrs.  \V.  H.Wrei 

wife 

■hip; 

iship;   Aman  la   M.,  who 
died  in  [. .  wife  ol   W.  H    Sal- 

wnship;  Mrs. 

n;   William  M.. 
I  in  that 

W.    II.    I  mi. 

The  family  I  to  habits  ol  industr) 

thrift,  tl  the 

har 
and  useful  p 

In  Jul)  pail  in-    h 

subject  fell 

1  which  he  h  d.     His 

litic.il  support  has  alwa  | 

il  town- 
ship offices  1  tnd  trust,  being  t 

time  he 
held  membership  in  vife 

!■  'I  with  the  Laurel  Run  M 

Although     they    I 

,h  their 


own  unaided  efforts,  they  take  far  greater  satis- 
faction in  the  fact  that  they  have  reared  a  family 
vhich  they  can  be  justly   proud,  its   members 
being  numbered  pi     perous  and  most 

highly-respected  citizens  of  Clinton  counts 


KIMBALL  D.  BATCHELER,  a  lumber 
aler,  manufacturer,  and  proprietor  ol  the 
Kimball  D.  Batcheler  Planing-mills  at  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  was  born  here,  April  15, 
1855  of   Jesse  H.  and  Lucinda  E 

His  parents  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania.    The  greater  part  of  their  lives  have  been 
passed    in    or   about     Lock     Haven.      Jesse     H. 
Batcheler  is   now  a  foreman    for  his   son    in   his 
planing-mills.  and  at   the  age  of  seventy  yea: 
quite    active.      His    father,    Cephus    Batchele-r, 
lived  to  be  ninety-three  years  old;    and  our  sub- 
ject rial  grandfather   Davis  is  yet   living, 
at  tl  !  ninety-four  years.      Jesse  Batcheler 
:  wife  ha.  11  and  four  daughters  living, 
namely:      Kimball    D.    (our   subject  1,    Annie   O. 
Mrs  .  Mary   J.     Mrs.  K.  E. 
Kifti,  Sarah  H.    Mr-  I     A.  Thome),  and  Lizzie 
unmarried). 

Kimball    I)     Batcheler   attended   the  public 
sch('  ■'-  ol  Lock  Haven  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Gossler 
\\ho  operated    a   planing-mill    and   were 
lumber  1  1  Lock  Haven,  with  which  com- 

pany he  was  employed  some  eighteen  years,  un- 
til 1  ■  M  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  he 
drop]  1  a  time  and  took  a  business 
study  at  the  Eastman  Business  Col- 
N.  Y.  On  his  return  to 
Lock  Haven  ntered  the  planing-mill  and 
kept  the  books  of  the  company.      In   the   spring 

ss  for  himself,  founding 

his  present  business.      The  mills  are  quite  exten- 

si\e   and    Mr.    Batcheler    does  a   large    business, 

ha\  |e    trade    in    sash,  do 

blinds  ami  all  kinds  ol  work  turned  out  at  afirst- 

II.      The  business  is   on  a  solid    footing, 

and  is  1  'eloped  into  one  of  considerable 

inder  the  careful  and  judicious  man- 

lur  subject,  who  is  a  far-sighted  and 

an.      Mr.  Batcheler  is  a 

( Chapter  and  Command- 

1      &   A.  M.      Hi     1-   Past   Master   in    Blue 

High  Priest  in  the  Chapter.     He 

ler  of  the  Commandery;  also 

is  a  me:  the    Rova]   Arcanum.      In  poli- 

blican.     He  is  a  self-made  man, 

rseverance  and  in- 

his    way   to   a   most   creditable 

:  -  ocial  circles. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


615 


On  February  19,  18S4,  Mr.  Batcheler  was 
married  to  Hattie  B.  Marsh,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Marsh,  of  Lock  Haven.  The  marriage  is 
without  issue.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Batcheler  are 
identified  with  the  M.  E.  Church. 


i)OBERT  A.    SHAW,    Esq.,  one  of  the  most 
\   successful  agriculturists  and  prominent  citi- 


zens  of   Pine    Creek    township,    Clinton  county 
was  born  October  25,   1S31,  in  Wayne  township, 
the  same  county,  when  it   formed   a  part  of  Ly- 
coming county. 

The  Shaw  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction, 
and  possesses  the  chief  characteristics  so  common 
to  that  people — thrift,  industry,  enterprise  and  en- 
ergy— making  them  useful  and  valued  citizens  of 
any  community  where  they  may  chance  to  re- 
side. Robert  Shaw,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  at  one  time 
owned  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Bald  Eagle,  Penn. 
He  reared  his  family  in  Lycoming  county,  but 
spent  his  last  days  in  Venango  county,  Penn. 
Robert  M.  Shaw,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  November  8,  1798,  on  Centre  Plains,  Ly- 
coming (now  Clinton)  county,  and  received  only 
a  common-school  education;  but  being  a  man  of 
sound  judgment  and  a  close  observer,  he  gained 
a  good  practical  knowledge  of  men  and  events. 
He,  too,  was  an  agriculturist,  and  when  a  young 
man  began  life  for  himself  upon  a  farm  in  Wayne 
township,  and  then  removed  to  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  buying  the  Squire  Hamil- 
ton farm  of  115  acres,  upon  which  he  made  very 
extensive  improvements,  including  the  erection 
of  a  good  brick  residence  and  a  substantial  barn. 
He  also  planted  an  orchard,  and  took  great  pride 
in  his  farming  and  stock-raising,  being  accounted 
one  of  the  most  practical  farmers  and  reliable 
business  men  of  his  community.  He  was  first  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
took  quite  an  active  part  in   political  affairs. 

On  March  25,  1823,  near  Charlton,  was  cel- 
ebrated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Shaw  and  Miss  Fan- 
ny Crawford,  who  was  born  at  Chatham  Run, 
Clinton  county,  August  21,  1799,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Crawford,  a  tanner  by  occupation,  who 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  children  born 
to  them  are  as  follows:  Hugh,  born  January  9, 
1824,  died  suddenly  in  Pine  Creek  township, 
July  3,  1890;  Elizabeth,  born  June  3,  1827,  was 
married  October  1,  1867,  to  William  King,  of 
Illinois,  and  died  May  6,  1868;  Robert  A. ,  of  this 
sketch,  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Martha,  born 
February  22,  1S36,  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Bubb,  of 
Jersey  Shore,  Penn.;  George  C,  born  August 
15.   1838,  on    the   homestead.      The    father   died 


January  30,  1878,  on  the  home  farm,  where  the 
mother  also  passed  away,  and  the  remains  of 
both  were  interred  at  Jersey  Shore.  In  religious 
belief  they  were  Presbyterians. 

Robert  A.  Shaw  pursued  his  studies  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pine  Creek  township,  under  the 
direction  of  Squire  Joseph  Walters,  Alexander 
Hamilton,  Mr.  Ross  and  Mr.  Parker,  who  taught 
in  an  old  log  school  house,  known  as  the  Duncan 
school.  His  youthful  days  were  spent  upon  the 
home  farm,  assisting  in  the  labor  of  the  fields, 
and  becoming  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the 
duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  began  operating 
the  farm  on  shares,  being  thus  employed  for 
three  years,  and  then  he  removed  to  the  Martin 
farm  near  Jersey  Shore,  in  Lycoming  county.  In 
1865  he  located  upon  his  present  farm,  which  he 
purchased  from  Henry  Kissell,  and  on  which  he 
has  made  extensive  improvements.  He  bought 
the  Ramm  farm  of  eighty-eight  acres  in  1871, 
and  has  also  made  many  useful  and  valuable  im- 
provements upon  that  place.  His  present  com- 
fortable residence  was  erected  in  1868  at  a  cost 
of  $3,500,  and  in  its  construction  he  did  much 
of  the  work,  making  every  door  in  the  house, 
which  would  do  credit  to  a  skilled  workman.  In 
i860  he  began  raising  tobacco,  being  one  of  the 
first  in  the  community  to  engage  in  that  industry, 
and  in  the  enterprise  he  has  met  with  excellent 
success.  His  present  fine  barn  was  erected  in 
1876  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  and  all  the  improve- 
ments stand  as  monuments  to  the  thrift  and  in- 
dustry of  the  owner,  who  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  systematic  and  thorough  farmers  of 
Pine  Creek  township. 

Rev.  J.  G.  Pearce,  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
minister,  performed  a  marriage  ceremony  at  Lock 
Haven,  November  10,  1853,  which  united  the 
destinies  of  Mr.  Shaw  and  Miss  Margaret  J.  Dunn, 
who  was  born  June  9,  1S31,  at  Liberty,  Dunsta- 
ble township,  Clinton  county,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Sarah  (Poorman)  Dunn,  the  former  a 
merchant  of  Liberty  and  a  cousin  of  Judge  Will- 
iam Dunn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  fi)  James  G. ,  born  August  25, 
1854,  is  a  farmer  of  Pine  Creek  township.  He 
married  Rebecca  Jane  Emory,  and  has  five  chil- 
dren. (2)  Ida  B.,  born  in  September,  1S56,  in 
Lycoming  county,  is  the  wife  of  M.  B.  Rich,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  John  Rich  &  Bros.,  at 
Woolrich,  Clinton  county,  and  has  seven  chil- 
dren —  Jennie,  Robert,  Katie,  John,  Anabel, 
Gracie  and  Margaret.  (3)  William  D.,  born  at 
Charlton,  March  27,  1858,  is  a  merchant  of 
Wellsboro,  Penn.  He  wedded  Mary  Lamb,  a 
niece    of    Judge    Williams,    and    they  have  one 


616 


VMEMORA  T1VK  liloiiltM'IllcM  11EC0RD. 


bter,    Margery.     (4)  Elizabeth  C,  born   in 

is  th(    « it'-  -I  1  >r.  C.  B.  S(  l:roeder, 

of  I.  a,  Penn      (5     Annie  M    began  her 

•     n  in  the   ;  Is  near  her  home, 

t  thi     i  lemy, 

I  th     I  '     . 

nary;   lab  iebe]  Institute 

of  \\  D.  C.     SI  idy  of 

scholarly  tastes,  and  lias  for  nine  ccess- 

full) 

Our  subject   is   an   earnest   advocate  of    the 

prim  the  Republican  party,  and  on  that 

-  5,  was    tirst  elei  I  >l  the 

Pii     Creek  townshi]  lie  has 

t  creditably  and  rilled,  his 

by  the  higher 

For  fill  .1  efficiently  as 

I   director,  an.]    lias  also    been  auditor  and 

I  ctor  in   his  township.     In    [874  he  was 

county   commiss  n    the 

but    as  the   partj  was  in  the 

rity  he  m  Mr.  Shaw's  influence 

at  and  alwaj  pathy,  his 

ng  will  long  be  re- 
!  when   he  h  !  awaj .  and  h<    is 

the  leading  and  1 
1  )linton  county. 


H'.     WILLIAM    II.    MAYER,    th. 
t  th.-  city  ..I  L.'.k  Haven,  gh 
ninistrati  econom 

ited  management  that  a  man  of  fair  judg- 
t  brings  to  the  conduct  <.f  his  own  afl 
Mi  born  M  irch  1;.  [83  ;.  in  Mer- 

I       iklin    Co.,    Penn.,   and  sarly 

I"  rsburg,  Penn.      From  th.  ,  Mj|a_ 

"lu'a  an.)  secured  employment  in  a  i 

I 
that    business.       In   1855    he 

cjtj        Lock  H  nn.,  which  he  condi 

til!  the  latter  part  ..f  th. 

enlx'e.l  in   the   37th    P.  V.  I.,  with   the  rank  of 

ser  and  in  M 

he  was  appointed  bj    Pn  sidenl    ! 

nited  State-  navy,  wh 

he  1  eld  until  th.  I,,. 

ills,  Wis.,  an  !  b 
.n.I  lumber  busin  ain- 

irs,    In  1876  he  1 
H       ".  Penn.,  and  1 
cantile  business,  which  busin 
lb    has  always  taken  a  lively  intei     I 

m.l  although  h.  ■  mi  i,  1 1  mocrat, 

the  city  i<  largely  Republican,  In-  popular- 


ity 1  I  the  test   uf  several  elections.      His 

nd    judgment   and  impartiality  make  him  an 

excellent  mayor,  and  has  won  the  support   of  all 

classes.     Socially  Mr.  Mayer  is   prominent,  and 

he  is  identified  with  the  G.  A.  K  ,  the  B.  P.  O. 

the  K.  of  P.  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F.     He  is  also 

interested  in  a  number  of  business  enterprises  of 

a  corporate  nature,  and  is  vice-president  of  the 

k  Haven  Traction  Railway  Co. 


PERRY  WILSON  McDOWELL,  a  venerable 
and    highly    esteemed    resident    of    Lamar 
township,    Clinton   county,   has    been    identified 
with  the  agricultural   interests  of  this  section  for 
re  than   half   a    century,  and    notwithstanding 
these  lo  of  toil,  care  and  responsibility, 

he    finds    himself    toward    the    beginning  of  his 
t\ -first  year  robust  and   heart}-.      Always  jo- 
vial and  merry,  he  is  a  good  companion,  and  his 
ity  is  unfailing.      It  is  said  that  he  never 
cts  a  friend  or  an  enemy — though  it  is  difficult 
ve  that  he   has   any   of  the   latter  class. 
ng  and   old    prize    his   acquaintance,  and  the 
children,  always  the  keenest  judges  of  character, 
delight  in  his  kindly  greetings. 

Mr.  McDowell  was  born  September  8,    1M7. 
in     the    Kishacoquillas  Valley,    Mifflin    county, 
Penn.,  where  his  ancestors  were  pioneers.      John 
McDowell,  his  grandfather,  who  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish   stock,   came    from   the    North    of    Ireland 
il     1755,  and   for  some   time  resided  in  the 
vicinity  of  Carlisle,  Penn.      During  his  residence 
there  he  p. aid  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  and  soon 
after  his  return  he  removed  to  the  Kishacoquillas 
Valley  and  bought  a  claim  of  600  acres  of  land 
itifully  situated    about   three    miles  from  the 
f   Belleville.      The  former  owners, 
two  nun  named  Torringtine,  had  abandoned  the 
1    their  fear  of  the  Indians,  and 
had  escaped  from  the  supposed  danger  bj  way  of 
the  old  trail  across  Jack's  Mountain  at  McVey- 
town.     As  a  token  bywhich  Mi     McDowell  could 
tify  his  purchase,  they   told   him    that  in  the 
cabin  which  they  had  built  near  a  spring  on 
the  place,  he    would   find   buried   an  axe,  a  mat- 
tock, •  ud   a    bottle  of    whiskey,  which  articles  as 
found  there.      John  McDowell  made 
tantial  improvi  ments  upon  the  tract,  and  the 

iidence  -till 

a  farmhouse,  being  kept  in  excellent 

it  owners.      John  McDowell 

ts  an  exampleof  the  hardy,  fear- 

I  the   foundations  for  the  civili- 

I ay.      In  1  770,  or  earlier,  he  married 

Mis-   Elizabeth  Reed,  of  reek,  Hunt- 

mnty,  near  the   present  town  of  Peters- 


'  «^r  ^/a//^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


617 


burg.  Both  were  devout  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Mr.  McDowell  died  in  1809 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  his  wife  in 
18 1 2  at  sixty-five,  their  remains  being  interred 
in  a  small  burial  plat  near  the  old  farm  house. 
Another  member  of  the  McDowell  family  who 
■came  to  America  was  Robert,  a  brother  of  John, 
but  we  have  no  record  of  him  after  the  latter's 
removal  from  Carlisle. 

John  McDowell  left  a  large  estate  which  was 
divided  among  his  children,  but  as  most  of  them 
seem  to  have  inherited  his  love  of  travel  there 
are  few  of  his  descendants  now  living  in  the 
Valley.  Of  his  thirteen  children  all  but  two 
reached  adult  age:  (1)  Polly  was  scalded  to 
-death  when  quite  small.  (2)  Robert  (deceased) 
was  a  resident  of  Belleville,  Mifflin  county,  Penn. 
He  had  four  sons — William,  who  died  at  Belle- 
ville, unmarried;  John;  Robert,  Jr.;  and  James, 
who  married  and  settled  in  Fayette  county,  Penn. 
(3)  William,  our  subject's  father,  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below.  (4)  James,  who  served  in 
the  war  of  181 2,  resided  at  Long  Hollow,  near 
the  present  site  of  Newton  Hamilton,  Penn.  Of 
his  ten  children,  Robert  and  William  settled  in 
Altoona,  Penn.,  James  and  Carson  in  Illinois, 
Jonathan  and  Walker  remained  near  Newton 
Hamilton,  Joseph  disappeared  during  the  late 
war,  Mrs.  Mary  Brilhart  located  in  Philadelphia, 
and  Mrs.  Belle  Norton  in  Illinois.  (5)  John 
died  in  Kishacoquillas  Valley,  unmarried.  (6) 
Samuel,  who  resided  near  the  site  of  Altoona, 
was  twice  married  and  had  four  children  by 
each  union.  By  the  first  there  were  Isaac, 
Eliza,  Lydia,  and  another  who  was  killed;  and 
by  the  second  there  were  Brown,  Samuel,  Sarah, 
and  Jennie.  Samuel  and  Isaac  removed  to 
Iowa,  but  the  rest  of  the  family  remained  in  or 
near  Altoona.  (7)  Joseph  lived  and  died  in 
Mercer  county,  Penn.,  and  had  one  daughter 
who  married  and  probably  settled  in  Ohio.  (8) 
Jonathan  resided  in  Clearfield  county,  Penn., 
and  had  the  following  children — Eliza,  Samuel, 
Charles,  Elizabeth,  Bertha,  and  anotherdaughter 
who  settled  in  Clearfield,  James,  and  George, 
both  of  whom  located  in  Clarion,  Penn.  (9) 
Elizabeth  married  Samuel  McGlathery,  who 
owned  and  settled  upon  a  part  of  the  land  now 
occupied  by  the  city  of  Altoona.  Of  their  chil- 
dren, Samuel,  who  resided  at  Altoona,  left  seven 
or  eight  children:  Allen  lived  in  or  near  Altoona, 
where  most  of  his  children  also  settled;  John  went 
to  Virginia,  where  he  died  leaving  several  children; 
Elizabeth  Reed,  Mrs.  Haggerty,  resided  near 
Altoona,  and  the  two  daughters  and  one  son  who 
survived  her  probably  located  in  the  same  vicin- 
ity; Isabel  married  George  Merriam.      (10)   Jean 


married  Henry  B.  Taylor  and  resided  in  the 
Kishacoquillas  Valley,  as  did  her  two  daughters, 
Elizabeth  Reed,  who  married  Dr.  Mitchell,  and 
Mary  Williamson,  wife  of  Robert  Taylor.  (11) 
Nancy  never  married.  (12)  Sallie  died  in  early 
womanhood,  unmarried.  (13)  Polly  (2)  died  in 
childhood. 

William  McDowell,  our  subject's  father, 
spent  his  early  years  at  the  old  homestead  and 
later  removed  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  same 
Valley, where  his  last  days  were  passed,  his  death 
occurring  in  1851  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  In 
1809  he  was  married  to  Ann  Alexander,  daughter 
of  Maj.  Thomas  Alexander,  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  and  seven  children  were  born  to  the  union; 
(1)  Samuel  Alexander  settled  in  Centre  county, 
Penn..  where  he  died  at  over  seventy  years  of 
age.  He  married  Sarah  Eichy,  of  Union  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  and  had  one  son,  William,  who  in- 
herited the  farm  near  Jacksonville,  married  and 
had  six  children.  (2)  John  Reed  taught  school 
in  early  manhood,  and  later  conducted  the 
"  Valley  House  "  at  Lewistown  for  several  years, 
but  his  remaining  years  were  spent  in  farming. 
He  was  active  in  political  affairs,  and  held  office 
as  deputy  sheriff  for  some  time,  and  in  1841  was 
elected  prothonotary  of  Mifflin  county,  which  po- 
sition he  filled  acceptably  two  terms.  He  died  in 
1 86 1,  aged  about  forty-seven,  and  his  wife,  Mar- 
garet Jacobs,  passed  away  April  19,  1887,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight.  They  had  the  following  chil- 
dren— Margaret  J.,  Mrs.  Samuel  McNitt,  resid- 
ing near  Milroy;  James,  a  resident  of  York 
county,  Penn. ,  who  married  first  Helen  Camp- 
bell, and,  after  her  death,  her  sister  Dora;  Wildey, 
a  resident  of  York  county,  who  married  Louisa 
Bacher;  William  Howard,  who  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below;  Annie,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Fry,  of  York 
county;  and  John,  who  died  in  childhood.  (3) 
Thomas  Jackson  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  (4) 
Perry  Wilson  is  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch. 
(5)  William  Elliott  was  a  successful  farmer  in  the 
eastern  end  of  the  Kishacoquillas  Valley,  where 
he  died  in  18S2.  He  was  married  late  in  life  to 
Louisa  McGuire,  of  Luzerne  county,  Penn.,  who 
survived  him.  They  had  two  children — Minnie, 
who  died  when  a  few  months  old,  and  a  son, 
Milton  Spear,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  Centre  county,  and  after 
spending  some  time  there  as  a  professor  was  em- 
ployed as  a  chemist  at  the  tannery  in  Ridgway, 
Penn.  (6)  Sarah  Ann  married  Thomas  Brown, 
now  deceased,  and  had  one  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  M. 
Bunnell,  who  resided  two  miles  east  of  Milroy. 
(8)  Eliza  Jane  married  William  Kennedy,  of 
Kishacoquillas  Valley,  and  after  his  death,  John 
Stroup,  of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  a  farmer  by  oc- 


618 


■!  VBMOBA  Tl  VB  B10QRAPHH  '.I  /.  BSCORD. 


cupation.      By   the   first   marriage  she   had   two 

■  hildren      fames,  who  is  married   and   n 

Adams  county,    Ohio,   and  Willa,   who  died  in 

girlhood.      By  the  second   marri  lia<l  one 

[ohn,  who  inherited  his  father's  farm. 

William  Howard  McDowell,  the  first  son  of 

[obn    Reed    and   M  McDowell, 

-    born    in    Lewistown,    Augu  (.3,  and 

whi  ice panied    his   parents 

the  farm  near  Milroy,  wh  to  man- 

hood.     After  his  father's  death  he  removed  with 
hi-  m  ith  i  to   \  nty,  Penn.,  and   in    1 

I   from    that  county    in   <  ( ■  .  9th 

ivalry.      Hi   took  part  in  a  num- 

.    and     was    with 

Sherman's  arm)  "ii  the  march  to  Atlanta,  being 

signed  to  Kilpatrick's  division.     In  Septeml 

ition,  !)'■  was 
.  lured    by    guerrillas,  with    two    of    hi 

the    latter    escaped    but    Mr. 

Mcl  >i  iwell,  it  the  mercy  of 

hi-  After   suffering    imprisonment    in 

he  was  finally  taken  to  Anderson- 

ville,  whi  .  lied  in  March,  1 1 

Perrj  Wilson   McDowell   was  educated  in  a 
which  was  held  in  a   log  building 
furnished  in  the  old-l  ed  way,  with  I 

und  the  wall.     As  farmers  had    little  or   no 
help  from  machine^    in   th 

irk  at  all  ind  Mr. 

few  weeks  each  win- 
I  lli~  practical   training  in 

iltural  wi  not  neglected,  however, 

1   willing,  ambitious   boy   with   great 

ngth  for  one  of  his  age,  he  was  ol   much  as- 

the  farm,  being  able  to  plow  when  he 

'her 

with  th  ng_ 

(rum    the  six    years    he    has    1 

Med  with  varying   degrees  the 

1   e    as    tn  In 

ly  manhood  he  spenl  summers  work- 

i,    but    he   made   his 
ne  with  his  parents  until    [839  when  he  w 
1"  '  ill  farm  mar  Milroy  I  the  first 

land  that  hi  1  [is  first  work  w 

when  hi  out  thirl  Id,   for   [ohn 

■.in-  as  wages  four  dollars  per  month 
one  season;  bul  tb<   really  first  money  he  earned 

n  silver  fiftj 
for    "following  acradler"   along    with   another 

On    June  7.   1S42,  Mr.    McDowell    was    mar- 

:  in  Milroy,  1'.  nn.,  to  Mis:  (   tthi  1 

itive  of  Mifflin  county,  horn  April    ;,  [819. 

Hei  .  John  and  Man  miry,  well- 

of  that   county,  had  fifteen  chil- 


dren, of  whom  nine  daughters  and  two  sons  lived 
to  adult  age.      Mr.  McDowell  and   his   bride  be- 
gan their  married  life  on  the  little  farm  near  Mil- 
in  the  spring  of  1S52,  but  later  in  the  same 

1  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Marion  township, 
Centre  county;  then  finding  it  too  far  from  the 
neai  >ol   for  his  children,  he    removed  to 

Milroy,  near  a  school,  and  there  remained  some 
two  years.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  remained  there 
until  1857,  when  he  disposed  of  it  and  settled 
upon  the  Centre  county  farm.  In  [871  he  lo- 
cated at  Howard,  Centre  county,  where  he  spent 
and  during  half  that  period  he  was 
occupied  in  running  a  gristmill.  In  1 S79  he 
lit  in-  present  farm   near  Mackeyville,  a  tine 

te,  formerly  known  as  the  Brady   farm.      11 
now-  owns    two    other    well-improved   farms  in 
Marion  township,  Centre  county,  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  substantial   citizens  of  that  section. 

In  1892  our  subject  and  his  wife  celebrated 
their  golden   wedding,  the  happy  event  drawing 

thei  I '■■■  itions   of  their  descendants. 

Mrs.    McDowell    died    November    5,   1S97,    a 

and  seven  months,  after  a 
married  life  of  fifty-five  years;  her's  was  the  first 
death  in  the  family.  She  had  not  been  in  good 
health  of  late  years,  having  suffered  a  paralytic 
stroke  in  June,  1885,  from  the  effects  of  which 
she  never  re  1.      She   was  a   devout  mem- 

ber of  tl      i  \  terian  Church,  and  was  held  in 

high  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  The 
children  ol  this  worthy  couple  wan  trained  in 
early  life  to  habits  of  usefulness,  and  their  , 
ents  always  appreciated  the  value  of  their  assist- 
ance, Mr.  McDowell  having  distributed  am 
them  about  $5,000  to  give  each  a  good  start  in 
life.  A  brief  record  of  their  children  is  as  fol- 
lows: (1)  Anna  M. ,  born  March  20.  1S43,  mar- 
ried J,  W.  Blair,  of  Belle  Centre,  Ohio,  and  has 

child,   Anna  C.      121     Sarah    E.,  born  Janu- 
-      married   James  Allison,    of   Porter 
township,   Clinton  county,   and  four  years  later 
they    moved   to   Seman,    Ohi".    they    have  three 
children      Kate  C,   David  Mr  D.,  and  Nettie  A  , 
the  eldest  of  whom  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Mont-  . 
Himtsville,  Ohio,  and   her  two   chil- 
li subject  the  patriarchal  honors  1 

(3)  N.  Margaret,  born  May 
married  Capt.  S.  H.  Bennison,  of 
Marion  township,  Centre  county,  and  they  have 
had  eleven  children — Perry  Mc,  Jane,  Robert 
H.,  Mary  C,  John,  Bertha  C,  Guy,  Emma, 
Nellie  E.,  D  1  Helen  C,  all  yet  living  ex- 

cept John.  141  Emma  J.,  born  March  17,  1S54, 
married  Dr.  J  E.  Tibbins,  of  Beech  Creek, 
Penn.,  and  they  have  one  son — Perry  McD.    (5) 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


61& 


Henry  T. ,  born  October  28,  1S57,  married  Miss 
Mary  B.  Kline,  and  located  in  Marion  township, 
Centre  county;  they  have  had  three  sons:  Will- 
ard  K. ,  living;  and  Perry  W.  and  Eugene  B., 
deceased. 

Our  subject  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
his  first  vote  having  been  cast  for  David  R. 
Porter  for  governor.  No  change  of  policy  or 
principle  on  the  part  of  the  leaders  of  the  party 
has  ever  shaken  his  allegiance,  and  he  has  held 
many  a  heated  argument-  with  those  who  were 
less  inclined  to  stand  by  the  old  organization  at 
all  hazards.  Although  he  has  not  especially 
cared  for  official  place,  he  has  been  chosen  to 
various  township  offices,  including  that  of  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he 
has  followed  farming  fifty-eight  years;  is  a  man 
of  much  energy,  and  has  a  bright  mind,  has  been 
a  great  reader,  and  is  well-informed  on  all  sub- 
jects,   his   advice   and   counsel    being   frequently 


sought. 


BENJAMIN  F.  BROWN.  For  upward  of 
-  half  a  century  the  name  of  Brown  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  business  interests 
of  Lock  Haven  and  Clinton  county.  The  gen- 
tleman, whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  is  of 
the  second  generation  of  the  name  to  have  suc- 
cessful careers  in  mercantile  lines  here. 

Jacob  Brown,  his  father,  whose  death  on 
March  13,  1896,  closed  a  long  busy,  life,  remov- 
ing from  the  community  a  prominent  business 
man,  a  good  citizen,  and  one  of  the  pioneer 
merchants  of  this  section,  was  born  March  20, 
1820,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  came  to  America.  He  found 
his  way  to  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  and  secured 
work  at  Trout  Run.  A  year  later  he  went  to 
Ralston,  then  passed  several  months  at  Far- 
randsville,  Clinton  county.  His  next  move  was 
to  come  to  i^ock  Haven,  where  he  served  two 
years  in  learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  After 
this  he  went  to  Muncy  Creek,  Lycoming  county, 
and  there  remained  two  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  lumbering.  The  following  three  years 
he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Philadelphia,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  this  time  he  returned  to  Lock 
Haven,  and  here  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother  George  Brown,  who  was  then  in  the 
mercantile  business.  In  1852  George  Brown 
withdrew  from  the  firm,  selling  his  interest  to 
James  Fearon.  The  business  was  carried  on 
under  the  firm  name  of  Jacob  Brown  &  Co. 
Shortly  afterward  Mr.  Fearon's  death  caused  a 
change  in  the  firm,  his  widow  selling  her  interest 
in  the  business  to  Mr.  Brown.  Later  W.  H. 
Mayer,  subsequently  mayor  of  Lock  Haven,  se- 


cured an  interest,  and  the  business  was  conducted 
under  the  name  of  Brown  &  Mayer.  At  that 
time  the  store  was  on  Water  street,  opposite  the 
"Fallon  House."  In  1857  Mr.  Brown  sold  out 
to  his  partner,  and  one  year  later  started  a  gen- 
eral store  in  a  building  which  he  erected  for  him- 
self on  Main  street.  In  1869  he  confined  his 
business  to  a  general  grocery  which  he  conduct- 
ed alone  until  1S74,  at  which  time  he  admitted 
B.  F.  Brown  (his  son)  and  Peter  Berger  to  a 
partnership,  the  firm  becoming  Jacob  Brown  & 
Co.  Some  time  afterward  Mr.  Berger  retired 
from  the  firm,  since  which  time  the  business  has 
been  carried  on  under  the  name  of  Jacob  Brown 
&  Son,  the  widow  succeeding  her  husband  in  the 
business.  Jacob  Brown  was  a  thrifty  German, 
honest,  industrious,  and  a  good  manager.  These 
essentials  coupled  with  his  business  tact  made 
him  a  successful  business  man.  On  his  death 
one  of  the  Lock  Haven  papers  said:  "By  his 
death  a  prominent  business  man  is  removed  from 
Lock  Haven.  He  was  a  man  of  integrity,  square 
in  his  business  transactions,  congenial  with  com- 
panions, and  possessed  a  happy  disposition." 
His  progressive  ideas  and  public  spirit  were 
shown  in  his  long  service  in  the  city  council  and 
the  school  board,  and  in  various  other  official 
positions.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  the  Masons  had  charge  of  the 
funeral.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he 
was  made  captain  of  the  "Steuben  Rifles,"  a 
local  military  company. 

In  184S,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  Jacob 
Brown  was  married  to  Margaret  Heid,  who  was 
a  native  of  Germany.  To  the  marriage  were 
born  Caroline  (Mrs.  A.  T.  Elliott).  Benjamin  F. 
(our  subject),  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  W.  F.  Elliot), 
James  (deceased),  and  George  W.  (deceased). 

Benjamin  F.  Brown,  who  to-day  is  one  of  the 
best  and  most  favorably  known  of  the  business 
men  of  Lock  Haven,  where  he  was  born  August 
29,  1851,  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city,  supplementing  his  course  there  by 
one  year  of  study  in  a  school  at  Westchester, 
Penn.,  and  by  a  business  course  at  Williamsport, 
Penn.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  his  fa- 
ther's store,  and  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
establishment  ever  since,  having  become  a  part- 
ner at  an  early  age.  As  his  father's  health  de- 
clined, more  and  more  responsibility  rested  upon 
the  son,  and  he  may  be  said  to  have  been  the 
head  of  the  enterprise  for  twenty  years  past. 
One  factor  in  his  success  is  his  careful  selection 
of  his  goods,  of  which  he  carries  a  large  stock, 
thus  meeting  the  demands  of  the  best  class  of 
custom.  The  firm  carries  a  large  stock,  and 
there  are  employed  some  half  dozen  clerks  in  the 


UOBATIV  HAPHIOAL  RECORD, 


The  building   in  which 
the  busim  v,  be- 

in  size  20 x  100  fi  and  a 

ment.       Mr.    Brown's   well-provi  city 

lued   advisoi    in  other  important 
■  1 1 1 s .  and  he  is  nowa  director  in  thi    I 
1 1  .i\  en  Trust  &  panj 

While  not   ra.lir.il   in  his  political  views,   our 

subject  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  parts       Hi 

>ught  "tt'n  ial  h  we\  er,  pre- 

/e  his   time  to  h:>  private   busim 

illy    be  1  nal 

ncluding  the   B    P.  O    I      ind  the  F.   & 

A    M 


Bi  >BER  I    MANN.     I  -quarters 

1  century  the   name  "I   Maim   has  stood 
if  all   that  there  is  in  the  man- 
pf  the  best    brand,  m   st  widely  known, 
and  exti  nsi\  in  the  country. 

Rob<  it  Mann,  the  gi  ntleman  whose  skill  and 
^ht   built  up  the  great  business  in  this  li ne- 
at   Mill   Hall,   Clinton    county,    now   the 

Mann  "  family,  and 

nly  mali  ration, 

■    Rutland    township.  n  Co., 

N    Y.,  born    near  Watertown,    June    [3,     [824. 

Mann,  the     foundi  1    ol     thi     family  in 

America,   was    born    in    Count)    Derry,  Inland, 

A j > r  1 1    10,    1750,  and    was    1   lad    ol    eight 

le  to  An 
I  England,    where  Thomas  grew  up, 

and  with   his  wife,  Thankful,    wh  xn   in 

January    7.     1737,    migral 
nty,    N      Y.,    wh 

upation  of  blacksmith- 
•n   life  he  1  1  New 

an.]  dad   at  \\  iinty.  in 

Among  tlu-ir  children  that  In 
William,   the  lath. 
n     John  w.is  a  lawyer,  and  died  111  New 
City;    1  .1   farmer,   ami  died    in 

New    York,    and    Nathan    was 
smith    and    m  and    di 

in   New  Y..[k.  '!,,■   chil 

daughti  1 
William     Mann.    Sr..    v.  iS, 

1  :  Braintree,  M  :  was  hm   a  lad  01, 

bis  parents  moving  to  Montgon  inty,  where 

1  fe    leai  n<  d  the 
blacksmith's   trade   with    bis  father.      After   his 
In-  started  in  bus  I  on  a 

small  thes  In  1829 

I  Belief  on  te,  Penn.,  where  two  ol  his 

William   and    Harvey,    had    pi      1    |i  d    him 
and  v.  I    [n    the    111. unit. 

This  journey   to  Pennsylvania    the   fathei 


with  a  two-horse   covered    wagon.      On  the  ar- 
rival of  the  family  at  Bellefonte  the  father  built 
i        began    the   manufacture    of  forks, 
hoes,  rakes,  etc.     In  about  1801,  in  Montgomery 
nty,     New    York,    he    married     Miss    Rachel 
Gillette,  who  was  there  born,   May  30,   1782,  be- 
ing a  daughter  of  Stephen  and   Ruth  (Case)  Gil- 
lette,   the    former    a    native    of  near    Hartford, 
Conn.,  born  in  1753.  and  the  latter  of  the  same 
ility,  born  in  1763.      William  Mann.  Sr..  dud 
at  Boiling  Springs,  Centre  county,  February  19, 
wife    passed    away    years    previo 
(7     in    Philadelphia,    her    remains    being   in- 
terred in  that  city.       William.  Sr. ,   was   buried 
:   I      lefonte,  in    the    beautiful   cemetery  on  the 
hill    under    the    shadows   of  the    towering    pine 
trees,  which  seemingly  have   been  left   as  senti- 
nels stai  r  the  graves  of  the  many 
disti                1  dead   of  that    renowned   mountain 
town.      The  children  born    to   this  couple  were: 
William  Mann,  Jr.,  born   October    18,   1802. 
and  died  June  II,   1 S  5  5 ,  near  Lewistown,   Penn. 
Harvey  Mann,  born  July   2,    1804,  and  died 
.,  at  Boiling  Springs,  Penn.      (Will- 
was   thi                 ■    of  the    family   in    the  axe 
business  in    I             vania,  and  with    his  brother 
Harvej  started  a  factory  in    Bellefonte  in  1825, 
and  later  at  the  Boiling  Springs,  two  miles  from 
Sb  phen  G.  died  in  Tennessee, 
whither  he   had  gone  in   search  of  a  better  cli- 
mate for  his  health.      He  was  also  an  axe  nianu- 
;     Willis,    born    February    y,    1815, 
died    February  18,   1879,    and  at  the  time  of  his 
d    in    Mifflin   county,    although    his 
death   occurred  in  Clearfield  county.      He,   too, 
was  an  axe  manufacturer,  and  the  pioneer  of  the 
l.uinU  in  that  business  in  Clinton  county.      (One 
James    Hayi               pil   of  the  Manns  in  the  axe 
business  in    Bellefonte,    Centre   county,  went  to 
Clinton    county    and    there    established    himself 
near  Mackeyville  in  the  axe  business,  but  in  time 
it.     This   business    was    revived   by 
Willis  Mann).      (5)    Maria    died    September 

.  unmarried,  near  Lewistown,  Penn.  (6) 
Harri>  left  Mifflin  county  when  twenty-one  years 
of    age,    and    was   ni  id    from   afterward. 

rt  is  our  subject.  The  father  of  these, 
William  Mann,  Sr. ,  was  a  man  of  strong  con- 
victions, but  kind-hearted  and  true.  While  in- 
dustrious and  a  thorough  workman,  he  was  not  a 
money-getter.      He  was  a   in  1   high  sense 

of   honor,  and   had  great    antipathy  for  all  forms 
ind     untruthfulness.        He     was 
"iet!  in   whatever   he  did  and   most  thor- 

d  left  as  a  legacy  to   his  children  a  gi 
nd  thorough  schooling  in  his  trade,  which 
le   them   riches    and    renown   throughout  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


621 


country.  He  took  great  care  of  his  health,  and 
as  a  result  sickness  was  almost  unknown  to  him 
until  extreme  old  age. 

Returning;  to  Robert  Mann  (to  whom  it  was 
left  to  carry  forward  and  to  augment  the  busi- 
ness established  in  Pennsylvania  by  his  older 
brothers'),  who  was  only  a  lad  at  the  time  of  his 
parents'  removal  from  New  York  to  Bellefonte, 
as  they  came  en  route  via  Williamsport,  Mill 
Hall  and  on  into  Nittany  Valley,  it  did  not  dawn 
upon  the  mind  of  their  youngest  son  that  they 
were  passing  the  site  of  his  future  great  achieve- 
ments, when  he  was  to  rescue  the  declining 
fortunes  of  the  village  of  Mill  Hall  with  its  iron 
works  collapsing  into  ruin,  and  rehabilitate  it  with 
a  new  industry  that  in  less  than  a  half  century 
would  make  it  a  busy  commercial  center,  with 
Robert  Mann  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  leading 
axe  manufacturing  industries  in  the  United 
States;  and  less  than  sixty  years  later  finds  the 
gentleman  whose  business  sagacity  and  foresight 
developed  this  great  industry  retired  with  ample 
means  to  live  as  his  refined  tastes  desire.  He 
now  is  passing  the  evening  of  life  in  an  elegant 
home  that  overlooks  the  picturesque  mountains 
and  valleys  and  streams  of  Nittany  Valley — a 
home,  too,  that  overlooks  the  factory  where  his 
sons  are  managing  even  to  greater  success  the 
business  of  their  forefathers. 

Robert  Mann  recalls  with  great  pleasure  his 
childhood  days  at  Bellefonte,  where  he  received 
his  first  schooling;  these  were  halcyon  days,  full 
of  enjoyment — swimming,  skating  and  coasting 
on  those  steep  hills,  and,  in  company  with  older 
boys,  hunting  squirrels,  trapping  rabbits,  and, 
not  the  least  interesting,  listening  to  stories  such 
as  "Jack,  the  Giant  Killer,"  as  he  sometimes 
sat  on  the  platform  of  the  old  pump  that  stood 
in  the  diamond  square.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  his  father  finally  settled  on  a  small 
farm  near  where  Unionville,  Centre  county,  has 
since  been  built;  here  Robert  took  his  first  les- 
sons as  a  practical  worker  in  iron.  He  remem- 
bers an  occasion  when  his  father  was  sitting  on 
the  vice  bench  with  a  neighbor  while  he  (Robert) 
was  forging  a  piece  of  iron;  and,  no  doubt  stimu- 
lated by  the  spectator,  he  heard  his  father  say 
"there  is  a  boy  who  will  make  a  good  work- 
man." Of  course  this  was  very  gratifying 
to  him,  for  he  had  no  higher  ambition.  During 
the  four  years  that  Robert  resided  there  he  at- 
tended school  three  or  four  months  each  winter, 
and  in  summer  worked  principally  on  the  land. 
His  father,  though  then  a  man  of  some  sixty 
years,  worked  with  his  sons  Harris  and  Robert. 
He  rarely  scolded  them,  and  he  was  indul- 
gent as  far  as  his   limited    means  would    permit. 


They  were  allowed  plenty  of  time  for  hunting 
and  fishing,  of  which  they  were  very  fond.  The 
father's  favorite  books  were  "Scott's  life  of  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte,"  "Blair's  Sermons,"  and 
"Seneca's  Morals."  Robert  read  these  books 
with  interest,  particularly  the  former.  After 
dinner  during  the  summer  season  his  father  usu- 
ally lay  upon  his  back,  always  preferring  the 
hard  floor,  and  read  until  he  fell  asleep.  Rob- 
ert's fondness  for  reading  grew  with  his  years, 
and  was  only  limited  by  the  very  few  books  he 
had  access  to.  They  had  a  school  book  called 
the  "National  Reader,"  which  was  read  and  re- 
read many  times  over  by  the  brothers,  and  the 
pieces  they  most  admired  were  such  as  had  ac- 
quired a  vvide  celebrity  in  the  world,  such  as 
"Gray's  Elegy, "and  writings  of  Addison,  Mil- 
ton, Pope  and  Akenside. 

William  Mann,  Jr.,  twenty-two  years  older 
than  his  brother,  Robert,  having  finally  settled 
.near  Lewistown,  Mifflin  county,  and  established 
an  axe  factory  there  that  was  destined  to  be- 
come famous,  after,  say,,  some  five  years'  suc- 
cessful operation,  visited  his  parents  and  the 
family  near  Unionville,  and  prevailed  on  his 
father  to  move  near  his  place,  he  believing  that 
there  would  be  a  better  opening  for  Harris  and 
Robert  than  there  in  the  secluded  place  where 
they  then  resided.  In  the  year  1840  the  change 
was  therefore  made.  William  Mann,  Sr. ,  and 
family  moved  into  the  stone  house  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  narrows  below  the  axe  factory,  and 
here,  practically  in  the  employ  of  his  brother, 
William,  Robert  Mann  spent  seven  years  of  his 
life,  principally  in  the  forging  department,  in  the 
manufacture  of  .tools  and  axes,  but  a  liberal  pro- 
portion of  this  time  was  devoted  to  a  subordinate 
care  in  the  management,  and  also  traveling  on  busi- 
ness over  various  parts  of  the  State  on  horseback 
and  in  other  ways  in  vogue  half  a  century  ago. 
Finally,  Robert  Mann,  seeing  that  there  was  no 
favorable  opening  with  his  brother,  William,  for 
bettering  his  condition,  as  the  latter  had  sons 
rapidly  growing  up,  accepted  an  offer  from  his 
brother,  Willis,  at  Mackeyville,  Clinton  county, 
to  take  a  position  in  a  new  store  which  he  was 
starting  in  connection  with  his  axe  business. 
Robert,  therefore,  bid  adieu  to  Mifflin  county, 
having  little  or  nothing  to  carry  out  of  it  but  his 
experience,  which  proved  to  be  valuable  in  the 
years  to  come.  Robert  stayed  with  his  brother, 
Willis,  about  two  years,  principally  in  the  store, 
during  which  time  he  discovered  that  his  broth- 
er's affairs  were  in  bad  shape,  and  that  his  failure 
was  sure  to  come  in  the  near  future.  While 
this  condition  of  his  brother's  affairs  filled  him 
with  sorrow  and  regret,  it  also  inspired  him  with 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


■  nination  to  start  in  business  (or  himself; 
tli.  i  arly  in  Januarj .   1849,  hi  arti- 

cle nt   and   co-partnership  with  Mr. 

i    Mill    H 

the 
old  -  fter  this.  1    ibert    Mann 

..hi,  tin 
twentj  tter  twenty  years  of  age, 

April    i.-t    they   commenced    h 

iril)  in  '•'••  Thus   the  busin 

I  simul- 
>ly   in   the  venture    of   life.     And  here  it 

i)  in  the 

linton  a  couple  who  I  tributed 

h  to  the  industry  of  tl  pie, 

1  period  of  til 

1  led  life 

Mrs  Robert 
Mann,  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  and 
when   .1  small    lad    was   thrown   on    his  own  re- 

the   milling 

5,  which  he  I  rs.     Hi 

pui  ville,  Clinton  county, 

which  i  and  thru-  built  a  mill.      1 1  is 

wife,   Christina,   the  mother  ol   all   his  children, 

ith    husband 
il    the    Evangelical 
ned  for 
md  worship 

M  mo- 

(  hristina   R  Mr.  Reesman 

was    md 
He    was  nun 
tim  I   died   in  1  I  is  buried  with  his 

ille. 
The  new  firm  of   Robert  Mann  & 

it   August    1  n.     The 

lowly,  but  steadily,  until  the 
Prior  I 
1,    ho we\ 

itly 
enlarging  tl 

57  Mi.    Met  -run  Mi    Mann  then  pur- 

i  In-  property,  and  in  > 
further  enlarged,  .md   again  in  1876  he   further 
e,  until  from  tli.   small  beginning 
day.   it  • 
that  in  ■ 
The  w 
-1   until    they   wi  by 

tire  ..11  September  11,   1877       PI  ins  re- 

building of  1 

'  by   April.   1878,  the  new  w..rk>.  with  in- 

ition.      In    1- 
Mi     Mann   built   a  new  factory,  ete  in  its 

appointments,  below   Mill   Hall,  at  which  exclus- 


ively   ••double-bit"   axes  have    ever  since   been 
i     ur  years  before  the  absorption  of  the 
business   by  the    American  Axe  &  Tool  Co  ,  Mr. 
Mann    1  is  exclusive  control    to    his   three 

3,  Thomas    K..  at   the  lower  factory,  with  an 
output  in  1 890  of  400  ■  •  di  mble-bit  "  axes  per  da  v. 
men,    and    Alfred    C.    and 
William  H.,  at  the  upper  factory,  with  an  output 
of   800  singl  per  day,  and  employing  too 

men.  At  that  period  the  Mann  family  were  the 
mo-  manufacturers    of    axes    in    the 

world,  making  at  their  various  factories  2,800 
per  day,  or  840,000  per  year,  their  trade  and 
reputation  extending  around  the  globe.  The 
t  success  of  the  ••Mann  Axe"  is  due  to  the 
ittention  given  t"  the  one  business,  and  to 
the  constant  care  they  have  ever  exercised  in 
keeping  their  goods  up  to  the  highest  point  of 
excellence.  In  1890  these  factories  were  ab- 
sorbed by  the  American  Axe  &  Tool  Co.,  and 
the  business  at  this  point  is  now  being  managed 
by  the  sons  of  Robert  Mann.  For  some  years 
havi  lanufactured  here  all  of  the  "double- 

bit'  axes  made  by  the  above  company,  with  a 
capacity  of  1,200  "double-bit"  axes  per  day,  em- 
ploying  1  81 1  men. 

I  illowing  are  the  children  of  Robert  and 
Christina  Mann:  Frances  M.  Garth,  whose  hus- 
band. Abbott  B.,  is  a  merchant  of  Mill  Hall,  and 
paymaster  and  shipper  of  the  American  Axe  .V 
Tool  Co.,  was  born  at  Mill  Hall,  October  19, 
1849;  Harris  I  .  born  March  8.  1851,  died  Sep- 
tember 15.  1862,  of  diphtheria;  JohnW.,  born 
iruary  22,  1853,  died  September  2,  1862,  of 
diphtheria;  Thomas  K..  born  February  19,  1 

ashier  ol  irado  &  North-western  Kail- 

way  Co..  and  manaj  irge  smithing  works 

in  Boulder,  Colo. ;  Alfred  C,  born  March  7.  1857, 
is  the  superintendent    of    the    American   Axe    & 
I  Mill  Hall;  Joseph  K. ,  born  February 
,  is    president    of    the    Mann   Edge  Tool 
Con  '  Lewistown,  Penn.  ;  Carrie  E.,  born 

April  26,    1861,  died  September,    1802,  of  diph- 
ria;  William   H..   born   August    2.  1S63,   is  a 
at  of   Mill    Hall.    Penn.;    Mary    M..    born 
May  20,   181  December    28.    1865;  and 

Robert.  Jr.,  born  Oct  ber  [6,   1866,  is  vice-pres- 
ent 1  f  the  Mann  Edge  Tool  Co., 
Lewistown,    Penn.      The   mother    of    these  died 
id  was   buried  at  Cedar  Hill 
1  y.      Sh<  in   of  many  virtues, 

an  affectionate   wife,  and   a    kind    and    indulgent 
her.  and    her    death    was    keenly   felt   in  the 
nunity  in  which  she  had  so  long  lived.      Mr. 
Mann,  although   starting  in  life  very  humbly  and 
with  litt  -  by  his  untiring  industry 

tact  not  only  built  up  a  great  indus- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


623 


try,  become  wealthy  and  made  for  himself  a 
name  and  position  in  the  business  world,  but  he 
has  by  reading  and  study  become  a  man  of  edu- 
cation and  culture,  and  one  coming  in  contact 
with  him  would  judge  him  a  college-bred  gen- 
tleman. He  is  unassuming,  genial  and  social, 
yet  with  it  all  carries  dignity.  He  is  a  success- 
ful man.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  well- 
posted  on  the  history  of  parties  and  on  the  issues 
of  the  day.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  politics 
although  he  has  never  been  active  in  a  party 
sense.  With  his  force  and  business  ability,  had 
he  early  in  life  received  a  more  liberal  education, 
he  certainly  would  have  forged  his  way  to  the 
front  in  public  affairs,  if  he  had  so  desired  to  do. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  following  notice  of  Harvey  Mann,  for 
forty  years  the  distinguished  head  of  the  axe  fac- 
tory of  Boiling  Springs,  near  Bellefonte,  is  taken 
from  the  private  narrative  of  his  brother  Robert: 
"  My  brother  Harvey  was  a  man  of  good  mind 
and  scrupulously  honorable  in  his  dealings;  as 
long  as  he  devoted  his  attention  strictly  to  his 
axe  business  he  was  very  successful,  though 
greatly  hampered  by  his  poor  waterpower.  He 
claimed  to  be  the  inventor  of  the  process  of 
drawing  axe-bits  under  a  trip-hammer,  a  practice 
that  soon  became  universal.  His  greatest  in- 
vention was  the  overlaid  steel  which  has  come  to 
be  extensively  used,  and  which  during  his  life- 
time yielded  him  a  handsome  royalty;  but  it  was 
at  the  sacrifice  of  his  reputation  as  a  manufact- 
urer, for  his  mind  was  so  engrossed  by  his  inven- 
tion that  his  axe  business  suffered,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  on  the  decline  when  it 
came  into  the  hands  of  his  only  surviving  son 
Harvey,  a  noble  young  man,  whose  sudden  death 
a  few  years  after  by  a  railroad  accident  near 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  was  the  last  and  the  hardest 
of  the  heart-crushing  bereavements  that  his  now 
childless  and  widowed  mother  had  to  endure.  It 
was  pitiable  to  see  her  hopeless  sorrow,  yet  she 
endured  and  survived  it.  Her  nephew,  J.  Fearon 
Mann,  my  b.rother  William's  third  son,  leased 
her  axe  factory — her  greatest  business  care — and 
was  otherwise  much  comfort  and  help  to  her. 
She  built  a  small  church  near  her  house,  and 
lived  for  many  years  in  her  desolated  home  with 
ample  means,  with  which  she  did  much  good. 
She  died  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  her  age, 
and  the  family  of  Harvey  Mann  became  extinct." 

[Mill  Hall,  Penn.,  September,    1S97.] 


J;  NDREW  C.  KISSELL  (deceased).      Prom- 
_  JL  inent  among  the  representative  citizens  of 
Woodward    township,  who    have    witnessed   the 


marvelous  development  of  Clinton  county  during 
the  past  half  century,  and  who,  by  honest  toil 
and  industry,  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  com- 
petence, which  enabled  them  to  spend  the  even- 
ing of  life  in  quiet  and  refinement,  was  the 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch. 
His  entire  life  was  passed  in  the  county,  his 
birth  occurring  October  22,  1823,  in  Pine  Creek 
township,  then  a  part  of  Lycoming  county,  and  for 
many  years  he  was  actively  identified  with  its  ag- 
ricultural and  industrial  interests.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  a  native  of  Germany,  became  a  pio- 
neer farmer  of  that  township. 

Henry  Kissell,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
February  15,  1798,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood,  acquiring  his  education 
in  its  subscription  schools.  Throughout  his  act- 
ive business  life  he  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade,  making  his  home  on  a  small  farm  of  thirty 
acres  in  Pine  Creek  township,  where  his  death 
occurred  January  22,  1S65,  and  he  was  laid  to 
rest  in  a  cemetery  in  Porter  township,  Lycoming 
count}'.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  was  highly  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him,  and  was  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

In  early  manhood  Henry  Kissell  was  married 
to  Catharine  Bowers,  who  was  born  March  6, 
1796,  and  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Jacob, 
who  died  in  Illinois;  Andrew  C. ,  of  this  sketch; 
Margaret,  deceased  wife  of  C.  Eckard;  Martha, 
widow  of  Frederick  Rayhorne;  and  Jane,  de- 
ceased wife  of  John  Shiley.  The  wife  and 
mother,  who  was  also  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died  in  Pine 
Creek  township,  March  1,  1837,  and  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Mr.  Kissell  chose  Jane  Morrison. 
Twelve  children  were  born  to  'this  union,  of 
whom  four  died  in  infancy;  the  others  are  as  fol- 
lows: Catharine,  wife  of  R.  B.  Staver,  of  Will- 
iamsport,  Penn.;  Mary;  Barbara;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  William  Porter,  of  Lock  Haven;  Hettie, 
wife  of  Andrew  Myers,  of  Williamsport;  Rebec- 
ca, widow  of  William  Layman,  of  Williamsport; 
Morrison,  of  Williamsport;  and  Martin.  Mrs. 
Kissell  died  August  25,  1886. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Andrew  C. 
Kissell  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
township  for  three  months  during  the  winter, 
and  spent  his  summers  at  work  upon  the  home 
farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  learn- 
ing the  tanner's  trade,  working  for  four  years  for 
Mr.  Walters,  who  at  that  time  owned  a  tannery 
in  Pine  Creek  township.  Subsequently  our  sub- 
ject conducted  the  "  Half  Way  House  "  in  that 
township  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  rented 
and  operated  the  McKinney  tannery  in  the  same 
township  for  a  year,  after  which  he  went  to  Nit- 


•     VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


illey,  Clinl  rented  a 

tannery    and    O] 
wit i  Returning    to    his    native 

■ 

In 

■ 

in  1        l      ek   township,  intil 

■  i .  when  he  -;  me 

I  ward  township.      Here  he  purchased  a 

1    farm   ol   Mr.   Bickford, 

and  until  i  ■'  Farming,  to- 

nce 
live. I  retired  l  ill  health,  having  never 

fully  recovered  from 

On  the  4th  of  July.  [848,  in  Pine  Creek  town- 

:  ah  Ann 

nlap,  whose  hirth  occurred   in  that  township, 

Jui:  I  ler  father.  i  >unlap,  was 

rn    m    Philadelphia,    November    12.    1799,   of 

F  rench  ind   when   a   young   man 

Muncy,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  where 
he  •  ni   farming  e  time,  and  • 

Sarah    G   llinger,   who    was    horn 
then-   N  2,  and  died  at  the  home 

i   fuly  17.  [883.      From  Miincy  Mr. 
Dunlap  removed  t<     1   farm  in   Fine  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  where  he  followed  the  oc- 
t     fanning    until    his    death,    which 
irred  in  Septen  He  and  his  w 

n    the    Pine    Ci 

the     Lutheran 
and  he  •  to  the 

Whig  party.      In  their  family  were  the  follow 

Sam- 
uel,   of    Nip  '•  ibeth,    dece 
wife  of  Joel  K 

Portei     township,    Lycoming    coun- 
|  1 

wifi      f  John  1  reek  township; 

•my.  wife  1  'i    Henry   Myers,  ol   thi 
ship. 
Mr    and  Mi  •  the 

rn  April 
i    the    wife   ol    I  i 

Haven;   Arabella,   born   Api  -  ime 

|ames  Hi  m  Run.  and 

died  M  ilia  J., 

2  2.  the  wil 

ighter  was  born  and 
Millard    F  .    l>"rn    «  li  tober    14, 

! 
th  mi   Run,  irm; 

.  born  April  2,   1858,  died  I  11, 

I  illie   M  .   born   S  died 

a   tanner,  horn 


has  three  children;   and  three  other  children  of 
our  ;  m  infancy. 

Politically  Mr.    Kissell  was  a  firm  supporter 

Mican  party.      He  cast  his  first 

iry  Clay,    and   was    proud    that  he  was 

able  to  take  his  place  side  by  side  with  the  great 

majority  ol  the  American  people  who  voted  for 

McKinley  and  sound  money  at  the 
election,  and  hoped  to  be  able  to  support  the 
same  party  in  1 900.  His  fellow-citizens  recog- 
nizing his  worth  and  ability  called  him  to  pub- 
lic office,  although  he  never  cared  for  political 
distinction.  On  his  party  ticket  he  was  elect- 
ed by  a  larg  rity  a  commissioner  of  Clin- 
ton county  in  the  fall  of  1890.  His  term  was  a 
trying  one  for  the  commissioners,  as  it  was  just 
after  the  great  tlood  of  1889,  when  much  dam 
was  done  to  bridges  and  other  property,  and 
while  faithfully  discharging  the  arduous  duti< 
the.i  Mr.  Kissell  contracted  the  cold  which 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  subsequent  ill  health. 
He  served  as  tax  collector  and  assessor,  was 
school  director  in  Pine  Creek  township  for  sev- 
eral terms,  justice  of  the  peace  for  fifteen  years, 
postmaster  at  Chatham  Run  for  four  years,  and 
judge  of  elections,  all  of  which  offices  he  filled  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  general  public  and  with 
credit  to  himself. 

I     1  twelve  years   Mr.  Kissell  was  a  member 
t    Washington   Camp,  P.  O.  S.  of  A.,   at  Chat- 
ham   Run,    and   with    his    wife    and    family  held 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
I     1  years  he  taught  in  the  Sunday-school 

ni    Creek    township,    and   also   served  as  su- 
ntendent.      He  was  well-posted  on  theUible, 
1  a  daj  passed    that   he   did  not  read  in  the 
I'.ook,  and  he  was  a   strong  temperance 
man.  never  tasting  intoxicants  of  any  kind.      For 
almost  fifty  years  Mr.  and   Mrs.  Kissell  trav< 
life's   journey   together,  and   although   they    hail 
met  with  sorrows,  they  were  contented  and  h 
py  m  ea  h  other's  love,  and  had  the  respect  and 
1  who   knew   them.      They  reared  a 
lily  of  children,  who  highly   honpred  and  re- 
r  old  age,  and  are  all  earnest 
Christians.      The     husband     and     father    passed 
1     .-.  .a  his  home  in  Dunns- 
eventy-four  years.      The  funeral 

inducted  by  Rev.  George  M. 
in   the    home  church       The   inter- 
;">  was  m  isburg  in  one  of  the  ..Li- 

the county. 


RICH  1   \MILV 
ily  h  ialf  a 

y   idem 


of  Clinton  county.    Thi 

century  been  prom- 
with   the   industrial   and 


^#&&<c 


&Uvt-  /Z'tJi? 


t 


J-    W.    RICH 


JOHH    B.    RICH 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


625 


mercial  interests  of  Clinton  county,  and  the  name 
is  a  synonym  for  honorable  and  "straightforward 
dealing.  One  of  their  leading  characteristics  in 
business  affairs  is  their  fine  sense  of  order  and 
complete  system,  and  the  habit  of  giving  careful 
attention  to  details  without  which  success  in  any 
undertaking  is  never  an  assured  fact. 

The   family  was  founded  in   this  country  by 
John  Rich,  who  was  born  in  Wiltshire,  England, 
October  16,   17S6,  a  son  of   John    Rich,  a   wool- 
carder  by  occupation,  and  a   native  of  the  same 
county,  who  spent  his  last  days  with  his  son  John 
in  Clinton  county,  Penn.      In  his  native  land  the 
son  received  a  very  limited  education,  and  under 
his    father's    able    direction   he   became   a   wool- 
carder.    Having  a  strong  desire  to  try  his  fortune 
in   the   New   World,   he,  in  181 1,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  sailed  from  Liverpool,  accom- 
panied  by  his  father,    landing  at    Philadelphia. 
In   Germantown,    Penn.,    he  found  employment 
as  a  carder  in   a   woolen-factory,    where   he  re- 
mained for  several  years,  and  then  came  to  Mill 
Hall,    Clinton  county,   and   here  rented  a   small 
woolen-factory  from  Nathaniel  Harvey,  which  he 
operated  some  seven  years.      Removing  to  Pine 
Creek   township,   he   was   engaged    in    the   same 
business    at    Plum     Run,    Dunstable     township, 
Clinton   county.      He   purchased  the    "Mansion 
farm,"  owned  by  John  Fleming,  and   in  partner- 
ship with  Daniel   McCormick  erected  a   woulen- 
mill.      He  also   had  an  interest  in  a  woolen-mill 
at  Cooperstown,  Venango  Co.,  Penn.,  the  busi- 
ness being  carried  on  under  style  of  Rich,  Booth 
&   Hillier.      For  several   years   these   men    also 
operated  the  factory  at  Chatham   Run,    which, 
later,  John  Rich  rented  to  John  Hillier  for  some 
years.       Finally,   however,   Mr.    Rich   purchased 
his   partner's   interest   at    Plum  Run,  and  moved 
the  machinery  from  the  Plum  Run  mill  (in  1S43) 
to  Factoryville  (now  Woolrichj,  Clinton  county, 
and    built    a    fine  brick  factory,    the   first  of  the 
kind  in   central   Pennsylvania,  burning  the  brick 
upon  his  farm.      He  also  erected  a  second  house 
at  that  place,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness 
established    quite    a    thriving    little    settlement, 
where  employment  was  furnished  to  a  number  of 
people.      He  built  four  good   log  dwellings,  and 
took  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  village.    Until  his'death, 
which  occurred  in  1S70,  he  successfully  operated 
the  mill,  along  with  his  son,  John  Fleming  Rich, 
who   was   the  inventor  of  the  patented  lumber- 
man flannel  known  as  "Rich's  patent."     He  be- 
came one  of  the   leading  and   influential   citizens 
of  the  community,  and  was  called  upon  to  serve 
in   several  public   positions  of  honor  and   trust, 
being  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Clinton  county 

40*  J 


for  several  years,  and  also  county  auditor.  He 
was  a  strong  party  man,  always  upholding  the 
principles  of  the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolution, 
when  he  became  an  ardent  Republican.  In  relig- 
ious belief  he  was  a  Methodist,  and  was  a  liberal 
contributor  to  all  Church  work.  Wherever 
known  he  was  held  in  high  regard,  and  was  noted 
for  his  kindness  and  generosity. 

John  Rich  was  married  to  Miss  McCloskey,  a 
native  of  Dunnsburg,  Clinton  county,  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  McCloskey,  a  farmer  by  occupation.  To 
them  were  born  twelve  children,  namely:  Re- 
becca, widow  of  George  McCormick;  Rachel, 
wife  of  Charles  Roch,  of  Horseheads,  N.  Y. ; 
Airy,  wife  of  J.  W.  Crawford,  of  Dunstable 
township,  Clinton  county;  Mary,  deceased  wife 
of  John  Caldwell,  of  Horseheads,  N.  Y. ;  John 
Fleming,  Stiles  and  Thomas,  all  three  deceased; 
Jane,  deceased  wife  of  Hon.  Alexander  McDill, 
of  Wisconsin;  Charles  B.,  deceased;  Joseph,  who 
was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in  1876;  and 
Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  ex-Sheriff  Van  Bus- 
kirk.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  at 
Chatham  Run,  in  1S76,  and  was  laid  to  rest  by 
the  side  of  her  husband  in  the  cemetery  at  that 
place. 

Of  this  family  John  Fleming  Rich  was  born 
October  11,  1826,  and  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  he  ob- 
tained his  primary  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented with   an  attendance  of  several   terms  at 
Allegheny  College.      In  early  boyhood  he  began 
work    in    his   father's  woolen-factory,   and  soon 
mastered  all  branches  of  the  business.      In  1868 
he   and   his   brother,  Charles  B.,  were  admitted 
to  the  firm,  and  the  business  was  conducted  under 
the  style  of  John  Rich  &  Sons,  later  J.  F.  &  C. 
B.   Rich.     After   the    death    of    C.  B.  Rich,  the 
sons  of  J.  F.  Rich  (John  and  M.  B.)  became  in- 
terested in  the  business  and  made  many  improve- 
ments in  the  factory,  putting  in  new  machinery 
at  a  cost  of  $5,000.      Erecting  a  fine  brick  store 
building  at  a   cost   of  $2,500,  they  became  the 
first  merchants  of  Woolrich.      To  John  Fleming 
Rich    is    due    in    a    great    degree    the    prosper- 
ity and    development    of    that    thriving   village. 
There  he  made  his  home,  having  erected  an  ele- 
gant residence  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  and,  in  con- 
nection with  his  other  business  interests,  he  also 
superintends  the  management  of  his  fine  farm  of 
300  acres.      He  was  a  man  of    scholarly  tastes 
and  broad  general  information,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifty  years  mastered  the   Greek,  Latin  and   Ger- 
man languages,  later  in   life  taking  the  study  of 
Hebrew.      In  the  pressure  of  his  business  cares 
he  never  forgot  the   holier   duties  of  life,  was  a 
close  Bible  student,  and  for  a  number  of   years 


(  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RE(  ORD. 


.  ed  as  local  preacher  in  the   Met:  pis- 

>al   community    at    Woolrich.      Politically   he 
Randall  Democrat  .t\  aud- 

itor, school  director,  ami  in  other  local  positi 
and  took  a  i  lable   interest  in  all  matters 

pertainii:  h  Church  and  St 

On  January  ir  Jersey  Shore,  Ly- 

:.,  John    I      ming    Ri<  h 
ma:  <  Mil.  who  v. 

at    Bloi  k    House,  th.it   county,  March   2* 
a  daughter  of  Michael  and   Sarah  \\  Ohl, 

tin:  forn  rid  the  lattei  lish 

1  ler  father  was  a  miller  by  occi  . 
Nine  children  were  born  t"   Mr    and  Mr?.  Rich, 
namely:     Rachel  1 1  rah   I.     twins 

i'  .    i  ■  .  th  of   whom  died   in  infancy; 

Lvdia  I.  .  born  July  i.  1851,  became  the  wit. 
[ohn  St  of  Texas,  and  is  now  d 

John  B.  and   M  mentioned   farther 

B  ,  born  January  J,   1857,  died  inch 
Stiles  I     is  mentioned  farther  on;  Charles 
11.,  born   1 '  n  an, 

farmer,    civil   ei  and   inventor,    living  in 

inty;   and    William    Fleming, 
mi  ntioned  farther  on.     The  father  of  this  family 
iwaj    March  17.  ["he mother,  w 

'ithful   m  '   the  Methodist 

il  Church  at  Woolrich. 

John  Rich 

family  ju->t  mentioned,    was  born    in  Woolrich, 

March  19,  t8«  in  the  pub- 

i  that  pi."  e,  later  attended  Dickinson 

ninary,  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  was  a  grad- 

n   Busin  !     igh- 

N.    V.      In    [877    he    and    his    broth' 1 

B.  were   admitted   to  a   partnership  in 

tin  11  father's  bu  the 

lather  the  name  wa  to  J   hn    Rich   & 

|ohn  Rich  w  -client  business 

man.  always  upright  Me  in  all    trans- 

I  had  the  confidence   and   respei  I 
all  who  knew  him.     On  July    16 
united  in  m.irri  .  widow 

oi  ("lark    Qu  killed    111    a    rail: 

accident).     She  is  a  native -1   P  k  town- 

ship, 1  Hint  m  1  iunt} .    ind  a  daughter  of  Mat 

township.      By  her 

md  man 
children:  John  Woods,  born  in  September,  18 
and  Stiles  Fleming,  born  in  August,  [8  14.      I 
husband  and  lather  di<   :  mber    27,    1 .- 

irned    by    all  who  knew  him.      Hi     ■•  is  un- 
erving  in  his  support  of  the  Republican  party, 
and   for  thirty  yean  was  an  eai  1 
member   of    the    Methodist    I  |>iscopal    Chui 
v\  ,1-   1  me  ■  d  its  most  act  and   libi 

supporters,  and  for  man)  y<  ed  as  super- 


intendent of  the  Sunday-school,  president  of  the 
Epworth  League,  steward  and  trustee. 

Michael  P>  Rn  11.  now  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  fohn  Rich  <S:  Bros.,  was  born  April 
30,  1855,    in   Woolrich,    where  he   acquired   his 

nentary  education, and  during  the  years  1 

Dickinson  Seminary,  at  Will- 
iamsport.   being  a   pupil   of  Dr.  Spotsw land 

Dr.  I.  [.Gray.  On  laying  aside  his  text  books  he 
into  business  with  his  father  and  brother, 
and  has  since  been  a  member  of  the  tirm.  which 
still  continues  operations  under  the  firm  nan 
John  Rich  ec  Bros.  He  is  now  a  managing  part- 
ner of  the  woolen-mill  and  of  a  general  store  at 
Woolrich,  where  he  has  a  comfortable  and  pleas- 
ant residence,  erected  at  a  1  -  3,000.  On 
the    Republican    ticket    he    was    elected    school 

'•tor  of  Pine  <  t  iwnship  and  >m- 

missioner,  most  creditably  serving  in  the  latter 
office  from  1880  until  18S5.  He,  too,  is  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
has  served  as  class-leader,  exhorter,  Sunday- 
school  superintendent  and  teacher,  and  his  sup- 
port and  influence  are  always  found  on  the  side 
of  right  and  order.  He  was  married  in  Pine 
k  township,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Ida  B.  Shaw,  a 
native  of  that  township,  and  a  daughter  of  R.  A. 
Shaw,    justice   of    the   peace,  and  to  them   have 

n  born  seven  children:  Jennie  1'  .  Robert 
1  k  Ltii  I...  John  B.,  Anna  B.,  Grace  E.,  and 
Margaret  M. 

W.  Fi  eming  Rich,  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  John  Rich  &  P>ros.,  was  born  in  Wool- 
rich,  February  jj.  1862,  and.  after  attending  the 
schools  of  Pine  Creek  township  for  some  time, 
he  became  a  student  in  the  Central  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Lock  Haven,  where  he  graduated 
with  the  class  of  •  1882.  Like  his  brothers,  he 
early  became  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the 
busi  nnected  with  the  woolen-factory,  and 

in  1889  he  purchased  the   interest  of  his  father 
in  the  mill,  with  which  he  has  since  been  con- 
nected.     In  Woolrich  he   has  a  pleasant  home 
o,  is  president  of  the  Patriotic  Order 
America,    at    that    place,    has     been    a 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
'   d  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  which  he  holds  membership,  and  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.     In  Pine  Creek  town- 
was   married,    in    1888.    to    Miss    Mary 
1  native  of  Lock  Haven,  and  a  daugh- 
ter "i  David  Stevenson.      She  died  the  follow 

r,  and  in  [891  Mr.  Rich  was  wedded,  in 
Dunstable  township,  Clinton  county,  to  Miss 
Clai  ird,  who  was  born  in  that  township. 

where  her  father,  John  Q.  Baird,  is  engaged  in 
farming   and    tobacco  growing.      Three  children 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


627 


have  graced  this  union:  Ruth  E.,  Mary  H.  and 
Lydia  F. 

The  Rich  Brothers  are  justly  numbered 
among  the  most  progressive,  enterprising  and 
reliable  business  men  of  Clinton  county.  In 
their  factory  they  give  employment  to  about 
forty  hands,  and  during  the  panic  of  1893  they 
continued  business  uninterruptedly,  so  that  the 
people  of  Woolrich  did  not  feel  the  effects  of  the 
hard  times.  The  man  who  establishes  on  a  firm 
basis  and  conducts  a  large  and  paying  enterprise 
does  more  for  a  community  than  he  who  gives 
large  sums  of  money  for  its  embellishment,  for 
the  former  furnishes  means  of  livelihood  to  many 
and  promotes  commercial  activity,  which  is  es- 
sential to  the  welfare  of  an}'  community.  In 
this  way  the  Rich  family  have  materially  ad- 
vanced the  interests  of  Woolrich,  and  deserve  an 
honored  place  among  Clinton  county's  prominent 
and  representative  citizens. 

Stiles  Edward  Rich,  the  third  son  of  John 
Fleming  and  Catherine  A.  Rich,  was  born  in 
Woolrich,  December  3,  1859,  attended  the 
schools  of  his  boyhood  home,  the  Normal  at 
Lock  Haven,  Dickinson  Seminary  at  Williams- 
port,  and  graduated  from  the  Eastman  Business 
College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  He  then  se- 
cured a  position  as  clerk  for  W.  W.  Barrows, 
general  merchants  and  lumber  dealers  at  Cam- 
eron, Penn.,  remaining  with  them  some  three 
years.  Returning  to  Woolrich  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  he  was  bookkeeper  for  John  Rich  & 
Sons  several  years,  finally,  in  1893,  g°'ng  to 
Harriman,  Tenn.,  where  he  commenced  a  dry- 
goods  and  boot  and  shoe  business  for  his  own 
account,  and  has  made  a  success  of  his  enter- 
prise. 

In  1883  Stiles  Edward  Rich  married  Miss 
Minnie  H.  Hesser,  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  C.  and 
Helen  Hesser,  the  former  of  whom  is  a  M.  E. 
minister  of  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference, 
at  the  present  time  stationed  at  Hughesville, 
Penn.  Two  children  have  blessed  this  union: 
William  H.  and  Ross  B.  In  polities  Mr.  Rich 
was  originally  a  Republican,  but  is  now  a  strong 
Prohibitionist;  in  religious  belief  he  is  a  member 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  a  steward  in  the  same. 


MICHAEL  BLANCHE  (deceased)  was  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  and  highly- 
respected  citizens  of  Renovo.  He  was  widely 
known  and  honored,  and  in  his  death  the  com- 
munity, whose  interests  he  had  so  much  ad- 
vanced by  his  enterprise,  has  lost  a  valuable 
citizen.     His   integrity  of  character  and  never- 


failing  courtesy  made    him    beloved    by  all  who 
had  the  honor  of  his  acquaintance. 

Mr.  Blanche  was  a  son  of  Patrick  Blanche, 
and  was  born  in  1841,  in  Ireland,  where  his  par- 
ents spent  their  entire  lives.  Until  he  had  at- 
tained his  majority  he  remained  on  the  Emerald 
Isle,  but  in  1862  he  determined  to  try  his  for- 
tune in  the  New  World  where  he  believed  better 
opportunities  were  afforded  ambitious  young 
men.  Accordingly  he  sailed  for  America,  and 
for  some  years  made  his  home  in  New  York. 
From  1864  until  1867  he  was  on  a  man-of-war, 
and  visited  the  West  Indies  and  several  coun- 
tries in  South  America.  While  in  the  service  he 
received  injuries  from  which  he  never  recovered. 
On  leaving  New  York  City,  Mr.  Blanche  came 
to  Renovo,  Penn.,  where  for  some  time  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  rail- 
road, but  in  1S85  erected  the  "Central  House  " 
on  Erie  avenue  between  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets, 
successfully  conducting  the  same  until  called  to 
his  final  rest.  In  1889  he  remodeled  the  place, 
making  a  good  three-story  structure  containing 
ten  bed  rooms  and  first-class  accommodations 
for  twenty  guests.  It  is  one  of  the  best  equipped 
hotels  of  its  size  in.  Clinton  county,  and  Mr. 
Blanche  proved  a  most  popular  landlord. 

On  July  24,  1864,  in  New  York  City,  Mr. 
Blanche  was  married  to  Miss  Bridget  McGovern, 
and  to  them  were  born  nine  children,  but  only 
four  daughters  are  now  living,  namely:  Mary, 
Anna,  Margaret  and  Jennie,  who  are  still  resid- 
ing together  in  Renovo,  and  comprise  one  of  the 
most  highly-respected  and  popular  families  of 
the  place.  The  mother  was  called  to  her  final 
rest  on  September  3,  1891,  and  the  father  de- 
parted this  life  May  3,  1894.  Although  of  for- 
eign birth  his  duties  of  citizenship  were  performed 
with  a  loyalty  equal  to  that  of  any  native  son  of 
America,  and  when  the  nation  was  imperiled  by 
the  hydra-headed  monster,  Rebellion,  he  went  in 
defense  of  the  Union  and  protected  the  cause  of 
his  adopted  country.  Later  he  became  an 
honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 


EV.  CHARLES  D.  RUSSELL,  pastor  of 
St.  Mark's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of 
Loganton,  Clinton  county,  was  born  September 
16,  1873,  in  Ashland,  Schuylkill  Co.,  Penn.,  in 
which  place  his  parents  are  still  residing. 

His  father,  Charles  F.  Russell,  was  born  in 
Fountain  Springs,  same  county,  and  although  he 
was  provided  with  very  limited  school  privileges, 
he,  by  reading  and  observation,  has  become  a 
well-informed  man.      During  early  manhood  he 


(  OMXEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


the   painter's   trade,  which   he   i 
numbi  'th  in  Fountain  Spi 

and  Ashland,  but  is  now  filling  the  important  and 
responsible  position  r  of 

the  General  Security  -  ifety  Funds.      H< 

ry  ol  tli  i    Light  Companj 

land,  and  ol   the  Ashland  Mutual  Fire  Insur- 
ance ny,  and  the 
most  reliable  and  honorable  bus;               n  of  the 
pla                 litics  he         ,                            ublican, 
and  in  i                            -   a  Lutheran,  and  t 
quite  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  all  Church 
work,  li                             leacon  in  the  (  hurch, 
superintendent  and  teacher  in  the  Sunday-sch 
iternally,   he   is    identified    with   the  Masonic 
i       I     i                     Schuylkill  county,  he 
united  in  marriage  to  Mi                  Deitzler,  a  na- 

that    place,  and    to   them   were   born 
children:     Lulu,   at  home;  Charles    D.,   ol  this 
ti  h;  William,  who  died    in  childhood;  Hai 

nd    Mamie  and  Karl,  who  are  at- 
ling  schi  h 

In  the   public   and  high  -  native 

!   began  his  literary  edu- 
cation, and   later   nit.  red   the  Susquehanna  Uni- 
t  Selins  Grove,  where  he  pursued  both  a 

luating  with 

honors  in  1893.      In  the   spring   of   1896  he  v 

call  Valli  j    pastorate,    and  has 

sin>  St    Mark's  Church  of  Logan- 

■   the  congregations  at  Booneville, 

Tylers\  ille,  I   Hill  and  Bui  In  his 

ibor  he  has  worked  faithfully  and 

well,  and  in  the  pulpit  hi  ially  gifted,  his 

!    well-trained,  and  his   man- 

I  I 

ii  their  appeals  to  follow 

the  teachingsof  the  Master.     He  is  popular  with 

all  1  nade  many  warm  friends  out- 

In  May,  I  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  coun- 

ty,   Rev.    Russell    was    man  Jennie 

I 

I  -known 

and  highly-] 


JAMES    I      SMITH,     1    lif.  t    of 

Clinton    county,   where    his   occupation 
n  that  of   a   lumberman  irn  June 

■  nsliip 

His  fatl  ph  M01 1  is  Smith,   1  Phil 

tnd 

lit-; 

B  Ci  ek  country  to 

in  the  lunib 

'    thousan  timber  lands    in 


primith  2   he   built  a  mill  on  the 

k  at  the  mouth  of  Monument  run,  about 
m  the  Bald  Eagle.  About  the 
time  this  mill  was  built  Beech  creek  was  cleared 
so  that  sawed  lumber  could  be  rafted  out  of  it. 
One  of  the  tirst  bills  of  lumber  sawed  by  Mr. 
Smith  was  timber  for  the  Harrisburg  bridge. 
This  timber  was  three  by  twelve  inches,  thirty- 
two,  thirty-four  and  thirty-six  feet  long,  and  was 
rafted  at  the  mill.      Having  had  no  business  ex- 

ience,  Mr.  Smith  did  not  make  a  success  of 
the  enterprise,  and  he  sold  the  timber  lands  be- 
fore they  became  valuable.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  i  however,  more  or  less,  until 

j      when  he  abandoned  it,    and  passed 
the  lis  life  on  a  farm  he  had  cleared  up 

near  the  borough  of  Beech  Creek.  In  1850,  on 
the  formation  of  Beech  Creek  township  out  of  a 
part  of  Bald  Eagle,  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the 
auditors  for  the  new  township.  He  subsequently 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  His  wife,  ]en- 
nette  David,  whom  he  married  in  [832,  was  a 
natr  B   ech  Creek,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  b 

in  1  Si  3. 

I      this  marriage  were  born  fourteen  children, 

.  en  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Rowland, 

sident   of  th     Si         ol  Washington;   Mary, 

the  wife  of   Col.    Henry   Bollinger,  of  Lebanon, 

S.    Dak.;    Charles   P.,    of    Beech  Creek,    Penn.; 

Sidn  lette,  widow  ol   S.  B.  Darrah.  "1  the 

te  of  Washington;  Temple  C. ,  of  Beech  Creek; 

(an.  ur  subject;  Joseph   Morris,  of  Kane, 

1.;   William  A.,  of  Montana;  Emily,  the  wife 

i  rank  Trump,  ol  Renovo,  Penn.;  Alice,  tin- 
wife  of  John  Miller,  of  Beech  Creek,  Penn.;  and 
Martha  V.,  of  Renovo.  The  father  of  these  dii  I 
October  11,   1870,  and  the  mother.   February  5, 

• 

Jam-  I  Smith  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  only  such  an  education  as  could  be  ob- 
tained in  the  schools  ol  the  vicinity.  His  father's 
family  w  e,  and  the  boys  were  put  to  work 

early  in  life.     He  remained  on  the  farm  until  the 
rs,  at  which  time  the  death 
of  his  father  cau  hange   to   be   made,  and 

the   mother   with   her   family   left   the   farm   and 
the  borough  of  Beech  Creek  to  reside. 
Oui  l   had   worked  in  the  woods  a  ;;reat 

i  in  sawmill-  n,l  when  twenty- 

eight   hi  aced  in  charge  of  a  log-drive 

the  Lehigh  rivei        ~         after  this  was  made  he 
ichool   again,    so  he   went  to 
Pittsburg  where  he  took  a  business  course  in  the 
City  B  •  (  >n  bis  return  the 

followin)  r  he  was  employed  in  coum 

luml  wmill  of  that  locality.    Following 

this  he  soon  became  I  in  the  -lumber  bu 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


629 


ness,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has 
been  more  or  less  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
in  which  he  has  been  successful.  He  is  one  of 
the  substantial  citizens  of  Lock  Haven,  where  he 
is  prominent  and  influential  in  business  circles 
and  in  public  affairs.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  party 
for  years.  He  was  three  times  nominated  for 
the  office  of  register  of  wills  and  recorder  of 
deeds,  to  which  offices  he  was  twice  elected 
(elected  in  1885  and  re-elected  in  188S),  failing 
the  third  time  owing  to  the  third-term  issue.  He 
was  a  capable  and  an  accommodating  officer. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M. 

On  August  2,  1876,  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
to  Miss  Bella  E.  Weaver,  a  daughter  of  George 
B.  Weaver,  now  deceased,  formerly  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Bellefonte.  To  this  marriage  came 
five  children:  Claude  Morris,  who  is  now  a  clerk 
in  the  office,  at  Lock  Haven,  of  the  New  York  Pulp 
and  Paper  Mills  Company;  Adda  W. ,  who  is  a 
student  in  the  Central  Normal  School;  Ruth; 
Ralph;  and  Isabel.  The  mother  of  these  was 
born  December  21,  185 1,  at  Bellefonte,  Penn. 
She  and  her  husband  are  identified  with  the  M.  E. 
Church.  They  have  a  nice  home  on  Bellefonte 
avenue,  Lock  Haven. 


LUKE  BINDER  (deceased)  was  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Renovo,  Clinton  county, 
and  was  one  of  its  leading  and  representative  citi- 
zens. His  birth  occurred  in  Germany,  March 
13,  1844,  but  during  early  childhood  he  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  parents,  who  spent 
their  remaining  days  in  Cambria  county,  Penn. 
The  father,  Lutzeon  Binder,  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  and  continued  to  follow  that  occupa- 
tion until  his  death. 

Our  subject  attended  the  district  schools  of 
Cambria  county  during  his  boyhood  and  youth, 
and  later  was  a  student  in  St.  Vincent's  College 
at  Latrobe,  Penn.  With  his  father  he  learned 
the  shoemaker  trade,  but  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  left  home  and  went  to  Altoona,  Penn. ,  where 
he  found  employment  in  a  brewery.  During 
the  seven  years  he  remained  in  that  city  he 
thoroughly  mastered  the  business  in  all  its  vari- 
ous departments,  and  on  coming  to  Renovo,  in 
1872,  he  purchased  the  Brewery's  Run  Brewery, 
which  he  successfully  conducted  until  life's  la- 
bors were  ended,  May  3,  1897.  Genial  and  so- 
cial in  disposition,  he  made  friends  easily,  and  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  in  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ances no  man  had  more  friends.  He  was  a  pro- 
gressive, public-spirited  citizen   who  took  a  deep 


and  commendable  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
town  and  the  county,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to 
insure  their  prosperity  and  advancement.  As  a 
business  man  he  was  honorable,  straightforward 
and  reliable  in  all  transactions,  and  as  a  citizen 
he  well  deserved  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
was  uniformly  held. 

In  1 87 1,  Mr.  Binder  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Endris,  the  ceremony  being  performed  at 
Altoona  by  Father  Schell.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Anton  Endris,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  became 
a  resident  of  the  United  States.  He  had  two 
other  daughters,  Mrs.  Christian  Schilling,  and 
Mrs.  Agenie  Sheminger,  both  living  in  Altoona. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. Binder, 
namely:  Edward  L.,  Frank,  Louisa,  Mary, 
John,  Luke,  and  Anna.  The  mother  and  chil- 
dren are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  to 
which  Mr.  Binder  also  belonged.  The  family  is 
one  of  prominence,  and  their  many  friends  are 
always  sure  of  a  hearty  welcome  at  their  hospit- 
able home.  On  the  death  of  the  father  theeld- 
.est  son,  Edward  L. ,  who  was  born  October  7, 
1 872,  has  carried  on  the  business  in  his  own  name. 
The  capacity  of  the  brewery  is  about  1,000  bar- 
rels per  year.  The  brewery  is  to  be  improved 
in  the  spring  of  1898,  in  the  way  of  increased 
capacity,  and  by  the  addition  of  large  bottling 
works.  It  will  have  a  capacity  of  10,000  bar- 
rels per  year.  The  elder  Mr.  Binder  left  a  fine 
hotel  property.  He  was  president  of  the  Reno- 
vo Electric  Light  Heat  Power  Company.  He 
was  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Renovo. 


C CHARLES  LYON  FULLMER,  M.  D.,  is  a 
'/  worthy  representative  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  Renovo,  Clinton  county,  and  one  of 
the  valued  citizens  of  the  town.  He  was  born, 
in  1859,  in  Montoursville,  Lycoming  county, 
Penn.,  and  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Catherine 
(Ebner)  Fullmer,  were  also  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  their  entire  lives  were  passed.  The 
father  was  a  coal  dealer,  following  that  industry 
as  a  means  of  livelihood  throughout  his  business 
career.  His  pilgrimage  on  earth  was  ended  in 
1878,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1891.  In  their 
family  were  two  sons,  the  Doctor's  brother  being 
J.  R.  Fullmer. 

Dr.  Fullmer  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the 
usual  manner  of  lads  of  that  period,  the  duties  of 
the  school  room  and  the  pleasures  of  the  play- 
ground occupying  most  of  his  time.  He  received 
his  primary  and  academic  education  in  Montours- 
ville, attending  the  Montoursville  Normal,  and 
was    subsequently    graduated    with  the  class  of 


'  0MMEMORAT1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in     l1  Seminary,    Williamsport. 

I     •  .iltcr    leavin  ■■■  he  engaged  in 

teaching  school,  but  this  was  only  a  means  to  an 
for   it    was  his  desire  to  enter  the 

lical  profi  nd   he    matriculated  in  the 

Jefferson  Mi  Philadelphia,  where 

he  ••  !  liately  after- 

bi  n  estab- 

lished in  .1  large  and  lucr,iti\e  practice,  standing 
among  the  !■ 

cality.      In   addition  ti >  a   lai 
•ice  he  h  I  for  the  past  fifteen 

tn  at    R  Pennsyl- 

vania  Raili  He  1  to   the 

iety  and   tin    Si 
Mi   !  I    in    this    '.'.  |  s    fully 

abreast  with  the  ment  that  is  continually 

le  in  medical  circles. 
In   [883    Dr     Fullmer  was   married   to   Miss 

I    John   T.   Reed,  at 
it   "I    Lycoming 
ity.     They  have  1,  J    I  Iryan  Fullm 

Mrs    1  ullmer  is  a  me  the  Methi  idist  E]     - 

illy  the  Docl 
with  the  Ma  ternity.      In  j>< >1  itics  he  has 

n  identified  with   thi  irty 

Tominenl    mi  and  in  1 

1  Linton  county,  in  1 
1  and  he  h 

member  of  the  city  council,  dis- 
all   public  duties  with  tl  ked 

fidelity  that   chai  -   his   pi  d  work 


Ai  1  '.I  M      HEIMBAI  II.     M.     D.       The 
world  has  little  misanthi 

The  universal  truth  of  brotherhood  is  widely  - 
1  that  he  serves  G 
fellowmen      Th 

ttention  than  thi 
1.     and     the  ,,),,, 

through  wmen  gives  his  time  and 

ntion  to  the  <    hum. in  sufl  1  »] 

1 1'  imbach,  a  homeopathii    phys 
is  r. 

sion  in  Clinton  o  mnty. 
The  Doctor  was  born   Febi  uarj  ;,   in 

Berks  county,  Penn  1  Williai 

line    Gehry)  Heimbach,  who  havespent  then 

Pennsylvania,  at  pn  idling  in 

Allentown,    where  they  located    in 
many  years  the  father   was  1  m 

farming  and  <t<><  k   dealing,  but  I  <-ti. 

calK  ide  busin 

well  In    the    famih  lit   chil- 


dren, namely:     Celia;  O.  Frank;  Dr.  A.  Eugene; 
P.   Harwin;   Elrnira,  wife  of  C.   J.  Gehman;    Dr. 
James  H.,  of  Kane,  Penn.;  Evana,  wife  of  Will- 
Wieand;  and  Charles. 

Dr.  Heimbach  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  which 
was  ted  by  oni  attendance  at  a 

school  m  Philadelphia,  and  he  was  later  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Keystone  Mate  Normal  at  Kutztown, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1882, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  After  successfully 
0  in  teaching   for  about  five  years  he  be- 

the  study  "t  medicine  under  Dr.  A.  J.  Rii 
of    Lebanon,    Penn.,    ami   subsequently 
Hahnemann    Medical    College,    of    Philadelphia, 
whi  :  completing    a   thre 

course  of  study,  he  graduated  in  1890.  For  nine 
months  he  engaged  in  practice  in  Allentown,  but 
lary  17.  1891,  he  opened  an  office  in 
Renovo,  where  his  skill  and  ability  soon  won  1 
Ognition,  so  that  he  now  enjoys  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice. 

In  1892  Dr.  Heimbach  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  V,  Blank,  of  Allentown,  and  they  now 
have  a  son,  Allen  IUank.  The  family  occupies 
an  elegant  residence  which  the  Doctor  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $6,000,  which  is  supplied  with  all  mod- 
ern conveniences.  It  is  one  of  the  best  homes 
in  R  md  there  hospitality  reigns  supreme. 

The  Doctor   holds   membership  in  the  Refon 

rch,  while  his  wife  is  a  Lutheran  in  religious 
belief.  Socially,  he  is  connected  with  the  Pa- 
triotic Sons  of  America,  and,  politically,  is  iden- 

I  with  the  Republican  party.  Although  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  empty-handed,  he 
has,  through  his  own   el'  •  d  an  enviable 

reputation  physician  and  surgeon,  and  has 

also  been  financially  successful.  He  has  that 
love  for  his  profession  without  which  there  is  no 
success,  and  by  constant  study  keeps  thoroughly 
ted  on  all  discoveries  and  improvements  in 
his  chosen  calling  As  a  progressive  physician 
and  an  agreeable,  pleasant  gentleman,  he  cer- 
tain! es  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  un- 
iformly h 


Pli  RCE   M.    DORNBLASER,    a   thrifty  and 
!ul    agriculturist   of  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county,  is  a  member  of  a  leading  family 
of  that  locality,  and  in  his  own  life  maintains  the 
mdard  of  citizenship  that  character- 

ime  identified  at  an  early  date 

with   Northampl  nty,    Penn.,   and  in  1831 

'""  andparents,    [ohn  and  Catherine 

rnblaser.  left  their  old  home  in  Low.  r 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


631 


Nazareth  township  to  remove  to  Clinton  county, 
where  their  remaining  years  were  spent. 

Peter  Dornblaser,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  February  21,  1813,  in  Lower  Nazareth 
township,  Northampton  county,  and  was 
reared  to  farm  work  as  a  boy,  being  able  to  do 
a  man's  share  in  the  harvest  field  when  but  fif- 
teen years  old.  He  has  always  been  a  most  in- 
dustrious man,  and  hard  work  seems  to  have 
agreed  with  him  as  he  is  still  living  at  an  advanced 
age,  and  is  enjoying  in  well-deserved  leisure  the 
rewards  of  past  labors.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  subscription  schools  of  his  time, 
and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  to  learn  the 
cabinet  maker's  trade,  serving  an  apprentice- 
ship of  two  and  one-half  years.  He  afterward 
worked  for  some  time  in  the  same  shop  as  a 
journeyman,  but  in  the  fall  of  1831  he  followed 
his  parents  to  Clinton  county,  their  removal  hav- 
ing taken  place  in  the  spring.  He  walked  the 
entire  distance,  and  on  his  arrival  began  to  work 
at  his  trade,  the  first  winter  being  spent  in  Belle- 
fonte  at  "journey  work."  In  1S3S  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth  Shaffer,  who  was  born  in 
Brush  Valley,  near  Madisonburg,  the  daughter 
of  Michael  and  Margaret  (Walburn)  Shaffer.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  after  their  marriage  he  made 
his  home  with  his  parents,  and  then  locat- 
ed upon  the  farm  where  he  yet  resides.  His 
brother  John  was  at  that  time  in  partnership 
with  him,  and  the  place  contained  two  hun- 
dred acres;  but,  later,  the  brother  also  mar- 
ried, and  the  farm  was  divided,  Peter  taking  the 
eastern  portion.  All  the  buildings  now  on  the 
place  have  been  erected  by  him,  and  he  has 
shown  himself  an  excellent  manager.  Although 
the  regular  farm  work  has  occupied  his  time 
chiefly,  he  has  done  some  work  at  his  trade,  and 
he  built  a  shop  on  the  farm  for  that  purpose. 
He  is  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  willing  to 
make  any  sacrifices  in  order  to  pay  a  debt,  and 
he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 
In  manner  he  is  modest  and  unassuming,  and  he 
is  very  fond  of  his  home.  Much  of  his  spare 
time  has  always  been  devoted  to  reading,  and 
now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  he  peruses  the 
newspapers  daily.  He  has  been  a  subscriber  to 
The  Lutheran  Observer  ever  since  its  foundation, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  religious 
work,  holding  various  offices  in  the  Church.  His 
contributions  have  been  generous,  but  he  is  one 
who  never  lets  his  left  hand  know  what  his  right 
hand  may  do  for  charity.  Politically  he  affiliates 
with  the  Democratic  party,  but  he  is  not  blindly 
subservient  to  the  leaders,  and  on  occasion  he 
votes  independently,  choosing  the    "best  man." 


Although  he  has  never  been  eager  for  political 
honors  for  himself,  he  has  served  creditably  in 
different  local  offices.  In  March,  1894,  his  be- 
loved wife  passed  to  the  unseen  world,  her 
remains  being  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Sny- 
dertown. 

This  couple  had  children  as  follows;  Cath- 
erine married  John  Hatcher,  and  died  in  Kansas; 
Thomas,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  is  now  a 
Lutheran  minister  in  Illinois;  Amanda  is  the 
wife  of  Ephraim  Townsend,  of  Valley  Falls, 
Kans. ;  Luther  died  in  Kansas;  Albert  died  in  the 
fifth  year  of  his  age;  Puella  is  a  prominent 
worker  in  temperance  and  philanthropic  lines; 
Pierce  M.  is  our  subject;  and  Mabel  married  Dr. 
f.  M.  Dunn,  and  died  at  Mackeyville.  This 
family  is  one  of  which  any  parent  might  well  be 
proud,  and  Miss  Puella  Dornblaser's  work  de- 
serves especial  mention.  Her  education  was 
begun  in  the  district  schools  near  her  home,  and 
later  she  took  a  course  in  Susquehanna  Univer- 
sity. For  some  time  she  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  and  at  present  she  is  the  State 
lecturer  and  organizer  for  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  and 
one  of  the  State  superintendents  of  the  same  so- 
ciety, in  which  she  also  represents  the  mission- 
ary department  of  the  State.  For  eight  years 
she  was  a  vice-president  in  the  State  W.  C.  T.  U., 
and  her  earnest  and  efficient  work  in  these  vari- 
ous positions  has  won  her  a  wide  reputation. 
Her  gifts  as  a  speaker  are  notable,  and  she  is  a 
valued  worker  in  religious  and  educational  meet- 
ings. For  ten  years  she  was  president  of  the 
Synodical  Society  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Church,  embracing  seven  counties  and  one  hun- 
dred Churches.  Ever  since  the  organization  of 
the  Eagle's  Mere  Chautauqua  Society  she  has 
been  closely  associated  with  its  work,  and  dur- 
ing the  meeting  of  1897  she  had  charge  of  the 
devotional  services,  and  assisted  in  the  publica- 
tion of  their  daily  paper. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  April  24, 
1854,  at  the  present  homestead,  where  he  was 
reared,  plenty  of  "chores"  falling  to  his  lot  in 
youth,  as  is  usual  with  the  son  of  a  busy  farmer. 
During  boyhood  he  attended  the  Clinton  school, 
which  was  held  in  a  brick  building,  and  among 
his  teachers  were  T.  J.  Smull,  Joseph  Hays 
and  James  Walker.  He  was  an  apt  student,  be- 
ing the  first  in  that  school  to  take  up  the  study 
of  United  States  history.  In  early  manhood  he 
engaged  in  the  threshing  business,  which  he  has 
continued  ever  since  in  connection  with  the  culti- 
vation of  his  farm.  This  is  a  tract  of  sixty  acres, 
which  he  rented  from  his  father  for  a  time,  but 
purchased  in  1886.  He  is  an  energetic  manager, 
thoroughly   up-to-date  in   his  methods,  and  de- 


VMEMORA  TTVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


serves  the  success  whici  to   him. 

an  intelligent  citizen    he  takes  an  interest  in   the 

pub  the  day,  and  at  one  thru 

acti\ 

(in  .  .  he  was  mai 

ma  S.  Royer,  who  was  born  March  i 
in    I  township,    Clinton    county,    and 

edui  ated   in  the   pul  ity. 

where  her  parents,  Philip  and   Isabella    Harper) 
iminent  i  Five  children 

have  blessed  this  union:     M  ibel  E  ,  born  March 
!    rrj     I.  .  April   I  5,    1 889;  Minnie    A., 
April    1  Delia  M., 

Ruth   F.,    December  7,    [894.      Mr.    Dornbla 

!    his   wife    are    both   acth  -    of    the 

Lutheran  Church,  in  which   Mr    Dornblaser  lias 

■  u  and   ti  id    Mrs 

I  >•  11  nb  line  musical 

nst    in    S  5unday- 

In  poln  icrat,  but  he 

is  not   an  ol  ilthough   he   has  been  a 

and  w  that    ofl 

tryol  the  township  school  board. 


GK.    HECKMAN,  the 

most  distinguished   and  honored   citizen 
mnty,  was  1>i >rn  S 
l 
;>.  then  Logan,  where  he  now  r< 

gin. 

<  itive 

intj .  Penn.,  win-re  he  spent  his  l 
tys  in  thi  ing,  but  aft- 

i    his    ' 
in'sVall  inty,  wh 

pring  Mills,  whicl 
nd  improve  until  called  to 
world   beyond.      Hi 
in  that  ■  onntj       I  fe  was  a  J 

in  1  I    with  si  wn- 

shi]  which    he  tablj    filled. 

In   his   family   w  ht    children 

John.  George,   1  |acob,    Michael, 

Kmsell,  and  one  daughtei    who  married   in  the 
VV« 

John  1  li  1  1. in. hi.  father,  was  born 

red  in  Penn  s  \  alii  j  nty,  and 

I  a  fair  German  n.  and  v. 

abli  '.,.   After  attaining  to  man'ses- 

he  '  ame  to  what  is  now  Sugai  \  I  lin- 

nty,   but  at   that   tini.    was  still  a 
here  he   pui 
Kleckner  a  farm  of  200  a  >t  of  the  borough 

of  Logan  ton,  which  he    cleared  and  impi 


making  it   his    home    for    over    half   a  century. 

His  death  occurred  upon   the   farm  in  1870,  and 

his   remains  were  interred   in  the   Sugar  Valley 

ry.      Like  his  father  he  was  a  stanch  sup- 

!  the  1 'emocracy,  and  was  an  active  and 

minent  member  of   the    Lutheran  Church,  in 

which  he  served  as  elder,  and  to  which  he  was  a 

liberal  contributor. 

In    early  manhood  John   Heckman    married 

th    Kleckner,    a    native    of    Mifflinburg, 

Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Kli 

ner,  a  prominent  farmer  first   of   Centre  county 

and    later    of    Clinton    county.      Nine    children 

this  union:     Sarah,    who    wedded  John 

Wilt,  but  both  are  now  deceased;  John,  deceased; 

passed  away;  Elizabeth, 
who    married    John    Ruhl,    of    Miles    township, 
1     in.,  but  both   are  now  deceas 

I    wife    of  John    Wi 
111. ;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Jefferson  Hart- 
';  in;  Peter,  deceased;  Daniel  K 

this   sketch;    and    Rebecca,    widow    ol    John    B. 

1  township,  Clinton  county.     1 
mother  of  these  children  died  on  the  home  farm, 
was  buried   in  Sugar  Valley  cemetery.     The 
father  afterward  married  Catharine  Barnet,  wid- 
ow 1   Karsteter,  and  to  them  were  1 
e  children — Fretta,  wife  of  William  Lan 
of   Washing!  vnship,    Snyder    Co.,    Penn.; 
Supera,  widow   of  John   Herlacker;  and  Iswa.  of 
linton  county.      The   second 
1  en  the  home  farm,  and  was  buried 
in  Logan! 

To  a  limited  extent   Gen.  Heckman  attei 
the  subscript  ol    his  boyhood,  which 

ight   in   little   log   school    houses  by  v 
inferior  teachers,  bul  fond  of  reading  and 

study  he  has  become  a  well-informed  man.  and 
be  ]>r<  iperly  classed  among  the  self-educated. 
t  childhood  he  became  familiar  with 
all  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agricult- 
urist, and  has  made  farming  his  life  occupation. 
He  never  left  the  old  hon  which  he  oper- 

m  with   his   lather  until  twenty- 
e  when  the  I  d  to  an 

ning    fai  him    in    charge   of   the 

place.    It  is  now  one  of  the  most  highly  improved 
and  desirabli  Green  township,  theGen- 

d  both  the  house  and  bam  at 
I    has   placed  the  land  under 
a  higl  cultivat 

In  1849,  in  l  1     ntre  county. 

Miss  Elizabeth 

Kline,  a  native  of  that  township,  and  iter 

ol    '  ''in.  IK  1       she  died  in  1870, 

and  «  ganton  cemeter}      She 

pur  children:      Dennis,  who  was 


k^*£ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


633 


for  some  years  an  invalid,  and  died  in  1873. 
John  K.,  who  married  Delia  Cole,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  Green  township,  Clinton  county. 
Regina,  wife  of  R.  W.  A.  Jamison,  treasurer  of 
Clinton  county,  now  living  in  Lock  Haven;  she 
has  two  children — Helen  Inez,  and  Daniel  Rich- 
ard Heckman.  Minerva,  wife  of  Howard  Smith, 
of  Loganton;  she  has  two  children — Lizzie,  liv- 
ing, and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  In  1874,  in 
Buffalo  Valley,  Union  county,  the  General  was 
was  again  married,  this  time  to  Hannah  Slear, 
who  was  born  in  Hartley  township,  that  county, 
December  4,  1836,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Slear,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
farmer  in  Berks  county,  Perm.,  born  March  17, 
1793,  and  died  March  1,  1875.  He  had  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Daniel  (deceased),  Esther, 
(Mrs.  Shively),  Peter  (deceased),  Margaret  (Mrs. 
Long,  deceased),  Charles  (deceased),  George 
(living),  William  (deceased),  Mary  C.  (Mrs.  S. 
Miller),  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  George  Himmelreich), 
James  (living),  and  Hannah  (Mrs.  Heckman). 
The  parents  of  this  family  were  both  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  of  which  he  was  an 
elder;  the  mother  died  in  1872.  Mr.  Slear  was 
a  Democrat,  and  served  in  the  war  of  18 12. 

By  his  friend,  the  late  Gov.  Curtin,  our  sub- 
ject was  commissioned  brigadier-general  of  the 
State  Militia,  but  his  term  of  service  had  expired 
before  the  Civil  war  broke  out.  As  a  patriotic 
and  loyal  citizen,  he  had  a  strong  desire  to  en- 
list in  his  country's  service,  but  having  an  in- 
valid wife  and  son  at  home,  it  was  hard  to  de- 
cide which  course  to  pursue.  His  wife  was  will- 
ing for  him  to  make  the  sacrifice  for  his  coun- 
try's sake,  but  his  friends  in  the  Valley,  learning 
that  he  was  about  to  raise  a  company,  prevailed 
upon  him  to  remain  at  home  as  his  children  were 
all  young  and  needed  a  father's  care.  Desiring 
to  be  of  some  assistance,  however,  he  hired  a 
substitute  for  $800,  although  he  was  never 
drafted. 

In  connection  with  general  farming  Gen. 
Heckman  has  taken  considerable  interest  in  the 
raising  of  fine-bred  horses,  and  has  owned  some 
beautiful  animals.  He  is  president  and  a  stock- 
holder and  director  of  the  Sugar  Valley  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  first 
promoters,  and  in  1861,  in  connection  with 
Joseph  Snook  and  Philip  Woolford  (both  now 
deceased),  he  organized  the  company  and  ob- 
tained its  charter.  He  is  now  the  oldest  director, 
and  since  1875  has  served  as  president,  being 
continuously  re-elected  without  a  dissenting  vote. 
As  a  friend  he  has  but  few  equals,  and  he  has 
lost  over  $6,000  in  going  bail  and  security  for 
parties  whom  he  wished  to  assist.      His  political 


support  has  always  been  given  the  Democratic 
party;  religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church;  socially,  he  affiliates  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
at  Lock  Haven.  He  served  with  the  State  mili- 
tia, in  all,  some  fifteen  years,  commencing  as  a 
private  in  the  Ringgold  Artillery,  organized  at 
Loganton  about  1846,  and  was  made  a  general 
from  a  private  by  a  vote  of  the  company,  receiv- 
ing only  one  dissenting  vote.  No  better,  more 
patriotic  or  popular  citizen  can  be  found  in  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania,  and  he  justly  merits  the  high 
regard  in  which  he  is  uniformly  held. 


LEWIS  W.  DORNBLASER.  Among  the 
substantial  agriculturists  of  Nittany  Valley, 
"  the  garden  of  Clinton  county,"  is  the  subject 
of  this  biography,  whose  fine  farm  near  Clinton- 
dale  gives  evidence  of  scientific  management.  He 
is  a  member  of  a  well-known  family,  which  has 
been  identified  with  that  locality  for  many  years, 
and  the  high  standard  of  citizenship  established 
by  his  ancestors  is  maintained  by  him  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  private  and  public. 

Mr.  Dornblaser  was  born  June  15,  1848,  the 
third  son  and  child  of  John  and  Mary  M.  (Bar- 
tholomew) Dornblaser.  He  was  reared  at  the 
old  homestead  on  Fishing  creek,  in  Porter  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  and  in  his  youth  attended 
the  "Clinton  school,"  which  stood  upon  that 
farm.  His  first  teacher  was  Joseph  F.  Hays, 
and  among  the  others 'who  contributed  to  his 
education  were  Archibald  Attice,  Andrew  Keller 
and  T.  J.  Smull.  The  methods  of  instruction, 
like  the  school  apparatus,  were  somewhat  crude, 
and,  as  he  could  only  attend  during  four  or  five 
months  each  winter,  Mr.  Dornblaser  had  but 
limited  opportunities  for  advancement;  and  this 
realization  of  his  own  deprivations  has  made  him 
an  ardent  friend  of  better  schools  for  the  youth 
of  to-day.  He  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, and,  after  attaining  his  majority,  worked 
for  his  father  by  the  year.  On  December  31, 
1878,  he  was  married  in  Mackeyville  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet F.  Porter,  who  was  born  July  26,  1854,  a 
short  distance  southwest  of  that  town,  on  the  old 
homestead  of  her  parents,  James  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Reeseman)  Porter.  As  Mr.  Dornblaser's 
father  had  vacated  the  farm  on  Fishing  creek, 
the  young  couple  located  there,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  rented  the  place.  In  March,  1891, 
they  removed  to  the  present  homestead,  which 
Mr.  Dornblaser  purchased  in  December,  1890, 
from  Daniel  S.  Royer,  it  being  a  portion  of  the 
old  "Royer  estate."  It  contains  113  acres  of 
excellent  land,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best 


084 


(  0  VMEMORA  riVK  BJOGBAPEH  AL  RECORD. 


farms  of  its  si/e  in  th<  having  been  brought 

nt. 
Mr  and  Mrs.  Dornblaser  have  two  attrai 
daughters  M.  Elizabeth,  who  has  been  attend- 
ing school  in  I  n,  and  Anna  M. ,  both  at 
h<. me.  The  family  is  identified  with  the  St. 
Lutheran  Church  of  Nittany  Valley,  in 
which  Mr.  D             er  has  held  the  office  of  dea- 

elder  and  treasurer. 

ha\  !    the  latl  tion  for  many  years. 

All  phases  of  re  mand  his  hearty 

sympathy  and  aid,  and  he  is  a  faithful  teacher  in 

the  Sabbath-school.      In  fact,  hi  fails  to 

an)    movement    which    promises    to 

benefit  the  community,  and  his  influence  is  rec- 

!    as   an  nt    in    the  cause   of 

In  politii  '  inch  Democrat ; 

he  i  ml,  and  has  held 

the  offices  of  school  director  and  township  audi- 

Socially  hi  ted  with  the  Patrons 

Iry,  Nittany  G  No.  554,  at   La- 


JOHN  D<  >KM AN        i  ir  of  this 

\  condui  Ion- 

many  wh"  1 
nary  limit   of  m  md 

still  le  and   hearty.     The  sub  this 

a  well-known    resident    of    Clint 
Clint  nt  :n   January   21,  ]  825,  in 

ounty,  about  halt  a  mile  from  Hartleton, 
re  life  has  been  -pent  among  the  hills 
inia.      Much   hard   work   ' 
fallen  to  hi  nt   prosperity  being 

the  result  of  his  own  well-directed  efforts,  bul 

!th   and  is  now  enjoying  the 
frin! 

Mr     1 '  5  of   good   pioneer  stock; 

father,  1  n,  was  a  native  of  Union 

nty,  and   remained  there  throughout  his  life, 

following   th  iccessfully  in  his 

His    industry  brought   a 
but    he   never   accumulated 
much  property,  mily  to  sup- 

In  early  Whig,  and  later 

me  a  Republican,  while  in  religious  faith 
he  \-  ,  out  Lutheran.     I  le  died   at  the 

nd     his    wife,    Catherine 
Kemmer,  also  attained  an  advanced  age. 

tains  i>f   both    now   rest  in   the 

Laurelton,  Penn.      They  had  fourteen   children, 

whom  the  following  lived  to  maturity:   G 

dud  in  Kansas;  Lew  is,  .1  resident  1  1   Penn's 

Valley,  Centre  county;  Mary,  who  married  John 

died  in  Milroy,    Penn. ;    Sarah, 


now  Mrs.  Jonathan  Strayhorn,  of  Kansas;  John, 
our  subject;    Katy,  now  Mrs.  J.  Boop,  of  Union 

oty;  David,  a  resident  of  Hartley  township, 
Union  county;  Jacob,  who  met  a  soldier's  death 
while  serving  in  the  Civil  war;  Samuel,  who  re- 
sides in  Union  county;  and  Daniel,  a  resident 
ol  Walker  township,  Centre  county. 

John  Dorman's  educational  opportunities  were 
limited,  the  free-school  system  being  introduced 
too  late  to  do  him  much  good.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  when 
he  began  to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade  with 
Christian  Gann,  the  only  recompense  that  he  re- 
ceived during  his  apprenticeship  being  his  every- 
day clothes.  At  twenty-two  he  hired  out  to 
[ames  Hays,  a  farmer  on  Cedar  run,  in  Porter 
1  ip,  Clinton  county,  for  a  summer's  work, 
and  later,  acting  under  the  advice  of  Mr.  Hays, 
he  established  a  shoeshop  in  the  same  locality, 
the  enterprise  proving  successful  from  the  start. 
His  work  in  the  shop  was  relieved  in  the  harvest 
season  by  outdoor  labor  for  different  fanners, 
and  in  time  he  managed  by  close  economy  to  buy 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land  with  a  house,  in 
which  he  took  one  room  for  a  shop.  In  [848  he 
married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Best,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 3,  1825,  in  Northampton  county,  Penn., 
and  was  reared  in  Clinton  county,  her  parents, 
John  and  Leah  (Link'  Lest,  settling  there  during 
her  childhood.  Mr.  Dorman  had  but  little  cap- 
ital at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  and  he  resided 
at  his  first  humble  home  until  February  12.  1S67, 
when  he  took  possession  of  his  present  farm, 
which  was  improved  in   primitive  fashion  with  a 

house  and  barn.  Under  his  management  it 
has  taken  on  an  entirely  different  appearance,  all 
the  buildings  on  the  place  having  been  erected  by 
him.  In  his  business  dealings  he  has  shown 
much  shrewdness  and  caution,  his  success  coming 
from  a  gradual  accumulation  rather  than  from 
speculation;  he  ranks  among  the  substantial  men 
of  his  locality. 

On  November  12,  1892,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
sed  to  the  unseen  world,  her  remains  be- 
ing interred  in  Mt.  Bethel  cemetery.      She  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  her.    Of 
their  live  children,  the  eldest,  Samuel  F.,  resides 
at  Zion,  Penn.;  Mary  J.,  who  married  J.  Piper, 
died    in  Colorado  leasing  five  children;   Rebecca 
\  .  formerly  the  wife  of  George   Kaup,   died  in 
Walker  township,  Centre  county;  Milton  B.  and 
Leah  A.  are  at   home. 

Our  subject,  in  politics,  is  a  stanch  Republic- 
an, and  he  has  held  various  township  offices.     II- 
belongs  to  the  K  I  Church,  in  which  he  has 

1  and  elder,  and  his  sympathies 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


635 


are  always  readily  enlisted  in  any  religious  enter- 
prise. Socially,  the  family  is  prominent,  and  his 
home  is  a  center  of  hospitality  and  good  cheer. 


AMES  MURPHY,  merchant,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 28,  1842,  in  Ireland.  His  parents  were 
Daniel  and  Mary  (McMahon)  Murphy,  both 
of  unmixed  and  worthy  Irish  extraction.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  r854,  and  settled  with  his 
family  in  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  where  his  educa- 
tion was  acquired  under  T.  R.  Rogers,  and  though 
debarred  from  pushing  his  studies  in  the  thorough 
and  complete  manner  he  desired,  he  nevertheless 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  useful  and  practical 
education.  In  December,  1856,  he  entered  the 
general  mercantile  establishment  of  the  Wright 
Brothers,  of  Lock  Haven,  and  continued  to  act 
in  their  employ  until  1861.  At  that  date  the 
original  firm  was  succeeded  by  Simon  Scott  & 
Sons,  with  whom  he  remained  until  May,  1S65. 
A  branch  store  was  then  opened  at  Renovo,  and 
being  extended  an  interest  therein,  he  took  charge 
of  the  business  at  that  point,  under  the  name  of 
Wells,  Murphy  &  Co.,  it  being  the  leading  mer- 
cantile house  in  Renovo.  At  that  time  Renovo 
had  a  population  of  1,600.  Two  years  later  our 
subject  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Wells,  and 
from  1867  to  1877,  continued  the  business  under 
the  style  of  Murphy  &  Co.  He  then  bought  the 
interest  of  Messrs.  Scott  &  Sons,  and  has  since 
been  alone  in  the  business.  He  is  now  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  occupies  a  prom- 
inent position  in  commercial  circles.  He  has 
always  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  Renovo,  and  has  supported 
those  means  calculated  to  prove  of  public  good. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  Keefe  in  1864. 


TfENRY  ZIEGLER,  a  well-known  lumber- 
L  man  and  agriculturist  of  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county,  now  residing  at  Abdera,  seems  to 
have  discovered  the  long-sought  Fountain  of 
Youth,  as  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  is 
entering  upon  his  eighth  decade,  he  is  hale  and 
hearty,  and  gives  attention  to  business  with  his 
accustomed  success. 

Mr.  Ziegler  was  born  February  9,  1826,  in 
Potter  township.  Centre  county,  and  belongs 
to  a  family  which  has  been  identified  with  this 
section  for  many  years.  Peter  Ziegler,  our  sub- 
ject's grandfather,  came  from  Maryland  about 
1806  and  located  first  at  Millheim,  in  Penn's 
Valley,  but  in  1S07  removed  to  Earlytown, 
where  he  conducted   a   hotel   during  the  war  of 


1812.  In  181 7  he  engaged  in  agriculture,  rent- 
ing the  Swancy  farm  in  Marion  township,  Centre 
count)',  for  three  years,  and  a  farm  at  Fleming- 
ton,  now  (1898)  McDowell  farm,  where  he  died 
(1820)  two  weeks  after  taking  possession  of  a 
place  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Bressler.  His  remains 
were  interred  in  the  cemetery  on  the  hill  at  Lock 
Haven.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first 
wife  had  the  following  children:  Elizabeth,  who 
married  John  Keet,  and  died  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Penn. ;  Jacob,  who  was  for  some  time  a 
blacksmith  at  Potter's  Bank,  but  later  removed 
to  Venango  county,  Penn., where  he  died;  Peter, 
a  blacksmith  at  Centre  Hall,  now  deceased; 
George,  who  located  first  in  Venango  county, 
and  then  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  died;  and 
Michael,  who  is  mentioned  more  fully  farther  on. 
By  the  second  marriage  there  were  six  children: 
Catherine,  a  mute,  who  lived  to  adult  age,  but  is 
now  deceased;  John,  who  died  in  Marion  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  Susan,  deceased,  formerly 
the  wife  of  George  Hoy,  of  Centre  county;  Dan- 
iel, who  died  in  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county; 
Keziah,  who  married  John  Garwick,  and  died  in 
Marion  township,  Centre  county;  and  Julia,  who 
married  James  Hair,  and  died  in  Clinton  county. 
Michael  Ziegler,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  January  12,  1800,  in  Maryland,  but  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  this  State. 
He  was  married  (first)  in  Penn's  Valley,  near 
Centre  Hall,  to  Miss  Mary  Murray,  daughter  of 
Levi  Murray,  and  for  some  time  made  his  home 
upon  a  rented  farm  in  that  locality.  Afterward 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Brush  Valley,  above  Madi- 
sonburg,  which  he  cultivated  for  many  years.  In 
1854  he  retired  from  active  work,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  removed  to  Spring  Mills,  but  his 
last  days-were  passed  in  Aaronsburg,  his  death 
occurring  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  He 
was  buried  in  a  cemetery  on  the  pike  below 
Spring  Mills,  in  Penn  township,  Centre  county. 
Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  for 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
He  was  a  large  man,  a  hard  worker,  and  excel- 
lent manager,  and  although  he  began  as  a  young 
man  at  forty-five  cents  a  day  with  a  grubbing  hoe, 
he  left  an  estate  valued  at  $60,000.  During 
their  residence  at  Spring  Mills  his  wife  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  and  he  afterward 
married  a  Mrs.  Thomas  Weaver  (a  widow),  of 
Aaronsburg,  whose  maiden  name  was  Moyer. 
Michael  Ziegler  had  seven  children,  all  by  his 
first  marriage:  Levi  died  in  infancy;  Elizabeth 
married  David  Krape,  and  died  in  Haines  town- 
ship, Centre  county;  Henry,  our  subject,  is  men- 
tioned farther  on;"  William  settled  in  Virginia; 
Peter   went    to    Indiana;  John    died    in    Centre 


■     VOBATl)  RAPSJCAL  RECORD. 


inty;    and    Mary,    who    married    [saai     Train, 

1  in  Marion  township,  Centre  county. 

Il.nf.  .  nainly  in 

Miles    township,    (  unty.    where  he  at- 

ded  a  schi  m  '1  "I  the  >  >ld-fashioned  quill 

being  the  only  kind  used  in  the  writing 

he  showed  decided  me- 
chanical genius,  working  readily  at  carpentering 

i  wagon-making,  l>ut  he  was  nol 
to  any   trade.      He    remained   at    home  until  lie 
twent)  -thi'  :.  the   last  tw 

in  grubbing,  at  which  he  managed  to 
a  little  i  In  1851    he  took  ch 

the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  his  father  hav- 
purchased    it    tin-    5  For   tl 

bis  brother  William,  but  later  our  subi 
conduct'  'I  the  place  alone,  and   he  continued   to 
iduct  the  farm  until    [882,  when  1 

■  nt  hi  ime  m  Ab  j  1  hat  time  he 

the  lumber  busi- 
ginning  by  building  a  sawmill  in  [88]  on 
the  farm,  but  alter  operating  it  I 

the   mountains  1 
for  threi 
In  1886  he  I  a  mill  in  Sugar  Valley, 

ing  a  l.i-  I  mill 

ind  his  work  is  carried   on  chiefly  in 
the  wintei  !        He  1  ■  ■■.  ns  ]        icres  ol   farm- 

ing   land,  and    200   acres    of    mountain   land;    li is 

in  abundant 
il  world]} 
At  the  ag<    of  f       .  was 

married  to  Miss  Mar)  A.  Anderson,  who  was  born 
in  1830  in  Lebanon  county.  Penn.,  the  daughter 
n.      Five    children    have   ble 
»  th    J.,    now    Mrs.     William 
D<  \-iu-s.    Mrs.    S.    Hoy,   ol    Marion 

township,   Centre  county;  Mich.'  ,  t  of 

the  -an      township;  J  er  in    Pi 

township,   Clinton   county;   and   Franklin   P 

mi.     The   famil) 
with   th(      1  h.  in    which 

Mr.  Z'u  nve 

1.  havui-  ,jn- 

lent  of  th.'  Sund  I       •  ically  hi 

with   tin-   1 1 
his  own  thinking,  an  pendently  when- 

:  '  ellent  mem- 

Mr    Zieglerto  recall  with  distinct: 
the    events    ol     ln>    long 

with   him   proves    both  interesting  and  in- 
tive. 


Jl.NKV   II     VAN   DYKE    di  It  is 

ii  important  duty  to  honor  and  perpel 
ls  possible,  the  memory  of  an  eminent  cit- 


•.  ho  by   his  blameless  and   honorable 
life  ished  career  reflected  credit  upon 

the  entire  community.      Mr.  Van    Dyke  was  for 
main-  years  prominently  identified  with  the  busi- 
Lock  Haven,  and  was  also  num- 
:     leading  and  most  influential  cit- 
izens. 

A  nativi  insylvania,  he   was  born 

23,  1832,  111  Lycoming  county,  and  re- 
mained upon  his  father's  farm  until  seventeen 
rs  of  age,  when  he  embarked  in  the  tanning 
business,  which  he  successfully  followed  for  three 
year-  He  then  went  to  western  New  York, 
where  In  assisted  in  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
road from  Youngstown  to  Niagai  1  1  ills,  and 
:  in  the  construction  of  another  road  from  the 
latti  to   Lewiston,  after  which  he  spent 

in  clerking  in  Canada.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  was  called  home  to  assist  in  the  di- 
vision of  his  father's  farm,  on  which  he  remained 
ir,  and  then  sold  his  land  and  came  to 
Lock  Haven,  where  as  a  contractor  he  built  a 
portion  of  the  Philadelphia  ec  Erie  railroad.  On 
ompletion  hi  1  in  lumb  'ii  Beech 

creek  for  a  year,  and  then  in  connection  with  his 
her.  L.  J.  Van  Dyke,  he  took  a  contract  to 
complete  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley  railroad,   which 
ipied  three  years.      They  then  built  a  section 
of  the   Snow  Shoe  road,   and  were  subsequently 
ployed  in  the  construction  of  the  Lewisburg  & 
Spruce*  n  ek  railroad,  taking  and  completing  seven 
rent  contracts.      Mr.  Van  Dyke  then  opened 
a  hardware  store   at   Lock  Haven,  which  he  sue- 
fully  conducted  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
■  ted  considerable  time  and  attention 
e  transactions,  and  was  the  owner  of 
some  ol  the   finest    farms   in   Clinton   county,  as 
well  as  much  valuable  city  property  in  Lock  Ha- 
ven.     He    was    an   upright,    honorable   business 
man  of    undoubted   integrity  and   sterling   worth, 
trouble  in  winning  the  confidence  and 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 
in  either  business  or_social  life. 

On   Januan    1;.    [863,    Mr.    Van    Dyke  was 
Hannah  M.,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander an  .t  1m  Mi  1  lowell  1  McCoy,  of  Cen- 
ounty,  Penn.,  where  the  father  successfully 
in  fanning  throughout  life.      Mrs.  Van- 
Dyke  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  their  fam- 
ily.     SI  pted  daughter,  who    is   now 
Etsweiler,    of    Philadelphia. 
I                        ht         rs  she  has   been  a  sincere  and 
faithful  member  of  tl  \  terian  Church,  and 
1  by  all  who  know  her. 
Henr)   II.  Van   Dyke  was  called  to  his  final 
February  14,    [895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years,    and  widely  and   deeply 


HHU 


Ct^^_ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


637 


mourned,  for  his  friends  were  many.  He  was  an 
honored  and  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  as  a  Republican  took  active  and 
leading  part  in  political  affairs,  being  called  upon 
to  serve  as  councilman,  school  director  and  in 
other  local  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  was 
serving  as  president  of  the  Lock  Haven  Business 
Men's  Club  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  everything  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  public  welfare.  It  is  but  just  and 
merited  praise  to  say  of  him  that  as  a  business 
man  he  ranked  among  the  ablest;  as  a  citizen  he 
was  honorable,  prompt  and  true  to  every  en- 
gagement; and  as  a  man  he  held  the  honor  and 
esteem  of  all  classes  of  people.  He  was  char- 
itable and  benevolent,  a  friend  to  the  poor  and 
needy.  Truly  such  a  life  is  worth  having  been 
lived,  and  such  lives  deserve  permanent  record 
on  the  pages  of  their  country's  history,  that  oth- 
ers, seeing  their  good  works,  may  follow  in  their 
footsteps. 


NDREW  COCHRAN  McKINNEY 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  a  prominent 
family  of  Scotch-Irish  origin,  who  at  one  time 
spelled  the  name  McKinnie.  His  great-grandfa- 
ther (First  generation),  Henry  McKinney,  is 
thought  to  have  been  born  in  Scotland.  In  1720 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  took  up  his  residence 
on  the  banks  of  the  Swatara  river,  in  Derry 
township,  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  spent  his  remaining  days.  He 
was  married  in  that  community,  and  became  the 
father  of  several  children,  among  whom  were 
(Second  generation):  Henry;  James;  John  and 
Mathew.  Henry,  James  and  Mathew  became 
residents  of  Mercer  county,  Penn.  The  parents 
of  these  children  are  both  supposed  to  have  been 
buried  in  the  old  historic  graveyard,  near  the 
Derry  church,  of  Dauphin  county,  of  which  they 
were  consistent  members. 

II.  John  McKinney,  our  subject's  grandfa- 
ther, was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Swatara 
river,  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  and  spent  his 
early  life  in  that  county,  where  he  married  Jane 
Laird,  whose  sister  wedded  James  Harris,  a  rel- 
ative of  John  Harris,  the  founder  of  Harrisburg, 
Penn.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinney  were  born 
sixteen  children,  but  eleven  of  the  number  died 
and  were  buried  at  the  Derry  church,  in  Dau- 
phin county.  The  others  were  as  follows:  (Third 
generation)  John,  also  an  elder  in  the  Warrior 
Run  Church,  where  he  was  laid  to  rest,  married 
Nancy  Wallace,  and  died  in  Turbut  township, 
Northumberland  Co.,  Penn.;  (Third  generation) 
James  Harris,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Cathar- 


ine, wife  of  John  Imes,  of  Dunstable  township, 
Clinton  county;  Matthew,  who  died  in  Watson 
township,  Lycoming  county;  and  William,  who 
was  killed  by  a  falling  tree  in  Turbut  township, 
Northumberland  county.  In  1795  the  grandfa- 
ther with  his  wife  and  the  above  named  five  chil- 
dren left  their  old  home  in  Dauphin  county,  and 
by  team  removed  to  Turbut  township,  Northum- 
berland county,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
land,  and  converted  the  same  into  a  good  farm, 
making  it  his  home  until  his  death.  His  remains 
were  interred  at  Warrior  Run,  that  township. 
He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  was  for  many  years  an  elder  in  the 
Derry  Church  (as  was  also  his  father  Henry  be- 
fore him),  which  was  known  as  the  fighting 
Church,  as  it  was  necessary  for  the  members  to 
carry  their  guns  when  attending  service  for  fear 
of  an  Indian  attack.  Gov.  John  Penn,  then  gov- 
ernor of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a 
member  of  the  same  congregation.  Mr.  McKin- 
ney was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and 
honor,  was  widely  and  favorably  known,  and 
with  several  others  founded  the  New  Derry 
Church,  and,  later,  the  Church  at  Warrior  Run, 
Northumberland  county.  His  widow,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-four,  died  at  the  home  of  her  son 
Mathew,  in  Watson  township,  Lycoming  county, 
about  the  year  1840,  and  was  laid  beside  her  hus- 
band at  Warrior  Run. 

III.  James  Harris  McKinney,  was  also  born 
on  the  banks  of  the  Swatara  river,  in  Dauphin 
county,  June  11,  1793,  and  at  the  age  of  two 
years  moved  with  his  parents  to  Turbut  township, 
Northumberland  county.  Although  his  school 
privileges  were  meager,  he  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunities,  became  quite  well-read,  and  was 
a  good  Bible  student.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  under  Captain 
Gaston,  for  the  war  of  18 12,  and  was  on  duty  at 
Black  Rock,  N.  Y.,  with  the  old  Warrior  Run 
Rifle  Company.  He  faithfully  served  his  coun- 
try, and  was  later  rewarded  by  a  small  pension 
from  the  government.  After  his  marriage,  on 
January  1,  18 18,  he  engaged  in  farming  for  sev- 
eral years,  near  Turbutville,  but  in  1830  came 
to  Nittany  Valley,  Clinton  county,  purchasing  a 
farm,  now  the  property  of  Mrs.  Nathan  Mowery, 
on  which  he  spent  seven  years.  On  selling  out 
he  came  to  Pine  Creek  township,  and  bought  the 
Myers  farm,  two  miles  from  Jersey  Shore,  and 
ten  miles  from  Lock  Haven.  This  comprised 
200  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  upon  it  he  erect- 
ed an  elegant  brick  residence,  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  township.  Besides  burning  his  own  brick, 
he  burned  enough  for  four  other  residences,  owned 
by  different   parties,  in   the   same  locality.      He 


CO  HUE  MORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


built  a  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  and  made  it 

one  >>f  the  most  desirable  and  attractive  farms  in 

locality.      He  took   great   prid<   in   bis  sfc 

I  owned   some   fine  horses,  but   would  rather 

k  ten  miles  than  care  for  a  hi  irse  to  carry  him. 

Several  times,  while  living  in  Nittany  Valley,  he 

Northumberland  county, 
xty  miles  :  ly  going  and  one  return- 

Particularly   fond  ol  his   home,  he  was  a 
kind    and    affectionate    husband    and    induhj 

ivided  his  children  with  excellent 
school  advantages  Originally  he  was  a  Whig 
in   politics,  and   lat<  dent    Repub- 

n.  while  in  religious  belief   he  was  a    Presby- 
i!       1  Ij  all  who  knew  him  he  w  as  held  in  the 
ln_  pei  t   and   esteem,   and   his  circli 

friends  and  acquaintam  tensive. 

He  was  called    upon  to  serve  in  all  of   the  town- 
ship "ft  faithful  i 
trusl              din  him.  whether  public  or  private. 
111.     ( >n  |anuary  i.  1818,  in  Northumberland 
inty,  James  Harris  McKinney  wa  d  to 
Mi>s   Ruth    I..     I              n     lur   mother's  maiden 
me  was   Esther  Grayham,    of  Carlisle,  Cum- 
berland county),  who  was  born    in  that  county, 
April   11,    1799,  daughtei   oi   Andrew   Ferguson, 
who   was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and   a  farmer; 
manuf                  I    flour   and  woolen    t:oods 
his    mills   on    Chatham    run.      Nine    children 
reborn   to  tins  union,   namely:   (Fourth  gen- 
eration) John    (deceased  .   i               ..    decea 

rt  M.  Ru  I   Dewart,  North- 

umberland count}  ;  and  their  children  are  -Ed- 
mund, 1  and   Mi  1  Vim  5 ,  who  died 
in  the  twenty-sixth  year  ol   I  Andrew  1 
of  tins  review;  William  L.,  who  died  at  the 
of  twenty-t\       I                    ed  in  Nittany  Valley; 
I  '        !    I                           Mollj .    1-   the    only   child  of 
W.    I  i'    0,    il  Baltimore,  Maryland),  wh 
physician  an              in  of  the  87th  Pennsylvania 
nt  during  the  ■.  •   at   K  bi  lli<  n,  -   iw  a  res- 
ident ol  I  1                  ity,  Md. ;  J.  Han  iate 
judge  of    Clinton  county,    is    also    an  elder    in  the 

al    |ersi  j    Sh 
tin-  four  generations  is  repri  sented  by  an  elder  in 
the  (  bun  h  of  1  hi  ii  ind  Priscilla,  widow 

"I   '  rth- 

umberland  county,  who,,-  children  are — Jan 
William  and  Jem 

I  ourth  generation):     Andrew  C.  McKinney, 
whose  name  inti  horn  in 

Turbut  tow  nship,  Northumb  iuntj .  1 

\    9,    1824,    and    was    five    years    old    when 
ight  bj  In-  i  :  tow  nship,  Clin- 

ton   thi  mnty.      \\  hen   tweh 

'pained  his  parents  on  then 
moval   to    Pine    Creek    township,    where 


tended   pay  school   taught  by  Esquire  Walters, 
and    also    a   night-school    taught    by   Nchemiah 

3,  and  gresv  to  manhood  upon  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  brother,  Judge  McKinney.  He 
assisted  in  the  operation  of  the  place  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  began  learn- 
ing the  tanner's  trade  with  his  old  school  teacher. 
Squire  Walters,  remaining  with  him  for  three 
In  1850,  in  Burnside  township,  Clear- 
field county,  he  built  and  operated  a  small  tan- 
n. tv  for  three  years,  but  desiring  to  engage  in 
the  manufacturing  business  on  a  more  extensive 
scale,  he  went  to  Lock  Haven,  where  in  part- 
nership with  a  Mr.  Hiram  Gray,  in  1856.  he 
erected  a  flouring-mill  and  bread,  cracker  and 
candy  factory,  and  later  started  the  first  planing- 
mill  and  door,  sash  and  blind  factory  in  the 
county,  admitting  to  a  one-third    partnership,  in 

1.  in  the  operation  of  the  flouring-mill  and 
planing-mill,  his  wife's  half-brother,  Hon.  Allison 
White,  and  a  Mr.  H.  Hippie,  a  one-fourth  in 
the  planing-mill.  This  partnership  was  only 
fairly  started  (fifteen  days),  when  in  1861  both 
the  mills  and  the  factory  were  destroyed  by 
tire  at  a  loss  of  over  $30,000  to  our  subject, 
nearly  the  entire  loss  falling  on  him. 

Although  all  was  lost  except  his  debts  and 
reputation  or  credit,  Mr.  McKinney  was  not  dis- 

raged,  but  with  indomitable  energy  began  life 
anew,  building  a  bread  and  cracker  bakery  and 
buying  out  the  interest  of  Mr.  Gray.  He  con- 
ducted the  business  with  good  success  until  l8< 
but  in  the  meantime  had  settled  or  assumed  the 
debts  of  the  firm  of  Gray  <S:  McKinney,  and  as- 
sisted his  late  partner  to  embark  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  as  he  failed  after  a  few  years  in 
business,  he  lost  a  large  amount.  In  1863  Mr. 
McKinney  purchased  a  tract  of  1,100  acres  of 
timber  land  in  Keating  township,  Clinton  county, 
and  was  for  years  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, cutting  square  timber  and  in  rafts  running 
it  to  Marietta  and  other  markets  down  the  Sus- 
quehanna; but  in  the  great  rlood  of  1865  he  lost 
about  $9,000  worth  of  timber.  With  character- 
istic energy,  however,  he  continued  operations, 
cutting    his    timber  until    [873,  when   he  built   a 

brick  block,   125  feet  front  by  60  feet  de. 
known  as   the  McKinney   block,  a  part  of   which 
was  a   market.      This  was  erected  at  a 

of  $20,000,  but  in  this  enterprise  he  was  op- 
1  by  members  of  the  city  council  who  were 
stockholders  in  another  market,  and  passed  ordi- 
nani  ■    his   building,    and   the 

block  was  finally  sold  at  a  great  sacrifice. 

In    1879    Mr.    McKinney    and    his    family  re- 

to   Chatham    Kun,  Pine  Creek  township, 

where  he   took  charge  of  the  grist  and  saw  mills 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


639 


formerly  owned  by  George  Crawford,  his  father- 
in-law  (originally  built  and  owned  by  his  grand- 
father, Andrew  Ferguson),  and  has  there  con- 
tinued to  engage  in  the  milling  business  up  to 
the  present  time,  having  fitted  out  the  plant  with 
new  machinery,  rollers,  etc.  Both  mills  are  run 
by  water-power.  During  the  flood  of  1889  the 
sawmill  was  torn  from  its  foundation  and  de- 
stroyed. The  damage  to  mills,  crops  on  hand 
and  growing,  and  house  and  barn,  which  were 
carried  away,  could  not  well  be  estimated.  In 
connection  with  his  milling  interests,  Mr.  McKin- 
ney  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  forty-five  acres 
cleared  and  100  in  heavy  timber,  on  which  he  is 
engaged  in  raising  wheat  and  tobacco.  His  has 
been  a  remarkable  career  (five  times  while  living 
in  Lock  Haven  he  was  roused  in  the  night  to  find 
his  property  on  fire),  full  of  adversity  as  well  as 
prosperity,  but  he  has  steadily  overcome  all  ob- 
stacles in  his  path,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  persevering,  progressive  and  reliable 
business  men  of  Pine  Creek  township.  His  hon- 
esty and  integrity  are  above  question,  and  he 
commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who 
know  him.  He  was  at  one  time  a  member  of 
both  the  Odd  Fellows  Society  and  the  Masonic 
Order,  but  at  present  is  connected  with  no  secret 
organization.  He  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  until  the  election  of 
1896,  when  he  and  his  four  sons  supported  the 
Democratic  ticket,  believing  that  the  free  coin- 
age of  silver  would  be  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  wealth-producing  people. 

On  the  old  Crawford  homestead  in  Pine 
Creek  township,  where  they  are  now  residing,  on 
December  9, 1856,  was  consummated  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  McKinney  and  Miss  Elizabeth  White 
Crawford.  She  was  born  in  that  township,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1833,  a  daughter  of  George  Crawford. 
Seven  children  blessed  this  union,  as  follows: 
(1)  (Fifth  generation)  Virginia  Ruth,  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1858,  died  March  17,  1859.  (2)  Eliza- 
beth C,  born  February  4,  i860,  is  the  wife  of 
Millard  F.  Kissel,  of  Dunnstown,  Woodward 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  has  three  children 
— (Sixth  generation)  J.  Harris,  Clarence  and 
Charles.  (3)  James  Harris,  born  October  7, 
1861,  died  September  1,  1863.  (4)  George  C. , 
born  March  25,  1865,  was  educated  in  the  Lock 
Haven  High  School,  and  is  a  miller  by  occupa- 
tion, operating  the  Chatham  Run  Mill.  He  mar- 
ried Cora  Betts,  only  daughter  of  William  and 
Matilda  (Candy)  Betts.  (5)  John  G.,  born  Au- 
gust 2,  1867,  also  attended  the  Lock  Haven  High 
School,  and  later  pursued  a  course  in  the  East- 
man Business  College  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y., 
where  he  graduated  in  1S88.      He  is  now  a  book- 


keeper or  transfer  clerk  at  Grand  Junction,  Colo. , 
for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad  Co.  He 
married  Florence  Robinson,  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  and  has  one  daughter — Ruth  V.  (6) 
Mary  (Mamie),  born  November  26,  1869,  was 
educated  in  the  schools  at  Chatham  Run,  and  is 
with  her  parents.  (7)  Robert  R. ,  born  Septem- 
ber 15,  1872,  in  Lock  Haven,  pursued  his  studies 
at  Chatham  Run,  and  is  now  with  his  parents  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  in  operating  their  sawmill. 
(8)  William,  born  February  1,  1875,  was  edu- 
cated at  Chatham  Run,  and  is  still  with  his  par- 
ents. 

The  Crawford  family,  to  which  Mrs.  McKin- 
ney belongs,  is  also  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Her 
great-grandfather,  James  Crawford,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  this  country  settled  in 
what  was  then  Wayne  township,  Northumber- 
land Co.,  Penn.,  but  is  now  a  part  of  Clinton 
county.  There  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
shoemaking,  and  spent  his  remaining  days.  In 
his  family  were  several  children,  including  Robert 
Crawford,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  McKinney.  He 
became  a  resident  of  Pine  Creek  township,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  tanning  business  throughout 
his  active  business  life.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Cjuiggle,  of  Wayne  township,  who  was  also  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  six  children:  James  A.;  Ann,  wife  of 
Levi  Packer;  Fanny,  wife  of  Robert  Shaw,  and 
mother  of  Squire  Shaw,  of  Pine  Creek  township; 
Nancy,  wife  of  Hugh  White;  Eliza,  wife  of 
Thomas  Condon;  and  George,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
McKinney.  The  parents  of  these  children  both 
died  in  Pine  Creek  township,  and  their  remains 
were  interred  at  Jersey  Shore.  Both  were  earnest 
and  consistent  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  the  fatherwas  a  stalwart  Democrat  in 
politics. 

George  Crawford,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  citizens  of  Clinton  county,  was 
born  November  7,  1794,  in  Wayne  township, 
attended  the  common  schools  to  a  limited  extent, 
but  was  almost  wholly  self-educated.  His  early 
life  was  spent  as  a  boatsman  (a  book  of  original 
entries,  in  possession  of  A.  C.  McKinney,  shows 
he  kept  a  country  store  as  early  as  October  10, 
181  5,  carried  on  his  commerce  by  river  boats)  on 
the  river,  plying  between  Jersey  Shore  and 
Columbia  and  Marietta,  carrying  lumber  and 
grain  to  market  and  returning  with  goods  for  this 
region.  In  1834  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Pennsylvania  canal  on  the  West  branch  division 
of  the  Susquehanna.  He  then  lived  and  kept 
store  in  Pine  Creek  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  130  acres,  on  which  George 
Crist  now  resides.    There  he  erected  a  fine  brick 


640 


I  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dence   and   made   man)  im- 

.  but  in  1848  removed  to  the  Chatham 

Run  mills,  which    hi  d    until  1874,  when 

he!  all  business  cares.      His  fellow  citi- 

wi  rth  and  ability  chose  him 
I    gislature 
in    [831,   1832   and  1833,  and   he   filled   that 
spoi  1  n  with  1  himself  and   to 

the  ral  public.     B)   the 

i  he  was  ap]  judge  under 

tin  titul  i   his  colleag 

Hi  n.  Thomas  Burnside  and  II  in.  John  Fleming. 
II.    .■    -  later  elected  t,>  i  I         term 

5,  and  was  then  associated  with  Hon. 
W.  Woodward  and  Hon.  John   Fleming. 
He  the  Clinton   County 

until  1 843,  and   most  faith- 
fully performed  all  duties  which  devolved  upon 
him,  whether  public  or  private.    1 1     w  is  isti 
I  '.  nd    was    an    ai  ti\  1     and 

iit  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  which  he  sen 

On  J. ulnars  2,  Mr.  (  rawford  was  mar- 

I,   b>    Rev.    J.    II     Grier,   to  Mr-.    Elizabeth 
White,   widow    of   James    White,   who    was    b 
Decembei  n    the  White   Island,  and 

died  at  the  old  homestead  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, M  The  children  born  to 
-  worthy  couple  are  as  follows:  1  Char- 
lotte W  .  born  December  4,  1822,  married  N. 
W  F  Lock  Haven,  ami  died  in 
14;   i:i  Robert  A  .  bom   May   1;,  1^25,  died 

rn  July    27, 
I    at    the    |.  fferson  Colli 
l'eim.,  whi  'k  the  d 

I'e  A. .  and  was  I  tnty 

■■  .;    until  [852.      Subsequently 

f  the  Kan        f  armer  and  Daily 
tt.  Kans.,  and  died  at  Grand 
Jui  He   was  the   foum 

of   1  tt.   Kan-  Junction,  Col,,. 

William    II..  bin  January   10,   1  ikes 

- :'  ■         Lycomi  nn. ; 

John  \\  March  11,   is    a 

hatham  Run,  Penn. .  and  has  a 
m   1  rrand   Jun<  tion,  i      ■  ibeth,   born 

Februarj  our 

sub;  Mary  J  rn  June  14,  the 

widow     t   1  harli      B    Rich,   ol   Wo,, Inch.   Penn. 
She  and    h>  1   si  n.   C.  B.,  lughter,   M 

Josephine,  now  '  [unction,  Colo- 


AUG1  STf  S    N.    .sTI.\  1  \>i«N    is  .,   prom- 
inent   hardware   merchant   at  't   the 
ling  business  men  ,,f  Renovo.      It  is  not  diffi- 
cult                     ■  ire   what   manner  of   man    is  Mr. 


11.  In  a  republican  country  where 
merit  must  win.  we  can  tell  much  of  his  life. 
Wealth  may  secure  a  start  but  it  cannot  main- 
in  1  position  where  brains  and  executive 
ability  are  required.  He  did  not  have  wealth  to 
aid  him  in  beginning  his  business  career.  His 
reliance  has  been  placed  in  the  more  substantial 
qualities  of  perseverance,  untiring  enterprise,  res- 
olute purpose  and  commendable  zeal,  and  withal 
his  actions  have  been  guided  by  an  honesty  of 
purpose  that  none  have  questioned. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Jersey  Shore,  Ly- 
ing county,  Penn.,  June  14,  1S40,  the  eldest 
son  of  Joseph  S.  and  Margaret  Stevenson,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  earliest  pioneer  families  of  that 
itv.  The  father  was  quite  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  agricultural  and  business  interests 
of  the  Wesl  Branch  Valley.  The  son  was  pro- 
vided with  a  liberal  education,  attending  both 
the  public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  city. 
At  an  early  age  he  entered  his  father's  mercantile 
iblishment,  where  he  remained  for  several 
years  gaining  a  general  knowledge  of  the  business, 
and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1S62  he  was 
appointed  baggage  master  on  the  old  Catawissa 
railroad,  his  run  being  between  Williamsport  and 
Tamaqua.  During  this  period  the  Civil  war  was 
raging,  and  he,  like  many  loyal  spirits,  resigned 
his  position  to  enter  the  Union  army,  becoming 
a  in  fohn   E.  Wynkoop's  Cavalry 

R(  giment,  which  was  assigned  to  duty  along  the 
1',  iti  imac  1  e. 

After    serving    his    term    of    enlistment,    Mr. 

enson  was  honorably  discharged  and  entered 

a    hardware    store    at    Milton,    Penn.,    where    he 

served    as   salesman   for  nearly   two  years   and 

I  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  busin 
In  the  spring  ,,1    [868  the  construction  of  the  low 

de  division  ol  tin-  Allegheny  Valley  railn 
between    Driftwood    and     Red     Bank    was    com- 
menced,   and    Col.    G.  A.  Worth,  of   Elmira,  X. 
Y.,  became  contractor  for  the  building  of  section 
Mix    Run,  Cameron    Co.,  Penn.,  where   he 
established  his  headquarters.      He  gave  employ- 
ment to  several  hundred  men  and  employed  Mr. 
\  master  and   bookkeeper,  which 
position  he  acceptably   filled   from    March,    \l 
to  November,   1869,  when  the  section   was  coin- 
In  Janu  ,.  Mr.  Stevenson  was  married 
Miss   Margaret   Campbell,  of   Milton,  Penn., 
3  born  one  child,  Margaret,  July 
4.   1S70,  who   died   in   ( I,  1S71.      The   fol- 
lowing year  the    lather  became  general  manager 
Martin  &  Worth's   large  supply  store  in  La\v- 
sonham,  Clarion  county,  which  did  a  business  of 
than   $100,000   annually,    under  the   able 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


641 


supervision  of  our  subject.  Before  the  term  of 
his  contract  had  expired  at  that  place,  there  had 
been  established  another  supply  store  at  Penfield, 
where  the  railroad  made  its  headquarters,  and 
Mr.  Stevenson  was  transferred  to  that  point, 
where  he  remained  until  the  road  was  nearly 
completed.  In  May,  1873,  he  came  to  Renovo 
and  leased  a  small  store  building,  where  he  em- 
barked in  the  hardware  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count. At  that  time  the  stores  of  the  place  were 
all  general  mercantile  establishments,  but  from 
the  beginning  he  prospered  in  his  new  undertak- 
ing, and  it  soon  became  necessary  to  seek  larger 
quarters.  In  November,  1874,  he  leased  a  new 
store  building,  24  x  50  feet,  on  Erie  avenue  below 
.Sixth  street,  which  he  completely  stocked  with 
a  general  line  of  hardware,  cutlery,  paints,  oils, 
glass,  etc.,  and  three  years  later  purchased  the 
property.  In  the  spring  of  18S8  he  built  a  fine 
two-story  brick  addition,  making  the  building 
24  x  90  feet.  He  now  has  one  of  the  finest  and  best- 
arranged  hardware  stores  between  Harrisburg 
and  Erie,  and  by  fair  and  honorable  dealing  has 
built  up  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  trade. 
Since  becoming  a  resident 'of  Renovo  Mr. 
Stevenson  has  taken  quite  an  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  public  affairs,  and  has  been  elected 
to  the  city  council,  of  which  body  he  was  chosen 
president  for  the  last  year  of  his  term.  He  is  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  local  Republican  organi- 
zation, and  in  1896  was  prominently  spoken  of 
for  associate  judge  of  Clinton  county.  He  is 
now  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee 
from  Clinton  county.  He  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  with  which  he  has 
been  connected  since  residing  in  Penfield  in  1873, 
when  he  joined  Clearfield  Lodge  No.  314,  F.  & 
A.  M.  In  1S82  he  became  a  member  of  Renovo 
Lodge  No.  495,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  the  following  year 
he  became  connected  with  La  Fayette  Chapter 
No.  163,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Hospitaller  Commandery 
No.  4C,  R.  T.,  of  Lock  Haven;  in  1S84  he  was 
made  a  member  of  Philadelphia  Consistory,  S. 
P.  R.  S. ;  and  three  years  later  became  identified 
with  Lu  Lu  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  K.  M.  S.  He  is 
also  a  charter  member  of  Bucktail  Post  No.  142, 
G.  A.  R.,  which  was  organized  at  Renovo,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1879,  and  for  the  first  five  years  he 
served  as  quartermaster.  He  also  took  an  active 
interest  in  bringing  into  the  organization  many 
of  the  old  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  Steven- 
son has  made  good  use  of  his  opportunities, 
and  has  prospered  in  his  business  undertakings. 
Courteous,  genial,  well-informed,  alert  and  en- 
terprising, he  stands  to-day  one  of  the  leading 
representative  men  of  Clinton  county — a  man 
who  is  a  power  in  his  community. 

41* 


JAMES  W.  BRIDGENS,  who  has  now  been 
actively  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in 
Lock  Haven  for  more  than  thirty-five  years,  is 
one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of  that  progress- 
ive and  wide-awake  community,  his  influence 
being  given  to  the  support  of  every  movement 
that  seems  calculated  to  advance  the  interests  of 
the  locality. 

Mr.  Bridgens  was  born  September  28,  1838, 
at  North  Bend,  Clinton  county,  the  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Lois  (Summerson)  Bridgens,  who  both 
were  natives  of  that  county.  His  father  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering  as  a  business, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  political  affairs,  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  first  commissioners  of  Clin- 
ton county.  His  death  occurred  in  1882,  and 
our  subject's  mother  passed  away  in  1893.  This 
worthy  couple  had  seven  children:  John  B.  (de- 
ceased), Nancy  E.  (Mrs.  John  Cjuiggle),  Malissa 
M.  (Mrs.  D.  M.  May),  Sarah  A.  (Mrs.  G.  G. 
Reese),  Thomas  J.,  Robert  R. ,  and  James  W. 
(our  subject.)  Reared  as  a  farmer  boy,  James 
W.  Bridgens  had  only  the  educational  advantages 
afforded  by  the  local  schools,  where  the  terms 
were  short,  and  the  methods  of  teaching  much 
inferior  to  those  of  to-day.  At  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-four he  left  home  and  settled  at  Lock  Haven, 
engaging  in  the  dry-goods  and  grocery  business, 
which  he  has  continued  successfully  ever  since. 
He  is  now  the  oldest  merchant  in  his  line  in  the 
city,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  his  son,  James  F. 
Bridgens,  has  been  associated  with  him  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  W.  Bridgens  &  Son,  and 
they  rank  among  the  solid  business  men  of  the 
county. 

In  1867,  our  subject  was 'married  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Fearon,  daughter  of  James  Fearon,  a 
well-known  resident  of  Clinton  county.  Four 
children  have  blessed  this  union:  James  F., 
Edward  W.,  Carrie  M.  and  Elizabeth  L.  The 
family  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  Mrs.  Bridgens,  the  eldest  daughter,  and 
the  youngest  son  are  active  members. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bridgens  is  a  Democrat,  and 
has  always  been  a  firm  opponent  of  monopolies. 
While  he  does  not  aspire  to  official  honors  of  any- 
kind,  he  has  done  good  service  to  the  cause  of 
education  as  a  trustee  of  the  Central  State  Nor- 
mal School,  and  as  a  director  of  the  local  schools, 
having  held  the  latter  position  for  more  than 
twelve  years. 


JACOB  BECHTEL.     No  man  in  Clinton  coun- 
ty is  probably  more  worthy  of  representation 
in  a  work  of  this  kind  than  the   gentleman 
whose  name  opens  this  sketch.      For  over  half  a 


64: 


-  OMMEMORATn  GRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


;ury  he  !  i  identified   w  ult- 

ur.il  interesl »,  makii  upon  his 

farm  in   Lamar  township  since  April,  He 

has  given  i  onsiderabli    attention  to   the  stud 
fruit-culture,  ami  the    knowledge   thus   acquired 
has  been  pul  to  th< 

the  most   successful   fruit-growers  in 
nty. 
Boi  n  Dei  embi  i  mty, 
along    Fishing    creek,  in    Porter   township,  near 
the  Lamar  township  line,  Mr.  Betchel  is  a  son  of 
[ohn  B(  ti  hel,  whose  bin                             *  >.  near 
tsville,  in  Schuylkill  I               n.     The  grand- 
father,   Abraham     Bechtel,    was  >    in 
Schuylkill  county,  about    1781,   of  German   an- 
ted with  "i f  the  wealthy 

and  prominent  families  of  tin-  Fatherland.     Tin' 
grandfather  had  several  It.  I  long  whom 

wen  1   who  died   in    E  ley,  Pi  mi. ; 

muel  ami  1  >aniel.  lomon, 

and  a  sister  whi  thewifeof  Jacob  Ri 

(both  Solomon  and  Mrs.  Roats   are  living).      In 
[812   Abraham    Bechtel  local  dar  Run 

in    Portei    township,    Clinton    county,   but    two 
Fishing   Cr«  ek,  where  he 
;  inued  1  nion  county, 

Penn.,   in   1854       He  was  a   general   mechanic, 
and  in  early  lifi  1   in  shoemaking  during 

the  winter  season,  while  in  summer  he  followed 
In,  r,  threshing  and   other  work 

which  he  could  lim!  Liter  he  followed 

farming  mall  scale,  ami  also  conduct 

sawmill  on  Fishing  creek  ('>r  a  number  of  yi 
lie  married  Catharine  Contner,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children:     Hannah,  who  married  |ohn  Hull, 
ami  died  in  Centre  county,  1  |       1,  fa- 

ther of  oursubject.     The  grand  fathi 

in   Union  ci  iunty,   anil    in 
3  than  a  \ear  his    wife    also    passed    away,   the 
a^;  interred  in  Union  county. 
John  Bechtel  was  born   March  14.   1 
w.i  ily    a   boy    when    brought 

Ins  parents  to  Clint  ,v  to 

manhood.      His  mother  spun  the   Rax  and  v 
the  cloth  ha  thi  nd  while 

I      |i  >l  1 1 1    Wl  i|e    lliil 

He  married  Miss  Catharine    Best,  wl  born 

in  Columbia  county,  Penn.,  in    17117.  a  daughter 
nf  Jacob  Best,  and  thi  y   bei  ame  tin-   | 
two  children:     Eliza,  now  the  w  William 

raylor,  of  Mifflinburg,  Penn. ;  and  [acob,  nf  this 

The   mothei    died   in  1880,  ami  thi 
thi  ,it    tin-   hmi, 

subject,  ami  both   were   buried   at    1  Mill. 

They  had  lived  in  Nittany  Valley,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, until    1854,   when    tin  >    removed   t •  >    Union 
ating    mar    Forest    I  fill,   where    tin- 


Later  the  father,  hav- 
:i  his  thigh  ami  helpless,  made 

with  our  subject  until  he,  too,  departed 
this  hie.      11  I  for  the  Demo- 

but    la!  ined   the   Whig 

party,  ami  on  its  dissolut  a    Repub- 

lican.     His  memory    was    tine,  his  knowledge  of 
ptures    th  1,  ami    he    was   a  faithful 

member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

In  a  primith  hool-house  Jacob  Bechtel 

began  his  education,  and  one  winter  attended 
school  in  Aaronsburg,  Center  Co..  Penn.  Being 
an  only  son,  In-  remained   upon   the   home  farm. 

1  which  he  now  was  purcha 

by  his  father  from  Henry  Yeager  in  1S39,  and 
after  his  removal  to  Union  county,  in  1S54.  our 
subject  remained  upon  the  place.  In  connection 
with  its  cultivation  he  also  embarked  in  the  saw- 
mill business,  in  and  since  that  time  has 
w  months  each  year  to  lumbering. 

I  [is  In  in  ipi  ises  1  20  acres  of  rich  ami  arable 

land,  ami  he  also  has  5 20  acres  of  timberland,  so 
that  he  is  now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
substantial  citizens  of  his  community.  He  has 
now  laid  aside  the  more  arduous  duties  of  the 
farm,  but  continues  its  management  ami  k<  ■ 
thiir.  I  air. 

1   Bainbridge,  in  Lam      I   1      unt)  .  Penn., 

on  1 1  r  j.;.   1853,  Jacob   Bechtel   was  uni- 

with  Miss  Catharine  Reese,  who 

was  born   in    August,  1S37,  a   daughter  of  Rev. 

Charles    I  a    Lutheran    minister,    and    they 

the    parents  of    the    following   childi 
Olivia  K.,  wife  of  John  Fortney,  of   Lamar  town- 
ship, Cli  unty;   Mrs.  Reuben   McClintock, 
of  Mill  Hall,  Penn.;  Bertie,  widow  Of  Albert  Eli, 
Haven;    and    Charles.  inter   of 
[ohnstown,  Penn.     Thewife  and  mo  sed 
unseen    world    June    iS,   1889,  and    was 
I               1  tery. 
Mr.  Bechtel  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  sup- 
port nf   the  men  ami                    !  of   the  Republii 
party,  hut  h                          1  ared    for    tin-    honors  or 
,.f  publii                  1  1  aterna'ly,  he  is  a 
idler  of  the  Grange,  and,  religiously,  i>  identi- 
fied with  tin-  Lutheran  Church,    [nmanyresp 
his  life  has  been    an   exemplary  one.      He    is   an 
intelligent  man,  with  sound,  common  sensi   views 

nd    its     duties;    :  ill     well    doing, 

■lions  and    of    good    business    habits. 

in  fact.  thi     qualifications  that  go 

t.'  make  up  a  n  and  an  honorable  man. 


BRAHAM    L.    BITNER.      The   subject   of 
this  11.  ertainly   entitled    to  be  con- 

red  not  "lib  the   enterprising  fain 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


043 


oi  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton  countv,  but  one 
of  its  respected  and  honored  citizens,  and  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  He  was  born 
November,  1 1,  1833,  in  Liberty  township.  Centre 
Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Orner) 
Bitner,  and  a  grandson  of  John  Bitner,  Sr. 

The  father,  a  native  of  Centre  county,  was  a 
stonemason  by  trade,  and    followed  that    pursuit 
in  early  life,  but  later  purchased  a  farm  in  Beech 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  and  devoted  his 
remaining  days  to  agricultural  pursuits.      He  was 
in  very  limited  circumstances  at  the    time  of   his 
marriage,    having  to    borrow   money   enough   to 
pay  all  necessary  expenses  at  that  time,  but  being 
industrious,  energetic  and  persevering,  he  secured 
for   his  family  a  good   home.      He  developed   a 
good  farm  at  the  foot  of  the  Alleghany  Mount- 
ains, and  there  spent  his  last  years,  dying  at  the 
age  of  fifty-eight  years,  nine  months  and  twenty- 
three  days.      His  wife  departed  this  life  at   the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years,  six  months  and  twen- 
ty-eight days,  and  was  laid  by  his  side  i»  Eagle- 
ville  cemetery.     Both  were  earnest  and  consist- 
ent  members  of  the   Church  of  Christ,   and   in 
politics  the  father  was  a  Democrat. 

In   the    family    of    this   worthy   couple  were 
eleven  children,  who  reached  years  of  maturity, 
married  and  reared  families  of  their  own.     They 
were    as    follows:     Christopher,    a    resident    of 
Beech  Creek  township,  Clinton  county;  Emaline 
widow  of  Fulton    Miller,  of  the  same  township- 
John,  a  retired   farmer  of  Eaglevflle;   Margaret,' 
widow  of  George  Kessinger,  of  Minnesota;  Eliz- 
abeth,   wife    of    Wayne    Gardner,    of    Howard, 
Penn.;  Abraham  B.,  of  this  review;  Sarah,  now 
Mrs.    Adam    Myers,    of    Chatham    Run,    Penn.  ■ 
Nathan   M.,    of    Centre   county;    Julia   A.,    who 
wedded  (first)   Matthias  Grove,  and  is   no'w  the 
widow  of   David   Stephenson,   of   Lock   Haven- 
Alvina,  wife  of   David  Simons,  of   Lock   Haven; 
and  Hezekiah,  of  Holmes  county,  Ohio. 

The  education  which  our  subject  received  was 
such  as  the  country  schools  of  his  day  afforded, 

heatfirstattendingtheBrownschoolinBaldEagle 
township,  where  the  furniture  was  of  the  most 
primitive  character  and  where  the  pupils  wrote 
with  quill  pens.  He  remained  upon  the  home 
farm  until  his  marriage,  which  important  event 
in  his  life  was  celebrated  at  Beech  Creek,  March 
IS.  1856,  Miss  Martha  J.  Trexler  becoming  his 
wife.  She  was  born  in  Williamsport,  Penn 
September  2,  1839,  and  is  the  second  child  and 
eldest  daughter  in  a  family  of  seven  children- 
two  sons  and  five  daughters— whose  parents  were 
William  and  Elmira  (White)  Trexler.  The  father 
followed  the  occupation  of  shoemaking  in  Beech 
Creek.      The    children    born    to    Mr.    and    Mrs. 


Abraham  B.  Bitner  are  as  follows:  William  F. , 
who  died  in  infancy;  Irvin  T.,  a  cigarmaker  of 
Altoona,  Penn. ;  C.  McClellan,  a  cigarmaker  of 
Du  Bois;  Ernest  D.,  a  farmer  of  Bald  Eagle 
township,  Clinton  county;  Delia,  wife  of  Harry 
Best,  of  Lock  Haven;  Ira  M. ,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  five  years;  Fullmer  E.,  at  home;  Tillie, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Blair  and  GroverC.! 
both  at  home. 

When    married,    Mr.     Bitner's    cash  capital 
consisted  of  only  $50,  which  he  had  saved  from 
teaming  and  trapping.      He  trapped  many  foxes, 
which  were  quite  numerous  in  this  section  at  that 
time.      For  one-fourth  of   the  products  he  oper- 
ated   his   father's    farm    for    one    year,    it   being 
stocked  by  his  father,  and   then   worked  for  one 
season  in  a  sawmill  on  Beech  creek,  but  with  that 
exception   his   life  has  been  devoted  to  agricult- 
ural  pursuits,  carrying  on  operations   in  Beech 
Creek,  Pine  Creek  and  Lamar  townships,  Clinton 
county,   and   Liberty  township,  Centre  county. 
In  the  spring  of   1886  he  removed  to  his  present 
farm   in    Bald   Eagle   township,  Clinton  county, 
where  he  had  lived  once  before,  and  now  has  his 
land    under    a    high    state    of    cultivation.      He 
heartily  endorses  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,    and    has   served    his    fellow-citizens   very 
acceptably  in    the    capacity  of    school    director. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  faithful  members  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  elder, 
and  wherever  known  they  are  held  in  high  regard.' 
A  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  honor,  his 
word  is  considered   as  good   as  his  bond,  and  he 
is  liberal  and  generous   almost  to  a   fault.      At 
this  writing  he  is  serving    as   judge  of  election 
in  Bald  Eagle  township. 


JOHN  SPRINGER,  one  of  the  best-known  citi- 
zens of  Gallaher  township,  Clinton  county,  is 
a  man  whose  successful  struggle  with  adverse 
circumstances  shows  what  can  be  accomplished 
by  industry  and  economy,  especially  if  he  is  aided 
in  his  efforts  to  secure  a  home  and  competence 
by  a  sensible  wife. 

Born  at  the  "Block  House,"  in  Lycoming 
county,  Penn.,  December  15,  1S33,  Mr.  Springer 
is  the  only  child  of  Samuel  and  Christina  (Fost) 
Springer,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Germany.  The  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  lived  mostly  in  Lycoming  and 
Tioga  counties.  The  mother  was  twice  married, 
her  second  husband  being  Thomas  Gottschall,  of 
Gallaher  township,  Clinton  county,  by  whom  she 
had  five  children,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel 
Swartz;  Elizabeth,  who  died  unmarried;  Cath- 
arine, wife  of  Michael  Biser:    Rebecoa,  deceased 


644 


\t  XEMORA  TIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


wi|,  .  England;    and  Lucy,  who  died 

in   childhood.      Both    Mr    and    Mrs.    Gottschall 
died  in  Rose  Valley,  Lyi  mnty.     She  was 

i  xcellent  woman  and  a  hard  work 
John  Sprinj  ication  was  limited  • 

few  months'  atti  odance  at  the  country  schools. 
With  his  stepfather  he  worked  at  lumbering  and 
shingle-making  until  twenty-seven  years 
starting  out  m  life  for  himself  in  i860.  His  first 
venture  was  in  buying  fifty  acres  of  timber  land. 
which  h  1   and  converted  into  highly  cul- 

tiv.i'  !   waving  grain.      He    also  pur- 

chased another  tract  of  the  ind  now 

has  one  of  the  finest  farms  inGallaher  township, 
it  being  improved  with  an  elegant  residence  and 
good  barns  and  outbuildings,  the  cost  of  which 
ait  $3,000.  In  his  work  he  has  been  ably 
assisted  by  his  estimable  wife,  who  has  ind 
proved  a  faithful  helpmeet  to  him. 

1  In  April  in   Gallaher    township, 

Clinton  county,  Mr.  Springer  was  married  to 
Mi>-  Christina  Beisser,  who  was  born  in  Witten- 
lermany,  December  27,  1830,  a  daughter 
k  l'.eisser,  who  -pent  his  entire  life  in 
the  Fatherland.  She  was  educated  in  her  native 
land,  and  wh<  n  1  young  girl  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  the  "  William  Tell,"  which  landed  her  safely 
at  New  York.  Alt.  1  spending  a  short  time  in 
that   city  she  \  the  home  of  her  uncle, 

Cb   rles    Bei    ■  1 ,  ii  o  mnty,    Penn.,   with 

whom    she   remained    until    giving    her    hand   in 
marria:  subject.      She  is  well-known  all 

ount}  for  her  excellent  cooking,  and 
she  is  one  ol  the  best  housekeepers  to  be  found 
in  the  locality. 

□  1" 'in  nine  children: 

<  1     Geoi        M  .  born    1:  lied    in   infancy. 

bon,  July  5,    i860,  married  Ella 

,  and  h  II  irvey  C, 

Ma  :    I  Mar)   I.       He   is  a   carpenter  and 

living  in  VVilliamsport,    Penn  , 
Demoi  rat  m  i'  I   the 

Mi  thodist  I    Church,  M., 

born  Mai  len  Harber,  and 

has  two  children     Roy  and   Lawrence,      lb 
lows  farming  inGallaher  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty.    (4     Nam  j .  born  ( >  \,  died  when 
ten                              Samuel,   born   February  21, 
1  865,  died   in   infant                        1  .    ]. .  born    Oc- 

lied    February    1 8, 
Jacob,    born    June    1  ;. 

Gallaher    township,  married    I-  ttschall; 

and  has    one    daughl 

ust  10,  :  Reuben,  born  February 

;•■  both  at  hon 

is  allegi 
•..  and  has  faithfully  served  his  fellow- 


citizens  in  the  capacity  of  tax  collector,  school 
director,  overseer  of  the  poor,  supervisor  and 
assessor.  He  has  ever  been  found  true  to 
v  trust  reposed  in  him.  whether  public  or 
private,  and  has  discharged  his  duties  in  a 
-t  commendable  and  satisfactory  manner. 
He  has  accumulated  a  handsome  property,  and 
his  life  illustrates  what  can  be  accomplished 
through  industry,  perseverance,  good  manage- 
ment, and  a  determination  to  succeed. 


JACOB  VONADA,  a  well-known  and  high- 
ly-respected agriculturist  now  living  in  Porter 
township.  Clinton  county,  near  the  Lamar 
township  line,  was  born  February  20,  1S36,  in 
Hartle)  township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  but  when 
only  a  few  months  old  was  taken  by  his  parents, 
rge  and  Mary  (Heinly)  Yonada,  to  Perm's 
Valley,  Centre  county,  locating  near  Woodward. 
Later  they  removed  to  Nittany  Valley,  the  same 
county,  where  both  died,  the  father  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two,  ami  the  mother  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two,  and  the  remains  of  both  were  in- 
terred in  Hublersburg  cemetery.  They  were  Lu- 
therans in  religious  belief,  and  in  politics  Mr 
Yonada  was  a  Democrat.  Throughout  his  en- 
tire life  he  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
In  the  family  were  eight  children — four  sons  and 
lour  daughters — of  whom  three  sons  and  tin 
daughters  are  yet  living. 

Dunn-  his  boyhood  and  youth  Jacob 
Vonada  attended  the  district  schools  of  Penn's 
Valley,  which  at  that  time  were  not  noted  for 
their  efficiency.  He  began  his  education  in  the 
Harper  school,  under  the  direction  of  Jacob  T. 
Mi  yer.  In  early  life  he  also  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  at  "  St.  Paul's  Church,''  in  Hail 
township,  Centre  county,  under  Squire  Jacob 
Hosterman,  but,  not  liking  that  occupation,  he 
devoted  most  of  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Upon  the  farm  where  he  was  reared  he 
t  forty  years  of  his  lil 

On  December  2.  1866,  in  Penn's  Valley,  Mr. 
Vonada  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Stover, 
who   was  born   February   27,    1838,    near    !' 

k,     Haines    township,    Centre    county,    the 
dai.  Andrew  and   Sarah   (Frank)  Stovei 

They  became  the  parents  of  two  children:    Ed^ar 
1 '•  .  who  is  married  and   has  one  child,  and  is  en- 
d   in    farming   on    his   father's  and    uncle  J. 
11  Lamar  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty; and    Ida,  wh  I    Lt  the  age  of  tlire. 
Afti  ur  subject  continued  t 

!    homestead   in    Haines   township, 
nty,  as  Ins  father  had   removed   I 
Hublersburg   in    Nittany   Valley,   and 


, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


645 


there  the  son  remained  until  April  4,  1876,  when 
his  father  purchased  a  tract  of  ucji  acres  in  La- 
mar township,  Clinton  county,  known  as  the  Best 
farm.  After  the  death  of  his  mother  John  and 
Jacob  Vonada  purchased  the  Best  farm,  where 
Jacob  resided  till  the  spring  of  1897,  when  he 
removed  to  his  present  residence  in  Porter  town- 
ship. He  has  ever  been  a  hard-working,  ener- 
getic, progressive  farmer,  and  in  his  labors  has 
been  ably  assisted  by  his  estimable  wife,  who  has 
indeed  proved  a  true  helpmeet  to  him.  His  up- 
right, honorable  life  has  commended  him  to  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
come  in  contact,  and  his  friends  in  his  adopted 
county  are  many.  Through  his  own  efforts  he 
has  secured  a  comfortable  competence,  and  he  is 
to-day  numbered  among  the  prosperous  citizens 
of  the  community.  He  has  always  been  unwav- 
ering in  his  support  of  the  Democratic  party,  and 
he  has  served  as  deacon  and  elder  in  the  Luther- 
an Church,  with  which  he  is  connected. 


THEW  JOHNSON,  a  lumberman  now  resid- 
ing in  Hyner,  Chapman  township,  Clinton 
county,  has  been  an  important  factor  in  business 
circles,  and  his  popularity  is  well-deserved.  He 
is  public  spirited,  and  thoroughly  interested  in 
whatever  tends  to  promote  the  moral,  intellectual 
and  material  welfare  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  March  17,  1822,  in 
Lycoming  county  (now  Noyes  township,  Clinton 
county),  a  son  of  John  Johnson,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  Yorkshire,  England,  in  1797.  In  1800, 
when  only  three  years  old,  he  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel,  land- 
ing at  Philadelphia,  whence  they  came  to  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  which  was  at  that 
time  a  part  of  Lycoming  county,  and  located 
near  Pine  Station.  There  John  Johnson  attended 
school,  where  he  learned  to  read  and  write,  which 
was  considered  a  sufficient  education  for  ordinary 
use  in  those  days.  Learning  the  miller's  trade, 
he  came  to  Chapman  township  when  a  young 
man,  and  rented  a  small  gristmill  on  Hyner  run, 
which  he  operated  for  twenty-two  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  bought  a  farm  of  100  acres  now  in 
Grugan  township,  and  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1876,  his  remains  being  interred  in  Hyner 
cemetery.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig,  and 
later  supported  the  Republican  party,  while  re- 
ligiously he  and  his  family  held  membership  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  they  were 
held  in  high  regard  by  all  who  knew  them. 

John  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Shaffer,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  namely: 


Margaret  (deceased),  Thew  (our  subject),  Shaffer 
F.  (a  banker  of  Lock  Haven),  Angeline  (now  de- 
ceased), Isabella  (living),  and  John  W.  (who  op- 
erates the  old  homestead  in  Grugan  township). 
The  mother  died  upon  that  place,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  by  the  side  of  her  husband. 

Mr.  Johnson,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  pursued  his  studies  in  an  old  log  school 
house  in  what  is  now  Chapman  township,  sup- 
plied with  the  rudest  of  furniture,  and  spent  the 
first  thirty-eight  years  of  his  life  under  the  pa- 
rental roof,  working  on  the  farm  during  the  sum- 
mer season  and  in  the  woods  through  the  winter 
months.  In  partnership  with  his  brother  Shaf- 
fer he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  and  rafted 
their  products  down  the  west  branch  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna to  Marietta.  In  i860  he  located  in 
Hyner,  where  he  now  owns  a  home.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  and  his  brother  continued  busi- 
ness together,  and  he  is  now  connected  with  F. 
S.  Johnson,  W.  C.  Weaver  and  Joseph  Power. 
They  own  about  6,000  acres  of  timberland  in 
Clinton  county,  and  in  1894  erected  a  sawmill  on 
Hyner  run,  which  three  years  later  was  destroy- 
ed by  fire,  but  they  are  still  interested  in  the 
lumber  business. 

In  i860,  at  Hyner,  our  subject  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Southerland,  who  was  born  in  Lib- 
erty, Dunstable  township,  Lycoming  county,  in 
1820.  The  only  child  born  of  this  union  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  Johnson  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote 
for  the  Whig  candidate,  and  is  a  Republican  and 
for  sound  money.  He  has  served  as  auditor  of 
Chapman  township,  but  has  never  cared  for  of- 
ficial honors,  preferring  to  devote  his  time  and 
attention  to  his  business  interests.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  toil,  beginning  work  in  early  boy- 
hood (as  soon  as  he  could  handle  an  axe),  and  he 
is  now  suffering  from  the  effects  of  exposure  on 
the  mountains.  Due  success  has  not  been  de- 
nied him,  and  he  is  classed  among  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  his  community.  He  takes  delight 
in  travel,  and  has  visited  many  portions  of  this 
country  in  search  of  lands.  In  many  respects 
his  life  has  been  an  exemplary  one. 


CHARLES  H.  RICH.  Central  Pennsylvania 
'  boasts  of  quite  a  number  of  men  of  inventive 
genius,  men  who  have  done  much,  by  reason  of 
superior  ability  in  that  line,  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  this  region;  but  none  are  held  in  higher 
regard  or  deserve  greater  recognition  than  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  now  a  prominent  lumber- 
man, farmer  and  civil  engineer,  of  Woolrich,  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton   county.      He  was  born 


646 


•  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  that  place  December  Jl,  i860,  a  son  of  John 
F.  and  Catherine  A.  (<  'hi  Rich,  and  is  a  brother 
of  the  gentlemen  who  1  the  well-known 

firm  "f  John  Rich  &  Brothel  □  manufact- 

urers, of  Woolrich. 

During  his  boyhood  and  \"Uth  our  sul 
learned  all  the  branches  of  woolen  manufact 
but  since  completing  his  collegiate  course  has 
given  ii"  attention  to  that  line  of  business.  At 
Chatham  Run,  Pine  Creek  township,  he  began 
his  education  in  the  public  schools,  later  attended 
a  select  school  taught  by  T.  W.  Twitmire,  and 
in  Philadelphia, 

where  he  pursued  a  business  and  law  course, 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  1SS0.  He 
then  took  a  course  in  higher  mathematics  and 
civil  engineering,  in  Alleghei  _■'.  at  Mi 

ville,  Penn.,  and  in  [882  entered  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal ing  to  make  the  practice  of 
medicine  his  life  work,  but  liged  to  lay 
li  his  1  —  ks  at  th  ii  on  account 
ol  failinf               ht. 

Ri  turning  to  bis  borne  in  Woolrich,  Mr.  Rich 
!  in  civil  engineering  and  surveying,  which 
be  still  continued  to  follow  in  connection  with 
bis  other  business.  In  1889  he  opened  a  lumber 
yard  al  Woolrich,  being  the  first  and  only  lum- 
bei    mi  t    that    place;    he  also  owns  and 

I  farm   of    1  So  acres, 
"ii  which  he  is  successfull)  1  in  general 

farming   and  tobacco  growinf  lace 

tenant  houses,  three 
tol  [20x24    feet,    barns   and   other 

'  >uildings,  but  in  1894  he  had  the  misfortune 
hisshedsand  barns,  which  wei 
b}  -5.000.      With   character: 

I  nilt.  and  is  now 

ful    and    profitable    business.       His    com- 
fortable home   in  Woolrich  was 

Besides  his  other   business 
inti  !  ickholder  in  a  local  oil- 

well  company. 

ing  mm  b  Mr.  Rich 

invented  anumb  ful  articles,  chief 

■.Inch  1-   the   para-n  smitting 

bismuth  disk,  whii  b  was  the 

,1  Bell  telephone,  but  unfortunati 
he  1  with  him  an  individual  who 

cated  his   our  subjecl 
lati  1  f  it  to  the  Bell  Teli  ; 

pan}  for  an  immense  sum,  of   which    Mr.  Rich 
ed    a  cent        II        Iso   invented    and 
patented  the   vacuum  oiler  tube,  and  a  nut  and 
:>  for  a  carriage  spindle,  and    .1   carriagi    whip 
ind  an  automatic  gate  fixture,  wl 
patented  in  1890,  a   rotary  engim  n  accel- 

.1  bicycle,  besides  many 


other  inventions  of  great  value  to  the  public;  but 
of  all  these  he  has  made  a  side  issue,  it  being  a 
great  pleasure  to  spend  his  leisure  time  in  that 
way. 

At  Fine  Station,  in  1SX4,  Mr.  Rich  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Katie  A.  Ouiggle,  a  native  of  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Quiggle.  Two  children  have  graced  this 
union:  Edna  Dunn  and  Mary  L.  Politically, 
Mr.  Rich  has  always  been  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  ever  taking  an  active  part  in 
its  principles,  and,  although  he  has  never  been 
an  office-seeker,  he  has  served  as  auditor  of  his 
township,  and  has  faithfully  performed  e\ 
duty  of  citizenship,  being  appointed  a  member  of 
the  Congressional  conference  that  met  at  Belle- 
fonte,  that  put  Gen.  John  Patton  in  nomination; 
also  to  place  Hon.  A.  C.  Hopkins  in  nomination, 
later  Hon.  Fred.  C.  Lenard  for  Congress.  Having 
a  good  command  of  language,  Mr.  Rich  is  an  excel- 
lent debater,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  all  the 
local  debates.  A  Methodist  in  religious  bel 
he  has  served  as  trustee  of  his  Church  and  as  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  and  he  takes  a 
leading  and  influential  part  in  all  enterprises  cal- 
culated to  promote  the  moral  and  material  wel- 
fare of  his  native  county.  Socially  he  holds 
membership  in  the  Royal  Arcanum  of  Lock  Ha- 
ven, and  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America, 
of  which  he  is  president,  of  Woolrich.  His  strict 
integrity  and  honorable  dealing  in  business  com- 
mend him  to  the  confidence  of  all;  his  pleasant 
manner  wins  him  friends,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
popular  and   honored   citizens  of  Clinton  county. 

Stiles  E.  Rich,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Chatham  Run,  and  later  pursued  a 
business  course  at  the  Eastman  Business  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  Where  he  graduated  in 
1880),  also  attending  Dickinson  Seminary,  Will- 
iamsport,  Penn.,  and  State  Central  Normal 
School.  He  then  served  as  bookkeeper  and 
assistant  in  his  brothers'  woolen  mills,  at  Wool- 
rich,  until  [893,  when  he  removed  to  Harriman, 
Tenn.,  where  he  is  now  successfully  engaged  in 
merchan  He  is  a   Republican  in   politics, 

onsistent   member  of   the   Methodist  Epis- 
copal  Church,    and  a    strong    temperance    man. 
lb    was   married   to   Miss   Minnie   H.    Hesser,  of 
Bloomsburg,  Penn.,   a  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  1 
"    -  Methodist    Episcopal    minister,    and 

they  have  two  sons:   William  H.  and    Ross  B 


AM  M,  JOHNSON,  one  of  the  most 
minent  and  respected  residents  of 
Clinton  county,  was  born  October  3, 


N, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


647 


1825,  in  Delaware  county,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Mar- 
tin Johnson,  who  was  born  in  the  same  county 
in  1800.  The  grandfather,  Solomon  Johnson, 
was  a  native  of  the  same  State,  and  one  of  thir- 
teen children,  all  of  whose  names  begin  with  the 
letter  "S."  The  grandfather  was  a  lumber  man- 
ufacturer in  Delaware  county,  where  he  operated 
three  sawmills,  and  was  one  of  the  prominent 
farmers,  owning  150  acres  of  land.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was 
a  Jacksonian  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  and 
a  man  of  sterling  worth,  who  spent  his  entire  life 
in  Delaware  county.     He  was  twice  married. 

Martin  Johnson,  a  son  by  the  first  marriage, 
received  his  education  in  the  subscription  schools, 
and  throughout  his  life  followed  lumbering  and 
farming.  He  owned  300  and  cleared  off  1,000 
acres  of  timber  lands,  on  a  part  of  which  the 
town  of  Sidney,  N.  Y.,  now  stands,  including  the 
old  family  residence.  He  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  on  an  extensive  scale,  operating  three 
mills,  and  was  ranked  among  the  leading  and 
substantial  citizens  of  the  county.  Retiring  from 
active  work,  he  removed  to  Tioga  county,  Penn., 
and  later  made  his  home  with  his  son,  Nelson  E. 
Johnson,  in  Lycoming  county,  where  he  died  in 
1 86 1.  He  was  very  active  in  Democratic  circles, 
but  never  sought  office,  and  he  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Martin  Johnson  was  married  in  Franklin 
township,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y.,  to  Mary  A. 
Patton,  also  born  in  that  township,  a  daughter 
of  John  Patton,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolutionary  war,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years.  Mrs.  John- 
son, who  was  a  very  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
died  in  Jackson,  Penn.,  where  her  remains  were 
interred.  In  the  family  were  eight  children:  Al- 
bert died  in  Tioga  county;  Horace,  Elizabeth  and 
Mary,  all  three  deceased,  Horace  dying  in  child- 
hood; William  M.;  Anna  M. ;  Mrs.  Jane  Warner, 
of  Wisconsin;  and  Nelson  E. ,  a  well-known  mill- 
wright of  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 

Our  subject  attended  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  county  through  the  winter  months,  in  the 
summers  working  on  the  farm,  in  the  lumber 
woods  and  in  the  mill.  Desirous  of  improving 
himself  mentally,  he  spent  all  his  leisure  time  in 
study,  and  is  now  a  well-informed  man.  He 
worked  at  home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  at  lum- 
bering and  farming,  and  then  in  connection  with 
his  brother  Albert,  and  an  uncle,  established  a 
lumbering  business  at  Southport,  N.  Y. ,  and  also 
operated  the  Wells  Mills  at  that  point,  which 
they  conducted  for  a  year  with  fair  success.  As 
he  had  not  then  attained  his  majority,  he  paid 
his  father  $200  for  his  time.     After  this  our  sub- 


ject spent  one  year  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  build- 
ing the  first  church  at  the  State  line.  He  then 
removed  to  Tioga  county,  where  he  spent  nine 
years  as  a  millwright  carpenter  in  saw  or  grist 
mills.  He  also  passed  some  time  in  Clinton  and 
Lycoming  counties,  and  was  afterward  engaged 
for  five  years  in  general  merchandising  at  Law- 
renceville,  Tioga  county.  He  then  removed  to 
Mill  Hall,  Clinton  county,  where  he  began  the 
manufacture  of  windmills,  rakes,  etc.,  and  in  that 
enterprise  was  very  successful.  It  was  the  first 
factory  of  the  kind  at  Mill  Hall,  and  he  turned 
out  thousands  of  windmills.  He  also  conducted 
a  store  a  part  of  the  time  during  his  six-years' 
stay  at  that  place.  In  1863  he  secured  a  position 
as  traveling  salesman  for  the  manufacturing  firm 
of  J.  S.  Marsh  &  Co.,  of  Lewisburg,  his  territory 
covering  five  counties  in  Pennsylvania.  Later 
he  was  given  the  general  agency,  and  traveled  all 
through  the  central  and  western  States.  He 
spent  twenty-three  years  with  that  firm,  winning 
for  himself  the  confidence  and  respect  of  both  his 
employers  and  the  public.  He  sold  over  $125,- 
000  of  manufactured  goods  each  year  for  eight- 
een years  as  general  salesman.  In  1870,  while 
traveling,  he  purchased  the  Peter  Smith  farm  in 
Woodward  township,  Clinton  county,  compris- 
ing 126  acres,  and  on  his  retirement  in  1885  he 
located  on  the  farm,  where  the  next  eight  years 
were  passed  in  the  quiet  pursuits  of  rural 
life.  In  1895  he  built  for  himself  a  commodious 
and  beautiful  residence  in  Lockport,  at  a  cost  of 
$4,  500,  and  is  now  living  there  surrounded  by  all 
the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  and 
enjoying  the  friendship  and  regard  of  all  who 
know  him. 

In  1853,  in  Clinton  county,  Mr.  Johnson  was 
married  to  Anna  M.  Stewart,  who  was  born  in 
Lycoming  county,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Stewart, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  that  section  of  the  State. 
Six  children  grace  this  union:  (1)  Charles  D. 
operates  the  home  farm  in  Woodward  township, 
married  Carrie  Probst,  of  that  township,  and  had 
six  children — Nettie  I.,  Alma,  Edward,  Leroy, 
Carrie  and  Charles.  (2)  Ida  D.  is  an  accom- 
plished young  lady  at  home.  (3)  William,  a 
machinist  of  Philadelphia,  married  a  Miss  Galliher, 
and  has  two  children — Elmer  and  Howard  E. 
(4)  Annie  was  the  wife  of  Preston  Albertson, 
and  is  now  deceased.  (5)  Nellie  died  when 
twenty-two  years  old,  and  (6)  Orville  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Mr.  Johnson  has  served  as  school  director 
and  tax  collector  in  his  township,  and  is  a  stal- 
wart Republican,  unwavering  in  his  support  of 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  party.  He  belongs 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  served  as 


VMBMOBA  TIVB  BIOOBAPBICAl  BECOBD. 


erintendent  ami  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school. 
member  of   the  I.  O.  O    1 
and  the  Sons  oi  Temperance,  an  lest 

worker  in  tli  ranee.      His  success 

in  life  is  attributable  to  his  own  efforts,  and  his 
bus  ird  is  without  a  blemish.    Helabo 

earnestly  to  advance  the  inti  hiscompany 

during  his  1  nd  had  their 

unqualified  confidence.    His  nami 
with  honorable  dealing,  and  his  worth  is  attested 
bv  all  who  know  him. 


D   KAUFMAN,  a  well-known  agriculturist  and 
prominent  citizen  ol   Porter  township,  Clin- 
county,  has  made  his   special  field  of  indus- 
try a  success,  and   is  highly-esteemed   and 

ted  l>\  those  who  know  him  bi 
Born  Mav  16,  i  32  1,  in  Miles  township.  Brush 
Centre   Co.,    Penn.,    Mr.    Kaufman  is  a 
son  of  Nicholas  and   Llizabeth  (Willman )  Kauf- 
man.    The  paternal  grandfather  also  bore    the 
name  of  Nicholas.     The  father-  birth  occurred 
April  30,  1777.  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  where  he 
itinued  to  reside  until  after  his  marriage.     His 
d(  in   Nittany   Valley,  and  his  wife 

-ed  away    in    Brush   Valley,  leaving  two  chil- 
ler of  our  subject  being  Hannah,  now 
the  wid  '    >nrad   Long,   and  a  resident   of 

Howard.  Penn       By   occupation  the  father  was 
always  a   farmer,   and   in   political  sentiment   he 
in  ardent   Democrat. 
[>    Kaufman,  ol  this  sketch,  passed  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  and   youth  in  bis  native  Valley, 
in  much  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  assist- 
his   father   in   the   labor  of   the  fields,  and. 
wh<  it  home,  at- 

tending the  pub  tl        eighborhi 

One  ol    his   first    teachers   was    Solomon  Mo. 

named    under   the    parental 
:  until  his  marriage,  at  thi  :  twenty-i 

Miss  Rebec*  a   Bi  -> ,  th<  j    being  ; 

formed    in     Hublersburg,    Centre    count) 
a   native   of   Lehigh   county,    Penn.,  an 
■    [ohn  and  I 
tin  1  ■  ttive   ol  the  honored  and 

i  families  of  Nittany  Valley.     Mr. 
I  Mrs    Kaufman  have  three  children:  Will 
11  r  of  Centre  1  md  Leah  E.  and 

John  I    .  bi  ith  at  hon 

After  his  marriage  Mr.   Kaufman  continue 
le  on  the  old  homestead   farm  in  Brush  Val- 
ley,  Centre  county,    which   he  his 

father  for  some  time,  and  then   1 

ime  county,  where  he  was  empli 
at  days  work      lb  ira,  and  worked 


for  different  parties  until  coming  to  Nittany  Val- 
ley  in  [866,  when  he  purchased  his  present  farm 
of  sixty-two  acres,  in  Porter  township.  Clinton 
t\  He  is  an  excellent  farmer,  and  a  thor- 
hly  reliable  business  man,  gaining  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact.  For  a  time  before  coming  to  Nittany 
Valley  he  made  his  home  in  Sugar  Valley.  In 
early  life  Mr.  Kaufman  used  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  Democratic  party;  but 
since  the  war  he  has  been  a  pronounced  Repub- 
lican, and  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  advance 
his  party's  interests.  He  and  his  estimable  wife 
are  members  of  the  Mt.  Bethel  Reformed  Church, 
and  wherever  known  they  are  held  in  high 
regard. 


JAMES  T  TAYLOR,  a  wealthy  retired  agri- 
culturist of  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county, 
can  look  back  with  satisfaction  upon  a  well- 
spent  life  as  he  passes  down  ' '  the  western  slope. " 
Surrounded  by  the  comforts  which  his  early  toil 
has  procured,  his  position  is  an  enviable  one,  yet 
he  doubtless  finds  his  chief  pleasure  in  the  affec- 
tion which  brightens  his  home,  and  in  the 
thought  of  the  sons  and  daughters  who  are,  in 
their  turn,  filling  honorable  and  useful  places  in 
life. 

The  Taylor  family  belongs  to  that  sturdy 
and  energetic  race  known  as  the  Scotch-Irish. 
Matthew  Taylor,  our  subject's  grandfather,  came 
at  an  early  date  from  Scotland  to  make  his  home 
near  Reedsville,  Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  where  he 
purchased  a  large  farm,  still  called  the  '*old 
Taylor  homestead."  Our  subject's  father.  Henry 
Taylor,  was  born  at  this  homestead,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  that  locality, 
owning  and  operating  about  400  acres  of  land. 
He  was  a  large  man,  and  possessed  great  strength 

vitality,  attaining  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and 
later  a  Republican,  but  never  sought  or  held 
office,  and  he  was  actively  identified  with  the 
Presbyterian  Church  for  many  years,  his  consist- 
ent conduct  in  daily  life  being  a  witness  to  the 
sincerity  of  his  faith.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Priscilla  Turbet,  was  the  daughter  of  a 
farmer  in  Juniata  county,  Penn. ;  she  died  at  the 

1  if  sixty-four,  and  the  remains  of  both  were 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  the  old  stone  church 
on  the  hill  near  Reedsville.  Their  children  were: 
ried  Samuel  Laird,  and  died  at 
Pen  1     it    Royal),    Juniata  county; 

Anna,  v  :   Junes   Kyle,  of   Mifflin  county; 

Henry,  I   farmer,  residing  at   Reedsville; 

James    T. ,  ect;    Priscilla,   who  married 


r 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


649 


William  Thompson,  and  died  near  State  College, 
Centre  county;  and  Matthew,  a  farmer  of  Mifflin 
county.  All  were  noted  among  their  associates 
for  their  intelligence  and  high  character,  and 
were  held  in  great  esteem. 

The  subject  of  our'  sketch  was  born  March 
27,  1827,  at  the  old  homestead  near  Reedsville, 
and  his  education  was  mainly  acquired  in  the 
subscription  schools  of  that  locality.  He  studied 
for  one  term  at  an  academy  in  Academia,  Juniata 
county,  taught  by  Prof.  Wilson.  As  the  son  of 
a  busy  farmer,  he  was  given  every  opportunity  to 
become  familiar  with  the  details  of  agricultural 
work,  and  while  he  was  still  at  home  his  father 
encouraged  him  to  invest  his  small  savings  in 
stock,  so  that  he  not  only  gained  valuable  experi- 
ence in  such  deals,  but  was  enabled  to  secure  a 
little  capital  before  starting  out  into  the  world 
for  himself.  In  1855  he  left  home  and  came  to 
Clinton  county,  and  purchased  the  old  Fearon 
farm  in  Lamar  township,  the  price  being  $11,000 
for  183  acres.  Mr.  Taylor  was  obliged  to  go  in 
debt  for  a  portion  of  this  sum,  but  as  he  was 
young  and  strong  he  had  no  fears  as  to  the  result, 
his  energy  and  courage  promising  success.  He 
prospered  from  the  start,  secured  a  good  equip- 
ment and  a  fine  lot  of  stock.  Not  longer  after 
his  removal  to  Clinton  county  he  met  Miss  Nancy 
J.  Hughes,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Williams- 
port,  Penn.,  on  September  16,  1856.  She  proved 
to  be  a  most  wise  and  economical  helper,  and 
her  work  and  good  management  have  been  fac- 
tors in  the  success  which  has  crowned  Mr.  Tay- 
lor's efforts.  He  cleared  the  debt  from  his  first 
farm,  and  then,  having  accumulated  some  surplus 
cash,  he  bought  the  Jacob  Best  farm  in  the  same 
township,  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Henry. 
In  April,  1 864,  he  removed  to  that  place,  which  he 
continued  to  cultivate  until  October,  1895,  when 
he  thought  it  time  to  retire  from  active  business 
cares.  Since  that  date  he  has  resided  near  the 
depot  at  Salona,  in  a  comfortable  and  tasteful 
home,  which  was  built  according  to  his  own  ideas. 
He  has  at  present  two  fine  farms,  but  his  first 
purchase,  the  old  Fearon  place,  was  sold  some 
time  ago,  the  money  being  distributed  among  his 
children.  Mr.  Taylor  has  never  been  a  believer 
in  undue  self-denial,  his  family  always  enjoying 
the  best  advantages  obtainable  by  a  man  of  his 
means,  and  his  home  being  supplied  with  every 
comfort.  His  reputation  for  honesty  has  never 
been  questioned,  and  his  generosity,  a  leading 
trait,  has  never  been  found  wanting.  In  fact,  he 
has  at  times  lost  considerable  sums  through  en- 
dorsing or  going  bail  for  friends. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  had  the  following 
children:     (1)     The  first  born,  a  boy,  died  at  the 


age  of  eight  months.  (2)  Henry  Turbet,  born 
March  3,  1858,  married  Miss  Virginia  Eldred,  of 
Muncy,  Penn. ,  and  they  have  two  sons — Harry 
and  Ralph.  (3)  Turbet,  who  resides  at  Larned, 
Pawnee  Co.,  Kans. ,  is  the  secretary  of  the  Key- 
stone Security  Co.,  of  that  place,  and  also  over- 
sees some  large  land  holdings  for  Eastern  capital- 
ists. (4)  Elizabeth  C. ,  born  September  4, 
1859,  married  A.  C.  Mann,  of  Mill  Hall,  and  they 
have  four  children — Harry  T.,  James  R. ,  Mar- 
guerite A.  and  Fred  P.  (5)  Anna  P.,  born  July 
27,  1862,  married  Joseph  R.  Mann,  of  Lewis- 
town,  Penn..  and  they  have  five  children — Har- 
vey B.,  Edith,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Thomas  and  Anna. 
(6)  William  C,  born  April  4,  1868,  graduated 
from  Bloomsburg  Normal  School,  and  taught  for 
a  time  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton  county, 
and  at  Mackeyville,  but  he  is  now  a  farmer  in 
Lamar  township.  He  married  Miss  Kate  Strunk, 
and  they  have  three  children — Joseph,  Pauline 
and  Dorothy.  (7)  John  J.,  born  January  18, 
1870,  was  educated  at  the  Bloomsburg  Normal 
School.  He  married  Miss  Kate  Smale,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Harry  M.  The  family  holds  a 
prominent  place  socially,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor are  leading  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  which  he  has  filled  various  offices.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Repub- 
lican, and  his  sons  are  all  stanch  supporters  of 
the  latter  party.  While  Mr.  Taylor  has  always 
taken  keen  interest  in  the  success  of  his  ticket, 
he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  political  place 
or  honors. 

Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  March  28,  1838,  in 
Mifflin  county,  Penn.,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Conley)  Hughes.  '  When  she  was  but 
ten  years  old  her  father  removed  to  Jacksonville, 
Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  and  later  he  settled  at 
Mackeyville,  Clinton  county.  He  was  a  man  of 
small  stature,  but  was  very  industrious,  and 
throughout  his  life  he  followed  the  blacksmith's 
trade  successfully,  his  strict  honesty  winning  the 
respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty- three  and  his  wife  at  sixty-nine,  their 
remains  being  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Jackson- 
ville. Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  re- 
ligious faith  he  was  a  Presbyterian.  Of  his  chil- 
dren, the  eldest,  James,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war,  died  near  Buffalo  Run,  in  Centre  coun- 
ty, at  the  age  of  forty-four;  John  went  west,  and 
died  in  Missouri;  Richard  made  his  home  in  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  died  there; 
William,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  died  in  July, 
1894,  in  Centre  county;  Mary  married  William 
Elder  (now  deceased),  and  at  this  time  makes 
her  home  with  her  children;  Nancy  J.  (Mrs.  Tay- 
lor) was  the  sixth   in   order  of   birth;    Elizabeth 


I  •,.-,(! 


VMBM0RAT1VB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


married    George   Rish,  and  resides  near  Centre 
Hall;    Isabella    died    at    the    age  of   twenty-four 

rs. 


JOSEPH  JENNINGS  KINTNER,  of  Renovo, 
is  one  of  the  young  members  of  the  Clinton 
Counts     Bar,   but   his  prominence    is    b\ 

sured  by  his  years,  on  the  contrary  he 
has  won  a  reputation  of  which  many  an  older 
practitioner  might  well  envy. 

!     r  several    generations  the    Kintner   family 

have   lived    in    this  commonwealth.       Benjamin 

Kintner  and  wife,  wl  Elizabeth  Winnii 

his  grandparents,  were  born  in    Monroe  county. 

Th  farming  people,  and    in   about    i 

moved  to  Wyoming  county.    Their  children  were 

follows:      Moses    S.,    Jacob    C,    James   M  . 

William  H.    (decease.!  i.    Mary,    Easton,    Sarah, 

and  Elijah,  all  residents  of  Wyoming  county  e.\- 

[ames,    who  resides  .it   Wansocket,   S. 

I>.ik.      Of    these  the  late  Col.  Jacob  C.  Kintner, 

the  father  of  him  whose  name  opens  this  review, 

was  born  July    n.    1838,    in  Wyoming  county, 

Penn       He  became  a  merchant  by  occupation, 

and  as    such  held    a  creditable    position  in  the 

business  circles  of    I  nmunity  in  which  he 

resided.      He  was  a  patriot,  and  during  the  Civil 

war    served  Ins   country  four    years  and  seven 

nths.     l:  enlisted  as  a  sergeant  in  G 

II        'd  P.  V,   I.      He   was  soon    thereafter 

transferred  to  the  Signal  Corps,  and  later,   for 

meritorious  service,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 

.  tain.      He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Antie- 

tam;  was  at  Fredericksb  thesec- 

1  battle  of    Bull  Run,   and  in    the    many  other 

engagements  in  which  In  ind  participated. 

He  was  a    prominent   Republican,  and   for  four 

IS  mi  the  stafl  "f  Gov.  Hoyt,  and  was 

intei<  sted  in  the  Nal  tuard  for  a  time      I  [i 

al-  I  as  revenue  collector   for  Ins  district 

some  time       Hi-  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 

:;t  an. I  influi  nl  of  his  community. 

II'-   departed    this   life    March    21  .  and    his 

wife  passed  away  Ocf  at   Will 

barre.   Penn  ng  a  famil)    of  f>>tir  children: 

Charles  B.,  a   1  I   Buffalo,    N.  Y. ;   Mary 

C.  and   Joseph  J    (twins       ind  Ruth  C,  wh 

now  attending    Wilson  College,   Cbambersburg, 

mi.      The  mother  t.t  these   was    a   daughtei 
Paul  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Tutl       !  was 

an  •  England,  coming  to  this  country  when 

nineteen  years  ■■(  ag 

The  Jennings  family  was  one  of   note  in  the 
iiitrv.      The  children  of  Paul   B.  and 
I  li  abetb    Jennings   «.re  Joseph,    William    N., 
Mi-    i;    W.  Studevent),  and  Marj  A 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Tuttle)  Jennings,  grandmother 
of  Joseph  Jennings  Kintner,  was  born  August 
10,  1796,  in  Luzerne  county,  near  the  battle- 
field of  Wyoming. 

Joseph  Jennings  Kintner,  of  this  review,  was 
born    in    1870    in    Mehoopany,    Wyoming    Co., 

ii.  He  obtained  his  primary  education  in 
the  Towanda  schools,  later  attending  the  Wyo- 
ming Seminary  at  Kingston,  and  subsequently 
Pennsylvania  State  College,  at  State  College, 
Penn.  After  leaving  school  he  went  to  Bloom- 
field,  Perry  Co.,  Penn.,  and  was  appointed  dep- 
uty in  the  register  and  recorder's  office.  While 
serving  in  that  capacity  he  studied  law  under  the 
direction  of  Hon.  C.  H.  Smiley  at  that  place  for 
about  four  years,  and  was  then  admitted  to  the 
In  August,  1S95,  he  located  at  Renovo, 
where  he  ha-  uccessfully  engaged  in  both 

the  life  and  fire  insurance  business,  representing 
some  of  the  leading  and  most  reliable  companies 
in  the  United  States.  Socially  Mr.  Kintner  is 
identified  with  the  B.  O.  P.  E.,  while  politically 
he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
takes  quite  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  po- 
litical affairs,  and   when  twenty-one  years  of  age 

in  speaking  all  over  his  county  in   the   inter- 

of  his  party  and  its  candidates.  During  the 
campaign  of  the  following  year  he  was  employed 
by  the  State  central  committee,  and  he  has  also 
served  as  a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions 
since  coming  to  Renovo.  He  is  not  an  official 
aspirant,  preferring  to  give  his  time  to  his  pro- 

ional  duties  and  other  business  affairs.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  promising  young  attorneys  of 
Clinton  county,  and  no  doubt  a  brilliant  future 
awaits  him.  He  is  self-made,  leaving  home  at 
the  early  age  of  fourteen  years,  since  which  time 
he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world. 


JOHN  YEARICK.  Among  the  leading  farm- 
ers of  Clinton  county,  the  record  of  whose 
lives  tills  an  important  place  in  this  volume, 
it  gives  us  pleasure  to  commemorate  the  name 
of  this  gentleman,  now  a  prosperous  citizen  of 
r  township. 
Mr.  Yearick  was  born  in  October,  1826,  in 
Gregg  township,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Kishel  1  Yearick,  who  spent  many 
years  of  their  lives  upon  the  farm  where  our  sub- 
ject now  .  both  dying  there  at  about  the 
age  of  seventy-three,  the  mother  having  survived 
her  husband  a  few  years.  Their  remains  were 
interred  at  the  cemetery  in  Madisonburg.  In  the 
Reformed  Church  they  held  membership,  and  in 
politics  the  father  was  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.     Although  he  never  served  a  regular 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


651 


apprenticeship,  he  thoroughly  mastered  the  car- 
penter's trade,  at  which  he  worked  for  some 
time,  but  later  devoted  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  met  with 
excellent  success.  He  was  a  large  man,  and  a 
very  industrious,  energetic  and   progressive  one. 

Our  subject  is  third  in  order  of  birth  in  the 
family  of  children,  as  follows:  William,  who  died 
in  Hublersburg,  Penn. ;  Jacob  and  Henry,  both 
residents  of  Jacksonville,  Centre  county;  Samuel, 
who  died  in  Brush  Valley,  Centre  county;  Adam, 
of  Jacksonville;  Mary,  who  wedded  John  Zubler, 
and  died  in  Centre  county;  Rebecca,  who  mar- 
ried Jacob  Royer,  and  died  in  Brush  Valley; 
Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife  of  Elias  Hoy, 
and  died  in  Centre  county;  Sarah,  who  married 
Samuel  Phillips,  and  died  near  Akron,  Ohio; 
Katy  A.,  widow  of  George  Hoy,  living  near  Jack- 
sonville; and  Julia  A.,  who  married  John  Spayd, 
and  died  in  Centre  county. 

The  education  of  John  Yearick,  Jr.,  was 
mostly  acquired  in  the  German  schools,  he  only 
attending  an  English  school  for  one  winter.  The 
schoolhouses  were  primitive  structures  very  com- 
mon at  that  early  day,  and  the  writing  was  all 
done  with  quill  pens.  Our  subject  was  able  to 
attend  school  for  only  a  few  months  during  the 
year,  as  his  services  were  needed  at  home,  and 
while  his  father  was  engaged  in  carpentering  and 
building,  he  was  employed  in  hauling  lumber  dur- 
ing the  winter  season  at  the  expense  of  his  edu- 
cation. His  boyhood  was  passed  upon  the  home 
farm,  and  when  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  harvesting  cradles,  at  which  he 
was  several  times  employed  in  Ohio,  walking 
from  his  home  to  Summit  county,  that  State. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six  Mr.  Yearick  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  E.  Shaffer,  who  was  born  in 
1829,  in  Miles  township,  Brush  Valley,  Centre 
county,  a  daughter  of  Adam  Shaffer  and  wife. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yearick  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Lydia  E.,  now  Mrs.  Harvey  Helt- 
man,  of  Porter  township,  Clinton  county;  Emma 
M.,  Mrs.  Charles  Sheaver,  of  Centre  Hall,  Penn. ; 
ElvinaC. ,  Mrs.  William  Springer,  of  Williams- 
port,  Penn.;  Abbie  J.,  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Allabach, 
of  Farransville,  Penn.;  Ida  R. ,  at  home;  A. 
Frank,  a  carpenter  of  Bellevue,  Ohio;  Adam  N., 
who  died  in  infancy;  William  H.,  of  Bellevue, 
Ohio;  John  B.,  a  farmer  of  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county;  and  Lewis  H.  and  Samuel  J., 
both  carpenters  of  Bellevue,  Ohio. 

Among  the  several  farms  which  Mr.  Yearick's 
father  owned  was  the  one  in  Porter  township 
where  our  subject  began  his  domestic  life,  and 
where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  Being 
a   natural   mechanic,  in    addition  to  his  farming 


operations  he  has  manufactured  furniture,  sleds, 
sleighs,  etc.,  especially  for  his  own  use,  and  he 
can  make  almost  anything  from  wood  that  he 
sees.  He  has  made  many  improvements  upon 
his  place  which  add  to  its  value  and  attractive 
appearance,  and  he  has  an  excellent  peach  or- 
chard. Politically  he  has  always  been  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has 
served  his  fellow-citizens  in  the  capacity  of  super- 
visor and  school  director  in  a  most  creditable 
manner.  Fraternally  he  affiliates  with  the 
Grange,  and  religiously  he  and  his  wife  are 
faithful  members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  They 
are  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  this 
section  of  the  State,  and  at  their  hospitable  home 
their  many  friends  are  always  sure  of  a  hearty 
welcome. 


C;  H.  BRESSLER,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
'  The  Mill  Hall  Times,  in  Clinton  county, 
was  born,  July  20,  1865,  in  Flemington,  Clinton 
Co.,  Penn.  He  is  a  son  -of  the  late  J.  J.  Bress- 
ler,  and  grandson  of  Hon.  George  Bressler  (de- 
ceased). Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  at  Flemington,  and  worked  at  va- 
rious odd  jobs,  assisting  in  the  support  of  his 
widowed  mother,  until  February  16,  1885,  when 
he  entered  the  office  of  The  Clinton  Democrat  as 
an  apprentice.  On  October  18,  1888,  he  took 
unto  himself  a  wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Mar- 
garet Troxel,  residing  with  his  mother  for  about 
two  years  thereafter.  For  twelve  years  he  ac- 
ceptably filled  different  positions  in  the  office  of 
the  Democrat  until  April  4,  1897,  when  he  sev- 
ered his  connection  with  the  establishment  and 
purchased  the  above-named  paper  and  tripled 
the  circulation  during  the  first  six  months.  Al- 
though employed  in  the  office  of  the  Democratic 
organ  of  the  county,  Mr.  Bressler  has  always 
been  an  active,  stalwart  Republican,  and  is  fear- 
lessly publishing  such  a  paper.  He  was  convert- 
ed and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  October,  1892,  and  is  an  active  member  of 
the  same,  at  present  a  class-leader  and  the  as- 
sistant superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 


m  NDREW  V.  GROUP,  the  second  son  in 
jtfL  the  family  of  Peter  Group,  was  born 
February  18,  1S46,  and  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Clinton  county. 
After  obtaining  agood  common-school  education  to 
serve  as  a  foundation,  he  studied  theology,  and  was 
early  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  but  later  became  a  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.      Faithful  in  the  discharge 


OOMMBMORA  TlYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  all  his  duties,  he  lived  as  nearly  as  he  could 
the  Christ  life,  practicing  that  charity,  so  broad 
in  its  conception,  that  the  weeds  and  poisons  of 
tin  human  heart  die  away  in  the  Klad  sunshine 
of  brotherly  love.  In  1874,  he  moved  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  there  continued  his  work.  His 
diligence  in  his  studies  led  him  to  over-estimate 
his  strength,  and  in  June,  1S79,  worn  out  by  an 
attack  of  brain  fever,  he  passed  to  the  un> 
■  Id. 

On  Octobei  I,  Andrew  V.  Group  was 

united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Jane  Sallada, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  Sallada.  Their 
marriage  was  graced  with  six  children,  namely: 
John  Stuart;  Zula  M.  ;  Andrew  V.,  Jr.;  Grace 
G. ;  M  irj  Edith  and  Annie  E.,  all  yet  living  ex- 
cept Mary  Edith,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
At  the  time  of  the  father's  death,  the 
eldest  child,  John  Stuart,  was  but  six  year-; 
old,  the  youngest,  Annie  E.,  only  two  month-, 
but  the  brave  mother  determined  that  the  little 
family  should  not  becon  and  moved 

back  to  her  old  home  in  Nippenose  Valley. 
Here  sh<  remained  for  two  and  one  half  years, 
but  realizing  that  her  children  would  have  su- 
ducational  facilities  in  the  city,  she  re- 
turned to  Philadelphia,  and  there  maintained  a 
home  until  the  five  children  had  all  received   the 

ular  public  school  education.  At  the  time 
when  school  days  were    past,   and  the   children 

it  to  provide  the  home,  the  mother,  on  Jan- 
uary 23,  [8  ng  her  task  done,  folded  her 
hands  and  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  in  the 
:  the  Master  she  had  served  so  well. 
The  memorj  ol  her  noble,  self-sacrificing  life, 
still  lives  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  her  loved 
md  the  fruits  of  her  Christian  influence  is 
shown  in  the  characters  of  her  children — a  1 
iiil;  monument  to  the  virtues  of  true  womanhood. 

John  Sti  \ki  Group,  the  eldest  in  the  al 
mentioned   family,    was  born  July    10,    1870,   in 
Nippenose  Valley,   but    has   passed    the  greater 

1  of  his  life  in  Philadelphia.     His  education 

obtained   in   the   Quaker  City,    which   is,   as 

his  home.    For  eight  years  past  he  has  been 

in  the  employ  ol  the  Boothbj  II  pany  of 

Philadelphia,  Penn.,  beginning  as  receiving  clerk, 

and  was  gradually  promoted  from  one  position  to 

another    until    he    now   holds  one  close   to  the 

Though  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 

Mr.  Group  has  accomplished   what    few   nun  of 

r<  than  twice  his  years  seldom  succeed  in 
doing.  He  has  already  carved  out  for  himself 
an  ample  competence,  and  is  now  closing  up  his 
investments  in  Philadelphia  preparatory  to  re- 
turning to  his  early  home  in  Clinton  Co.,  Penn. 
He  owns  his  beautiful  home  in  Philadelphia,  be- 


sides property  in  Delaware  county,  Penn. ;  he  is 
also  the  possessor  of  two  farms  in  the  Nippenose 
Valley,  one  of  215  acres,  once  owned  by  his 
grandfather,  John  Sallada,  and  one  of  fifty-two 
acres,  previously  owned  by  William  B.  \Vels- 
hans.  These  two  farms  are  known  as  the  Valley 
View  Farms,  and  are  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. Since  purchasing  this  land,  Mr.  Group 
has  added  much  in  the  way  of  modern  improve- 
ments, spending  over  six  thousand  dollars  in  re- 
pairs, and  in  the  erection  of  buildings.  Plans 
are  now  ready  for  a  handsome  fifteen-room  res- 
idence, 67  x  82  feet,  to  be  erected  for  the  future 
home  of  the  family. 

On  October  17,  1893,  John  Stuart  Group 
was  married  to  Miss  Mabel  N.  Whipple,  and  of 
this  union  two  children  have  been  born:  John 
Stuart  Wells,  and  Edith  May.  Mrs.  Group 
comes  of  an  old  family,  prominent  in  public  af- 
fairs for  generations;  her  great-great-uncle,  Will- 
iam Whipple,  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence.  Mr.  Group  is  a  man 
of  independent  thought  and  action.  Manly, 
straight-forward  and  self-reliant,  his  success  is 
but  the  outcome  of  his  own  labor  and  keen  fore- 
sight. With  a  love  for  wealth  only  for  such 
pleasure  as  it  brings  to  himself  and  others.  Mr. 
ip  gives  freely  in  the  aid  of  the  less  fortunate, 
and  contributes  liberally  to  the  needs  of  the  Pres- 
bvterian  Church. 


WILLIAM  H.  STEVENSON,  a  prominent 
wholesale  lumberman  of  Lock  Haven, 
Clinton  county,  and  the  general  manager  of  the 
nsive  lumber  firm  of  Kreamer,  Stevenson  Ov. 
Co.,  whose  mills  are  located  at  Flinton,  Cam- 
bria county,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  at 
Jersey  Shore,  S<  1  27,   1856. 

John  and  Fannie  (Brown)  Stevenson,  his 
grandparents,  were  natives  of  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  Scotch-Irish  farming  people,  the  for- 
mer born  in  Ireland,  the  latter  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  John  Stevenson  died  there  in  1825 
in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  he  was  a  consistent  member.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  couple  were:  George,  John.  Will- 
nder,  David,  Sarah,  and  Elizabeth, 
the  latter  the  wife  of  James  Moore.  In  1840 
the  mother  brought  her  children  to  the  United 
locating  at  Jersey  Shore.  Penn.,  where 
she  died  in  1S47,  and  was  there  buried.  She 
was  a  most  estimable  woman,  highly  respected 
by  her  many  friends  and  acquaintances.  One  of 
these  sons,  Alexander  Stevenson,  the  father  of 
our   subject,  was   born    in    County   Tyrone,    Ire- 


' 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


653 


a   good  common- 


land,  in  1S15.  He  received 
school  education,  and  at  Castlederg,  Barnscort, 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  assisted  in 
the  building  of  that  castle.  On  coming  to  this 
country  with  the  rest  of  the  family  he  left  Lon- 
donderry, Ireland,  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which 
came  nearly  being  lost  on  two  occasions  owing 
to  the  intoxication  of  the  captain;  however,  after 
a  voyage  of  six  weeks  they  reached  Philadelphia 
in  safety.  From  that  city  the  family  went  to 
Harrisburg,  thence  by  canal  in  packet  boat  to 
Jersey  Shore,  Penn.,  the  point  of  destination. 
That  point  then  was  a  mere  hamlet.  There 
Alexander  built  a  house  for  the  family,  the  ma- 
son work  of  which  was  done  by  James  Moore,  his 
brother-in-law.  It  was  often  remarked  that 
Stevenson  and  Moore  could  build  a  town.  In 
1859  Alexander  Stevenson  purchased  a  tract  of 
one  thousand  acres  of  timber  land  in  Clinton 
county,  on  which  was  erected  a  sawmill,  and  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for 
some  five  years.  Then,  selling  his  property,  he 
moved  to  Charlton,  on  the  West  Branch  of  Sus- 
quehanna river,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  and 
there  followed  his  trade  until  1867,  when  he 
moved  to  the  present  site  of  Woolrich,  and  there 
purchased  a  partly-improved  farm  of  some  sev- 
enty acres.  To  its  further  development  and  cul- 
tivation he  devoted  his  energies  until  1890,  and 
upon  the  place  erected  a  good  residence  and 
other  buildings.  Owing  to  failing  health  he 
passed  the  last  three  years  of  his  life  in  retire- 
ment from  active  labor,  dying  in  1893,  aged  sev- 
enty-eight years.  He  was  buried  at  Woolrich. 
As  an  architect  and  builder  he  superintended  the 
erection  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
edifice  at  Woolrich.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat;  he  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
M.  E.  Church,  in  which  he  held  the  office  of 
trustee,  class-leader  and  steward.  He  was  held 
in  high  regard  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a 
kind  father  and  an  affectionate  husband. 

His  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Jersey 
Shore,  was  Sarah  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Lin- 
den, Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  of  English  ancestry, 
and  bore  him  the  following  children:  George,  a 
resident  of  the  State  of  Arkansas,  is  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  and  farming;  Robert  M.,  a 
resident  of  Chatham  Run,  is  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Stevenson  Brothers,  manufacturers 
of  woolen  goods;  John  F. ,  an  accountant  and 
agriculturist,  resides  at  Sherman,  Texas;  Mary 
Frances  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Cameron,  of  near 
Woolrich,  Clinton  county;  and  William  H.  The 
mother  of  these  died  when  William  H.  was  one 
and  one-half  years  old,  and,  subsequently,  the 
father  was  again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Mary 


A.  Moore,  a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
and  a  daughter  of  James  Moore,  a  farmer,  and 
to  the  marriage  eight  children  were  born,  name- 
ly: Sarah  is  the  wife  of  O.  H.  Johnson,  of 
Woolrich;  Lizzie  is  at  home;  Alexander  died  in 
childhood;  Rebecca  is  the  wife  of  D.  B.  Dunkel; 
Aimer  E.  and  Josephine  are  residents  of  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county;  Mattie  B.  makes 
her  home  with  W.  H.  at  Lock  Haven;  and  Lydia 
E.  died  in  childhood.  Mrs.  Stevenson,  who  was 
a  devout  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  died  on 
the  homestead  in  Pine  Creek  township  in  1S89. 
William  H.  Stevenson  as  a  lad  attended  the 
schools  at  Woolrich,  and  later  he  was  sent  to  the 
Central  State  Normal  School  at  Lock  Haven. 
He  was  finally  sent  to  the  famous  Dickinson 
Seminary  at  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  that  institution  in  1883.  In  the 
oratorical  contest  of  that  year,  in  which  there 
were  five  States  represented,  on  that  occasion 
young  Stevenson  carried  away  the  first  prize. 
After  his  graduation  he  taught  three  terms  of 
school  in  his  home  town  of  Woolrich,  one  term 
in  Nittany,  and  one  at  Lock  Haven.  He  read 
law  for  some  six  months,  intending  to  make  the 
profession  his  life  work,  but  he  Changed  his  mind 
and  decided  upon  a  business  career,  and  at  once 
engaged  in  the  lumbering  business  with  Charles 
Kreamer,  and  from  that  time  to  this  the  two  have 
been  associated  in  business  together.  As  the 
years  passed  these  men  kept  pace  with  the  times, 
and,  being  progressive  and  enterprising,  their 
business  grew,  until  to-day  the  firm  of  Kreamer, 
Stevenson  &  Co.  is  a  great  factor  in  the  com- 
mercial affairs  of  their  locality.  They  employ 
many  men,  and  keep  a  great  deal  of  money  in  cir- 
culation. The  out-put  of  their  mills  is  large  and 
their  product  goes  all  over  the  country,  giving 
the  firm  a  large  business  acquaintance.  The  gen- 
eral manager  is  young  and  active,  and  possesses 
that  tact  and  energy  which  has  made  his  business 
move.  He  has  proven  himself  a  capable  busi- 
ness man,  and  his  efforts  have  not  been  un-re- 
warded  as  he  is  a  man  of  means.  He  has  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens 
among  whom  he  has  moved  since  boyhood.  He 
is  a  man  of  education  and  letters,  and  is  a  valuable 
citizen  in  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  to  which  office  he  was  elected 
in  the  spring  of  1896.  His  tastes,  however,  are 
not  those  which  make  office  seeking  desirable. 
Politically  he  was  an  independent  Democrat  till 
the  Presidential  election  in  1896,  when  he  voted 
for  William  McKinley  for  President;  he  like  thou- 
sands of  other  independent  voters  could  not  ac- 
cept the  free-silver  theory  embraced  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic platform.      He  is  identified  with  theBusi- 


<•..-,  I 


COMMBMORA  TIYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ness  Men's  t.  lub  of  Lock  Haven,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

On  January     i-\    [884,    Mr.    Stevenson  was 
married    t  .  the  second  daughter 

of  Charles  and  Vesta   L.   Kreamer,  of  Lock   Ha- 
ven, bom  June  1.   1862,  at   Queens  Run.  Clinton 
county,  and   to  the  marriage  has  come:     Mabel 
harles   Kreamer,  Galen  Eaton  and  George 
Bond.     The  parents  of  these  are  members  of  the 
M    I..  Church.     Mrs    Stevenson   is  a  woman  of 
ition  and  culture,  and  is  deeply  interested  in 
lucation  and  training  of  her  family.      She  is 
Bed  with  several   organizations  in  Church 
work,  and  devotes  a  gi  I  of  her  time  look- 

ing after  the  poor  and  needy  in   her  community. 


WILLIAM    YOUTZ,    master   carpent* 
the  division  of  thi    Philadelphia  & 

I  :      railroad,  was  burn,  in  1839,  in  Mt.  Gretna, 
Li  banon   Co  .  Penn.      His   lather,  Jacob  Youtz, 
-  born  in  America,  but  the  grandfather  was  a 
lany.     The  fathi  I  the  ad- 

irs,  having  long  sur- 
vived his  wife.  Four  of  their  children  are  still 
living:  James,  Mrs  K  31  I  1st,  Joseph  and 
William." 

Our  subject  acquired  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  worked  upon  a  farm  and  at  a 
furnace   until    -■  !    age,  when   he 

was  apprenticed   to  r,  sei  ving  a  four- 

term.      <  >n   the    expiration   of   that   period 
was  employed  on  the  construction  of  Clark's 
I  erry  bridgi  the  S  ia,  and  after- 

•I   went    to   Harrisburg,  where  he  worked  on 
the  weighlock.      I 

in    building    canal  |    Harrisburg, 

Marietta  and  Lewis)  June  1,  i86t,he 

wenttoAni  Md.,withCol.  fohn  L.  Piper, 

and  entered  thi  I  nited  Stal 

eminent.  After  building  some  docks  at  Annap- 
olis and  a  new  rad  line  to  Annapolis  Junction, 
Mr.  Youtz  •■••  ■  1  Washington,  D.  ('..  as 

stanl   fo  truction  ol    the 

long-bridge,  and  upon  the  completion  'if  that 
work   aided   in  building  many  bri  1  the  use 

the  Armj  ol  the  Potomac,  often  working  under 
the  heai  n<  mj       In 

ord  \V    W.  Wright,   at 

Wh  n  .    to    build    a  that 

I it      The  bridge  was  to  be  900  feel   long  and 

:    high,  and    although    Mr    *>  I   to 

1  his n  into  tl;  rto 

be  used  in  its  construction,  he  had  it  up  in  four 
and  one-half  daj  -      Hebuill  r  Look- 

k,  after  which  his  party  was  organ 
the  First   Division  Construe)  ps       II- 


n  eighty  head  of  oxen  and  thirty  mule  teams 

aul  the  provisions  and  tools  of  the  division  82 
miles  to  Dalton,  where  a  bridge  was  to  be  built 
2,300  feet  long  and  95  feet  high.  Mr.  Wentz, 
the  engineer  in  charge,  asked  how  long  it  would 
take  to  complete  the  bridge,  and  when  Mr.  Youtz 
replied  fifteen  days,  he  told  him  he  was  crazy  to 
think  of  such  a  thing  under  three  months.  Nev- 
ertheless the  work  was  completed  in  thirteen  and 
one-half  days.  He  built  many  other  bridges,  in- 
cluding one  at  Resaca,  at  Etowa  and  Allatoona, 
where  the  division  camped  three  weeks  and  cut 
timber  enough  to  build  all  the  bridges  from  there 
to  the  sea.  In  five  days  they  built  a  bridge  1,000 
■  long  and  100  feet  high,  across  the  Chatta- 
hoochie.  This  is  but  one  of  many  instances  in 
which  Mr.  Youtz  executed  rapid  and  efficient 
work  in  this  line.  He  had  to  rebuild  the  bridge 
at  Resaca  five  or  six  times,  and  on  more  than 
one  occasion  the  rapidity  with  which  he  con- 
structed bridges,  thus  allowing  the  army  to  pro- 
ceed on  its  way.  was  undoubtedly  the  means  of 
winning  a  number  of  battles. 

Shortly  after  the  war  Mr.  Youtz  formed  a 
partnership  in  the  planing-mill  business  in  Mar- 
tinsburg,  Va.,  but  not  liking  this  he  resun 
budge  building  and  constructed  about  six  small 
iron  bridges  on  the  Northern  Central  railway  be- 
tween Harrisburg   and  Sunbury  for  the  Keystone 

Ige  Company.  On  September  15,  1867,  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie 
railroad,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  main- 
tenance of  way  shop  at  Renovo.  Later  he  was 
promoted  to  master  carpenter  of  the  road,  and  by 

nsion  had  charge  <  >f  the  line  from  Erie  to  Sun- 
bury,  acting  in  that  capacity  until  the  position 
of  division-master  carpenter  was  created.  He  aft- 
erward built  a  large  number  of  bridges  on  contract 

the  Western  New  York  &  Pennsylvania,  Erie 
S    Pennsylvania   Company  in    Elk  county.  Clar- 

River  railroad,  the  Howard  railroad  and  the 
Narrow-Gauge  railroad,  and  in  1884  built  the  new 
iron  '.000  feet   long   across  the   Potomac 

.it  Washington,  I).  C.     He  resigned  his  position 
with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  March 
1.  1884,    but   re-entered    its   service   October    1, 
master  r  of    the   Middle    Divis- 

ion. Philadelphia  &  Erie  railroad.  Since  then 
his  fine  abilities  as  a  mechanic,  his  good  judg- 
ment of  men.  Ins  bravery  and  his  capacity  to  en- 
dure exposure  have  enabled  him  to  perform  some 
very  important  work,  e.jual  to  that  which  he  did 
during  the  war.  In  the  repair  of  the  lines  east 
hi  I  Erie  after  the  great  flood  disas- 
ter- of  1  in  his  efforts  to  1 
store  commu  and.  with  the  other  mas- 
ter 1                  ~m  thi    Pennsylvania  system,  is  en- 


,     ^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


655 


titled  to  great  credit  for  accomplishing  it  in  such 
a  short  space  of  time.  Their  work  was  done  un- 
der the  most  adverse  circumstances,  wide,  deep 
and  angry  streams  and  forbidding  washouts  con- 
fronted them,  tracks  destroyed,  and  material  to 
be  had  only  under  the  greatest  difficulty,  yet  on 
they  went  with  an  ardor  and  loyalty  unsurpassed 
until  success  crowned  their  efforts.  In  the  many 
emergencies  since  Mr.  Youtz  has  maintained  his 
high  and  deserved  reputation. 

In  July,  1869,  our  subject  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  M.  E.  Crouse,  of  Renovo,  Penn.,  and 
they  now  have  six  children:  Charles,  William 
Harry,  George,  Walter,  and  Cyril.  Mr.  Youtz 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  While  the  effect  of  his  services  and  his 
labors  is  immeasurable  Mr.  Youtz  deserves  the 
commendation  that  is  ever  accorded  to  genuine 
worth,  to  the  faithful  and  fearless  performance 
of  duty  under  trying  circumstances.  Ever  true 
to  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  he  carried  on  his  work 
amid  the  fire  of  Civil  war  and  in  the  face  of  a 
more  intangible  but  none  the  less  to  be  dreaded 
foe— a  flood.  He  is  respected  by  all  who  know 
him  and,  the  company  numbers  him  among  its 
most  efficient  employees. 


I  AMES  H.  ROTHROCK,  the  senior  member 
i  of  the  firm  of  Rothrock  Brothers,  dealers  in 
general  groceries,  flour,  feed,  etc.,  at  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  was  born  in  Centre 
county,  July  19,   1864. 

These  brothers  have  descended  from  a  family, 
members  of  which  have  been  identified  with  the 
history  of  the  State  through  several  generations. 
The  name  of  Rothrock  is  closely  connected  with 
the  early  history  of  York,  York  county.  The 
following  is  copied  from  records  of  the  Moravian 
Church,  of  that  city,  which  were  secured  during 
the  Revolutionary  period: 

Philip  Rothrock  was  born  near  Worms,  in  Germany 
December  8, 1718.  He  emigrated  to  America,  and  settled 
}0^  '"  17SS-  M^ch  22,  1740,  he  was  married  to  Cath- 
erine M.  Kuntz,  who  also  was  of  German  birth.  They  had 
fourteen  children  In  the  York  Moravian  Congregational 
Diary  or  the  year  1775,  Pastor  Neister  has  made,  fn  German 
the  following  records:  "July31.-With  the  people  in  genera 
we  have  thus  far  been  in  peace.  However,  urgent  requests 
armS,enVlt0?Urf  Pe0PKle  L°  a"end  the  drilling  fn  the  S 
atTha,  It  T  1're,hren  m  t0Wn  have'  however.  ar^-ed 

a  tend  SSfl.  ™  a  f  '  ^%  Can  "°  lun^r  be  compelled  to 
attend  drills.  A  few  of  the  voung  men  have  yielded  and 
smW  ,r'  BenJamin. Rothrock,  son  of  Philip  Lthroc'kjn 
wpnt  ff  i16  remo,nstraVons  °f  both  his  father  and  brothers 
whvV  du™g,the  night  with  a  company  of  Virginia  trooos 
which  marched  through  this  place."  (This  was  the  rifle 
company  commanded  by  Capt.  Daniel  Morgan,  later  he 
distinguished  General  Morgan.) 
1776. 
July  17,  Jacob  Rothrock  has  also  escaped  being  draft- 


ed, but  Ernest  Schlosser,  the  three  sons  of  Brother  Roth- 
rock, will  have  to  march  off  in  the  next  few  days  " 

"On  the  28  of  September,  76,  Mr.  Philip  Rothrock  re- 
turned from  a  visit  to  his  sons  in  camp  near  New  York  " 

"On  October  12,  1776,  Mr.  Philip  Rothrock's  son,  Benia- 
mfn,  who,  since  the  beginning  of  1776,  had  been  detained  a 
prisoner  of  war,  returned  home." 

"March  29  Bro.  Philip  Rothrock  gave  me  information 
with  regard  to  several  political  occurrences  and  the  discov- 
ery ot  a  plot  against  this  town  by  the  Tories."  "April  4  I 
visited  Bro.  John  Rothrock,  who  I  found  sick,  so  his  father 
daily  attends  to  the  printing  of  Continental  bills." 
its; 

"February  5  I  received  a  letter  from  Jacob  Rothrock 
together  with  a  uewspaper  from  Baltimore,  containing  intel- 
ligence that  peace  was  concluded,  and  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  of  North  America  had  been  acknowledged 
for  which  we  praised  God."  ' 

These  and  many  other  records  of   the  early 
history  of   York  county  show  the  connection  of 
this  family  with  the  development  of  our  county. 
Among  the  children  of  John  Rothrock,  spoken  of 
above  as  printing  Continental  bills,  was  George, 
born    May    24,    1781,    married    and    removed   to 
Bellefonte,   Penn.      His  youngest  child  was  Dr. 
H.    H.    Rothrock,    father   of    the    brothers    first 
spoken  of  in  the  foregoing.      He  was  born  Sep- 
tember 1,    1833,   near  Bellefonte,   on  what  was 
known  as  ' '  Mountain  Home. "     He  was  educated 
for  the  profession  of  dentistry,  and   followed   it 
throughout  the  greater  part   of  his   life,  retiring 
from  active  practice  some  years  ago.      He  was  a 
resident  of  Bellefonte  for  many  years,  and  was  a 
most   useful  man  and  citizen.     A  glance  at  the 
history  of  that  community  will  reveal  the  name 
of  Rothrock  connected  with  a  number  of  its  insti- 
tutions which  have  been  of  benefit  to  the  public 
in  general.      He  was   a   member  of  the  school 
board    at   Bellefonte    along   in   the   seventies,  at 
the  time  of  the  election  of  the  present  governor, 
Daniel  H.  Hastings,  as  principal  of  the  schools 
of  the  borough.      He  is  now  a  resident  of  Lock 
Haven. 

On  September  4,  1861,  Dr.  H.  H.  Rothrock 
was  married  to  Lydia  Ann  Canan,  who,  too,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  September  9, 
1843,  at  Stormstown.  Their  children  were:  Anna 
Virginia,  James  Herbert,  Clifford  Thompson, 
Marian  Amanda,  Ernest  Hart,  William  Canan 
and  Harold  Alton.  The  mother  of  these  died 
on  January  25,  1892.  She  had  led  an  exem- 
plary Christian  life,  and  was  beloved  by  many. 
James  H.  Rothrock  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Centre  county,  principally  at 
Bellefonte.  He  was  a  pupil"  under  Principal 
Hastings.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  began 
clerking  in  the  store  of  A.  W.  Reese  at  Port 
Matilda,  Penn.,  with  whom  he  remained  two 
years.  He  then  worked  for  two  years  at  dentist- 
ry under  the  instruction  of  his  father.  Follow- 
ing which    for    two    years   he  taught    school    in 


,■:,,; 


VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


<  .utre  and  Clinton  counties.      In    1890  he  and 
;  ,th(  r,  <       I      R  ithi  bed   their 

present  business  at   No.   48  Bellefonte  avenue, 
Lock  Haven.      Th  n  with  small  capital, 

but  by  careful  man 

to  business  both  I  d  business 

the)   have   built   up  a  large  trade.     Their 
ized  by  honor  and  in- 
tegrity .  and  rd  they  have  pr 
business  and   been  :  »ful.     Their  establish- 
ment  is  a  tirst-cl.i  n  which  a  $5,ooo-stock 
ds  is  carried.     They  are  out  of  debt,  have 

1 1  thousand  dollars 
cm  interest — a  period. 

Our  subject  is  a  meml  erol  the  Episcopal  Church, 
the  vestrymen  ol    the  Church   at 
!  Havei        In  politics  be  has  been  a  Repub- 

lican, but  now  has  strong  Prohibition  proclivities. 
K    T    in  degree  in  the   Masonic  order, 
ol    the   Blue  Lodge;  he  is  also  a 
if  the  K.  of  P.  and  of  the  K.  of  M.     On 
September  8,  [897,  he  was  married  at  New  York 
City  to  Miss  Lliza  Jane  Heltman,  ol  Mackeyville, 
Pennsylvania. 


ROB!  KT  S.  SMITH,  one   of  the   most  pros- 
•  tntial  agriculturist,  of  Clin- 
inty,  is  now  living  retired  at  his  pleasant 
home  in   Pine    Creek    township,   surrounded  by 
that  earnest  labor  has  brought  him. 
The  story  <>f  the   founders  of  this  nation  and  of 
•  onary  forefathers   is  interesting,  not 
only  from  a  historic  standpoint,   but  also  as  a 
source    of     inspiration     and     en 
■  ■th  ',  d   not   look  to  the  past .  the 

presi  fit  furnishes  many  examples  worthy  of  em- 
ulation in  the  men  who  have  risen  through  their 
own  efforts  to  positions  of  prominence  and  im- 
rtance  in   professional,  political  and  busim 
ro  this  1    is    belongs  Mr.  Smith. 
He  was  born   Septeml 
township,    Lyci  iming    (    >.,    Penn 
Thomas  and    Elizabeth    •  nith.     K 

•  Smith,  the  grandfather, 

nid    a    native    ol    Berks  county.    Penn., 
where  be  w  farm  and  educated 

in  the  public   s<  hools.     On  attaining   his  major- 

ived  'Ait.  ily  by  th 

King  to    L3  eating    ii     I 

Corners,     Piatt    township,    where    he   bought   a 
farm  of  130  acres,   on  which  hi 
the  necessary  buildings       1     the  cultivation  and 
•  mi  nt  of  his   farm   he  devoted  his  atten- 
throughout  the  remainder  ol  In-  lif< 
1  few  years  during   the   sprii  he  ran 


river  boats  on  the  West  branch,  and  "arks"  on 
the  Susquehanna  from  Jersey  Shore  to  Marietta, 
carrying  grain,  lumber  and  other  products  to 
market.  In  Lycoming  county,  he  married  Cath- 
arine Clark,  a  native  of  that  county,  and  to 
them  were  born  the  following  children:  George, 
wlii  1  in  farming  in   Ohio  until  his  death; 

fohn,  a  blacksmith  of  Lycoming  county,  where 
his  death  occurred;  Thomas,  the  father  of  our 
subject;  Abram.  a  farmer  of  Lycoming  countv, 
now  deceased;  Robert,  who  operated  the  old 
homestead;  Isaac,  who  died  on  his  farm  in  Ohio; 
William,  a  farmer  and  hotel  keeper,  who  died  in 
Lycoming  county;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Will- 
iam Crownover,  and  died  in  Lycoming  county; 
Annie,  wife  of  William  Bennett,  of  Level  Cor- 
ners, Lycoming  county;  and  Catharine,  wife  of 
Robert  Quigley,  of  the  same  county.  The  per- 
ents  of  these  children  both  died  on  the  old 
homestead  at  an  advanced  age,  and  were  laid 
to  rest  in  Pine  Creek  cemetery,  Lycoming  coun- 
ty. They  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church;  the  grandfather  was  a  strong  supporter 
of  the  Whig  party,  and  was  an  industrious,  en- 
ergetic and  highly  respected  citizen. 

Thomas  Smith,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  at  Level  Corners  December  i,  1795,  and  in 
the  subscription  schools  of  the  locality  obtained 
a  limited  education,  which  was  supplemented  by 

'  stud]  and  close  observation  in  later  years. 
He  remained  upon  the  home  farm  until  his  mar- 
riage m  [820,  and  then  for  three  years  rented  the 
Alam  King  place,  where  he  and  his  bride  began 
life  in  very  limited  circumstances,  but  they  pos- 
sessed stout  hearts  and  willing  hands,  and  pros- 

ty  at    length  crowned    their  efforts.      Having 

da  small  sum  of  money,  Mr.  Smith  invested 
the  same  in  a  tract  of  200  acres  in  Porter  town- 
ship, Lycoming  county,  of  which  only  fifty  acres 
had  been  cleared,  while  the  rest  was  still  covered 
with  timber.  Year  after  year  saw  more  land 
placed  under  cultivation  until  the  place  was  con- 
verted into  one  of  the  best  farms  of  the  town- 
ship, it  being  also  improved  with  good  and  sub- 
stantial buildings.      He   did  not   long  enjoy  his 

home,  however,  as   he  was  called  from  this 
ember  15,  1831,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
six  years,  and  he  was  laid  by  the  side  of  his  par- 
ents in    Pine    Creek   cemetery,    where   a    marble 

ument  marks  his  last  resting  place.      He  « 
onian  Democrat  in   politics,  was 
the     leading    and    influential    men    of  his   party 
in      his     community,      and      acceptably     ser 

1 11  ector,  assessor    and    tax    collector 
in  Porter  township.      Both  he  and  his  wife  were 

est  and  faithful  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,    and    their    sterling    worth    and    many 


^r/t^^J)^,™^ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


657 


excellencies  of  character  gained  them  many 
friends. 

On  March  16,  1820,  at  Jersey  Shore,  Thomas 
Smith  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Gambel,  who 
was  born  near  that  place  April  14,  1S03,  a 
daughter  of  James  Gambel,  who  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  was  a  farmer  of  Piatt  town- 
ship. Lycoming  county.  She  died  in  18G6  at  the 
home  of  Andrew  McKinney,  her  son-in-law,  of 
Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county.  In  the 
family  were  four  children,  as  follows:  |  1  1  James 
G.,  born  Jul}'  1,  1822,  married  Susan  Webb, 
January  9,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Webb, 
and  four  children  were  born  to  them — Richard 
deceased,  Rebecca  J.,  Elizabeth  and  James. 
James  G.  was  a  farmer  of  Lycoming  county, 
and  died  in  Jersey  Shore  May  20,  1852.  His 
political  support  was  given  the  Democracy.  (2) 
Mary,  born  February  20,  1825,  married  Robert 
Stewart,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  and  died  at 
Fort  Scott,  Kans. ,  November  24,  r  8S5,  leaving 
nine  children.  (3)  Catharine,  born  October  30, 
1826,  married  Andrew  McKinney,  of  Frederick 
City,  Md.,  and  died  in  August,  18S4,  leaving 
four  children.  (4)  Robert  S.  completes  the 
family. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  two 
years  and  a  half  old  when  his  father  died,  and 
in  consequence  he  grew  up  without  a  father's 
loving  and  protecting  care.  In  an  old  log  school 
house  he  began  his  literary  education,  Alexan- 
der Hamilton  and  a  Mr.  Ross  being  among  his 
first  teachers,  and  he  also  pursued  his  studies 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  A.  McMurray  and  his 
cousin,  Rev.  Jacob  McMurray.  He  was  able 
to  attend  school  for  only  about  three  months 
out  of  the  year,  but  he  made  the  most  of  his  ad- 
vantages, and  being  a  keen  observer  and  great 
reader  he  has  become  a  well-informed  man, 
especially  on  the  leading  questions  of  the  day. 
Until  seventeen  years  of  age  he  remained  at 
home  with  his  mother,  but  in  1845  went  to 
Jersey  Shore,  where  he  served  a  three-years' 
apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's 
trade,  and  then  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
two  years.  In  1850  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  the  old  homestead,  where  the  following 
twenty  years  were  passed,  caring  for  his  mother 
in  her  declining  years.  He  replaced  the  old  log 
house  by  a  fine  brick  residence,  built  barns  and 
made  other  necessary  improvements,  the  cost  of 
which  amounted  to  over  $5,000.  In  1870,  how- 
ever, he  sold  the  place  to  the  son  of  Judge 
Ferguson,  and  purchased  the  Duncan  farm  of 
one  hundred  acres  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  where  in  1884  he  erected  the  finest 
brick  house  in  the  township,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000. 

42* 


He  also  erected  a  barn  and  other  buildings  at  a 
cost  of  $3,000.  In  1890  he  also  bought  the 
Goller  farm  of  ninety-seven  acres  in  the  same 
township,  and  upon  that  place  built  a  barn  val- 
ued at  $2,000  and  tobacco  sheds  at  a  cost  of 
$1,500.  He  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  tobacco 
growers  in  the  township,  devoting  twelve  acres 
each  year  to  the  cultivation  of  that  product. 
Always  a  thrifty,  industrious  and  progressive 
agriculturist,  he  met  with  a  well-deserved  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings,  and  is  now  enabled  to 
lay  aside  business  cares  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
his  former  toil. 

On  February  4',  1862,  in  Porter  township, 
Lycoming  county,  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to 
Miss  Nancy  McQ.  McKinney,  who  was  born  Oc- 
tober 11,  1836,  in  Turbut  township,  Northumber- 
land Co.,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Matthew  and 
Elizabeth  (Ferguson)  McKinney,  the  former  a 
farmer  of  Northumberland  and  Lycoming  coun- 
ties, and  an  uncle  of  Judge  J.  H.  McKinney,  of 
Pine  Creek  township.  Three  children  graced 
this  union,  namely:  Matthew  M. ,  born  December 
23,  1862,  died  of  diphtheria  in  February,  1863. 
1  _■  1  John  A.  G.,  born  September  5,  1864,  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Pine 
Creek  township  and  the  Jersey  Shore  Academy, 
and  now  operates  the  home  farm.  He  was  mar- 
ried February  2S,  1894,  to  Anna  M.  Harris,  a 
native  of  Pine  Creek  township,  and  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Amanda  (Bonnell)  Harris.  They 
became  the  parents  of  one  child — Helen  Virginia, 
who  was  born  October  5,  1895,  and  died  August 
6,  1896.  The  son  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
is  a  wide-awake,  progressive  business-man.  (3) 
Graham  McK.,  born  April  24,  1871,  was  educated 
in  the  same  schools  as  his  brother,  and  made 
farming  his  occupation.  On  February  20,  1895, 
he  married  Carrie  Jones,  a  daughter  of  John 
Jones,  of  Pine  Creek  township;  he  died  De- 
cember 19,  1896,  leaving  many  friends  as  well 
as  his  immediate  family  to  mourn  his  loss. 

As  a  Democrat,  our  subject  has  ever  taken  a 
commendable  interest  in  public  affairs,  but  has 
never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office  seek- 
ing, though  he  has  most  efficiently  served  as 
overseer  of  the  poor  in  his  township.  As  a  hus- 
band and  father  he  is  a  model  worthy  of  all  im- 
itation, and  he  is  unassuming  in  his  manner, 
sincere  in  his  friendships,  steadfast  and  unswerv- 
ing in  his  loyalty  to  the  right.  Throughout  his 
career  of  continued  and  far-reaching  usefulness, 
his  duties  have  been  performed  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  during  a  long  life  his  personal  honor 
and  integrity  are  without  blemish.  Both  he  and 
his  estimable  wife  are  faithful  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Jersey  Shore. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOOIiAPniCAL  RECORD. 


M   WILLIAMSON  PORTER.      On  reaching 
man's  allotted  years — threescore  and  ten — 

how  few  men  there  are  that  can  with  the  subject 
of  this  ty,  practically  speaking,  that  that 

span  oi  years  has  been  passed  within  one  hundred 
and  fifty  rods  of  the  place  of  his  birth. 

Mr.  Porter  is  now   living   retired  at   Mackey- 
ville,   Clinton   county,    i  the  leisure  and 

n forts  of  a  well-deserved  rest  after  a  long  life 
of  activity  and    toil.      He  has  descended   from   a 
patriotic   ancestry.       His    grandfather,     Samuel 
1    rter,  figured  conspicuously  in  the  Continental 
army   during    the    Revolutionary   war.      Born   in 
N   rth   Ireland   in    174''.  when   of  age   (1771)  he 
came  to  America.      He  resided  in   (  h<  ster  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  and  in  October.   1770.  the  date  <»f  his 
enlistment  in  the  army  in  Capt    Hawkins  Boone's 
npany  <'f  the   12th  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  of 
which  William  Cooke  u..^  colonel,  was  living   in 
Buffalo  Valley   (now   I'nion  county).      In  Jul 
1777,   he   was   detached   with   Capt.   Boone  and 
1    rifleman  to   Col.  Daniel    Morgan's  rifle 
nd,  and  was  in  several  engagements  | 
ng    Burgoyne's  capture,  and  at  his  surrender 
In     177S    the     [2th    and    other    regiments    were 
merged  Into  the  3rd,  commanded  by  Col.  Craig, 
but   Mr.  Porter,   continuing   with   the  rifle  com- 
1.    participated    under    Maj.    James   Parr  in 
Sullivan's  campaign  against   the  Indians  in  1799. 
Alter    taking   part    in    twenty-two   engagements, 
ping   without    a   wound,    he   was  discharj 
\"lt  c.f  tli.'    Pennsylvania  Line  ti 
service,  with  the  followiti  ficate:      "  Thi 

to  >  ertify  that  tl  imuel  P01  !ier, 

ha\  1  in  the  jrd  regiment  of  Pennsylvania 

during    the   trim    of    his  is   now  dis- 

charged from  tic  of  the  United  Mates  of 

1  ica. 
1  i  a  Trenton  this  2  1st  of  |anuar\ ,  A     1 1 

An  i  ik'Ny  Wayne,  B,  G 
Thi  -    married  in    (  hest<  r  county 

•    Futha,   who    was  born  at 

About     1790   the)    with    oth 
pushed   their  way   up   Fishing  creek  in  a  canoe, 
and  bought  I  squatter  a   tract  <.(  300  acres 

of  excel],  nt   bottom   land,   for   which   thi 
thirty  dollars.     The  improvements   on  thi    | 
>  primitive  type      The  ho 
1I1    wi  re  constructed   of  i-  !L>d  with  1 

:n  the  beautiful 
Nittan)    Valley.      The    childi 

re:     Jarrn  died    adult 

1  at  Lock  Haven;  Polly  reached  . 
tut.  md    died     at     S  unmarri 

Ann    also    reached    mature'   age,     never   man 
and    died    at   Salona.      In  their    religious   vi 

lily    were    Presbyterians.      The    father 


was  a  stanch  Democrat.  His  death  occurred 
at  the  old  homestead  on  January  10,  1825. 
and  his  wife's  some  years  previously.  His 
remains  rest  in  the  old  cemetery  in  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county.  Of  their  children, 
James  Porter,  born   in  Chester  county,  April  1, 

;,  married  Miss  Margaret  Williamson,  who 
was  born  in  the  Cumberland  Valley,  Penn.,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1788.  The)-  began  their  married  life 
near  Mackeyville,  going  to  housekeeping  in  a  log 
cabin  in  Lamar  township.  For  a  time  the  hus- 
band followed  teaming,  hauling  iron  to  Pittsburg 
and  store  goods  back,  the  trip  requiring  four 
weeks.  Farming,  however,  was  his  chief  occu- 
pation. He  was  a  great  hunter  and  enjoyed  the 
sport.  He  had  a  farm  of  400  acres  which  he 
cleared  with  the  aid  of  his  sons,  and  man.u 
successfully,  and  he  operated  a  sawmill  on  Fish- 
ing creek.  He  killed  bear  and  deer,  which  were 
plentiful  at  that  time,  and  pheasants  in  their 
season  were  so  numerous  that  one  of  the  sons 
says  he  had  often  seen  him  shoot  them  through 
the  raised  window.  His  death  occurred  Novem- 
ber 15.  1852,  while  on  a  hunting  expedition  in 
the  Cooper  settlement,  Clearfield  county,  amo 
the  Alleghany  Mountains,  dying  suddenly  after 
eating  a  hearty  breakfast.  His  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  at  Salona.  His  widow 
survived  until  1861,  dying  near  Mackeyville, 
March    16.      She    was    well    educated,    a    great 

ler,  and  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinal)  in- 
telligence. They  were  plain  but  good  people. 
industrious,  and  made  the  kindest  of  neighbors 
and  best  of  citizens.  He,  while  reared  in  the 
byterian  Church,  later  in  life  became  a  Meth- 
odist. He  was  a  large  and  powerfully  built 
man,  just  such  as  was  needed  in  the  opening  up 
of  a  new  country.  Their  children  were:  Martha, 
married  Samuel  Bridgens,  and  died  at  Salona: 
Samuel  was  a  canal  boatman,  and  died  in  Flem- 
ington;    Harriet    married  Willis   Mann,  and   died 

feagertown,  Mifflin  county;  Barbara  J.  mar- 
ried Joseph  Reeseman,  and  died  in  Wisconsin; 
Adolphus  died  in  boyhood;  Elizabeth  also  died 
whei  >ung;   James    H.    is  a  farmer  in 

Nittany  Valley;   Margaret  is  the  widow  of  Hon. 
J.  G.  Eldred,  of  Mackeyville;  William  T.  resides 

»gle  county.  III.;  R.  Williamson  is  our  sub- 
ject; and  Nancy,  who  died  in  Mackeyville.      The 

therof  these  was  the  daughter  of  Moses  Will- 
iamson   and     Barbara    Walters,    the    former    of 

tch-Irish  and  the  latter  of  German  lineage. 
s  Williamson  was  a   merchant.      He  moved 
from  the  Cumberland  Valley  to  Lewistown,  Miff- 
lin count)-,    where    he   carried   on    business,  and 
branch  store  in  the  Kishacoquil- 
las  Valley,  conveying  his  goods  to  the  latter  point 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


059 


in  a  keel-bottomed  boat.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
and  large  heart,  and  ruined  himself  in  business 
by  extending  too  great  a  credit.  He  failed  in 
business,  and  with  the  little  that  was  left  after 
settling  up  his  affairs  he  bought  at  a  tax  sale  800 
acres  of  land,  paying  for  it  ten  cents  per  acre. 
This  land  was  located  on  Fishing  creek  in  what 
is  now  Porter  township,  Clinton  county,  and  on 
a  portion  of  this  tract  he  resided  and  died  here, 
and  was  buried  at  Jacksonville,  Centre  county. 
While  living  at  Lewistown  he  represented  his 
district  in  two  sessions  of  the  Legislature.  He 
and  his  brother,  Thomas  Williamson,  of  Carlisle, 
surveyed  and  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  in  La- 
mar and  Porter  townships.  His  children  were: 
Margaret,  Joseph,  Thomas,  Mary  A.,  Harriet, 
Nancy,  and  Robert. 

R.  Williamson  Porter  was  born  March  14, 
1828,  on  the  homestead  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Mackeyville.  With  the  exception  of  one  winter, 
his  school  days  were  passed  in  the  little  log 
school  house  that  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  road  from  the  site  of  the  present  house  in 
the  homestead  neighborhood  (the  exception  be- 
ing in  a  house  on  his  father's  farm).  He  now 
vividly  recalls  in  his  mind's  vision  the  scenes  of 
those  days  of  the  long-ago,  and  is  startled  when 
he  thinks  of  how  few  are  left  of  the  many  who 
came  and  went  from  that  house.  In  those  days 
the  quill  pen  was  used,  and  it  was  no  small  part 
of  the  teacher's  work  to  keep  them  in  order.  Mr. 
Porter  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  lived  in  the 
days  of  the  sickle,  the  scythe,  and  the  cradle — 
when  to  live  on  a  farm  meant  work.  His 
father  was  a  good  manager  and  always  found 
work  to  keep  the  boys  busy.  Our  subject  re- 
mained at  home  for  several  years  after  he  be- 
came of  age.  For  two  years  after  the  death  of 
his  father,  R.  Williamson  and  his  brother,  William 
T.,  farmed  the  homestead.  Subsequently  the 
former  with  the  widowed  mother  left  the  farm, 
moving  to  Mackeyville  and  into  the  house  in 
which  our  subject  now  resides  and  owns.  The 
mother,  however,  finally  returned  to  the  farm 
where  she  died.  From  the  time  our  subject 
moved  to  the  village  up  to  some  two  years  ago 
he  worked  at  various  occupations.  By  his  in- 
dustrious habits,  good  management  and  the 
practice  of  economy  he  has  become  well-to-do, 
retiring  from  the  activities  of  life  with  a  com- 
petence. He  has  been  married  three  times.  His 
first  wife  was  Mary  Beck,  who  bore  him  one  child 
— Mary,  that  died  in  infancy.  His  second  wife 
was  Miss  Elizabeth  Gummo,  who  died  without 
issue.  For  his  third  wife  he  married  Leah  Beck 
(sister  of  the  first  wife).  The  third  Mrs.  Porter 
also  died  without   issue.      Mr.  Porter  is  a  citizen 


of  unquestioned  integrity,  and  commands  the 
the  highest  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  unassuming  in  manner  and  of  a  most 
social  turn.  He  has  been  a  useful  citizen  in  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Church,  is  treasurer  and  steward  of  his  home 
Church.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  served 
without  pay  as  the  sexton.  He  gave  much  of 
his  time  and  contributed  liberally  toward  the 
building  of  the  church  edifice  there  at  Mackey- 
ville, giving  at  one  time  $650.  He  was  one  of 
the  building  committee,  and  during  the  time  the 
edifice  was  being  built  and  paid  for,  he  did  what 
he  considers  about  the  hardest  work  of  his  life,  yet 
it  was  a  labor  of  love  as  his  Church  relations  have 
ever  been  close  and  dear  to  his  heart.  Mr.  Por- 
ter is  identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  being  a 
member  of  the  Great  Island  Lodge  No.  320,  at 
Lock  Haven.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 
Residing  among  the  mountains  for  so  many  years 
and  travelling  over  them  so  often,  Mr.  Porter  is 
most  familiar  with  all  localities,  knowing  every 
nook  and  corner.  He  at  one  time  while  hunting 
at  night  shot  and  killed  a  deer  at  a  lick  without 
seeing  the  animal,  and  when  it  was  too  dark  to 
see  his  gun.  He  did  this  by  locating  the  deer 
through  the  sound  made  by  it  when  taking  the 
gravel  into  its  mouth. 


ACOB  SCOTT,  one   of  the  substantial   and 
;    prosperous    business    men    of    Lock   Haven, 
Clinton  county,  was  born  April  10,   1840,  at 
Hazleton,  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Simon  Scott,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  May  2,  181 5,  at  Rodelheim,  near 
Frankfort-on-the-Main.  He  came  to  America 
when  only  a  lad  of  fifteen  years.  He  set  out  in 
life  with  a  fixed  purpose  to  become  independent, 
and  for  years  worked  at  whatever  his  hands  found 
to  do.  For  a  time  he  was  a  peddler.  Later  he 
located  at  Pottsville,  Penn.,  where  he  began  fol- 
lowing mercantile  pursuits,  on  a  small  scale  at 
first,  which  business  he  increased  as  his  means 
and  the  trade  justified.  He  remained  there  sev- 
enteen or  eighteen  years,  and  prospered.  From 
Pottsville  he  moved  to  Pine  Creek,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, where  he  was  a  merchant  until  he  came  to 
Lock  Haven.  He  here  carried  on  a  general 
store,  and  some  years  later  was  also  engaged  in 
operating  a  tannery.  He  was  an  energetic  and 
industrious  man  of  good  business  ability,  and  met 
with  success.  He  was  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive, and,  as  a  citizen,  he  was  a  valuable  man  to 
Lock  Haven.  His  death  occurred  on  October  6, 
1892.  His  wife,  whom  he  married  April  20,  183S, 
was  Julia  Ann  Horn,  born  in  1820,  at  Hazleton, 


661 1 


VORATn  GRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


\w  i  and  Lewis. 

are  livii 

Jao       Scott  Lock 

Haven  and  Penn.,  and 

pleting  hi-  ■  he  followed  in  the  i< 

df  Ins  (ath-  rking  in  the  mercantile  busi- 

-.  in  which  he  is  still  I.     He  h 

ciated   in   business  with  him   his  brother,  Lewis 

the   tinii   being   Sc  tt    Bi 
Th'  tin,  and 

largely  in  i  This  firm  is  one  ->f  the 

soli  i  Haven ;    it   does  a  I 

the   men   being  conservative 
and  careful.     J  5     tt  is  the  first  vie 

.  1  laven  Tru  I  iny.      1 1 

a  finam  shown  in  th-'  manner 

in  which  he  has  managed  his  own  airs. 

He  is  a  man  nd  influence.      In  politics 

he  is  a  Den 

(  in  May  I-1  nr  subject  was  marrii 

linnet,  daughti  i  ol  Samuel  and  Mary  Smith,  of 

children   ha. 
-  this  ma:  Mary  J.  I  Mrs    '  ■  ■ 

Mrs    J.    E    I  >rofbaugh  i,  and 
Miriam    Mrs    J.  II    Fursl  .     The  motherof  tl 

t   New  York,  born   Maj   i  ;.   1 842,    it 
Dansville;  nan 

•  I  w  inning  maimers  that 
friends. 


1 1  I  I  AM    F     SPERRING.  a   typical  self- 
l\L  of  the  1  I ative 

I     1  k  Haven,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, is  the  popular  bookkeeper  an  1  ol  the 

ity 

Mr.    Sperrii  t    Pennsylvania, 

m  Clinl  ty,  a  son  of 

1 1-  m\  and  Jan.  th  of  1  ng- 

lisli  nativity,  coming   to  the  United   States  with 

theii    1  family 

Farrai  I  linton   ■  mi. 

1 1-  m\   E  n  at  Ta  nd, 

June  2 - ' ,   1823,  and 

then  in  1  at 

Im  1 !  .  near  Bolton,  Lancashire,  England, 

,   on   the  li<  Lit  •  ■  Dewart 
Clinton,  '  and   landed  in   New    '1  1  - , 

[831  ■.  then  six  \ 

Henry  £ 
in  the  lumbering  and  coal   b 
ville  and  Whetham,  1  ly  in   th 

I     ck  Haven,  li\  ing  there  in  retii 
ten  II-     t!  m    the  . 

twenty 

died   1;  H 


very  active  man  and    patriotic  citizen,  and  while 

sident  of    Lock    Haven    he  served  in  the  city 

ncil,  on  the  school  board,  and  in  other  local 

tions.      His  widow    is  still   living  at  the  ad- 

vani  f  seventy-four  years,  and  in  the  en- 

1  health.      Five  of  this  honored 

1    a  also  survix-  \  :      Mrs.  J. 

i,l  t  Clinton  county;  A.    B.,  living  near 

Mill    Hall;    Ruth    A.,  at    home;  William  F.,  our 

1    Mrs.    W.    T.    Turner,   of   Keating 

Summit. 

William  F.  Si  g    received    his  education 

at  the  Lock  Haven  public  schools,  subsequently 
takii  -mess  course  under  Prof.  S.  N.  (  hris- 

t  ]  Haven,  Mr.  Sperring  being  his  hr>t 

hl.it-.      On  :    subject 

accepted  a  position  as  bookk  A.   Pardee 

&    Son,    lumbermen,    with    whom    he  remained 
eleven  years,  in  April.  [888,  coming  to  bis  pi 

bookkeeper  ami  cashier  of  the 
Holloway  Bottling  Company.  Beginning  life's 
struggles  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  has 
by  application  and  energy  advanced  rapidly  by 
In-  own  effi  II 

In    March.    [886     William   F.    Sperring  was 
married   to  R    Margaret    Brut  -man.  dauf 

in  A.  Brutzman,  of  Lock  Haven,  and  one 
child.  Ada  Elizabeth,  brightens  their  hom<  Mrs. 
Sperring  is  a  member  of  the  English  Lutheran 
I  hun  h  Socially  Mr.  Sperring  is  affiliated  with 
the  B.  P.  O.  E.;  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
-polies;  he  is  a  member  of  the 
sch-  I,  -  il  which  he  is  treasun 


A 


N.    HECKMAN,  a  wealth)  retired  agricult- 
PS*.   urist    residing   at    Lamar,  Clinton   county, 
ne  of  the  county's  most   valued  citizens,  and 

belongs  to   ;i    family    which   has   been   for   main 
lentified  with  the    best   interests  of   this 
m. 
John  Hickman,  the   grandfather  of  oui  sub- 
was  a  prosperous  farmer  in    Penn's  Valley 
in  the  early  days,  but   his  last  years   were  spent 
11  a  farm  in  Sugar  Valley,  in  Green  township, 
nt}        His   son   John    (2),    the   latii- 1 
March  9,  1810,  in  Penn's 
Vail  panied    his  patents  to  their 

where  he  grew    to    manhood.     On 
July    12,    if  I  to    Miss   Anna 

Maria  Brungart,  wh  rn  August  16,  1 81 1, 

the  and   Susanna    Brungart. 

Alter  hi  ubject's  father  continued 

in   a  small  house  in 

the  .  and    later   he   had  charge   of 

the  ■  but  finally  purchased  the 

1.      He   had    a  good  start  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


661 


life,  receiving  $500  from  his  father  at  the  time  of 
marriage,  and  by  his  successful  management  he 
accumulated  a  handsome  propety.  In  1863  he 
bought  the  "Arnold  Custard"  farm  in  the  Nit- 
tany  Valley,  and  in  the  spring  of  1873  removed 
to  that  locality,  retiring  from  active  business. 
He  afterward  purchased  the  John  Watson  farm 
of  1 13  acres  for  $14,799.68.  He  was  an  indus- 
trious man,  full  of  resolution,  and  invariably  ful- 
filled his  promises.  At  the  same  time  he  enjoyed 
life,  taking  pleasure  when  it  came  rightfully,  and 
he  lived  to  see  his  eighty-second  year,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  Porter  township,  Clinton  county.  In 
politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Demo- 
crat, but  beyond  voting  regularly  he  paid  little  at- 
tention to  public  affairs.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  in  his  locality,  in  which  he  held  various 
offices,  and  to  which  he  gave  liberally.  His  es- 
timable wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years, 
and  the  remains  of  both  were  interred  in  St. 
Paul's  cemetery  in  Porter  township,  Clinton 
county.  Of  their  nine  children,  the  first,  a  son, 
died  in  infancy  unnamed.  Harriet,  born  Sep- 
tember 30,  1836,  died  May  6,  1837.  A  son  and 
daughter  (twins),  born  March  20,  1838,  died  in 
infancy.  Thomas,  born  February  3,  1840,  died 
September  8,  1843.  Saul,  born  August  18, 
1842,  died  September  8,  1843.  A.  N.,  our  sub- 
ject, was  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  Eve,  born 
March  12,  1847,  is  now  Mrs.  D.  S.  Royer,  of 
Springfield,  Ohio.  Harvey  B,,  born  September 
29,  1850,  died  October  14,  1868. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1844,  in  Logan  township,  Clinton  county, 
and  was  reared  at  the  old  homestead.  In  the 
winter  of  1850-51  he  began  to  attend  school  in  a 
house  which  stood  upon  his  father's  farm,  Will- 
iam McGhee  being  his  first  teacher.  A  primer, 
spelling  book  and  the  New  Testament  were  the 
only  text  books,  but  as  his  father  placed  a  high 
estimate  upon  an  education,  he  was  regular  in  at- 
tendance and  made  the  best  of  his  opportunities. 
In  early  manhood  he  married  Miss  Catherine  A. 
Sankey,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Kratzer) 
Sankey,  well-known  residents  of  Sugar  Valley. 
After  this  event  he  continued  to  reside  with  his 
father  at  the  Logan  township  homestead  until 
1 87 1,  when  he  removed  to  the  "Arnold  Custard 
farm  "  in  Nittany  Valley,  and  later  he  purchased 
the  place  at  $100  per  acre.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  business,  and  has  never  been  in- 
volved in  litigation,  his  kindly  disposition  enabling 
him  to  live  in  peace  with  all  men.  In  the  spring 
of  1888  he  retired  from  active  business,  and  in 
1 89 1  he  left  the  farm  and  located  at  Lamar, 
where  he  had  built  a  comfortable  home. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heckman  have  had  five  sons, 
of  whom  three  are  living:  (i)  Charles  A.,  a 
farmer  in  Porter  township,  Clinton  county,  mar- 
ried Miss  Naomi  J.  Gramley,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren— Grace  and  Florence.  (2)  William  E. 
died  of  scarlet  fever  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  (3) 
John  E.,  a  farmer  in  Porter  township,  married 
Miss  Emma  Bartges,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Ruth.  (4)  Luther  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
from  scarlet  fever,  and  was  buried  in  the  same 
grave  with  his  brother  William.  (5)  Samuel 
H.,  a  clerk  at  Lock  Haven,  married  Miss  Jennie 
Kreamer,  of  Center  Hall,  and  has  one  child, 
Catherine. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Heckman  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  since 
1872  he  has  been  continuously  in  office  with  the 
exception  of  one  year.  He  served  as  elder  for 
twelve  years,  and  for  some  time  was  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday-school.  He  and  his  sons  are 
all  stanch  Republicans,  and  he  has  held  various 
township  offices  while  others  have  been  declined, 
as  he  has  little  inclination  for  public  affairs. 
Educational  matters  command  especial  interest, 
however,  and  at  one  time  he  served  as  school 
director  for  six  years  in  succession.  Socially,  he 
is  identified  with  the  well-known  order  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry. 


LW.  SHULER.  Prominent  among  the  rep- 
resentative farmers  of  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county,  and  one  of  its  worthy  citizens, 
is  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
article.  He  is  entirely  a  self-made  man  in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  word,  having  been  the  ar- 
chitect of  his  own  fortunes,  and  he  has  secured  a 
comfortable  competence,  aided  only  by  his 
strong  arms,  indomitable  energy  and  laudable 
ambition. 

Mr.  Shuler  was  born  on  February  24,  1825, 
in  Porter  township,  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Walkay)  Shuler.  The  mother  died  in  that 
township  in  1858,  and  later  the  father  was  again 
married.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Cedarville,  111., 
but  spent  his  last  days  in  Iowa,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1876.  During  early  life  he  worked 
at  the  cooper's  trade,  but  was  later  a  millwright 
for  many  years. 

Our  subject,  with  the  exception  of  five  years, 
has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Porter  township,  liv- 
ing in  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  from  the  age  of 
thirteen  to  eighteen.  During  his  boyhood  and 
youth  he  aided  his  father  in  his  work,  and  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  empty-handed.  In  1847 
he  and  his  father  together  purchased  fifty  acres 
of  land  in  Porter  township,  which  has  since  been 


OOMMBMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RBOORD. 


his  home  and  which  he  placed  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  and  improved  with  good  and  sub- 
stantial buildings.  When  his  father  removed  to 
the  West  be  purchased  his  interest,  and  has 
made  of  the  place  an  excellent  and  valuable 
farm;  has  since  added  to  it  by  purchase  ioo 
acres,  having  now  i  50  acres. 

L.    W.    chiller    was    married    at    the    age    of 
twenty-seven  years,  the  lady  of  his  choice  bi 
Miss   Catharine    Smith,   also  a   native  of  Porter 
township,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Smith.     They 

ime  the  parents  of  three  daughters,  namely: 

hi  E.,  wife  of  Noah  Suavely,  of  Porter  town- 
ship; Mary  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  -  n.ih  A  .  wife  "I  John  1  >sman,  of  1 
ter  township.  The  wife  and  mother,  who  was  a 
tunable  lady,  was  called  to  her  linal  rest 
September  J,  and  her  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  terj  al  Mackeyville.  The 
father  is  unwavering  in  his  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
is  a  faithful  and  at  member  of  the  United 

ngelical    Church,    in    the    work  of  which   he 
takes  a;.  ninent  part.    He  has  also 

held  various  Church  offices,  and  no  citizen  in 
Nittany  Valley  is  held  in  higher  r<  p<  t  He  has 
lost  over  $1,000  in  going  security  for  friends,  but 
his  own  honesty  and  integrity  are  above  ques- 
tion, his  word  being  considered  as  good  as  his 
bond. 


J1 'UN  BERRY,  om     >i    Loganton's  oldest  and 
highly-i  I  citizens,  was  born  near  that 

Valley,  then  a  part  of  Centre 
county,  but  now  Clinton  county,  March  S,  1 
I  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Jan  grandfather,  was  a  native 

M     5.,  where  he  received  a  good  edu- 
tion,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  Penn- 
pending  some  time  in  !.•  bam  m  coun- 
ty.     He  then   removed  to  Brush  Valley,   Centre 
unty,  whei  irehased  a  farm  and  built 

:  house  in  Rebersburg.      He  conducted  as' 
th(  ielling  out  went 

Franktown,  then  a  pari  ol  Huntingdon  coun- 
ty, where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
where  his  remain-  were  interred.  In  Lebanon 
county  he  had   wedded    Mary    Krichbaimi,    who 

man   ancestry,  and   the) 
■  me  the    parents. ol    the  following    clnl.ii 

l    .  1 1-  nry,  \\  illiam  K  ,  and 
Catharine,  wife  of  John  Bierly,  of  I '.rush  Valley. 
All  of  the  sons  followed  fanning,  and  made  their 
hoim  m  ( >hio  with  the  exception  of  the  father  of 
subject,  andj  ihn  I  ntof  [ohnstown, 

ni.     The  grandmother  dud  m  Brush  Valley 
at  the  horn.  i|   her  children.      Both  she 


and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  in  politics,  he  was  an  Old-line  Whig. 

William  K.  Berry,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  1803,  in  Brush  Valley,  and  in  the  public 
schools  obtained  a  good  education  in  both  En- 
glish and  German,  it  being  the  intention  of  his 
parents  at  one  time  to  educate  him  for  the  min- 
istry. In  early  life  he  learned  the  trades  of  shoe- 
making  and  stonecutting,  and  for  some  time  fol- 
lowed the  former  during  the  winter  season  and 
the  latter  in  the  summer  months.  Subsequently 
he  came  to  Sugar  Valley  and  bought  a  farm  of 
103  acres  near  Loganton,  in  Green  township,  now 
owned  by  Conrad  Bowersox.  He  made  all  the  im- 
provements upon  the  place,  including  the  erection 
of  a  good  residence,  barns  and  outbuildings,  and 
made  it  his  home  until  called  from  this  life.  His 
remains  were  interred  in  the  Loganton  cemetery 
near  the  Evangelical  Church,  of  which  he  was  a 
most  active  and  consistent  member.  By  his  first 
vote  he  supported  the  Whig  party,  later  became  a 
strong  Abolitionist,  and  on  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  joined  its  ranks.  He  served 
as  overseer  of  the  poor  in  Green  township,  and 
also  as  school  director,  auditor  and  tax  collector. 
He  was  temperate  in  all  his  habits,  was  well 
liked  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  In 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Esther  Friedley,  who  was  born  near  Carlisle, 
in  Cumberland  county,  Penn.  Her  father,  Lud- 
wig  Friedley,  was  a  member  of  Washington's 
body  guard  for  six  years  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  She  died  on  the  home  farm,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  by  the  side  of  her  husband.  In  their  fam- 
ilj  were  eleven  children:  Sophia,  widow  of 
Peter  Karstetter;  James,  who  died  in  Loganton; 
William  1  deceased  1;  John,  of  this  sketch  ;  Thomas, 
a  farmer  of  Arkansas;  Priscilla,  deceased  wife  of 
Jonathan  Confer,  of  Green  township,  Clinton 
county;  Euilla,  who  died  in  Jewell  county,  Kans. ; 

ih,    who  died    unmarried;    Delila,   who  died 
in    infancy;    Catharine,     wife    of    J.    Frank,     of 
□    township;    and    Lewis   F. ,    who  died  in 
I 

During  his  childhood  and  youth  John   Berry 

nded  the  public  schools  of  Salona,-  Nittany 
Valley  and  Loganton,  and  started  out  in  life  for 
himself  as  a  farm  hand,  working  in  that  way 
until    eig  1  ars  of  age,  when  he  spent  one 

1  in  learning  the  stonecutter's  and  mason's 
trade  with  his  lather.  The  next  year  he  worked 
for  John  Struck,  and  continued  to  follow  that 
trade  for  twenty  years,  during  which  time  he  cut 
the  first  n  building  the  railroad  bridge 

at  Muncy,  Northumberland  Co.,  Penn.      He  was 
n   the  lumber  woods  during  the 
winter  season  when  work  at  his  trade  was  scarce. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


663 


On  March  1 1,  1847,  at  Tusseyville,  in  Georges 
Valley,  Centre  county,  Mr.  Berry  was  married  to 
Miss  Catharine  Morris,  who  was  born  February 
10,  1827,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Daniel  R.  and 
Abigail  (Mowery)  Morris,  and  they  have  now 
traveled  life's  journey  together  for  over  fifty 
years,  sharing  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its  adversity 
and  prosperity.  Six  children  came  to  brighten 
the  home  by  their  presence,  namely:  Sebilla  J., 
wife  of  Harvey  Smith,  of  Johnsonburg,  Penn.; 
Elmira,  wife  of  Jared  Karstetter,  of  Oregon; 
Dora,  wife  of  Samuel  Goodman,  of  Loganton, 
Penn.;  W.  Scott  and  E.  O.,  who  died  when 
young;  and  J.  Curtin,  an  engineer  living  in  Lo- 
ganton. 

During  the  Civil  war  our  subject  manifested 
his  patriotism  by  enlisting,  August  24,  1864,  in 
the  United  States  service.  He  was  appointed  a 
recruiting  officer,  and  from  Clinton,  Centre  and 
Luzerne  counties  he  formed  a  company,  which 
was  mustered  in  as  Company  G,  210th  P.  V.  I., 
of  which  he  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant, 
serving  under  Capt.  Wilson  P.  Palmer  and  Col. 
YV.  T.  Sargant,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
Fifth  Corps,  Second  Division,  Third  Brigade. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg, Hatcher's  Run,  Dabney  Mills,  Stone  Creek, 
Five  Forks,  Gravel  Run,  Weldon  Railroad  Raid, 
and  also  took  part  in  the  Grand  Review  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  Being  taken  ill,  he  was  for 
four  weeks  confined  in  the  Fourth  Ward  City 
Point  hospital,  and  when  the  war  was  over  was 
mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 

In  1 87 3  Mr.  Berry  became  a  resident  of  Lo- 
ganton, where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and 
until  18S2  he  continued  to  follow  lumbering,  but 
is  now  retired,  though  he  is  still  quite  strong  and 
enjoys  excellent  health.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Evangelical  Church,  and  in  politics  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  He  was  appointed  postmaster 
under  President  Lincoln,  and  served  for  four  years 
under  Grant.  He  also  filled  the  same  office  for 
four  years  in  Loganton  under  President  Harrison, 
and  has  been  overseer  of  the  poor,  constable  five 
terms,  and  supervisor  three  terms.  He  proved 
a  popular  and  capable  official,  and  discharged 
the  duties  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned. 


JACOB  A.  BITNER,  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive, thorough  and  systematic  agricult- 
urists of  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county, 
was  born  November  28,  1S37,  in  the  same  town- 
ship, a  son  of  Christian  Bitner,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  1803  near  Eagleville,  in  Centre  coun- 
ty,  Penn.     The    paternal    grandfather,   when   a 


boy,  removed  with  his  parents  from  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  to  Liberty  township,  Centre 
county,  becoming  one  of  its  honored  pioneers 
and  leading  farmers.  His  death  occurred  near 
Eagleville.  In  his  family  were  sixteen  children, 
and  his  wife  by  her  first  marriage  was  the  mother 
of  another  child. 

Christian  Bitner,  the  second  son  of  his  par- 
ents, was  reared  as  a  farmer  boy.  Although 
small,  he  was  a  great  worker,  and  in  his  younger 
years  devoted  much  time  to  the  occupations  of 
threshing  and  chopping  wood.  At  one  time  he 
and  another  gentleman  contested  for  a  wager  of 
$10,  and  between  sunrise  and  sunset  Mr.  Bitner 
chopped  eleven  cords  of  wood,  while  his  adver- 
sary chopped  nine.  This  contest  attracted  uni- 
versal attention  throughout  this  section  of  the 
State  at  that  time. 

In  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  Chris- 
tian Bitner  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Dice, 
who  was  born  in  that  township,  in  1803,  a 
daughter  of  George  Dice,  a  weaver  by  trade. 
She,  too,  learned  that  occupation,  and  from  the 
flax  which  our  subject  often  gathered,  would 
weave  the  cloth  for  the  clothes  of  her  family. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bitner  began  their  domestic  life 
upon  a  farm  owned  by  a  Mr.  Miller,  the  first 
sheriff  of  Clinton  county,  and  from  that  place 
removed  to  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  Beech  Creek 
township,  Clinton  county.  After  renting  there 
for  some  time,  the  father  located  in  Nittany  Val- 
ley, where  he  became  one  of  the  first  successful 
corn  raisers  of  the  Valley.  The  first  land  that 
he  ever  owned  is  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our 
subject,  but  when  the  family  removed  to  the 
place  in  1842  but  one  field  had  been  cleared,  it 
being  the  present  orchard,  which  the  parents 
planted.  In  imitating  them  our  subject  planted 
an  apple  seed  in  a  tea  cup,  and  as  it  sprouted,  it 
was  later  set  out  in  the  orchard,  and  is  to-day  an 
excellent  tree,  of  the  variety  known  as  the  golden 
pippin.  Although  the  father  had  but  fifty  cents 
at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  he  succeeded  in  ac- 
cumulating a  good  property  through  his  own  in- 
dustry, good  management  and  perseverance. 
His  political  support  was  always  given  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  he  faithfully  served  his  fellow 
citizens  in  the  capacity  of  supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship. For  many  years  he  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Christian  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  prominent 
and  active  member,  and  to  which  his  estimable 
wife  also  belonged.  They  are  both  now  de- 
ceased, the  father  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  eighty- six, 
and  their  remains  were  interred  in  the  Disciple 
cemetery  at  Salona. 

The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple  were 


I  OMMl  MtiKATIVF  BIOOBAPBICAL  RECORD. 


I  1  'r.  Eli  Parry,  and 
■    I    ck  Haven;    George  D.  was  a  medical 
student  at  the  time  of  hi  being  accident- 

ally drowned  a  short  distance  below  Columbia, 
in  Lancaster  county;  John  is  a  farmer  of  Dunns- 
burg;  Mary  S.  died  in  girlhood;  Jacob  A  is  our 
subjei  t;  Harriet  C  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Wass 
<>f  Toronto,  Woodson  Co.,  Kans.;  and  two  died 
in  infancy. 

In   the  Salem    -  under  the  direction  of 

Wesle)  Ferree  \    Bitner  began  his  lil 

ary  education,  but  his  privileges  along  that  line 
were  very  limited,  as  he  was  never  able  to  at- 
tend a  full  term,  and  the  schools  of  that  day  were 
verj  po  i  During  his  boyhood  he  would  ride 
the  horses  used  in  threshing  on  the  barn  floor, 
and  perform  other  labors  about  the  farm.  At 
tin-  age  ot  twenty-one  he  taught  a  four-months' 
school  in  Sugar  Valley,  but  he  continued  to  make 
his  norm  with  his  parents,  never  leaving  the  old 
homestead,  where  he  still  continues  to  reside. 
1  r  several  years  after  his  marriage  he  rei 
the  place,  and  subsequently  purchased  the  inter- 
•  of  the  other  heirs.  In  [878  he  built  a  good 
barn,  and  five  years  later  erected  his  pleasant 
residence  lb  has  also  added  to  the  original 
tract  until  he  now  has  1  12  acres. 

On  December  7,  in   Clinton  count\. 

our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  E.  Hall, 
wh(  rn  October  22,   1S44.  in  Beech  Creek 

township,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Mc- 
Closkey)  Hall,  in  whose  family  were  eight  chil- 
dren :  -  and  five  daughters.  Mrs.  Bit- 
is  the  oldest,  and  acquired  her  education  in 
thi  By  her  marriage  she  has 
•  me    the    mother    of     seven    children,     whose 

nan  illows:     Samuel   c. ,     Marj    I 

ih  J  .  Meda  M.  graduated  at  the  Lock  Ha. 
Normal  School  in  the  class  of  1895,  and  is  now 
Uma  K.  graduated  at  the 
same  institution  m  1  ■  .-.  |  1  ph  d  ed  in  infancy; 
and  [essii  I  All  of  the  children  are  still  at 
lion 

Mr    Bitner  is  an  earnest  supporter  of   Di 
cratic  principles,  and   has  been   honored   with  a 
number  of  local  offices,  being  county  auditor 
tei  in.    ind  in  Lamar  town- 

ship for  thirteen  consecuth  declininj 

1 1  he  Christian 

Church,  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  valued 
and  useful  citizens  of  his  community,  as  he  gives 
a  liberal  support  to  all  worthy  enterprises  f<  >r  the 
public  g  I  he  certainly  deserves  honorable 

mention  m  a  record  of  Clinton  county's  promi- 
nent  and  representative  His  family  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  respected  in  the  Valley, 
upying  an  enviable   position  in  social  circles. 


AHIBALD     MUNRO,     of    the    firm    of 
1  redericks,  Munro  &  Co.,  of  Lock  Haven, 
anufacturers  of    an   excellent  quality  of 
fire  brick    at   Farrandsville,  Clinton  county,   was 
born  March    4,     1S34.    at    Cape    Breton,    Nova 
Scotia,   and  is   of  Scotch  descent. 

Alexander  Munro,  his  father,  was  born  in 
the  Citj  ol  Glasgow,  Scotland,  October  9,  1805. 
He  was  a  practical  miner  and  foreman  of  a 
mine  in  his  native  country,  and,  in  182 1,  he 
was  brought  to  Nova  Scotia  by  an  English 
company  to  operate  mines.  He  remained  there 
seven  years,  and,  in  1838,  came  to  America  and 
to  the  town  of  Farrandsville,  Clinton  county, 
which  was  then  a  point  of  considerable  impor- 
tance owing  to  the  bituminous  coal  mines  that 
were  being  operated  there,  and  to  the  iron  in- 
dustries. Here  he  was  employed  in  mining  for 
the  Lycoming  Coal  Company,  until  in  1840, 
when  they  ceased  operations.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Munro  n  his    family  to  Queens  Run,   and 

there  regained  until  in  1847,  at  which  time  the 
Farrandsville  Coal  Company  began  operations, 
and  then  returned  to  that  point.  He  under- 
stood mining  thoroughly  and  was  a  good  fore- 
man, a  good  handler  of  men.  His  wife,  who 
also  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  at  Glasgow, 
was  Jeanette  Dick,  and  their  children:  Alexan- 
der Neal,  of  Tioga  county,  Penn.;  John  C.  (de- 
ceased); Annie,  Archibald,  our  subject;  Rev.. 
Henry  C,  of  Montour  county;  Jeanette  (de- 
ceased); Euphemia  (deceased);  William  1  de- 
ceased); and  Robert  (deceased).  The  parents 
of  these  died,  the  father  in  1872,  and  the  mother 
in  1879. 

Archibald  Munro  received  only  a  district- 
school  education  excepting  one  year's  attendance 
in  the  high  school  of  Lock  Haven.  In  1847  he 
entered  the  store  of  the  Farrandsville  Coal  Com- 
pany as  a  clerk,  and  remained  in  their  empl 
until  they  gave  up  the  business  in  i860.  He 
then  became  the  timekeeper  and  paymaster  of 
the  Eagleton  Coal  &  [ron  Company,  which  em- 
ployed 150  men.  Eagleton  was  then  a  li\ 
and  bustling  little  place,  the  mines  were  profit- 
able, and  things  thereabout  wore  a  business  air. 
Young  Munro  remained  in  the  employ  of  the 
company  until  the  mines  were  closed  in  1865. 
At  about  this  time  the  Rock  Cabil  mines  were 
ied  by  the  McHenry  Coal  Company,  and 
Mr.  Munro  became  their  manager,  and  remained 
with  the  company  until  1869.  He  then  re- 
tun.  ;ile,  and,  in  1873,  the  pres- 
ent fire  brick  works  of  Fredericks,  Munro  &  Co., 
at  that  point,  wa  1  by  Mr.  Eredericks 
and  himself,  which  from  that  time  to  this  has 
been  successfully  operated.      It   is   now  a  great 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


665 


industry,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
conducted,  reflects  credit  to  its  promoters  and 
management.  This  firm  gives  employment  to 
1 50  men  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  They 
carry  on  a  general  store  in  connection  with  their 
business  at  Farrandsville,  a  point  some  six  miles 
west  of  Lock  Haven.  They  are  successful  busi- 
ness men.  In  1888  Mr.  Munro  built  a  beauti- 
ful home  at  Lock  Haven  which  would  be  a 
credit  to  a  more  pretentious  city,  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

On  May  19,  1859,  our  subject  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Owen,  a  daughter  of  Silas  Owen,  of 
Luzerne  county,  Penn.,  and  the  following  chil- 
dren have  come  to  bless  their  home:  Mary  (Mrs. 
Leisenring),  Jennie  (Mrs.  Oscar  Wolever),  Ada 
C.  (Mrs.  Rev.  Edward  Blint),  Gertrude,  Grace, 
Oscar  G. ,  Sallie  (deceased),  and  Archie.  The 
parents  of  these  are  identified  with  the  Baptist 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Munroe  is  a  deacon  and 
trustee;  also  treasurer  of  the  Church.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  never  sought  public 
office,  although  he  has  been  elected  to  some  of 
the  minor  offices  of  the  city,  among  them  that 
of  school  director  and  postmaster  at  Farrands- 
ville, having  held  the  latter  office  since  appointed 
by  President  Arthur,  thus  giving  evidence  of  his 
worth  as  an  official,  and  of  his  great  popularity 
with  the  Democrats  and  Republicans.  Mrs. 
Munro  was  born  at  Kingston,  Luzerne  Co., 
Pennsylvania. 


HpUSTON  WEIDLER,  the  well-known  and 
I   popular  proprietor  of  the  Rauchtown  Roller 

Mills,  in  Crawford  township,  Nippenose  Valley, 
Clinton  county,  was  born  September  19,  1846,  in 
Mifflin  township,  Lycoming  Co. ,  Penn.,  a  son  of 
Christian  Weidler,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Wurtemburg,  Germany,  on  Christmas  Day,  1818. 
The  grandfather,  Frederick  Weidler,  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade, 
and  also  worked  as  a  piano-maker  in  that  coun- 
try. In  1829  he  bade  adieu  to  the  Fatherland, 
and  with  his  family  took  passage  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel bound  for  the  United  States.  On  landing  at 
Philadelphia  he  went  direct  to  Lycoming  county 
and  located  near  Williamsport,  where  he  at  first 
followed  his  trade,  but  later  devoted  his  time  and 
attention  for  several  years  to  farming.  Having 
a  strong  desire  to  see  more  of  the  great  Repub- 
lic in  which  he  had  cast  his  lot,  he  traveled  quite 
extensively  over  the  middle  and  western  States, 
but  returned  to  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  and 
spent  his  last  days  with  his  family  in  Mifflin  town- 
ship, where  his  remains  were  interred.  He  was 
an   industrious,  energetic  man,  who  had  the  re- 


spect and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  In  his 
family  were  six  children,  as  follows:  Christian; 
John,  who  died  in  Kansas;  Barbara,  wife  of  John 
Chromer,  of  Pottsville,  Penn. ;  Daniel,  of  Mifflin 
township,  Lycoming  county;  George  (deceased); 
and  one  child  who  died  in  France. 

Christian  Weidler  received  a  fair  German  ed- 
ucation in  his  native  land,  and  was  eleven  years 
of  age  on  the  emigration  of  the  family  to  the 
New  World.  He  made  his  home  near  Williams- 
port  for  some  time,  and  with  Obadiah  Ellis,  of 
Williamsport,  Penn.,  learned  the  trade  of  a  mill- 
wright, which  he  followed  for  about  twenty  years. 
In  1854  he  came  to  Crawford  township,  Clinton 
county,  and  located  on  a  farm  of  230  acres  in  the 
west  end  of  Nippenose  Valley,  which  was  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  and  was  known 
as  the  Stuck  farm.  He  cleared  much  of  the  land 
and  made  many  excellent  improvements  there- 
on, including  a  fine  residence,  good  barns,  and 
an  orchard.  He  continued  its  operation  until 
1 89 1,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  life, 
and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Rauchtown, 
where  he  has  a  comfortable  residence,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  lux- 
uries of  life,  all  of  which  has  been  obtained 
through  his  own  industry,  enterprise  and  good 
management.  In  1879  he  bought  the  Rauch- 
town Mills,  which  our  subject  is  now  operating. 

In  Mifflin  township,  Lycoming  county,  Chris- 
tian Weidler  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Ann  Sal- 
lada,  who  was  born  in  that  county  in  1824,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Sallada,  the  founder  of  Sallad- 
asburg,  Lycoming  county,  and  a  millwright  by 
occupation.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weidler  were 
born  eight  children,  as  follows:  Houston  is  our 
subject;  Oliver  operates  the  old  homestead  farm; 
Adaline  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Henry  Sweely,  of 
Williamsport,  Lycoming  county;  Sevilla,  Mary 
E.  and  Michael  W.  all  died  when  young;  Anna 
C.  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Clarence  Arnot,  of 
Chicago,  111. ;  and  Wilks  C.  is  a  cooper,  of  Will- 
iamsport, Penn.  The  wife  and  mother  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  in  1892,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Lutheran  churchyard  in  Limestone  town- 
ship, Lycoming  county.  In  early  life  the  father 
was  a  Democrat,  but  is  now  a  stalwart  supporter 
of  Republican  principles,  and  has  served  as 
school  director  in  his  township.  Thoroughness 
and  persistency  characterized  his  entire  business 
career,  and  they  have  been  supplemented  by 
careful  attention-  to  details,  and  by  honorable 
straightforward  effort  that  has  gained  him  a  most 
excellent  and  enviable  reputation. 

In  the  winter  months  during  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  Houston  Weidler  attended  the  schools  of 
Mifflin  township,  Lycoming  county,  and  Crawford 


r,,w, 


VMBMOBA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RBCOBD. 


township,  Clinton  county,  and  remained  with 
his  parents  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-seven.  He  then  learned  the  millwright's 
and  miller's  trades,  at  which  he  worked  during 
the  fall  and  winter  seasons,  while  the  spring  and 
summer  months  wen  I  to  the  stonemason's 

trade.      With  John  Smith  he  had  learned  milling, 
and  after  becoming  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
business  he  rented  the  Raucbtown  Mills  from  his 
father  in  1879.      He  has  since  successfully  oper- 
;  the  same,  but  in  the  meantime  served  as 
engineer   in  a  sawmill   for  five  years  on   account 
is   health.        In  4890  his  father  put   into  the 
Rau<  htown  Mills  a  full  set  of  rollers,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,000,  and  has  made  other  valuable  improve- 
rs m  the  plant  1.      He  also  built  a  good  resi- 
e  in  the  town  in  1876  at  a  cost  of  $1,000. 
Houston  Weidler  was  married  in  Williams- 
Penn.,    in    1S74,    to    Miss   Pauline    Hayes. 
born  in  New  Jersey,  of  Holland  extraction,  and 
they  have   become  the  parents  of  five  children: 
tii  exemplary  young  man,  who  at  the 
of   fifteen   1  neei    and  is  now 

employed  in  Tioga  county,  Penn. ;  Carrie  L 
milliner,  is  al  I     ink  L.,  a  miller,  resides 

with  his  parents;  Annie  F.  is  at  home;  and 
Norris  died  in  childh  1 

Our  sub  ne  term  as  justice  of  the 

■I    Crawford    township.    Clinton    county, 
and  was  the  same  office,  but  refus 

[ualify.      He    filled    the    position    of    school  1 
director  two  terms,  and  constable  of  his  town- 
ship 1  me  t<  rm.  but  has  never  cared  for  the  hot) 
of  public  office.      His  politic  it  is  always 

Democratic    party.      II  faithful 

iber  of  the   Lutheran   Church,   is  temperate 
in  all   his  ha  :  his   honorable,  upright    life 

commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  hi  -  in  contact,  either  in  business  or 

social   lif  nal  and  moral  inter- 

i   b)  him,  and  anythi 
that  tends  to  uplift  and  benefit  humanity 
his  heatt 


CHARLES  II.    NOWELL,    a   leading  farmer 
d  tobacco  grower  of  Woodward  township, 

Clinton  county,  beloi  in  old   and  bom 

Massai  husi  tts  family  ol  English  descent. 

In  16301m:  well  and  his  brother  John 

braved  the  dangers  of  an  ocean   voyage  at  that 

v  day  and  took  up  their  residence  in  the  V 
sachusetts  Bay  Colony,  where  the  forme: 
as  secretary   under    Gov.   John    Winthrop.      Hi 
preacher  for  the  colony.      One  of  his 
imuel  Nowell,  was  a   member  of  the  first 
-  that  graduated  at  Harvard  Coll. 


the  father  of  Capt.  Peter  Nowell,  who  was  born 
in  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1670,  and  was  an  officer  un- 
der the  British  crown.  In  1698  he  was  sent  to 
Maine  to  settle  the  difficulties  between  the  In- 
dians and  white  settlers,  and  while  there  pur- 
chased a  tract  of   land,  or   took   it  up  frofh  the 

'  rnment,  where  the  town  of  York.  York 
county,  now  stands.  There  he  afterward  made 
his  home  and  devoted  his  time  to  farming.  He 
was  married  there  or  in  Salem,  Mass.,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  eight  children,  whose  names 
and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Peter,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1698;  Sarah,  June  29,  1700;  Mary, 
July  10,  1702;  John,  March  18,  1705;  Ebenezer 
Kb- ii  .  November  12,  1709;  Abram,  February 
28,  [712;  Paul,  1714;  and  Silas,  1 7  1  7 .  Some  of 
the  children  died  in  childhood,  and  the  parents 
both  passed  away  while  living  in  York  county, 
Maine,  and  were  buried  there. 

Of  this  family.  Ebenezer  Nowell  spent  his  en- 
tire life  on  the  old  homestead  in  York  county, 
Maine,  and  followed  the  occupations  of  farming 
lumbering.  He  married  a  Miss  Hamilton, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  county  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  among  their  several  children  was 
Jonathan  Nowell,  who  was  born  in  York  county, 
in  174''.  and,  like  his  ancestors,  followed  lum- 
bering and  farming  throughout  life.  In  his  native 
county,  he  raised  a  company,  of  which  he  was 
missioned  captain,  during  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  was  later  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major  for  gallant  service  in  that  terrible  struggle, 
in  which  hundreds  of  men  laid  down  their  lives 
their  country  from  British  oppression. 
He  gave  his  political  support  to  the  party  of 
which  Jefferson  was  at  the  head,  and  he  and  his 
family  all  belonged  to  the  Congregational  Church. 
In  York  county  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  the  well-known  Capt.  John  Frost,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  and  in  their  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Ebner,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject;  George;  Jonathan;  Henry;  Mrs.  Col. 
Hobb;  Mrs.  Hiram  Hayes;  Mrs.  James  Johnson; 
and  Mrs  Reuben  Neal.  The  father  died  in 
North  Berwick,  Maine,  in  1821,  the  mother  in 
[830,  and  their  remains  were  interred  in  the 
cein  that  place. 

mer  Nowell  was  born  in  1707.  in  York. 
York  Co.,  Maine,  and  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  to   North    Berwick,  in  the  same 

inty,  where  he  also  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  and  lumbering,  and  continued  to  make 
his  home  until  his  death,  in  i860.  He  was 
classed  among  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  the 
county.  a  number  of  years   lived  retired 

from  active  labor.  In  North  Berwick  he  married 
Rachel    Grant,    a    native      t    that    place,    whose 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


667 


father  was  also  born  in  York  county,  and  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  The  children  born  to  them 
were  as  follows:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  Traf- 
ton;  Mary,  wife  of  William  Shaw;  Tabitha,  wife 
of  Ebner  Littlefield;  Sophia,  who  died  unmar- 
ried; Lucretia,  who  also  died  single;'  Joshua, 
father  of  our  subject;  and  Sybil,  wife  of  Dr.' 
Hatch.  The  family  held  membership  in  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  the  father  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  men  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  in  his  community. 

Joshua  Nowell  was   born   in    1806,  in   North 
Berwick,  Me.,  where  he  spent  his  entire  life,  fol- 
lowing   the  occupations    to  which   he   had  been 
reared.    His  literary  education  was  rather  limited, 
but  he  became  a  thorough  and  skillful  agricult- 
urist, and  owned  a  fine  farm  of    200  acres  which 
he  placed  under  a  high  state    of  cultivation  and 
improved  with    good  and  substantial  buildings. 
He  was  also  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Church, 
to  which  his  wife  and  family  also  belonged.      In 
his  native  place  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sarah  Hammond,  who  was  also  born  there, 
a  daughter  of  John  Hammond.     Eleven  children 
were  born  to  them,  namely:     Ebner,  still  a  resi- 
dent of  Maine:  Sybil,  who  died   unmarried;   Au- 
gusta,  wife  of  Joseph  B.    Frost,   both    now  de- 
ceased; John,  who   is   living  on   the   old  home- 
stead; Charles  H.,  of  this  review;  George,  of  New 
Hampshire;   William,    of    Colorado;    Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Stephen  Harvey;  Amelia,  wife  of  William 
Reed;   Joshua,    of   Melrose,   Mass.;   and   Sarah, 
who  died  in  infancy.      The   mother  died  in    De- 
cember, 1879,  and  the  father  in  December  of  the 
following  year,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the 
cemetery  at  North  Berwick. 

For  only  about  two  or  three  months  during 
the  winter  season  was  Charles  H.  Nowell,  of  this 
sketch,  able  to  attend  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  county  during  his  boyhood,  and  at  an  early 
age  his  school  days  were  over.  He  assisted  in 
the  work  of  the  farm  during  the  summer  season, 
and  when  not  in  school  during  the  winter,  he 
drove  an  ox-team  in  the  woods,  hauling  lumber. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  left  home  and  started 
out  in  the  world  to  make  his  own  living,  his 
capital  consisting  of  only  a  pair  of  willing  hands 
and  a  determination  to  succeed.  Bidding  fare- 
well to  his  parents  he  came  to  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  first  employed  in  cutting  timber  in  Clearfield 
county  during  the  winter,  while  in  the  summer  he 
worked  in  a  sawmill  at  Chatham  Run,  Clinton 
county,  being  thus  employed  until  1865,  when 
he  went  to  Minnesota,  and  spent  a  year  and  a  half 
as  foreman  in  the  lumber  regions  for  Senator 
Washburn. 


In  1867  Mr.  Nowell  returned  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  Lycoming  county  purchased  a  farm  of  230 
acres,  which  he  operated  for  two  years  and  then 
sold.  In  1869  he  removed  to  Dunnstown,  Clin- 
ton county,  where  he  spent  eleven  years  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  running  a  sawmill 
and  selling  the  product  at  different  markets.  In 
the  meantime  he  bought  fifty  acres  of  land  in 
Woodward  township,  and  began  raising  tobacco 
and  doing  general  farming.  To  this  place  he  re- 
moved his  family  in  1886,  and  to  the  original 
purchase  added  eighty  acres  known  as  the  Major 
McClosky  farm,  on  which  he  built  a  good  barn 
and  made  other  substantial  improvements  which 
add  to  its  value  and  attractive  appearance.  For 
the  past  twenty  years  he  has  made  a  specialty  of 
the  raising  of  tobacco,  and  has  met  with  excellent 
success  in  his  undertakings. 

On  April  5,  1865,  at  Lock  Haven,  Mr.  Now- 
ell was  married   to    Miss  Matilda  Shobert,    who 
was    born   November   8,   1845,  in  Watson   town- 
ship, Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Mary  (Reigle)  Shobert.      The  Shobert  fam- 
ily was  founded  in  America  by  Frederick  Sho- 
bert,  a  native   of    Wurtemburg,   Germany,  who 
in    1765   came  to   America  and    located  in  New 
Jersey.      When     the    Revolutionary    war    broke 
out    he    cast    his    fortunes    with    the    Colonies, 
joining    Washington's    army    about    1777,    and 
when     hostilities    ceased    he    returned    to    his 
farm.       His    son   Simon    (Mrs.    Nowell's  grand- 
father)  removed   from    New  Jersey  to   Luzerne 
county,  Penn.,  in    1805,  and  followed  the   occu- 
pation  of    hotel-keeping.      Josiah  Shobert    was 
educated  in  both   English  and  German,  and  was 
a   well-informed  man.      In    1840,    with   his  wife 
and  one  child,  he  removed  from  Luzerne  county 
to   Watson    township,   Lycoming  county,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  100  acres,  and  continued 
to  operate  the  same  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1887.      His  widow  still  resides  on  that 
place.      On  his  removal  to  Lycoming  county,  he 
was  accompanied   by  his  two   younger  brothers, 
Frederic  and  Napoleon,  who  during  the  gold  ex- 
citement went   to   California.     They   have  been 
very  successful,  and   at   present   are   located  on 
large  farms  in  Oregon. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nowell  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  (1)  James  A.,  born  February  7, 
1866,  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Clinton  county,  the  high 
school  of  Lock  Haven,  and  La  Fayette  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1888.  For  a  time  he  then 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Mankato  and  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  and  was  later  political  reporter  for  the 
St.  Paul  Daily  Globe.  In  the  meantime  he 
studied  law,  and  *vas  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  that 


668 


"  VEMORA  TIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


te,  where  he   en.  I  news- 

paper work  until  1893,  when   he   was   appointed 

by  President  Cleveland  as  chief  clerk  in  one  of 
the  auditor's  offices  in  Washington,  D.  C.  He 
is  now  president  and  manager  f«»r  a  Baltimore 
firm  at  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  and  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  married 
Mi-s  Nannie  St  rough.  (2)  Minnie,  born  Febru- 
ary 17,  1868/  died  in  January.  1871.  (3  Maj 
A  .  born  October  21,  1869,  attended  the  high 
school  of  Lock  Haven  and  the  Central  State 
Normal,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in 

3,   after  which    she    successfully  engaged    in 

bing  for  nine  years,  in  the  home  school,  and 
in  Pine  Creek  township,  in  Clearfield  county, 
and  in  Lebanon  county.  Penn.      In  August,  [894, 
she  t  hand  in  marriage  to  John  K.  Wat- 

son, of  Clearfield  county,  and  now  has  two  chil- 
dren— George  and  May  A,      (4)  Nellie,  born  June 

1873,  was  also  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Woodward  township,  Clinton  county,  the  high 
school  of    Lock    Haven,    and  the  Central  State 

rmal  School  of  the  latter  place,  and  has  now 
successfully  taught  school  for  seven  years — three 
in  the  home  school  in  Clinton  county  and  four  in 
Elk  county,  where  she  had  charge  of  one  school 
four  terms.     (5)  Graci     I.,  born   November   12, 

2,  has  attended   the    public   schools  and  also 

high  school  of  Lock  Haven. 

In  June,  1863,  Charles  H.  Nowell  enlisted  at 
I  k  k  Haven  in  the  emergency  service,  becoming 
a  membei  of  Company  A,  58th  P.  V.  I.,  under 
Capt.  S.  Brown  and  Col.  Horn.  He  was  sworn 
into  tin-  United   States  .it  Reading,  was 

on  guard  duty  at  that  place  and  Greencastle  for 
six   weeks,    and   was   mustered   out    at    Reading, 

his  family  hold  mem- 

- Ii i I >   in   the    Methodist    Episcopal   Church  of 
Dunnstown,  Woodward   township,    and   hold  an 
enviable  position  in  social  circles,  where  intelli- 
nce    and    worth    are    received    as    passports. 
1'  ilitically,  he  is  a  free-silver  Democrat,  and  has 
bi  en    called   upon    to    serve    as    school   director 
1  president  of  the  board  one  term),  overseer  of  the 
poor  and  supervisor  one  term.      While  posses 
the  qualities  of  a  successful  business  man  and  a 
irable  social    companion,    perhaps    Mr     Nowell's 
Ij   marked    chara<  teristic  1-  his  un- 
swerving fidelity  to  duty,      His  devotion  to  the 
mal  interests  of  the  country  is  only  excelled 
by  the  patriotism  which   never  loses  sight  of  the 
highest  duties  of  citizenship. 


WILLIAM  GUMMO,  a  valued  and  esteemed 
iculturist  of  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clin- 
county,  owns  a  fine,  well-improved  farm,  be- 


sides other  land.  The  buildings  upon  the  home 
place  are  of  a  neat  and  substantial  character,  and 
betoken  thrift  and  prosperity.  He  was  born  De- 
cember 23,  1841,  near  his  present  home  in  Bald 
e  township,  and  is  a  worthy  representative 
of  one  of  the  prominent  and  highly-respected 
families  of  the  county. 

|ohn  and  Jane  (Rounsaval)  Gummo,  grand- 
parents of  our  subject,  in  1832  left  their  old  home 
in  Cornwall,  England,  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  accompanied  by  their  children — William, 
James,  Edward,  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Jane  and 
Maria — taking  up  their  residence  at  Farrands- 
ville,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.  In  his  native  land  the 
grandfather  had  been  employed  in  the  smelting 
works,  but  in  this  country  he  turned  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  buying  a  farm  in  Bald 
Eagle  township,  where  he  lived  for  some  years. 
He  died  at  Queens  Run  when  in  his  seventy-third 
year. 

Richard  Gummo,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  1S04,  the  eldest  in  the  family.  While 
still  a  resident  of  England  he  married  Miss  Ag- 
nes Nancarrow;  he  did  not  accompany  his  par- 
ents on  their  immigration  to  America,  but  re- 
mained in  his  native  land  until  1S41.  when  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  also  took  up  his  resi- 
dence on  a  farm  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton 
county.  At  that  time  he  had  never  seen  a  tree 
chopped  down,  and  was  entirely  unfamiliar  with 
agricultural  pursuits;  but  he  was  industrious,  en- 
tic  and  persevering,  and  soon  mastered  the 
occupation  of  farming.  In  early  life  he  enjoj 
excellent  health,  being  a  robust  young  man,  and 
succeeded  in  clearing  many  acres  of  land.  His 
first  plow  he  carried  home  two  miles  on  his  shoul- 
der, and  he  was  obliged  to  endure  many  of  the 
hardships  and  trials  incident  to  pioneer  life,  as 
he  found  this  region  still  in  its  primitive  condi- 
tion. Although  he  began  life  here  empty-handed, 
he  met  with  success  in  his  undertakings  and  be- 
came the  owner  of  two  valuable  farms.  He  died 
in  Paid  Eagle  township  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-five,  his  wife  when  seventy-eight,  and 
both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Brown  cemetery. 
In  religious  belief  they  were  Methodists,  in  poli- 
tics the  father  was  a  Republican,  and  although 
he  never  was  an  office-seeker,  he  faithfully  served 
as  supervisor  of  his  township.  His  upright  and 
honorable  course  demanded  the  respect  and  es- 
11  of  all  who  knew  him.  In  his  family  were 
seven  children,  namely:  William,  the  subject  of 
tin-  sketch;  Edward,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bald 
le  township;  George,  Eliza,  Richard  and 
Elizabeth  A.,  who  all  died  in  1*5  5;  and  Matilda, 
a  resident  of  Flemington,  Pennsylvania. 

Our  subject   received  such  education  as  the 


ClWl. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cm 


country  schools  of  his  day  afforded,  and  it  was 
begun  in  a  primitive  log  school  house  sixteen  feet 
square,  furnished  with  slab  seats,  his  first  teacher 
being  Ellen  Rogers.  Being  the  eldest  son,  his 
services  were  often  required  at  home,  much  to 
the  detriment  of  his  school  training.  He  con- 
tinued to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  farm  until  his 
marriage,  which  took  place  in  October,  1864, 
Miss  Sarepta  Sollars,  a  native  of  Luzerne  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  becoming  his  wife.  Her  father,  Peter 
Sollars,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Nine  chil- 
dren blessed  this  union,  six  of  whom  are  living: 
Anna  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching;  Mary  C. , 
now  the  wife  of  William  Glossner,  of  Beech 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county;  Richard  E.,  of 
Porter  township,  in  the  same  county;  Etta  M., 
at  home;  Myron  E.,  a  farmer  of  Bald  Eagle 
township;  and  James  W. ,  at  home.  Those  de- 
ceased are:  Effa  died  when  eighteen  months 
old;  Alma  I.,  when  two  years  old,  and  one  in 
infancy. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gummo  located  on 
his  father's  farm  in  a  log  house,  which  was  built 
expressly  for  our  subject's  occupancy,  and  is  still 
standing.  In  January,  1875,  he  removed  to 
his  present  comfortable  home,  which  stands  on 
land  purchased  from  the  George  Kessinger  es- 
tate. He  has  become  quite  well-to-do,  owning 
205  acres  of  fine  farming  land  in  Bald  Eagle 
township,  150  acres  of  mountain  land,  and  a 
farm  of  ninety-five  acres  in  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county.  He  is  thrifty,  progressive  and 
energetic — characteristics  which  cannot  fail  to 
win  success. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Gummo  has  taken  a 
prominent  and  influential  part  in  political  affairs, 
and  has  been  honored  with  several  official  posi- 
tions of  trust,  being  school  director  about  twenty 
years;  tax  collector,  eighteen  years;  overseer  of 
the  poor,  fourteen  years;  township  treasurer  and 
treasurer  of  the  school  board,  several  years;  and 
also  supervisor  of  his  township.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  his  duties  were  always  performed  in 
a  most  satisfactory  and  able  manner.  Although 
not  a  member  of  the  Laurel  Run  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  he  was  one  of  the  building  com- 
mittee in  1894,  contributing  liberally  of  his  own 
means  toward  the  erection  of  the  house  of  wor- 
ship. He  has  since  served  as  trustee,  and  is  also 
secretary  of  the  Sunday-school.  His  career  has 
been  ever  such  as  to  warrant  the  trust  and  con- 
fidence of  the  business  world,  for  he  has  con- 
ducted all  transactions  on  the  strictest  principles 
of  honor  and  integrity.  His  devotion  to  the 
public  good  is  unquestioned,  and  arises  from 
a  sincere  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
men. 


THOMAS  J.  SMULL,  a  prominent  merchant 
of  Mackeyville,  Clinton  county,  is  a  man 
who  commands  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  His 
popularity  is  based  upon  an  appreciation  of  his 
sterling  qualities  of  character,  even  his  political 
opponents  being  stanch  personal  friends.  As 
one  evidence  of  this  we  may  mention  the  fact 
that  he  has  held  the  position  of  postmaster  in  his 
town  for  more  than  thirty  years  through  all 
changes  of  administration,  but  other  incidents 
are  not  wanting  as  will  be  seen  in  the  follow- 
ing history. 

Mr.  Smull  was  born  May  24,  1834,  in  Rebers- 
burg,  the  youngest  child  of  Henry  Smull  and  his 
first  wife,  Elizabeth  Royer,  who  are  mentioned 
more  fully  elsewhere.  When  our  subject  was 
but  a  few  days  old  his  mother  died,  and  he  was 
taken  to  the  home  of  his  grandfather,  Christo- 
pher Royer,  in  the  vicinity  of  Rebersburg.  He 
attended  school  in  the  latter  town,  Mr.  Mulford 
and  Mr.  Burkett  being  among  his  first  teachers, 
and  although  the  instruction  was  decidedly  in- 
ferior in  many  respects  to  that  given  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  to-day,  he  managed  to  secure  the 
rudiments  of  a  practical  education,  and  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  German  language,  English  not 
being  spoken.  He  remained  in  that  locality  un- 
til he  was  about  fifteen  years  old,  when,  his 
grandfather  having  died,  he  went  to  the  Nittany 
Valley  to  reside  with  a  cousin,  Samuel  Royer. 
There  he  found  the  English  language  in  common 
use,  and  for  some  time  this  was  a  handicap  to 
him  in  his  studies,  but  after  six  years'  attendance 
(four  months  in  each  year)  at  the  Clinton  school 
he  was  qualified  to  teach.  While  in  this  school 
he  made  a  yarn  ball  which  he  sold  to  a  play- 
mate, now  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dornblaser,  and  in 
later  years,  believing  that  he  had  driven  too  hard 
a  bargain,  he  returned  the  money  with  compound 
interest  to  the  date  of  payment  amount- 
ing to  more  than  two  dollars.  The  transaction 
illustrates  well  the  strict  integrity  which  has 
characterized  his  business  life.  After  leaving 
school  he  taught  successfully  for  eleven  terms, 
including  a  term  in  the  "  Clinton  school,"  one  in 
Mill  Hall,  and  four  in  Madisonburg,  Centre  coun- 
ty. In  1S57  he  spent  a  few  months  near  Valley 
Falls,  Kans.,  and  in  1S59  he  went  to  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  a  year,  during  which  he 
taught  one  term  of  school  in  Stephenson  county. 
Before  returning  home  in  June,  i860,  he  spent 
some  time  in  Ohio  and  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  visited  an  uncle.  He  had  been  reared  as  a 
farmer  boy,  but,  having  a  desire  to  enter  mer- 
cantile life,  he  secured  a  position  as  a  clerk  with 
Joseph  H.  Long  in  a  store   in   Lamar  township. 


.•,7. 1 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOQRAPHH  AL  RECORD. 


Clinton  county,  on  the  pike,  near  the  Porter 
townsbip  line.  While  there  he  gained  a  prac- 
insight  into  the  business,  and  in  the  spring 
of  t866  he  formed  a  partnership  km  \vn  as  Heck, 
Smull  &  Co.,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
at  Hamburg  (now  Mackeyvill  in.,  continu- 

ing one  yeai       Another  firm,  which  had  started 
at  ti  i   tired  before  the  end  of  the 

r,  and   our    subject,    with   F.    E.    Hays  as  a 
partner,  secured  the  store  and  carried  on  busi- 

there  until  1870,  when   Mr.  Smull  beca- 
the   sole   owner.      He   met  with  success,  and  in 

1  built  a   new   store   house  to  accommoda 
In-  increasing  trade,   but   in    1889  this  was  de- 
iod   which   carried   away   every- 
thing, causing  a  loss  of  $6,ooo.      His  safe  was 
not  found  f<>r  more  than  two  years,  when  it  was 
imbedded  in   the  debris  a  short  dis- 
tance below  Mackeyville      One  week  before  the 
Mi     Smull  had    drawn    his   check  to  pay 
1  lot  of  flour,  canceling  his  only  indebted- 
si    but    his    satisfactiun    was   ol    brief    dura- 
week  later  he  was  practically  pen- 
Hi   — n  learned  the  value  of  a  "good 
name,"    his    reputation    as    a    straightforward, 
honest  business  man   bringing  its  own   reward, 
that   Mr.  Smull,  who  has  been  an 
ardent  Republic  since  the  organization  ol 

the  party,  was   m   the  h  hi  ilding   heated 

ms  on  the  topics  of  the  day  with  Mr. 
Perry  W.  McDowell,  an  equally  anient  Demo- 
crat. These  tilt'-  were  always  friendly,  a  I 
which  speaks  volumes  fi  >r  the  good  sense  of  both 
the  gi  ntlemen,  and  Mr.  McDowell  had  no  sooner 
learned  ol  Mi  Smull's  misfortune  than  he  det 
mined  tn  show  his  appreciation  of  the  hitter's 
worth  b)  offering  him  sufficient  ground  for  a 
building  I  In  land  was  at  the  opposite 
end  of  1  hi    Mr.  Smull's  formi  >n, 

and  Mr.  McDowell  had  refused  numi  1  ipo- 

sitions   from   others  who  wished   to   buy   it 
business  purp  [1  Mr.  Smull  erected  a 

new  ston  and  resident  ••  upon  the  site  mentioned, 
ami   lie   has  -nice  condui  I  business  th 

He  was  obliged    to  make    "  a  ni  in  life," 

but  In-  credit  wa  I       las  had  no  ti 

ble  in  sustaining  an   honorable   place  in  busii 
circles.     Always   1  i\  ial,  he  like-  to  1 
joke,  and  can  relish  a    joke  from  others,  and   no 
man  in  Nittanj  Valley  has  mor<  or  better  friends 
than  • '  |efl  Smull. " 

On  February  [3,  1873,  Mr.  Smull  was  mar- 
ried tn  Miss  I  Ian  iel  I  is  born  No- 
ber  4,  [842,  in  Hublersburg,  Penn.,  the 
daughter  ol  P<  ter  Transue,  a  well-known  fanner, 
and  his  wife,  Eli  ibeth  1  Best  .  both  of  whom 
were    natives   of    Northampton    county,    Penn. 


Then  last  years  were  spent  in  Clinton  county, 
and  their  remains  now  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Mt.  Bethel.  Mrs.  Smull  was  the  fourth  daugh- 
and  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  five  daughters.  Four 
children  have  brightened  our  subject's  home, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  (1)  Lilly  E., 
born  July  22,  1S74.  lived  only  eighteen  months. 
(2  Thomas  J.,  Jr..  born  September  22,  1875. 
5sful  teacher,  having  begun  that  occu- 
pation before  he  was  seventeen  years  old  ;  he 
was  married  March  28,  1894,  to  Miss  Mary 
Benntson,  daughter  of  Capt.  S.  H.  Bennison,  a 
leading  citizen  of  Centre  county,  and  grand- 
daughter nf  P.  W.  McDowell,  and  they  now  re- 
side in  Mackeyville.  (3)  James  L. ,  born  June 
7,  1879,  is  also  a  licensed  teacher,  and  at  pres- 
ent resides  at  home.      (4)   Martin    D.,   born  Au- 

I  24.  [871,  died  at  the  age  of  ten  months. 
As  Mr.  Smull  values  education  highly,  he  has 
endeavored  to  give  his  sons  good  opportunities, 
and  they  do  credit  to  his  efforts.      He  has  ah' 

n  a  leader  in  his  community,  being  ready 
to  forward  any  progressive  movement,  and  for 
six  years  he  served  as  school  director.  He  was 
influential  in  securing  the  post  office  at  Mack 
ville,  and  the  citizens  evidently  consider  him  the 
only  suitable  person  to  take  charge  of  it.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  28th 
iiient.  Pennsylvania  Militia,  and  for  six 
weeks  u  i     in    "emergency    service." 

The    family    is    identified    with    the    Methodist 
ich.  of  which  Mrs.  Smull   is  an  active   mem- 
ber,     lb   1-  a   member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 

Our  subject  has  made  many  original  printed 
speeches,  seldom  quoting  from  other  speakers, 
and  was  always  sufficiently  humorous  to  do  as 
the  poet    sanl:      "Made   many   laugh  that    never 

:hed  before,  and  those  that   laughed,  laughed 

:ore. "     I  lis  own  produ  I  dotes 

used,    frequently  with    considerable    effect, 

bj     younger    speakers     in     the    central    part    of 

Pennsylvania. 


WILLIAM   J     BURRELL.      There  is  prob- 
ably no  beti'  i  type  of  farmer  in   Nittany 
Valley,  nor  a  more  exemplary  citizen  in  Clinton 
ity  than  William  J.   Burrell,  who  represents 
imily    that    .  t tied    in    this  section  of 

Pennsylvania,  and  played  well  their  part  through 
Liie,  and  busy  In 

n  December  20,  1844,  on  the  farm  where 
1"'  now  .11,1  winch  he  owns,  Mr.  Burrell 

is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Lydia  (Ilgen)  Burrell, 
the  Burrells  being  ol  I  rench  extraction  Samuel 
Burrell  was  born  about  1S0;  in   Northumberland 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


671 


county,  Penn.  He  was  one  of  two  sons  who 
were  left  orphans  in  early  boyhood.  Samuel  was 
bound  out,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  came 
to  Centre  county  in  company  with  his  brother 
John  Burrell  and  wife.  For  some  time  both 
brothers  followed  the  mason's  trade,  and  in  com- 
pany with  George  Ilgen  they  purchased  a  tract  of 
timber  land  on  Egg  Hill,  where  John  Burrell 
cleared  a  farm  and  built  a  home  for  himself. 
Samuel  Burrell  on  coming  to  Centre  county 
brought  with  him,  tied  in  a  handkerchief,  all  of 
his  effects.  After  learning  his  trade  with  his 
brother,  he  worked  at  it  for  years  and  assisted 
in  building  many  of  the  barn  walls  in  that  re- 
gion. He  helped  to  build  the  old  stone  mill 
yet  standing  at  Clintondale,  Clinton  county. 
He  was  married  near  Aaronsburg,  Centre  county, 
and  resided  for  some  years  near  Penn  Hall  where 
he  owned  a  small  farm  of  forty  acres.  His  wife, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  a  pioneer  preacher, 
whose  name  was  a  household  word  in  many  of 
the  homes  of  the  early  residents  of  Central  Penn- 
sylvania— Rev.  Ilgen — was  born  near  Aaronsburg 
in  Penn's  Valley  in  about  the  year  1810. 

The  children  of  Samuel  Burrell  and  wife 
were:  John  I.  became  a  very  prominent  Lu- 
theran minister,  died  while  serving  a  charge  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  and  is  buried  in  Greenwood 
cemetery  in  that  city;  Samuel  P.  (deceased)  was 
a  farmer  of  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county; 
Mary  L.  is  the  widow  of  J.  Kleckner,  and  re- 
sides at  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county;  Anna  L. 
was  the  wife  of  Rev.  E.  Studebaker,  and  died  in 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn. ;  Margaret  R.  died 
after  reaching  maturity,  unmarried;  Leah  E.  be- 
came the  wife  of  Rev.  Burke,  and  died  at  Balti- 
more, Md. ;  Lydia  was  married  to  Prof.  W.  W. 
Herr,  and  died  at  Salona,  Clinton  county;  Will- 
iam J.  is  our  subject;  James  L.  A.  was  a 
physician,  and  died  at  Williamsport,  Penn.; 
Laura  J.  is  Mrs.  George  Bufnngton,  of  Lycom- 
ing county;  Charles  W. ,  after  graduating  at 
Pennsylvania  College,  went  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
where  he  now  resides.  The  father  of  these  be- 
gan life  as  a  poor  boy,  but  he  was  industrious 
and  economical,  and,  with  the  aid  of  his  good 
wife,  became  well-to-do.  They  had  their  early- 
struggles.  The  young  husband  followed  his 
trade  during  the  summer  seasons,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  an  old  German  who  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  family,  the  wife  and  children  put  out 
and  cultivated  the  crops  After  a  residence  of 
some  years  in  Centre  county,  Mr.  Burrell  and 
his  brother-in-law  —  George  Ilgen — bought  in 
partnership  300  acres  of  land  in  Nittany  Valley, 
Clinton  county,  from  a  Dr.  Ard  (a  part  of  this 
land  is  the  present  farm  on  which  our  subject  re- 


sides). After  a  few  years  Mr.  Burrell  purchased 
the  interest  of  his  partner.  The  greater  part  of 
the  land  was  then  in  its  primitive  condition.  The 
house  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  and  the 
barn  on  the  site  of  the  present  road.  The  first 
few  years  on  the  farm  were  rather  discouraging 
ones,  the  land  was  stony  and  not  very  productive, 
but  these  parents  toiled  on  and  on,  each  succeed- 
ing year  bringing  new  hope,  as  the  crops  in- 
creased. Time  passed  on,  and  with  it  came  im- 
provements, the  old  barn  and  house  were  replaced 
by  new  ones,  and  the  appearance  of  things  gen- 
erally underwent  a  transformation.  These  build- 
ings are  yet  standing;  the  old  barn-wall,  built  by 
the  father  himself,  and  though  sixty  years  have 
passed  it  is  as  substantial  and  "plumb"  as  when 
his  hands  laid  it  up.  This  farm,  mainly  cleared 
and  improved  by  the  father,  became  one  of  the 
best  and  most  productive  farms  in  Nittany  Valley, 
and  on  a  part  of  it  he  passed  to  his  final  rest  May 
12,  1883.  His  wife  preceded  him  many  y'ears, 
she  dying  October  18,  1862.  Both  rest  in  Cedar 
Hill  cemetery,  Lamar  township.  They  led  ex- 
emplary lives,  reared  their  children  so  that  they 
occupied  honorable  and  useful  stations  in  life, 
and  all  (parents  included)  bore  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 
The  parents,  as  stated,  were  industrious  and  be- 
came well-to-do;  nay  more  than  this,  they  were 
good  managers  and  became  rich,  the  father  leav- 
ing an  estate  of  some  $60,000.  The  father  in 
politics  was  a  Democrat.  In  the  days  of  slavery 
he  was  a  pronounced  Abolitionist,  being  bitter  in 
his  denunciation  of  slavery.  He  had  no  inclina- 
tion to  hold  office,  but  on  the  other  hand  under 
no  circumstance  would  he  accept  it.  He  was  a 
most  useful  citizen,  was  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  and  led  a  life  in  keeping  with  his 
profession.  He  was  a  kind  husband  and  an  in- 
dulgent parent,  and  in  his  passing  away  a  good 
man  and  a  most  successful  one  left  this  world. 

William  J.  Burrell  was  reared  and  remained 
an  agriculturist.  He  attended  the  schools  of  the 
district  in  which  he  lived,  his  first  teacher  being 
James  Rogers.  Mr.  Burrell  has  great  regard  for 
those  old  district  schools  of  his  boyhood,  and 
great  respect  for  the  teachers  of  that  day.  It 
was  often  the  case  that  out  of  those  rude  build- 
ings, where  discipline  was  not  slack,  came  boys 
that  startled  the  world — set  the  pace  for  college- 
bred  men  to  follow.  From  such  schools  and 
surroundings  came  boys  of  practical  ideas,  and, 
turned  loose  in  the  world,  were  prepared  to  cope 
with  it.  Young  Burrell,  along  in  1863-64  and 
'65,  attended  Missionary  Institute  (now  Susque- 
hanna University),  at  Selins  Grove,  in  Snyder 
county.      He  later  taught  school  some  at  Hyner, 


672 


MORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Clinton  county,  but,  not  liking  it.  soon  aban- 
doned i  d  to  hum  phar- 
macy  in  the  dn  -               I    Mr    Archie  Sempl 

n  aftei 
and  clerked 

videre,    N.    [.,   b  nt   was  in- 

-  health,  and   he  returned  to  the  h 
(arm  and   t<  11     has  -mce 

ii  and  devoted  his  energies  toward 

cation, 

in  all  scientific  and 

improved  mi  i   to 

farmer  in  getting 
-ults  in  ti.  I    his  work.      <  m 

■i  purchased  other   inter- 
ii   tin   farm,  and   h  ned  it.      He 

arm  of  17  and  some  300  acres 

..f  timber  land.  with  md  impn 

nt.-..  indii  farmer  that 

H  utial  men  <>f  the 

inty,  ambitii  -tate 

■  ■I  Ins  health   to  reach  his  aim.      He  has  a   lai 
[uaintam  e,  and 

Politically  he  is  an  Independent,  voting 

1  ami  mi  '  he  time  seem  to 

his  judgi  itry  or  the  com- 

nitj       1  taring   th  ment  he  was 

ititied  and  in   sympathy  with  it.      During  the 

:id  administi  ition  hi  ppointed  post- 

masti  1  .a    R  ilv.  hav- 

■    i  k   nf   tin  :>  by  nth 

II     had  ind 

auditor  of  the  tow  nsl 

On  Septembei  26,   1876,  in  Lamar  township, 
Mr.  Burrell  was  man  1  C.  Di  irnbla 

la   daughter  of 

1   1  thi>  mai 

John  I.  isnowatten         :  lanna  University 

Pi  mi  d  Mabel 

1  ■•  member 


J  1  dlN    W    <  IR<  H  1'.    an    .1" 
Rauchti  iwn 

Ian  man 

whose   well  him    ah 

envy,    I  .    1  nner    in 

which  ;!  In    his 

he  has   followed  tin  ind 

with   a  never-failing  en.  ited  his 

int.  1  that   tin-  obsl 

path  ha  .  ■ 

ved. 
Mi  ices- 

ti\         I  1  .  .   was    ': 


in  York  county,  Penn.,  reared  to  manhood  on  a 
farm,  and  throughout  his  life  carried  on  agricult- 
ural pursuits;  he  also  en  ting  be- 
tween Baltimore,  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg  be- 

the  days  of  railroads  and  canals.  He  owned 
a  farm  in  that  part  of  York  count)  which  was 
made  into  Adams  county,  and  died  on  the  old 
ad  near  the  historic  battle  ground  of  Get- 
tysburg, September  12,  1 S44,  at  the  same  hour 
in  which  occurred  the  birth  of  our  subject.  His 
remains  were  interred  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery 
at  Gettysburg.  In  politics  he  was  a  stani  h  Ji  f- 
fersonian  Democrat.  He  married  a  Miss  Brame, 
who  now  rests  by  his  side.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children. 

Peter  Group,  the  father  of  our  subject,    was 
bor,  in  February.  1S07,  in  Adams  county,  received 

od  education  in  English  and  German,  and  in 
his  early  life  followed  farming  and  freighting  for 
his  father.  When  a  young  man  he  came  to  cent- 
ral Pennsylvania  and  worked  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal  in  the  capacity  of  a  blacksmith,  which 
trade  he  had  learned  in  his  native  county,  doing 
the  blacksmith  work  on  the  Lock  Haven  dam;  at 
that  time  he  lived  in  Lock  Haven.  Later  he 
removed  to  Nippenose  Valley,  and  settled  in  that 
part  of  Lycoming  county   which  is  now  Crawford 

isliip.  Clinton  county,  where  he  made  some 
improvements  on  his  land,  afterward  buying  ad- 
ditional land  adjoining  his  first  purchase.  Here 
he   spent    his  remaining  days,  dying  in  1877,  his 

ains  being  interred  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery 
in  Nippenose  Valley.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat  in  earl}1  life,  later  became  a  war  Di 
ocrat,  and  afterward  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Ke- 
publican  party.  He  served  as  township  su| 
visor,  was  school  director,  overseer  of  the  poor, 
and  collector   of    taxes.      He  was  a  man  of    firm 

mictions,  as  true   t  ibal  promise  as  t 

written  one,    faithful    to    every    trust    reposed  in 
him.      He  held  friendship  inviolable,  and  was  re- 
s' all  who  knew  him. 
At  Lock  Haven,  Peter  Group  was  married  to 
ii  Straub,  who  was  born  in  1810,  in  Mil- 
Pi-iiii..  ,1  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth 
Miaul),  the  former  a  carpenter  and  mill- 
wright of    Lock    Haven.      Mr.    and    Mrs.    Group 
had  four  children:      ( I  )  John   W.  is  our  subj. 

Andrew  \\,  who   was  educated  in  the  public 

scho  lit   school    in   Clinton  county,  aftei 

which    Ik-  studied  the.  logy,  d  to  tin 

ministry    of    the    Meth   dist    Episcopal    Church, 

minister    of   the    Presbyterian 

rch,  and  .lied   in    Philadelphia,  in   iS; 
Tillman  H.,  wh  hool    in  Clinton 

county.  farmer  in  Oklahoma.    [4)  Emma 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


673 


is  the  wife  of  William  T.  Welshans,  of  Rauch- 
town,  Clinton  county.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily who  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  died  at  the  home  of  our 
subject,  who  took  care  of  both  his  parents  during 
their  old  age. 

John  W.  Group  was  born  in  Crawford  town- 
ship, Nippenose  Valley,  Clinton  county,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1844,  on  a  farm  where  his  early  life  was 
passed.  He  attended  the  public  schools  up  to 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  during  the  winter 
months,  and  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
year  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  farm.  He 
studied  hard  to  obtain  an  education,  and  taught 
school  for  seven  years  during  the  winter  months 
while  working  on  the  farm  in  the  summer.  Am- 
bitious to  achieve  mental  advancement  he  saved 
enough  money  from  his  teaching  to  enable  him  to 
spend  two  years  at  Dickinson  Seminary,  Will- 
iamsport.  fn  1871-72  he  was  a  law  student  in 
Ann  Arbor  University,  Mich.,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  latter  year.  Returning  then  to  Lock  Ha- 
ven, he  studied  law  with  Seymour  D.  Ball,  in 
1874,  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of 
Pennsylvania,  and,  later,  in  the  United  States 
courts.  His  success  was  marked  and  immediate, 
his  superior  ability,  indomitable  energy  and 
laudable  ambition  winning  him  distinctive  pre- 
ferment in  his  chosen  calling.  In  1894  he  began 
his  farming  operations,  and  is  accounted  one  of 
the  most  practical  and  progressive  farmers  in 
Nippenose  Valley.  He  owns  a  farm  of  170 
acres,  on  which  he  built  a  fine  residence  and  barn 
at  a  jcost  of  more  than  $8,000.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  the  breeding  of  fine  Jersey  stock,  and 
has  thirty-five  head  of  blooded  cattle.  He  takes 
a  deep  interest  in  all  that  advances  the  welfare 
of  the  agriculturist,  and  improvements  mark  his 
labors.  In  addition  to  the  home  farm  he  owns 
1,000  acres  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  including 
coal  and  mineral  lands.  Besides  his  farm  inter- 
ests he  is  interested  in  milling,  having,  in  1896, 
erected  a  steam  feedmill  near  his  house  and  barn, 
with  a  capacity  of  fifty  bushels  per  hour. 

In  1 89 1,  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  Mr.  Group  was 
married  to  MissJestia  May  Gebhart,  a  native  of  the 
Nippenose  Valley,  and  a  daughter  of  George  Geb- 
hart. They  had  two  children:  Charles  George 
Gordon,  and  one  that  died  in  infancy.  In  his 
political  preferences  Mr.  Group  is  a  gold  Demo- 
crat; socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. His  prominent  characteristics  were  man- 
ifest when  he  provided  for  his  own  education — 
determination,  self-reliance  and  undaunted  per- 
severance—showing that  the  student  would  make 
a  capable  man   of  affairs   in    the  business  world. 

He  is  popular,  and  is  the  center  of  a  large  circle 
43 


of  friends  and  acquaintances  who  honor  and  es- 
teem him  for  his  manly  virtues  and  sterling 
worth. 


one  of  the  leading 


G\EORGE  W.  HERR  is 
_i  and  influential  citizens  of  Salona,  who  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  substantial 
improvement  and  material  development  of  Clin- 
ton county.  As  a  miller  and  farmer  he  was  for 
many  years  actively  identified  with  its  agricult- 
ural and  industrial  interests,  but  is  now  devoting 
his  energies  to  merchandising,  having  in  the 
spring  of  1896  purchased  the  store  of  O.  H. 
West,  in  Salona,  which  he  is  now  successfully 
conducting  under  the  firm  style  of  G.  W.  Herr& 
Son. 

Our  subject  was  born  July  18,  1848,  a  short 
distance  east  of  Salona,  in  Lamar  township,  and 
is  a  representative  of  an  old  and  highly-respect- 
ed family  of  Clinton  county,  it  being  founded  at 
Mill  Hall  about  181  5.  His  grandfather,  Daniel 
Herr,  was  born  August  10,  1777,  and  was  the 
great-grandson  of  Hans  Herr,  a  native  of  Switz- 
erland, who  founded  the  family  in  this  country 
during  the  early  part  of  the  1 8th  century.  In 
181 5  the  grandfather's  family  left  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  and  came  to  Mill  Hall,  Clinton 
county,  but  he  remained  behind  to  settle  up  some 
business,  and  later  died  while  en  route  to  Mill 
Hall,  his  remains  being  buried  at  Columbia, 
Penn.  His  widow,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Rebecca  Bressler,  and  was  born  February  16, 
1778,  was  left  with  what  could  be  called  a  com- 
fortable competence,  which  was  invested  by  her 
brother  in  a  manufacturing  business  at  Mill  Hall, 
but  the  enterprise  proved  unprofitable.  She  died 
September  18,  1873.  In  her  family  were  three 
children:  George,  the  father  of  our  subject; 
Mrs.  Dr.  Parry,  who  spent  her  entire  life  in  Lan- 
caster county;  and  Mrs.  Shoff,  now  deceased. 

George  Herr,  Sr. ,  was  born  February  24, 
1805,  in  Lancaster  county,  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Mill  Hall,  in 
which  place  he  also  clerked  for  his  uncle, 
George  Bressler,  a  merchant,  during  his  young- 
er years.  He  was  first  married  in  Nittany 
Valley,  in  1834,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Miller,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children  as  follows:  Emma, 
born  March  12,  1835,  is  now  the  widow  of  Eli 
Hyatt  and  a  resident  of  Salona;  Henry,  born  Jan- 
uary 29,  1837,  was  a  tanner  and  lumberman  by 
occupation,  and  died  in  Salona;  and  Daniel,  born 
January  7,  1840,  is  a  dairyman,  at  Quincy,  111. 
For  his  second  wife,  George  Herr,  Sr.,  married 
Miss  Catharine  Wilson,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 28,   1S09,  in  Lamar  township,  east  of  Salona, 


-.71 


VMBMOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Catharine 
i  Bressler  Wilson.  Four  children  blessed  this 
union,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest.  Re- 
becca, born  December  i  er  home 
in  Salona.  Sarah  and  Charlotte  (twins)  were 
born  March  irmer  is  ii'  iw  the 
wife  of  W.  H.  Cadogan,  of  Quincy,  111.,  while 
the  latter  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 

About  [834  the  father  located  in  Nittany 
Valley,  where  soon  afterward  he  purchased  a 
farm  which  is  still  in  the  family,  and  he  turned 
ntion  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a 
man  of  rather  spare  build,  never  wi 
1  ,  ip  mnds.  1I<-  started  out  in  life  practically 
empty-handed,  but  became  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  of  tl  y,  and  for  several  years  pre- 

vious to  his  death  lived  retired  from  active  la- 
in his  farming  opera:  was  system- 
atic and  methodical,  and  as  a  citizen  deserved 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  uniformly  held. 
He  was  the  leading  members  oi  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  to  which  he  was  a  liberal  contrib- 
utor, and  of  which  1:  I  as  trustee  formany 
In  politics  he  was  tirst  a  Whig  and  later 
a  Republican,  and  although  he  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  he  never  cared  for  of- 
ficial   h                 lli>  death   occurred  January  16, 

4.    ami    his   wife    passed    away   Januarj     13, 
17,  an. I  1:  in    the    Salona 

cemetery. 

In  the  Salem  si  bool,  under  the  instruction  of 
Sally  A.  Herr,  the  subject  of  this  sketch   b< 
his  education,   and   the    knowledge  I    in 

the  .hstrict  schools  was  later  su] 

;rse   in    Dickr  miliary  at  Williamsport, 

which  I  .1  at  tic  ;   eighteen.     Al- 

though he  was  naturally  bright  and  able  to  learn 
rapidly,  he  was  not  ambitious  and  .lid  not  make 
the  most  "f  his  advantage,  n  irrow  in 

liter  years,  as  he  fully  appreciates  the  value  of 
n.  and  he  has  provided  Ins  chil- 
dren with  good  a.lvanta  g  that  line.  He 
was  reared  a-  .1  farmei  boj  although  his  parents 
removed  to  Salona  when  he  was  thirl 

.  and  when  his  school  days  w  hi    be- 

learning  the  miller's  trade  at   tic-  old  si 
mill  in  that  place  under  the  direction   ol   Joseph 
I    trley,  who  gave  him  $6  per  month  for  his  -. 
ices,      i:  pleted   his  trade,  however,  in  the 

old  Liggett  mill  abovi  Eagleville,  in  Centre 
county,  an.l  for  twelve  years  followed  that  occu- 

on,  having  charge  of  the  old  stone  mill  in 
loiia  l,,r  ten  years  of  that  time.      I  me   time 

he  1  his  mother's    farm,  but  in  the  spring 

of  1894  took  up  his  resilience  in  his  present  home 
■ml  for  two  j ears  w.i-  again  engaged 
in  the  milling  business.      Since    that   time,  how- 


ever, he  and  his  sons  have  successfully  engaged 
in  merchandising. 

On  February  2.  1871,  Mr.  Herr  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Fredericks,  who  was 
born  January  23,  1848.  in  Qhillisquaque  town- 
ship, Northumberland  Co.,  Penn.,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Rachel  (Walter)  Fredeiicks.  She 
was  reared  in  her  native  county,  where  she  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching  previous  to  her 
marriage.  She  has  become  the  mother  of  two 
children:  1  1  Wilso.i  F. ,  now  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father,  was  born  Ma\  29,  [873,  and 
graduated  at  the  Lock  Haven  Central  State  Nor- 
mal School  in  1891.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  Olympic  Council, 
Royal  Arcanum,  at  Lock  Haven.  He  married 
Anna  F.  Heard,  and  has  two  children — Leigh  and 
Paul.  (2)  Jessica  F.  was  a  member  of  the 
graduating  class  of  the  Lock  Haven  Central  State 

mal  School  in  1893,  and  resides  at  home. 

Although  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics,  at 
local  elections  our  subject  supports  the  men 
whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for  the  office  re- 
gardless of  party  ties.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange;  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America,  at  Salona;  and  Olympic  Council,  Royal 
Arcanum,  at  Lock  Haven;  while  religiously  he 
and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees.  In 
the  formation  of  the  Salona  Creamery  Company 
Mr.  Herr  took  an  active  part,  and  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  every  enterprise  cal- 
culated to  prove  of  public  benefit,  so  that  hi 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens 
as  well  as  substantial  and  reliable  business  men 
of  Salon 


J'  >SEPH   R.  KENDIG,  an  honored  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  a  trusted  and  faithful  em- 
ployee of  the   Pennsylvania  Railroad  Coin- 
pan),  has  for  several  years  been  general  manager 
of  the  store  of  that  company  at  Renovo.  Clinton 
county,    having   previously   served   a   number  of 
year.-  as   maintenance  of  way  clerk,  and  for  the 
1    nine   years  was  chief  clerk  to  superin- 
tendent of  the  middle  division  of  the  Philadel- 
phia  &    Erie  division   of  the   Pennsylvania  Rail- 
ny. 
Mr.   Kendig  was  born  in  Cumberland  county, 
Penn.,  in  1839,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan    Reif- 
sny.ler)  Kendig,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
nsylvania.      The  father,  in  1845.  moved  from 
Cun  I  county.  Penn.,  to   Franklin  county, 

sane  locating  in  Orrstown,  then  a  thriv- 

ing village,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
blacksmithing,  ami   1  !    in   the  manufactur- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


675 


ing  business.  His  death  occurred  in  1891,  hav- 
ing long  survived  the  mother  of  our  subject,  who 
died  in  1841,  leaving  three  children  by  his  first 
wife,  who  are  yet  living:  Henry  B.,  a  resident 
of  Altoona;  Joseph  R.  ;and  Elizabeth,  of  Renovo. 

The  common  schools  afforded  our  subject  his 
educational  privileges.  He  was  reared  upon  the 
home  farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
began  school  teaching,  a  profession  he  success- 
fully followed  for  five  years.  On  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  war,  he,  with  his  brothers,  Abra- 
ham R.  and  William  H.,  enlisted  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States  Government  for  three  years 
or  during  the  war,  the  brothers  becoming  mem- 
bers of  Company  B  and  he  of  Company  H,  107th 
P.  V.  I.  He  was  engaged  in  skirmish  at  Thor- 
oughfare Gap,  Va. ,  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  and  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  De- 
cember 13,  1862,  where  he  was  wounded  by  a 
minie  ball  passing  through  his  right  hip.  From 
the  consequence  of  his  wound  he  was  given  an 
honorable  discharge  April  23,  1863.  On  recov- 
ering his  health  Mr.  Kendig,  on  January  11, 
1865,  entered  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  at  Renovo,  with  which  he 
has  since  been  connected,  holding  different  posi- 
tions, and  since  1889  has  had  continuous  charge 
of  their  store  here.  He  has  faithfully  served  his 
employers,  as  is  quite  evident  by  his  long  re- 
tention in  their  service. 

Mr.  Kendig  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Brown,  daughter  of  John  and  Catharine  (Grimes) 
Brown,  of  Newville,  Cumberland  Co.,  Penn., 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Roscoe  B.,  Thomas  A.  (de- 
ceased), Wilfred  M.,  Florence,  Clara  L.  (de- 
ceased), Joseph  R. ,  F.  Louis,  Julian  H.  and 
Dorothy.  Both  parents  hold  membership  in  the 
New  Jerusalem  Church  (Swedenborgian),  while, 
socially,  Mr.  Kendig  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and,  politically,  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  never  been  an 
aspirant  for  official  honors,  but  has  held  some 
school  offices.  He  stands  to-day  in  his  mature 
years  a  strong  man,  strong  in  the  consciousness 
of  well-spent  years,  strong  to  plan  and  perform, 
strong  in  his  credit  and  good  name.  His  has 
been  a  pure,  honorable  and  useful  life,  actuated 
by  unselfish  motives,  prompted  by  patriotism  and 
guided  by  truth  and  justice. 


TJUC 


'The  art  of  growing  old 
MIL  gracefully"  is  well  exemplified  in  the  per- 
sonality of  this  venerable  and  honored  citizen  of 
Lamar,  Clinton  county,  who,  despite  the  fact 
that  he  has  now  advanced  nearly  a  score  of  years 


beyond  the  Scriptural  limit  of  man's  life,  is  still 
hale  and  hearty.  His  step  is  firm  and  steady, 
and  his  faculties  in  full  use,  his  eyesight  enabling 
him  to  read  as  well  as  ever,  although  as  a  pre- 
cautionary measure  he  procured  a  pair  of  specta- 
cles about  two  years  ago. 

Mr.  White  was  born  September  12,  18 10,  in 
Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  (then  Lycoming) 
county,  and  is  of  our  best  Colonial  stock. 
Hon.  Hugh  White,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native 
of  Dauphin  county,  Penn.,  both  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  was  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.  Later  he  served  in  the  State  Legislature 
as  a  representative  from  Lycoming  county,  where 
his  last  years  were  spent  upon  a  farm.  The  es- 
tate is  now  within  the  limits  of  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  and  the  burial  place  of  the 
old  pioneer  is  known  as  Pine  Creek  cemetery. 
He  also  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Bald 
Eagle  Valley,  where  his  sons,  William  and  Hugh, 
located;  but  others  of  the  family  remained  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  old  homestead,  and  all  of  them 
settled  within  the  State.  His  first  wife  was  a 
Miss  Allison,  and  his  second  a  Mrs.  Wetzel,  a 
widow.  By  the  first  marriage  there  were  seven 
children:  William,  our  subject's  father;  John, 
who  was  subject  to  fits,  and  during  one  fell  out 
of  a  canoe  and  was  drowned;  Chesney,  who  died 
unmarried;  Allison,  who  was  killed  while  horse- 
back riding,  being  thrown  against  a  tree;  Hugh, 
who  died  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  leaving  a  family; 
James,  who  died  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clin- 
ton county;  and  Nancy,  wife  of  John  F.  McCor- 
mick,  of  Lock  Haven,  in  which  city  her  death 
occurred  a  few  years  ago.  Four  children  were 
born  of  the  second  marriage:  Isabella,  who 
married  (first)  Robert  Bailey,  (second)  James 
Allen,  and  now  resides  in  Jersey  Shore;  and 
George,  John  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  died  in 
Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 

William  White,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  November  26,  1774,  and  was  married  April 
5,  1803,  in  what  is  now  Pine  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county,  to  Miss  Hannah  Jackson,  who 
was  just  six  days  older  than  he.  In  February, 
181 1,  he  removed  to  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clin- 
ton (then  Centre)  county  (then  a  new  section), 
and  engaged  in  farming.  He  held  a  prominent 
place  among  the  pioneers  of  that  locality,  and 
for  some  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  in  religious  faith 
was  an  ardent  Presbyterian,  being  an  elder  in  the 
Church.  Financially  he  met  with  success,  and 
at  his  death  he  left  a  goodly  inheritance  to  his 
children.  He  died  on  December  31,  1831,  and 
his  wife  passed  away  about  June  15,  1833,  their 
remains  being  interred  in.theold  cemetery  on  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hill  above  Lock  Haven.  Of  their  children,  the 
eldest.  Margaret,  born  January  16,  1804.  mar- 
ried John  Stout,  and  died  at  Lamar;  Caroline, 
born  December  21,   [805,  marri  ■   W'or- 

rick,  and  died  at  Mackeyville,  Penn. ;  Jackson, 
born  July  17,  1807,  died  in  childhood  in  Bald 
Eagle  Valley;  Agnes,  born  November  \j,  1S0S, 
also   died    in   childhood;    Hugh    (our    subject)   is 

utioned  more  fully  below;  Miss  Lucinda,  burn 
January  10,  1813,  died  at   Lamar,  at  the  age  of 

bty-two  years;  the  seventh  child,  a  son.  died 
in  infancy;  William  A.,  born  September  23, 
1816,  became  a  successful  merchant  of  Clinton- 
dale,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- four,  leaving 
a  large  estate. 

Our  subject  was  but  an  infant  when  his  par- 
ent- removed  to  the  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  and  his 
educational  opportunities  were  restricted  .to  tin- 
subscription  schools  of  that  day  and  locality. 
All  the  apparatus  was  of  a  primitive  sort,  quill 
pens  being  used  for  writing,  and  the  methods  of 
bing  no  less  old-fashioned.  However,  he 
made  the  most  of  his  time  at  school  and,  having 
prepared  to  teach,  he  in  early  manhood  took 
charge  of  a  school  for  five  months.  As  the  son 
of  a  pioneer  farmer  he  became  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  agricultural  work,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  he  left  home  to  learn  the  tanner's 
trade  with  a  cousin.  Robert  Hamilton,  in  Lycom- 
ing county,  about  a  mile  above  Newberry.     Five 

rs  Mi  White  spent  in  that  business,  and  then, 
in  the  fall  of  [839,  he  went  to  Lock  Haven, 
which  had  just  begun  to  attract  the  notice  of  set- 
tlers, and  opened  a  Three  years  later 
he  sold  out,  but  not  long  afterward  he  establish- 
ed another  in  the  same  town,  and  this  he  con- 
ducted successfully  for  hve  years,  his  trade  in- 
g  with  ti  th  of  the  city.  In  the 
fall  "f  1849  he  reni"\.  1  to  Nittany  Valley  and 
■  iblished  a  -tore  on  the    pike    mar    "Custard 

vern, "  where  he  remained  until  1863.  Since 
that  date  he  has  be<  dent  of    Lamar,  and 

until    r88o   he   -  I    in    the   mercantile 

business  there,  while  acting  also  as  postmaster. 
Hi-  dealings  were  always  1  autious  and  conserva- 
tive, steady  gains  being  prefi  rable  in  his  opinion 
i"  reckli  with    a  view   to  unusual 

profits,  and  hi-  integrity  has  won  for  him  the 

■ii  of  all  who  knew  him.      <  >n  dis|  1  his 

80,    he  retired  from   business  with  a 
handsome  comp  which    I 

entirely  by  his  own  well-directed  effort-  For  a 
numbei  Lucinda  White, 

kept  house  for  him;  she  died  Decembei    \  1 
II-  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  now  li> 
and  his  strength  and  vigor  give  prom  iny 

1  s  of  life  for  him. 


Although  Mr.  White  is  not  a  member  of  any 
religious  denomination,  he  has  contributed  lib- 
erallv  to  the    Presbyterian  Church,  which  he  at- 

ds,  and  is  in  sympathy  with  ever)' effort  which 
tends  to  progress.  He  has  taken  an  intelligent 
interest  in  the  questions  of  the  time,  and  has  been 
an  active  and  influential  worker  in  local  politics, 
tirst  as  a  Whig  and  later  as  a  Republican,  never 
missing  a  Presidential  election  since  arriving  at 
his  majority,  and  assisting  the  party  at  all  emer- 
gencies as  the   occasion  demanded.       For  three 

rs  he  served  as  county  auditor.  For  some 
thirty  years  he  was  postmaster  and  acting  post- 
master at  Lamar. 


EMORY   BEARDSLEY    WATERS,    an    un- 
/  dertaker    and    embalmer    of    Lock    Haven, 

Clinton  county,  who  is  skilled  in  his  line,  is  a 
young  man  of  education  and  intelligence,  and  is 
descended  from  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
Warren  county,  this  state. 

His  grandparents,  Albert  Starling  and  Mary 
Jane  (Coxwell  Waters,  were  residents  of  War- 
ren county,  Penn.  Starling  W.  Waters,  a  son 
of  this  couple,  and  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
Warren,  born  in  the  county  of  the  same  name. 
He  was  married  to  Mary  Rosamond  Hall,  a  na- 
tive of  Warren  county,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter 
of  Orris  Hall,  who  located  in  that  county  while 
yet  the  Indians  were  there,  being  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  that  locality.  He  at  one  time  owned 
much  of  the  land  on  which  the  present  town  of 
Warren  stands,  and  donated  the  ground  on 
which  four  of  the  churches  of  the  place  are  built. 
The  children  of  Starling  W.  Waters  and  wife 
are:  Wilson  Hall,  Myron,  and  Emory  Beards- 
ley,  our  subject. 

Starling  W.  Waters  has  thus  far  passed  his 
life  in  the  county  of  his  nativity,  where  he  has 
been  very  active  in  business  affairs,  and  whi 
too,  he  has  served  the  public  for  years  creditably 
to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constit- 
uents. He  was  for  three  terms  the  prothonotary 
of  the  county,  and  is  at  present  the  postmaster 
ol  Warren.  He  has  been  prominent  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  Republican  party  many  years.  He  is 
a  large  oil  produi 

Emory  Beardsley  Waters  was  born  in  War- 
ren.  July    20,     1871.      He    attended    the    public 
wn,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
high   school   in    1885.      After    his  graduation   he 
red     the     undertaking    establishment    of  P. 
Greenland     &     Sons,    and     of    these    gentlemen 
the  business.      Desiring  to  become  thor- 
oughly equipped    in    a    knowledge    of   the    best 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


677 


methods  in  vogue  in  this  line,  in  New  York  City, 
he  went  thither  and  entered  an  embalming  school 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1890.  He  has 
ever  since  given  the  subject  his  undivided  atten- 
tion, and  is  now  very  proficient  in  the  business. 
His  undertaking  rooms  in  Lock  Haven  are  well 
regulated,  and  present  a  neat  and  inviting  appear- 
ance. Socially,  he  is  identified  with  the  F.  &A. 
M.,  and  with  the  Royal  Arcanum.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

On  October  14,  1897,  Mr.  Waters  was  mar- 
ried to  Grace  May  Fisher,  of  Lock  Haven,  a 
daughter  of  an  old  English  family  who  came 
from  England  to  Lock  Haven  when  it  was  a  small 
place.  The  parents  were  engaged  in  the  bakery 
business  until  their  deaths. 


DAVID  R.  WERTS.  Among  the  business 
men  whose  enterprise  and  activity  in  trade 
circles  have  made  them  prominent  citizens  of 
Renovo  is  this  gentleman  who  is  now  success- 
fully engaged  in  dealing  in  coal,  wood  and  ice. 

Mr.  Werts  was  born  in  1858,  at  Westport, 
Clinton  county,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy 
(Pfouts)  Werts,  both  of  whom  are  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
lumberman,  following  those  pursuits  throughout 
his  entire  life.  He  took  quite  a  prominent  part 
in  local  affairs,  and  often  filled  public  positions 
of  honor  and  trust.  On  November  12,  1892,  he 
was  called  to  his  final  rest,  but  his  estimable 
wife  is  still  living.  Her  father,  Simeon  Pfouts, 
was  the  first  settler  on  Kettle  creek,  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  West  branch  district,  coming  to  the 
county  when  it  was  a  wilderness.  Samuel  and 
Nancy  Werts  had  a  family  of  two  daughters — 
Viola  and  Eva  (both  dead) — and  six  sons — W.  C. , 
Simeon  P.,  Daniel  B.,  John  F. ,  Samuel  M.  and 
David  R. ,  all  living. 

David  R.  Werts  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  district  schools,  and,  subsequently,  for 
three  years  attended  the  Lancaster  schools.  He 
was  reared  under  the  parental  roof,  and  early 
became  familiar  with  all  the  duties  that  fall  to 
the  lot  of  the  agriculturist;  but  his  tastes  lay  in 
another  direction,  and  on  attaining  his  majority 
he  came  to  Renovo  where  he  was  employed  in 
the  car  shops  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then 
embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account,  estab- 
lishing a  woodyard.  His  capital  was  at  first 
small,  but  he  gradually  extended  his  operations 
and  began  dealing  in  coal  and  ice  as  well  as 
wood.  He  is  now  a  leader  in  his  line  of  trade, 
enjoying  a  large  patronage,  from  which  he  de- 
rives a  good  income.      He  is   known   as  one  of 


the  most  famous  hunters  of  his  age  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country,  having  killed  200  deer  and 
thirteen  bear  and  numerous  other  game. 

In  1880  Mr.  Werts  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Ada  Stewart,  a  daughter  of  J.  F.  and  Jane 
(Fair)  Stewart,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
following  children  grace  this  union:  Nannie  M. , 
Samuel  B.,  Alfred,  K.  P.,  Winifred,  and  Ray- 
mond. The  parents  are  consistent  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and,  socially, 
Mr.  Werts  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle  and  the  Maccabees.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  high  con- 
stable and  police  commissioner  of  Renovo,  dis- 
charging his  duties  in  a  most  satisfactory  man- 
ner. He  has  the  essential  qualifications  of  the 
successful  business  man,  and  his  indefatigable 
labor,  his  sound  judgment  and  well-directed  ef- 
forts have  brought  to  him  the  prosperity  which 
he  now  enjoys.  In  manner  he  is  pleasant  and 
genial,  and  the  circle  of  his  friends  is  constantly 
widening. 


If,  H.  BROWN,  a  well-known  farmer  of  La- 
jPflk  mar  township,  is  a  worthy  representative 
of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  pioneer 
families  of  Clinton  county,  and  its  members  have 
been  actively  identified  with  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  this  region. 

Samuel  Brown,  his  paternal  grandfather, 
was  born  March  21,  1770,  of  Scotch-Irish  ances- 
try, and  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  locate 
upon  the  present  farm  of  the  latter,  which  has 
now  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  for 
over  a  century.  He  found  the  land  still  in  its 
primitive  condition,  but  at  once  commenced  to 
clear  and  improve  it,  erecting  thereon  a  good 
stone  residence  in  1800.  Throughout  his  entire 
life  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
On  February  18,  1799,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ann  Fearon,  who  was  born  January  14,  1771, 
and  died  November  20,  1831,  while  his  death  oc- 
curred May  24,  1842,  and  both  are  laid  to  rest 
in  the  Cedar  Hill  cemetery.  In  religious  belief, 
they  were  Presbyterians,  and  in  politics  the  hus- 
band was  a  Whig.  In  their  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Sarah  F.,  born  January  4, 
1800,  married  Alexander  Jackson,  and  died  in 
Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  June  18,  1861; 
William  F. ,  born  May  26,  1S01,  emigrated  to 
Stephenson  county,  111.,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death;  Joseph,  born  May  19, 
1803,  was  a  merchant  for  some  years  at  Cedar 
Springs,  but  died  at  Weaverville,  Northampton 
Co.,  Penn. ;  James,  born  August  3,  1805,  also 
became  a  farmer  of  Stephenson  county,  111.,  and 


678 


-  OMMBMOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  <Jie< I  at  Freeport,  that  State;  Thomas,  the 
father  of  A.  H.,  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Sam- 
uel, born  October  2},  was  an  agriculturist,  and 
died  at  Clintondale,  Clinton  county,  September 
30,  1873;  and  Robert  B.,  born  .September  17, 
1S11,  was  a  retired  farmer  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  Altoona,  Penn.,  Sep- 
tember 12,  i.- 
Thomas  Brown  was  born  October  13,  1807, 
in  the  old  stone  house  on  our  subjects  farm,  and, 
with  thi  i    '"II  ol  nine   years,  he  there  spent 

his  entire  life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
The  subscription  schools  afforded  him  his  edu- 
cational advantages,  and  he  made  the  most  of 
his  opportunites.  On  May  23,  1843,  in  Belle- 
fonte,  Penn.,  he  was  married  by  Rev.  Linn  to 
Miss  Eleanor  J.  Hays,  who  was  born  May  24,  1819, 
in  1  (aid  Eagle  Valle)  .one  mile  above  Marsh  creek, a 
daughter  ol  William  and  Mary  (Hays)  Hays. 
Sin-  was  reared  in  her  native  Valley. 

William  Hays  (Mrs  Brown's  father)  was  born 
in  Coimty  Tyrone,  Ireland,  in  1778,  and  came  to 
the  United  Mates,  when  young,  with  his  parents. 
His  lather,  William  Hays,  Sr.,  was  buried  in 
11  ■■,  emetery,  in  Beech  Creek,  Clinton  county. 
<  in  attaining  to  man's  estate  the  son  was  married 
Bi  ech  <  reek,  to  Mary  Hays,  who  was  born 
there  May  K>,  17SS,  a  daughter  of  Lieut.  Jai 
Hays,  whose  parents,  John  and  Jane  Hays,  came 
to  the  New  World  from  Wesl  Donegal,  Ireland, 
in    1 73-.      The    Lieutenant    won    his   title    while 

ring  111  the  French  and  Indian  war  in 
Colonel  Bouquet,  and  in  return  for  his  services 
he  received  a  tract  of  land  at  the  month  1  >t  1  leech 
ek,  in  Clinton  county,  where  he  located  and 
his  family.  Mrs  Brown's  father,  who 
always  followed  the  occupation  of  farming,  dud 
January  30,  [838,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
Sepl  to,  1827,  the  remains  of  both  being 

interred   in   l  Springs    cemetery.      In   their 

family  were  six  children,  namely:  Sarah  B. ,  now 
the  widow  (if  Robert  Pearon,  and  a  resident  of 
Lock  Haven;  William  N.,  who  is  living  in  New 
I  Westmoreland     Co.,     Penn.;      Mrs 

Brown;  Emeline,  widow  ol  Alexander  Sloan,  and 
a  resident  ol  Lock  Haven;  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
John  P,  Martin,  and  a  resident  ol  [ersey  Sh 
and  Mary  A.,  who  w.-dded  Aaron  Schofield,  now 
deceased,  and  makes  her  home  near  Geuda 
Springs,  Kansas. 

Thomas  and  Eleanor  Brown  were  born 
six  children:  Mary  A  .  who  died  in  childhood; 
William    N\,    also  dei  Sarah    ].,    wife    of 

Samuel  Hays,  of  Pine  Creek,  Lycoming  Co., 
I  mi ..  and  the  mother  of  four  children — Thomas 
B  .  Matthew  Mc  .  Eli  tnor  J.  and  Alfred  W  .  A. 
II.  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch;  and  Tillie 


E.  and  Anna  E.,  both  at  home.  The  father  of 
this  family  died  August  3,  1884,  and  was  buried 
in  Cedar  Hill  cemetery.  His  first  vote  was  cast 
for  Andrew  Jackson,  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  President,  but  after  that  he  supported  the 
Whig  party,  and  later  became  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican, but  was  never  an  office-seeker,  preferring 
to  devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his 
business  interests.  Upright  and  honorable  in  all 
the  relations  of  life,  he  gained  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact, 
and  those  who  knew  him  best  were  numbered 
among  his  stanchest  friends,  a  fact  which  plainly 
indicates  a  good  life.  He  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  his  es- 
timable wife  also  belongs.  She  is  still  living 
with  her  children  on  the  old  homestead,  and  at 
heradvanced  age  is  exceedingly  well  preserved,  and 
possesses  a  remarkable  memory,  which  seems  a 
characteristic  of  her  family. 


SAMUEL  MORTIMER,  an  enterprising  citizen 
and  prominent  agriculturist  of  Beech  Creek 
township,  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  was  born  in 
England  in  1833,  a  son  of  William  and  Susanna 
(Wakely)  Mortimer,  also  natives  of  England, 
where  they  passed  their  entire  lives. 

The  son  had  but  meager  educational  advan- 
tages in  his  native  land,  as  his  parents  were  in 
no  better  than  moderate  circumstances,  and  early 
in  life  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver,  at  which 
he  worked  in  England  until  he  was  twenty  years 
old.  At  that  time  (about  1853)  he  came  to  the 
New  World,  taking  up  his  first  residence  here  in 
New  York  State,  whence  after  some  ten  months 
he  came  to  Clinton  county,  locating  in  Ginger 
township,  where  he  worked  for  two  years;  then 
moved  to  Lock  Haven,  and  there  lived  till  1857, 

year  of  his  coming  to  Beech  Creek  township. 
From  1872  to  [884  (twelve  years  in  all)  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Kansas,  returning  to  Clin- 
ton county  in  the  latter  year.  In  1885  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  100  acres,  on  which 
he  has  neat,  substantial  and  commodious  build- 
ings. 

In  1858  our  subject  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  Lynn,  daughter  of  James 
Lynn,  of  Clinton  county,  and  five  children  have 
this  union,  all  yet  living:  Joseph,  Susanna 
(wife  of  John  Zurbee),  Tacie  Edith  (widow  of 
John  Pi  Samuel,  and  Cora  (wife  of  Oliver 

Bitner).  The  mother  of  these  died  in  Decem- 
ber, 18S7,  and  in  December.  1889,  Mr.  Mortimer 
wedded  Miss  Sarah  Catherine  Sproul,  of  Centre 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortimer  are  members 
of  the  M     1.    Church;   in  politics  Mr.  Mortimer  is 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


679 


a  Republican,  and,  while  no  aspirant  for  office, 
has  served  efficiently  as  supervisor.  Socially  he 
enjoys  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  as  a  kind 
husband,  an  indulgent  parent  and  a  trustworthy 
citizen. 


M  DAM  DICKEY,  a  leading  farmer  and  fruit- 
./tL.  grower  of  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton 
county,  was  born  in  that  township,  December  2, 
1849,  a  son  of  Robert  L.  and  Magdalena  (Ress- 
ner) Dickey. 

Robert  L.  Dickey  was  a  native  of  Stone  Val- 
ley, Huntingdon  Co.,  Penn. ,  but  during  boyhood 
was  brought  by  his  father  to  Mill  Hall,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  for  several 
years  while  employed  as  a  collier  and  in  cutting 
cord  wood.  Later  he  removed  to  a  small  farm 
near  that  village,  where  he  made  for  his  family  a 
comfortable  home.  He  was  a  hard-working,  en- 
ergetic man,  and  a  highly-respected  citizen  of  the 
community.  During  the  dark  days  of  the  Civil 
war,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  11th  P.  V.  I., 
under  Col.  Coulter,  faithfully  aided  in  the  de- 
fense of  the  Union  for  eighteen  months,  and  was 
twice  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
one  wound  causing,  in  later  years,  the  loss  of  the 
sight  of  his  right  eye.  Originally,  in  politics  he 
was  a  Whig,  and  on  its  organization  became  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 

At  Mill  Hall,  Penn.,  Robert  L.  Dickey  was 
married  to  Magdalena  Ressner,  a  native  of  Leb- 
anon county,  Penn.,  whose  mother  died  when 
she  was  only  seven  years  old.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  Thomas  J.  Fox;  William  T.,who  when  last 
heard  from  was  in  California ;  Adam,  of  this  sketch ; 
and  Henry  A.,  a  farmer  of  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship, Clinton  county.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-five,  the  mother  at  seventy-nine,  and 
the  remains  of  both  were  interred  in  the  Brown 
cemetery. 

Adam  Dickey  began  his  education  in  the 
Brown  school  under  the  direction  of  Fern  Brown, 
but  his  privileges  along  that  line  were  very 
meager,  as  during  early  boyhood  he  began  work- 
ing away  from  home  for  his  board.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  found  employment  in  the  lumber 
woods,  where  he  continued  to  work  for  several 
years.  On  April  25,  1875,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  C.  Earon,  who  was  born  September 
21,  1850,  in  Beech  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eve  (Myers) 
Earon,  farming  people.  She  obtained  a  good, 
common-school  education,  and  successfully  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  her  native  township,  the 
same  county.      Seven  children  blessed  the  union 


of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickey:  Anna  M.,  born  March 
4,  1876;  John  W.,  February  10,  1878;  Robert 
L.,  May  2,  1880;  Adam  C,  October  12,  1882; 
Henry  E.  and  Charles  W. ,  who  died  in  infancy; 
and  Eleanor  P.,  born  May  27,  1896. 

Previous  to  his  marriage  our  subject  support- 
ed his  mother  for  several  years,  and  therefore  had 
saved  but  little.  He  continued  to  reside  upon  a 
rented  farm  in  Beech  Creek  township,  where  he 
located  in  1873,  making  it  his  home  until  his  re- 
moval to  his  present  farm  in  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  in  March,  1880.  He  pur- 
chased the  place  of  John  Keener,  but  had  to  go 
heavily  in  debt  for  the  same,  and  may  properly 
be  numbered  with  the  self-made  men  of  the  com- 
munity, who  have  attained  a  good  home  and 
comfortable  competence  by  the  exercise  of  good 
business  ability,  industry  and  sound  judgment. 

In  his  labors  to  build  up  a  homestead,  Adam 
Dickey  has  also  kept  in  view  the  good  of  his  com- 
munity, and  is  one  of  the  first  men  approached 
in  the  inauguration  of  an  enterprise  tending  to 
the  building  up  of  the  township  and  the  welfare 
of  its  people.  A  stanch  Republican  in  politics, 
he  keeps  well  posted  in  regard  to  current  events, 
and  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  both  educational 
and  religious  matters.  He  has  served  as  school 
director  twelve  years,  overseer  of  the  poor  eight 
years,  supervisor  two  years,  and  township  treas- 
urer three  years,  discharging  the  various  duties 
of  those  positions  in  a  most  creditable  and  satis- 
factory manner.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
are  identified  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  he 
has  served  as  trustee  of  the  Church  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath-school.  She  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  his  success,  and  they  merit 
and  receive  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who 
know  them. 


S\AMUEL  BRUNGARD.  The  name  Brun- 
^J  gard  is  almost  a  synonym  for  that  of  a  good 
farmer  and  excellent  citizen,  for  those  who  bear 
the  name  are  invariably  thorough  and  skillful 
agriculturists  and  thrifty  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness men,  who  have  made  for  themselves  com- 
fortable homes.  Our  subject  is  no  exception  to 
the  rule  as  he  is  to-day  one  of  the  leading  and 
prominent  farmers  of  Lamar  township,  Ciinton 
county.  By  a  different  branch  of  the  family  the 
name  is  spelled  Brungart. 

Samuel  Brungard  was  born  February  10,  1844, 
on  a  farm  in  Lamar  township,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Nittany  Valley,  where  his  father  first 
located  on  coming  to  Clinton  county.  He  was 
George  Brungard,  a  native  of  Brush  Valley, 
Miles  township,   Centre  Co.,   Penn.,   born    July 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


24,    1  Sid,   and    a    son    of    Jacob    and    Margaret 
phart)  Brungard.      He  was  reared  as  a  farm- 
er  boy,  and  in  his  native  Valley  was  married, 
February    14.   1  Elizabeth  Wohlford,  the 

ceremony  being  performed  by  Rev.  Peter  S 
1  -her.  Mrs.  Brungard  was  born  July  19,  1815, 
a  daughter  "1  John  and  Catharine  Wohlford. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  began  their  domestic 
life  upon  a  farm  in  Nittany  Valley,  where  the 
father  owned  considerable  land,  divided  into  two 
farm-  His  first  home  in  Lamar  township 
an  old  log  house,  but  in  later  years  it  was  re- 
place •  I  re  pretentious  dwelling,  and  g 
barns  and  other  outbuildings  were  also  erected. 
He  died  upon  that  place  March  10.  1865,  and 
his  wife,  after  surviving  him  many  years,  passed 
away  August  26,  [885,  and  they  now  sleep  side 
by  side  in  Cedar  Hill  cemetery.  He  was  official- 
ly connected  with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
was  1  Democrat  in  politics,  but  took  little  inter- 
est in  political  affairs,  although  he  faithfully 
lined  all  duties  of  citizenship. 
To  George  and  Elizabeth  Brungard  were  born 
the  following  children:  John,  born  April  3, 
1839,  was  a  member  ofth.  Seventh  Pennsylvania 
dry  during  the  Civil  war,  and  after  that 
Struggle  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  died  Januarv 
3,  1875;  Sarah,  born  March  29,  1840.  is  the  wife 
M  Miller,  of  Madisonbur-.  Centre  Co., 
a.;  Amanda  K  .  bom  August  28,  1S41,  mar- 
ried S.  E.  Walker,  and  in  Lamar  township, 
Clinton  county,  was  gored  to  death  by  a  bull, 
Jul}  .  Mary  J.,  bom  November  19,  1842, 
1-  the  wife  ol  George  S  Gramley,  of  Lamar 
township; Samuel  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Henry 
J.,  born  May  15,  1845,  is  a  fanner  of  Lamar 
township;  Catharine,  born  July  2.  1  the 
wit.  1  <  yrus  Erhart,  of  Rebersburg,  Penn. ; 
rge  I'...  born  July  9,  1850,  and  Jacob,  born 
Septembei    26,   [852,   are   both   agriculturist 

township; Margaret,  born  March  14,  18; 
is  living  in  Indianapolis,  fnd.;  Luther,  bom 
March  1.  1856,  makes  his  home  in  Salona  Penn.; 
and  K  isii  \  .  bom  September  18,  1858,  is  the 
wife  of  John  Mayberry  Herr,  of  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  the  subject  of 
this  sketch   atti  nded   the  publii  5,   which 

were  much  inferior  to  those  ol  the  present   day, 
and  among  his  earls'  teachers  w<  re  fames  Rog 
and   Judge    Austin    Furst.      Rean  ' 

be  was  able  to  handle  the  plow  at  the  age 
of  ten  years,  and  he  has  since  devoted  his  .  1 
Kies  to  agricultural  pursuits.  After  renting  In- 
present  farm  of  Ins  mother  1  he  pur- 
chased the  plai  e,  which  comprises  100  acres  of 
rich  and  arable  land,  which   he  has  placed  un 


1  cultivation,  and  he  also  has  a  similar  amount 
niber  land.      His   present   barn  was   erected 
in  1871,  and  in  1889  he  built  his  comfortable  and 
commodious  residence. 

On  December  31,  1868,  Mr.  Brungard  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Wolf,  who  was  born 
October  31,  1844,  in  Brush  Valley,  Centre  coun- 
ty, a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rebecca  (Minich) 
Wolf.  She  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children, 
one  son  and  five  daughters,  was  reared  in  her  na- 
tive Valley,  and  when  a  young  lady  accompanied 
her  parents  on  their  removal  to  Nittany  Valley. 
Bj  h'-r  marriage,  to  our  subject  she  has  become 
the  mother  of  five  children,  whose  names  and 
dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  George  E. ,  No- 
vember 12.  1S60;  Anna  S. ,  December  10,  1S70; 
Daniel  O.,  March  22,  1S73;  Ella  M.,  December 
3,  [878;  and  Rebecca  E.,  August  3.  1880.  The 
oldest  son  is  now  a  farmer  of  Lamar  township, 
and  the  others  are  all  at  home.  Although  not 
strictly  partisan,  the  father  of  these  usually  sup- 
is  the  Democratic  party  by  his  ballot,  and  he 
has  served  as  supervisor  longer  than  any  two 
men  in  his  township,  being  the  present  incum- 
bent. This  fact  plainly  indicates  his  popularity 
and  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  uniformly- 
held.  He  is  an  active  and  prominent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  has  served  as  deacon 
and  trustee. 


GEORGE  S.  GOOD,  a  man  of  large  business 
interests,  and  of  prominence  in  the  business 
circles  of  central  Pennsylvania,  and  a  resident  of 
I.  k  Haven,  Clinton  county,  was  born  April  10, 
1845,  near  Milton,  Northumberland  Co.,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

George  and  Mary  (Smith)  Good,  his  parents, 
were  natives  of  Northampton  county,  this  State, 
and  were  there  married.  George  Good  (the 
father)  passed  his  younger  life  as  an  agricultur- 
ist, but  later  he  engaged  in  milling,  carrying  on 
a  merchant-mill  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Williamsport,  Penn.,  being  there  so  occupied  at 
the  time  of  his  death  in  November,  1871.  He 
-  a  reputable  business  man,  a  man  of  unques- 
tioned integrity,  and  held  the  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity. His  estimable  wife,  who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abram  Smith,  of  Northampton  county, 
died  in  October,  1886.  They  left  nine  children 
surviving  them,  namely:  John  is  operating  the 
mill  at  the  homestead;  Abraham  is  also  engaged 
in  large  milling  operations,  residing  in  Williams- 
port,  Penn. ;  Lli/abeth  is  the  wife  of  Jonas  Trex- 
ler,  and  •   Shamokin  Dam,  just  opposite 

Sunbury,  Penn.;  Margaret  is   the  wife  of   Jesse 
Snyder,  of   Williamsport,    Penn.;   Emma  is  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


681 


wife  of  Charles  F.  Datesman;  Jennie  is  the  widow 
of  Daniel  Smith;  George  S.  is  our  subject;  Hattie 
M.  is  the  wife  of  John  R.  Ault;  and  Laura  is 
Mrs.  Johnson,  who  resides  at  Williamspbrt,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

George  S.  Good  received  his  school  training 
at  the  famous  Dickinson  Seminary,  at  Williams- 
port,  Penh. ;  his  education,  however,  was  broken 
in  upon  in  1862,  when  seventeen  years  of  age, 
by  his  entering  the  United  States  service.  His 
country's  flag  had  been  fired  upon,  and  too  great 
was  the  patriotism  of  young  Good  to  longer  with- 
stand her  call  to  arms,  and  he  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment to  a  second  lieutenancy  in  Company 
I,  84th  P.  V.  I.  He  shared  the  fate  of  that 
command  for  nearly  three  years,  and  left  a  record 
which  his  posterity  will  cherish  and  in  which  they 
can  justly  take  pride.  At  the  battle  of  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va. ,  May  1  to  4,  1863,  he  received  (on 
Sunday)  a  gunshot  wound,  taking  effect  in  the 
right  hand,  and  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy 
and  confined  in  Libby  prison  at  Richmond,  Va. , 
for  three  weeks.  He  was  again  made  a  prisoner 
of  war  November  25  (Thanksgiving  Day),  1863, 
at  the  battle  of  Mine  Run,  Va.,  while  in  com- 
mand of  the  skirmish  line,  and  was  for  six  months 
confined  in  Libby  prison.  He  was  one  of  the 
109  prisoners  that  escaped  in  May,  1864,  through 
the  famous  tunnel,  and  at  the  time  was  one  of 
the  youngest  men  in  the  prison.  Unfortunately 
he  did  not  long  enjoy  his  freedom,  as  he  was 
re-captured  on  the  following  day  near  the  Chick- 
ahominy  river,  and  confied  in  a  cell  or  pen  11x12 
feet  in  size,  in  the  same  prison,  and  for  a  week 
his  only  diet  consisted  of  a  short  allowance  of 
cornbread  and  water.  Through  political  influ- 
ence he  with  some  others  was  soon  liberated, 
and  that  same  May  (1864)  Lieut.  Good  was  put 
on  court  martial  duty  in  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
there  remained  until  in  November,  1864,  when 
his  regiment  was  consolidated  and  he  was  mus- 
tered out  as  first  lieutenant.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville 
and  Mine  Run.  He  returned  to  Lock  Haven 
and  engaged  in  the  grocery,  business  and  his  occu- 
pation has  since  chiefly  been  in  mercantile  lines. 
Since  1876  he  has  carried  on,  in  connection  with 
his  other  business,  general  contracting,  doing 
considerable  railroad  work.  He  has  constructed 
upwards  of  500  miles  of  railroad,  122  miles  of 
which  were  in  the  Indian  Territory,  a  part  of  the 
Choctaw,  Oklahoma  &  Gulf  railroad.  He  is 
now  chiefly  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  vitri- 
fied brick  and  sewerpipes,  making  some  three  car- 
loads per  day.  The  works  are  now  located  in 
Patton,  Cambria  Co.,  Penn.,  where  the  clay  and 
coal   used   are   mined    by  him.      He  holds  large 


railroad  and  mercantile  interests,  and  is  one  of 
the  substantial  men  of  Clinton  county.  At  this 
time  he  has  a  contract  for  building  165  miles  of 
railroad  from  El  Paso,  Texas,  to  White  Oaks, 
Mexico,  and  forty  miles  of  railroad  in  the  State 
of  Missouri  (from  Bolivar  to  Osceola).  He  has 
continually  in  his  employ  some  800  men. 

In  November,  1867,  Mr.  Good  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Kate  Baker,  a  daughter  of 
George  Baker,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
Milton,  Penn.,  and  their  children  are:  .  Sallie 
B.,  Mary  W.,  Blanche  B.,  Harry  F.,  Ralph,  and 
George  S.,  Jr.  The  family  are  identified  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Good  figures 
conspicuously  in  a  number  of  orders,  clubs,  etc. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. ;  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F. ;  of  the  Lock  Haven  Business  Club;  of  the 
Hecla  Park  Club,  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Repub- 
lican Club,  of  Williamsport.  He  is  prominent  in 
politics,  though  he  has  had  no  political  aspira- 
tions. 


HENRY  M.   SCHWENK,   now  living  retired 
in    Green     township,    is    justly    numbered 

among  the  honored  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county,  and  was 
for  many  years  prominently  identified  with  its 
business  interests  as  a  farmer  and  lumberman. 
He  has  an  honorable  record  of  a  conscientious 
man,  who  by  his  upright  life  has  won  the 
confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact. 

The  name  was  originally  spelled  Schwenck, 
and  the  family  was  founded  in  this  country  by 
two  brothers  who  came  from  Germany  about 
1685,  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Montgom- 
ery county,  Penn.,  where  they  followed  farming. 
The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
born  near  Norristown,  in  that  county,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated,  and  continued  to  make 
his  home  throughout  life.  He  successfully  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farming  and  tanning, 
and  also  owned  and  operated  saw  and  oil  mills, 
becoming  one  of  the  most  prosperous  as  well 
as  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
the  county.  For  seven  years  he  valiantly  aided 
the  colonies  in  their  struggle  for  independence 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was 
in  many  of  the  important  battles.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Whig,  and  in  religious  belief  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  Lutherans,  belonging  to  the 
old-school  Lutheran  Church.  He  had  married 
Fanny  Bower,  also  a  native  of  Montgomery 
county,  and  to  them  were  born  eight  children: 
John,  George,  Samuel,  Abram,  Jacob,  Elizabeth, 
Catharine  and  Mary,  or  Molly. 


I  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKri.iRD. 


George  Schwenk,   our  subject's   father, 
born  in   Montgomery  county,    in    1 7-^4.  and  re- 
ceived   a   fair    German    and    English   education. 
\yith  his  father  he  learned   the  tanner's  trade, 
and  for    tei  rated    the   tannery.       On 

selling  out  he  n  to   the   northern  part  of 

Mi  ntgomery  county  in  1815, where  he  purchased 
a  farm  and  engaged   in  agricultural  pursuits  for 
seven   years.      A<  the  man    who  bought  the  tan- 
was    unable   to   meet    his    payments.     Mr. 

wenk  could  not  obtain  the  money  to  finish 
paying  for  his  farm,  which  was  finally  sold  by 
the  sheriff,  and  he  only  saved  about  $100  dol- 
lars—the result  of  S'  irs  hard  labor.  With 
teristic  energy  he  and  his  worthy  wife 
new,  purchasing  100  acres  of  land  at 
.1  place  known  as  The  Leap,  in  Montgomery 
county,  which  he  worked  hard  to  clear  and  im- 
prove         I  here    he    spent    the    last    twenty-one 

rs  of  bis  life,  dying    in  [843  honored  and  re- 

Cted    b\   all  who    knew   him.      He   manifested 

his  loyalty  by  faithful  service  in  the  war  of  [812, 

and  throughout    life  was  a    consistent  member  ol 

the    Lutheran    Church,    while    his    wife,    who    so 

I   by  him    in    his    hour    of    trial,   held 

mbership  in  the  Reformed  Church.  He  sup- 
ported Andrew  Jackson   for  the  Presidency,  and 

tinued  to  vote  with  the  Democratic  party  un- 
til 1  S  i< ..  when  he  cast  his  ballot  for  William  H. 
Harrison,  the  Whig  candidate. 

George  Schwenk  married  Mi>s  Catherine 
Moyer,  a  native  of  Monl  ounty,  and  they 

th(   pan  nts  children:   [ulia,  de- 

wife  of   John  Boyer;  Abr:  sed . 

Benjamin,   who  died    in    Ulster  county,    N.    V.  ; 
tharine,  wife  of  Abram  Zii  muel,  .1  1 

D  Fe 

Henry  M  .  our  subject. 

1  Ii  nry   M,  Schwenk   was  born    ! 

iO,  in  Mont-,  mery  county,  and  received  only 

lerman   education,   not    being    able  to  speak 

;lish  until  after   his  marriage.      1  fe  remaii 
at  home  aiding  his  lather  111    the    arduous  task  of 
aring  and  improving  a   new  farm  until  seven- 
teen years  when   he  began  learning  the 
miller's  trade,  which  he  successfully  followed 
about    eighteen    years    in    Montgomery,    Lehigh 
and  I.11.             unties.     In    1  s 3 5   he  brought  his 
family  to   Clinton  county,  and   in  Sugar  Valley, 
Logan  township,   bought    a  tract    of 
mountain  land,  which  hi  tion 
with  lumbering  I                                     lb    then  pur- 
chased the  Major  Wolford   farm  in  Green  town- 
ship,   and    to    its  cultivation    and    improvement 

ited  his  time  and  attention   until  laying  a 
all  business  care>  in  1897,  when  he  sold  his  place 
to  his  son  Harvey,  who  now  operates  it. 


In  Luzerne  county,  Penn.,  Mr.  Schwenk  was 
married  to  Miss  Margaret  McXeal,  who  was  born 
in  Salem,  that  county,  in  1820,  and  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  James  McXeal,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man 
I  settled  in  Luzerne  count}-,  where  lie  engaged 
in  surveying  and  farming  throughout  his  remain- 
ing years.  There  he  was  married,  and  reared  his 
family  of  seven  children,  namely:  John,  Samuel, 
William.  Amy,  Elizabeth,  Margaret  and  Sarah. 
John  McXeal,  Mrs.  Schwenk's  father,  was  born 
in  Salem,  Luzerne  county,  in  1780,  and  obtained 
an  excellent  education  in  the  schools  of  Phila- 
delphia. In  early  life  he  followed  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  but  afterward  devoted  his  time  to 
farming  and  lumbering,  always  making  his  home 
in  his  native  count}',  where  he  died  in  1  S 5 4 .  He 
was  married  at  Salem  to  Miss  Rachel  Shi; 
and  to  them   were  born  eleven   children:   Eliza- 

i,  wife  of  Samuel  Jones;  Amos;  Margaret, 
wife  of  our  subject;  Hannah,  wife  of  Theodore 
Haas;  Mary,  wife  of  Benjamin  Budd,  of  Wiscon- 
sin; William  Wallace;  and  five  who  are  now  de- 
ceased—  Andrew,  James,  Eariah,  John  ami  Will- 
iam. The  parents  were  both  faithful  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  were  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  their  native  county, 
where  the}'  spent  their  entire  lives. 

Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  M.  Schwenk,  as  follows:  Emily,  who 
died  when  young;  William  Wallace,    who  was  a 

lier  of  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  located  in  the  West;  Samuel  Sharron,  a 
shingle  manufacturer  and  farmer,  who  married 
Sophia  Brown  and  has  five  children;  Clayton, 
deceased;  Benjamin,  a  lumber  manufacturer  of 
Green  township,    Clinton    county,    who   married 

ma  Bargess  and  has  four  children;  Edgar  A  . 
of  Green  township,  who  married  Susan  Shryer; 
Harvey,  late  a  merchant,  now  operating  the  old 
homestead,  who  married   Maggie  Barner  and  has 

11     children;     Charles,     who     married    Elsie 
Barner  and   lives   in   the   State   of  Washington; 
and  Frank,  who  was  killed   in  a  sawmill  at    the 
f  ten  years. 

Mrs.  Schwenk,   a  well-educated  and   refined 
ight   her   husband  the   English  language 
r  marriage,  and  has  always  proved  a  true 
helpmeet  to  him.  aiding  him  in  all  his  undertak- 
b)  her  encouragement  and  sympathy.   They 
began  their  1  life  in  limited  circumstances, 

and  were  forced  to  pay  $3   per  bushel  for  wheat 
and  $35  for  a  hog,  but  being  industrious,    enter- 
prising and   energetic    they    acquired  a  comfort- 
mpetence    which    now    enables   them    to 

nd    their   declining  years  in  ease  and  retire- 

nt.      They    are    prominent    members   of    the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


683 


German  Baptist  Church  of  Green  township,  to 
which  one  of  their  children  also  belongs,  and 
their  sterling  worth  and  many  excellencies  of 
character  have  gained  for  them  many  friends. 
On  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Schwenk  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  William  H.  Harrison, 
and  at  the  last  election  in  the  fall  of  1896  sup- 
ported Major  McKinley,  being  at  the  present 
time  an  ardent  Republican.  Socially,  when  a 
young  man,  he  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  but  withdrew  from  the  order 
in  1848. 


'OSEPH  MARTIN,  a  well-known  agriculturist 
j  and  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  resid- 
ing in  Pine  Creek  township,  was  born  in 
Middletown,  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  November  7, 
1838,  of  German  ancestry. 

His  grandfather,  John  Martin,  was  a  native 
of  Lancaster  county,  this  State,  where  he  was 
reared,  but  when  a  young  man  removed  to  Dau- 
phin count}',  there  purchasing  a  farm  of  100 
acres,  between  Harrisburg  and  Middletown, 
where  he  followed  farming,  and  also  conducted 
the  well-known  hostelry  known  as  "  Black  Bear 
Tavern."  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he 
served  in  the  Continental  army  in  1775  and  1776, 
and  in  politics  was  a  Whig.  He  was  married  in 
Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  his  wife's  Christian 
name  being  Elizabeth,  who  also  was  a  native  of 
that  county;  both  passed  away  at  "Black  Bear 
Tavern,"  in  Dauphin  county.  In  their  family 
were  three  children,  namely:  Joseph,  father  of 
our  subject;  Abram,  a  minister  of  the  Winebren- 
nerian  Church,  who  also  followed  farming,  and 
died  in  Dauphin  county;  and  John,  an  agricult- 
urist of  the  same  county. 

Joseph  Martin,  Sr. ,  began  his  earthly  career 
at  "Black  Bear  Tavern,"  and  in  the  county  of 
his  birth  was  educated,  learning  to  speak  Ger- 
man and  read  and  write  English.  He  remained 
at  home  working  upon  the  farm  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  he  went  to 
Middletown,  Dauphin  county,  where,  during  the 
dull  seasons,  when  other  work  was  not  obtain- 
able, he  picked  up  a  knowledge  of  the  cooper's 
trade,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tubs, 
barrels,  etc.  Hearing  that  land  was  cheap  in 
central  Pennsylvania,  and  desiring  to  have  a 
farm  of  his  own,  he  in  1840  came  to  Clinton 
county  and  located  on  a  tract  of  timber  land  in 
Pine  Creek  township.  After  clearing  a  small 
tract,  he  erected  a  house  and  barn  thereon,  and 
in  the  winter  months  continued  to  engage  in  the 
manufacture  of  barrels,  as  he  found  there  was  a 
demand  for   the  same  at  the  mills  in  this  section 


of  the  State,  while  he  spent  the  summer  months 
in  clearing,  improving  and  cultivating  his  farm 
with  the  help  of  his  family,  and  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  waving  fields  of  grain  replace  the  wild 
and  primitive  forests  he  found  on  his  arrival 
here. 

At  "  Black  Bear  Tavern  "  Joseph  Martin, 
Sr. ,  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Shiley,  a  na- 
tive of  Dauphin  county,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Shiley,  a  farmer  of  that  county.  Twelve  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them,  namely:  Alexander 
died  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-seven  years;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of 
Irvin  Hammer,  of  Ontario,  Canada;  Mary  died 
in  Pine  Creek  township  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years;  Rebecca  died  unmarried  in  the  same 
township;  Joseph  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Christiana  A.  M.  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Ricker,  of 
Wayne  township,  Clinton  county;  Louise  is  the 
wife  of  John  M.  Scout,  of  Indiana;  Sebina  is  the 
deceased  wife  of  Henry  Chambers,  of  New  York 
State;  Catharine  is  the  wife  of  James  Scout,  of 
Pine  Creek  township;  Amelia  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years;  Elizabeth  is  a  resident  of  Jersey 
Shore,  and  Ida  died  at  the  age  of  eight.  The 
father  died  on  his  farm  in  December,  i860,  the 
mother  at  the  home  of  our  subject,  December 
14,  1888,  and  their  remains  were  interred  in  the 
graveyard  attached  to  the  Lutheran  Church  in 
Pine  Creek  township.  They  were  members  of 
that  Church,  and  were  widely  and  favorably 
known.  The  father  was  first  a  Whig  and  later 
an  ardent  Republican  in  politics. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  two  years 
old  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Clinton 
county,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  Pine  Creek 
township  he  acquired  his  education,  Joseph  Ma- 
son and  a  Mr.  Garman  being  among  his  teachers. 
As  soon  as  old  enough  he  began  to  assist  in  the 
arduous  task  of  clearing  and  developing  the  wild 
land,  and  although  he  worked  for  neighboring 
farmers  at  times,  he  remained  upon  the  old 
homestead  after  the  death  of  his  father,  caring 
for  his  mother  and  looking  after  her  interests. 
During  the  Civil  war  in  1863  he  manifested  his 
patriotism  by  enlisting  at  Williamsport,  Penn., 
in  Company  E,  143d  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  L. 
M.  Blair  and  Col.  E.  L.  Daney,  and  was  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service  at  Harris- 
burg, where  the  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
Fifth  Army  Corps.  On  going  to  the  front,  he 
participated  in  the  engagements  at  Thorough- 
fare Gap,  Va.,  the  Wilderness,  North  Ann  River, 
Bethseda  Church,  and  Cold  Harbor,  where  he 
received  a  rifle  ball  in  the  left  shoulder,  that  is 
still  imbedded  in  the  flesh.  For  four  weeks  he 
was  confined  in  Campbell  Hospital,  Washington, 


•  )S1 


VMEMORA  T1YE  BIOGRAPHICAL  UK'OliD. 


D.  C,  and  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital,  Philadelphia, 
and  on  his  recovery  rejoined  his  regiment  in 
front  of  Petersburg,  in  which  battle  he  took  part. 
Later  he  was  in  the  Weldon  Railroad  raid  and 
the  first  and  second  battles  at  Hatcher's  Run, 
after  which  he  was  sent  to  New  York  harbor  to 
guard  prisoners  and  secure  recruits.  When  the 
war  was  over  he  was    honorably  discharged  at 

\  York,  in  June,  1S65,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Clinton  county,  with  a  war  record  of 
which  he  may  justly  be  proud,  for  he  was  always 
found  at  his  post  of  duty,  valiantly  fighting  for 
the  old  Bag  and  the  cause  it  represent 

In  [866,  Mr,  Martin  found  employment  in  a 
sawmill,  and  for  three  years  during  the  winter 
season  worked  in  the  lumber  woods  of  Lycoming 
county.  In  1K75  he  purchased  the  old  M  I 
key  farm  of  forty-four  acres  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  on  which  he  has  erected  a 

>d  frame  residence,  a  barn,  tobacco  sheds,  etc., 
and  made  many  other  excellent  improvements,  at 
a  cost  of  $4,000.  I!<  now  devotes  his  energies 
principally  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  has  met 
with  a  fair  degree  of  success  in  his  undertakings, 

In  issj,  at  Jersey  Shore,  I.  county, 

Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A. 
Kline,  a  n;ii  line  Creek  township,  Clinton 

county,  and  a  daughter  ol  Daniel  Kline.  She 
was  at  that  time  the  wid  >\\  of  Christian  Kine- 
hart,  who  died  in  that  township,  in  1NS0,  leaving 
one  -on.  Bert,  who  now  lives  with  our  subject. 
Two  sons  Lirace  the  second  marriage — Ervin  Ray- 
mond,  born    March    11,    [883;     and     Benjamin 

nklin,  born  November  12,  [886.  The  lather 
now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  Pa- 
triots 1  )rder  Sons  of  America  at  Charlton,  and 
he  and  his  family  hold  membership  in  the  Lu- 
theran (hun  h.  m  the  work  of  which  he  has  ever 
taken  an  active  and  prominent  part 
of  the  teachers  in  th  hool.     His  polit- 

ical support  is  always  given  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party,  but  he  has  never  been 
an  office-seeker,  though  he  has  creditably  served 
as  overseer  of  the  poor  in  Pine  Creek  township. 
He  lost  the  hearing  of  one  of  his  ears  during  his 
army  service,  and  now  receives  a  pension  of  $12 
per  month  from  the  government  as  a  slight  co 
pensation  for  the  injury.  He  has  the  respect  and 
Coiit  I  all  who    know   him,  and   his  friends 

are  many  throughout  Clinton  county 


JOHN  HAAGEN  was  reared  to  the  occupation 
of  fanning,  and  has  devoted  his  entire  lit 
th.it  honorable  calling,     i [1  upon 

the  farm  where  his  birth  occurred  in  [833,      His 
parents,  George  <-.  and  Mary  1  Barger)  Haagen, 


were  natives  of  Germany  and  Berks  county, 
Penn.,  respectively.  The  father  resided  in  that 
country  and  in  England  until  forty  years  of  age, 
and  then  crossing  the  Atlantic  took  up  his  res- 
idence in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  upon  a  farm.  He  was  a  pro- 
gressive citizen,  and  was  the  first  man  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  State  to  own  a  post-digger.  He  was 
well-educated,  and  earnestly  advocated  all  meas- 
ures tending  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. He  died  in  [863,  and  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1  S 7 3 .  They  had  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Sarah  (deceased;,  Mary  Louisa, 
George  C. ,  Solomon,  Alexander,  John,  William, 
and  Nathan. 

John  Haagen  received  only  the  educational 
advantages  afforded  by  the  common  schools. 
His  training  at  farm  work  began  in  early  life,  and 
he  has  since  followed  that  pursuit,  being  now  the 
owner  of  172  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Beech 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county.  This  is  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  the  well-tilled 
fields  surround  modern  and  substantial  buildings, 
which    indicate    the    pre  and     practical 

spirit  of  the  owner.  His  methods  are  modern 
and  systematic,  and  the  thrifty  appearance  of  the 
place  well  indicates  his  careful  supervision. 

In  [862  Mr.  Haagen  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Fayetta  Brungard,  a  daughter  of  John 
Brungard,  of  Sugar  Valley.  Clinton  county. 
They  now  have  a  family  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Nelson,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Iowa; 
Hattie,  wife  ol  Robert  McGee;  George;  Ellen, 
wife  of  Charles  Rutrich;  William;  Tennyson  1 
S.  R.  Peal;   Maggie;  Alexander;  and  Bessie. 

The  parents  are  members  of  the  Disciple 
Church,  and  the  family  is  one  of  prominence  in 
the  community,  while  the  household  is  noted  for 
its  hospitality.  Mr.  Haagen  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  Society,  and  in  politics  is  an  advo- 
cate of  the  Democracy.  He  has  served  in  local 
official  positions,  having  been  jury  commissioner, 
while  lor  fifteen  years  he  did  effective  service  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  public- 
spirited  and  progressive,  and  manifests  his  deep 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  community  by 
giving  an  earnest  support  to  all  measures  for  the 
public  good. 


EV.  J.  J  GORMLEY.  There  is  no  posi- 
tion held  by  man  more  important  than  that 
"I  pastor  ol  a  Church,  nor  is  there  a  position 
that  has  attached  to  it  greater  importance  or 
ponsibility  when  properly  conceived  and  con- 
scientiously discharged.  This  is  more  essen- 
tially the  case  with  the  clergymen  of  the  Catholic 


&£<*<?. 


L 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


685 


faith,  for  they  are  held  more  as  instructors  and 
guides,  not  only  in  religious  matters,  but  in  moral 
and  social  conduct,  by  their  congregations. 
There  are  few  men  by  character  and  education 
better  fitted  to  preside  over  a  people  in  all  these 
relations  than  the  reverend  gentleman  whose 
name  opens  this  biography. 

Father  Gormley,  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  Cath- 
olic Church,  at  Renovo,  was  born  in  1849,  in 
Ireland,  and  there  began  his  preparation  for  the 
priesthood.  He  first  attended  St.  Mels  College, 
in  Longford,  and  later  took  a  philosophical  and 
theological  course  at  All  Hallows  College,  Dub- 
lin. Coming  to  America,  in  1874,  he  entered 
the  Niagara  University,  in  New  York,  where  he 
completed  the  course  the  following  year.  After 
being  ordained,  he  had  charge  of  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  in  Carlisle,  Penn.,  for  five  years,  and 
for  the  following  seven  years  was  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph's  Church,  in  Bonneauville,  Adams  Co., 
Pennsylvania. 

It  was  in  May,  1888,  that  Father  Gormley 
came  to  Renovo,  and  under  his  able  pastorate 
St.  Joseph's  Church  is  now  in  a  flourishing  and 
prosperous  condition.  The  house  of  worship, 
which  he  has  erected,  is  an  elegant  brick  struct- 
ure, 65  x  125  feet,  and  is  finished  on  the  interior 
in  the  most  approved  style.  Besides  this  build- 
ing, which  cost  $45,000,  he  has  also  erected  a 
fine  parsonage,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  and  has  im- 
proved the  convent  and  school  buildings,  so  that 
the  church  property  is  now  very  valuable.  -The 
congregation  has  been  rapidly  gaining  under  his 
pastorate;  the  parochial  school  now  numbers 
300  pupils,  and  the  high  school  fifty.  Father 
Gormley  is  a  man  of  good  address  and  winning 
manners.  He  is  a  zealous,  active  and  efficient 
worker  for  the  Church,  and  is  held  in  high 
esteem  not  only  by  the  people  of  his  own  congre- 
gation, but  by  the  residents  of  Renovo  generally. 
In  the  pulpit  he  is  especially  gifted,  and  his  dis- 
courses are  scholarly  and  effective  in  their 
appeals  to  follow  the  teachings  of  the  Master. 
In  business  he  is  shrewd,  and  as  a  financier  no 
priest  in  the  diocese  can  excel  him.  Renovo  is 
proud  of  his  citizenship,  and  points  with  pleasure 
to  his  latest  work,  the  church,  that  will  afford 
for  future  generations  a  monument  to  his  memory. 


D 


C.  GRIEB,  one  of  the  most  active,  enter- 
MLJJ  prising  and  systematic  farmers  of  Porter 
township,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Clinton 
county,  his  birth  occurring  June  9,  1853,  in 
Green  township,  Sugar  Valley,  near  Tylersville, 
where  the  family  was  early  established. 

His  grandfather,    Christian   Grieb,  was   born 


June  10,  1799,  in  Germany,  but  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  left  the  Fatherland,  emigrating  to  the 
United  States  and  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Sugar 
Valley.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren, whose  descendants  are  now  scattered  over 
this  country.  He  began  life  here  in  very  limited 
circumstances,  but  by  industry  and  economy  he 
succeeded  in  accumulating  a  handsome  property, 
and  at  one  time  owned  and  operated  a  gristmill 
in  Sugar  Valley.  As  a  companion  and  helpmeet 
on  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Catharine  Heinly, 
who  was  born  in  1893,  and  by  their  marriage 
they  became  the  parents  of  four  children  who 
reached  years  of  maturity:  Thomas,  who  lives 
near  Carthage,  Mo. ;  Henry,  also  a  resident  of 
Missouri;  Jacob,  father  of  our  subject;  and  Aaron, 
who  died  in  Sugar  Valley,  December  15,  1875. 
The  father  of  these  passed  away  March  24,  1867, 
the  mother  July  30,  1878,  and  both  were  laid  to 
rest  in  the  Tylersville  cemetery. 

Jacob  Grieb  was  born  in  1829,  and  on  attain- 
ing to  man's  estate  was  joined  in  wedlock  to 
Miss  Lovina  B.  Royer,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Royer.  To  them  were  born  four  children,  name- 
ly: D.  C,  of  this  review;  John  I.  N.,  a  resident 
of  Missouri;  Samuel,  a  hotel-keeper  at  State  Col- 
lege, Penn. ;  and  Supera,  wife  of  James  Bierly, 
of  Anderson  county,  Kans.  The  father  was  a 
tall  man,  an  agriculturist  by  occupation,  and 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  died 
March  20,  i860,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life 
January  12,  1868,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  the 
remains  of  both  being  interred  in  the  Lutheran 
and  Reformed  cemetery  at  Tylersville. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  seven 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  after 
which  he  lived  with  his  uncle,  Samuel  Royer, 
who  was  his  guardian,  remaining  with  him  until 
he  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He  began  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  entered  the  Missionary  Institute  at  Sel- 
ins  Grove,  Penn.,  where  he  pursued  his  studies 
for  some  time.  Reared  as  a  farmer  boy,  he  has 
always  followed  that  occupation,  and  has  met 
with  a  well-deserved  success  in  his  undertakings. 

In  October,  1878,  Mr.  Grieb  was  married  to 
Miss  Ella  M.,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Catharine 
(Yearick)  Stitzer,  and  they  now  have  six  children: 
Charles  B. ,  Edwin  B. ,  Elma  P. ,  Jay  S. ,  Russell  G. 
and  Herman  W.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Grieb 
operated  his  uncle's  farm  on  Fishing  creek  until 
the  spring  of  1891,  when  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county,  which  he  purchased  of  Charles 
Romig.  The  well-tilled  fields  and  neat  and 
thrifty  appearance  of  the  place  indicate  the 
industrious    habits    and      progressive    spirit     of 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOORAPJIICAL  RECORD. 


the  owner,  and  it  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
highly  cultivated  and  attractive  places  of  the  local- 
ity 

On  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Grieb  became 
a  Republican,  and  continued  to  support  that 
party  until  the  fall  of  1896,  when  he  cast  his  bal- 
lot for  \V.  J.  Bryan  and  free  silver.  He  takes 
a  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs,  but 
cares  nothing  for   the  honors    or  emoluments  of 

itical  office.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
(  irange,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Pa- 
triotic Order  Sons  of  America,  and,  religiously, 
both  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  dea- 
con and  secretary  of  both  Church  and  Sabbath- 
school.  They  are  industrious,  intelligent  people, 
and  well  deserve  the  confidence  and  respect 
winch  is  so  freely  accorded  them  by  the  entire 
inunity. 


ROBERT  J.  WOLF,  No  foreign  element 
has  become  a  more  important  part  in  our 
American  citizenship  than  that  furnished  by  Ger- 
many. The  emigrants  from  that  land  have 
brought  with  them  to  the  New  World  the  stabil- 
ity enterprise  and  perst  -  ristic  of 
their  people,  and  have  fused  these  qualities  with 
th'  i\eness  and  indomitable  spirit  of  the 
Western  hemisphere.  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  represent- 
ative of  this  class.  He  came  to  America  poor, 
hoping  to  benefit   his  financial  condition,  and  his 

ms  oi  tin  future  have  been  more  than  real- 
ized, as  he  now  owns  a  good  home,  besidesa  fine 
flouring-mill  in  Mackeyville,  Clinton  county. 

Mr.  Wolf  was  born  October  4,  1843,  in  Prus- 
sia. Germany,  a  son  of  William  Frederick  and 
Hannah  (Kantner)  Wolf.  The  father  was  also 
a  miller  by  trade,  and  owned  a  small  mill  in  his 
native  land,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their 
ah  occurring  in  1852,  at  the 
i,  while  his  wife  passed  away  at 
the  eventy-two.      At  In- death  he  left  the 

mill  and   home,  which   the  mother  retained, 
she  ■  mer  until  she.  too,  was  called 

away.  •  »ur  subject  was  the  youngest  son  in  the 
family  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom  remained  in  Germany 
with  the  exception  of  Robert  J.  and  two  broth- 
Ernest,  now  a  farmer  of  Kansas,  and  Will- 
iam, a  miller  of  Philipsburg,  Pennsylvania. 

In  his  native  land  Robert  J.  Wolf  secured  a 
good  common-school  education.  He  was  but 
nine  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  but  the 
mother  kept  her  children  together  until  they 
were  old  enough  to  start  out  in  life  for  thi 
selves.     At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  serving 


a  regular  apprenticeship  to  the  miller's  trade, 
and  during  his  term  of  three  years  received  only 
fifty  cents  per  month.  When  he  had  attained  a 
sufficient  age  he  entered  the  army,  and  remained 
in  the  service  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
again  worked  at  his  trade.  His  older  brother, 
William,  had  already  gone  to  the  United  States, 
and  was  doing  much  better  than  he  could  have 
done  in  Germany,  therefore  our  subject  con- 
cluded to  try  his  fortune  on  this  side  of  the  At- 
lantic. He  had  saved  some  money,  and  in  May, 
1869,  took    passage  at    Hamburg  on  the  vessel 

1  iermany, "  which,  after  a  voyage  of  twelve  di 
reached  the  harbor  of   New   York.      The  follow- 
ing August  that  vessel  foundered  several  hundred 
miles  from  New  York. 

Mr.  Wolfs  destination  was  Williamsport, 
Penn.,  where  his  brother,  William,  was  then 
living,  but  as  the  party  he  was  with,  including 
his  brother,  Ernest,  were  principally  going  to 
Chicago,  he  decided  to  go  with  them.  As  he 
could  not  find  work  at  his  trade,  the  first  mo 
he  earned  in  the  United  States  was  as  a  laborer 
in  clearing  away  some  debris  where  there  had 
been  a  fire.  After  a  short  stay  in  Chicago,  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  and  later  to  Marquette, 
Michigan,  where  he  was  employed  as  watchman 
in  an  iron  furnace  during  the  winter  of  1869-70. 
The  following  spring  he  came  to  Williamsport, 
Penn.,  and  soon  afterward  secured  a  position  as 
miller  in  Montoursville,  where  he  remained  for  a 
year  and  a  half.  His  brother,  William,  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  John  S.  Furst  as  miller  in 
Lamar  township.  Clinton  county,  and  that  posi- 
tion our  subject  filled  at  different  times  for  fif- 
teen years.  In  the  meantime  the  mill  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  so  that  he  was  forced  to  seek 
employment  elsewhere,  and  worked  for  a  time  in 
both  Bellefonte  and  Williamsport,  after  which 
he  returned  to  the  Furst  mill,  which  had  been 
rebuilt,  and  was  then  conducted  by  Furst  Broth- 
ers. On  account  of  ill-health  he  was  compelled 
to  resign  his  position  in  the  spring  of  1889.  Mr. 
Wolf  then  removed  to  Mill  Hall,  but  as  his  health 
improved,  on  August  1,  18S9,  he  took  charge  of 
the  old  Hamburg  Mill,  which  he  purchased  from 
William  Decker,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in 
Mai  ki  \  \  ille.  He  has  greatly  improved  the  plant 
by  putting  in  new  machinery,  etc.,  at  a  cost  of 
over  $5,000,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  mills 
of  its  capacity  in  Clinton  county. 

On  September  26,  [872,  at  Mill  Hall,  Mr. 
Wolf  was  married  to  Miss  Lucetta  Masden.  who 
was  born  Maj  28,  1851,  in  Bald  Eagle  Valley, 
ton  county,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Han- 
nah n.  They  now  have  three 
children:    Maud   D.,  born    June    14,   1876,  is  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


687 


wife  of  Burton  Tobias,  of  Mackeyville;  and  Jen- 
nie P.,  born  July  4,  1880,  and  Harry  E.,  born 
February  27,  1884,  are  both  at  home.  The 
father's  sympathies  are  generally  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  but  at  local  elections  he  en- 
deavors to  vote  for  the  best  rrian  regardless 
of  party  affiliations.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Lutheran,  while  his  wife  holds  membership  in  the 
Disciple  Church.  Socially  he  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Mystic  Chain.  His  life  record  is 
one  well  worthy  of  emulation  and  contains  many- 
valuable  lessons  of  incentive,  showing  the  possi- 
bilities that  are  open  to  a  young  man  who  wishes 
to   improve  every  opportunity  for  advancement. 


JOHN  G.  SCHRACK,  one  of  the  most  intelli- 
gent and  progressive  agriculturists  of  Green 
township,  Clinton  county,  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  its  honored  pioneer  families. 

John  and  Benjamin  Schrack,  two  brothers, 
were  born  in  Scotland,  and  when  young  men 
crossed  the  Atlantic  and  located  in  Lancaster 
county,  Penn.,  where  they  followed  farming  for 
several  years.  Emigrating  westward,  they  took 
up  their  residence  in  what  was  then  a  part  of 
Northumberland  county,  but  is  now  Forest  Hill, 
Union  county.  Benjamin  finally  located  on  the 
present  site  of  Lewisburg,  where  he  spent  his  re- 
maining days,  but  in  1773  John  came  to  Sugar 
Valley,  now  Clinton  county,  crossing  over  Sugar 
mountain.  In  Green  township  he  squatted  upon 
a  tract  of  about  360  acres,  known  as  the  Weister 
tract,  that  being  the  name  of  the  man  who  first 
surveyed  it.  Here  John  Schrack  followed  hunt- 
ing and  farming  until  he,  too,  was  called  to  his 
final  rest,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the 
Sugar  Valley  cemetery,  which  was  laid  out  upon 
a  part  of  his  farm.  In  his  family  were  foursons: 
John  and  James,  who  remained  in  Sugar  Valley; 
and  David  and  Charles,  who  became  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Stark  county,  Ohio. 

John  Schrack,  of  the  family  just  mentioned, 
was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  obtaining  an  education  were  very 
limited,  as  there  were  no  schools  in  his  neighbor- 
hood at  that  early  day.  He  aided  his  father  in 
the  arduous  task  of  clearing  and  cultivating  the 
new  farm,  and  after  attaining  his  majority  pur- 
chased the  tract  on  which  his  father  had  first 
located.  As  it  was  covered  with  timber,  he 
erected  a  sawmill  and  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  lumber,  and  as  the  land  was  cleared  he 
placed  it  under  cultivation  and  erected  good  and 
substantial  buildings  thereon.  His  entire  life 
was  passed  in  Sugar  Valley,  where  he  married 
Catharine     Brocius,    who   was    born    there,    the 


daughter  of  Jacob  Brocius,  a  farmer,  of  German 
descent.  Their  children  were  as  follows:  Jacob, 
John,  David,  Pinkney,  Levi,  Mrs.  Catharine  Brun- 
gart,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Goodman.  The  family 
has  ever  been  one  of  the  highest  respectability. 
The  grandfather  was  a  Democrat  until  that  party 
got  the  State  so  deeply  in  debt  by  the  construc- 
tion of  canals,  when  he  changed  his  political 
allegiance,  becoming  a  Whig.  He  and  his  wife 
were  earnest  and  consistent  members  of  the  Old 
School  Lutheran  Church. 

On  the  home  farm,  David  Schrack  (our  sub- 
ject's father)  was  reared,  and  obtained  a  fair 
English  education,  considering  the  number  of 
schools  that  existed  in  the  Valley  during  his  boy- 
hood. These  were  taught  on  the  subscription 
plan  in  old  log  school  houses,  and  the  teachers 
were  poorly  prepared  for  their  duties,  but  were 
strict.  He  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  when  the  property  was  divided  after 
the  death  of  his  father,  he  took  the  150  acres 
which  constituted  the  lower  half.  Upon  his  land 
he  erected  a  good  residence  and  barn,  planted 
an  orchard  and  made  many  other  useful  im- 
provements, which  added  to  its  value  and  attract- 
ive appearance.  Farming  and  lumbering  he 
made  his  principal  occupations  throughout  life, 
and  upon  his  place  he  built  a  sawmill.  He  at- 
tended the  great  Centennial  Exposition  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  1876,  and  was  taken  ill  on  his  re- 
turn home,  and  died  on  tne  12th  of  November  of 
the  same  year.  In  politics  he  was  an  uncomprom- 
ising Republican,  and  was  called  upon  to  serve 
in  the  office  of  overseer  of  the  poor. 

In  Sugar  Valley  David  Schrack  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Greninger,  who  was  born  there, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Greninger,  a  farmer. 
The  children  born  to  this  union  were  as  follows: 
Catharine,  wife  of  Henry  Fidler,  of  Wisconsin; 
John  G.  ;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Miller,  of  Logan 
township,  Clinton  county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
John  Emig,  of  the  same  township;  Isabella; 
David,  who  lives  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead; 
Aaron,  who  died  when  young;  Jacob,  also  de- 
ceased; Harriet,  wife  of  Ellis  Frantz,  of  Tylers- 
ville,  Penn.;  Emma  J.,  wife  of  Charles  Weaver, 
of  Logan  township;  and  Harvey,  deceased.  The 
mother's  death  occurred  in  Tylersville  in  1891, 
and  she  was  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of  her  hus- 
band in  the  Booneville  cemetery.  Both  were 
faithful  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
had  a  host  of  warm  friends  who  appreciated 
their  sterling  worth. 

John  G.  Schrack  (our  subject)  was  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1838,  at  the  ancestral  home  in  Green 
township,  and  in  an  old  log  school  house  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  for  about  four  months  out  of  the 


KOBATIVE  RIOQRAPMCAL  RECORD. 


i  when  bis  servici  not   needed  on  the 

home  farm.      Later  he  attended   the    Williams- 
port  College   for  one   term,    and    being  a  great 
reader  he  has  become  one  of   the  best-inforn 
in.  a  of  the  township,  being  thon  Highly  posted  on 
all  the  I  ues  of  the   day. 

1     i  twenty-three   years   he  was  engaged   in  the 
re  of  lumber  in   his   father's  sawmill, 
and  when  ti  rty  was  divided    in  1876)  be- 

tween   his   brothei    David    and    himself,    he 
tained  eighty-fivi  which  ha  been  his 

home.  He  has  been  quite  successful  in  its  oper- 
ation, and  has  made  all  the  improvements  found 
thereon,  including  the  erection  of  a  comfortable 
residence  and  good  barns  and  outbuildings  t  : 
the  shelter  of  his  grain  and  stock. 

In  May,  1866,  Mr.  Schrack  was  married  by 
a  justice  of  the  peace  to  Elizabeth  Wolf, 
who  was  bom  February  4.  [840,  in  I  .y kens  Val- 
Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.,  and  was  at  that  time 
the  widow  of  William  Wallace  Schwenk.  Her 
parents  were  Samuel  B.  and  Ann  M.  (Witman) 
Wolf,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  dying  in 
Sugar  Valley  in  1  "1  the  latter  in  the  same 

e,  m  1881.  By  occupation  the  father  was  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schrack 
have  no  children.  Wherever  known  they  are 
held  in    high   regard    and    have   the    respect   and 

fidence  of  the  entire  community. 


II   I.IAM   K.   GOODMAN,    M.    D.      In 
§f    studying  the  liv<  h  iracter  ol  pr<  rai- 

ment   men    we  are    naturally    led    to  inquire  the 
secret  of  their  success  and  the  motives  that  have 

mpted  their  a<  tion.  Success  is  oftener  a  n 
ter  of  experience  and  sound  judgment,  and 
thorough  preparation  for  a  life  work,  than  it  is 
us,  howevei  bright.  When  we  trace  the 
career  of  those  whom  the  world  acknowledges  as 
successful,  and  those  who  stand  high  in  public  es- 
1.  we  find  that  in  almost  every  case  they  are 
those  who  havi  idually  by  their  own  ef- 

forts, their   diligem  e   and    pel 
qualities  are  undoubtedly    possessed   in 

■  -lire   by  the  gentleman   whose  name  intro- 
duces this  sketch,  and  added   to  these  is  a   devo- 
tion to  principle  that  may  well  b( 
note  of  ln~  1  h.u  tcter.    It  is  this  which  commands 
the  0  mfidence  and   respi  1  t  iven 

him,  and  it  is  tins  that   h  nin  a  lib< 

dice  as  a    medical   practitioner  in  Logant 
md  an  eminent  position  in  both  political  and  so- 
cial 

The  I'll    was    born    April  9,   [85 1 ,    in 

n   where   he  still   makes   his  hon  n  of 

Iman,  whose  birth  occurred  in    Dau- 


phin county,  in  1S12.  The  father  only  received 
a  meagre  education  in  the  German  language,  be- 
able  to  read  the  writing  but  not  the  Ger- 
man print,  but  was  only  able  to  speak  English  to 
a  limited  extent.  Learning  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  he  made  that  his  life  occupation.  When 
a  young  man  he  came  to  Loganton,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  built  for  himself  a  home,  and 
followed  his  trade  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  here  in  1892.  In  Loganton  he  had 
married  Lyddie  Sugard,  who  was  born  in  Read- 
ing in  1815,  and  died  in  1892,  being  laid  to  rest 
by  the  side  of  her  husband  in  Sugar  Valley  cem- 
etery. In  their  family  were  six  children,  name- 
ly: [eremiah,  now  a  resident  of  Wisconsin;  Jen- 
nie, wife  of  William  Hibler,  of  Lock  Haven, 
Penn.  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Tibbins,  of  Lo- 
ganton; William  K.;  Samuel,  of  Loganton;  and 
Joseph,  a  shoemaker  of  Lock  Haven.  The  fam- 
ily is  one  of  the  highest  respectability. 

During  his  boyhood  Dr.  Goodman  was  only 
able  to  attend  the  public  schools  of  Loganton 
during  the  winter  term.  At  the  early  age  of  nine 
years  he  began  working  for  farmers  in  the  Valley, 
the  first  \ear  receiving  only  his  board  and  clothes. 
The  following  year  he  was  given  $3  per  month, 
and  the  next  year  $4,  but  this  was  all  given  to 
his  parents.  After  working  in  this  way  for  four 
years,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  began  learning 
the  shoemaker's  trade  with  his  father,  and  the 
following  seven  years  he  was  employed  at  farm 
labor  during  the  summer  months,  and  at  work  in 
the  woods,  mills  or  at  teaming  during  the  winter 
season. 

In  1 87 1  he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  worked 
on  a  farm,  but  in  the  winter  of  1872  returned  to 
Pennsylvania  and  found  employment  in  a  saw- 
mill. Saving  a  little  money  with  which  to  pay 
his  expenses,  he  attended  the  summer  schools  of 
Loganton,  and  during  the  next  fall  and  winter 
clerked  in  the  store  of  Mr.  Witmer,  after  which 
he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  normal  school  of 
county,  for  a  time,  under  the 
direction  of  Prof.  Martin  Herr.  The  following 
winter  hi  the    primary  school  of   Logan- 

ton, and  read  medicine  with    Dr.  J.  A.   Houtz,  of 
that    place,  and   the   next  summer  attended   the 

tral  Pennsylvania  College  of  New  Berlin, 
Union  county,  after  which  he  taught  the  gram- 
mar school  of  Loganton  through  the  winter  while 
Miiimg  his  medical  studies.  He  then  entered 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
and  during  his  two-years'  course  spent  the  vaca- 
tions in  •  in  Loganton.      After   his  gradu- 

1  880,  he  went  to  Ree 
ville,    Mifflin    1  Penn.,   where    he  spent  two 

months,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time  was  en- 


<>,  &, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


689 


gaged  in  practice  in  Rebersburg,  Centre  county, 
but  at  the  death  of  Dr.  Mover,  an  old  practi- 
tioner of  Loganton,  our  subject  was  invited  to 
locate  here  by  his  former  preceptor,  Dr.  Houtz, 
with  whom  he  entered  into  partnership  in  the 
fall  of  1S80.  Their  skill  and  ability  have  won 
for  them  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  prac- 
tice, and  among  their  professional  brethren  they 
occupy  an  enviable  position. 

On  March  24,  1880,  in  Beech  Creek,  Clinton 
county,  Dr.  Goodman  was  married  to  Miss  Annie 
M.  McCloskey,  who  was  born  near  Farrandsville, 
same  county,  a  daughter  of  Abner  McCloskey,  an 
old  and  honored  citizen  of  Beech  Creek.  They 
have  two  children:  Lee  McCloskey,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1 88 1,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Loganton,  where  he  graduated,  and  was  later  a 
student  for  three  terms  in  the  Central  Pennsyl- 
vania College  of  New  Berlin,  and  with  the  class 
of  1S97  graduated  at  the  high  school  of  Lock 
Haven,  and  is  now  attending  Bucknell  Universi- 
ty, Lewisburg,  Penn. ;  and  Linn  Sumner,  born 
February  19,  1883,  completed  the  grammar- 
school  course  in  Loganton  in  1896,  and  is  now 
attending  the  Lock  Haven  High  School. 

Socially  the  Doctor  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
also  of  La  Fayette  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Lock 
Haven,  and  the  Chapter  and  Commandery.  He 
is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  of  the  county, 
and  has  been  honored  with  a  number  of  impor- 
tant official  positions,  being  chief  burgess  several 
terms,  a  member  of  the  council  and  school  direct- 
or, the  duties  of  which  offices  were  most  faith- 
fully and  efficiently  discharged. 


GEORGE  GLOSSNER,  a  well-known  tobac- 
co grower  and  farmer  of  Woodward  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  comes  from  the  Fatherland, 
and  the  strongest  and  most  creditable  character- 
istics of  the  Teutonic  race  have  been  marked  ele- 
ments in  his  life,  and  have  enabled  him  to  win 
success  in  the  face  of  opposing  circumstances. 
Mr.  Glossner  was  born  November  18,  1835,  in 
Wittenberg,  Germany,  of  which  place  his  par- 
ents,Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Ghoul)  Glossner,  we  re 
also  natives,  the  former  born  in  181 1,  the  latter 
in  18 1 3.  In  his  native  land  the  father  acquired  a 
good  German  education  and  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  which  he  continued  to  follow  there 
until  1836,  when,  with  the  hope  of  bettering  his 
financial  condition,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  accompanied  by  his  family,  on  a  sailing 
vessel,  which  reached   the    harbor  of   Baltimore 

after   a  long  voyage    of    eleven    weeks.      From 

44* 


there  they  walked  to  Chambersburg,  Penn., 
and  by  wagon  proceeded  to  Harrisburg,  and 
thence  to  Eagleville,  now  Blanchard,  Centre 
county,  where  Mr.  Glossner  built  for  himself  a 
home  and  followed  his  trade  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  died  in  185  1,  and  was 
buried  at  Eagleville.  He  was  a  Whig  in  poli- 
tics, was  a  consistent  member  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church,  and  had  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  knew  him.  His  estimable 
wife  belonged  to  the  same  Church.  In  their 
family  were  eight  children,  namely:  Christina, 
deceased  wife  of  Peter  Shaub,  of  Harrisburg; 
George,  of  this  sketch;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John 
Sloan,  of  Harrisburg;  David  died  in  childhood; 
Daniel  died  in  Leidy  township,  Clinton  county; 
Joseph  died  in  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county; 
Jacob,  of  Butler  county,  Penn.,  and  Christian, 
of  Cameron  county.  After  the  death  of  her 
first  husband  the  mother  married  James  Saw- 
yers, of  Eagleville,  by  whom  she  had  two  chil- 
dren:    James  and    Irwin. 

Our  subject  was  only  a  year  old  when  brought 
by  his  parents  to  America,  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  Centre  county  he  received  his  edu- 
cation, while  his  business  training  was  received 
in  a  fanning-mill  manufactory,  at  Beech  Creek, 
where  he  worked  from  the  age  of  twelve  to  six- 
teen, receiving  only  thirty  cents  per  day,  from 
which  he  had  to  board  himself.  During  the 
last  year  he  worked  at  piece-work  and  made 
better  wages.  In  185  1  he  found  employment  in 
a  blacksmith  shop  in  Eagleville,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  and  afterward  was  engaged 
in  scaling  logs  in  different  counties  for  almost 
twenty-three  years,  during  which  time  he  meas- 
ured many  million  feet  of  lumber,  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  best  scalers  in  the  business,  and 
met  with  a  well-deserved  success  in  that  enter- 
prise. He  has  also  acted  as  pilot  on  the  West 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  rafting  lumber  down 
the  river  to  markets.  In  1875  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  sixty-two  acres  in  Woodward  township, 
Clinton  county,  on  which  he  has  erected  a  com- 
fortable residence  and  made  many  other  valuable 
improvements,  and  he  hassince  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  principally  to  general  farming  and 
tobacco  raising. 

In  Chapman  township,  Clinton  county,  in 
1857,  Mr.  Glossner  was  married  to  Miss  Jane 
Kelley,  a  native  of  that  township,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Kelley,  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
To  them  were  born  five  children:  Amelia,  wife 
of  Cline  McCloskey,  of  Bald  Eagle  township, 
Clinton  county;  George  B.,  a  merchant  of  Gale- 
ton,  Potter  Co.,  Penn.;  Jennie,  who  has  success- 
fully engaged  in  school  teaching  for  twelve  years; 


690 


■Ml  \im;.\TlYK  BIOQRAP11KM.  RECORD. 


and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  at  Lock  Haven,  in  i 

Mr.  Glossner  was  again  married  at  Fleming- 
ton,  in  [868,  his  second  marriage  being  with  Miss 
Mary  F.  Jones,  who  was  born  April  8,  1833,  in 
Berkshire,  Mass.  She  began  her  education  in 
the  public  Schools  ol  that  place,  and  later  attend- 
ed the  State  Normal  School  "I  Connecticut, 
wlun-  -in    .1  d  in  1851.      I 

she  followed  the  teacher's  profession  in  that 
Sta;  'Iiiiiil;    with    her    parents  to 

1  lemington,  Penn.,  in  1  tinued  toen- 

■<•  in  teaching  for  six  years  in  Clinton  county, 
for  one  year   in   the  high  school   in   Bellefonte, 

I  also  in  the  grammar  department,     sin 
with  excelli  1  ess  as  a  teacher,  is  a  cultu 

and  lady,  and  she    and    her   husband   are 

held  in  high  regard  by  all  who  know  them.  The) 
hold  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,    in  which  he   is  serving   as  trustee  and 

a. nd.  Politically,  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republii  01  party. 

To   Mr.  and  Mi      1  .eorge  Glossner  have  1 

liildren,  namel)  .     1  1     Emma  E.    was 

educated     m     tile     public     schools     of    Woodward 

township,  and  in   the   Central  State   Normal  at 
Lock    Haven,  and   then    taught    school   fori 
its  in  Clinton  county.      <  >n  October  18,  \i 
she  was  married  to  William  E.  limn 
Hill,  Clearfield   Co.,  Penn.,  and   they   now  have 
three  children      Mary,    Ruth,   and  Carl        2)    |. 

nk  also  attended  the  public  schools  ol  Wood- 
ward township,  and  now    assists  his  father  in  the 
n  ot  the  home  farm. 

Albeit  Jones,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Closs- 
mr,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  of  Welsh  ance  >1 
and  throughout  Ins   active  business  life  follow 
droving    and    merchandising.       In    his    political 
views  he   was    .1    \\  nig,  and    in    his   Church  rela- 
tions was  a  Baptist       His  last  days  were  spent  in 

kshire,  Mass.  He  married  Lillie  Maxwell,  a 
daughti  Maxwell,  an  officer  in  the  Rev- 

olutionary  war.    undei    Gen.    \\  ton,    with 

whom  he  crossed   the   Delaware  river  the   night 
before   the   battle  ol     I  renton.      He  was  ah 
member  ..t  the  firsl  <  olonial  Congress.      Mr.  and 
Mrs    Jones  had  four  children:   Alfred.  Elizabeth, 
Joshua,  and  fohn. 

I  apt.  John  Junes,  Mrs   Glossner's  fathei 
cei\  od  education,  and  was  a  dro> 

time.      1  b   was  a  self-made  man,  an  I  >m- 

ing  to   Flemington,   Clinton  Co.,  Penn. . 
,a  contractor  for  the  Philadelphia  &  I  ri<   railroad. 
Hi   w.i- man  nd  in  Berkshire,  Mass.,  to  Emeline 
Knight,  a  native  of  that  place,  and  a  daughti 
Arthur  Knight,  and  to  them  were  born  three  chil- 
dren:     Mrs.  Glossner;  Alfred,  who  died  in  child- 


hood; and  Carrie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  The  mother  passed  away  in  Flemington, 
in  1 86 1,  and  the  father,  who  was  also  born  in 
Berkshire.  Mass,  in  1S11,  died  at  the  home  of 
his  daughter,  in  Dunnstown,  Woodward  town- 
ship, in  [878.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  which  he  had  long  been  active 
and  prominent,  and  he  was  unwavering  in  his 
support  of  the  principlesof  the  Republican  party. 
No  man  in  Clinton  county  was  more  highly  re- 
spected or  esteemed  than  Capt.  Jones. 


CHRISTIAN  MYERS  is  a  representative  ol 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Clinton  coun- 
ty, and  has  for  many  years  been  prominently 
identified  with  its  agricultural  interests. 

The  Myers  family  is  of  ( ierman  origin,  and  was 
founded  in  America  by  Christian  Myers,  a  native 
of  Baden,  Germany,  who  learned  the  mason's 
trade  in  that  country,  and  in  iSjg  came  with  his 
wife  and  five  children — Charles,  Catharine.  Mary, 
Conrad  and  Eve — to  America.  The  voyage  was 
a  long  one,  but  at  length  they  reached  their  des- 
tination and  located  in  the  German  settlement 
in  Clinton  county.  The  father  had  exhausted  all 
his  means  on  the  trip  over,  but  provided  (or  his 
family  by  working  at  bis  trade.  He  pun  based 
a  wooded  tract  of  land,  and  while  clearing  the 
place  endured  many  hardships,  but  he  was  a  sturdy 
1  rerman,  possessing  the  resolute  character  of  his 
people,   and  ultimately  he  obtained  a  good  home. 

He  dud  m  1S51  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Eve  Cathar- 

Ziegler,  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age.  and  was  buried 
by  his  side  in  the  Xiegler  cemetery  in  Dunstable 
township,  Clinton  county.  They  were  both 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  was 
was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views. 

The  children  of  this  worth)-  couple,  who 
lived  tn  adult  age.  were  as  follows:  Christian, 
who  died  in  Gallagher  township,  Clinton  county; 
tharine,  who  became  the  wife  of  Adam  Engler, 
and  died  at  Lockport;  Conrad,  who  died  in  Beech 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county;  Charles,  of 
i  township;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife 
ol  William  Pelton,  and  died  in  Lock  Haven;  Eve 
C,  wifi  I    hn  Earon,  of  Lock  Haven;  Adam, 

who  lives  on  the  old  homestead;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Martin  Tyler,  and  died  in  Farrandsville; 

in,  wife  of  Charles  Van  Gordon,  of  Mount 
tre  11  unity;  and  (aniline,  wife  of 
George  Kirby,  of  Farrandsville.  Barbara  died  at 
the  age  1  if  ten  years,  and  several  children  died  in 
infancy,  there  being  about  twenty  children  alto- 
gether in  the  family. 

Christian   Myers,    the    father  of   our  subject, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


691 


was  born  in  Baden,  and  in  early  life  was  a 
shepherd.  He  lived  with  his  uncle,  Mr.  Shaffer, 
and  remained  in  Germany  several  years  after  his 
parents'  removal  to  America,  but  on  his  uncle's 
death  in  1847  he  came  to  America  on  the  same 
vessel  on  which  his  future  wife,  Barbara  Trost, 
was  a  passenger.  They  were  married  soon  after 
reaching  this  country,  and  Mr.  Myers  and  his 
brother  Charles  purchased  100  acres  of  timber 
land,  on  one-half  of  which  the  father  of  our 
subject  established  a  home.  He  endured  many 
hardships  and  privations  while  developing  and 
improving  that  property,  but  lived  to  see  it 
transformed  into  a  good  farm.  He  was  an  act- 
ive, industrious  man,  and  put  forth  every  effort  to 
provide  for  his  family.  After  a  lingering  illness 
of  several  months  he  died  in  October,  1867,  and 
was  buried  beside  his  wife,  who  had  passed  away 
seven  years  before  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Gallaher 
cemetery.  In  political  belief  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  religious  faith  a  Lutheran. 

Christian  and  Barbara  Myers  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  named  children:  Gottlieb, 
of  Renovo,  Penn.,  who  was  born  in  1848;  Chris- 
tian; Thomas,  a  brickmaker  of  Castanea,  born 
in  1 851;  Martin,  of  Bensinger,  Elk  Co.,  Penn., 
born  in  1853;  Adam,  who  was  born  in  1854,  and 
died  in  childhood;  George,  who  died  in  infancy; 
John  A.,  of  Bensinger,  Penn.,  born  in  1856; 
Theresa,  born  in  1S58,  wife  of  David  Myers,  of 
Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton  county;  and  Fred- 
erick, who  was  killed  at  the  age  of  nineteen  by 
being  thrown  from  a  load  of  fodder. 

Christian  Myers,  whose  name  opens  this  arti- 
cle, was  born  February  3,  1850,  in  Gallagher 
township,  Clinton  county.  He  attended  the 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  to  a  limited  extent, 
but  his  privileges  were  meager,  as  his  service 
was  needed  in  clearing  the  home  farm.  In  his 
boyhood  he  lived  in  a  log  cabin,  and  not  a  house 
could  be  seen  from  the  place.  The  path  to 
school  was  never  trod  except  by  the  school  chil- 
dren, and  lay  through  the  dense  woods,  where 
frequently  deer  could  be  seen.  He  aided  in 
clearing  and  developing  the  farm,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  parents'  deaths  he  went  to  live  with 
John  Earon  in  Beech  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  making  his  home  with  his  uncle  until  he 
began  work  on  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  railroad 
as  a  brakeman.  After  two  years,  illness  com- 
pelled him  to  abandon  that  work,  and  he  worked 
in  the  lumber  woods  and  on  a  farm. 

On  April  14,  1880,  in  Beech  Creek,  our  sub- 
ject was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Earon,  who  was 
born  March  20,  1847,  in  Dunstable  township,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Eve  (Myers)  Earon,  who 
now  live  in  Lock  Haven.      They  began  their  do- 


mestic life  on  the  Philip  Lehr  farm,  which  Mr. 
Myers  purchased.  There  he  lived  for  fourteen 
years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1893  came  to  his 
present  home  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  known  as 
the  J.  D.  L.  Smith  farm.  The  stone  residence, 
which  still  stands,  was  built  more  than  a  century 
ago.  He  has  108  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  he 
owns  another  farm  of  125  acres  in  Beech  Creek 
township.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children:  Thomas 
A.,  born  July  10,  1882;  Albert  C,  born  February 
21,  1885;  and  Barbara  E.,  born  August  23, 
1887. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Myers  was  formerly 
a  Democrat,  but  his  strong  temperance  princi- 
ples led  him  to  endorse  the  Prohibition  part)', 
with  which  he  is  now  identified.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Laurel  Run  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  building  committee  at  the  time  of  the 
erection  of  the  house  of  worship  in  1S94,  and 
contributed  liberally  to  its  support.  He  was  one 
of  its  first  trustees,  still  fills  that  office,  and  he 
has  been  class-leader  for  seventeen  years.  Mr. 
Myers  started  out  in  life  a  poor  boy,  but  has  be- 
come one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  the  com- 
munity. His  life  has  been  one  of  earnest,  inde- 
fatigable labor,  guided  by  sound  judgment,  and 
characterized  by  the  strictest  honor  in  all  busi- 
ness transactions.  There  is  no  better  or  more 
valuable  citizen  in  Bald  Eagle  township  than 
this  gentleman. 


M 


ENRY  H.    FRITZ,   who    is  classad 


township,  Clinton  county,  is  well  worthy  of  no- 
tice in  a  work  of  this  kind,  and  to  be  ranked 
among  the  men  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves as  useful  and  enterprising  citizens.  He 
was  born  June  8,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
Fritz,  whose  birth  occurred  near  Williamsport, 
in  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  where  he  acquired 
a  limited  English  education,  and  continued  to 
make  his  home  until  early  manhood.  He  then 
came  to  Lock  Haven,  where  he  started  the  first 
brick  manufactory,  which  he  operated  very  suc- 
cessfully for  a  number  of  years,  and  also  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  the  Isaac  Lusk  property. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief a  Baptist.  He  died  in  Lock  Haven,  in  1848, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

At  Williamsport,  Penn.,  Joseph  Fritz  was 
married  to  Christina  Hartsock,  a  native  of  Ti- 
oga county,  Penn.,  and  to  them  were  born  six 
children,  namely:     John,  a    resident  of   Indiana; 


'  0MMBM0BAT1VB  BIOGRAPIII'AL  RECORD. 


Surah.  hall;  Henry 

II  ,  of  tin-  review;  William,  ol  Watson  i  un- 
ship, Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.;  Daniel,  who  died 
in  Lock  Ha  d  one  child,  who  died  in    in- 

After    the    d  .    her    lirst    husband 

Mrs.  Fritz  married  John  Gottscball.  She  died 
in  Gallagher  township,  Clinton  county,  and  was 
buried  in  Caldwell  cemel 

Henry  II.  Fritz  attended   the   public   schi 
of  Lycoming  county,  and  Luck  Haven  and  G 
lagher  township  .  bul   hi 

t i < •  t i  was  limited  as  his  father  died  when  he  was 
only  eight  years  old,  and  he  was  forced  to  rani 
In-  own  livelihood.  For  a  short  time  he  worked 
in  Whiti  Deei  Valley,  and  then  assisted  h 
father  in  the  arduous  task  of  cleanup  and  de- 
veloping a  new  farm,  remaining  with  him  until 
od.  He  then  i  ngaged  in  shingle 
making  and  lumbering  in  different  parts  of  the 
county  until  1865,  when  he  located  on  the  old 
G  ittschall  farm  ■■!  1 37  acres,  which  he  still  con- 
tinues  to  own  and  operate  in  a  most  profitable 
manner.  He  has  made-  many  excellent  improve 
ments  upon  the  place,  including  a  fine  hi 
and  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings,  and  it  is 
now  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  valuable 
farms  ol  Gallagher  township.  In  connection 
with  general  farming  he  is  also  engaged  in 
stock-raising. 

On  April  .v.  1865,  in  Loganton,  Sugar  Valley, 
Mi  Fritz  \\a>  married  to  Miss  Adelia  Sheetz,  who 
was  born  1  ebruar)  27,  1842,  in  Miles  township, 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  Penn.,  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Snyder)  Sheetz,  natives 
of  Powells  Valley,  Dauphin  county,  and  North- 
umberland county,  Penn.,  respectively.  By  oc- 
1  upation  the  father  was  a  farmer.     The  children 

11    to    Mr    and   Mrs.    Frit;  were   as    follows: 
Harriet    V.     and     Franklin     F.,    who    died    when 
W\  a    I  estus,  who   «  ated   in   tin- 

Central  Normal,  ol  Lock    Haven,  and  has 

iged  in  teaching  fur  two  terms; 
Elmer  Harrison,  at  home;  Irena  E.,  wife  of 
George  A.  1  M. ,  fohn   1 1,   and  | 

Jacob   Garfield,   all    at    home      The   oldest    son 

at    home,  and    in   politics   is   a   I 
publican. 

I'n  attaining  his  majority  our  subject  sup- 
ported the  men  and  mea  the  Whig  party, 
and  mil  ivil  War  hi  n  an  ardent 
Republican.  I  Ie  ha  1  ailed  upun  ti.  serve 
in  several  official  p  of  honor  and  trust, 
being  tax  1  olli  ct  irol  his  ti  >v»  nship,  si  hool  din 

I 
In  the   Tinted    Evangelical   Church   he  and  his 
family  hold  membership,  and  occupy  a  prominent 
in  in  the  social  circlesof  the  community, 


JBSALOM  FARWELL,  whose  identification 
L  with  the  business,  political,  social  and 
moral  interests  of  Clinton  county  numbers  him 
its  leading  citizens,  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  earliest  families  of  Chapman  town- 
ship. 

His  ancestors  located  in  New  England  in 
Colonial  days,  and  the  first  of  the  family  to  come 
to  Pennsylvania  was  Lemuel  Farwell,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  who  resided  near  South 
ningham,  Mass.,  whence  he  removed  in  1800 
hapman  township,  then  a  portion  of  North- 
umberland county.  He  settled  on  a  tract  of  land 
near  Bakerstown,  built  a  log  house  and  barn  and 
began  farming  and  lumbering  on  his  own  account. 
Hi  spent  Ins  entire  life  there,  dying  at  the  age  of 
fifty-five,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Bak- 
erstown. He  was  married  in  Chapman  township 
to  a  daughter  of  Abner  McCloskey,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  a  farmer  and  lumberman  of  the 
neighborhood.  In  their  family  were  five  chil- 
dren: Abel  removed  to  Stephenson  county.  111., 
though  his  death  occurred  in  Clinton  county, 
Penn. ;    James    followed    farming    in    Clearfield 

nty,  Penn.,  until  his  death;  Lemuel  died  in 
Hyner,  Penn.,  in  1889;  Nathan  died  on  the 
homestead  in  Chapman  township;  and  Mrs. 
Rachel  Lingle  died  in  Ohio.  The  mother  of  this 
family  passed  away  in  Chapman  township. 
The  grandparents  were  both  members  of  the 
M.tliodist  Church,  and  he  was  a  man  well  known 
for  his  honesty  and  upright  dealing. 

I  einuel  Farwell  (father  of  our  subject)  was  a 
native  of  Chapman  township,  and  attended  the 
subscription  schools,  but  was  mostly  educated 
under  the  direction  of   his  father  who  was  a  man 

cholarly  attainments.  He  followed  lumber- 
ing and  farming  with  his  father  for  a  time,  and 
afterward  engaged  very  extensively  in  the  lumber 
business,  erecting  a  sawmill  and  shipping  his 
lumber  in  rafts  to  Middletown,  where  it  was  sold. 
Mr.  Farwell  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  lum- 
ber dealers  in   his  section  of  the  State,  and  be- 

le  so  thoroughly  acquainted   with   the  West 

nch  ol    thi    £  •  anna   that   he  frequently 

I  as  pilot  on  the  river  in  his  young  days. 
He  also  owned  and  operated  a  gristmill,  and,  as 
there  was  no  bank  in  the  community,  he  acted  as 
a  local  banker,  loaning  money  to  his  neighbors 
at  a  small  rate  of  interest.  In  1 869,  after  a  long. 
busy  and  useful  career,  he  retired  to  private  life 
and  moved  to  Hyner,  where  he  built  a  comfort- 
wit  h  Ins  wife  there  enjoyed  the 
mer  toil.      His  death  I   in 

i'ss,c  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  not  an 
office-seeker.  He  and  his  wife  were  faithful 
members  of    the  Methodist    Church,  in  which  he 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


693 


served  as  class-leader,  and  was  Sunday-school 
superintendent  and  teacher.  Temperate  in  all 
his  habits,  he  abstained  from  strong  drink  and  to- 
bacco, and  in  all  his  business  dealings  his  hon- 
esty was  proverbial.  Genial  in  manner  and 
kindly  in  temperament,  he  was  a  good  father,  kind 
husband  and  faithful  friend,  and  his  death  was 
deeply  mourned.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Jane  McCloskey,  was  born  in  Dun- 
stable township,  Clinton  county.  Her  father, 
Abner  McCloskey,  was  born  in  the  North  of 
Ireland  in  1798,  and  became  a  farmer  of  Clin- 
ton county.  Mrs.  Farwell  had  five  children: 
Absalom,  our  subject;  Nancy,  widow  of  George 
Valentine,  of  Starrucca,  Penn. ;  Kline  J.,  a  lum- 
berman of  Renovo,  Penn.;  Mary  A.,  deceased 
wife  of  R.  S.  Condon,  of  Chatham  Run;  and 
Sarah  E. ,  wife  of  Samuel  Mummah,  of  Juniata, 
Penn.  The  mother  of  this  family  is  still  living 
in  Hyner,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one 
years,  and  enjoys  good  health. 

Absalom  Farwell  is  one  of  the  progressive 
men  of  Pine  Creek  township.  He  was  born  in 
Chapman  township,  December  18,  1839,  attend- 
ed the  public  schools,  and  Dickinson  Seminary, 
Williamsport,  Penn.  He  afterward  taught  school 
in  Logansville  for  one  term,  and  one  term  in 
Pine  Creek  township.  Having  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  lumber  business,  he  then  took  charge 
of  his  father's  mills,  which  he  operated  until  the 
great  flood  of  1865,  when  the  mill  was  washed 
away  and  lumber  to  the  value  of  many  thousands 
of  dollars  was  lost.  In  the  summer  of  that  year 
he  became  a  jobber  in  nursery  stock,  handling 
fruit  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  in  this  way  traveled 
through  every  county  of  Pennsylvania  and  man}' 
of  the  eastern,  middle  and  western  States  and 
Canada.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  followed 
that  business,  employing  many  agents  and  meet- 
ing with  good  success  in  his  undertakings.  Dur- 
ing that  time  he  made  his  home  at  North  Bend, 
Clinton  county,  where  he  had  a  fine  residence 
and  good  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  which  is 
now  operated  by  his  son.  In  1885  he  purchased 
the  Brown  farm  in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  comprising  125  acres,  on  which  stand  a 
fine  brick  dwelling  house,  good  barns  and  other 
substantial  buildings.  In  1892  he  retired  from 
the  nursery  business  and  took  up  his  residence 
upon  this  farm,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  is  now  quite  extensively  engaged  in 
cultivating  tobacco,  and  has  built  good  sheds 
and  secured  other  facilities  to  advance  his  inter- 
ests in  this  line.  He  is  also  engaged  in  raising 
stock,  and  has  one  of  the  best-cultivated  farms 
in  his  section  of  the  county. 

In    1868,    in     Dunstable    township,    Clinton 


county,  our  subject  was  married  to  Martha  Jane 
Baird,  who  was  born  in  that  township,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1844,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Tabitha 
(Quigley)  Baird.  They  have  five  children:  (1) 
Truman  L.  L.  D. ,  who  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Chapman  township,  the  Lock  Haven 
Normal,  the  Westchester  Normal,  and  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  now  operates  the  farm  at 
North  Bend.  He  married  Nellie  Gallagher,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
politics  the  husband  is  independent.  (2)  Tab- 
itha Josephine,  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Clinton  county,  Bucknell  Seminary  of  Lewis- 
burg,  and  the  West  Chester  Normal,  is  engaged 
in  teaching  music.  She  married  Harry  Crist, 
of  Pine  Creek  township.  (3)  Franklin  Pierce, 
educated  at  Charlton  and  Lock  Haven  Normal 
school.  (4)  Milton  Girard  Gambetta  and  (5) 
Howard  M.  are  at  home. 

Absalom  Farwell  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
stanchly  advocates  the  principles  promulgated 
by  Bryan.  In  1877  and  again  in  1888  he  was 
a  candidate  for  sheriff,  but  failed  to  overcome  the 
strong  Republican  majority.  He  has  served  as 
auditor  of  Chapman  township,  and  as  school 
director  of  Pine  Creek  township,  acting  as  sec- 
retary of  the  board.  His  wife  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
Mr.  Farwell  formerly  belonged  to  the  Odd 
Fellows  Society.  His  life  record  is  one  well 
worthy  of  emulation.  In  his  business  he  is  ener- 
getic, persevering  and  progressive,  and  conducts 
his  interests  along  the  lines  of  the  most  honor- 
able business  dealings.  He  has  achieved  success 
through  his  capable  management,  and  his  pros- 
perity is  certainly  well  deserved.  Public  spirited, 
he  withholds  his  support  from  no  enterprise  cal- 
culated to  benefit  the  community.  He  holds 
friendship  inviolable,  and  is  true  to  all  the  duties 
of  both  public  and  private  life. 


JEREMIAH  J.  BARNER,  one  of  the  most 
progressive  lumbermen  and  farmers  of  Green 
township,  Clinton  county,  was  born  there  on 
May  1,  1838,  a  son  of  Henry  Barner,  a  native  of 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania. 

John  Barner,  the  grandfather,  was  also  born 
in  Schuylkill  county,  and  was  of  German  descent. 
He  was  an  agriculturist,  and  on  leaving  his  native 
county  came  to  what  is  now  Clinton  county  (then 
Centre),  and  in  Green  township  purchased  a  tract 
of  400  acres,  which  he  improved  and  cultivated 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  connec- 
tion with  farming  he  also  engaged  in  lumbering. 
He  was  a  man  well  known  and  highly  respected. 
Retiring  one  night  in   the  best  of  health,  he  was 


694 


VORATIYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


found  dead  in  bed  the  next  morning,  being  shot 
during  tin-  night  b}  sunn-  unknown  assassin,  who 
was  never  found  or  brought  to  justice  for  the  ter- 
rible crime.  His  wife  was  one  of  the  best  of 
women,  verj  strong,  being  able  to  carry  three 
bushels  of  wheat,  and  at  the  time  her  yi 
child  was  married  she  was  still  able  to  ride  on 
hoi  the   mountains   to  visit  her  chil- 

dren, In  the  family  were  twenty-two  children, 
none  <>f  whom  were  twins,  but  only  the  names  of 
the  followingare  known:  David,  George,  Henry, 
B  njamin,  John,  Daniel,  Adam,  Samuel,  Christi- 
an, Lyddie,  Mary,  Fanny,  Elizal 
and  Cathai  ii 

Henr}   Barner,  oui  -   father,  received 

a  fair  education  in  both  the  I  and  English 

languages.      He  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 

1  to    Clinton    county,   where  he  grew  to 

m. ml 1  on  the  borne  (arm,  and  rting  out 

in  life  foi  himself  i  i  ricultural  pursuits 

in  Sugai  Valley,  Green   township,  wherein  I 

bought  300  ai  timber  land.      Upon  his 

pla  I  a   sawmill,   and  converted   the 

timber  into  marketable  lumber,  and   cleared    150 
!,  which  he  placed  under  cultiva- 
tion arid  improved  with  good  buildings,  including 
a  fine  n  He  alsi    conducted  a   h 

his   farm  in  Green  town- 
ship, and  in  his  undertakings  met  with  a  fair  de- 
H       vas  a   stanch  supporter  of 
and  was  an  elder  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.      Ilw  upright,  honorabli  e   in  life 

gamed  (or  him  the  confidence  and  e  I   all 

with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  either  in  his  busi- 
ns. 

In    Green   1  p,  <  lint m  county.    Henrj 

ner  was  united  in  marriage  with  M  tiar- 

ine  Kurn,  who   was  1>, ,rn   in   Logan    township,  ,1 
djanghtei  oi  fohn  Kurn,  a  native  of  Germany,  and 

rmer  bj  occupation      The  following  children 
were  bom  to  then,       |.  ,l>n.  .1    r<  sidenl   oi   Gi 
township;  Israel,  who  died  in  1892;  Emanue 
Nittanj    Valley,  Penn  .    Sarah,  widow  of   David 
Mil  i   remiah    |. .  Rebecca,  wifi 

David  Shry<  r;  1  >aniel,  of  <  Ire*  n  township;  Helen, 
wifi  le;  Catharine,  wife   of    |ohn 

Douty;   Henry,  who   died   when  young;  G 
of  Penn's  Valley;  and   01  died  in  infan 

'I'he  father  departed  this  life  in  1872,  ther 

in    [893,  and    both    were    laid   to    rest    in    Mount 
1        n  cemetery,  Green  township. 

miah  J.  Barnei  obtained  a  limited  educa- 
tion in  the  public  school  n  township,  but 
his  business  training  was   not   so  meagn  .  am 
had                            a  knowledge  of  the  milling  busi- 

i  that  at  the  early  age  of  tw<  •  he  was 

given  charge    of    a  circular   saw  for  the   lumber 


firm  of  Yoras  &  Caldwell  in   the  eastern  part  of 
Green  township,  remaining  with  them  for  three 

rs.  For  the  same  length  of  time  he  was  a 
sawyer  for  Hoover  &  Price,  and  the  next  three 
years  were  spent  in  the  sawmill  of  Haffey  &  Co. 
He  was  then  a  partner  in  the  manufacture  of 
shingles  in  the  Engle  sawmill,  but  two  years 
later  he  accepted  the  position  of  head  sawyer  in 
a  mill  at  Williamsport,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  and  spent  the  following  eight  years  in  a 
mill  on  Little  Pine  creek,  after  which  he  trav. 
for  a  time  through  the  western  States,  and  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  as  far  as  Colorado.  He  then 
accepted  a  position  in  a  sawmill  in  Jackson  coun- 
ts. Mo.,  but  as  the  climate  did  not  agree  with  his 
health,  he  resigned  at  the  end  of  two  months  and 

rned  home.  After  working  in  a  sawmill  in 
Brush  Valley,  Centre  county,  for  a  year  and  a 
half  he  came  to  Green  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, in  [885,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
the  Engle  brothers  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
since  doing  business  under  the  firm  style  of  Engle, 

ner  &  Engle.      It  >f  the   most   reliable 

companies  of   the  kind    in  the    county,   and    is 

ting  with  a  well-deserved  success.  Mr. 
Barner  is  also  interested  in  farming,  having  a 
valuable  place  of  sixty-five  acres,  whose  well- 
tilled  fields  and  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  tes- 
tify to  the  skill  and  ability  of  the  owner  as  an 
ulturist. 

During  the  dark  days  of  the  Civil  war.  Mr. 
Barner  laid  aside  all  personal  interest,  and  at 
Lock  Haven,  on  August  10,  1861,  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  11th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt.  Shanks 
and  Col.  P.  D.  Collier.  On  being  mustered  in 
at  Harrisburg.  the  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of   the    Potomac,  and    with    his   command 

subject  participated  in  the  battles  of  balling 

Water.     White  Plains,     Thompson    Gap,  Ce 

Mountain  and  Gettysburg.      After  the  last  named 

he,    with    three  comrades,   bought 

some  milk  to  drink,  and  the  others  died  from  the 

which    it    contained,    while     he     himself 

bj     rendered    unfit    for  duty    for   almost    a 

ring  which   time  he  was  confined    in   six 

rent  hospitals  in  Washington,  and  suffered 
untold  agonies.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  be 
moved  he  was  discharged  in  May,  1864,  at  Wash- 
ington, and  returned  home. 

At  Lock    Haven,  Mr.   Barner  was   married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth   Engle,  a   native   of  Green  town- 
Clinton    county,    and    a   daughter   of   John 
Engle,  a  lumberman.      Her  brother  Jacob  is  now 
a  partner   ol  ;bject.      Five   children  grace 

this  union.      Franklin  is  engaged   in  milling;  Mc- 
Clellan    is  ]  ti  1   and   a   sawyer  at  Carroll, 

1  a   is  the   wife  of  Cyrus  Bix- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


695 


ler,  of  Buffalo  Valley,  Union  Co.,  Penn. ;  Law- 
rence was  educated  in  the  Musical  College  of 
Freeburg,  and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  music; 
and  Grant  is  at  home. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Barner  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  George  E.  Myers  Post  No.  379,  G.  A.  R., 
and  Sugar  Valley  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  both  of 
Loganton,  while  politically  he  has  been  a  pro- 
nounced Republican  since  the  war.  For  five 
years  he  has  served  as  school  director,  and  he 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  those  meas- 
ures calculated  to  promote  the  general  welfare 
along  various  lines.  As  a  citizen  he  is  highly  re- 
spected, enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  neighbors, 
and  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  excellent  business 
judgment. 


OHN  SOLT.  ft  must  be  with  a  deep  sense 
of  just  pride  and  of  grateful  satisfaction  that 
a  successful  self-made  man  at  eventide  of  life 
looks  back  over  the  past — to  his  early  poverty 
and  struggles,  and  later  victories  and  triumphs. 
In  a  position  to  do  this  is  he  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  sketch. 

Born  February  20,  1829,  on  a  farm  in  Por- 
ter township,  Clinton  county,  Mr.  Solt  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Miller)  Solt,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  native  of  Northampton  county, 
Penn.  Our  subject  was  one  of  seven  children 
born  to  his  parents,  and  one  of  twins — their  first 
born.  His  parents  were  farming  people  of  the 
county,  plain,  unassuming  and  hard-working 
country  folks,  God-fearing  and  law-abiding  citi- 
izens,  who  plodded  on  through  life  yet  were  of 
good  cheer,  scattered  sunshine  as  they  went 
along,  and  left  the  world  the  better  for  their  hav- 
ing lived  in  it.  The  father  was  identified  with 
the  Evangelical  Church.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-one  years,  and  his  faithful  companion 
passed  away  when  she  was  forty-seven.  Both 
are  buried  at  Mackeyville.  He  had  been  pre- 
viously married,  and  to  that  union  were  born 
seven  children.  Our  subject  was  raised  on  a  25- 
acre  farm;  his  parents  being  poor  he  had  to  assist 
in  the  support  of  the  family,  and  was  not  given 
many  school  privileges.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  David  Allison,  and 
although  performed  a  man's  work  he  received 
for  his  services  only  six  dollars  per  month.  His 
father  had  previously  bought  a  small  farm  of 
twenty-five  acres,  but  had  not  been  able  to  pay 
for  it.  This  tract  was  in  the  woods,  and  the 
father  and  sons  had  performed  much  hard  work 
in  clearing,  grubbing  and  preparing  the  ground 
for  cultivation.  A  combination  of  circumstances 
seemed  to  conspire  against  the  father,  and  he 
was  unable  to  pay  for  the  land  and  so  lost  it. 


Finally,  however,  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
family,  the  little  farm  and  home  were  paid  for. 

The  son,  John,  while  yet  in  his  teens,  was 
away  from  home  much  of  the  time,  working  at 
different  places  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do 
until  finally  he  located  on  his  father's  farm,  which 
he  rented  and  began  farming  on  a  small  scale. 
He  commenced  with  two  horses  (one  of  them  be- 
ing quite  old  and  of  not  much  service)  and  one 
cow.  He  remained  on  the  little  farm  some  two 
years,  he  and  his  faithful  wife  struggling  on,  full 
of  hope  that  inspires  youth  to  its  greatest  ener- 
gies. At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  in  December, 
1852,  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and 
before  he  rented  the  home  place,  himself  and 
bride  began  their  married  life  in  two  rooms  in 
the  house  of  his  brother  Samuel,  at  Mackeyville. 
At  this  time  the  husband  depended  upon  his  day's 
labor  for  support,  and  his  wages  were  then  but 
fifty  cents  per  (fay.  But  with  stout  hearts  and 
willing  hands  they  went  to  work  and  toiled  on. 
From  Mackeyville  they  went  to  the  farm,  thence 
to  the  Thomas  Brown  farm,  which  the  husband 
rented  in  connection  with  his  brother  Samuel, 
but  their  efforts  were  still  unrewarded,  for  after 
planting  and  cultivating,  the  harvest  was  not  suf- 
ficient to  pay  for  the  seeding;  and  their  efforts 
did  not  yield  them  a  living.  This  farm  was  aban- 
doned, and  again  the  young  husband  resorted  to 
days' labor,  residing  on  rented  property  at  Mackey- 
ville. Later  on  he  rented  a  farm  in  Lamar  town- 
ship, and  after  six  years  of  effort,  good  managing 
and  economical  living,  they  were  successful  in  get- 
ting a  good  start  and  bought  the  John  Reesman 
farm,  going  in  debt  to  the  extent  of  nearly 
$4,000,  which,  as  time  passed  by,  the  united  ef- 
forts of  husband  and  wife  paid  off  the  obliga- 
tions. No  sooner  out  of  debt  than  their  only 
daughter  was  married,  and  the  good  parents, 
prompted  by  their  generous  love  to  their  child, 
moved  to  Mackeyville,  and  left  the  daughter  on 
the  farm  to  begin  life  under  more  flattering  cir- 
cumstances than  awaited  their  own  marriage. 
Subsequently  (1880)  Mr.  Solt  purchased  another 
small  farm  of  eighty-odd  acres,  and  after  one 
year's  residence  at  Mackeyville,  moved  to  it, where 
he  resided  until  1892;  then  returned  to  Mackey- 
ville, where  he  now  occupies  and  owns  one  of  the 
most  comfortable  houses  in  the  village.  Although 
pretty  well  advanced  in  years,  nearing  the  three- 
score and  ten  period,  he  is  by  no  means  inactive, 
but  finds  something  to  keep  his  active  and  rest- 
less mind  busy.  He  still  farms  a  little,  and  is 
hardly  on  the  retired  list. 

Mr.  Solt  is  an  example  of  what  perseverance 
and  a  determined  effort  may  accomplish,  rising 
from  a  poor  boy  through   adverse  circumstances 


896 


VMEMORA  TITS  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


to  a  competence    and    i  ible  citizenship. 

I  i  years  he  served  the  people  oi  bis  township 
as  overseer  ol  the  poor,  and  (nr  t\  -  rs  as 
supervisor.      II  I  as  a  citizen,  and  is 

a  man  of  influence  in  the  community  in  which 
he  resides       Politically  he  is  a  1  •  t  he 

does  not  always  vote  that  ticket,  believing  it  a 
duty  to  vote  for  the  man  in  his  judgment  the 
better  qualii  best   fitted   (or  the 

office.  His  wife,  who  was  a  Miss  Mary  A.  Au- 
man,  a  native  of  Centre  county,  born  April  u. 
i,   m    Brush  Valley,  has  been  most  surely  a 

d    help-meet  and   companion  her  un- 

tiring efforts  and  good  cheer  much  of  the  hus- 
band's  sui  cess  is  due.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Pi  t.-r  and  Julia  A.  (Dale  Auman,  and  when  an 
infant  of  one  year  was  taken  by  her  parents  who 
then  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Kebersburg, 
Centre  county,  whei  ared.      she  was 

the  second  of  five  children,  and  the  eldest 
hter. 

One  daughter  Amanda  J. — was  born  to  our 
subject  and  wifi       She  married  M.  Swavely,  and 

I  in  August,  1887,  leaving  two  children — 
Mamie  and  Anna,  who  make  their  home  with 
and  wife,  and  with  her  father,  re- 
spectively. Mr>.  Solt  is  a  member  of  the 
Luth'  rch. 


J!   I'll    W     SMI  HI,    the    popular   and  effi- 
i    Renovo,  is  also   one  of  the 
borough's  prosperous  and  successful 
men.     Not    00    the    plains  of  1  he 

:t  out  on  life's  journey,  but  in  the  valley  of 
limited  circumstances  with  tb  gh   and  rugf 

n    of    hard    undertaking    before    him        He 

1  ted  on  1  ed  his   way  steadily 

upward,  climbing  higher  and  higher  until  he  now 
stands  on  the  mountain  top  of   prosperity. 

Mr.    Smith   was    born    Augu  5,    in 

Lock   Haven,   (  linton    county,   a    son    ol    [ai 
and    Mary    I  Smith,  natives  ol  Germany. 

The  father  was   for   many  years  a   leading  mer- 
chant and  prominent    and    progressive    citizi 
Lock    Haven,  but    is  now    living   retired    in   that 
city    though    he    still     e  xcellent    health. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  in    1  S70. 

The  early  education  of  Joseph  W.  Smith  was 
acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  L  \  en, 

and  the  knowledge  there  obtained  was  supple- 
mented bj  1  in  St.  Vincent's  College  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Penn.      He  also  attei. 

rce's  Business  College  in  Philadelphia,  and 
on  laying  aside  Ins  text  bonks  began  his  business 
career  in    his    father's  store,  where    he  remained 


ars.  He  then  engaged  in  the  cigar 
and  tobacco  business  on  his  own  account  for 
several  years,  and  continued  that  line  of  trade 
for  about  nine  months  after  coming  to  Renovo 
in  1884.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year, 
however,  he  embarked  in  the  wholesale  liquor 
and  bottling  beer  business,  and  in  1889  added 
to  this  the  ice  business,  but  disposed  of  the  latter 
in  1895.  1°  'he  former  enterprise  he  is  still  en- 
gaged and  enjoys  an  excellent  trade. 

In  [875  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss 
Clara,  daughter  of  Matthew  Mellon,  of  Lock 
Haven,  and  they  now  have  two  sons:  Albert 
W.  and  Bart  J.  The  family  are  all  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  Church,  and,  socially,  our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  &  Patri- 
otic Order  of  Elks.  Politically,  he  is  a  lifelong 
Dem  crat,  opposed  to  all  monopolies  and  an  ear- 
nest advocate  of  the  principles  of  his  party.  He 
has  done  all  in  his  power  to  advance  its  inter- 
ests and  insure  its  success;  in  1896  he  was 
chosen    chairman   of    the    Clinton    County    De- 

racy,  the  following  year  was  unanimously 
re-elected  and  is  now  serving  in  that  position. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
State  Central  Committee,  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  borough  council  in  Renovo,  and  is  at 
present  most  satisfactorily  tilling  the  responsible 
ition  of  burgess.  Wherever  found  he  is  a 
social,  affable,  genial  gentleman,  whose  friends 
are  legion,  and  his  record  as  a  self-made  man  is 
one  of  which  he  may  be  justly  proud.  Success 
is  not  measured  by  the  height  which  one  a 
chance  to  occupy,  but  by  the  distance  between 
the  starting  point  and  the  altitude  he  has 
reached;     therefore,     Mr.    Smith    has    gained    a 

•  brilliant  success — a  just  reward  of  meri- 
torious, honorable  efforts  which  command  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  all. 


JAMES   Mi  NAMAKA,  a  leading  coal  dealer  of 
Renovo,  is  one  of  the   most   energetic,   pro- 
■     and    enterprising    business    men  of 
Clinl  ty       His   birth   occurred  in  1801,    in 

:itv  Clare.   Ireland,  on  the   banks  of  the  river 
■I   his   parents,  Patrick   and  Bridget 
Birmingham)  McNamara,  were  born,  reared  and 
married   in   that   country.      The   mother  died  in 
nd,  but  the  -pent  his  last  days  in  the 

United    5ta1  Of   their   six   children,  five  are 

still  living,  namely:  Mary,  wife  of  Cornelius 
Mulvahill,  of  Keno\  Susan,  wife  of  William 
Dwyer,  ol  the  same  place;  Anna,  wife  of  Charles 
M    1  I    Philadelphia;    Bridget   F.,   a  resi- 

dent ol  Chicago;  and    fames. 

ned   but  a  limited  ed- 


U/u^^^f 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


697 


ucation  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  as  he  had 
to  walk  six  miles  to  the  school  house,  carrying 
his  share  of  the  fuel  under  his  arm  as  was  then 
the  custom  in  Ireland  under  English  rule.  He 
was  reared  to  habits  of  industry  upon  the  home 
farm,  and  early  became  familiar  with  agricultural 
pursuits,  which  he  continued  to  follow  until  cross- 
ing the  Atlantic  in  1880.  On  reaching  the  shores 
of  the  New  World  he  came  to  Renovo,  Penn., 
where  he  first  worked  in  the  railroad  shops,  then 
in  the  store  of  his  brother-in-law,  William 
Dwyer.  Subsequently  he  started  in  business  for 
himself  as  a  teamster,  and  also  worked  at  different 
occupations  until  he  began  dealing  in  coal.  He 
now  does  the  largest  business  of  the  kind  in  the 
borough. 

On  April  27,  1892,  Mr.  McNamara  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Agnes  Rouen,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Rouen,  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  now  have 
three  children,  namely:  Patrick  S.,  James  Joseph, 
and  Thomas  Francis.  The  parents  both  hold 
membership  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and 
are  widely  and  favorably  known.  In  his  political 
views,  Mr.  McNamara  is  a  Republican,  and  at 
State  and  National  elections  always  votes  for 
that  party,  but  at  local  elections  his  support  is 
generally  given  the  man  whom  he  considers  best 
qualified  for  the  office  regardless  of  party  affilia- 
tions. He  has  never  cared  for  official  honor,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness interests.  He  believes  that  the  Republican 
party  some  day  will  be  the  means  of  giving  liberty 
to  his  native  land.  His  life  is  a  living  illustration 
of  what  ability,  energy  and  force  of  character 
can  accomplish,  for  on  reaching  Renovo  his  cash 
capital  consisted  of  only  one  penny.  He  is  to- 
day the  owner  of  much  valuable  property  in  the 
city,  and  is  numbered  among  its  thrifty  and  pros- 
perous citizens.  In  everything  pertaining  to  the 
upbuilding  of  Renovo  he  takes  an  active  part,  and 
is  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  enterprises  which 
insure  its  progress.  Although  of  foreign  birth,  no 
more  loyal  or  patriotic  citizen  can  be  found  in 
Clinton  county,  and  it  is  to  such  men  that  the 
community  owes  its  prosperity,  its  rapid  progess, 
and  its  advancement. 


WILLIAM  STRUNK,  an  energetic  and  pros- 
perous agriculturist  of  Porter  township, 
Clinton  county,  residing  near  Parvin,  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  that 
locality.  His  success  has  been  obtained  by  his 
hard  work  and  shrewd  management,  and  he  is 
truly  "the  architect  of  his  own  fortune." 

His  ancestors  came  from  Germany  at  an  early 
date,  and    members  of  the    family    fought  in  the 


cause  of  freedom  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
William  Strunk,  our  subject's  grandfather,  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  the  miller's  trade  in 
Bucks  county,  Penn.,  but  his  last  days  were  spent 
in  Mifflin  county,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1838.  He  was  twice  married  and  had  eighteen 
children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters  born  to 
each  union.  The  sons  by  the  first  marriage  were 
William,  George,  Daniel,  John  and  Jacob,  while 
those  by  the  second  were  Benjamin,  Findley, 
Isaac,  Andrew  and  Joseph. 

John  Strunk,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  February  17,  1806,  in  Bucks  county,  and, 
like  all  of  his  brothers  and  half-brothers,  he  fol- 
lowed the  miller's  trade.  On  August  14,  1827,  he 
was  married  in  Lewistown,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Nancy 
Henry,  who  was  born  October  30,  1806,  in  Beaver 
township,  Snyder  county,  the  daughter  of  Adam 
Henry,  a  well-known  blacksmith  of  that  time. 
The  young  couple  had  a  poor  start  in  life — abed, 
two  plates,  a  knife  and  fork  constituting  their 
household  effects — but  they  established  their 
home  at  Lewistown,  and  gradually  added  to  the 
comfort  of  their  surroundings.  While  there  Mr. 
Strunk  was  employed  at  milling  by  his  brother 
George,  but  later  he  removed  to  Yeagertown, 
Penn.,  and  rented  a  mill.  In  1831  he  went  to 
Spring  Mills,  Centre  county,  where  he  spent  nine 
years  in  the  employ  of  James  Duncan  without  any 
articles  of  agreement.  He  continued  in  the  mill- 
ing business  until  1840,  when  he  purchased  a  farm 
in  Marion  township,  Centre  county,  and  made 
his  permanent  home  there.  He  was  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  his  friendly  manners  endearing 
him  to  all  who  knew  him,  and  among  the  guests 
at  his  hospitable  home  were  man}'  of  the  leading 
men  of  Bellefonte.  As  he  always  did  his  own 
thinking  his  opinions  were  valued  by  his  asso- 
ciates, and  on  several  occasions  when  he  was 
called  to  serve  on  the  jury  he  was  made  fore- 
man. Politically  he  was  a  Democrat  until  Henry 
Clay's  candidacy,  when  he  became  a  Whig,  and 
later  he  joined  the  Republican  party.  Although 
he  was  not  anxious  for  office  he  took  much  inter- 
est in  local  affairs,  and  at  times  held  positions  in 
the  township.  In  religious  work  he  was  active 
as  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  to  which 
he  gave  liberally  of  his  time  and  money,  serving 
as  elder  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
for  many  years.  His  wife  died  in  June,  1862, 
and  he  survived  her  many  years,  passing  away 
in  1884.  They  had  the  following  children: 
George  C,  born  December  13,  1828,  is  now  re- 
siding at  Hillsdale,  Mich. ;  William,  born  March 
27,  1830,  is  our  subject:  Mary  A.,  born  August 
31,  1 83 1,  married  Laird  Holmes,  and  died  in 
Centre  county;  John  F.,  born  August  29,  1832, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOORM'lII'-AL  RECORD. 


!  in  Muphenson  county,  III.;  Margaret,  born 
November  27,  1833,  1-  now  Mrs.  John  Seiler, 
■  •I  Osage  comit\.  Kans. ;  James,  born  Januar) 
30,  1835,  enlisted  during  the  Civil  war  in  Com- 
pany E,  7th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  ami  died  No- 
vember 27,  l86l,  at  1  i  I  micron,  Harris- 
burg,  Penn.,  his  remains  beinj^  interred  in  Jack- 
sonville, Perm  ;  Susan,  born  April  14.  1836,  is 
now  Mrs  Samuel  A   Stonebrakei  ck  Jack, 

Kans.;  Robert,  born  September  21,  1837,  is  now 
a  resident  of  Belief  onte;  Thomas,  born  March 
10,   1839,  died   in  lib  I  ibby,  born   Septem- 

ber  6,  1840,  is  now  Mrs.  [saac  Reish,  of  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county;  I'eter.  bom  May  19, 
1X42.  is  now  a   resident  of   Illinois;  Samuel  C. , 

•1  August  29,  1  s 4  5 .  resides  in  Morris  county, 
Kans.;  Ira  C,  born  March  22.  1846,  is  now  con- 
duct ommercial  college  at  New  Albany, 
Ind.  ;  and  Catherine  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch    was    bom    M 
27,   1830,  in    the    Kishacoquillas    Valley,   Mifflin 

nty,  Penn.,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  time,  his  studies  being  begun  at 
Spring  Mills.  Centre  county,  under  a  Mr.  Smith. 
At  the  age  "f  twenty  he  entered  upon  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  miller's  trade  with  his  uncle, 
ph  Strunk.  oi  Reedsville,  Penn.  Afterlearn- 
ing  In-  trade  lie  worked  one  yeai    at   Lewistown 

John  Sterrett,  and  two  and  one-half  years  at 
Bellefonte  f"i  Wagnei  &  Thomas,  but  later  he 
found  employment  at  Hoys  Mill,  in  Marion  town- 
ship, Centre  county.  On  February  23,  [854, 
he    was    married    in    Walker    township,    Centre 

iiity.  to  Mi>>  Mary  Jane  Myers,  who  was  born 
in  that  township  Januarj  [9,  1835,  the  daughter 
el  John  and  Elizabeth  (  Mowry)  Myers.  1  le  then 
located  at  Cedar  Springs,  Clinton  county,  wh 

rented  a  home  and  followed  his  trade  for 

In   i860  he  bought  his   present    farm, 
a  part  of  the  Peter   Seil  1    since   [ 86] 

he  has  resided  there.  In-  m  being  given  to 

icultural  work.      When  he  took   ]  n  of 

the  plai  barn  ami   an  old  dwelling-hi 

were  the  only  buildings,  but  he  has  made  man} 
improvements.  In  (868  he  built  anew  barn,  and 
in  1883  lus  comfortable  resilience  was  erected, 
the  homestead  b  w  a  most  attractive 

His  firs!  purchase  consisted  .>!  ninety  acres,  but 
he  has  -iiH  e  a. Me, l  to  it  until  he  owns  1  33  acres 
of  as  good  land  as  can  be  found  in   that   vicinity. 

Mr.  Strunk  and  his  wile  have  bad  seven  chil- 
dien:  Flora,  bom  March  ;,  1854,  now  Mrs. 
George  Manly,  of  Ybrkville,  III. ;  Charles  A  .  b 
April  11,  1858,  is  a  farmer  in  Dunstable  town- 
ship, Clinton  Co..  Penn.;  Clar,  born  July  22, 
[861,  is  the  wife  of  Elmer  McClintock,  of  Clinton- 
dale;  Harry  1'.,  born  April   22,   18.14,  died   in  in- 


fancy: William  L.,  born  October  28,  1866; 
Catherine  K. ,  born  October  17,  1869,  is  Mrs. 
Charles  A.  Taylor,  of  Lamar  township,  Clinton 
county;  and  Joseph  B. ,  born  February  4,  1874, 
is  at  home.  The  family  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  social  life  of  the  neighborhood,  and 
Mi-    Strunk   is  an  active  member  of  the  Presby- 

m  Church. 

As  a  stanch  Republican,  Mr.  Strunk  takes 
much  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  At 
times  he  has  held  township  offices,  serving  with 
credit  as  auditor  and  overseer,  but  he  does  not 
aspire  to  political  honors.  He  was  once  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange,  but  is  not  now  identified  with 
the  society.  In  manner  he  is  plain  and  unassum- 
and  he  is  noted  for  his  frank  expression  of 
his  convictions,  a  trait  which  has  won  him  the 
respect  of  all  who  place  a  proper  value  upon 
freedom  of  thought. 


J 


OHN  B.  KUTE,  now  a  prosperous  and  sub- 
stantial agriculturist  of  Lamar  township, 
1  linton  county,  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self with  nothing  but  his  indomitable  enei 
and  his  accumulation  of  this  world's  goods  is  at- 
tributable to  his  sound  judgment,  close  applii 
tion  to  business  and  untiring  industry  The 
family  name  of  Rute  has  at  times  been  spelled 
Ruth. 

rn  April  27,  1838,  in  Mires  township,  Brush 
Valley,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  Mr.  Rute  is  the 
oi  Benjamin  and  Maria  (Binkley)  Rute,  who 
had  removed  to  that  locality  the  year  previous, 
from  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  locating  on  the 
farm  where  his  birth  occurred.  The  father  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  the  east  end  of  Brush  Valley 
until  the  spring  of  1S70,  when  he  and  his  wife 
went  to  live  with  their  son  Elias  in  Buffalo  town- 
ship, Union  county.  Later  they  located  on  a 
farm  near  Yicksburg,  that  township,  where  both 
died,  the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  and 
their  remains  were  interred  in  the  Union  ceme- 
tery of  Mazeppa,  Union  county.  He  was  a  small 
man  but  very  industrious,  and  in  connection  with 
farming  worked  at  his  trade  of  shoemaking.  In 
the  Reformed  Church  he  held  membership,  an  I 
politically,  he  was  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party.  Our  subject  was  the  oldest  of  four  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs. 
ib  Schilling,  of  Porter  town-hip,  Clinton 
>t\  ;  Rebecca,  wife  of  John  W.  Carter,  of 
Vicksburg,  Penn.  ;  and  Elias,  a  farmer  of  Buf- 
falo  township,  Union  county.  The  paternal 
grandparents  and  uncles  and  aunts  of  our  subject 
ntire  lives  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  Mate. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


699 


The  first  thirteen  years  of  his  life  John  B. 
Rute  spent  in  Brush  Valley,  and  in  the  Brun- 
gard  school  he  began  his  education.  One  of  his 
first  teachers  was  Mr.  Dieffenbach,  who  taught  at 
the  Wolf  school  which  he  also  attended,  but  his 
educational  advantages  were  much  inferior  to 
those  afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  the 
present  day.  As  a  heavy  tax  payer  and  school 
director,  he  has  done  much  to  improve  the  schools 
of  his  township.  Being  the  older  son,  his  school 
days  were  often  interrupted  by  work  upon  the 
home  farm.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  went  to 
Cedar  Run,  Clinton  county,  where  he  lived  for 
three  years  with  John  Wagner,  receiving  the 
meager  wages  of  $4  per  month  in  the  summer 
and  nothing  at  all  in  the  winter  season  except 
the  privilege  of  attending  school.  Having  saved 
from  his  wages  a  little  over  $100,  Mr.  Rute,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  purchased  106  acres  of 
land  in  Brush  Valley  at  assignee's  sale,  but  went 
$400  in  debt.  This  was  bought  for  a  home  for 
his  parents. 

After  three  years  spent  in  Clinton  county, 
Mr.  Rute  returned  to  Brush  Valley,  where  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  his  marriage,  which 
was  celebrated  in  Rebersburg,  March  17,  1861, 
Rev.  Tobias  performing  the  ceremony  which 
made  Miss  Anna  M.  C.  Snook  his  wife.  She  was 
born  January  8,  1838,  in  Sugar  Valley,  and  was 
one  in  a  family  of  twelve  children,  six  sons  and 
six  daughters,  whose  parents  were  Levi  and 
Margaret  (Wolford)  Snook,  farming  people,  who 
removed  to  Brush  Valley  when  she  was  about 
six  years  old.  There  she  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rute 
have  become  the  parents  of  six  children:  Matilda 
M.,  who  married  Clayton  Brungard,  and  died  in 
Brush  Valley,  leaving  two  children — Sarah  C. 
and  John  H.;  Thomas  E.,  a  farmer  of  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  who  is  married,  and 
has  six  children — Laura  G.,  John  S. ,  Mabel  H., 
L.  Nora,  Virgie  E.  and  Ellis  T. ;  Sadie  E., 
wife  of  Ira  E.  Spangler,  a  United  Evangelical 
minister,  of  Sullivan  county,  Penn. ;  Jennie,  now 
Mrs.  George  D.  Walker,  of  Lock  Haven,  and 
the  mother  of  one  child — Lula  C. ;  Amelia  M., 
who  is  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath-school,  and  re- 
sides at  home;  and  Kate  M.,  organist  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Salona,  also  at  home. 

For  three  years  and  a  half  after  his  marriage 
John  B.  Rute  worked  for  his  father-in-law,  re- 
ceiving $100  per  year  and  his  board  and  clothes, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1865  he  came  to  Lamar 
township,  Nittany  Valley,  Clinton  county,  where 
he  operated  a  rented  farm  for  two  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Brush  Valley,  where  he  contin- 
ued to   live   until  1883,  when    he   purchased   his 


present  farm  in  Lamar  township  from  Eli 
Snook  for  $15,000.  It  comprises  137  acres  of 
valuable  and  productive  land,  which  he  has 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved in  many  ways,  making  it  one  of  the  most 
desirable  farms  of  the  locality. 

Until  the  Democratic  party  tried  to  deprive 
the  soldiers  of  their  vote,  Mr.  Rute  was  one  of  its 
supporters,  but  since  that  time  has  been  a  pro- 
nounced Republican,  and  has  always  given  his 
influence  to  all  measures  which  he  believed  would 
benefit  the  public  or  advance  the  general  welfare. 
He  was  drafted,  but  the  war  ended  before  he 
was  mustered  in.  He  enjoys  excellent  health, 
never  having  been  ill  for  a  day  in  his  life,  and  he 
has  performed  much  hard  labor,  in  this  way 
gaining  for  himself  and  family  a  good  home  and 
comfortable  competence.  He  and  his  wife  are 
active  and  prominent  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  has  held  nearly  all  the 
offices,  being  elder  at  the  present  time,  and  was 
once  elected  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school,  but  declined  the  honor.  His  word  in  busi- 
ness transactions  is  considered  as  good  as  his 
bond,  and  he  is  justly  recognized  as  one  of  the 
energetic  and  representative  citizens  of  Clinton 
county. 


THOMAS  J.  FOX,  in  whose  life  the  well-di- 
rected efforts  and  perseverance  which  have 
marked  his  business  career  have  brought  him 
success,  was  born  June  6,  18 19,  near  McEwens- 
ville,  Northumberland  county,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Resh)  Fox.  His  father  was 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Chester  county, 
Penn.,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of  the 
same  locality.  He  was  a  miller  by  trade.  In 
1833  he  moved  to  Marsh  Creek,  Howard  town- 
ship, Centre  county,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
lumbering  and  sawmilling,  also  clearing  land,  175 
acres  of  which  he  farmed.  He  passed  away  in 
1850,  leaving  seven  children,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  at  Jacksonville,  Centre  county. 
His  widow  remarried,  marrying  Daniel  Schenck 
two  years  later.  She  passed  away  in  1862,  and 
was  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of  her  former  hus- 
band. John  Fox  had  eleven  children,  four  of 
whom  were  sons.  The  youngest  was  our  sub- 
ject. The  father  was  a  Democrat  in  early  life, 
but  later  gave  his  support  to  the  Whig  party. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church  and 
his  wife  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Thomas  J.  Fox  removed  with  his  parents  dur- 
ing boyhood  to  Centre  county.  His  school  life 
was  limited  to  three  months  and  nineteen  days' 
attendance  in   a   log  school  building,  but  experi- 


Too 


(  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  UF.coRD. 


ence,  reading  and  observation  have  made  him  a 
well-informed  man.  He  worked  for  his  father 
without  wages  until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  «  I  his  father  after- 

ward paid  him  as  a  regular  farm  hand.      He  w 
ded   Mary  Ream,  a   Dative  of    Lebanon  county, 
whose  father  died  when  she  was  only  two  years 
of  age,  after  which  she  was  reared  by  William 
Strunk. 

After  living  two   years    I  a  his  father's 

farm.  Mr.  Fox  began  housekeeping  for  himself. 
With  the  money  he  had  earned  he  purcl 
horse,  and,  as  his  father  had  previously  given 
him  one,  with  this  team  he  began  his  farming 
11  the  place  which  is  now  his  home, 
living  there  from  1847  until  1855.  He  then  re- 
moved to  am  >t  lur  farm,  but  in  1863  returned  to 
his  present  farm,  and  the  following  yeai  pur- 
chased 160  acres.  He  has  since  sold  a  portion 
of  this,  but  has  a  valuable  property  of  eighty 
acre  ning.     The  well-tilled  fields  and  the 

1  and  thrifty  appearance  oi  the  place  indicate 
his  careful  supervision.  He  is  a  wide-awake. 
progressive  farmer,  and  the  prosperity  which  he 
has  achieved  is  well  merited  In  1878  he 
In-  first  wife.  Their  children  were:  Elizabeth, 
wife  "I  Samuel  Wolf,  ol   Suj  y;    Harriet. 

wife   of   John    U.  Wasson,  of    Marion   township, 

-tre  county;   Maggie,  who  died  al   the  age  of 
twenty-three;    William  T..   of    I  George 

\\   .  who  died  in  Kansas;     [ohn,  deceased;    Cur- 

M  ,  who  is  living  near  Jacksonville,  Penn. ; 
Elmer  E.,  deceased;  and  [ra  J.,  principal  of  the 
First  ward  schools  ol  Lo<  k  Haven.  I  oi  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Mr.  Fox  married  Mis,  Sarah  A.  1  >ii  ke) 
Barrett,  widow  of  George  11  Barret)  Then 
children  are  Mary  A.,  Carrie  B  ,  Charles  M 
and  Thomas  J. 

Our  subject  has  always  been  a  stalwart  I  1 
ocrat.   and  has  served    as  school  director  and    su- 
pervisor,    discharging    his   duties    with    marked 

lity  and  abilit]       His  interest  in  public  affairs 

nanifest  by  a  prompl  performai f  his  duties 

of  citizenship,  and  by  Ins  support  ol  all  measures 
calculate  1  to  prove  of  public  good.      His  deal 
have   been   honorable  and   straightforward,  and 
In-  well-spent  life  commends  him   to  the  confi- 
dence and  regard  of  all. 


JOHN  S  BOSSERT.  The  subject  of  this 
biography,  one  of  the  honored  sons  of  Clin- 
ton COUnty,   and  a  QlOSt    Successful    fanner  ol 

Bald  Eagle  township,  minently  a  self-made 

man.  He  began  life  with  a  definite  purpose  in 
\ie\v,  worked  faithfully,  honestly,  and  with  a  will 
for  its  accomplishment,  and  now  enjoys  a  com- 


fortable competence  which  has  been  secured  en- 
tirely through  his  own  efforts. 

Mr.  Bossert  was  born  June  8,  1851,  in 
Bald  Eagle  township,  a  son  ol  II.  M.  Bos- 
sert. a  native  of  Northampton  county,  Penn., 
who  resided  for  some  time  in  Reading  and 
later  in  Northumberland  county,  whence  he 
came  to  Clinton  county.  He  attended  school  at 
McEwensville,  and  was  also  a  student  for  a  time 
in  LaFayette  College,  but  owing  to  lack  of  fin 
did  not  complete  the  course.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  successfully  engaged  in  teaching.  He 
captain  of  a  military  company  at  Mill  Hall, 
and  on  President  Lincoln's  call  for  75,000  vol- 
unteers ht  enlisted  in  the  1  ith  P.  V.  I.,  later  re- 
enlisting,  this  time  in  the  137th  P.  V.  I.  He 
was  a  recruiting  officer  for  the  last  regiment  at 
k  Haven,  and  was  commissioned  colonel,  and 
as  such  served  until  elected  register  and  recorder 
of  Clinton  count}-,  when  he  resigned.  He  took 
an  active  and  prominent  part  in  political  affairs, 

I  was  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Republican  party  in  this  section  of  the  State. 
In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Presbyterian;  socially 
he  was  identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
I  ii  tnge  He  was  an  honored  and  valued  citizen 
i  his  adopted  county,  one  who  enjoyed  the  high 
regard  of  all  who  knew  him. 

In  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  H.  M.  Bossert  wedded 
Miss  Mary  C,  daughter  of  George  Brown,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  they  lived  in  that  town- 
ship, but  later  removed  to  Westport,  Clinton 
county,  where  Mr  Bossert  engaged  in  teaching. 
His  wife  died  in  1876,  and  was  buried  in  Beech 
Creek  cemetery;  he  passed  from  earth  in  1892, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  in  the  Noyes  cemetery    at   West- 

I  In  their  family  were  seven  children, 
namely:  George,  who  died  in  childhood;  Eliz- 
abeth    11,    who    died    when    about    twenty-four 

is  of  age;  John  S.,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch;  Anna  C . ,  who  married  Dr.  A.  W.  Heil- 
man,  and  died  in  Flemington,  Penn.;  William 
and  Caroline,  who  both  dud  in  childhood;  and 
Mary  F.,  wife  of  Joseph  R.  DeHass,  of  West- 
Inn  1 

John  S.  Bossert  pursued  his  studies  in  the 
Blown  school,  where  almost  his  entire  literary 
education  was  obtained;  for  one  term  he  attended 

10I  near  his  home,  taught  by  D.  H.  Hastings, 

the  present  governor  of    Pennsylvania.      He  was 

1  boy,  and  when  a  young  man  also 

familiar   with  lumbering,  which  at  that 

tune   was  one  ol   the  principal  industries  of  this 

region,  especially  along  Bald  Eagle  creek.     Go- 

Douglas  Co.,  Kans. ,  in  1 8 7 s . 

he   was   employed   by  an   extensive  farmer  and 


i 


•  (s<Q&<2^£^ZyZ7 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


701 


stock  raiser  for  one  summer,  and  then  returned  to 
Bald  Eagle  Valley,  where  he  again  followed 
lumbering  during  the  winter  season.  In  1879  he 
obtained  a  position  as  heater  in  the  axe  factory 
at  Mill  Hall,  and  advanced  gradually  until  he 
held  a  responsible  position.  By  strict  economy 
he  saved  enough  of  his  wages  to  buy  a  piece  of 
land.  His  first  property  was  the  old  home  place 
which  he  purchased  from  his  father's  estate,  and 
later  he  owned  another  farm  now  included  in  the 
town  of  Mill  Hall.  The  latter  place  he  traded 
May  15,  1894,  to  T.  H.  Hammon  for  his  present 
farm  of  sixty-five  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Bald 
Eagle  township,  which  is  improved  with  good 
and  substantial  buildings.  He  is  a  methodical 
and  skillful  farmer,  and  the  success  that  he  has 
achieved  is  certainly  well-deserved. 

In  1885  Mr.  Bossert  married  Miss  Minnie 
Holmes,  of  Bald  Eagle  Valley,  who  was  reared 
by  Andrew  White,  and  they  have  a  family  of  six 
children:  Mary  E.,  Jennie,  Anna,  John  S.,  Jr., 
Henry  J.  and  Florence  L.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Bossert  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  at  pres- 
ent his  leanings  for  the  most  part  are  toward  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  acceptably  served  as 
assessor  of  his  township.  He  is  an  honored 
member  of  Beech  Creek  Grange,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  native 
county.  As  an  energetic,  upright  and  conscien- 
tious business  man,  Mr.  Bossert  commands  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him,  and 
he  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  entire 
community. 

I OWER  C.  YOUNG.  The  world  instinctively 
pays  deference  to  the  man  who  has  risen 
above  his  early  surroundings,  overcome  the  ob- 
stacles in  his  path  and  reached  a  high  position  in 
the  business  world.  This  is  a  progressive  age, 
and  he  who  does  not  advance  is  soon  left  behind. 
Mr.  Young,  by  the  improvement  of  the  oppor- 
tunities by  which  all  are  surrounded,  has  steadily 
and  honorably  worked  his  way  upward,  and  has 
attained  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity.  He  is  now 
successfully  engaged  in  general  merchandising  in 
Youngdale,  Clinton  county,  and  is  also  serving 
as  postmaster. 

Samuel  Young,  his  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  of  English  ancestry, 
and  was  a  shoemaker  by  occupation.  On  leaving 
his  birthplace  he  came  to  Wayne  township,  Clin- 
ton (then  a  part  of  Northumberland)  county, 
where  he  followed  his  chosen  calling  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  in  1S60,  with  his  family,  re- 
moved to  Freeport,  111. ,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  In  early  life  he  was  a  Whig,  and 
on  its  organization  joined  the  Republican  party. 


In  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  he  married  Hannah 
Gray,  a  native  of  Strawberry,  York  county,  this 
State,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following 
children:  Emanuel,  Samuel,  Bower,  Jonas,  Ed- 
ward, Marion,  Asher,  Eliza,  Mary  and  Hannah, 
all  now  deceased,  and  John,  the  father  of  our 
subject. 

John  Young  was  born  February  26,  18 19,  in 
Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  and  there  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  subscription  schools. 
With  his  father  he  learned  theshoemaker'strade, 
at  which  he  worked  for  several  years,  and  then 
rented  a  farm  in  Wayne  township,  and  turned  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  continued 
to  operate  rented  land  until  1887,  when  with  his 
hard-earned  savings  he  purchased  a  farm  in  his 
native  township,  but  during  the  great  flood  of 
1889  his  property  was  almost  totally  destroyed, 
his  loss  amounting  to  $1,000.  He  is  still  residing 
upon  his  farm,  but  has  laid  aside  all  business 
cares  and  responsibilities,  and  is  enjoying  that 
rest  which  should  always  follow  a  long  and  useful 
career. 

In  Wayne  township  John  Young  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  Strayer,  a  native  of  that  township, 
and  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Strayer,  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  Eight  children  were  born  to  this 
worthy  couple,  namely:  Daniel,  who  died  of 
diphtheria  in  1862;  Bower  C,  of  this  review; 
George,  who  died  February  19.  1896;  Frances  E., 
wife  of  John  Hammersley,  of  Wayne  township; 
Jacob,  who  also  died  of  diphtheria;  Rebecca, 
wife  of  B  Depew,  of  New  York  State;  Amelia 
M.,  wife  of  Thomas  McCoy,  of  Denver,  Colo., 
and  Ella  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two. 
The  father  is  a  pronounced  Republican,  and  to 
use  his  own  words:  "If  one  hair  of  my  head 
was  a  Democrat,  I  would  pull  it  out."  He  and 
his  estimable  wife  are  now  well-advanced  in 
years,  and  have  reason  to  feel  that  their  lives 
have  not  been  spent  in  vain.  They  are  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
have  endeavored  to  exercise  the  kindly  spirit  of 
charity  and  benevolence,  to  do  good  as  they  have 
opportunity,  and  have  proved  the  friends  and 
sympathizers  of  those  less  fortunate. 

Mr.  Young,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch,  was  born  July  29,  1850,  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, and  may  be  classed  among  the  self-edu- 
cated as  well  as  the  self-made  men  of  Clinton 
county,  for  his  school  privileges  were  very 
meagre,  and  his  teachers  not  very  proficient. 
He  continued  to  work  at  home  until  sixteen 
years  of  age,  during  which  time  he  obtained  a 
good  knowledge  of  navigation  on  the  river,  and 
later  piloted  lumber  rafts  down  the  Susquehanna 
river  to  Marietta. 


702 


I  OMMBMOBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  BBCOBD. 


In  1873  our  subject  went  to  \  irginia,  where 
be  w.is  made  foreman  in  the  lumber  woods  for 
the  firm  of  Allison,  White  &  Co.,  of  Philadel- 
phia, receiving  $5*.  30  per  month  and  expenses, 
,nd  he  remained  in  that  State  for  five  years. 
Not  finding  employment  on  his  return  h<<> 
he  went  to  Lig  Rapids,  Mich.,  where  he  secured 
the  position  of  tore-man  for  Turnbull  brothers, 
lumber  manufacturers,  and  there  spent  two  y< 

I  in  again  returning   home   he  bought   a  tract  of 

ind  known   as   the  Mathew  land,    (or 
win.  h  he  paid  $l,0OO,  and  at  once  commenced  the 

ration  of  cutting  timber.  I  lis  brother  Ge<  u 
who  had  gol  married  while  in  Michigan,  was 
living  in  a  rented  house  of  G.  S.  Smith,  and 
h  iving  no  steady  employment,  and  only  seventy- 
five  dollars  in  money,  he  gave  his  brother 
a  half-interest  in  this  tract  of  timberland, 
and,  m  two   yeai  >rge  lived  in  a  house 

own,  and    it   all   came   out  of   this  tract  of 
timberland,  except  the  lot  which  his  father  bought 
foi  him.     Later  on  our  subject  helped  him  in  dif- 
lii   April.    1887,   Bowei    <      Young 
bought  a  small  ti  land  in  Wayne  township 

from  [oshua   Sykes  for  $700,   which   was  thickly 
timbered  with  maple,  poplar  and  linwood,   which 
-  cut    into   cordwood    and  sold  to   the   1 

II  iven  Papei  Mill  at  six  dollars  and   twenty-five 

I        I  li<  1  r  and    bark 

and  a  la  1   of  tie   tunber  on  said  trait. 

it  being  the  best  timber  tract  in  that  section  at 
the  time.  He  cleared  $2,600  over  and  above  all 
expi  ■  '        month    from    the    day   of  the 

great  |une  flood  he  was   bitten  by  a  copperhead 
ke,  in  his  back  yard,  and  came  near  losing  his 
life,  and  just  one  month  more,  to  the  day,  he  lost 
ughter.  ( >li\  e  Pearl. 

On  April    16,   1890,    Mr.    Young  purchased  a 
stock    oi    merchandisi     al    Youngdale,    and    has 

lly    engaged     in     business    thi 
I  [is  pn  sent    fin  building   was   ere,  ted  in 

ost  of  $1,500,  and   he  has  also  built 
a  beautiful  resident   in  the  same  pi  ting 

mount.      Through  his  instrumentality 
a  p'  was  established   here   in    1892,  and 

the  postmaster-general    named  it   Youngdale   in 
honor  ol  our  subject,   after   which   the   railn 
I  ion  was  given  thi  He  was 

tmaster,  and   is  still   filling  that   position 
ti  1  the  entire  satisfactii  >n  oi   the  publii 

On   Februarj    8,   1884,  in    Wayne    township. 
(  linton  county,  Mr.  Young  was  married  to  Miss 

idenen,  who  w  as  boi  n  there,  and 
daughter  of    lie  in       1  To  them  w 

born  three  children:  Luella  Ruth;  Pearl,  de- 
ceased; and  Blaine  The  parents  both 
hold  membership  in    the    Meth    list   Epis  opal 


Church,  and  their  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances is  extensive.  Like  his  father,  Mr.  Young 
is  an  ardent  Republican,  but  has  never  cared 
for  office,  though  he  has  served  as  school  director 
and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The  flood  of  1889 
proved  disastrous  to  him  as  well  as  to  others, 
but  he  soon  retrieved  all  losses,  and  in  all  of 
his  undertakings  he  has  been  generally  quite  suc- 
cessful. It  is  but  just  and  merited  praise  to  say 
of  him  that  as  a  business  man  he  ranks  among 
the  ablest  in  Clinton  county,  and  that  as  a  citi- 
zen he  has  the   honor  and   esteem   of  all  classes. 


TN.  BICKEL  is  a  wide-awake  and  progress- 
ive citizen  of  Porter  township,  Clinton 
county,  and  his  home  with  its  surroundings  de- 
notes the  supervision  of  an  intelligent  farmer  and 
a  capable  business  man.  who  at  the  same  time 
has  proved  a  useful  member  of  society,  and  one 
rvingof  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the 
people  around  him 

Mr.  Bickel  was  born  February  28,  [847,  near 
Wolfs  Store  in  Miles  township,  Brush  Valley, 
Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  but  when  quite  small 
taken  by  his  parents,  John  and  Catharine 
1  Dupes)  Bickel,  to  Sug  u  \  alley  Mountain, where 
they  lived  for  a  few  years  1  [857).  They  then  re- 
moved to  a  place  below  Hublersburg,  in  Centre 
county,  from  there,  in  1S59,  came  to  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  locating  near  Cedar 
Springs,  and  later  they  lived  on  the  Fox  Hollow 
in  Porter  township,  whence,  in  1863,  they 
removed  to  Laid  Eagle  Valley.  Subsequently, 
in  1  So-,  they  settled  on  a  farm  near  the  present 
ol  Abdera;  from  there,  in  [869,  they  went  to 
Buffalo  Run,  Centre  county,  and  finally  located 
in  Snydertown,  Penn.,  in  1870,  where  the  father 
died  m  [871  at  the  age  of  sixty-lour.  The  moth- 
er passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  and 
both  were  buried  at  Snydertown.  They  were 
mei  the  Lutheran    Church,    and    in   poli- 

ties the  father  was  a  Democrat. 

In  the  family  of  this  worth)  couple  were  the 
following  children:  Mary,  who  wedded  William 
Erhart,  and  dud  in  Centre  Hall,  Penn. ;  Jona- 
than, who  died  in  the  West;  Ann,  wife  of  Close 
Mi  Clintock,  of  Salona,  Clinton  county  ;  Lucinda, 
now-  Mrs.  Daniel  Dorman,  ol  Centre  county; 
William  lent    of    Beech   Creek   township, 

Clinton  county  ;  Amanda,   Mrs.   Frank  Russell,  of 

isas;  Alice,  wife  of  Aaron  Shaffer,  of  Illinoi 
Daniel,  of   Missouri;  T.  X.,   of   this  sketch;  and 
niah,  who  died  in  childhood. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


708 


T.  N.  Bickel  was  able  to  attend  school  only 
for  a  few  days  each  week,  and  only  for  a  few 
months  each  year  during  the  winter  season,  as 
his  services  were  needed  at  home.  Never  for  a 
single  day  was  he  a  student  in  a  summer  school. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  left  the  home  farm 
and  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade  under 
Daniel  Everhart,  of  Bellefonte,  Centre  county, 
who  paid  him  $15  per  month  during  his  appren- 
ticeship. After  mastering  the  trade,  he  worked 
at  the  same  for  about  five  years  on  his  own 
account. 

On  January  2,  1872,  Mr.  Bickel  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  M.  McKibben,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam S.  and  Barbara  (John)  McKibben,  represent- 
atives of  an  honored  pioneer  family  of  Nittany 
Valley,  and  six  children  bless  this  union,  namely: 
Emma,  now  the  wife  of  Dorn  Bitner,  of  Jackson- 
ville, Centre  county;  Clara,  Ida,  Anna  B.,  and 
Mary  H.,  all  at  home;  and  Sarah  R. ,  who  died 
in   infancy. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Bickel  located  on  the 
old  home  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  his  wife  being 
of  the  fourth  generation  of  the  McKibben  family 
to  occupy  it.  For  some  time  our  subject  con- 
tinued to  work  at  his  trade,  but  of  late  years  has 
devoted  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the  cul- 
tivation and  improvement  of  the  farm,  which  he 
bought  of  the  McKibben  heirs  in  August,  1891. 
He  now  has  1 1 7  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  and 
is  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Mr.  Bickel  usually  gives  his  support  to  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  al- 
ways votes  for  the  man  whom  he  considers  best 
qualified  for  the  office  regardless  of  party  ties. 
He  has  efficiently  served  as  supervisor  of  his 
township,  and  faithfully  discharges  every  duty 
that  devolves  upon  him,  whether  public  or  pri- 
vate. He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle  Lodge  No.  406,  and  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  he  is  now  serving  as 
trustee.  He  deserves  no  little  credit  for  the  suc- 
cess that  he  has  achieved  in  life,  for  through  his 
own  efforts  he  has  gained  a  home  and  com- 
petence, and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of 
the  valued  citizens  of  his  community. 


JAMES  P.  ROACH  is  a  wide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive business  man  whose  name  is  insepa- 
rably connected  with  the  commercial  inter- 
ests of  Renovo.  One  of  his  leading  characteris- 
tics in  business  affairs  is  his  fine  sense  of  order 
and  complete  system,  and  the  habit  of  giving  care- 
ful attention  to  details  without  which  success  in 
any  undertaking  is  never  an  assured  fact. 

A  native  of  Clinton  county,  Mr.  Roach   was 


born  December  7,  1861,  in  Lock  Haven,  a  son 
of  William  and  Bridget  (Kane)  Roach,  who  were 
born  in  Ireland  but  when  young  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America.  In  early  life  the  father 
worked  on  the  canal  and  engaged  in  steamboat- 
ing,  being  for  many  years  captain  of  a  boat  with 
headquarters  at  Lock  Haven.  In  1864  he  re- 
moved to  Driftwood,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  until  coming  to  Renovo  in  1SS1, 
and  then  for  five  years  engaged  in  railroad  con- 
tracting. He  efficiently  served  as  tax  collector 
of  Renovo  for  seven  years,  and  took  a  very  active 
and  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  August,  1894. 
His  estimable  wife  did  not  long  survive  him,  dy- 
ing in  January,  1895.  They  left  a  family  of  six 
sons,  namely:  James  P.;  Dr.  Thomas  E.,  of 
Renovo;  John  F. ;  William  Henry;  Michael  Ste- 
phen; and  Charles  Peter. 

James  P.  Roach  received  a  good  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  Driftwood,  which 
he  attended  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and 
then  entered  the  machine  shops  of  Renovo  to 
learn  the  trade.  Later  he  worked  as  a  machinist 
in  Erie,  Penn.;  Saxton,  Bedford  county,  this 
State;  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  and  Winnipeg,  Mani- 
toba, after  which  he  returned  to  St.  Paul,  where 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  for  about  a 
year.  On  again  coming  to  Renovo  he  embarked 
in  general  merchandising  and  millinery  business, 
which  he  has  since  successfully  carried  on,  being 
one  of  the  leading  merchants  and  most  enterpris- 
ing business  men  of  the  place.  His  store  at  the 
corner  of  Eighth  street  and  Huron  avenue,  is 
stocked  with  a  full  and  complete  line  of  every- 
thing found  in  a  first-class  establishment  of  the 
kind.  His  fair  dealing  and  systematic  methods 
of  doing  business  have  won  for  him  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 

On  June  2,  1886,  James  P.  Roach  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  E.,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Quinlan,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  three  children:  Martha  B. , 
Mary  E.  and  Edward  L.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roach 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  so- 
cially he  affiliates  with  the  Knights  of  Labor. 
His  political  support  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances  is  given  the  Democratic  party,  and 
he  does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  interests. 
He  is  at  present  serving  as  tax  collector  of  Re- 
novo, and  every  duty  which  devolves  upon  him, 
whether  public  or  private,  is  always  most  faith- 
fully and  conscientiously  discharged.  As  a  pub- 
lic-spirited, progressive  citizen  he  is  certainly  en- 
titled to  honorable  mention  is  a  work  of  this 
character. 


7"! 


-  '0  MMEMORA  TI  YE  BIOOBAPHU  'AL  BE(  <>RD. 


JOHN  BROWN,  a  well-known    merchant,  has 
gained  recognition  and    prestige   as  one  of 
the  influential  and  representative  business  men 
of  Loganton.      His  career  proves  that  ambition, 

ind  indefatigable 
industry,  combined   with   sound   busi  inci- 

ples,    will    1  and   that    true-   success 

follows  individual  effort  only. 

Our  subject  was  born  January  16,  1853, 
on  the  old  Brow  n  h  ship, 

Clinton  county,  and  is  descended  from  a  good 
;.M  German  family,  his  great-grandfather  having 

ne  to  this  country  from  the  Fatherland  and 
located  in  York  county,  Penn.,  when-  he  spent 
his  remaining  days.  John  Brown,  the  grand- 
father, was  born  in  that  county  in  1786,  received 

iod  German        ication,  but  was  also  able  to 

ik    English.       He    learned    the   chairmaker's 

trade   in    York   county,    where   he   conl  I   to 

until  after  his  mania-,   to  Regina  l'inges, 

a    native   of   Lebanon   county,   Penn.,  when   he 

I  to  the  central  part  of  the  Mite,  taking 

up  his  residence  in  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county, 

where  he   ei  in  farming   for   a   number  of 

Hearing    that    better    advantages    were 

rded  a  growing  family  in  the  West,  he  re- 
moved to  Indiana  in  a  covered  wagon,  which  was 
the  onlj  of  transportation  in  those  days, 

but  "ii  his  arrival  was  greatly  disappointed  with 
the  prospects,  and  after  six   weeks  spent  in  Indi- 
rned    to    Pennsylvania.      In    1 839  he 

ited   in   Sugar   Valley,  then   Logan,  but   now 

■  ii  township,  Clinton  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased   700  acn  ind,   of   which   500   were 

intain  and  timber  lands  Upon  the  remainder 
he  made  manj  improvements,  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in  [866,  at 
:li'  e.  his  remains  being  interred 

in  the  Lutbi  I      anton.     He  I 

many  township  oi  :    ■       widely  and  favor- 

ably known.  In  politics  he  was  a  [acksonian 
D  crat,  and  in  religious  belief  was  a  I  utheran, 
but  his  estimable  wife  held  membership  in  the 
Reformed  Church.  In  their  family  were  nine 
children,  "f  whom  threi  il   living  at  very 

advanced   ages:  John,  who   makes   his   hom< 
Indiana  .  Adam,  a  resident  of  Oregon;  and  Regina, 
wid<  ■'■     1  I  ■•    rgi     ["routnei  n  township, 

Clinton  county.     The  others  w 

vho  died  in  early  life;   Philip,  who  died  in 
Alabama  m  [88o;   Catharine,  wife  ol  |ohn  Grinn- 
ans   Mills;   Samuel,  who  died  on  the 
old  homestead;    and  1  fenry,  lath' 

The  last  named  was   horn   June   26,   1822,  in 

n's  Vail.      I     nti        iunty,  and  was  1  onsid 

:  man   schi  ilar,  ha\  ing    been  well-edu- 
cated   in    the   subscription    schools      He    could 


write  both  English  and  German.  The  first 
thirtv  years  ol  his  life  were  passed  upon  the 
home  farm,  and  he  then  purchased  a  tract  of 
timber  land  n.  Sugar  Valley,  where  for  over  two 
years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  sawed 
lumber.  In  1  S54  he  embarked  in  merchandising 
in  Loganton,  his  hr-t  store  being  a  small  log 
cabin,  and  being  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
excellent  business  ability  he  prospered  in  his  un- 
dertaking. Believing  that  there  was  a  good 
opening  for  a  store  in  Hublersburg.  where  a  for- 
tune could  soon  be  made,  he  decided  to  remove 
to  that  place,  where  he  had  a  number  of  frien 
including  Governor  Curtin  and  other  leading  cit- 
izens of  Bellefonte  who  were  interested  in  the 
furnaces  at  Hecla  and  Roland.  Accordingly,  in 
1857,  he  located  there  and  started  a  general 
store,  and  putting  into  practice  his  enterprising 
and  progressive  ideas  he  met  with  the  success 
which  he  anticipated.  For  twenty-eight  years 
out  of  the  thirty-eight  in  which  he  carried  on 
business  there,  he  served  as  postmaster  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  was 
widely  known  for  his  honorable  and  straightfor- 
ward dealings,  and  had  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  him.  He  never  used  in- 
toxicants or  tobacco  in  any  form,  and  in  many 
respects  was  a  most  exemplary  man.  He,  to.,. 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Jacksonian  prin- 
5  ol  Democracy,  and  most  creditably  served 
in  a  number  of  local  positions,  although  he  never 
was  an  office  seeker.  His  death  occurred  in 
Hublersburg  in  1895,  and  in  the  cemetery  of  that 
place  was  laid  to  rest. 

In  early  manhood  Henry  Brown  was  mar- 
ried in  Loganton  to  Miss  Catharine  Stamm,  a 
native  of  Sugar  Valley,  and  a  daughter  of  avid 
and  Hlizabeth  (Long)  Stamm,  and  to  them  were 
born  four  children:  |ohn.  of  this  sketch;  David, 
a  brick  manufacturer  of  Minnesota,  who  married 
Savilla  Wentzel,  and  has  two  children;  Mary, 
wife  of  John  (..  Womeldorf,  of  Loganton;  and 
Jennie,  who  died  when  young.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  in  [886,  in  Hublersburg, 
where  she  was  buried,  and  the  father  later  mar- 
Mi"  Julia  Rockey,  who  still  makes  her  home 
in  I  lublersbui 

In  the  public  schools  of  Centre  counts.  John 
Brown   began  his  education,  and  was  later  for 

ral  terms  a  student  in  the  Nittany  Valley  In- 
stitul  t    bj    Rev     Dotterer,   a    Reformed 

minister.      At  an  early  age  he  began  his  busim 

in    his   fal  where  he  remained 

until    thirty,  becoming    thoroughly  familiar   with 

mercantile   pursuits  under  the  able  direction  of 

his  fathi  as  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the 

business  men  of  this  section  of  the  State. 


1 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


705 


Coming  to  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  in 
1884,  our  subject  purchased  the  old  Throne  mill 
at  Youngsdale,  and  operated  the  same  very  suc- 
cessfully for  five  years,  during  which  time  he 
greatly  improved  the  plant.  On  selling  out  in 
1889  he  came  to  Loganton,  and  in  partnership 
with  his  father-in-law,  John  Morris,  purchased 
the  general  mercantile  establishment  of  J.  B. 
Barner,  which  they  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  Brown  &  Morris  for  two  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  Mr.  Brown  bought  Mr.  Morris' 
interest,  and  has  since  successfully  engaged  in 
business  alone.  By  upright  dealing  and  court- 
eous treatment  of  his  customers  he  has  gained 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  public,  and 
therefore  receives  an  excellent  patronage.  Near 
Loganton  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  ninety-one  acres, 
which  he  has  greatly  improved  and  operates  in  a 
most  profitable  manner.  He  also  built  a  hand- 
some brick  residence  on  Main  street,  in  the  heart 
of  the  town,  which  is  now  his  place  of  abode. 

On  February  22,  1883,  in  Loganton,  Mr. 
Brown  was  married  to  Miss  Hervetta  L.  Morris, 
who  was  born  in  that  place,  and  they  now  have 
two  daughters:  Jennie  C.  and  Euphemia  May, 
who  are  both  attending  school  in  Loganton.  John 
Morris,  Mrs.  Brown's  father,  was  born  in  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  September  16,  1835,  a  son  °f 
David  R.  and  Appalonia  (Mower)  Morris,  the 
former  of  Scotch-Irish  and  the  latter  of  German 
descent.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  and  was  a  weaver  by  occupation.  When 
only  three  years  old  Mr.  Morris  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county, 
where  he  later  attended  school  and  also  pursued 
his  studies  in  the  schools  of  Sugar  Valley.  At  a 
very  tender  age  he  began  life  for  himself  as  a 
farm  hand  in  Brush  Valley,  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  eighteen  when  he  began  learning  the 
carpenter's  trade  with  G.  C.  Breon.  After  he 
had  mastered  the  same  he  worked  for  eight  years 
as  a  journeyman  in  Sugar  Valley,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  D.  M.  Morris,  and  the  Stamm 
brothers,  conducting  a  sawmill  with  success  for 
three  years.  He  then  purchased  another  tract  of 
timber  land,  and  in  partnership  with  Joseph  Kem- 
merer  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business  for  two 
years,  after  which  he  sold  out  and  was  interested 
in  the  real-estate  business  in  Loganton  for  five 
years.  In  that  enterprise  he  also  met  with  suc- 
cess, and  next  purchased  the  old  Loganton  grist- 
mill in  1876  from  Henry  Wirth.  During  the 
twenty  years  he  operated  the  same,  he  greatly 
improved  the  plant,  putting  in  a  twenty-four-foot 
water  wheel,  a  steam  engine   and   other   modern 

machinery,  and  making  it   a  first-class  roller  mill 
"45* 


at  a  cost  of  over  $12,000.  This  venture  did  not 
prove  a  success,  however,  for  the  hard  times 
came  on,  and  in  1S96  he  finally  sold  out  to  his 
brother,  D.  M.  Morris.  For  two  years  he  was 
also  in  partnership  with  our  subject  as  previously 
stated,  and  in  all  his  undertakings  met  with  a 
well-deserved  success  with  the  exception  of  the 
operation  of  the  gristmill.  In  1858,  Mr.  Morris 
was  married  in  Loganton  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Wirth, 
who  was  born  in  August,  1838,  in  Green  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (Huber)  Wirth,  the  former  a  lumberman 
and  farmer  of  Green  township,  who  died  and 
was  buried  in  Loganton.  Mrs.  Wirth,  who  was 
of  German  descent,  also  died  in  Loganton  and 
was  there  laid  to  rest.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mor- 
ris were  born  five  children:  Hervetta  L., 
wife  of  our  subject;  Emma  M.  and  Sarah  A.,  at 
home;  and  David  and  Katie,  who  died  in  child- 
hood. Mr.  Morris  always  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket  until  1884,  when  he  became  a  Prohibition- 
ist, as  he  is  very  temperate  in  his  habits,  not 
having  tasted  strong  drink  for  sixteen  years,  or 
tobacco  for  thirty  years.  He  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  Sugar  Valley  Lodge  No.  829,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  Loganton,  and  religiously  belongs  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Association.  He  is  a  great  Bible  student, 
a  most  earnest  and  consistent  Christian,  and  is 
now  serving  as  trustee  of  his  Church  and  teacher 
in  the  Sunday-school.  Wherever  known  he  is 
held  in  high  regard. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  the  prominent  members 
of  Sugar  Valley  Lodge,  No.  829,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in 
which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs;  politically  he 
is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  has 
been  called  upon  to  serve  in  a  number  of  official 
positions  of  honor  and  trust,  being  a  member  of 
the  town  council  .for  six  years;  school  director 
and  treasurer  of  the  board,  re-elected  in  1898; 
clerk  of  Walker  township,  Centre  county,  for 
eight  years;  and  auditor  of  Wayne  township, 
Clinton  county,  for  two  years.  He,  too,  is  an 
earnest  supporter  of  all  measures  calculated  to 
promote  the  moral  or  temperance  interests  of  his 
community,  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Evangel- 
ical association,  and  has  served  as  teacher  and 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 


OEL  ADRIAN  HERR.      Fortunate  is  he  who 
has  back  of  him  an  ancestry  honorable  and 
distinguished,  and  happy  is  he  if  his  lines  of 
life  are  cast  in  harmony  therewith. 

Mr.  Herr  is  blessed  in  this  respect,  for  he 
springs  from  an  old  and  prominent  family,  which 
was  founded  in  the  United  States  at  an  early  day 


706 


VMEMORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


by  Rev,  Hans  (or  John)  Herr,  a  Mennonite 
preacher,  who  was  descended  from  the  nobility 
« >f  Switzerland,  and  became  an  early  settler  ot 
Lancaster  county.  Penn,  He  had  live  sons: 
John,  Christian.  Emanuel,  Abraham,  and  Henry, 
and,  of  these,  Emanuel  had  six  children — Rev. 
John,  Emanuel,  Martin.  Susanna,  Elizabeth,  and 
Mary.  Of  the  last  named  family,  Martin  Herr, 
who  died  m  Strasburg,  Penn.,  March  27,  1811, 
was  tin- father  of  six  children  [oel,  Darnel  and 
Samuel,  all  of  whom  start'!  from  Lancaster  to 
Clinton  about  1800,  and  here  their  descendants 
still   live;   John,  who   emigrati  ihio    at  an 

early  day;  Martha;  and  Ann.  Samuel  reared  a 
family  of  eleven  children  at  his  home  in  Salona, 
where   he  died    in  md  where    his    remains 

1  (aniel  died    n  route  for  Clinton 
county,  where  his  family  afterward  located. 

Joel  Herr  v,  randfather  of  our  subject. 

He  was  born   October  27,   1774,  and   died 
ruary    3,    1  s 5 j .    while-    his   wife,    who    bore   the 
11  name  of  Frani  born  Sep- 

tember 10,   1782,  m  Lancaster  county,  and   died 
o,  both   bi  ing   interred   in   the 
tery  at  Salona.      For   many  years  he  con- 
d  a   mill   thi  time  kept  the 

tollgate  between  Mill  1 1 

he  was  a  Whig  and  in   religious  belief  his 
wife  was  a   Menu  :t   their  children  were 

I   as    Methodists       lb.  \    were   as   follows: 
Charlotte,  born    May  24,   1804,    married   G 

2  5,  and  died  in  <  Juincy, 
III..   1890;  Elizabeth,  born  September   19, 
married    Samuel  Wilson,  and    died    in    S 

i  was  the  father  of  our  sub- 
Martin,  boni  April  10,   1X1  1.  died  m  E 
in    1893;    L'mah,   born    Februarj  l,   still 

makes  his  home  in  Salona:  Catharine,  born  Oc- 
tober 7,  [8l6,  died  unmarried;  Rebecca,  born 
•1  14.  1819,  is  the  widow  of  John  Miller,  of 
Salona;  Frances  A.,  born  October  7,  182 1,  mar- 
ried Prof.  J  ihn  W.  Ferree,  and  dii  d  in  1  ss4 
while  on  a  visit  to  Hannibal,  Mo  Harriett,  born 
I  >(  tober  28,  [825,  is  living  m  S 

a   resid. 
that    place. 

i  1    Herr  was   born  in   Sal 

nber  1  1 .  181 18,  and  during  his  youth  !< 

tie    h    tt.r's  trade,   but   devoted    tie 

of  his  life  to  agricultural  pursuits       F01    a   short 

time  he  lived  on  a  farm  in  Lamar  township, 

ton  county,  was  later  1  m  the  1 

ery  business    in  Williamsport   with   bis    brother 

Martin  until    [845,  and  then  returned    to  Salona, 

wh.  re  he  conducted  .1  foundry  for  two  years 

the  end  of  that  time   he   removed  to  the  farm  on 

which  he  spent   his  remaii  vs,  dying  Ma) 


1871.  Politically  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and 
later  a  Republican,  but  was  never  an  office- 
seeker,  yet  served  as  supervisor  of  his  township 
and  took  a  great  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
an  earnest  Christian  gentleman,  a  devout 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  held  various 
Church  offices. 

In   -  er,    (836,    George    Bressler   Herr 

was  married  to  Miss  Clarissa  Miller,  who  was  born 
in  Strasburg,  Penn..  July  14,  1813,  a  daught 
Samuel  and  Harriett  (Bressler)  Miller,  and  to 
them  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  our  subject 
Idest.  The  others  are  as  follows:  John 
C. ,  born  July  19.  1839,  died  unmarried  at  C 
Spi  !     bruary  7,  r  s 7 3 :  Albert  M.,  born 

November  14.  1S41,  died  March  26,  1S45.  in 
Williamsport;  Mary  I-'.,  born  July  23,  1845,  lives 
with  our  subject;  Elizabeth,  born  December  [9, 
1847.  .lied  in  Cedar  Springs,  Penn. ;  and  Edmund 
\\  ..  born  April  22,  [85 1,  died  March  23,  1892. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  April,   1  I 

I   was   laid   to  rest  in  the  .    at  Salona. 

The  father  .rried   Rachel   Hamilton,  and 

after  her  death  wedded  Lucy  Eritz,  but  had  no 
children  by  either  of  these  marria 

Joel  Adrian  Herr.  whose  name  introduces 
this  article,  was  born  March  I,  1S3S,  m  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  began  his  education 
in  Williamsport,  continued  it  in  the  public  schools 
of  Clinton  county,  and  later  attended  a  Si 
school  in  Salona,  At  the  early  age  of  seventeen, 
he  began  teaching,  at  first  finishing  a  term  for 
another  teacher.  He  was  then  employed  at  the 
Burrell  school  in  Lamar  township  during  the 
winter  of  185 5-0,  and  later  he  attended  Will- 
sport  (Penn.)  Dickinson  Seminary  for  two 
years,  but  not  continuously  as  his  resources  did 
not  permit  it.     After  that  he  taught  each  succeed- 

year  in  the  public  schools  in  Clinton  county 
pi  while  in  the  army)  until  [864. 

In  September.  [862,  Mr.  Herr  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  C,  137th,  P.  V.  I.,  and  during 
his  nine-months'  service  he  acted  as  company 
clerk.  On  being  honorably  discharged  on  the 
1  his  term,  he  returned  home,  where 
he  >  I  until  the  fall  of  1864,  when  he  went 

Vineland,    N.    J.,  farming  and  teaching  tl 
until   [871.      While   a   resident  of  that    place  he 

in  enlisted,  in  April,   1865,  becoming  sergeant 

1  ompany  B,   2nd  X.  J.  V.    I.      When  the  war 

1 1 1  es  w.re  no  longer  needed, 

he  returned  to  his  farm  in  New  Jersey,  and  while 

living  there  was  one  ol   the  county  examiners  m 

unty,  and   also  held  various  township 

On  1  th  of  his  father  in  1871,  our  sub- 

ject returned    to    the    old    homestead   in  Porter 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


707 


township,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  has 
since  carried  on  farming,  and  until  1878  he  also 
engaged  in  teaching  during  the  winter  season, 
being  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  competent 
and  successful  instructors  of  the  county.  As  an 
ardent  Republican  he  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs.  In  June,  1879,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
with  which  he  has  since  continuously  been  con- 
nected; has  been  president  of  the  County  Agri- 
cultural Society  since  1880;  a  trustee  of  the  State 
College  since  1886;  was  a  member  of  the  World's 
Fair  Committee  from  Pennsylvania  in  1893. 
Being  a  great  reader,  he  is  well  posted  on  all 
topics  of  general  interest,  and  is  especially  well 
informed  on  agricultural  matters,  thus  being 
ably  qualified  to  fill  his  present  responsible 
positions.  His  long,  active  service  on  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture  and  contributions  to  the 
reports  of  the  same,  and  his  services  as  Farmers' 
Institute  instructor  in  most  of  the  counties  of 
the  State,  has  given  him  a  prominence  in  agri- 
cultural circles,  and  a  wide  acquaintance  with 
prominent  citizens  all  over  the  State  seldom 
reached  by  a  farmer.  His  honor  and  integrity 
have  never  been  impeached,  and  his  word  is  as 
good  as  his  bond. 

Since  1874  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  he  also  is  a  member 
of  John  S.  Bitner  Post  No.  122,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Lock  Haven.  He  has  received  the  endorsement 
of  his  county  for  State  Senator,  and  is  honored, 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 
He  has  been  of  great  assistance  to  the  other 
members  of  the  family,  and  no  man  in  Clinton 
county  has  more  friends  or  is  more  deserving  of 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held  than  Joel 
Adrian  Herr. 


C GEORGE  WAGNER.  The  career  of  him 
_|f  whose  name  introduces  this  review  illus- 
trates most  forcibly  the  possibilities  that  are  open 
to  a  young  man  who  possesses  sterling  business 
qualifications.  It  proves  that  neither  wealth  nor 
social  position,  nor  the  assistance  of  influential 
fnends  at  the  outset  of  his  career  are  necessary 
to  place  him  on  the  road  to  success.  Through 
his  own  unaided  efforts  Mr.  Wagner  has  achieved 
prosperity,  and  is  now  doing  a  successful  business 
as  a  general  merchant  in  Rosecrans,  Green  town- 
ship, Climton  county. 

He  was  born  March  18,  1840,  in  Saville 
township,  Perry  Co.,  Penn.,  a  son  of  John  Wag- 
ner, who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Wit- 
enberg,  Germany,  where  he  followed  farming 
until   coming   to   this  country  in  early  manhood. 


For  some  time  after  his  arrival  he  made  his 
home  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  then  removed 
to  a  farm  in  Saville  township,  Perry  county, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  dying  in  1879. 
His  remains  were  interred  in  the  Loysville  cem- 
etery, of  Perry  county.  He  was  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party,  and  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Reformed  Church,  in  which  he 
served  as  elder  and  deacon.  By  his  first  wife 
he  had  eight  children,  namely:  Dorothy,  wife 
of  Henry  Turnbach,  of  Perry  county;  Jacob  and 
Catharine,  both  deceased;  John,  a  resident  of 
New  Bloomfield,  Perry  county;  George,  of  this 
sketch;  Samuel,  who  was  killed  in  the  army;  and 
two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  died  in 
Saville  township,  and  was  also  buried  in  Loys- 
ville cemetery.  For  his  second  wife  the  father 
chose  Mary  Fogel,  who  also  died  in  Perry  coun- 
ty. By  this  union  there  were  five  children: 
Maggie,  David,  Elizabeth,  and  two  who  died  in 
childhood. 

Only  during  the  winter  months  was  our  sub- 
ject able  to  attend  th.e  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county,  and  at  a  very  early  age  his  school 
life  was  over,  as  he  was  hired  out  among  the 
farmers,  at  first  receiving  only  $2  per  month, 
but  his  wages  were  gradually  increased  until  he 
obtained  $12  per  month.  In  this  way  he  worked 
until  i860,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Clinton  county.  In  Green  township  he 
found  employment  as  a  farm  laborer  for  one 
year. 

The  dark  cloud  of  war,  which  had  for  some 
time  lowered  over  our  beloved  country,  now 
broke  upon  our  people,  and  patriotic  men  from 
all  walks  of  life  thronged  to  the  front  in  re- 
sponse to  the  call  of  the  general  government  to 
defend  our  nationalise.  Fired  by  the  spirit  of 
patriotism,  in  1861,  Mr.  Wagner  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  E,  7th  Pennsylvania  Cav- 
alry, under  Captain  Shaffer  and  Colonel  Wyn- 
coop.  As  a  member  of  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Selma, 
Tenn.,  Stone  River,  Chattanooga,  Chickamauga, 
Mission  Ridge,  Lovejoy  Station  and  many  oth- 
ers, being  in  the  service  for  about  four  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  ill  for  about  a  month 
and  confined  in  the  regimental  hospital  at  Jeff-r- 
sonville,  Ind.  He  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
Jefferson  Davis,  was  always  found  at  his  post  of 
duty,  bravely  defending  the  old  flag,  and,  when 
the  war  was  over  and  his  services  no  longer 
needed,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Hunts- 
ville,  Alabama. 

Returning  to  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  Mr. 
Wagner,  with  the  money  he  had  saved  during 
his  service,  purchased  a   farm  of  125   acres  of  J. 


708 


VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


T.  Clepper,  at  Pleasant  Hill,  in  Green  township, 
of  which   ainetj  were   under  cultivation. 

To  its  further  development  and  cultivation  he 
devoted  his  enei  a  numbi  md 

still   owns   the    .  vhich   his  son  John  now 

conducts.      In    1881    hi     bought    lift)  tear 

the  mestead  >ant   Hill,   fi 

William    Miller,  and   there    he    built   a   fine   1 
dem  'her    imp  nts. 

Tint  pi.  me,  ami.  I1.1  ked 

bis  store  with  ,1  |  general  merchandise, 

successfully  engaged  in  busin 
In  1  861 ,  t\\  '   the 

army.  Mr.  Wagner  was  marrie<l  in  Green  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  1  1  Miss  Mary  A  Wirt,  who 
was  born  in  that  township  in  September,  1840, 
and  they  became  tin  parents  of  seven  children: 
M.uv    Ellen,  now    the  wife  of  John 

•n  township;  John,  who  married  Clara  Bur- 
ley,  and  operates  the  "Id  homestead;  Leah  Ma- 
la (Tillie),  wife  of  Jan  iggle,  of  Wayne 
township.  Clinton  county,  bj  wh  has  two 
children  Viola  M,  and  Trudie  M. ;  Lizzie  E., 
wife  of  G.  Hoi  of  Rem  ivo;  Katie 
M  .  .'t  home;  and  Annie  J.  and  Susanna,  who 
died  in  childhi 

Philip  Wirt,  Mr>  W  1  na- 

ti\'    if  Dauphin  1     inty,  Penn.,  and  in  iS32came 

to  Lock   11.1'.  .11,    I    inn.  ,    where    li  ;rm- 

iiil;  and  id    in    the    butcher  business. 

In  1  s ;.■  up  his  ri  en  town- 

shi|  unty,  where  he  purchased  a  tract 

of    i'"'  vhich  he  and 

tinned  to  cultivate    until    his   death,   in    1X91. 
Ih-    n  mail  in    the   Pleasant    Hill 

neterj        In   early  lde   he  was  a  great  hunl 
and  took  much  delight  in  tha  Politically 

he  affiliated  with  thi  ratio  party,  and  re- 

ligious!) rof  the  Lutheran 

Church.  He  was  married  in  Lock  Haven  to 
Ann. 1  B  nil,  of  that  city, 

and   to   them    h  hi   nun-   children,   fiv< 

whom  died   in    infancy.      Those   still  living 
William  J.,  a  farmer;     Mary  A  ,  wifi 
Sarah   J. ,  wife  of    \< mathan   1 
Adam  M. .  of  Green  t.  <\\  nship. 

In    1877,    d  tit's  adminis- 

tration, Mr.  \\  agni  1  was  app  iint(  d  the  Brsl  1 
mastei  of  R 
till  that  positii  >n   to   the  entii  n  of  all 

I  d.        Ill 

he 

towi  md   during   h  um- 

ber :  med  many  man 

I  many  cases  where  lu.^  judgment  was  alv> 
I   by   the   highi  1 


term,  and  as  supervisor.      He  is  now  a  free-silver 
ind   takes  quite  an  active   interest   in 
ncal  affairs.      In  his  Church  relations  he  is  a 
Lutheran,  and  has  served   as   elder,  deacon   and 
trustee  in   the  Pleasant   Hill  Church,  and  also  a 
and  superintendent  in  the  Sunday-school. 
He  has  filled   the  office  of  treasurer  of  the  Sugar 
Valle)     In-urance  Company,    and    is    now   vice- 
presidenl  of  the  company.      He  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  in  his  district.      Genial 
and   hospitable   in   manner,    he   is  very   popular 
ivith  all  classes,  and  his  friends  are  many  through- 
1  mt  In-  adopted  countw 


JAMES  A.  McCLOSKEY.  In  the  great  com- 
petitive struggle  of  life,  when  each  must  en- 
ter the  field   and    fight    his  way  to  the   front. 

ise  be  overtaken  by  disaster  of  circumstance 
or  place,  there  is  ever  particular  interest  attach- 
ing  to  the  life  of  one  who  has  turned  the  tide  of 
success,  has  surmounted  the  obstacles  and  has 
shown  his  ability  to  cope  with  others  in  their 
rush  for  the  coveted  goal.  Among  the  sue 
ful  and  prominent  agriculturists  of  Chapman 
township,  Clinton  county,  is  Mr.  McCloskey, 
who  has  been  prominently  identified  with  both 
the  business  and  political  interests  of  his  locality. 
He  was  born  March  iS.  1829,  in  that  county, 
and  on  the  paternal  side  is  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent. 

Nathan  McCloskey.  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Clinton  county,  when  it  formed  a  part  oi 
Lycoming  county,  received  only  a  limited  com- 
mon-school education,  and  was  reared  to  farm 
life.  Throughout  his  business  career  his  princi- 
pal occu]  farmingand  lumbering,  and 
he  ran  a  number  of  rafts  on  the  West  branch  of 
the  Susquehanna  to  Marietta,  Columbia  and 
other  markets.  He  made  his  home  in  Colebrook 
township,  where  he  owned  and  operated  seventy- 
five  acres  of  farming  land,  and  also  had  200  acres 
of  timber  land,  where  he  engaged  in  lumbering. 
He  was  1  hard  workei  and  did  all  of  his  har\ 
ing  with  a  sickle,  which  our  subject  still  has  in 
his                    :i       He  greatly  improved   his  farm. 

thereon    until    called  to 
his   final    rest.        His    remains   were    interred    at 
Dunnstown,    in     Woodward    township,    Clinton 
faithful  member  of  the  Meth- 
pal   Church,  a    highly-respected  and 
and    a     Whig    in    politics       He 
married  Ann:,    Bridgens,  a  native  of  Clinton  coun- 
ty, by    who,,,    he    had    twelve    children:      David, 

1  ased;  Rachel,  decea 

wifi  i  ;    Agnes,  deceased  wife 

tret,  wife   of    Noah   Mi  - 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


709 


Kane;  Nathan  and  William,  deceased;  Abner,  a 
resident  of  Beach  Creek;  James  A.,  of  this  sketch; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Stevenson;  and  Mary, 
deceased  wife  of  William  Ritchey.  The  mother, 
who  was  also  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  a  most  estimable 
lady,  died  at  the   home  of  our  subject  in   Hyner. 

James  A.  McCloskey  conned  his  lessons  in  an 
old  log  shanty  in  Colebrook  township,  which  had 
been  used  as  a  dwelling  by  men  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  canal  through  this  section,  and 
his  early  teachers  were  N.  W.  McKane  and 
Frances  Piatt.  For  only  three  months  during 
the  year  did  he  attend  school,  devoting  his  re- 
maining time  to  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  farm.  From  early  boyhood  he  also  en- 
gaged in  lumbering,  and  he  remained  on  the 
farm,  helping  to  support  his  widowed  mother  un- 
til 1859,  when  he  came  to  Chapman  township 
and  bought  the  Benjamin  Baird  farm  of  180 
acres.  It  was  then  partially  covered  with  tim- 
ber, and  after  clearing  thirty  acres,  Mr.  Mc- 
Closkey devoted  his  energies  to  its  further  devel- 
opment and  cultivation.  He  has  erected  a  fine 
residence,  and  has  made  many  other  excellent  im- 
provements, which  add  greatly  to  its  value  and 
attractive  appearance,  and  in  connection  with 
general  farming  is  also  engaged  in  stock  raising 
and  lumbering,  owning  1,000  acres  of  timber 
land. 

In  185 1,  at  the  old  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Chapman  township,  by  Rev.  Mc- 
Gheen,  Mr.  McCloskey  was  married  to  Miss  Jane 
E.  Baird,  who  was  born  on  the  Baird  homestead 
in  that  township,  in  1827,  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min and  Jane  (Ellen)  Baird,  well-known  agricult- 
urists. Her  mother  was  of  English  birth.  Nine 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  McCloskey, 
as  follows:  Behring,  a  farmer  of  Chapman  town- 
ship, who  married  Josie  Grugan,  and  has  three 
children — Glenn,  Blanche  and  Lacey;  Benjamin 
B.,  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  the 
Adams  Express  Company  at  Hyner,  who  is  mar- 
ried to  Sybil  Nowell,  and  has  one  child — Knox; 
Grant,  agent  at  Carman,  Elk  Co.,  Penn. ,  for  the 
Buffalo,  Rochester  &  Pittsburg  railway  and 
American  Express  Company,  who  married  Rosie 
Sibley,  now  deceased;  Delbert  V.,  at  home;  Cur- 
tis, who  married  Bertha  Barrett,  and,  with  his 
wife  and  two  children,  lives  in  St.  Mary's,  Penn., 
bookkeeper  for  Portland  Lumber  Company; 
Alma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years; 
Effie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three;  and  Clarence 
and  Mabel,  who  died  in  infancy. 

James  A.  McCloskey  has  been  honored  with 
several  important  official  positions,  being  elected 
county  commissioner  of  Clinton  county,  in  1878, 


and  most  acceptably  serving  for  three  years.  For 
fifteen  years  he  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Chapman  township,  and  during  that 
entire  time  has  never  had  a  judgment  reversed ;  he 
is  also  postmaster  at  Hyner.  He  is  an  earnest 
advocate  of  the  Republican  part)-,  does  all  in  his 
power  to  promote  its  interests  and  insure  its  suc- 
cess, and  socially  affiliates  with  Lock  Haven 
Lodge  No.  98,  I.  O.  O.  F.  An  earnest,  consci- 
entious Christian  gentleman,  he  has  for  many 
years  been  one  of  the  most  active  and  prominent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 
Hyner,  in  which  he  has  served  as  trustee,  class- 
leader,  Sunday-school  teacher  and  superintend- 
ent. His  life  is  exemplary  in  all  respects,  and 
he  has  ever  supported  those  interests  which  are 
calculated  to  uplift  and  benefit  humanity,  while 
his  own  high  moral  worth  is  deserving  the  high- 
est commendation.  He  is  strictly  temperate, 
never  using  any  kind  of  intoxicating  drinks,  and 
he  has  the  esteem  of  his  friends  and  the  confi- 
dence of  the  business  public. 


JAMES  CROWE.  A  brilliant  example  of  a 
seif-made  American  citizen,  and  a  grand  ex- 
emplification of  the  progress  that  an  ambi- 
tious foreigner  can  make  in  this  country  of  un- 
bounded opportunities,  is  shown  in  the  case  of 
Mr.  Crowe,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Renovo, 
Clinton  county,  and  car  inspector  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company. 

Born  in  1842,  in  Ireland,  Mr.  Crowe  is  a  son 
of  Patrick  and  Winifred  Crowe,  also  natives  of 
Ireland,  where  the  father's  death  occurred.  La- 
ter the  mother  came  to  America,  and  spent  her 
last  days  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died  in 
1880.  In  their  family  were  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Mary,  wife  of  Edward  Devine,  of  El- 
mira, N.  Y. ;  Patrick,  who  has  not  been  heard 
from  since  1854;  and  James,  our  subject. 

James  Crowe  was  provided  with  only  very 
limited  advantages  for  obtaining  an  education. 
When  about  seven  years  of  age  he  came  to 
America,  and  since  that  time  has  mainly  been  de- 
pendent upon  his  own  resources  for  a  livelihood. 
He  began  his  business  career  by  carrying  water 
for  the  railroad  hands  during  the  '50s,  and  later 
carried  the  tools  for  the  men.  Throughout  most 
of  his  life  he  has  been  in  some  way  connected 
with  railroading,  and  from  the  very  lowest  posi- 
tion he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward,  be- 
ing employed  in  various  capacities.  Since  1861 
he  has  assisted  in  laying  ties,  tracks,  etc.,  for  the 
Philadelphia  &  Erie  Railroad  Company,  and 
since  locating  permanently  in  Renovo  in  1865 
has  served  as  car  inspector   for  that   road.      Be- 


71" 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in^'  economical,  industrious  and  enterprising,  he 

has    succeeded    in   accumulating  some   valuable 

real  in   this  place,  and   is   now  numbered 

g  its  substantial  and  reliable  citizens. 

In  April.  1866,  Mr.  Crowe  was  married  to 
M  s  Mary  Garry,  who  died  November  1.  [872, 
leaving  two  daughters,  namely:  Mary  and  Anna. 
Mr.  (  1  :i    married,  in   1 878,  his 

ond  union  being  with  Ellen  E.  Mahanay,  adaugh- 
tei  ol    ferrj    and  Catherine  (McCarthy)  Crin 
whi  I  Irish  birth,  bur  had  come  to  America 

in  the  '30s.  They  Settled  on  a  farm  of  seventy- 
five  acres  in  Ridgi  bury,  nd  there  resided 
until  they  died  in  i  I  1894  respectivi 
Mr-  I  a  family  of  four  children, 
the  others  being:  Jerry;  Michael,  who  is  con- 
nected with  the  weather  bureau  at  Washington, 
I>  C. ;  and  Mrs.  James  Welsh,  a  resident  of 
Ridgway,  Penn.  Four  children  grace  the  second 
marriage  of  our  John,  I  atherine, 
Matbew  and  Michael  Raymond.  There  was  also 
another  son,   |am<  5,  who  is  now  decei 

Religiously,     Mr.    Crowe  and   his   family  are 
connected  with  the  Catholic  Church,  and,  pi 
ically,  he  always  suppi  1  1  the  Democratic 

or  Prohibition  parties.  His  life  has  been  an 
h  i:  rable  and  useful  one,  and  he  justly  merits 
tin    hiL;  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  entire 

community. 


JLEXANDER   M.    DE   HAAS,  a  resident  of 
L   Beech   t  reek   township,  Clint  nty,  is 

families   of 

Pennsylvania. 

It  appears  ol  r<  ■  Strasburg,  l'mvinceof 

that  the  original  name  was  Von  11 
!  when  that  province  was  annexed  to  France 
the  name  was  changed  to  de  Haas  the  French 
of  Von  Haas  In  1  540.  Charles  de  Haas  ac- 
quired large  possessions  near  the  city  of  Stras- 
burg,  France,  and  became  the  founder  of  the 
I     1  iich  noble  family    of    that    name.       He  was  a 

baron  and  general  undei  the  Emperor  Rodolph, 
k  the  city  of  Fli  Italy,  and   was  n 

ernor  of  Centra!  Italy,  and  was  authorized 
appropriate  the  am.-  ol    Florence  as  the  family 

t  of  arm-  ral  of  the  family  -till  livi 

Strasburg.     [Thi  copy  of  the  record  of 

tin  family  was  taken    from  the   original 

record  at  Strasburg,  France,  ii 

a.  John  Philip  de  Haas  I  this  family,  came 
from  France  to  this  country  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  He  was  given  command  ol  the 
I  irsl  Pennsylvania  Battalion,  and  contributed 
largely  of  his  means  lor  thi  t  of  tin 

diers  under  his  command,  besides  rendering  much 


valuable  service  to  achieve  our  American  inde- 
pendence. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  became 
the  owner  of  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  States  of 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  His  son, 
Mai.  1-  P-  de  Haas,  and  Henrietta,  his  daughter, 
survived  him,  but  these  lands  never  came  into 
possession  of  their  children.  Maj.  de  Haas  died 
in  Philadelphia.  His  son,  John  P.  de  Haas 
ther  of  Alexander  M.  De  Haas),  was  a  native  of 
Philadelphia,  and  acquired  his  education  in  Bus- 
seltown  Academy.  He  came  to  Clinton  county 
with  his  father,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  school  teaching.  His  career  was  one  of 
usefulness,   worthy    of    emulation,   and    he    died 

r  passing  the  seventieth  anniversary  of  his 
birth,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife 
was  Hannah  Morrison,  a  native  of  Chester  coun- 
ts, Penn.,  and  their  children  were  seven  in  num- 
ber, two  of  whom — Alexander  M.  and  Mary  Jane 
(wife  of  Nathan  Johnson,  of  Centre  county)  sur- 
vive. The  mother  of  these  died  in  1863,  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania. 

The  subject  of  thi*  sketch  was  born  in  1827, 
in  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.  He  had  very  limited 
school  privileges  in  his  youth,  for  the  school 
terms  were  short  and  his  time  was  largely  devot- 
ed to  farming.  He  purchased  the  Mountain 
farm  in  1857,  and  for  forty  years  has  made  his 
home  thereon.  For  twenty-six  years  he  was  a 
successful  pilot  on  the  Susquehanna  river.  He 
owns  175  acres  of  land  here,  and  the  place  is  im- 
proved with  neat  and  substantial  buildings  and 
other  accessories  found  upon  a  model  farm  of  the 
ioth  century,  while  the  well-tilled  fields  which 
surround  his  home  yield  to  him  a  golden  tri- 
bute in  return  for  the  care  and  cultivation  he 
bestows  upon  them. 

On  January  14,  [851,  Mr.  De  Haas  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  A.  |ohnson,  a  native  of  England, 
who  came  to  America  when  two  years  of  age. 
They  now  have  six  children:  Forest;  Mary  Vir- 
ginia, wife  of   Wilson   Devling;    Willis,  assistant 

erintendent  of  the  paper  mills,   of  Johnson- 
burg;  Grant,  a   bookkeeper  at  Marquette.   Mich;. 
Ellen  Florence,  wife  of  William  Richards,  of  Ti- 
oiinty,  Penn.;  and  Charles  Woodward,  chief 
manager  of  the   Filter  Works   at   Johnsonburg, 

1       The  parents    of    these    are  member- 
the  Christian  Church,  with    which    Mr.   De  Haas 
has  been   identified   since    sixteen  years  of  a 
Hi    v,  is    for   many  year-   an   Odd  Fellow,  bti; 

now  identified  with  the  organization.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  was  three  times 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  serving  one  term. 
discharging  his   duties  with  marked  fairness  and 

irtiality.      He   has   also   been   tax  collect 
school  director  and     supervisor,   discharging  his 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


711 


duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  The  fact 
that  he  has  been  honored  with  political  offices, 
and  that  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  served 
as  elder  of  his  Church,  plainly  indicates  the  confi- 
dence and  trust  reposed  in  him  in  all  circles,  and 
it  is  a  trust  that  has  never  been  betrayed.  His 
life  has  been  well  spent  and  is  worthy  of  emula- 
tion. 


C.    BARNER,  a  prominent  representative  of 
j    the  agricultural  interests  of  Lamar  township, 

Clinton  county,  and  one  of  its  highly  esteemed 
and  honored  citizens,  is  a  native  of  the  county, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Loganton,  February 
13,    1842. 

Henry  Barner,  his  grandfather,  a  well-known 
pioneer  of  this  section,  left  his  old  home  in  Perry 
county,  Penn.,  when  a  young  man,  accompanied 
by  his  brother,  George,  who  located  at  Liver- 
pool, but  he  took  up  his  residence  on  Sugar  Val- 
ley Mountain,  one  mile  north  of  Loganton,  in 
Clinton  county,  early  in  the  present  century. 
He  believed  that  the  soil  of  the  mountain  was 
better  than  that  in  the  valley,  and  the  land  was 
much  cheaper.  He  did  not  long  enjoy  his  new 
home,  however,  as  his  death  occurred  in  1820. 
His  widow,  who  survived  him  for  twenty-four 
years,  was  thus  left  with  the  care  of  a  large  fam- 
ily, twenty-one  children  having  been  born  to 
them,  of  whom  fifteen  reached  years  of  maturity. 
The  trials  and  hardships  she  was  forced  to  endure 
in  her  primitive  mountain  home  were  many;  the 
wild  animals  which  haunted  the  forests  often 
killed  her  cattle;  and  she  was  compelled  to  work 
early  and  late  in  order  to  keep  her  family  to- 
gether until  they  were  able  to  care  for  them- 
selves. Her  last  years  were  spent  with  the 
father  of  our  subject,  who  operated  the  old  home 
farm,  and  there  she  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two,  her  remains  being  interred  in  the 
old  cemetery  in  Sugar  Valley. 

Christian  Barner,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  on  Sugar  Valley  Mountain,  December  19, 
1816,  and  was  the  youngest  child  of  Henry  and 
Susanna  (Bunce)  Barner  that  lived  to  adult  age. 
As  a  farmer  boy  he  was  reared  in  the  mountain 
home,  and  received  a  very  limited  education,  as 
the  nearest  school  was  several  miles  distant  and 
hard  to  reach.  As  soon  as  old  enough  he  began 
learning  the  miller's  trade,  but  his  health  did  not 
permit  his  following  that  occupation,  so  he  took 
up  the  mason's  trade.  All  of  his  nine  brothers 
who  reached  manhood  had  also  learned  some 
trade,  and  it  was  under  the  instruction  of  his 
brother  Harmon  that  he  mastered  masonry. 
As   a   young   man   he    was   employed   at    various 


places,  but  always  considered  the  farm  where  he 
was  born,  "  home." 

On  October  20,  1839,  in  Penn's  Valley,  Chris- 
tian Barner  was  married  by  Rev.  Fisher  to 
Catharine  Frazier,  who  was  born  February  24, 
1 82 1,  near  Rebersburg,  in  Brush  Valley,  Centre 
county,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Bierly)  Frazier,  also  natives  of  Brush  Valley. 
Her  paternal  grandfather  was  Ludwig  Frazier,  a 
pioneer  of  that  Valley;  and  her  maternal  grand- 
parents were  John  and  Catharine  (Garman) 
Bierly.  Mrs.  Barner  is  the  oldest  in  a  family  of 
six  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy, 
and  the  others  are  as  follows:  Elizabeth,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  John,  who  died  in 
Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  in  the  fall  of  1896; 
William,  who  did  in  Salona;  and  Jonathan,  who 
died  in  Penn's  Valley.  She  was  only  ten  years 
of  age  when  her  father  died,  but  being  the  eldest 
she  was  forced  to  earn  her  own  livelihood  and 
help  take  care  of  the  younger  children.  She 
accordingly  worked  as  a  domestic  from  the  age 
of  fourteen  until  her  marriage.  By  her  marriage 
she  became  the  mother  of  six  children,  namely: 
J.  C. ,  of  this  sketch;  George  H.,  a  resident  of 
Lock  Haven;  Rebecca,  wife  of  H.  J.  Brungard, 
of  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county;  Sarah  E., 
now  Mrs.  J.  Edward  Bressler,  of  Renovo,  Penn.; 
Nathaniel  J.,  of  Emporium,  Penn. ;  and  Amanda 
C. ,  wife  of  John  E.  Furst,  of  Lamar  township. 

After  their  marriage  the  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject located  in  Loganton,  where  the  father 
worked  at  his  trade  during  the  busy  season,  and 
in  the  winter  chopped  wood  or  engaged  in  thresh- 
ing, receiving  only  one  dollar  per  day  as  a  mason 
and  fifty  cents  per  day  as  a  laborer.  From  his 
small  wages,  however,  he  saved  enough  to  pur- 
chase two  lots,  and  upon  one  of  these  he  built  a 
residence,  making  Loganton  his  home  for  eight 
years.  He  then  returned  to  the  old  homestead 
on  Sugar  Valley  Mountain,  as  his  mother  was 
then  in  feeble  health,  and  while  living  there  she 
died.  Later  the  place  was  divided  into  two  parts 
and  sold,  Mr.  Barner  purchasing  the  portion  on 
which  the  buildings  stood.  At  the  end  of  eight 
years,  however,  he  sold  and  came  to  Nittany 
Valley,  where  he  operated  rented  land  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  then  bought  a  farm  in  Lamar 
township,  which  he  subsequently  sold  at  a  profit. 
He  traveled  through  Illinois  and  Iowa  on  a  pros- 
pecting tour,  but  concluded  to  remain  in  Nittany 
Valley,  and  bought  the  farm  where  our  subject 
now  lives.  In  the  summer  of  1876  he  built  a 
very  comfortable  home  at  the  east  end  of  Salona, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  while  engaged  in 
light  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
March,    1884,   being    laid   to   rest   in   Cedar  Hill 


71: 


■MI:M'>i;.\TIVK  biogsapsical  record. 


tery.     1  rs  he  was    officially 

connected  with  tin.-  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  pol- 
itics was  alv.  vith  the  Democratic 
party.      Although  at  Ins   death  he  left    a   very 
propert}  .  h  I    in  life  for  him- 
self  in   very    limited    circumstances,    but   in   his 
lab'                      r'  assisted   by   bis  excellent    wife, 
who  was  to  him  a  tn  As  a  girl  she 
I  >n  tht  ha)  field  at  twenty-five 
v.  ami  after  her  man  I  d  in  the 
work  of  the    farm  while   her  husband  was  em- 
fed  .it  bis  trade.      Sh                i  a  faithful  mem- 
Lutheran  Church,   and  is  enjoying  a 
well-earned    rest  at  her  pleasant    home    in 

she  is  surrounded  by  loving   kindred 
and  frii  I 

In  his  native  village,  J.  C.  Barner  began  his 
ication,  but  was  never  able  to  attend  school 
more  than  four  months  out  of  the  year.  When 
about  eight  scars  old  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  the  farm  on  Sugar  Valley 
Mountain,  after  which  his  studies  were  often  in- 
terrupted by  farm  work  as  he  was  the  oldest 
child.  He  began  to  assist  in  the  plowing  at  the 
■  ■I  thirteen,  and  continued  to  help  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm  until  after  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war.  In  the  summer  of  [862,  at  Lock 
Haven,     Mr.    Barner    enlisted    in    (  E, 

137th  P.  V.  I.,  and  from  Harrisburg  proceeded 
to  Baltimore  and  th<  Washington,  D.  C, 

r  which  place  the  regiment  went   into  camp 
His   tii  it    South    Mountain, 

which  was  loll,, wed  by  the   battle  of  Antietam 
I  all  the  oth<  1  ments  in  which  his  n 

at  took   part   during   his   ten-months' servi 
luding  the  battles ol  Frederii  ksburgand  Chan- 
cellorsville.      He    was   honorably    d  1  at 

I  [arrisburg  in  1 S63. 

Afti  turn  fn  >m   the  army.  Mi 

worked  foi  Ins  father  until   his  marriage,  which 
ted   in    Clinton    county,    in    March, 

Valley,  and    a   daughter   of    Samuel    and   Mary 
(Wolf)  II. liter,  becoming  his  wife.     Tbechildren 
born    to  them    are  as   follows:     William    1! 
printer  li\  in  idville,  Penn. ;  Charli     I 

ho  is  mat  I  has 

child,  Erma;  Christian  S  .  a  machinist  by 
trade,  but  now  a  farmer  of  Lamar  township,  who 
is  married  and  h  children  -  Ira  X..  Will- 

iam J.,  and  Margarel  M  ;  Henrj  K.,  a  machinist; 
and  George  N.,J.  Wesley,  Mar)  C.  and  Flor- 
ence A.  (    .  all  at  home. 

I    :      me  tune  after  Ins  marriage  1  mr  sul 
lived  upon    Ins    lather's    farm    near    Salona,  and 
then   rented    the    Samuel    Segmund  place  until 
Iowa  in  1869.      In  Audubon  county,  his 


father-in-law  owned  a  large  tract  of  land,  and 
subject  also  purchased  eighty  acres  there. 
He  converted  the  wild  land  into  a  good  farm, 
erected  good  buildings  thereon,  but  at  the  end 
of  three  years  and  a  half  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  after  renting  his  place  in  Iowa  for 
two  years  sold  it.  As  a  renter  he  first  located 
upon  his  present  farm  in  Lamar  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  but  after  the  death  of  his  father  he 
purchased  the  land,  and  under  his  able  manage- 
ment and  careful  supervision  it  has  become  one 
of  the  most  desirable  places  in  the  locality.  He 
owns  132  acres  of  farming  land  and  21  acres  of 
timber  land  in  the  home  place  and  a  small  tract 
in  the  east  end  of  Nittany  Valley,  fn  the  course 
of  his  life  he  has  paid  out  over  $5,000  for  rent. 
but  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  most  attractive 
and  productive  farm,  which  has  been  acquired 
through  his  own  well-directed  efforts  and  untir- 
ing energy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Barner  is  an  adherent  of 
locratic  principles,  and  although  he  has 
ed  as  school  director,  he  has  never  cared  for 
the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public  office, 
cially  he  is  an  honored  member  of  John  S.  Bit- 
ner  Post  No.  122,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  the  Grange, 
and,  religiously,  he  and  his  wife  both  belong  to 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
deacon  for  several  years,  fn  October.  1897,  he 
was  elected  a  deacon  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Salona  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  was  at  one 
time  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  in  the 
east  end  of  Nittany  Valley.  While  in  Iowa  he 
was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  his  locality,  and  served  as  superin- 
intendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  In  January, 
is  elected  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Salona  creamery  for  the  term  of  one  year. 
Pleasant  and  affable  in  manner,  their  circle  of 
friends  is  only  limited  by  their  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. 


IRVIN  W    GLEASON   is  a  leading  representa- 
tive  of    the    business  interests    of    Chapman 
township,  Clinton  county,  being  the  present  sen- 
partner  of  the  firm  of  L.  K.  Gleason  &  Sons, 
who  own    ami    >  the    Puritan    Tannery  at 

North  Bend       He  al  as  general  superin- 

tendent      Of     excellent      business     ability     and 
id    resources,    he  has  attained  a    prominent 
place  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  coun- 
ty, and  ognized    leader   in    public  affairs. 
II'  by  well-directed,  energetic 
efforts,  and  the  prosperity  that  has  come  to  him 
ly  well  deser 
A   nati'                nnsvlvania,  Mr.  Gleason  was 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


713 


born  August  20,  1862,  in  Union  township, 
Tioga  county,  and  is  descended  from  an 
honored  New  England  family  who  took  a  very 
active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  valiantly 
fighting  for  the  freedom  of  the  country  from 
British  oppression.  Jacob  Gleason  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  where  he  followed  farming  for  a 
time,  but  when  a  young  man  removed  to  Rutland, 
Vt. ,  where  he  owned  and  operated  a  farm  until 
life's  labors  were  ended.  Three  of  his  four  sons, 
and  himself  joined  the  Continental  army,  and 
aided  in  the  successful  struggle  for  independence. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics. 

His  youngest  son,  Jacob  Gleason,  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  spent  his  entire  life 
in  Rutland,  Vt.,  and  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming.  He  was  there  married  and  reared  a 
family  of  six  children,  all  now  deceased,  namely: 
Timothy,  Jacob,  Edmund,  Daniel,  Sylvia  and 
Ruth.  The  parents  were  both  interred  in  the 
cemetery  at  Rutland.  The  father  was  also  a 
Congregationalist  in  religious  belief,  but  was  an 
Old-line  Whig  in  politics. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  also  bore  the 
name  of  Jacob,  and  was  born  in  Rutland,  where 
he  obtained  a  limited  education  in  the  subscrip- 
tion schools,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
farm,  remaining  there  until  thirty  years  of  age. 
Going  to  Bolton,  Warren  Co.,  N.  Y. ,  he  worked 
as  a  laborer  for  ten  years,  and  then  removed  to 
Bradford  county,  Penn.,  where  the  following 
year  was  spent.  In  1841  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Union  township,  Tioga  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  purchased  100  acres  of  timber  land,  which  he 
cleared  and  improved  with  good  buildings,  and  aft- 
er operating  his  farm  for  several  years  he  worked  in 
an  iron  furnace  at  Blossburg.  Later  he  engaged 
in  lumbering  on  Pine  Creek,  Lycoming  county, 
and  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  at  the  home 
of  his  son  Le  Roy,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
who  tenderly  cared  for  him  during  his  old  age. 
He  died  at  Canton,  Penn.,  in  1869,  and  was 
there  iaid  to  rest.  While  in  Bolton,  N.  Y. ,  he 
had  married  Sarah  Eaton,  a  native  of  Warren 
county,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Eaton,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  to  them  were  born 
five  children,  but  only  the  father  of  our  subject 
reached  years  of  maturity.  The  grandfather 
was  a  deacon  in  and  prominent  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  politics  first  supported 
the  Whig  ticket  and  later  joined  the  Republican 
party. 

Le  Roy  Gleason  was  born  November  16, 
1829,  in  Bolton,  N.  Y. ,  but  at  an  early  age  ac- 
companied his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Penn- 
sylvania.     As  they  were  in  limited  circumstances 


his  opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  were 
meagre,  and  he  only  attended  school  about  six 
months  altogether  while  living  in  Tioga  county, 
being  hardly  able  to  write  his  name  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  When  only  eight  he  was  able 
to  handle  the  axe  in  helping  his  father  cut  cord- 
wood  for  charcoal  burning,  and  he  continued  to 
assist  his  father  in  that  way  and  in  improving  the 
farm  until  sixteen,  when  he  obtained  a  position 
in  the  coal  mines  at  Blossburg,  where  he  received 
$4  per  week  for  the  first  year,  and  $7  per  week 
for  the  following  two  years,  as  he  did  a  man's 
work.  When  nineteen,  Mr.  Gleason  began  lum- 
bering in  the  camps  on  Pine  creek,  where  he  was 
employed  during  the  winter  months  in  cutting 
timber  and  logging,  while  the  summers  were  spent 
in  a  sawmill  from  1852  until  1870.  He  took  con- 
tracts for  cutting  timber  on  Pine  creek,  and  in 
this  way  managed  to  save  some  money,  with 
which  he  embarked  in  the  tanning  business  at 
Canton,  Penn.,  in  partnership  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  William  Irvin,  the  business  being  con- 
ducted under  the  firm  name  of  Gleason  &  Irvin 
for  seventeen  years  and  success  crowning  all  their 
efforts.  In  1881  they  established  the  first  tan- 
nery at  North  Bend,  which  is  the  largest  plant 
of  the  kind  in  Clinton  county,  being  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $80,000.  In  1887  Mr.  Gleason  purchased 
his  partner's  interest,  and  admitted  his  sons  to 
membership  in  the  firm,  since  which  time  busi- 
ness has  been  carried  on  under  the  style  of  L.  R. 
Gleason  &  Sons.  Besides  this  tannery  they  have 
one  at  Driftwood,  Cameron  Co.,  Penn.,  and  an- 
other at  Medix  Run,  Elk  county,  and  in  all 
branches  of  the  business  furnish  employment  to 
hundreds  of  men,  thus  materially  benefiting  the 
entire  community.  The  father  looks  after  the 
business  at  Canton,  while  his  sons  have  charge  of 
the  branch  establishments.  He  is  a  very  pro- 
gressive, industrious  and  energetic  man,  whose 
success  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  unaided 
efforts,  and  he  certainly  deserves  great  credit  for 
the  honorable  position  he  has  succeeded  in  at- 
taining in  the  business  world.  He  is  not  only  a 
self-made  man,  but  also  a  self-educated  one.  As 
his  school  privileges  were  very  limited  he  has 
devoted  much  time  to  reading  and  study  since 
reaching  manhood,  and  is  especially  proficient  in 
botany,  geology  and  other  sciences.  In  1889 
L.  R.  Gleason  &  Sons,  in  connection  with  How- 
ard &  Perley,  lumber  manufacturers  of  Williams- 
port,  built  a  standard  gauge  railroad  from  North 
Bend  to  Potter  county,  which  now  connects  with 
the  Black  Forest  road  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
out  their  bark,  and  Howard  &  Perley's  logs. 
Since  then  the  road  has  been  chartered  with  F. 
A.  Blackwell,  general  manager;  William  Howard, 


ri4 


VMBMORATITB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


president;  Allen  \V.  Perley,  treasurer;  and  I.  W. 
Gleason,  secretary.  The  main  line  of  the  road 
is  twenty-one  miles  long,  which  has  numerous 
branches,  ami  it  is  well  equipped  with  three  large 

1 :  arid  with   its  own  lumber  and  bark 

and  passenger  coaches.  The  road  is  called  the 
North  Bend  &   Kettle  (reek  railroad. 

In    1852,  in    l'ni"ii   township,  Tioga  county, 
I     Roj  '  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 

Martha  Irvin,  a  native  "1  Lehigh  county,  Penn., 
ami  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Irvin,  a  charcoal 
manufacturer,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  Bight 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  1  1 
William  and  l  elia   both   died   when  young. 

I  lied  5  oui  Irwin  W.  is  the 

next  of  the  family.  5  John,  who  was  educated 
in  the  Canton   public  sch  [aged  in 

with  Ins  father  at  Driftw 1.      He  mar- 

ried  Hattie  Rury,  and  has  two  children  -Martha 
and    Franklin.      (6)   Li  Key  W.,  educated   in  the 

lie  schools  of   Ca  mil  a    1  lusi- 

rtner  in  the  tanning 
business,  and  is  superintendent  ol  the  plant  at 
Medix  l\un,  I  Ilk  county.  He  married  Bessie 
Muthersbaugh,  a  native  ol  Lewistown,  Penn., 
ive  three  1  hildren — Celie,  Ruth  and 
tl  led  the  same  schools 
as  his  brother  LeRoy,  and,  as  a  partner  in  the 
tanning  business;  1-  I    Driftw I,  super- 

intendent of    the  plant    there.      He  married  Min- 

Rury.      (8)  James   completed   his   education 

the  Milr  Bordentown,  N.   [., 

I   is  now  with  our  subject  at   North  Bend,  as 
he.  too,  is  a   partner  in  tin-  business       He  n 

I  Lucy  Walton,  "f  North  Wend.     The  motl 

hese  children  died  in  1SS0,  and  the  follow 

nton,    the   fathei  d   Elizabeth 

Mitchell,  widow  ■  > t   Byron  Clark,  and  a  daughter 
Mitchell,  of   that   place.      Thev   h 

adopted    daughter,    Mai-  I    the    family 

make  their   home   in   Canton.     Alter  voting  for 

mont  in   1856,  LeRi  >j  Glea  ;i  m  I  to 

support  the  Ri  publican  partj  until  alter  the  elec- 
ti t  President  Hayes,  since  which  time  he  has 

ii  an   ardent  Prohibitionist,  as  he  is  a  sti 
ten  .  man.       II  and    promi- 

nent membi  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he 

has  served  .is  deacon  and  Sundaj 
and  superintendent  Sociall)  he  affiliates  with 
the  Blue  Lodge  <>f  the  Masonic  ( )rder  at  Canton. 
II'  has  reared  a  family  of  which  he  may  be 
justly  proud,  has  given  his  sons  all  an  excellent 
-tart  in  life,  and  thev  are  now  wide-awake,  en- 
terprising business  men.  Temperate  in  his  hab- 
its, honorable  in  all  business  relations,  his  influ- 
ence is  ever  found  on  the  side  of  right  and  ord 

Irvin    W.    Gleason,    whose    name    intl 


this  sketch,  pursued  his  studies  in  the  public 
schools  of  Canton,  Penn.,  and  in  the  Business 
College  at  Elmira.  At  an  early  age  he  began 
working  in  the  tan  yard  of  his  father,  soon  be- 
came thoroughly  familiar  with  every  department 
of  the  business,  and  remained  in  the  tannery  at 
Canton  until  [881,  when  he  transferred  to  North 
Wend,  continuing  to  work  for  his  father  and  uncle 
until  1 S 8 7 ,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  part- 
ner in  the  business.  He  has  also  served  as  gen- 
eral superintendent,  has  made  many  improve- 
ments in  the  plant,  and  furnishes  employment  to 
about  one  hundred  men.  On  June  1,  18S7.  at 
North  Bend,  he  married  Miss  Josephine  Haynes, 
a  native  of  that  place,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
H.  and  Elizabeth  (Gilbert)  Haynes,  the  former  a 
lumber  manufacturer  of  North  Bend.  Mrs.  Glea- 
son attended  the  public  schools  of  her  birthplace 
and  also  the  Central  State  Normal  School,  Lock 
Haven,  where  she  graduated  in  1885,  and  the 
following  year  graduated  at  Darlington  Seminary, 
Philadelphia.  She  then  engaged  in  teaching  for 
three  terms  in  North  Wend  and  in  Potter  county, 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gleason  has  been  born 
a  daughter,  Elizabeth.  The  family  occupy  a 
pleasant  home  in  North  Bend,  where  they  are 
surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having 
taken  the  thirty-second  degree,  and  belongs  to 
the  Blue  Lodge  of  Renovo,  the  Chapter  of  Lock 
Haven,  the  Commandery  of  Philadelphia,  and 
the  Consistorv  of  Wloomsburg.  His  political  sup- 
port is  ever  given  the  men  and  measurer-  of  the 
Democratic  party.  His  business  methods  have 
been  above  question,  and  in  all  the  relations  of 
life  he  has  been  found  true  and  faithful  to  every 
trust  reposed  in  him. 


PETER    FABEL,  who   in  his  lifetime   was  a 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Castanea,  Clinton 
countv.  was  born  April   14.   [838,  on  the  banks  of 
the  River  Whine.      He  possesses  the   energy   and 
determination  which  mark  the  peopleof  Germany, 
and  by  the  exercise  of  his  powers  he  has  steadily 
uid    has  not    only   won  a  handsome 
.   but    has  commanded   univi  1 
by  Ins  straightforward  business  methods. 
John  W.    Fabel,  his  father,  also  a   native  of 
many,    was   a  cooper  and  brewer  by  trade, 
and.  after  selling  all  his  property  in  the  Fath 
land,    brought    his    familv    to    America    in    1 S 5 5. 
landing    in    New    York  after  a   long  and   tedious 
voyage.      Lock  Haven,    Penn.,    was   his  destina- 
tion,   and    here  he   found   work   at  the  cooper's 
trade       Beit  \cellent   mechanic,    he  com- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


715 


manded  good  wages,  and,  as  he  lived  economic- 
ally, he  prospered,  and  in  his  adopted  city  built 
an  elegant  residence,  much  better  than  he  ever 
expected  to  own.  His  last  years  were  spent  in 
retirement  from  active  labor,  enjoying  a  com- 
fortable competence  which  he  so  richly  deserved. 
His  political  support  was  given  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
religious  belief  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
Lutherans. 

In  his  native  land  John  \V.  Fabel  had  mar- 
ried Margaret  Weigen,  who  bore  him  eleven 
children,  two  of  whom  died  before  the  immigra- 
tion of  the  family  to  the  New  World.  The  others 
are  as  follows:  Charles  and  Martin,  now  de- 
ceased; Christian,  a  resident  of  Lock  Haven; 
Philip,  Michael  and  John,  all  deceased;  Peter,  of 
this  sketch;  Barbara,  widow  of  George  Scheid, 
of  Lock  Haven,  and  Margaret,  deceased.  The 
mother  died  of  a  cancer  in  1857,  and  the  father 
passed  away  in  1886,  both  being  interred  in  the 
cemetery  at  Lock  Haven. 

Peter  Fabel  was  educated  in  his  native  land, 
and,  when  not  in  school,  worked  in  his  father's 
cooper  shop,  where  he  soon  mastered  the  trade, 
at  which  he  was  employed  in  Lock  Haven  after 
coming  with  the  family  to  this  country  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years.  Considering  Castanea  a 
good  location,  he  in  1865  removed  here,  and  for 
several  years  followed  agricultural  pursuits, 
having  purchased  a  small  farm,  on  which  he 
built  a  good  residence  and  made  many  other 
valuable  improvements.  For  thirteen  years  he 
also  engaged  in  the  dairy  business,  selling  the 
milk  in  Lock  Haven,  but  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
July  31,  1897,  he  was  practically  living  retired 
at  his  comfortable  home  in  Castanea  after  many 
years  of  arduous  labor.  He  owns  three  dwell- 
ings on  Church  street,  in  Lock  Haven,  and  his 
property  was  all  acquired  through  his  own  un- 
aided efforts. 

In  1865,  at  Lock  Haven,  Mr.  Fabel  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth  Marks,  also  a  native  of 
the  Fatherland,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Marks, 
who  after  coming  to  the  United  States  became  a 
farmer  of  Clinton  county,  Penn.  She  died  in 
1876,  leaving  four  daughters:  Annie,  wife  of 
Charles  Kindley,  of  Altoona,  Penn. ;  Ida,  wife  of 
Peter  Poorman;  Clara,  wife  of  John  Simmons; 
and  Emma,  wife  of  George  Hemburger.  For 
his  second  wife  Mr.  Fabel  chose  Sybella  Sousley, 
a  native  of  Berks  county,  Penn.,' who  died  in 
1892,  and  in  October  of  the  following  year,  at 
Columbia,  Penn.,  he  married  Mrs.  Rosa  Hetrick, 
nee  Ball,  who  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  a 
daughter  of  John  Ball.  She  first  wedded  George 
Hetrick,  by  whom  she  had  five  children,  but  all 


died  in  infancy;  and  after  the  death  of  her   hus- 
band she  married  T.  W.  Stover. 

On  the  Democratic  ticket,  Mr.  Fabel  was 
elected  to  several  official  positions  of  honor  and 
trust,  serving  for  eighteen  years  as  tax  collector 
in  Castanea  township,  several  years  an  auditor, 
overseer  of  the  poor  for  some  time,  and  also 
supervisor  of  his  township,  and  it  is  needless  to 
say  that  the  duties  of  the  offices  were  always  faith- 
fully performed.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  was  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  valued  and  useful  citizens  of  Cas- 
tanea. 


UGH  McLEOD.  Since  1870  Mr.  McLeod 
_Ok  has  been  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  Lock  Haven  and  of  Clinton  county.  He 
is  now  the  genial  and  accommodating  landlord 
of  the  "Custer  House,"  a  large  and  well-regu- 
lated hotel  centrally  located  near  the  court  house, 
Lock  Haven,  where  he  bids  a  hearty  welcome  to 
his  many  patrons. 

Norman  McLeod  and  Martha  (McKenzie) 
McLeod,  his  parents,  were  both  born  in  Scot- 
land, whence,  in  early  life  they  came  to  Nova 
Scotia  and  there  resided  through  life.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  followed  that  as 
an  occupation  for  a  period,  but  his  life  was  given 
the  most  of  the  time  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
They  were  plain,  hard-working  farming  people, 
kind-hearted  and  well-disposed,  such  as  gained 
and  held  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which 
they  lived.  Their  children  are:  Margaret,  Anna, 
Sarah,  Mary,  Christie,  Jane,  Martha,  Belle, 
Kenneth,  Hugh  (our  subject),  Roderick,  John 
and  Angus. 

Hugh  McLeod  was  born  in  1849  in  Nova  Scotia, 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  had  only  limited  school 
advantages,  attending  the  subscription  schools 
of  the  neighborhood.  After  passing  fifteen  years 
on  the  farm  he  went  to  sea,  and  for  five  years 
was  a  sea-faring  man.  In  1870  he  came  to 
Lock  Haven,  and  for  ten  years  was  employed  in 
the  woods  cutting  and  shaping  timber,  the  first 
work  he  performed  being  for  Patrick  Flynn.  In 
1880  he  became  engaged  in  the  hotel  business 
on  Bellefonte  avenue,  at  Lock  Haven,  for  five 
years  remained  at  that  point,  and  then  (January 
1,  1885)  moved  to  his  present  location.  Mr. 
McLeod  is  well  adapted  to  this  line  of  business,  and 
is  making  a  success  of  it.  He  is  obliging  and  ac- 
commodating, understands  human  nature  thor- 
oughly, and  not  only  anticipates  the  wants  and 
desires  of  his  guests,  but  amply  supplies  them. 

In  1879,  Mr.  McLeod  was  married  to  Ella 
Walsh,  who  was   born   in    1859,  in    New  Bruns- 


716 


\f ME  MORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


wick.  She  is  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  while 
Mr.  McLeod  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.F., 
and  of  the  K.  of  G.  1.  He  has  been  identr 
with  the  public  affairs  of  Lock  Haven  more  or 
less,  and  has  at  different   til  presented  his 

ward  in  the  city  council,  six  yeai 


REV.   M.  W.  FAIR   deceased i  was  one  whose 
life  record  remained  untarnished  by  shadow 

of  v  :  suspicion  of  evil.      Upright  and  hon- 

orable, ol  broad  humanitarian  principles,  di 
ing  his  life  to  others,  he  so  lived   as   to  win   the 

;>ect  and  love  of  all.  He  was  born  in  Man- 
chester. Carroll  Co.,  Md.,  August  9,  1837.  apd 
in  his  youth  was  an  exceptionally  good  boy,  al- 
ways obedient  to  his  mother  and  faithful  to  her 
teaching-  II  attended  the  public  schools,  a 
pursued  lii>  in  an  academy  at  Manchester, 

after  which  he  became  a  student  in  Gettysburg 
College,  and  later  was  graduated  in  the  theolog- 
ical department  of  Susquehanna  University,  at 
Selin's  Grove,  Pennsylvania. 

ring  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
ministry,  and  thus  prepared  foi  his  chosen  call- 
ing, Mr.  Fair  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the 
Church  in  Funkstown,  Washington  Co.,  Md.. 
after  which  he  went  to   Woodsboro',  Frederick 

inty,  that  State.  Failing  health  at  length 
compelled  him  to  retire  from  the  ministry,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1873  he  removed  to  York,  Penn., 
where  he  continued  his  1  until   called   to 

the  home  beyond,  June  2  ,  his  remains  be- 

nchester.    Md.      Rev.    D.   J. 
li  D.  D.,  who  is  now  living   in   Hanover, 

N   irk  I      .  Penn.,  at   the  advanci  I   ninty- 

thn  was  instrumental  in  influencing  him 

nter  tlie  ministry.      Hcli.nl  known    Mr.   Fair 
irly  boyhood,  had    baptized    him    and   re- 
ceived him  into  tin-  Church,  and    had  ever  I 
his  friend  and  counsellor,  and  as  the   end  drew 

1  it  was  Mr.  Fair's  request  that  th 
man  should  take  charge  ol  the  fum 

On  M   \   28,  Rev.  Fair  was  mi 

Miss   Sarah    A     Furst,  who   I  it    3, 

1841,  in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  Co.,  Pi  nn 
daughter  of  Samuel  and    Mary  (Wilt)    Furst.  the 
former  born  in   Northumberland  county,   Penn., 
April  29,   1793,  the  latter  in    Perry  county,  1 
ruary  [2,  1805.     The  grandparents,  and 

Agnes  (Snyder)  Furst,  came  to  Nittany  Valley  in 
the  year  1797.  and  located  in  the  midst  of  the 
timber  land,  where  the  grandfather  developed  a 
farm,  which  is  still  in  thi  f  the  family. 

I   1  RST,     the     father    of     Ml 


when  fourteen  years  of  age,  walked  twenty  miles 
to  Kebersburg.  crossing  two  mountains,  to  attend 
catechetical  lectures  by  Rev.  Ilgen,  preparatory 
to  entering  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  to  Mary 
Wilt,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Gertrude  (Zell- 
Wilt  A  brief  record  of  their  family  is  as 
follows:  Franklin  B.  is  a  farmer  of  Lamar 
iship.  Louisa  died  in  1894.  Rebecca  A.  be- 
came the  wife  of  Joseph  Hayes,  and  died  in 
1892.  William  \V.  is  an  agriculturist  of  Lamar 
township.  Samuel  E. .  who,  after  attending  the 
Aaronsburg  Academy,  entered  the  sophomore 
class  in  Pennsylvania  College  in  i860,  was  grad- 
uated in  1S63,  and  in  1867  was  admitted  to  the 
Clinton  County  Bar,  after  which  he  practiced  for 
ten  years;  in    [878    he  entered  the  Theological 

linary  at  Gettysburg,  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  the  same  year,  after  which  he  ably  rilled 
the  pulpits  in  Bellefonte,  New  Berlin  and  Schell- 
burg,  Penn.;  about  August  1.  [894,  he  went  to 
na  to  visit  his  invalid  sister,  and  while  there 
died,  on  the  14th  of  August.  Mrs.  Fair  is  next  in 
the  order  of  birth.  M.  Luther  is  a  minister  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Tallman.  N.  Y.  M.  Kath- 
arine lives  in  Salona. 

Samuel  Furst  lather  of  Mrs.  Sarah  A. 
Fair)  was  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
and  in  religious  belief  he  was  a  Lutheran,  who 
for  sixty-five  years  was  a  member  of  the  Church 

^alona.  He  contributed  liberally  to  its  sup- 
port, did  all  in  his  power  for  its  advancement. 
He  was  also  an  ardent  temperance  worker,  never 
using  either  tobacco  or  liquor  in  any  form.  He 
was  a  man  of  but  medium  size,  yet  possessed  of 
3  of  endurance.  At  one  time  he  took 
grain  to  Harrisburg  (on  "an  ark,"  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna river),  and  returned  on  foot  to  his  home 
ad  of  125  miles).      On  another  occasion, 

after  attending  court  at  Bellefonte.  then  the 
county  seat  1  about  twenty-five  miles  from  his 
home),  he  walked  back  to  Nittany  Valley.  He 
was  very  neat  and  clean  in  person,  was  also  cool 
and  calm  in  demeanor,  and  was  a  man  of  schol- 
arly tasl  \.  i\  fond  of  books,  and  having 
a  broad  know  ledge  of  literature.  His  father  had 
lour  sons,  to  each  of  whom  he  gave  a  farm,  pro- 
1  that  the  sons  would  pay  half  of  its  value  to 
there  were  also  four  daughters 
in  the  family  Samuel  Furst  built  upon  his  land 
an  elegant  brick  residence,  the  brick  used  in  its 
burned  upon  his  farm.  He 
delighted  to  surround  his  family  with  the  com- 
forts  of  life,  and  secured  to  them  every  advan- 
A  e,reat  lover  of  nature,  he  was 
fond  of  spending  much  time  in  the  woods,  and 
I    name  all   the  varieties  of  birds  and  trees. 


SAMUEL    FURST 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


717 


His  wife  was  particularly  fond  of  poetry,  a  taste 
she  cultivated  by  extensive  reading;  she  also 
possessed  a  very  fine  soprano  voice,  which  still 
retained  its  sweetness  when  she  had  reached  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  His  well-spent  life  and 
kindly  nature  won  to  Samuel  Furst  the  regard 
of  all  who  knew  him,  and  at  his  death,  which 
occurred  November  7,  1872,  he  was  deeply 
mourned.  His  wife  passed  away  March  27, 
18S5,  and  was  laid  by  his  side  in  Cedar  Hall 
cemetery.  "The  memory  of  the  just  is 
blessed." 


THOMAS  CHRISTIE,  an  old-time  agricult- 
urist and  lumberman  of  large  experience,  is 
now  numbered  among  the  elderly  residents  of 
Dunnstown,  Woodward  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, by  whose  people  he  is  held  in  that  reverence 
and  respect  tacitly  accorded  those  whose  lives 
have  been  distinguished  by  integrity  and  use- 
fulness. 

Mr.  Christie  was  born  July  29,  181  3,  in  Black- 
ville,  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  a  son  of  Wesley 
Christie,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  banks  of 
the  St.  Johns  river,  in  the  same  province,  in 
1792,  and  who  was  of  English  descent.  In  that 
country  the  father  engaged  in  lumbering  until 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Somerset  county,  Maine,  where  in 
connection  with  that  occupation  he  also  worked 
in  a  sawmill,  followed  farming  and  piloting  rafts 
of  lumber  on  the  rivers.  He  died  in  the  State  of 
Maine,  February  25,  1874,  at  a  ripe  old  age, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Politically  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and  later  a  Re- 
publican, while,  religiously,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Free  Will  Baptist  Church,  to  which  his  wife 
also  belonged.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Sarah  Weaver,  was  a  native  of  Canada  and  of 
Pennsylvania-German  descent,  and  gave  her  hand 
in  marriage  to  Mr.  Christie  while  residing  in  New 
Brunswick.  She  also  departed  this  life  in  Maine. 
Our  subject  is  the  oldest  of  their  seven  children, 
the  others  being  as  follows:  Abigail  was  the  wife 
of  Charles  Dyer,  both  deceased;  George  W.  is  a 
resident  of  Maine;  Sarah  was  the  wife  of  Israel 
Dyer,  both  now  deceased;  Wesley  is  deceased; 
Mary  A.  is  in  the  West;  and  Barbara  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  Folley. 

When  only  five  years  old  Thomas  Christie 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Maine,  where  he  at- 
tended the  township  schools  during  the  winter 
months,  while  the  summer  season  was  devoted  to 
work  in  the  woods  or  on  the  farm,  his  wages  go- 
ing toward  the  support  of  the  family.  At  the 
age   of  twenty   he  left   home,  having   purchased 


his  time  from  his  father  for  $70,  and  obtained  a 
position  in  a  sawmill,  where  he  received  $16  per 
month  for  night  work.  He  continued  to  work  in 
the  woods  during  the  winter,  hewing  and  cutting 
timber  and  teaming  with  oxen  until  thirty-six 
years  of  age,  when  he  left  Maine  and  came  to 
Dunnstown,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  helped 
to  erect  the  West  branch  boom  in  1852,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  court  as  scaler  of  logs  for  the 
West  Branch  Boom  Company,  which  position  he 
filled  until  1859.  He  owned  and  operated  a 
farm  in  Dunstable  township,  Clinton  county, 
for  some  time.  Since  1889,  however,  he  has 
lived  retired  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Dunnstown, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil,  while  his 
son-in-law,  John  N.  Bitner,  conducts  the  old 
home  farm. 

In  Harmony,  Somerset  county,  Maine,  in 
1837,  Mr.  Christie  was  married  to  Miss  Statira 
Xutt,  who  was  born  in  Lincoln  county,  that 
State,  in  April,  181  3,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Lucy  (Avery)  Nutt,  the  former  of  Irish  and  the 
latter  of  English  descent.  By  occupation  her 
father  was  a  shoemaker.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Christie  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
(1)  Laura  V.,  born  in  Maine,  was  married  in 
1859  to  John  N.  Bitner,  a  native  of  Clinton 
county,  Penn.,  and  they  have  eight  children  — 
Jennie,  wife  of  J.  A.  Leitzel;  Mary  S.,  wife  of 
Andrew  Nonenmacher;  Nancy  and  Thomas,  de- 
ceased; Abigail,  wifeof  Morton  Brown;  Albert  W. , 
deceased;  Ivie  E.,  and  Edward.  (2)  Thomas  M., 
of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  married  Miss  C.  Herr,  and 
has  four  children — Winfield  G.,  a  pen  artist, 
employed  in  New  York  City;  Eugenia  married 
William  McCloskey;  Charles,  and  Thomas.  Jr.  (3) 
Perley  M.,  an  ice  dealer,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn., 
married  Sarah  Varner.  (4)  William  Wesley,  of 
Lock  Haven,  married  Mary  Beshler,  and  has  one 
child,  a  daughter,  who  married  Edward  Drawken 
and  they  have  four  children:  (5)  Samuel  is  con- 
nected with  the  Eastman  Business  College,  of 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  His  children  are  Mable, 
Frederick,  and  Harry.  (6)  Abigail,  and  (7)  Per- 
ley, both  died  in  childhood,  and,  last  (8),  Mar- 
vin,   deceased. 

Mr.  Christie  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
the  Whig  candidate  in  1846,  and  is  now  an  ar- 
dent Republican,  having  voted  for  William  McKin- 
ley  at  the  last  election,  in  1896.  He  is  an  ear- 
nest and  faithful  member  of  Christ's  Church,  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  its  work,  and  has  served 
as  teacher  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  and  his  faithful  wife  have  enjoyed 
sixty  years  of  happy  married  life,  and  their  record 
has  been  an  honorable  one,  their  years  have  been 
fruitful  with   deeds  of   usefulness   and   kindness, 


718 


(  OMMRMORATIVR  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  malice  toward  none  and  friendliness  toward 
all  who  have  come  under  their  influence,  and 
they  have  gained  the  respect  and  honor  of  the 
«  hole  community. 

Our  subject  thu  to   the  journey  from 

the  Province  to  St.  Albans,  in  Maine,  and  to 
other  reminiscences: 

••  We  left  the  southwest  branch  of   Mirimichi 
(my    father,    mother    and    three   children — the 
\V  The    only   conveyance 

was  a  birch  canoe,  thence  up  the  river  some 
thirty  miles  to  1  vo;   thence  twenty  miles 

through  the  woods  to  a  branch  of  the  St.  Johns 
•  river,  called  the  Nashwalk,  down  that  in  the 
canoe  to  the  St.  Johns,  near]}  opposite  Freder- 
ickton,  up  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  Eel  river  to 
a  certain  point;  thence  another  carry  across  into 
a  lake,  one  of  the  head  waters  of  the  St.  Croix 
river,  across  that,  thence  another  carry  into  Bask- 

gan  lake,  the  head  v.  a   branch  called 

i,   down  that  into   Matawamkeag,  on 

down  into  the    i  sixty  miles  to  Orono, 

wh  irch  canoe  was  left       We  then  hired 

a  man  by  the  name  of  George  Need  to  take  us  to 

lit  miles,  in  a  wagi  m .  then  on  h<  11 

.  through  wo,,, is  in  a  bushed  road  most  of 
the  way,  thirty  miles  t  i  St.  Albans,  mother  car- 
ry iin  W.  in  her  arms 

"  My  litst  lessons  were  learned   in  a  vai 
log  house  in  summers  and  in  barns  two  summers, 
and  in  winters  in  private   houses,  never  having  a 

school  1 se   until   I    was  eighteen  years  of  age 

and  helped  to  make  the  brick  to  build  one.  the 
tirst  brick  house  in  the  township. 

"  In  the  fall  of  [827  a  laughable  incident  oc- 
curred, which  I  long  since  have  1  and 
winch  I  will  now  ta  ire  in  relating.  We 
were  living  in  the  west  part  of  a  house  for  that 
father  built  one;  he  had  bought 
a  pi  round  containing  100  acres  adjoining 
the  on,-  which  we  then  occupied.  My  father, 
with  another  man.  his  son  and  myself,  were  sit- 
ting on  a  log  in  front  ol  the  house,  we  heard  : 

rking  in  the  direction  |  ol  corn  just  out 

of  sight  from   the    house.  seon  the  dogs  cami 
sight,  driving  a  large  coon,   every  few  yards  hav- 
ing a  fight.     They  drove  the  coon  passed  wl 
we  sat.  the  n,  a  lad- 

der standing  inside,  the  1   ion  went  up  the   ladder 
and    the    dogs    after    him    and    across    tli 
whl  ild  lady    and  S  ddren  were    still 

g   on   their  pillows.     Thi  a  fight, 

and   in  it   si  se   boards   w  I ;  down 

went  coon  and  dogS  on  the  old  lady  and  child] 

h  music  was  and  I  1 

heard  the  lil  When  the  dooi  med 

out  came   Mr.  Coon   and  dogs,  and  the  old  gen- 


tleman took  the  poker-stick  and  made  short  life 
of  Mr.  Coon.  So  ended  the  laughable  story  of 
coon  and  dogs." 


BM  FIELD,  who  for  more  than  a  third  of 
a  century  has  been  a  most  active  and  en- 
terprising business  man  of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton 
county,  and  during  that  period  an  extensive  coal- 
dealer,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 
born  in  June.   1K23. 

I  Im  and  Margaret  (Paulsen)  Field,  his  par- 
ents, were  natives  ol  New  Jersey.  John  Field 
came  to  Pennsylvania  and  located  in  Lycoming 
county.  He  was  by  occupation  a  contractor 
and  builder  of  internal  improvements  and  was 
engaged  in  work  on  a  number  of  railroads  and 
canals  built  in  his  time  in  that  section  of  the 
State.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  ener^v 
and  push,  and  somewhat  reserved  in  manner; 
was  quiet  and  made  no  display.  Field  station 
and  post  office  were  named  after  this  family. 

B.  M.  Field,  in  bis  boyhood,  had  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  Williamsport  schools,  in  which 
he  obtained  a  fair  English  education.  After 
leaving  school  he  became  engaged  in  railroading 
for  a  time,  and  then    was   a    foreman   and    coti- 

tor   for  many   years,  and   built    the    rail r 
running  from  Sunbury  through    to  Erie,    Penn. 
In  [867  he  began  dealing  in  coal,  and  has  con- 
tinued  in  that    business   from    that    time   to   the 
present.      He  has   been  an   enterprising  and  pro- 

sive  citizen,  and  figured  in  various  lines  in 
the  development  of  Clinton  county  and  Lock 
Haven.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
State  Bank  of  Lock  Haven,  which  was  a  pros- 
perous institution  for  many  years,  but  which 
owing  to   some    bad    loans    made   was   closed  in 

J,  Mr.  Field  was  instrumental  in  organizing 
the  Lock  Haven  Trust  Company,  which  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial concerns  of  the  place.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  this  bank.  II  has  been  a  prominent  pro- 
moter   of    many    enterprises   in   the    city   of    his 

ption,    which    has    added    to    its   wealth    and 

beauty.      Hi  1    good    acquisition,  and    has 

pro  ilways   interested   in    everything 

taining  to   the  borough's  advancement.      He 

is  not  1  of  any  Church,  but  is  liberal  to 

all.      In  politics  he  i  Democrat,  opposed    to 

all  monopolii  Hi    was   one  of  the  organizers 

of  the  Lock  Haven    Power  &  Steam  Co.,  and  is 

ted  with   it.      Our  subject  has 

never  married,  and  for  twenty-two  years  he  has 

with  "  Uncle"  Peter  Meitzler,  a  genial 

and  accommodating  landlord  of  Lock  Haven. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


719 


JOHN  N.  GETZ,  Jr.,  of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  has  for  twenty  odd  years 
been  a  dealer  in  agricultural  implements, 
wagons,  buggies,  etc.,  enjoying  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow-townsmen,  and  of  his 
patrons  from  far  and  near,  is  a  native  of  Dun- 
stable township,  Clinton  county,  born  August  15, 
1847. 

Jacob  Getz,  his  father,  and  Catherine  (Deise) 
Getz,  his  mother,  are  highly-esteemed  farmers 
residing  in  the  county  in  ease  and  comfort,  and 
passing  the  evening  of  their  lives  surrounded  by 
their  children.  The  father  is  now  in  his  seventy- 
eighth  year,  and  the  mother  in  her  seventy-sixth. 
Both  are  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  where  their 
long  lives  have  been  passed.  Jacob  Getz  has 
been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  chiefly,  and 
has  done  much  toward  the  development  of  the 
section  in  which  he  has  resided.  Having  man- 
aged his  own  business  affairs  successfully,  he  was 
a  fit  man  to  look  after  the  affairs  of  the  county,  in 
which  he  has  been  somewhat  prominent,  and  the 
people  elected  him  to  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioner, and  re-elected  him  on  two  occasions, 
giving  him  a  service  of  three  terms.  He  served 
in  this  important  position  very  acceptably,  exer- 
cising good  judgment.  Five  of  the  eight  children 
of  this  couple  are  yet  living,  namely:  John  N. 
(our  subject),  Mary  E.  (Mrs.  Henry  C.  Ohl), 
George  A.,  Sarah  C.  ■  and  Charles  D.  Those 
deceased  are:  Margaret  and  Annie  (both  of  whom 
died  in  infancy),  and  Henrietta  (who  grew  to 
womanhood,  and  died  in  1896). 

John  N.  Getz,  Jr.,  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
had  only  the  school  privileges  given  to  the  general 
farmers'  sons,  that  of  neighborhood  district 
schools.  He  remained  on  the  home  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  became 
engaged  in  school  teaching,  having  by  diligent 
study  prepared  himself  for  the  profession.  This 
vocation  he  followed  most  successfully  for  seven 
years,  and  gained  the  reputation  of  being  a  com- 
petent instructor  and  a  good  disciplinarian.  Dur- 
ing this  period  he  gained  a  good  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  which  served  him  well  in  after 
business  life.  On  leaving  the  schoolroom  he  was 
employed  as  a  lumber  accountant  in  the  lumber 
business  for  two  years,  then  embarked  in  his 
present  business  at  Lock  Haven.  This  business 
he  has  most  carefully  given  his  attention  and 
efforts  to  until  he  has  become  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  of  the  place,  and  the  business  one  of  the 
leading  ones  of  its  kind  in  this  locality.  He 
handles  the  Conklin  wagon,  the  Cortland  spring 
wagons,  fine  top  buggies,  road  wagons,  Oliver 
plows,  spring  harrows,  Hench  cultivators,  Os- 
borne harvesters,  Tiger  hay- rakes,  Superior  drills, 


steel     land-rollers,    corn-planters,    corn-shellers, 
feed-cutters,    pumps,  phosphate,  etc. 

On  November  27,  1S95,  Mr.  Getz  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  M.  Dunkle,  a  daughter  of  Ira  Dunkle, 
of  Ames,  N.  Y. ;  she  was  horn  May  26,  1858,  at 
Frey's  Bush,  N.  Y.  The  parents  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Getz  is  a 
Democrat. 


m 


j\AMIEN  LACHAT.  Courteous,  obliging,  gen- 
jy  ial,  and  socially  inclined  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  opens  this  sketch,  requisites  for  a 
popular  landlord,  which  he  is,  being  the  propri- 
etor of  the  "  Clearfield  House  "  at  Lock  Haven, 
Clinton  county,  and  the  dispenser  of  an  open 
hospitality  at  that  hostelry. 

George  and  Catherine  (Bron)  Lachat,  his 
parents,  were  born  and  reared  in  Switzerland, 
the  father  born  September  18,  1805,  at  Mont- 
sevelier,  Canton  de  Berne,  and  the  mother  born 
April  9,  18 19,  at  Montsevelier,  Canton  de  Berne. 
They  came  to  America  in  1852,  located  at  Louis- 
ville, Stark  Co.,  Ohio,  and  in  1S60  settled  in 
Frenchville,  Clearfield  county,  Penn.,  where  the 
father  died  February  18,  1872.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  laborer — a  plain  man  of  good  hard  sense, 
kindly-disposed  and  charitable  to  all.  His  good 
wife,  though  now  nearing  the  eightieth  mile-stone 
on  the  journey  of  life,  is  well-preserved,  and  bids 
fair  to  be  with  her  children  some  years  yet.  She 
makes  her  home  with  and  is  tenderly  cared  for 
by  our  subject.  Her  children  now  living  are: 
Leonard,  Mary,  Frank,  Emelie,  and  Damien 
(our  subject). 

Damien  Lachat  was  born  March  6,  1847,  in 
Switzerland.  His  parents  were  poor  and  he  had 
no  educational  privileges,  not  having  attended 
school  at  all.  At  the  early  age  of  nine  years  he 
began  working  out,  doing  chores,  milking,  etc., 
for  which  the  first  year  he  received  his  board  and 
clothes,  and  for  the  second  year,  one  dollar  per 
month  and  he  clothed  himself.  During  the  year 
he  saved  nine  dollars  of  the  twelve  received.  On 
coming  to  Pennsylvania,  in  i860,  he  began  work- 
ing in  the  woods  getting  out  timber;  this  con- 
tinued to  be  his  occupation  until  thirty-five  years 
old,  and,  in  1881,  he  went  into  the  hotel  busi- 
ness at  Lock  Haven.  This  business  he  has  fol- 
lowed ever  since,  and  he  has  prospered  in  it. 
Beginning  life  poor  and  without  any  knowledge 
whatever  of  books,  unaided,  he  has  risen  to  an 
independence  pecuniarily,  and  become  a  well- 
informed  man.  He  is  an  example  of  what  one 
can  accomplish  when  he  sets  out  in  life  with  a 
fixed  purpose  and  determination  to  succeed.  The 
"  Clearfield  House  "  is  a  neat  and  substantial  one, 


'-v\/    VORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  gu<  ping   there   will   ne\  Lway 

hungry. 

On  Api  -1 1 .  Mr.  Lachat   was  mai 

to  Louise  Tourdain,  a  native  of  Alsace,  Fran 

:i    August   29,   [862,  and    five   children    h 

ne    to  them:     George,  Mary,  Anna,   Fredd 

and  Charles.     The   parents  are  identified    with 

Roman  (  atholii    1  hurch.      Mr.  Lachat  votes 
th.    ! 

silver. 


FERDINAND  C.  LUCAS  The  popular  pro- 
prietor and  opi  1  the  Castanea  Brew- 
en',  Clinton  county,  with  residence  at  Lock 
Haven,  in  a  very  fine  home  erected  in  1896,  and 
owned  by  him,  was  born  February  9,  \^Gz,  in 
Germany, 

Christian  and  Hannah  (Galverinan  Lucas, 
In-  parents,  were  also  natives  of  Germany,  where 
the)  resided  until  coming  to  America  in   1S70, 

j  in  Allegheny  county,  Fenn.,  where  they 
have  ever  since  resided.      Christian  Lucas  was  in 

ploy  of  the  Pennsylvania  Salt  Manufactur- 
ing '  watchman  for  some  twenty-five  years, 
which  remarkably  long  term  of  service  for  the 

impany  is,  of  itself,  evidence  of  his  faith- 
fulness to  duty  and  of  bis  employers'  confidence 
in  him.  He  and  Ins  wife  are  now  living  in  re- 
tirement, enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  early  toil. 
I  hey  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Ferdinand  C,  Will- 
iam (.'.,  Henry  H.  and  Charles  J.,  all  residents 
Allegheny    county,    excepting 

linand  C.    Luc:!  .\  his  education 

in  the  schools  of  Nation. 1,  Penn.,  and  at  the 

:  went  to  Steubenville,  Ohio,  where 

he    learned    the    bakery   trade,   and   followed   it 

e  three  j  lb'  then  went  to  Pittsburg, 

:i.,  when-  he  worked  for  a  time  at  tie 
111-  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  1 
1 .  ■      Haven,  and  in  partnership  with  W. 

Luther  took  Id  Fabel  brewery  at 

l"he  business  was  conducted  by  this 
firm  for  eighteen  1 itbs,  when  Mr.  Lucas  pur- 
chased  his  partner's  interest,  and  h 

ried    on    the    business    inn-elf.      in    [888  he 

I    the  Old     brewery   building,    and   erected     I 

■nt    lar:,-  tus  structure.      The 

bre  it)  of  10,000  barrels  per  an- 

num, employment   being  given  to  51  vera!  hands, 

luct    is  principally  sold  in  Lock  i 
ven,  thereby  keeping  all  the  money  used  in  con- 
tion  with  the  operation  of  the  plant  at  hon 
May  24.   1885,  our  subject   was   united  in 
with   Li  misa  Wi  llingi  1 .  win  1  was  bi  irn 


iruary  29,  1S64,  in  Pittsburg,  a  daughter  of 
fohn  G.  Wellinger,  of  that  city,  and  two  sons 
ami  one  daughter  have  1  rn  to  this  union, 

namely:  Ferdinand  C,  Jr.,  John  G.  and  Claire 
M.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran    Church,    and    their   children  have  all 

1  baptized  in  that  faith.  Socially  Mr.  Lucas 
is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle  and  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  opposed  to  all  monopo- 
lies. Hehashe\'i  sought  public  office.  Begin- 
ning life  without  anything,  he  early  became  self- 
supporting  and  self-reliant,  and  has  gradually 
forged  to  the  front  until  he  is  well-to-do  pecun- 
iarily, and  has  attained  a  position  in  the  com- 
munity  that  commands  the  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 


MICHAEL  D.  ROCKEY.  There  is  particu- 
lar satisfaction  in  reverting  to  the  life  his- 
tory of  this  honored  and  venerable  gentleman, 
since  his  mind  bears  impress  of  the  historical  an- 
nals of  this  section  of  the  State  from  the  early 
pioneer  days,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  is  one  of 
the  honored  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Lo- 

townshi]  Valley,  Clinton  counts . 

Mr.  Hockey  svas  born  March  22,  1S15,  in 
Gregg  township,  George's  Valley,  Centre  Co., 
Penn.,  and  on  the  paternal  side  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  His  grandfather,  David  Kockey,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  this  country 
he  located  in  Delasvare  county,  svhere  he  fol- 
lowed farming  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,   but   he  spent   his   last    days  near  Pleasant 

.  in  Centre  county,  when  his  death  occurred. 
He  was  buried  near  Bellefonte.  His  political 
suppi  nt  v.  ii  the  1  lemoi  1 

1m  net  Rockey,  our  subject's  father,  svas  a 
native  of  Delasvare  county,  svhere  he  was 
reared,  educated,  and  learned  the  tanner's  trade. 
In  early  life  he  moved  to  George's  Valley,  near 

Creek,  Centre  county,  svhere  he  worked  as  a 
until  the  spring  of  1S1S,  when  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  Brush  Valley,  near  Spring 
Lank,  where  he  built  a  house  and  bam.  cleared 
land  and  farmed  until,  in  the  spring  of  1S26,  he 
moved  to  Sugar  Valley  on  a  farm  in  the  Morgan 
Survey,  and  in  the  fall  ol  1  S  s 2  he  bough)  a  trad 
"t    woodland,  and    in    the   spring  of    1833   nn 

1  it.  This  he  cleared  and  improved,  build- 
ing thereon  a  house  and  barn.  He  farmed  this 
land    until    the    time    of    his   death — January   26, 

H  recognized    as  one  of  the   n 

industrious,  honest  and   highly  respected  citi/ 
of    the  community.      His  remains  svere  interred 
in  the  Tylerville  cemetery.      In  politics  he  svas  a 


/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


721 


Democrat,  and  in  his  Church  relations  was  con- 
nected with  the  Evangelical  Association,  to  which 
his  wife  also  belonged. 

In  Delaware  county,  Barnet  Rockey  had 
married  Margaret  Danton,  who  was  born  near 
Baltimore,  Md.,  in  1776,  and  died  in  Rock 
Grove,  111.,  in  1877,  at  the  extreme  old  age  of 
one  hundred  and  one.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children:  Abram  and  Jacob  (deceased); 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Burnet  (both  de- 
ceased); Michael  D. ,  of  this  review;  John,  a  res- 
ident of  Illinois;  Susanna,  wife  of  John  Myers,  of 
Illinois,  where  both  died;  Henry  (deceased); 
David,  of  Rock  Grove,  Illinois;  and  William,  of 
Nora,    Illinois. 

Although  our  subject  is  a  well-informed  man, 
he  is  almost  wholly  self-educated,  as  the  sub- 
scription schools  which  he  attended  in  Brush  and 
Sugar  Valleys  were  much  inferior  to  the  schools 
of  the  present  day.  Until  twenty-two  years  of 
age  he  remained  under  the  parental  roof,  helping 
his  father  to  clear  the  land,  and  later  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  in  Sugar  Valley  for  about  thirty 
years.  In  1850  he  returned  to  the  old  home- 
stead, which  he  operated  until  1869,  and  then 
removed  to  his  present  home,  having  previously 
erected  his  residence,  and  leaving  his  only  son 
in  charge  of  the  farm.  In  1881  he  retired  from 
active  farm  labor,  and  is  now  enjoying  a  well- 
earned  rest.  He  built  the  first  house  in  Tylers- 
ville,  in  1842,  and  also  bought  a  farm  there, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Hubler. 

In  Logan  township,  Clinton  county,  Mr. 
Rockey  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia  Kleckner, 
who  was  born  in  Loyalton,  Penn.,  October  3, 
1 8 1 8,  a  daughter  of  Abram  and  Emma  (Gill) 
Kleckner,  the  former  of  English  descent  and  a 
cooper  by  occupation.  Seven  children  graced 
this  union:  Mary  C,  at  home;  William  B.,  who 
married  Clarissa  Rishel,  and  has  three  sons; 
Elizabeth  J.,  who  died  in  childhood;  Sarah  A., 
wife  of  Dr.  Hubler,  of  Tylersville;  Frances  H., 
wife  of  W.  H.  Rishel;  Esther  A.,  who  died  when 
young;  and  Martha  J.,  at  home.  The  son  still 
continues  to  operate  the  old  homestead  farm, 
and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  The  mother  de- 
parted this  life  March  4,  1894,  and  was  buried  at 
Tylersville.  On  October  11,  1896,  Mr.  Rockey 
was  again  married,  this  time  to  Magdalena  Hub- 
ler, a  native  of  Penn's  Valley,  Centre  county, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Hubler  and  widow  of  John 
Funk. 

Our  subject  has  always  been  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  in  1848  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Logan  township,  which  office  he  most  efficiently 

46* 


filled  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  during  which 
time  he  married  over  sixty  couples,  and  out  of 
the  1,  500  cases  tried  before  him  none  were  ever 
taken  before  the  higher  courts,  so  impartial  and 
just  were  his  decisions.  For  four  years  he  also 
served  as  notary  public,  has  been  overseer  of  the 
poor,  constable  five  years,  and  in  fact  filled  every 
township  office  with  the  exception  of  supervisor, 
which  he  declined.  As  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  he  has  been  a  leader  in 
Church  and  Sunday-school  work,  and  for  some 
time  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  No  man  in  his  community  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  in  a  greater 
degree  than  Michael  D.  Rockey. 

Wilson  H.  Rishel,  our  subject's  son-in-law, 
was  born  in  Logan  township,  October  3, 1853,  and 
is  a  grandson  of  Daniel  Rishel,  who  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  Miles  township  Centre  county,  and 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  married 
a  Miss  Poorman,  by  whom  he  had  eleven  children: 
Jacob  P.;  Catharine,  wife  of  J.  Shull;  Ann,  wife 
of  Jacob  Sliner;  Susan,  wife  of  Peter  Heckman; 
Daniel;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  Shull;  Michael; 
Peter;  Christina,  wife  of  David  Shaffer;  Mary, 
wife  of  Samuel  Foust;  and  Henry.  Both  par- 
ents died  in  Centre  county,  the  father  at  the  age 
of  eighty-three. 

Jacob  P.  Rishel,  father  of  Wilson  H.,  was 
born  in  1817,  in  Miles  township,  Centre  county, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  On  coming 
to  Sugar  Valley,  Clinton  county,  he  located  on 
the  Spangler  farm  of  ninety  acres  in  Logan  town- 
ship, where  he  followed  farming  and  lumbering 
until  1874.  when  he  laid  aside  business  cares  and 
built  a  residence  on  another  part  of  his  farm. 
There  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  dying  Sep- 
tember 14,  1896,  but  his  wife  is  still  living  at 
that  place,  and  enjoys  excellent  health  for  one  of 
her  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  in  re- 
ligious belief  a  Lutheran,  and  he  served  as  elder 
in  the  Church  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  also  filled  the  offices  of  overseer  of 
the  poor,  and  school  director,  and  was  widely  and 
favorably  known.  He  was  married  in  Miles 
township,  Centre  county,  in  1847,  to  Miss  Mary 
Bressler,  who  was  born  October  21,  1821,  a 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Ann  (Spangler)  Bress- 
ler, and  to  them  were  born  six  children:  Claris- 
sa, wife  of  William  Rockey,  son  of  our  subject; 
Joan,  wife  of  Lewis  Jackson,  of  Lock  Haven; 
Wilson  H.;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Calvin  H.  Creps; 
Dervin  D.,  a  lumberman;  and  one  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Wilson  H.  Rishel  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Logan  township,  Clinton  county,  and 
has  spent  his  entire  life  on  his  father's  farm,  tak- 


i  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  charge  of  the  same  on  the  latter's  retirement 
in  i  s 7 3 .  ;md  since  operating  it  with  good  success. 
He  purchased  the  place  in  1896,  and  has  made 
many  good  improvements  thereon.  In  1873  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Frances  II  Rockey,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  ol  six  children: 
Hat  tie  V. ,  wife  of  Henry  A.  Karchner,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children,  Harold  C.  and  Helen  C. ;  [ai 
1     .  \\  ■  liam  A. ;  II any  ('. .  Harvej  J  .and  RoyR. , 

who  died  in  childh I.      The  family  is  c  mne 

with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and   Mr.   Rishel  has 
sen  deacon.    Sunday-school    I  and 

teacher       P  he    is    identified    with    the 

1  >ei  party,    and,    socially,    he    affili; 

with  the  fndi  penden  Id  Fellows.    I !■ 

in  his  i"  1  his  gram  ■  k,  now 

over  120  years  old,  which  has  been  hand  id  down 
tothe  eldest  son  in  the   Rishel   family,  and  i 
much-pi  1  :ed  heii  loom. 


TIloMAs   EDWARD   ROACH,  M    D.,   who 
is  engaged  in   the  practice  of  mi 
»vo,  was  born  in   Lock   Haven,  Clinton  ( 
Penn.,    in    1 865,  .1  si  »n   1  >l    \\  illiam    and 

ich,    both   of    whom   were   natives  ol 
Ireland,  whence  thej   came  to  America  in  ei 
life,  afterwai  ter  part  of  ti 

days  in  Clinton  c<  mntj        I  h    father  wa- 
in   lumbering,    railn  ting    and 
building.     He   was  a  quiet,  unassuming  citizen, 
devoting  his  attention   principally  to  his  busin 
interests,  and  1>\  his  well-spent  life  commanding 
the  respect  of  those  with  wh he  came  in  con- 
tact.     He  died    in    1894,    "l'1    bis    wife    passed 
They  had  a  (amilj    of  si 

nt  ol  Renovo,  Penn. ; 
I  '     Thomas   I        |<  dm  F.,  who  1-  a  1  mal 

ball   player  and   resides  in  P  [11. ;  Will 

H  ,   a  druggist  in  Driftw I,   Penn.;  Michael  S., 

a    professional    ball  living    in    Hartford, 

Conn. ;  and  Charles  1  I  living  at  Ni  irth 

Bend.  Pennsylvai 

I  !i  whose    name   opens    this   review, 

I  In-  earlj  education  111  the  public  scb 

'  w I.  Penn. ,  and  at   the  age  ol    sixt 

employed    bj     the     Pennsylvania    Raih 
npany  as   telegraph   operati  >r  at    Emp 
P(  nn  .  whi  re  lie  remained  until  reaching 
of  twenty-one,    when   he   lookup   the   studj 
medicine  under  the  direi  tion  ol  61    S    S.  smith. 
ol  Emporium,  Penn.      IL  subsequently  enti 
the  College  ol   Physicians  and  Sui  of  Chi- 

cago,  III.,   the  medical  department  of  the   I'ni- 
versity   of    Illinois,    and    was  in    that 

institution  in   March,    1890.      Hi    at  oni 


the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Renovo,  Penn., 
where  he  has  since  continued,  meeting  with 
marked  success  in  his  undertakings.  He  is  well 
in  the  science  of  medicine  and  surgery, 
and  in  the  application  of  their  principles  to  the 
alleviation  of  human  suffering,  has  given  evidence 
of  his  superior  ability  in  his  chosen  calling. 

In  his  political   views  Dr.  Roach   is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Catholic.      1! 
a  gentleman    of  sterling    worth,    and  has  n 
warm  friends. 


ANDREW  NO WL AND,  an    industrious    and 
thrifty  farmer  and  stock-raiser  residing  in 
Gallagher  township.  Clinton  county,  was  born  in 
ttlement  in  that  township,  March  20. 

His  grandfather,  Andrew  Nowland,  Sr  .  w 
native  of  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  and  a  farmer 
by  01  cupation.  Before  leaving  the  Line  raid  Isle, 
he  married  a  Miss  Redmond,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children:  John,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
Mary,  wife  of  Jacob  Shoemaker;  Ann.  wife  of 
Petei  Connoway;  Julia,  widow  of  Owen  Malone; 

n.  wife  of  Michael  Morrison,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Belief  on  te;  and  one  son,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  father  and  family  landed  in  Canada. 
where  he  remained  for  a  time,  then  moved  to 
New  York,  thence  went  to  Llmira.  thence  to 
Mill,  where  he  kept  a  grocery  store  tor  a 
number  of  years.  From  Sandy  Hill  he  moved  to 
Gallagher  township,  Clinton  Co..  Penn..  where 
he  acquired  a  good  farm,  and  on  his  retirement 
he  occasionally  made  a  trip  to  Harrisburg  to  see 
the  governor  Andrew  G.  Curtin.  Mr.  Nowland 
was  educated  in  a  college  at  Dublin  for  the 
priesthood.  He  spoke  three  languages  fluently. 
Ill-  education  was  completed  in  England.  On 
returning  home  lie  met  Miss  Redmond,  fell  in 
love  with  her.  gave  up  the  idea  of  becominj 
1  priest,  married  her,  and  they  lived  most  happily 
together  until  separated  by  death. 

It  is  narrated  by  our  subject  that  Andrew 
Nowland,  Sr. ,  with  wife  and  four  children  set 
sail  from  the  1  merald  Isle  March  20,  1830,  in 
an  old  man-of-war  Styled  "  Totinghani."  com- 
manded by  <  apt.  Spencer,  the  tirst  mate  bei 
1    Ml     D  tirst  cousin   to  the  grandmother 

of   th"   subject  of   this  sketch;.      While  crossing 
the  ocean  the  vessel  sprang  a  leak,  and  the  captain 
toa  lif<  I" '.a.    Doyle,  howei 
I  by  the  vessel   and  saved   her  and   the   pas- 
On  the  landing  of  the  ship  in  the  har- 
bor   the   captain   was  discharged,  and  the   m 
D03         ■    -    promoted    to   the   captaincy  of  the 
Doyle  made  one  more  trip  with 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


723 


the  "  Totingham,"  when  the  old  ship  was 
abandoned  and  set  afloat.  The  captain  then 
had  a  boat  of  his  own  built,  called  the  "  Mary," 
at  the  masthead  of  which  was  a  woman  five  feet 
in  height. 

On  coming  to  Clinton  county  Andrew  Now- 
land,  Sr. ,  purchased  some  400  acres  of  timber 
land.  He  cleared  about  seventy-five  acres  and 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering. 
A  few  years  before  his  death  he  retired  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter  (Mrs.  Morrison)  in  Belle- 
fonte,  where  he  died  in  1870,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Catholic  cemetery  there.  He  was  a  devout 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Gallagher  township. 

John  Nowland  was  also  born  in  Ireland,  where 
he  received  only  a  limited  education.  He  ac- 
companied his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  the 
New  World,  and  with  his  father  engaged  in  lum- 
bering and  farming  until  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
when  he  bought  300  acres  from  James  Wilson, 
of  Jersey  Shore,  Penn.,  200  of  which  he  cleared 
and  transformed  into  a  fine  farm  after  several 
years  of  active  and  arduous  labor.  He  made  all 
of  the  improvements  upon  his  land,  including  a 
comfortable  residence  and  substantial  outbuild- 
ings. He  also  bought  1,800  acres  of  timberland 
in  the  same  township,  erected  thereon  a  sawmill 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
which  he  shipped  in  rafts  down  the  Susquehanna 
river  to  Marietta  and  Columbia.  He  continued 
the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  his  property 
until  life's  labors  ended  in  1892,  and  he  was  laid 
to  rest  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  of  Lock  Haven. 
Politically,  he  was  a  strong  Democrat,  and  most 
creditably  filled  the  offices  of  tax  collector,  as- 
sessor and  overseer  of  the  poor  in  Gallagher  town- 
ship. His  wife  departed  this  life  in  1870.  Both 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
to  which  their  children  also  belong,  and  no  couple 
in  Gallagher  township  were  more  highly  respected 
or  were  more  deserving  the  high  regard  in  which 
they  were  held. 

Mrs.  John  Nowland  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Ellen  Lovett,  and  was  born  in  Ireland,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Lovett,  who  became  a  farmer  of  Gal- 
lagher township,  Clinton  Co.,  Penn.,  where  she 
gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  the  father  of  our 
subject.  Nine  children  blessed  their  union, 
namely:  (1)  James  R.  remained  at  home  with 
his  father  until  after  he  became  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  He  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself, 
carrying  on  a  lumber  business  until  his  marriage, 
in  1884,  to  Sadie  Conway,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Ann  Conway,  of  Gallagher  township,  Clinton 
county.     James  R.  then  purchased  of  his  father 


160  acres  of  land  in  Gallagher  township — the 
homestead  of  the  grandfather,  Andrew  Nowland. 
He  became  a  prosperous  and  influential  citizen, 
and  at  his  death,  which  occurred  April  6,  1889, 
he  left  many  friends,  who  held  him  in  the  highest 
esteem.  He  most  acceptably  filled  several  local 
offices,  among  them  tax  collector,  j  dge  of  elec- 
tions and  juryman.  He  left  surviving  him  a 
widow  and  one  child — James  Edward,  a  prom- 
ising boy.  (2)  Hannah  is  the  wife  of  Matthew 
Harber,  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Gallagher  town- 
ship. (3)  Annie  is  the  deceased  wife  of  Taylor 
Krider.  (4)  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Sands,  of 
Gallagher  township.  (5)  Andrew  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  (6)  John  J.  is  supervisor  of  that 
township,  married  Jennie  Packard  and  has  one 
child,  Emily.  (7)  Mary  is  the  wife  of  John 
Lovett.  (8)  George  married  Jennie  Conklin, 
and  lives  in  Castanea,  Clinton  county.  (9)  Joseph 
married  Frances  Muhenen,  and  resides  in  Galla- 
gher township. 

The  public  schools  of  Gallagher  township 
afforded  our  subject  his  educational  privileges, 
and  at  an  early  age  he  began  working  on  the 
homestead  with  his  father  at  lumbering.  After 
he  had  attained  his  majority  he  spent  three  years 
in  the  lumber  woods,  principally  in  Clinton  coun- 
ty, in  the  employ  of  others,  and  then  returned  to 
Gallagher  township.  Since  1890  he  has  had 
charge  of  the  old  home  farm,  which  he  has  suc- 
cessfully operated,  and  he  also  devotes  consider- 
able attention  to  stock-raising  with  most  gratify- 
ing results.  He  has  175  acres  placed  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  also  owns  a 
tract  of  400  acres  of  timber  land. 

In  November,  1896,  Mr.  Nowland  was  mar- 
ried in  Lock  Haven  to  Miss  Jennie  Shoemaker,  a 
native  of  Woodward  township,  Clinton  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  Peter  J.  Shoemaker.  Like 
his  parents,  Mr.  Nowland  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  his  political  support  is  un- 
swervingly given  to  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  sober,  industrious  and  progressive,  and  all  who 
know  him  entertain  for  him  the  highest  respect. 

Mr.  Nowland's  land  is  underlaid  with  the 
finest  fire-clay  and  coal,  and  the  minerals  have 
been  analyzed.  There  are  sixteen  feet  of  fire 
clay  and  a  quantity  of  coal  on  the  lands;  also 
other  minerals  have  been  found  which  resemble 
silver  and  lead. 


HH.  MOTHERSBAUGH,  M.  D.,  who  since 
_  1879  has  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Beech  Creek,  was  born  in  Hollidaysburg, 
Blair  Co.,  Penn.,  in  1841,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Eleanor  (Riem)   Mothersbaugh,  who  spent  their 


724 


(  OMMBMORATITE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


entire  lives  in  this  State,  the  father  devoting  his 
enei  agricultural    pursuits       He  was  de- 

scended 1 1  ■  m  i  .erman  ancestry,  and  his  wife 
,,\  S(  otch  lini  I  le  took  quite  an  active  part 

in   local   and    Chunh   affairs,   and   died    in    i  - 
His  wife,  surviving  him  for  several  years,  died  in 
i  s 7 2 .    Their  children  are:  Daniel,  Eleanor,  Mrs 
Susan  Lank.  i.    Mrs.    Mary   Rhinesmith,    H.  II.. 
L.   K  .  M    C,  Mrs    Friscilla  Glenn  and  Amanda. 

The  Doctor  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  acquired  an  education  in  thecominon 
and  academv.  and  at  the  State  Agricultural 
ntre  county.  He  read  medicine 
under  the  direction  o)  Dr.  Fisher,  ol  Boals- 
burg,  (  entre  county,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
1  nnsylvania  University  at  Philadelphia,  with 
the  class  of  1879.  Immediate!)  afterward  he 
cami  '  Beech  1  reek,  where  he  has  since  fol- 
d  his  profession  with  marked  success. 

1»:  Mothersbaugh  was  married,  in  1875,  to 
Miss  Susan  C.  Hartswick,  of  Boalsburg,  and  two 
children  -raced  this  union:  Mary  and  Robert. 
The  parents  are  leading  and  influential  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  the  D01  toi 
is  now  serving  as  trustee.      I1  his  political 

support  to  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Repub- 
lican part)',  Imt  bas  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
office  He  keeps  abreast  with  all  the  improve- 
ments of  the  profession  by  his  membership  in  the 
Clinton  Count)  Medical  Society,  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  West  Branch,  and  the  stale  M  i 
ical  Association.  He  is  well  versed  in  his  call- 
in-,  and  his  ability  to  successfully  apply  the  prin- 
ciples ol  up.!;,  me  to  the  alleviation  of  human 
suffering  has  gained  turn  an  enviable  place  anion- 
those  who  devote  their  lives  to  the  noble  work. 
His  in. inner  is  pleasant  and  kindly,  and  his  ster- 
ling worth  has  won  foi  him  the  esteem  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 


riU.IAM  O'DWYER, iol  theself-made 

menol  R<  novo,  whose  early  home  wa 
the  . ah.  1    side  life 

without  othi  il  than  his  strong  hands  and 

■  lute  will,  and  m  Ins  undertakings  prospered, 
but  he  has  now  laid  aside  all  busii 

Born  January  I,  1839,  in  Count)  (hue.  In- 
land. Mr,  O'l  >wyei  1-  a  son  ol  Mi<  h  tel  and  Mar- 
garet (Kelly)  O'Dwyer,  also  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  in  1865  emigrated  1  •  America  and  located  in 
Ren  !    mi. ,  wh«  1  pent  then  remain 

d.iv>.  In  less  than  a  \eu  alter  his  arrival,  the 
father,  whose  hearing  was  impaired,  was  walking 
along  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  track  when  a 
me  sliding  down  from  the  mountain  top 
upon  him  and  broke  one  of  his   legs,  and  other- 


wise   injured   him   so   that    he  died    eleven   d 
later.      His  wife  long  survived  him.  passing  away 
in    April,   1886.       She   left   three  children:    Will- 
iam;   Michael   D.,   a  merchant  of  Renovo;  and 
Catherine,  wife  of  Daniel  Hayes. 

The  opportunities  afforded  our  subject  for  ob- 
taining  an  education  were  very  limited,  and  on 
starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  worked  as  a 
common  laborer  in  his  native  land  until  1862, 
when  he  crossed   the   Atlantic   and    took   up    his 

lence  in  Renovo.  For  a  time  he  worked  on 
bridges,  in  mills,  or  at  anything  which  he  could 
find  to  do,  including  railroading,  but  in  1869  he 
embarked  in  the  coal  business  in  Renovo,  which 
he  successfully  followed  for  twenty  years.  In 
[872  he  also  started  a  store,  and  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  both  lines  of  business  until  1889,  when 
he  retired  to  private  life.  He  met  with  excel- 
lent success  in  his  operations,  and  he  was  of  an 
industrious,  economical  nature,  and  has  never 
v.t  had  occasion  to  regret  his  emigration  to 
America,  for  here  he  has  secured  a  good  home 
and  a  comfortable  competence  which  enable  him 
to  spend  his  declining  days  in  peace  and  quiet 

<  )n  February  J  5,  1  S79,  Mr.  O'Dwyer  was  joined 
in  wedlock  to  Miss  Susanna  McNamara,  also  a 
native  of  County  Clare,  Ireland,  and  a  daughter 
ol  Patrick  and  Bridget  (Birmingham  I  McNamara. 
The  mother  spent  her  entire  life  in  Ireland,  dying 
there  Dec  mber  22,  1S72,  but  the  father  later 
came  to  America,  where  his  death  occurred   N 

nber  24,  [890.  In  their  family  were  six  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mary,  wife  of 
1  Mulvihill;  Nora,  wife  of  Patrick  Henry  Duffy; 
Susanna,  wife  of  our  subject;  Anna,  wife  of  C. 
Mcllhenny,  a  resident  of  Philadelphia;  James,  of 
Renovo;  and  Bridget,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Nora 
Duffy  died  March  17,  1897.  Nine  children 
blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Dwyer,  but 
only  five  are  now  living.  In  order  of  birth  they 
were  as  follows:  Alice  Frances,  Charlotte  Ann, 
Lisnori,  Margaret  Mary  and  Agnes  Theresa. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
'  hurch,  and  in  politics  Mr.  O'Dwyer  is  an  ar- 
dent Democrat.  He  has  the  respect  and  esteem 
1  who  know  him,  and  has  made  many  friends 
in  his  adopt,  d  .  .  >untry. 


FRANK  HARVEY,  of  Renovo.  Clinton  coun- 
ty, is  th.'  possessor  of  a  handsome  property 
which  now  enables  him  to  spend  his  years  in  the 
pleasureable  enjoyment  of  his  accumulations. 
The  record  ..f  his  life  is  that  of  an  active,  en- 
terprising, methodical  and  sagacious  busin 
man,  who  bent  his  energies  to  the  honorable 
quirement    of    a    comfortable    competence    for 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


725 


himself  and  family.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at 
an  early  age,  and  without  capital  started  out  to 
overcome  the  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  the 
path  to  prosperity.  His  youthful  dreams  have 
been  realized,  and  in  their  happy  fulfillment  he 
sees  the  fitting  reward  of  his  earnest  toil. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  born  in  1 842,  in  Ireland,  a  son 
of  Richard  and  Mary  (McNeelus)  Harvey,  also  na- 
tives of  that  country,  where  the  mother  died  six 
weeks  after  the  birth  of  our  subject.  In  1849 
the  father  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Allegany  county,  Md., 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  he, 
too,  was  called  to  his  final  rest  in  1856.  Only 
two  sons  are  now  living:  James,  still  a  resident 
of  Maryland;   and  Frank,  of  this  review. 

To  a  limited  extent  Frank  Harvey  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Maryland,  but  the  terms 
were  short  and  the  teachers  very  incompetent. 
After  his  father's  death  he  became  a  driver  in 
the  mines,  and,  subsequently,  engaged  in  rail- 
roading until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
being  in  the  employ  of  the  Broadtop  Railroad 
Company.  The  superintendent  of  the  road,  J. 
J.  Lawrence,  organized  a  company  in  1862, 
which  Mr.  Harvey  joined,  it  becoming  Company 
F,  125th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Col.  Jacob  Higgins. 
For  nine  months  our  subject  was  in  active  serv- 
ice, and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  he,  with 
the  other  employees  of  the  road  which  formed 
the  company,  were  re-instated,  as  was  also  the 
superintendent.  In  1864,  when  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  transferred  to  the  Sunbury  &  Erie,  now  the 
Philadelphia  &  Erie  railroad,  he  took  with  him, 
among  other  employees,  Mr.  Harvey,  who  served 
as  engineer  on  that  road  until  December  31, 
1869,  when  he  retired  from  the  business.  He 
has  since  been  one  of  the  important  factors  in 
the  upbuilding  and  development  of  Renovo, 
being  prominently  connected  with  a  number  of 
its  leading  enterprises.  He  erected  the  "Ex- 
change Hotel,"  one  of  the  most  commodious 
hostelries  in  the  place,  and  also  built  the  water 
works. 

In  1867  Mr.  Harvey  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Kane, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  to  them  were  born  seven 
children,  of  whom  six  are  still  living:  Mary, 
now  the  wife  of  A.  P.  Hassett,  of  Johnsonburg, 
Penn. ;  John  F.,  who  married  M.  A.  Burgess, 
and  also  resides  in  Johnsonburg;  Nellie;  Thomas 
E.,  a  railroad  fireman;  Frank,  who  is  clerking  in 
a  store  in  Johnsonburg;  and  Charles  Pattison, 
who  is  attending  the  Renovo  High  School. 

Mr.  Harvey  and  his  family  are  all  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  he 
has  always  been  identified  with  the    Democratic 


party.  He  has  made  a  careful  study  of  political 
matters,  and  has  done  much  to  promote  his  party's 
interests  and  insure  its  success.  His  fellow-cit- 
izens, recognizing  his  worth  and  ability,  have 
called  upon  him  twice  to  serve  as  burgess  of  Re- 
novo, and  in  1885  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  as  post- 
master, and  was  later  re-appointed  for  a  full  term, 
creditably  serving  in  that  position  until  1890.  As 
a  contractor  he  has  been  interested  in  railroad 
work,  such  as  laying  tracks,  building  bridges, 
grading  etc.  Being  a  successful  man  of  business, 
his  ability  to  advise  what  is  best  for  the  general 
welfare  should  be  and  is  greater  than  that  of  an 
individual  whose  scope  is  more  limited.  He  has 
made  good  use  of  his  opportunities  throughout 
life,  and  is  still  vigorous  and  well  preserved,  with 
a  remarkable  faculty  for  the  conduct  and  dispatch 
of  business. 


w 


ILLIAM  SCOTT  HARRIS.  Of 
the  younger  men  of  Lock  Haven,  who 
have  come  to  the  front  in  the  business  circle  of 
that  enterprising  city,  Mr.  Harris  is  deserving  of 
mention. 

Jacob  G.  Harris,  his  father,  is  now  a  retired 
merchant  of  Lock  Haven,  a  man  held  in  high 
esteem  by  a  wide  circle  of  business  acquaint- 
ances with  whom  from  boyhood  he  has  had 
business  dealings,  and  by  the  many  friends  of  the 
family.  Jacob  G.  Harris  was  born  March  18, 
1 83 1,  in  Williamsport,  Penn.,  and  when  but  a 
boy  came  to  his  present  place  of  residence.  He 
was  married  in  1858,  to  Phcebe  A.,  daughter  of 
Edward  Shultz,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
February  2,  1S39,  at  Lebanon,  and  of  their 
children,  two  only  are  living,  namely:  William 
Scott  and  Elizabeth;  one — Sarah  S.  Harris — is 
deceased. 

William  Scott  Harris  was  born  October  5, 
1861,  and  received  his  primary  education  at  a 
private  school.  Later  he  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Lock  Haven.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  dropped  out  of  school  and  began  his 
business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  dry -goods  store 
of  his  father.  He  remained  so  occupied  until 
1893;  however,  in  1883,  he,  in  connection  with 
his  store  duties  became  interested  in  the  Lock 
Haven  Gas  Company,  and  since  1887,  when  the 
Electric  Light  Company  was  organized  by  the 
Gas  Company  and  the  two  consolidated,  he  has 
been  identified  with  it.  Since  1893  he  has  given 
all  of  his  time  to  the  interests  of  the  Gas,  Elec- 
tric &  Power  Company,  of  which  for  the  past 
three  years  he  has  been  the  efficient  manager. 
He  is  a  capable  business  man,  and  has  most  sue- 


WBATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cessfully  conducted   the  affairs   of  the    company 
as  well  as  his  ventures, 

cially  be  is  identified  with  the   B.  P.  0.  P..  and 
is  Past    Exalted   Ruler  of  the  B.  P.  0.  E.,  No 
182,   at  Lock  Haven.      In  politics  he   is  a  Re- 
publican,    and   active    and    influential    in    party 
irs      He  is  now   sen  ing  the 

school  board. 


JOHN  R.  THOMPSON.   To  a  student  of  biog- 
raphy there  is  nothing  more  interesting  than 
to  examine    the  life-history  of    a  self-n 
n,    and   to   deteel    thi  nts  of  character 

wli  bled  linn   to  pass  on  the  highway 

•naiiy  companions  of  his  youth  who  at  the 
■  set  of  ihi  rs  were  more  advantageously 

I  or   endowed.      The   subject  of  this  re- 
view has  through   his  own   exertions  attained  an 
and    marked   prestige  among 
th(  ntative  business  men  of  Clinton  coun- 

ty 

James  T.    Thompson,  his   father,  one  of  the 
well-known  and  highly-]  is  ol  Sal- 

ts born  April  50,  iSj(>,  on  the  old  home- 
Mackeyville,  in     Lamar    township, 
Clinton    county,    a     son     of    Moses     and    Hannah 
tts)  Thompson.      Among    his    first  teachers 
was  Jan  ins  opportun  ob- 

taining lucation  ware  limited  as  his  Si 

■n  the    home   farm   until  si 
years  "I   age.      He  then  began   learning 
the    miller's  trade    in  Mackeyville  under  David 
ml  during  Ins  thi'  tice- 

ship  received   no  compensation    for   his  servii 
pt  his  hoard.     Alter  mastering  the  trade,  he 
Mended  si  hool  for   a   short  time  in  Mack- 
lie,  and  subsequentl)  successful  lj  I  in 

■\  er  five  terms. 
On    April     24,   1856,  111     Lewisburg,    Penn., 
James  T.  Thompson   was  married  to  Miss  Han- 
nah  M.    Lemon,   who  was  born   December   18, 
1832,  in  New  Berlin,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Dan- 

ind  Catharine  (Thompson)  Lemon,  in  wh 
family    wen  □   children:     1  Ellen, 

Th  Sarah  J.,    1  -ydia,   I  lannah   M. .  and 

Mary.       The  father,  who    was  a  chair  maker  and 
furniture    manufacturer,    died   in   Williamspi 

n.,     at     a     ripe     old     agi  lid     also    bis 

wife,   and  the    remains    of  both    wi 
there.      In  the  famil)  ol  Mi   and  Mrs    l  hi im] 
were  the  following  Eliza  Ellen,  born 

April  18,  1858,  is   now  Mrs.  Edward   Burrell,  of 
I     ck  Haven;  John  R,  is  next   in   order  of  birth; 
Mary    Belle,  born   May  23,  r86i,  is  the    wil 
A    M     Reigel,    of    Salona;    Thomas    L.,    born 
March    14,  a   butcher  of  Lock   Haven; 


Samuel  W.,  born  August  iS,  1866,  died  Febru- 
ary 7,  1 S - 1 ;  Harry  A.,  born  October  3,  1K71, 
died  in  infancy;  and  Anna  G.,  born  August  18, 
rs  the  wife  of  Dr.  T.  C.  Conser,  of  Sun- 
bury,  Penn.  The  wife  and  mother,  who  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  was  called  to  her  final  rest  February  7, 
1890,  and  was  buried  at  Cedar  Hill. 

Alter  his  marriage  James  T.  Thompson  lo- 
cated in  Mackeyville,  where  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Rob- 
inson, until  r 858,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed 
to  Salona.  For  two  years  he  was  then  con- 
nected with  his  brother,  Solomon,  in  the  tanning 
business,  but  soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war  he  embarked  in  the  butchering  business  at 
Salona,  which  he  successfully  carried  on  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  gradually  retiring  after  our 
subject  became  interested  in  the  enterprise  until 
he  is  now  practically  living  retired.  Until  1889 
he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  in  that  year  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
Prohibition  party,  as  he  is  a  great  enemy  of  the 
liquor  traffic.  1  1  many  years  he  has  been  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
(  1  nirch.  He  is  now  living  in  Salon  a,  surrounded 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
who  appreciate  his  sterling  worth  and  many  ex- 
cellencies of  character. 

John  R.  Thompson  was  born  June  9,  1 
at  Salona,  and  in  its  public  schools  began  his 
literary  education  under  the  direction  of  Daniel 
H.  Hastings,  the  present  governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  regularly  attended  school  until  eight- 
een years  of  age,  thus  acquiring  a  good  practical 

ation,  and  it  is  his  opinion  that  the  govern- 
ment of  the  schools  at  that  day  was  much  better 
than  at  the  present  time.  For  one  year  he 
taught  school  in  Beech  Creek  township,  Clinton 
county,  receiving  $24  per  month. 

In  the  spring  of  [880  Mr.  Thompson  beg  in 
working  as  a  carriage-painter  for  \V.  J.  Eddy  & 
D    B.   Krape,  of   Salona,  at  fifty  cent  lay, 

but  at  the  end  of  two  months  his  wages  were  hi- 
ed   to  $1.50.      The   burning  of  the   factory 

ed   him   to  go  to  Howard,  Penn.,  where   (or 
two  years  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  (  ,    M    Quig- 
After  his  man  hi    visited  Illinois,  Iowa 

and  Missouri,  and  for  a  few  months  was  employed 
in  Quincy,  111.,  after  which  he  returned  to  Sa- 
lona, and  has  since  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
butcher  business,  buying  cattle,  which  he  slaugh- 
ready  lor  market  and  then  sells. 
Since  [886  he  has  successfully  engaged  in  this 
undertaking,  and  he  also  does  an  extensive  busi- 
ness as  a  shipper  and  seller  of  live  stock.  In  the 
sprii  ie  located  upon  his  present  farm 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


727 


in  Lamar  township,  Clinton  county,  known  as  a 
part  of  the  Nestlerode  farm,  which  at  one  time 
was  owned  by  James  Thompson,  a  brother  of 
our  subject's  great-grandfather.  It  comprises 
some  of  the  finest  land  to  be  found  in  Nittany 
Valley,  and  has  been  improved  by  him  until  it  is 
now  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable 
places  in  the  township.  His  elegant  modern 
residence  at  Salona  was  erected  in  1894,  and  the 
barns  and  other  outbuildings  have  been  remod- 
eled. Besides  his  place,  he  owns  property  in 
Lock  Haven,  a  number  of  houses  in  Salona,  a 
half  interest  in  several  valuable  timber  tracts  in 
Union  county,  and  adjoining  his  home  farm  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land,  a  portion  of  which  he 
has  laid  off  and  sold  into  town  lots,  which  have 
been  improved  with  good  houses.  Since  1892 
he  has  successfully  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
tobacco  in  connection  with  his  farming. 

In  January,  1886,  Mr.  Thompson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lottie  S.  Hyatt,  of  Lamar  township, 
Clinton  county,  who  was  born  in  Bradford  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  September  18,  1859,  a  daughter  of 
Eli  and  Emma  F.  (Herr)  Hyatt,  the  former  a 
native  of  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  of 
Salona,  Penn.  In  early  life  her  father  was  a 
farmer  and  insurance  agent,  and  later  engaged 
in  lumbering  and  in  the  manufacture  of  axes. 
He  died  in  Salona,  where  his  wife,  who  was  born 
March  15,  1835,  is  still  living.  In  their  family 
were  six  children,  namely:  George  T.,  also  a 
resident  of  Salona;  H.  Clinton,  a  shoe  dealer  of 
Lewisburg,  Penn. ;  Hattie  R.,  who  married  Elmer 
Jakway,  and  died  in  East  Smithfield,  Penn.;  Lot- 
tie S.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Anna,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  H.  Harris,  of  Tremont,  111. ;  and  Jennie, 
of  Salona.  The  father  of  these  children  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  while  living  in  Salona,  and  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Disciple  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  have  four  children,  whose  names  and 
dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Randolph  H.,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1886;  Clinton  T. ,  February  27,  1888; 
Helen  C,  April  4,  1890;  and  Emma  L. ,  March 
4,   1897. 

Since  casting  his  first  vote  for  James  A.  Gar- 
field, Mr.  Thompson  has  been  unwavering  in  his 
support  of  the  Republican  party,  but  he  has  al- 
ways refused  to  accept  office,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  undivided  attention  to  his  extensive 
business  interests.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member 
of  Olympic  Council  Royal  Arcanum,  No.  932, 
at  Lock  Haven.  In  business  affairs  he  is  ener- 
getic, prompt  and  notably  reliable.  Tireless  en- 
ergy, keen  perception,  honesty  of  purpose,  a 
genius  for  devising  and  executing  the  right  thing 
at  the  right  time,   joined  to  every-day  common 


sense,  guided  by  resistless  will  power,  are  the 
chief  characteristics  of  the  man,  and  have  been 
the  important  factors  in  his  wonderful  success. 
In  advancing  his  own  interests  he  has  also  ma- 
terially promoted  the  prosperity  of  his  commu- 
nity by  giving  employment  to  a  number  of  men, 
especially  in  the  dull  seasons.  Thus  as  a  public- 
spirited,  progressive  citizen  he  justly  deserves  the 
success  that  he  has  achieved,  and  is  entitled  to 
the  respect  and  confidence  that  is  everywhere 
accorded  him. 


JOHN    P.    ANTHONY,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county,  is  now  serving 

his  second  term  as  alderman  from  the  First 
ward  of  that  city,  and  his  popularity  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  he  has  twice  overcome  a  large  Re- 
publican majority  in  his  ward  without  sacrificing 
his  stanch  Democratic  principles.  His  influence  is 
by  no  means  confined  to  municipal  affairs,  how- 
ever, as  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  county 
politics,  and  at  one  time  held  the  office  of  county 
auditor. 

The  Anthony  family  originated  in  France, 
and  Philip  Anthony,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  that  country,  and  came  to  this  country  in 
early  manhood  as  one  of  the  "  Ole  Bull  "  settlers. 
He  was  for  many  years  a  leading  merchant-tailor 
of  Lock  Haven,  and  is  now  living  in  that  city  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Philbena  Baseharp,  and  of  their  two 
living  sons  our  subject  is  the  elder.  The  young- 
er, L.  H.  Anthony,  is  engaged  in  business  as  a 
merchant-tailor  at  Lock  Haven. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1852, 
at  Jersey  Shore,  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  but 
was  reared  in  Lock  Haven,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  elementary  branches  in  the  public 
schools,  as  one  of  the  first  pupils  of  Dr.  A.  N. 
Robb.  Later  he  pursued  higher  lines  of  study 
at  the  Central  State  Normal  School  in  the  same 
city,  and  at  the  Central  Pennsylvania  College  at 
New  Berlin,  where  he  spent  two  years.  In  1880 
he  took  charge  of  the  First  Ward  School  in  Lock 
Haven,  and  held  the  position  until  1891,  his  abil- 
ity as  a  teacher  winning  wide  recognition.  In 
1 89 1  his  name  was  presented  as  a  reform  candi- 
date for  alderman,  and,  having  the  confidence  of 
the  best  people  of  all  parties,  he  was  elected. 
So  well  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  the  post 
that  he  was  re-elected  in  1896  for  another  term. 
He  is  a  firm  opponent  of  monopoliesof  all  kinds, 
and  has  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  since  he  was  old  enough  to  have 
opinions  of  his  own. 

In  1877  he  was   married  to  Miss  Snyder,   a 


728 


VMBMORA  TIVI-:  BIOORAPffTCAL  RECORD. 


daughter  of  John  Snyder,  tit  "f  tin 

■  •ml  .)l  Nittany  Valli  \  «  >ur  subject  is  a  member 
<>f  \..iri*.ii—  orders,  including  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle,  th<    '     i  I  A.,  and  the  I.  O. 

<i    I    .  in  which  hi  I      i  •  .rand  and  Pasl  ( )hiei 

Pati  i.i n  h  ..I  th(    1  Encampment . 


ILLIAM    li     (  ii;\l  R,   a   prosp.  i  ms  and 
influential  farmi  tow  nship, 

Clinton  county,  was  born  there  November  16, 
1847,  liis  birth  occurring  on  the  farm  which  lias 
now  been  in  I  ily  for  ovei  eight)  \. 

Ilis  grandfather,  [ohn  Orner,  a  nativi  I 
Northampton  county,  Penn.,  was  the  first  of  the 
familj  I  i"   Clinton  county,  and 

first  in  Nittan)  Valli  \       He  bo  ill  tract 

ol  land  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  of  which  only  a 

few  acres  had   been  cleared.      A  st imason  by 

tde,  he  worked  at  that  occupation  during 
I'H  11,    while    his    family  engaged  in  the 

further  development  ami  cultivation  "I  the  farm. 
I'   ii'  hi   and  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 

Elizabeth  Paul,  died  upon  that  place,  and  now 
sleep  in  Brown  cemetery,   Bald  l  iwnship. 

Their  children  wen  >ws:      Elizabeth, 

who  married  Jonathan  Daughenbaugh,  and  died 
hi    Eagleville,    Centi     I  Penn.;    Susan,    who 

married  John    Bitt  I  died   in  Beech  < 

Clinton  county;  Mary,  who  wedded  Andrew  Smith. 
and  died  in    I  Ci  eek;  Yanne,   who  married 

William  B  township; 

John,    Who  died   ill  Jell  Ullty.    l'ellll.  . 

ibald  A.,  who  was  ind  died  in 

Bald  Eagle  township,  August  11.   1873,  bei 
invalid  for  twenty  years  before  his  death;   Levi, 
«  hi  1  died  in  Iowa  ;  Margaret,  who  mat  ried  I 
Myers,    ind  died    m    Bald  township;  and 

I       ib,  the  lather  of  our  subji 

|acob  Ornei    I       .       tgi    I     I  1  hi    I  imily,  was 
born   June    1  |,   [824,   on  the  old  home  farm  in 
Bald  Eagle  township,  received  only  a  n 
ucation,  and   was   the  only  one  ol   the  sons  that 
did  not  learn  a  trade      «  >  ning  to  man's 

tat  ■  he  man  ied   I  li  abeth    I  r,   who  was 

born  (  ><  tober  1,  1822,  in  Middletown,  Penn.,  the 

\dam     I  r,   and  ti 

housekeeping  on  the    Ornei    homestead,    where 
remained  for  four  yeai  i       l  he  I 

tented  the  John   I  lai  le)  man    farm    in    I 

town  ihip  foi  five  yeai  ;,  and  then  re ved  to  the 

farm  now  owned  and  occupied  1>>  our  subject, 
purchasing  the  same  of  Eli    B     I  In 

1853  he  built  a  log  house,  which  is  still  standing, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1  the  plai  e, 

making  it  Ins  home  until  1878,  when  he  removed 
to  another  farm  in  the  same  township,  where  lu> 


curred  in  1SS5.  Ilis  wife  was  called  to 
her  final  rest  in  [888,  and  both  were  buried  in 
Allen    a  Bald   I  ti  iwnship.     They 

mbers  of  the  Christian  Church, 
in  which  he  is  elder  for  many  years,    and 

in  politii  tarn  h  1  democrat.      He  sto.nl 

five  feet,  eleven  inches  in  his  stocking  feet, 
weighed  from  [90  to  196  pounds,  was  hearty  and 
robust,    being  seldom   ill.      Alth  mgh    he    started 

m  life  for  himself  in  limited  circumstano 

he  si  I  ulating  a  comfortab 

petence,  and  also  gained  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

nd  Elizabeth  (Kessinger)  Orner  had  a 
family  of  nine  children:      Mary  P.,  born   Decem- 

50,  1845,  is  tin-  wife  of  Samuel  Achtiff,  of 
I  I.  IIa\eii.  Penn.;  William  II.,  our  subject,  is 
next  in  order  ol  birth;  Margaret  I...  born  April 
[3,  1850,  is  now  Mrs.  Robert  Lannen,  of  Lock 
Haven;  Elizabeth  M.,  born  April  2,  1852,  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  Chambers,  of  Mill  Hall,  Clinton 
county;  Sarah    A.,  born    August    2,     1854,    is   the 

of  William  Reeder,  ol  Lock  Haven;  George 
I'..,  born  November  1.   1S56,  is  a  resident  of  Bald 

;le  township;  Emily  C,  bom  August  28,  1  8 
makes    her  home   in    Lock    Haven;   Charles    I 
born    May    10,    [862,   is   a    farmer    of    Laid    Eagle 
township;  and  Bertha  I.,  born  December  7,  1864, 
is  the  wife  ol   Green    B.   Shearer,    ol  Cameron 
county,   Pennsylvania. 

In  the  Plunkett's  Run  school,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  I.  S.  Marshall,  William  H.  Orner  began 
his  literary  education,  and  afterward  only  at- 
led  lor  four  months  during  the  winter  season, 
when  work  upon  the  farm  was  practicall)  over. 
The  schools  were  of  the  most  primitive  charac- 
ter, and  our  subject  learned  to  write  with  a  quill 
pen.  He  continued  to  assist  in  the  labors  ol  the 
home  (arm  during  the  summer,  and  at  the  age  ol 
eighteen  began  working  as  an  employe  in  the  lum- 
ber woods,  but  four  years  later  embarked  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  as  a  lumberman.  From 
that  time  until  he  had  attained  th  i   twen- 

ty-eight h  :  |>i,6oo,  often  spending  as  much 

as  ten   n  mt  of  thi  :    in    the    lumber 

ps.      While  ei  I  in  log  driving  he  experi- 

I  all  thi  id  privations  of  such  a 

life,  but  met  with  excellent  success  in  his  labors. 

At   '  ol  twenty-eight,    Mr.   Orner  was 

married  to   Miss  Lydia  J.    Bitner,   a    native    of 

1  Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  a  daugh- 
ter  of    Abraham   Bitner,   and   in  that  township 

made  their  home  for  two  years,  while  he 

1  hi  lumbei  ing.      From  his  father  he  then 

rented  his  present  farm   for  four  years,  and  pur- 

•   1  having  the   aid,  in 
doing,  ol  a  portion  ol  Mrs.  Orner's  legacy,  which 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


729 


she  received  from  her  parents),  since  which  time 
he  has  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  with  results  which  cannot  fail  to  prove 
satisfactory.  He  has  ioo  acres  of  fertile  and 
productive  land,  on  which  he  erected  an  elegant 
residence  in  1895,  it  being  a  model  of  conven- 
ience and  one  of  the  best  homes  in  Bald  Eagle 
township.  In  connection  with  general  farming 
he  raises  thoroughbred  Chester- White  hogs,  and 
all  the  stock  upon  his  place  is  of  a  good  grade. 
Skillful  and  systematic  in  his  work,  his  success 
has  been  worthily  achieved,  and  he  is  to-day 
ranked  among  the  substantial,  progressive  and 
reliable  business  men  of  his  township. 

To  our  subject  and  his  wife  were  born  seven 
children:  Alma,  Stella,  Olive,  Lawrence  T. , 
Etta  and  Bessie  (twins),  and  Raymond  P.,  all  of 
whom  are  still  living  with  the  exception  of  Bes- 
sie. The  parents  hold  membership  in  the  Church 
of  Christ,  and  in  social  circles  occupy  an  enviable 
position,  their  true  worth  and  many  excellencies 
of  character  being  duly  appreciated.  At  State 
and  National  elections,  Mr.  Orner  always  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party,  but  at  local  elections 
where  no  issue  is  involved  he  votes  for  the  man 
whom  he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  posi- 
tion. For  six  years  he  served  as  auditor  of  his 
township  and  declined  a  re-election. 


J  J.  WENTZEL,  Esq.,  a  well-known  mer- 
chant-tailor of  Renovo,  was  born  in  1850,  in 
Northumberland  county,  Penn. ,  a  son  of  Elias 
and  Rachel  (Geise)  Wentzel,  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  have  spent  their  entire 
lives.  Throughout  his  active  business  career  the 
father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  for 
the  past  ten  years  has  lived  in  retirement,  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  his  former  toil.  He  has  now 
reached  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  while  his  wife 
is  seventy-five,  and  they  make  their  home  in 
Snyder  county,  where  they  are  surrounded  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  who  es- 
teem them  highly  for  their  sterling  worth.  They 
have  eight  children,  as  follows:  Louisa,  wife  of 
Jonathan  Spangler;  J.  J.,  of  this  sketch;  Kate, 
wife  of  Andrew  Deal,  of  Elkhart,  Ind. ;  Mary, 
also  a  resident  of  Elkhart;  Sarah,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Witmer;  Rachel,  wife  of  Dr.  Krebs.  of 
Northumberland  county;  David,  a  resident  of 
Nebraska;  and  George  N.,  who  lives  on  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Snyder  county. 

When  a  child  of  eight  years,  J.  J.  Wentzel 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Snyder  county,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a 
farm,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county  he 
obtained  his  elementary  education.      Later  heat- 


tended  the  Freeburg  Academy  for  a  year  and  a 
half,  and  one  winter  taught  school  in  Snyder 
county,  another  winter  in  Dauphin  county,  and 
one  year  had  charge  of  the  high  school  in  Gratz- 
town,   Pennsylvania. 

At  the  age  of  twenty,  Mr.  Wentzel  left  the 
parental  roof,  and  for  five  years  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising. Later  he  followed  merchant-tailor- 
ing, and  was  also  agent  for  sewing-machines  and 
organs  at  Selins  Grove,  whence  he  removed  to 
Shamokin,  where  he  also  engaged  in  merchant 
tailoring  for  nine  years.  Since  1886  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Renovo,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
tailors  of  the  place  as  well  as  one  of  its  repre- 
sentative and  highly  respected  citizens. 

Mr.  Wentzel  was  married,  in  1S73,  to  Miss 
Mary  L. ,  daughter  of  Samuel  Faust,  of  Selins 
Grove,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children: 
Samuel  F. ,  Katie  R.  (Mrs.  Chauncey  D.  Saltzman), 
Mary  Lidia  (deceased);  and  Guy  E.  The  parents 
are  sincere  and  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Wentzel  is  now 
serving  as  steward.  In  his  political  affiliations  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  has  ever  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  interests  of  his  party.  He  served  as  as- 
sistant postmaster  while  a  resident  of  Salem, 
Snyder  county,  and  was  postmater  at  Dry  Valley 
Cross  Roads,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  which  office  he 
established.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  a  prompt  and  efficient  manner.  In  No- 
vember, 1890,  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the 
peace,  by  the  Governor,  for  Renovo,  and  held  that 
office  for  a  year  and  a  half.  In  1896  he  was 
elected  to  the  same  position,  which  he  is  now 
filling  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  community,  his  decisions  being 
always  fair  and  impartial. 


MENRY  J.  EMORY  was  born  August  8,  1840, 
in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county, 
where  he  now  follows  farming  and  tobacco  raising. 
From  the  North  of  Ireland  came  the  first 
American  ancestors  of  the  family.  Henry  Em- 
ery, who  spelled  the  name  with  an  e,  was  born  in 
Buffalo  Valley  (now  a  part  of  Union  county), 
June  23,  1789,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  when 
a  young  man  removed  to  Linden,  Lycoming 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  and 
followed  farming  until  within  a  few  years  of  his 
death.  Some  time  before  he  died  he  bought  a 
home  on  the  public  road  near  Linden,  where  he 
lived  retired,  departing  this  life  November  20, 
1872.  He  was  an  industrious,  energetic  man, 
upright  in  his  dealing,  well-known  and  respected 
by  all.  His  political  adherence  was  transferred 
from  the  Whig  to  the   Republican  party,  and  he 


VMBMORA  T1VK  BIOGRAPHICAL  UE< DRD. 


and  his  family  were  leading  Methodists,  their 
home   being   the  pla  ntertainment  for  all 

ministi  rs  "I  that  denomination. 

Henry  Emery  was  married  January  i.  [812, 

-virah  Horn,  who  was  born  October  21 
Thi  :   ten  children:  Jacob  F. 

was  born  October  22,  1S12;  Elizabeth,  bom  Di 
:  28,  1813,  died  February  12,  t892;Nancy, 
rn  October  2,  18 1 5,  married  Mar-hall  Hughes, 
who  died  in  Wisconsin  December  10,  1877,  and 
her  death  occurred  in  that  State  August  13,  \- 
Margaret,  born  Septembei  29,  1817,  became  the 
wife  of  William  Marshall,  and  died  near  Linden, 
Penn. ;  Mary,  born  August  [8,  1819,  married 
Abram    Williamson,    "1    Wi  tharine, 

11  July  26,  1822,  is  the  widow  of  Robert  Mar- 
tin. "I  Lycoming  county,  Penn.;  John  B. ,  a  sad- 
dler, b  irn  August  4.   1827,  died  in  Kansas,  Janu- 
1  [1  my.  born  March  3,    1  ides 

nn  the  eld  homestead;  Sarah,  born  May  14,  1832, 
died  August  27.  1856;  Rachel  A.,  born  May  17, 
1835,    man  th,   of   Linden,  and 

i  :n  May,  1897.  The  mother  of  this  family, 
who  was  a  consist!  nt  Methodist,  died  November 
1.  1 

Jacob  F,  Emory,  a  native  oi  Linden,  received 

immon-school  education,  and  remained  on  his 
lathers  (arm  until   184O,   when  he   lo(  the 

Samuel   Thomas   farm   of    too  acres   in   Clinton 

nt)       lb  made  excellent  improvements  there, 
remodeled  the  dwelling,  built  a  good  bam,  and 
was  extensivel)  engaged  in  stock  raising,  alw 
keeping  fine   horses       He   sp 

fifty  years  ol   his  life  as  a  respected   farmer  and 
I    Pini     1  nek   township,  and    died    Sep- 
•1      In    :  he    \\.i>    first    a 

Whig  and  afterward   a    R<  publican,  i  all 

the  tow  nshi]  that  ol  justii  e  ol   thi 

e.      I  le  was  industrious,   temperate,   hon 
able  in  all  things,   and    daily  made    a  studs'  of  his 
Bibl 

<  In  ( )(  tobei  1 ,-.  1  •  9  l(  Linden  Spi  ings,  Penn., 
Mi  i        Emoi  ■■    was  man  Rebecca 

Martin,  who  was  born   Ma)  5,   1817  iter 

Alexander  and   Sarah   Alien    Martin,   both  ol 
whom  were  ol  Scotch-Irish  de-cent.      Her  death 
occurred    September   6,    t88o,      Both    Mi 
Mrs     Emor)    wen    consistent    members   of   the 
M.  thi  id  hi  In  11  family  numbered  n 

children;    Henry    J,   1-  oui   subject;  Sarah   I 
1"  1  u  June  2  j,  1 842,   was  m  570, 

to   Hugh    F.    Allen.  Mar)    I  -  . 

rn  April  7,   1S44,  became  the  wile  .4  Anthi 
1      Pepperman,   ol   Lock    Haven,    February 

11    A. ,  born   June   1 ,    1 N40,  died     |une 

10,   1870;  Rebecca  J.,  born  February  9,   iS;o,  is 

■■  i'     1  fames  Shaw,  ol  Pine  Creek  township, 


Clinton  county;  Geor-e  Winfield,  born  July  19, 
2.  wedded  Mary  Bunnell,  of  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, by  whom  he  has  five  children;  Clara  A., 
born  April  30,  iS;;,  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Bunnell ; 
and  Margaret  E.,  born  March  2,  1 848,  is  the  wife 
of  Joseph  ).  McGuire,  of  Wayne  township,  Clin- 
ton county. 

Henry  J.  Emory  started  out  in  life  for  himself 
empty-handed,  and  to-day  he  is  classed  among 
the  substantial  farmers  and  most  enterpn- 
citizens  of  Pine  Creek  township.  His  advan- 
tages were  very  meagre  but  he  made  the  most  of 
his  opportunities,  and  determined  purpose  has 
enabled  him  to  reach  the  goal  of  prosperity.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship and  spent  the  lirst  twenty  years  of  his  life 
on  the  homestead.  In  1S67,  in  connection  with 
his  father,  he  purchased  119  acres  of  the  old 
Harris  farm  in  Line  Creek  township,  which  he 
operated  for  rive  years,  making  excellent  im- 
provements thereon.  He  afterward  purchased 
the  Carman  homestead.  He  had  little  capital 
when  he  started  out  in  life,  but  by  raiting  on  the 
river  he  managed  to  save  $  1,000  with  which  he 
made  the  first  payment  on  the  farm  March  12, 
1872.  His  economy  and  industry  soon  enabled 
him  to  clear  the  place  of  all  indebtedness,  and  he 
now  has  ninety-two  acres  of  rich  land,  largely 
planted  to  tobacco.  In  this  industry  he  has  been 
very  successful.  He  built  three  tobacco  sheds 
75 x  24  feet,  and  two  sheds  50x25,  and  his  capa- 
ble man  I  of  his  interests  has  bought  to 
him  good  financial  returns.  He  also  own-  two 
dwellings  in  [ersey  Shore,  and  a  good  farm  in 
Porter  township,  Lycoming  county. 

On  July  2,  1867,  in  the  home  where  they 
now  reside,  by  Rev.  Winton,  a  Lutheran  minis- 
ter, Mr.  Emory  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah 
;e  Gar  man,  who  was  born  August  14.  1841, 
a  daughter  1  >t  Henry  and  Hannah  (Groffj  Garman. 
Hi  lather  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Penn., 
August  4.  1807,  and  on  coming  to  central  Penn- 
sylvania purchased  the  old  Lay  farm  of  200 
m  Pine  (  reek  township,  Clinton  county. 
Here.  111  1840,  he  built  one  of  the  first  brick 
houses  in  the  township,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.      !  1 

built  barns   and   made  other  substantial  im- 
pro\  1  continued  active   farming  until 

1S72,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  In  1874 
he  removed  to  Jersey  Shore,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1  Soil,  his  remains  bein^  interred  in  the 
Jersey  Shore  cemetery.  He  was  married  in 
Lancaster  county  to  Hannah  Groff,  a  nativi 
that  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Groff.  She 
died  at  the  old  homestead  in  1S72.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs  Garman  were  active  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  served   as  elder. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


731 


He  was  a  worker  in  the  temperance  cause,  a 
student  of  the  Bible,  and  an  honorable,  upright 
man,  whose  influence  was  ever  on  the  side  of  the 
good.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  of  Pine  Creek  township.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Garman  had  children:  David,  a  re- 
tired merchant  of  Jersey  Shore,  married  Maria 
Knepley,  and  has  one  child,  William;  Jacob, 
who  married  Sarah  Good,  and  had  one  child; 
Mamie,  died  in  Chester  county,  Penn.,  at  the 
age  of  forty;  Rebecca  resides  in  Jersey  Shore; 
Mrs.  Emory  is  the  next  of  the  family;  Mary  C. 
died  in  infancy;  and  Henry,  a  jeweler  of  Coats- 
ville,  Chester  county,  married  Jennie  Scott,  and 
has  one  child,  Edgar. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  J.  Emory  have  two  chil- 
dren: (i)  Carrie  V.,  born  April  17,  1868,  who 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  mar- 
ried September  19,  1888,  to  Harvey  J.  Betts,  a 
farmer  of  Porter  township,  Lycoming  county,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children — Grace  E.,  born 
September  21,  1889;  and  Charles  H.,  born  June 
21,  1896.  (2)  Charles  A.,  born  January  16, 
1 87 1,  attended  the  schools  of  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship and  the  high  school  of  Jersey  Shore,  and  is 
now  engaged  in  tobacco  raising  on  the  home 
farm.  He  was  married,  in  February,  1897,  t0 
Barrie  H.,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Rebecca 
(Kline)  Earon,  of  Pine  Creek  township.  Mr. 
Emory  is  an  elder  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  and  a  man  whose 
upright  life  and  fidelity  to  principle  commends 
him  to  the  confidence  and  regard  of  all.  Tem- 
perate, industrious,  true  to  every  trust,  his  circle 
of  friends  is  very  extensive,  and  his  example  is 
most  worthy  of  emulation. 


OuRRIN  HARVEY  ROSSER,  M.  D.  In  com- 
_Ji  parison  of  the  relative  value  to  mankind  of 
the  various  professions  and  pursuits,  it  is  widely 
recognized  that  none  is  so  important  as  the  med- 
ical profession.  From  the  cradle  to  the  grave 
human  destiny  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  the 
physician.  One  of  the  ablest  representatives  of 
this  noble  calling  in  Clinton  county  is  Dr.  Rosser, 
of  Renovo. 

The  Doctor  is  a  native  of  the  county,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Lock  Haven,  March  6, 
1866,  and  he  is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Hen- 
rietta Catherine  (Reither)  Rosser,  who  are  now 
residents  of  Mill  Hall.  The  mother  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  but  the  father  was  born  in  Tioga 
county,  Penn.,  in  1840,  though  his  father  was  a 
native  of  Wales.  When  only  seven  years  old 
William  H.  Rosser  was  brought  to  Clinton  coun- 
ty,  where   he    has  since   made   his   home.      For 


many  years  he  followed  carriage  making  and 
blacksmithing,  but  is  now  living  practically  re- 
tired. In  answer  to  his  country's  call  for  aid 
during  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  C,  52d  P.  V.  I.,  but  at  the  end  of  a 
year  was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of  lung 
trouble.  He  is  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
and  honored  citizens  of  Mill  Hall,  where  he  is 
now  acceptably  serving  his  fifth  term  as  justice 
of  the  peace.  The  Doctor  has  two  brothers, 
George  McClellan  and  Jesse  B.,  of  Mill  Hall. 

Our  subject  attended  the  common  schools  un- 
til thirteen  years  of  age,  and  in  1882  entered  the 
Normal,  at  Lock  Haven,  where  he  was  graduat- 
ed in  June  of  the  following  year.  During  the 
next  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  axe  busi- 
ness for  his  father,  but  spent  his  leisure  hours  in 
studying  medicine  with  Dr.  W.  J.  Shoemaker,  of 
Lock  Haven.  In  September,  1887,  he  matricu- 
lated at  the  Medico-Chirurgical  College  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  graduated  from  that  institution 
April  10,  1890.  He  at  once  opened  an  office  in 
Vanderbilt,  Fayette  Co.,  Penn.,  but  in  May, 
1 89 1,  came  to  Renovo,  where  he  soon  built  up  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice,  which  he  to-day  en- 
joys. He  is  a  progressive  member  of  the  pro- 
fession, who  keeps  abreast  of  the  latest  discover- 
ies and  theories  by  his  perusals  of  medical  jour- 
nals. His  skill  and  ability  are  attested  by  the 
liberal  patronage  he  enjoys,  and  which  ranks  him 
as  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  county. 

On  April  17,  1890,  Dr.  Rosser  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Nettie  E.  Welsh,  a  daughter 
of  Nathan  Welsh,  of  Lock  Haven.  Politically, 
the  Doctor  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  par- 
ty, and,  fraternally,  is  a  member  of  the  Renovo 
Lodge  No.  595,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Dexter  En- 
campment No.  163.  He  is  an  honored  member 
of  the  Clinton  County  Medical  Society,  and  also 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  and,  in  so- 
cial as  well  as  professional  circles,  he  stands  de- 
servedly high. 


CS.HARLES  H.  KLINEFELTER,  now  serving 
^J  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Chapman  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  is  a  prominent  general 
merchant  of  North  Bend,  Clinton  county.  Com- 
paratively few  men  can  attain  to  the  highest 
offices  in  civil  or  military  life,  but  commerce 
offers  a  broad  and  almost  limitless  field  in  which 
one  can  exercise  his  powers  unrestrained,  and 
gain  a  leadership  as  the  head  of  a  chosen  calling. 
In  the  life  of  our  subject  we  learn  that  the  quali- 
fications necessary  for  success  are  a  high  ambi- 
tion and  a  resolute,  honorable  purpose  to  reach 
the  exalted  standard  that  has  been  set  up.      From 


VMBMORA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  age  of  twelve  years    he    has   been  dependent 
ii  his  own  res 

Mr.  Klinefelter  was  !»>rn  March  18,  1862,  in 
Madisonburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn..  and  is  a  grand- 
son of  Peter  Klinefelter,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in 
Y<>rk  county,  Penn.,  of  German  descent,  and 
there  followed  farming  until  coming,  when  a 
ing  man,  to  central  Pennsylvania.  He  pur- 
chase'! a  farm  of  i-5  acres  mar  Madisonburg.  in 
Centre  county,  on  which  he  made  man}-  useful 
and  valuable  improvements,  and  successfully 
;aged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  He  died 
at  Madisonburg  in  1872,  and  was  buried  there. 
He  was  a  nt    member  of  the  Lutheran 

Church,  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  was 
widely  and  favorably  known.  He  married  and 
had  several  children. 

Peter  Klinefelter,  "ur  subject's   father,  « 
native  1, 1   Madisonburg,  and  acquired  a  fair  edu- 
cation in  both  German  and   English,  such  as  the 
public   schools  of    the    day    afforded.      He    made 
fan  principal  occupation,  and   spent   his 

entire  life  upon  his  father's  place,  where  he  died 
in  1X74,  being  laid  to  rest  in  the  Lutheran  ceme- 
teiv  at  Madisonburg.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  ami  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
which  he  always  supported  by  his  ballot,  he  was 
elected  to  several  township  offices  of  honor  and 
trust  in  Miles  township.  Centre  county.  In  Re- 
bersburg,  that  county,  he  married  Elvina  Sinull. 
that  place,  and  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Smull,  .1  tanner,  who  was  of  German  descent. 
I  hildren  blessed  this  union:     One  who  d 

in  infancy;  Jane,  wife  ol  [ohn  Stiver,  of  Fl< 
ington,  Clinton  county;  Luther,  who  died  at  the 
of  thirty;  Tyrus,  a  resident  of  Nippenose 
Valley,  Lycoming  Co..  Penn. ;  and  Charles  H. 
Alter  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  the  mother 
married  William  Bierley,  ol  Rebersburg,  wl 
they  are  still  living. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Centre  county  the 
subject  of  this  -ketch  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation, which  was   supplemented  by  a  o 

Is  in  Rebersburg  and  in  the  Eastman 
•liege  of  Poughkeepsie,  N  Y.  His 
father  dying  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  Clinton  count}  to  live  with  an  uncle,  T. 
J  smull.  a  merchant  ol  Mackeyville,  with  whom 
lu  remained  for  three  years,  clerking  in  the  store 
and  attending  school.  He  then  returned  to 
lersburg,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  in  a 
private  school,  as  previously  stated,  and  lived 
there  for  several  years.    Attheagi  ol  u  he 

taught    his    first    school    in    Woodward.     Centre 
county,  and  successfully  followed  that  profession 
(or  four  terms   m    Nippenose   Valley,  in  Reb< 
burg,  and  in  Dodge  City.  Kansas. 


;  a  year  and  a  half  Mr.  Klinefelter  clerked 
in  the  store  of  L.  Putt,  in  Renovo,  Penn.,  and  in 

4  went  to  Newton,  Kans. ,  where  he  was 
similarly  employed  for  the  same  length  of  time. 
In  that  State  he  pre-empted  160  acres  of  land, 
which  he  still  retains,  and  during  the  great  boom 
of  that  section  he  successfully  engaged  in  the 
real  ml  loan  business  until  1889.    Return- 

ing to  his  native  State.  Mr.  Klinefelter  located  in 
Clearfield  county,  where  he  engaged  in  clerking, 
and  also  became  manager  of  a  coal  companv  s 
store,  remaining  there  until  1894,  when  he  came 
to  North  Bend  and  bought  the  Webster  property. 
Here  he  has  since  successfully  engaged  in  general 
merchandising,  and  is  numbered  among  its  wide- 
awake  and  enterprising  business  men.  For  three 
years  he  also  conducted  a  store  at  Gleasonton, 
but  sold  out  in  the  spring  of  1897. 

In  1889,  in  Lock  Haven,  Mr.  Klinefelter  was 
married  to  Mi--  Stella  Webster,  a  native  of 
Wayne  county,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  H.  M. 
Webster,  a  real-estate  broker,  who  was  of  Lng- 
lish  descent.  On  the  Republican  ticket,  Mr. 
Klinefelter  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of 
Chapman  township,  in  1S94.  and  is  now  accept- 
ably serving  in  that  office,  having  married  one 
couple  and  tried  many  cases,  none  of  which  have 
been  appealed  to  the  higher  courts,  so  fair  and 
impartial  is  he  in  his  decisions.  Socially,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and,  religiously,  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members    of    the    Lutheran    Church.      Two 

: liters  have  been  born  to  them:  Erma  and 
Mildred. 


SAMUEL]  [SENHOWER.  Among  the  rep- 
resentative and  enterprising  farmers  of  Green 
township,  Clinton  county,  there  is  perhaps  none 
that  is  looked  upon  with  more  respect  than  Mr. 
iihovver,  who  was  born  March  17,  1848,  in 
the  same  township.  Henry  Eisenhower,  his 
grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Lebanon  county. 
Penn.,  a  farmer  and  weaver  by  occupation,  and 
a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  was  three  times 
married,  and  spent  his  last  days  m  Indiana. 

Daniel  Eisenhower,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
horn  on  January  27,  1813,  in  Lebanon  county. 
near  the  city  of  Lebanon,  and  attended  the  sub- 
s<  ription  schools  of  the  locality.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  in  his  native  county  until  1835,  when 
tme  to  central  Penns)  Ivania  and  took  up  his 
lence  in  White  Deer.  Lycoming  county, 
where  for  thirteen  years  he  worked  at  his  trade 
and  also  at  other  employments.  For  a  short 
time  after  coming  to  Sugar  Valley,  in  1848,  he 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


733 


continued  to  follow  tailoring,  and  then  purchased 
100  acres  of  land,  to  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  which  he  devoted  his  energies  un- 
til 1888,  when  he  sold  out,  and  is  now  living 
retired,  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest,  though  he 
is  not  entirely  idle,  being  too  energetic  for  that. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  a  consistent  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  is 
an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Republican  party. 

In  1836,  at  White  Deer,  Daniel  Eisenhower 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Leah  Lutz,  a 
native  of  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Lutz,  a  farmer  of  that  county. 
Nine  children  were  born  to  them:  William,  who 
died  while  in  the  army;  Henry,  a  resident  of 
West  Point,  Clinton  county;  John,  also  of  Clin- 
ton county;  Samuel,  of  this  sketch;  Cornelius,  of 
Reedsville,  Mifflin  county;  Margaret,  wife  of 
William  Miller,  of  Illinois;  Sarah,  widow  of  Ed- 
ward Shafer;  and  two  who  died  in  childhood. 
The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  the  world 
beyond  in  1884,  and  was  buried  in  Pleasant  Hill 
cemetery.  Four  years  later  the  father  was  again 
married,  in  Green  township,  his  second  union 
being  with  Barbara  A.  Citherman,  who  was  born 
December  31,  1828,  in  Union  county,  Penn., 
and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Eisen- 
hower was  the  widow  of  Andrew  Cornman.  Her 
father  was  David  Citherman,  a  farmer  of  Union 
county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  conducted  in  an  old  log  school  house 
at  Pleasant  Hill,  and  taught  by  Mr.  Watson  and 
afterward  by  Mr.  Bitner,  for  only  three  months 
during  the  winter  until  thirteen  years  of  age, 
when  his  school  days  were  over.  He  has  ever 
been  a  close  student,  however,  and  by  reading 
and  observation  has  become  a  well-informed 
man,  well  posted  on  all  topics  of  general  interest. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  Mr.  Eisenhower  left 
home  and  was  employed  by  the  farmers  of  Lamar 
township,  Clinton  county,  for  four  years,  receiv- 
ing about  $12  per  month.  In  1865,  as  a  chop- 
per, he  began  cutting  logs  in  the  woods  of  Elk 
county,  Penn.,  where  he  was  employed  for  three 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Green  township, 
Clinton  county,  and  began  business  for  himself 
in  manufacturing  lumber,  railroad  ties,  etc.,  with 
Andrew  Jamison  as  a  partner.  In  1876  he 
went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  only  remained  a 
short  time,  and  on  his  return  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  125  acres  of  valuable  land  from 
John  Herman.  Here  he  has  since  made  his 
home,  and  has  improved  the  place  with  a  fine 
residence,  good  barns  and  other  outbuildings, 
which  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift  and  in- 
dustry.     In  connection  with  general  farming,  he 


makes  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  potatoes,  and 
is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  skillful  and 
methodical  agriculturists  of  the  locality. 

In  1870,  in  Green  township,  Mr.  Eisenhower 
was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  Herman,  who  was 
born  in  Lykens  Valley,  Dauphin  county,  Penn., 
a  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Matilda  (Dappendorf) 
Herman,  of  Green  township,  Clinton  county.  She 
has  indeed  proved  a  faithful  helpmeet  to  her  hus- 
band, is  an  excellent  housekeeper  and  cook,  and 
is  a  most  estimable  lady.  The  following  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  Albert,  who  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  the  Central  State 
Normal,  and  is  now  successfully  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  West;  Harvey,  who  also  pursued 
his  studies  in  the  schools  of  Green  township  and 
the  Central  State  Normal  at  Lock  Haven,  after 
which  he  taught  for  three  terms  in  Green  town- 
ship, and  is  now  taking  a  musical  course  in  the 
college  at  Valparaiso,  Ind. ;  Noah,  Leah,  William, 
Josiah,  Sarah  and  Jennie  P.,  all  at  home,  and 
two  who  died  in  infancy.  Fully  realizing  the 
advantages  of  a  good  education,  Mr.  Eisenhower 
is  providing  his  children  with  the  best  possible 
opportunities  along  that  line.  He  has  done 
much  to  promote  the  cause  of  education  in  his 
district,  while  serving  as  school  director  and 
president  of  the  board,*  and  he  has  also  efficiently 
filled  the  office  of  overseer  of  the  poor  in  Green 
township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  elder  for  six 
years,  and  also  as  deacon  and  trustee,  and  Sun- 
day-school superintendent  and  teacher.  All 
enterprises  calculated  to  promote  the  moral, 
intellectual  or  material  welfare  of  the  community 
receive  his  hearty  support. 


JAMES  R.  THRONE,  a  representative  farmer 
and  tobacco  grower  of  Wayne  township, 
Clinton  county,  was  born  October  10,  1847, 
near  Youngsdale,  in  that  township,  and  is  a 
worthy  member  of  one  of  the  highly-respected 
families  of  the  county. 

John  M.  Throne,  his  grandfather,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  and  when  a  young  man  emi- 
grated to  this  country,  first  locating  in  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  where  he  followed  milling  for 
some  time.  He  then  removed  to  Centre  Mills, 
Centre  county,  where  he  followed  the  same  pur- 
suit for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  subsequently 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  in  New  Lisbon, 
Ohio,  where  his  death  occurred.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  married 
in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  became  the  father 
of.  the   following  children:    Jesse,  John,  Samuel, 


784 


OOMMEMORA  T1VS  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


David,  Michael,  and  Mary  Polly  .  wife  of  David 
If    Snook,  of  Centre  Mills,  Centre  county.      I 

US  all  removed   to   Ohio  with  the  exception  of 
Mil  bael,  the  lather  ol  our  subject. 

In  the  ci  minion  schools  Michael  Throne  learned 
tn  read  and  write  both  English  and  German,  and 
became  especially  proficient  in  the  latter  lai 
When  a  young  man  he  removed  with  his  parents 

i  Berks  county  to  Centre  county,  and,  being 
a  miller  by  trade,  he  operated  the  <  entre  Mills 
[or  several  years.      He  then  n  ItotheCald- 

M ills,   <jf  which   he  also   had  charge  for  a 
number  ol   ■  I   from    there  came  i 

Valley,    where   he    operated    the    Logan     Mills, 
■.era  I  years  spent  thei  netoWayne 

township,  where  he  the  first  gristmill  in 

this  section  of  Clinton  county,  and  when  his 
plant  was  destroyed  bj  tire,  he  rebuilt  in    18 

i  cost  of  $5,000,  erecting  the   present  mill  at 

*^ gsdale,  which  he  operated  until  1853.      He 

then  gave    up   milling   and   purchased  a   farm  of 
I  ;.(    acres,    on    which    he    made    many    improve- 
rs and  continued  to  make  his  home  until  his 
death,  in  Febru  Mills,  Cen- 

tra county,  he  married  Hannah  Gauby,  who  was 
born   near   Reading,    in    Berks  county,  and  they 

ame  the  parents  ol    five  children:     John 

I    Harrisburg,    Penn  .     [ames   R.,  of 
tin  |ane.  ".  I    lin  McKange;   Sam- 

uel, who  died  at  the  .iL:e  ol  twent)  years;  and 
Sarah,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
The  inothei  passed  away  in  iSSS.  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  were  buried  in  Union  cemeti 

\  had  1 1  mfidence  ol   the  en- 

tire community,    and  were   faithful   1  3  of 

th<-  Methodi  pal   Church,  active  in  both 

Church  and  Sunday-school  work.  In  politics 
Mr    Tin  '  rat 

During   his    boyh I    and    youth    James    R. 

atti  nded  the  public  schools  of  Wayne  township, 
and    was   oared   on   the    home    farm,  wh 

tire  I  if,  •.      He  took  charge  of  the  place 
m  1881 .  and  has  since  1  it. 

In  the   June    floi  id  ol    1 889   his  resident  •  .  barn, 

hard  and  other   improvements    were  all 
stroyed  at  a  lossol  $3,500,  but  with  characteris- 
tii    em  rg)  hi    beg  in  to  repli  .  buildin 

hoi:  ol   $1 ,500,  and   erecting   bai 

tobacco  sheds  and  other  outbuildings      He 

lanted  tl  trd       Sii  he  has  b 

interested  in  the  tobacco  industry,  and  also 
votes  considerable  time  I  raising,  both  of 

which  have  proved  quite  profitable  He  owns 
and  op.  i  f    land,  and  at    one  time 

engaged  in  piloting  on  the  Susquehanna,  running 
arks  and  rafts  between  Lock  Ha>  en  and  Mar- 
aud Columbia 


In  1869,  in  Clearfield  county,  Penn.,  Mr. 
Throne  was  married,  the  lad)'  of  his  choice  being 
Miss  Catharine  A  Dice,  a  native  of  Wayne  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Dice,  a  late  farmer  of  that  township.  They 
have  five  children,  as  follows:  (1)  Norman  F., 
horn  September  29.  1 871,  began  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Wayne  township,  and  later 
nded  the  Northwestern  Ohio  State  Normal 
School.  He  is  now  gauger  for  the  Crescent  Oil 
1  ompany,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  On 
January  15,  1  S94,  he  was  married  in  Camden,  X. 
(.,  to  Alice  E.  Waters,  a  native  of  Tyrone, 
Blair  Co.,  Penn.,  and  a  daughter  of  J.  H  and 
Mary  M.  (Blake)  Waters.  They  now  have  two 
children  Robert  1'..  born  in  January.  1895;  a"d 
Thelma,  born  June  21,  [896.  (2  William  S., 
born  April  2S.  1873,  was  educated  in  Wayne 
township,  and  is  a  telegraph  operator  residing  at 
home.  He  also  supports  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  married  September  15,  1897,  a*  Lock 
Haven,  Penn.,  to  Mary  E.  Hurley,  of  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  the  only  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs  John  Hierly.  (3)  Gertrude  M.. 
born  November  2,  1876,  (4)  Edward  C,  born 
ember  13,  1878,  and  [5  John  M.,  born 
March  in,  1SS6,  are  all  at  home  with  their 
parents. 

As  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Throne  has  taken  quite 
an  active  interest  in   politii  5,  and  has   served  as 
school  director  several    years,  assessor,   judge  of 
election,  and  overseer  of  the  poor.      During  the 
Civil  war  it  was  his  desire   to  join    the    Union 
army,  but  his   parents   opposed    it,    and    he    has 
ever  proved  a  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen.      Fra- 
illy he  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Chain,  and 
inge,   and,  religiously,  belongs  to  the   Evan- 
gelical Church       In  all  the  relationsof  life  he  has 
proved    a  straightforward,    honorable    man,  and 
the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


OSCAR  F     II  LMLEE,  the  proprietor  of  one 
livery  stands  in  this  section,  at 
whose  stables   in   Lock   Haven,  Clinton    county, 
nd   the   safest  horses  and  up-to-date 
vein  ill  kinds,  is  a  native  of  the  neighbor- 

ntre.  born  April  8,    1859. 
id    and    Christina    (Heinbach)    Felmlee 
ware   born   in    Pennsylvania,    and     in    this    State 
>ed  their  livi         I    n    many  years  he  was  oc- 
cupied   in    farming    and    as  a  contractor.      His 
in     1871,    and    his   wife    passed 
awav  in  ;        They  were  industrious  and  good 

pie.      Their  children   were:    [ohn,  a   resident 
of    Iowa:    Mary,    the    widow    of    John     Feese; 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


735 


George  H.,  a  resident  of  Renovo;  and  Oscar  F., 
our  subject. 

Oscar  F.  Felmlee  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation. He  attended  the  common  schools  of 
this  locality,  but  his  father  dying  when  he  was 
only  twelve  years  of  age,  he  had  to  early  de- 
pend upon  himself.  The  spirit  of  self-reliance 
that  adverse  circumstances  in  life  develops,  and 
while  it  robs  the  boy  of  his  boyhood,  it  makes 
the  man  of  him,  and  brings  him  success  in  life 
that  would  otherwise  have  been  a  failure.  From 
that  tender  age  our  subject  has  been  self-sup- 
porting. The  family  moved  to  Clinton  county 
sometime  in  the  sixties,  and  since  1870  Oscar 
F.  has  resided  at  Lock  Haven.  For  eighteen 
years  continuously  he  was  in  the  employ  of 
Furst,  Ricke  &  Co.,  lumbermen,  which  is  evi- 
dence of  his  fidelity  to  the  duties  he  had  to  per- 
form and  of  the  company's  estimation  of  his 
services.  In  1890  he  embarked  in  business  for 
himself,  establishing  his  present  livery  stable, 
which  is  proving  to  be  a  successful  undertaking. 
His  stables,  as  before  shadowed  in  the  preceding 
reference  to  the  business,  are  commodious  and 
well-equipped  in  all  that  goes  to  complete  a  first- 
class  livery  business.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  past  grand  of  his 
lodge;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arca- 
num, and  of  Lock  Haven  Business  Men's  Club. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  September  29,  1881,  Mr.  Felmlee  was 
married  to  Crissa  A.  Long,  a  daughter  of  J.  H. 
Long,  of  Lock  Haven.  To  the  union  have 
come  two  children:  Beryl  and  Gertrude.  The 
parents  of  these  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  The  mother  was  born  April  27,  1862, 
in  Clinton  county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  J.  W. 
Long  and  Margaret  Eyer. 


FREDERICK  MUTHLER,  one  of  the  most 
industrious,  wide-awake  and  progressive 
farmers  of  Beech  Creek  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  Lockport,  Penn.,  November  6, 
1855,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catharine  (Lehr) 
Muthler.  During  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  at- 
tended the  schools  of  Lock  Haven  to  a  limited 
extent,  but  his  priviliges  along  that  line  were 
meager.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  began 
acting  as  a  driver  for  his  father,  who  owned  and 
operated  canal  boats  for  some  years,  and  he  also 
became  familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits  upon 
the  home  farm  in  Beech  Creek  township,  which 
he  now  occupies.  For  some  time  he  aided  in 
the  work  of  the  farm  during  the  summer  months, 
while  the  winter  seasons  were  spent  in  the  lum- 
ber woods. 


On  March  23,  1882,  Frederick  Muthler  was 
married  to  Miss  Susan  Earon,  who  was  born 
July  11,  1856,  in  Beech  Creek  township,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Eve  Catharine  (Myers)  Earon. 
She  obtained  her  education  at  the  Bitner  school 
in  her  native  township.  By  her  marriage  she 
has  become  the  mother  of  five  children:  Charles 
W.,  Anna  C. ,  Adam  D.,  Lucy  E.,  who  died 
when  only  two  weeks  old,  and  Naaman  Joseph, 
born  September  14,  1897.  The  parents  began 
their  married  life  in  a  rented  house,  and  the 
husband  for  a  year  and  a  half  worked  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  from 
George  Pottorf  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton 
county,  where  he  lived  for  five  years  and  a  half, 
and  in  March,  1889,  removed  to  the  old  home- 
stead of  his  father.  He  also  owns  what  is  known 
as  the  John  Bitner  heirs  farm,  and  has  130 
acres  of  arable  land  besides  200  acres  covered 
with  timber.  He  is  a  sturdy  farmer,  unosten- 
tatious and  honest,  and  is  a  man  of  good  busi- 
ness ability  and  sound  judgment.  Being  indus- 
trious and  energetic,  he  has  prospered  in  his  un- 
dertakings, and  has  already  secured  a  comfort- 
able competence,  and  undoubtedly  greater  suc- 
cess awaits  him  in  the  future.  Fraternally  he 
affiliates  with  the  Grange.  Politically  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party;  and  in  their 
religious  views  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  Laurel  Run  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Muthler 
is  serving  as  trustee  and  steward.  He  has  effi- 
ciently filled  the  office  of  school  director,  and  is 
a  supporter  of  all  enterprises  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  moral,  educational  or  material  welfare 
of  the  communitv. 


E\LMER  E.    DOUTY,   one  of  the  prominent 
'I  and     influential    citizens    of    Sugar    Valley, 

where  throughout  his  business  career  he  has  suc- 
cessfully followed  lumbering  and  farming,  was 
born  November  3,  1863,  in  Green  township, 
Clinton  county. 

Mr.  Douty  belongs  to  a  family  of  French 
origin,  which  is  noted  for  its  industry  and  patriot- 
ism. His  grandfather,  George  C.  Douty,  was  a 
native  of  Columbia  county,  Penn.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  and  married  a  Miss  Kurtz.  With 
his  wife  and  small  family  he  came  to  Sugar 
Valley,  then  a  part  of  Centre  county,  and  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land,  on  which  he  and  his  two 
brothers  built  a  sawmill,  which  they  operated  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  became  one  of  the  most 
successful  lumbermen  of  the  locality,  and  gave 
the  greater  part  of  his  attention  to  that  business, 
but  was  interested  to  some  extent  in  agriculture, 
owning  and   operating  a  small   farm.      After  ac- 


'  03IMBM0RATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


i j 1 1 1 ri ri^;    a    comfortable  ence    he    retired 

from  active  I  and  spent  his  I;  ma 

pleasant  home  at  VVatsontown,  Northumberl 
county,  Penn.,   surrounded   by   all   the  comforts 
and  many  of   the  luxuries  of   life,  which   he   had 
secured  through   his  own   toil  in  ars. 

While  a    i  -  igar  Vall<  rved  as 

justice  of  tli  .  numbei  rs,  being 

appointed   by   the   governor   of    the    State,    and 
satisfactorily  settled   many  a  dispute.      I 
well-informed  man.  nt,  he  often 

acted  the  part  of  a  lawyer  (or  his  friends,  and  his 

ice    was    sought    on    various    subjects.       His 

■nable  wife  died  in   Lycoming  county,  Penn. 
1  li  ith  v.'  re  men  I  I  Ivangeli  cia- 

tion,  and  were  highly  respected  and  esteemed. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children:  Ad. mi,  Lliza- 
beth,  Reuben,  Rebecca,  Ellis.  Jennie.  Hattie, 
Hiram  and  Agni 

Reubi  n  Douty,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  i  inty,  Penn.,  August  2,   18 — ,  and 

1  English  education.  Like 
his  father,  he  made  lumbering  his  lifework,  and 
although  he  continued  to  make  his  home  from 
childhood  in  Sugar  Valley,  he  carried  on  opera- 
tions in  Clinton,  »  entreand  other  counties,  where 
the  forests  were  still  untouched  by  the  axe.  In 
his  undertakings  he  met  with  a  well-deserved 
success,    becoming  the    prosperous    and 

substantial  citizens  of  his  community.      His  busi- 
iii  -s  calling  him  into  various  sections  of  the  State, 
he    became    widely    known,  and    •  asilj    won    the 
nfidence  and  friendship  ol  those  with  whom  he 
lb-  built   a  pleasant  home   in 
rroll,  Clinton   county,  where  he  spent  his  last 
days,    and    where    his    widow   still    resides.       His 
death   was  quite   unexpected,   he    passing   away 
when  asleep.      H  a  consi>-  mber  of 

the  I  \  ingi  lical  Chun  h,  was  a  -trout;  Republican 
m  politics,  and  under  the  Baker  law  was  the  first 
of  his  party  elected  judge  of  elections  in  Green 
t<  iwnship. 

[n  that  township   he    was   married  to  Sabina 
Smith,  a  daughter  oi  John  Smith,  a  r  of 

Green  township,  ami  she  is  still  quite  hale  and 
hearty  for  one   of    |.  They  became  the 

pan  fourteen    children,    who    in    order  of 

birth  are  as  follows:  Thomas,  a  lumber  manu- 
facturer of  Green  township;  Rebecca,  wife 
Robert  Lynch;  Laura,  deceased  wife  of  William 
Lupoid,  Albert,  a  teacher  of  Mifflinburg,  Union 
Co.,  Penn.;  William,  a  merchant  and  lumber 
manufacturei     Elmer  1  I  tin-  sketch  .  I 

who  died   in  childhood;    Frank,      t    Forestville, 
Union   county;  Ambrose,   a  lumberman  ol   tar- 
roll,  Green   township,    Clinton  county;  Lester,  a 
<i    of   Eastville,   in    the   same  township; 


Charles,  a  lumberman  of  Green  township;  and 
Harry  and  Edwin,  all  sawyers  living  in 
Green  township. 

The  opportunities  afforded  our  subject  for 
obtaining  an  education  were  such  as  the  public 
schools  of  Green  township  were  able  to  give.  At 
age  of  thirteen  he  began  working  in  the 
mill  with  his  father,  and  after  attaining  his  ma- 
jority continued  in  the  lumber  business,  being 
for  a  part  of  the  time  a  partner  of  his  father  and 
also  of  his  brothers,  William  and  Thomas.  He 
resided  principally   in   Green  township,  but  was 

iged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  both  in 
Clinton  and  Centre  counties,  following  that  busi- 
ness exclusively  until  1894,  when  he  purchased 
the  Henry  Reninger  farm  of  145  acres  in  Green 
township,  and  now  devotes  a  part  of  his  time  to 
agricultural  pursuits  with  results  which  cannot 
fail  to  prove  satisfactory.  He  has  greatly  im- 
proved his  place  by  the  erection  of  a  fine  resi- 
dence and  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings, 
the  aggregate  cost  of  which  was  about  $4,000, 
and  he  now  has  one  of  the  most  desirable  and 
beautiful  country  places  in  Sugar  Valley. 

In  1S.S4  Mr.  Douty  was  married  to  Miss 
Johanna  Troutner,  a  native  of  Sugar  Valley,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Regina  (Brown)  Trout- 
ner, well-known  agriculturists.  Her  mother  is 
an  aunt  of  John  Brown,  a  merchant  of  Logan- 
ton.  Eight  children  grace  this  union,  namely: 
Reuben  <  .  Elsie  K.,  George  T.,  Mary  S.,  Harry 
L. ,  Laura  E.,  Lester  R.  and  Russell  E.  The 
parents  are  both  earnest  and  consistent  members 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church,  and  in  the 
social  circles  of  the  community  occupy  an  en- 
viable position.  The  father  of  these  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  success  of  the  Republican 
party,  which  he  always  supports  by  his  ballot, 
but  he  is  no  politician  in  the  sense  of  office-seek- 
ing, preferring  to  devote  his  undivided  attention 
to  his  extensive  business  interests.  He  is  a  man 
of  progressive  ideas,  is  well-posted  on  the  cur- 
rent events  and  topics  of  the  day,  and  keeps  fully 
abreast  with  the  times  in  every  particular.  In 
manner  he  is  genial  and  pleasant,  and  his  sterl- 
ing qualities  command  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all.  and  have  secured  for  him  the  high  regard 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


JOHN    MUTHLER,  one   of  the  active,  prom- 
inent and  most    enterprising  citizens  of   Bald 
jjle   township,    Clinton   county,    was   born 
September  29,    1857,  in  Lock  Ha\ 

Joseph  Muthler,  his  father,  was  born  July  2. 
1827,  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  when  a  young 
man  came  alone  to  the  United  States,  landing  at 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


737 


New  York  without  a  penny.  He  traveled  on 
foot  to  Philadelphia,  and  his  meals  consisted  of 
frozen  turnips  found  along  the  road,  while  he  was 
obliged  to  sleep  in  corn  shocks  covered  with  snow. 
He  found  employment  near  Lebanon,  Penn., 
whence  he  later  removed  to  Lock  Haven.  After 
his  marriage  he  worked  as  a  hewer  for  different 
firms,  and  acquired  an  enviable  reputation  on  ac- 
count of  his  skill  in  that  line.  He  was  also  at 
times  employed  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and,  pos- 
sessing the  economical  traits  characteristic  of  the 
German  people,  he  managed  to  save  some  of  his 
wages.  Having  a  horse  given  him,  he  purchased 
a  boat  for  $10  and  began  boating  on  the  canal, 
making  one  or  two  trips  in  that  way.  He  then 
sold  the  boat  and  bought  a  better  one,  and  also 
purchased  four  mules,  continuing  boating  until 
removing  to  his  farm  in  Beech  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county.  During  early  life  he  often 
worked  for  only  fifty  cents  per  day  and  boarded 
himself,  and  at  one  time  he  worked  for  a  whole 
week  for  a  razor,  with  which  to  shave  himself. 
For  one  year  after  his  marriage  he  made  his 
home  in  Lockport,  from  there  went  to  Lock  Ha- 
ven, and  in  the  spring  of  1870  purchased  a  farm 
in  Beech  Creek  township  of  the  Bitner  heirs, 
continuing  his  residence  there  until  the  spring  of 
1889,  when  he  returned  to  Lock  Haven  to  spend 
his  remaining  years  in  retirement.  By  excellent 
management,  good  business  ability  and  industri- 
ous habits,  he  accumulated  considerable  proper- 
ty, owning  two  good  farms  and  400  acres  of  tim- 
berland  besides  his  home  in  Lock  Haven. 

On  April  3,  1853,  Joseph  Muthler  was  mar- 
ried to  Catharine  Lehr,  who  was  born  June  17, 
1826,  in  Germany,  where  her  parents,  Conrad 
and  Sophina  (Harbach)  Lehr,  spent  their  entire 
lives.  By  trade  the  father  was  a  cooper.  In  his 
family  were  seven  children — one  son  and  seven 
daughters — namely:  Hannah,  Lizzie,  Margaret 
(now  the  widow  of  Joseph  Bacher,  of  York, 
Penn.),  Elizabeth  (who  married  a  Mr.  Hecken- 
staller,  and  died  in  Sugar  Valley,  Penn.),  Mary 
(widow  of  Jacob  Yv'idman,  of  Lock  Haven),  Cath- 
arine, and  Philip  (a  farmer  of  Beach  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  where  his  death  occurred). 
In  1852  Mrs.  Muthler  left  Bremen  in  company 
with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret  Speese,  a  widow 
lady  with  two  children,  and  a  cousin,  Christian 
Lehr.  After  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  they  landed 
at  Baltimore,  whence  Mrs.  Muthler  went  to  Pitts- 
burg, Penn.,  and  eight  weeks  later  to  Centre 
county,  where  her  brother  Philip  was  living.  At 
the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  living  as  a  do- 
mestic with  a  Mr.  Liggett  near  Eagleville.  She 
is  still  living  in  Lock  Haven,  enjoying  the  com- 
fortable competence  left  by  her  husband,  but  he 
47* 


passed  to  his  final  reward  September  25,  1894. 
In  his  younger  days  he  was  robust  and  strong, 
and  performed  much  hard  labor.  Although  he 
was  a  stalwart  Democrat  in  politics  he  cared 
nothing  for  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public 
office,  always  declining  to  become  a  candidate 
In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Catholic. 

Our  subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  six  children,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  wife  of  John  Lehr,  living  near  Fos- 
toria,  Kans. ;  Frederick,  a  farmer  of  Beech  Creek 
township,  Clinton  county;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Adam  Aaron,  of  the  same  township;  Catharine, 
wife  of  John  D.  R.  Beaver,  of  Lock  Haven;  and 
Joseph  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 

John  Muthler  received  only  a  limited  com- 
mon-school education,  beginning  his  studies  in 
the  schools  of  Lock  Haven.  At  the  early  age  of 
six  years  he  commenced  driving  on  the  towpath 
for  his  father,  who  then  owned  a  canal  boat,  and 
during  boyhood  he  made  several  trips  to  Balti- 
more and  Philadelphia.  He  was  about  twelve 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  the 
farm,  where  he  assisted  in  the  arduous  task  of 
clearing  and  developing  new  land.  On  attaining 
his  majority  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  at 
first  being  in  the  employ  of  Wallace  Gakle  at 
Mill  Run,  and  he  was  later  engaged  at  various 
occupations  in  different  localities.  In  the  spring 
of  1879  he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  eight 
months. 

On  February  19,  1885,  Mr.  Muthler  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Victoria  H.  Peters,  who  was  born 
March  27,  1859,  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Casper  and 
Phcebe  (Eckert)  Peters,  the  former  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Lycoming  county, 
Penn.  Her  father  was  first  a  laborer  and  boss 
on  railroad'construction,  later  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing, and  afterward  became  a  farmer.  He  and 
his  wife  are  still  living  in  Beech  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county,  surrounded  by  many  friends 
who  esteem  them  highly  for  their  sterling  worth. 
In  their  family  were  ten  children,  six  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  eight  reached  adult  age. 
Mrs.  Muthler  was  provided  with  a  fair  common- 
school  education,  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  a  most  estimable  lady. 
By  her  marriage  to  our  subject  she  became  the 
mother  of  five  children,  whose  names  and  dates 
of  birth  are  as  follows:  Joseph  O,  November 
23,  1885;  Annie  I.  C,  November 4,  1887;  George 
A.,  September  17,  1889;  Elizabeth  P.,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1 891;  and  Grace  M.,  May  4,  1894. 

For  four  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Muth- 
ler lived  upon  his  father-in-law's  place  in  Beech 
Creek  township,  but  in  March,  1889,  removed  to 


COM.VE.VORA  TIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  present  farm  in   Bald  Eagle  township,  which 
was  once  owned  by  his  fathei  his  fine 

farm  of  153  acres  he  lias  200  acres  of  timber- 
land,  and  is  meeting  with  excellent  success  in  his 
undertakings  as  he  is  a  thorough  and  systematic 
agriculturist  of  progressive  ideas  and  industrii 
habits.  Fraternally,  he-  is  a  member  of  the 
and.  politically,  is  identified  with  the 
Dei  ratic  party.  He  seems  to  have  inhei 
the  thrift  that  always  attended  his  lather's  efforts, 
as  well  as  those  sterling  principles  ol  honesty  and 
fairness  that  caused  his  parents  to  be  so  highly 
respected. 

J    MEYER  WILLIAMS,  one  of  tl  1  in- 

telligent, enterprising   and    industrious  farm- 
it  Bald  Eagle   township,  Clinton  county, 
was  born  on  the   farm    where    he  still  contini 
to  reside.  |une  16,  [ 858  .  I  John  and  Mary 

I  Meyer)  Williams. 

The  father  was  a   native  of  Wal  n  Au- 

l  22,  [813,  and  was  a  son  of  William  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Lewis  Williams,  whose  other  children 
were  as  follows:  Mar)  A.,  who  wedded  a  Mr. 
Davis,  and  ■  lived  in  Minersville, 

Penn.,  where  she  died;  Mrs.  Morgan,  who  died 
in   Schuylkill   county.    Pi  an       Ellen,    who  mar- 

!  Alexander  Easton,  and  died  in  tin-  Wi 
Charlotte,  who  married  Henrj  Handley,  and  died 
in  Iowa;  and  |aines,  who  in  early  life  followed 
iiiiiihil;  and  later  engaged  in  tanning  in  Beech 
k  township,  Clinton  county,  where  his 
death  occurred.  The  lather  of  our  subject  was 
the  the  family  1  the  New  World, 

and  in  1  s  ;s  the  grandfather  with  the  other  mem- 
bers crossed    the    Atlantic,  taking   up    their  n 

e  in  Beech  (nek  township,  Clinton  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  ol  wooded  land  and 
developed    a    small   farm,  on    which  he  erected  a 

hi       He   endured   all   the   hardships 
privations  incident    :  er  life  in  order  to  se- 

cure lor  his  family  a  comfortable  home       lie  de- 
parted this  life   when  01 

ami  Ins  rem  I  in  the  cemetery  1  »n 

the  hill  near   Lock   Haven,  when-  his  wife,  who 
survived  him   for    some    time,  «  laid   to 

r.^t  at  the  time  ol    her   death       In  religious 
lief  they  were    Methodists 

In  his  native  land  John  Williams,  the  father 
of  our  subjei  employed  .1-  a  miner,  and 
often  for  a  whole  wi  would  m  the 
light  of  day,  beginning  work  before  sunrise  and 
nevei  stopping  until  after  dark.  Hi-  father  be- 
ing  a    1 1    laboring  man,  he  was  early  thrown 

upon  his  own  resources,  and  his  school  privili 
were  necessarily  limited.      In    1S38,  after  a  1 

tge,  he  reached  this  country  and  first  local 


m  Pottsville,  Penn.,  where  he  engaged  in  mining, 
but  in  later  years  came  to  Beech  Creek  township. 
Clinton  county,  where  his  father  had  located, 
and  here  he  also  worked  in  the  ore  mines  for 
some  time.  In  December.  1850,  in  Beech 
Creek  township,  John  Williams  married  Mrs. 
Mary  Poorman,  widow    ol    David   Poorman,  and 

eldest  child  of  Valentine  and  Elizabeth    Hoy 
Meyer,  the  other  children  being  as  follows:   Sam- 
uel, born  September  16,  1816,  died  in  California; 
Catharine,    born    July   9,    1818,    married    Samuel 

-ter,  of  Clintondale;  William,  born  April  30, 
[820,  died  in  Clintondale;  Elizabeth,  born  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1S22,  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three;  John,  born  February  26,  [824,  wasa 
member  of  an  Iowa  regiment  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  Jasper  county,  that 
Stal  a,    born   February   19,   1826,  man 

William  Moore,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
winch  occurred  in  MifHinburg,  was  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Maurer;  and  Joseph,  born  October  17. 
[827,  died  in  Newton.  Iowa,  in  [858  Valentine 
Meyer,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Williams,  was  born 
March  4,  1793,  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn..  but, 
when  a  boy,  accompanied  his  father,  Henry 
Meyer,  on  his  removal  to  Union  county,  where 
he  was  reared.  He  was  a  wagonraaker  by  trade, 
but  devoted  his  later  years  to  farming.  He  died 
in  1858,  and  was  buried  in  Bethel  cemetery.  Por- 
ter township,  Clinton  county,  while  his  wife,  who 
was  born  in  September,  1793,  died  November  4. 
1  ^27,    and    was    buried    in   Snydertown.    Centre 

Penn.      The)    were  both  earnest  and  < 
sistent  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  in 
politic-   he    was    tirst   a    Democrat,  but   being  an 
anti-slavery  man  he  joined  the  Republican  party 

ts  organization. 

The  birth  of  Mrs  Williams,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  occurred  in  Limestone  township. 
Union  Co.,  Penn  ,  February  2,  1  s  1 5 ,  and  she 
was  four  years  old  when  brought  by  her  pa- 
rent- I  I'  it.  1  township,  Clinton  county,  where 
she  was  reared  and  first  married.  By  that 
union  she  had  four  children:  Daniel,  who 
drowned  while  bathing  in  Spirit  Lake.  Iowa; 
Catharine,  wife  of  Isaac  Loveland,  of  Porter 
township;  Matilda,  who  married  Reuben  Wet/el, 
and  died  in  Missouri;  and  Elizabeth  J  .  who  wed- 
ded James  Treaster,  and  died  in   Nebraska.      In 

"  Mr.  and   Mrs.   I  1  removed  to  Venan- 

nty,    Penn.,    where    he    died    March    1:. 

(,  alter  which  she  returned   to  Clinton  coun- 

naking   her  home    in    Porter  township,  until 
ing    her   hand  in  marriage    to    Mr.    Will- 
iams.     From  there  they  removed  to  the  present 
farm  of  our  subject,  in    Bald   Eagle  township,  in 
the  By   her  second   marria. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


739 


Mrs.  Williams  became  the  mother  of  six  children: 
Emma,  now  the  wife  of  John  E.  Williams,  of 
Newberry,  Lycoming  Co..  Penn. ;  Mary,  a  school 
teacher,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  mother 
in  Lamar;  Martha,  wife  of  Theodore  S.  Faus,  of 
Spring  Mills,  Penn. ;  Ella,  who  is  engaged  in 
teaching  in  Renovo,  Penn. ;  J.  Meyer,  of  this  re- 
view; and  Minnie,  now  Mrs.  William  Nancarrow, 
of  Pittsburg,  Penn.  For  the  past  fifteen  years 
Mrs.  Williams  has  made  her  home  in  Lamar,  is 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  her.  On 
January  I,  1893,  she  broke  one  of  her  lower 
limbs,  but  with  that  exception  is  still  well- 
preserved. 

During  his  boyhood  J.  Meyer  Williams  at- 
tended the  Laurel  Run  school,  John  Salmon  and 
Mary  Van  Dusen  being  among  his  first  teachers, 
but  he  supplemented  the  knowledge  there  ac- 
quired by  a  course  in  the  Central  State  Normal 
School,  where  he  was  a  student  in  the  fall  of 
1880  and  the  following  winter.  Reared  on  a 
farm,  he  early  became  familiar  with  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  since  old  enough  has  successfully 
operated  the  home  farm,  renting  it  after  his  mar- 
riage until  the  spring  of  1891,  when  he  purchased 
it.  He  has  144  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land, 
and  in  connection  with  general  farming  is  en- 
gaged in  fruit  growing.  He  thoroughly  under- 
stands that  branch  of  his  business,  having  de- 
voted much  time  to  reading  and  study  on  the 
subject. 

On  January  26,  1882,  Mr.  Williams  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Belle  B.  Winters,  a  native  of  Bald 
Eagle  township,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Bruner)  Winters.  After  attending  the 
common  schools  for  some  time,  she  pursued  her 
studies  in  the  Central  State  Normal  School,  and 
also  in  a  select  school  at  Lock  Haven,  and  later 
successfully  engaged  in  teaching  for  seven  terms. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have  six  children:  Ray 
R.,  Helen  F. ,  Ralph  E.,  Ruby  A.,  W.  Scott  and 
Edwin. 

On  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Williams  es- 
poused the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  since  1894  has  given  his  support  to  the  Pro- 
hibition party,  as  he  is  strictly  temperate  in  all 
his  habits,  never  using  intoxicants  or  tobacco  in 
any  form.  He  and  his  wife  are  active  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he 
is  now  serving  as  steward,  and  both  have  been 
teachers  in  the  Sabbath-school.  He  keeps  well 
posted  on  the  leading  questions  and  issues  of  the 
day,  and  being  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity, 
honorable  and  upright  in  all  things,  he  has  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 


BANIEL  EYER,  an  agriculturist  residing  in 
Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton  county,  pre- 
sents in  his  life  a  splendid  example  of  industry, 
close  application  to  business,  and  perseverance. 
He  commenced  life  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  but 
blessed  with  a  prudent  and  sensible  wife  as  a 
helpmeet,  not  too  proud  to  labor,  he  is  now  able 
to  take  life  easily  and  comfortably,  in  the  en- 
joyment of  the  fruits  of  his  early  labor. 

Mr.  Eyer  was  born  in  Dry  Valley,  Union  Co., 
Penn.,  January  3,  1821,  but  during  his  childhood 
his  parents  located  near  Muncy,  Penn.  They 
were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Wise)  Eyer,  the  for- 
mer a  farmer  by  occupation.  After  residing  for 
some  time  near  Muncy,  he  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty there  and  took  up  his  residence  near  Jersey 
Shore,  where  his  wife  died  in  June,  1838,  and 
was  there  laid  to  rest.  The  father  spent  his  last 
days  with  a  son  in  Nittan\-  Valley,  dying  there 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two,  and  his  re- 
mains were  interred  in  Brown  cemetery.  Our 
subject  is  the  youngest  in  their  family  of  eight 
children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  Jacob,  who 
died  at  his  home  below  New  Buffalo,  Penn. ; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Peter  Risser,  and  died  in 
Lycoming  county;  John,  who  was  buried  in  Brown 
cemetery,  Clinton  county;  Samuel,  who  died  on 
Sugar  Valley  Mountain;  William,  who  died  in 
Lock  Haven,  and  was  buried  on  Sugar  Valley 
Mountain;  Kate,  wife  of  John  Bechtel,  of  Dane 
county,  Wis. ;  and  Abraham,  who  died  in  Will- 
iams county,  Ohio. 

In  a  primitive  log  school  house  near  Muncy, 
Penn.,  Daniel  Eyer  began  his  literary  education, 
but  his  advantages  in  that  direction  were  very 
limited.  Reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  a  few  years  previous 
to  his  marriage.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  he 
wedded  Miss  Julia  Owns,  who  was  born  in  Pine 
Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  October  10, 
1823,  and  when  a  girl  accompanied  her  parents, 
Robert  and  Margaret  (Korns)  Owns,  on  their  re- 
moval to  Clearfield  county,  Penn  ,  where  she 
was  reared.  Four  children  graced  this  union, 
namely:  David  H.,  a  resident  of  Jersey  Shore, 
Penn. ;  William  H,  a  farmer  of  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship, Clinton  county;  Samuel  H.,  married,  who 
died  in  1894,  and  was  buried  at  Jersey  Shore; 
and  Maria  H.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

By  making  posts  and  fence  rails,  Mr.  Eyer 
had  managed  to  save  a  small  sum  of  money  pre- 
vious to  his  marriage,  and  he  began  his  domes- 
tic life  in  a  rented  house  in  Beech  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county.  Later  he  purchased  ten 
acres  of  land  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  where  he 
now  lives,  but  had  to  go  heavily  in  debt  even  for 
that  small  amount.      For    several  years   he  con- 


(  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tinned  i  m  the  manufacture 

oi  posts  and  fence  rails,  in  tins  way  paying  a 
small  amount  on  bis  farm  each  year,  and  when 
his  financial  resources  increased,  he  extended  its 
boundaries  until  he  ii"W  has  a  valuable  place  of 
one  hun  h  and  arable  land,  which 

he  has  p  der  excellent  cultivation  and  im- 

proved with  good  and  substantial  buildings.  In 
his  financial  operations  he  has  met  with  a  well- 
deserved  success.  In  politics  he  was  first  a 
Whig,  later  a  Know- Nothing,  and  is  now  a 
thorough  Republican,  believing  that  within  that 
party  lie  the  principles  which  arc  the  safest  guides 
foi  'in  national  government.  He  has  served  as 
i seer  of  the  poor  and  supervisor  in  his  town- 
ship, and  di  to  be  numbered  among  the 
honored  and  prominent  citizens  of  his  commu- 
nity. 

EDWIN  S.  MOBLEY  resides  in  Beech  Creek, 
_j  and  the  commercial  activity  of  the  town  is 
largely  promoted  through  his  efforts.  He  is  a 
member  oi  the  firm  ol  Mobley  &  Hall,  general 
merchants,  and  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive 
business  man. 

Born    in    Mark   county,   Ohio,    in    1861,  Mr. 
Moblej  1  of  Salethiel  and  Emily  (Quigle)  1 

Moblej       The    father    was    born    in    Ohio,   and 

;it  forty-eight  years  of  his  life  there.  Through- 
out his  business  carter  he  has  carried  on  mer- 
chandising, and  his  well-directed  efforts  brought 
him  fair  success.  In  1865  he  removed  to  Beech 
1  reek,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and 
is  now  Hearing  the  eightieth  milestone  on  lil 
journey.  In  public  affairs  he  has  taken  quite  a 
prominent  and  commendable  part.  His  wile 
ed  awaj  in   1  ■ 

Edwin  S.  Moblej  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  I  leech  Creek,  and  supplemented  it  by 
study  in  the  schools  "f  Lock  Haven.  On  laying 
aside  his  text  books  he  turned  his  attention  to 
merchandising.  The  first  money  he  earned  was 
eleven  dollars,  which  he  invested  in  a  small 
>tock  of  confectionery,  and  with  the  profit  de- 
rived   from    it-  purchased    his  tail 

■  k   of   t                   Thus    little  by   little  he  in- 
creased his  capital  until  lie  was  enabled  to  bu)  a 
hall   interest    111   his   fat  I                 e,  and   -till 
l.e   became   sole  proprietor.      In   1889  he  a 
ciated  with    him    Mr.    Hall,  Ins    pi. 
and  the  firm    ranks    among  the  leading   and    pro- 
gr<              rms   "f   the  town.     They  carry  ;>   full 
and  complete  stock  ol  general  men  handise,  and 
their  well-appointed  .--tore   and   courteous  t: 
(i out  of  theirj  ■    nid  their  h irable  deal- 

ing have  secured  to  them  a  liberal  and  well-mer- 
ited patronc 


In  1885  Mr.  Mobley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Hall,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Hall, 
ased,  an  old  and  respected  citizen  of  Beech 
(reek.       They  now  have  a  son  and    daughter, 
Roy  Hall  and   Stella  May.      Mr.  and  Mrs.   Mob- 
ire  leading  members  of  the  Methodist   Epis- 
il  Church,  in   which   he  is    serving  as  cla-s- 
leader  and  assistant  superintendent   of  the  Sab- 
bath-school.     Socially,  he  is  a   member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Patriotic 
<  »rder  Sons  ol  America,  and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
In  politics   he   is   a   Republican  with   Prohibition 
proclivities.      In    business    he    is    honorable,    in 
public  affairs  faithful  to  his  duties  of  citizenship, 
and  in  social  relations  is  pleasant  and    cordial. 


JOHN  F.  ROCKEY,  a  retired  lumberman 
and  farmer  of  Green  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ts, belongs  to  a  family  noted  for  its  patriot- 
ism and  loyalty,  live  sons  having  aided  their 
country  in  her  successful  effort  to  preserve  the 
Union,  and  among  the  number  was  our  subject, 
who  did  his  duty  nobly  and  unflinchingly  on  the 
field  of  battle  or  in  the  camp.  He  was  born 
in  Sugar  Valley,  Logan  township,  Clinton  coun- 
ty. February  iS,  1 S39,  and  is  a  grandson  of 
Bernard  Rockey,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent. 

Abraham  Rockey,  our  subject's  father,  was 
a  native  of  Potter  Bank,  Centre  Co.,  Penn., 
and  received  a  fairly  good  common-school  edu- 
cation in  English,    and   was  also  able   to  speak 

man.  With  his  parents  he  removed  to  Lo- 
gan township,  Clinton  county,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  1841,  when  he  located  upon 
the  farm  in  Green  township  where  our  subject 
now  resides.  Purchasing  400  acres  of  timber- 
land,  he  erected  a  sawmill  thereon,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  engaged  in  the  manufacture 

lumber.  He  also  placed  some  of  his  land 
under  cultivation  and  improved  the  same  with  a 
substantial  log  house  and  barn.  He  was  a  hard- 
working,  energetic  man  of  good  business  ability, 
and  as  a  lumberman  met  with  excellent  success. 
He  possessed  the  confidence  of  his  business  asso- 
ciates, as  well  as  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him.  His  death  occurred  on  his  farm 
in  1865,  ami  his  remains  were  interred  in  the 
n  township  cemetery.  The  Democratic 
party  found  in  him  an  ardent  supporter,  but  he 
was  no  politician    in  the   sense  of  office  seeking. 

During    early   manhood   Abram    Rockey    was 

■iied   in  Logan    township,  Clinton  counts 
Mi-s  Lydd)   Wolmeldorf,  a  native  of  that  town- 
ship, and  a  r  of  Frederick  Wolmeldorf. 
Thirteen  children  were  born  to  them:    Paul,  n 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


741 


a  resident  of  Freeport,  111.;  Jacob,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years;  Rebecca,  widow 
of  Lewis  L.  Berry,  of  Jewell  City,  Kans. ;  Jere- 
miah, a  carpenter  by  trade,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war;  John  F. ,  of  this  sketch;  Thomas, 
who  was  also  one  of  the  brave  "boys  in  blue," 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Charleston,  W.  Ya. ; 
Lewis,  a  Union  soldier,  now  living  in  Jewell 
county,  Kans.;  William,  of  Williamsport,  Penn., 
Abram  D.,  a  Union  soldier  residing  in  Minne- 
sota; Mary,  wife  of  William  Runegar,  of  Jewell 
county,  Kans. ;  Harriet,  wife  of  William  Huler, 
of  Salem  county,  111. ;  James,  who  was  killed  by 
a  falling  tree;  and  Hannah,  married.  After  the 
father's  death  the  mother  married  Frederick 
Staver,  of  Sugar  Valley,  and  she  departed  this 
life  in  Wisconsin. 

In  an  old  log  school  house  in  Green  township, 
supplied  with  slab  seats  and  a  huge  fire-place  at 
one  end,  John  F.  Rockey  pursued  his  studies,  his 
first  teacher  being  Samuel  Bower,  and  although 
his  school  training  was  rather  limited  he  has  be- 
come a  well-informed  man  by  subsequent  read- 
ing and  observation.  In  early  boyhood  he  began 
work  in  his  father's  sawmill,  where  he  remained 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  then  served  a 
two-years'  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's 
trade  under  Michael  Karsteter,  after  which  he 
again  followed  milling  until  1863.  In  that  year 
he  responded  to  his  country's  call  for  troops,  en- 
listing at  Williamsport  in  Company  D,  First 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  during  his  eleven- 
months'  service  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  Creek  and  in  several  other  engagements. 
He  was  also  present  at  the  surrender  of  Gen. 
Lee,  and  took  part  in  the  grand  review  in  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia. 

When  the  war  was  over  and  his  services  were 
no  longer  needed,  Mr.  Rockey  was  honorably 
discharged  and  returned  home.  His  father  hav- 
ing died  while  he  was  in  the  service,  he  and  his 
mother  operated  the  sawmill  for  three  years,  and 
then  our  subject  removed  to  Crawford  township, 
Clinton  county,  where  he  lived  until  1876,  in 
which  year  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  and 
again  took  up  lumbering  and  farming.  Since 
1894,  however,  he  has  lived  retired,  while  his 
son  operates  the  farm,  which  comprises  seventy- 
eight  acres  of  valuable  land.  He  was  always  a 
very  active  and  progressive  business  man,  and 
accumulated  a  competence  which  now  enables 
him  to  spend  his  declining  years  in  ease  and  re- 
tirement, surrounded  by  loving  kindred  and  many 
warm  friends. 

In  Limestone  township,  Lycoming  Co. ,  Penn. , 
Mr.  Rockey  was  united    in   marriage  with    Miss 


Ellen  Shaw,  who  was  born  in  Crawford  township, 
Clinton  county,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Shaw,  and 
eight  children  blessed  their  union:  James,  who 
married  Susan  Hoover,  and  operates  the  old 
homestead;  David,  a  lumberman  of  Cambria 
county,  Penn.;  Lyddie,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Maggie,  wife  of  Nathan  Phleger,  of  Limestone 
township,  Lycoming  county;  Lottie,  Mary  and 
John,  who  died  in  childhood;  and  Eva,  at  home. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Rockey  is  a  member  of  George 
W.  Moyer  Post  No.  379,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Logan- 
ton,  and  politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Democ- 
racy. Although  he  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker  he  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  as  tax 
collector  and  assessor  in  his  township,  the  duties 
of  which  positions  he  most  faithfully  discharged. 


CHRISTIAN  LEHR,  of  Clintondale,  Clinton 
county,  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  the  county,  and  no  better  example  of 
a  self-made  man  can  be  found  in  the  Nittany  Val- 
ley. 

Mr.  Lehr  was  born  December  21,  1825,  in 
German}',  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Lape) 
Lehr,  both  of  whom  passed  their  entire  lives  in 
the  Fatherland.  He  received  an  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and  at  an  early  age 
began  to  work  at  farming,  saving  his  scanty  earn- 
ings in  order  to  secure  the  money  to  pay  for  his 
passage  to  America,  the  "  land  of  promise."  In 
1852  he  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  thirty-two  days  landed  at  Baltimore, 
Md.,  from  which  point  he  made  his  way  to  Pitts- 
burg. He  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English, 
and  when  he  had  paid  for  his  first  night's  lodg- 
ing he  was  practically  out  of  money  and  did  not 
know  where  to  find  a  shelter  for  the  next  night. 
He  applied  for  work  at  a  tannery  in  Allegheny, 
where  he  was  at  first  refused,  but  when  the  own- 
er was  informed  of  his  destitute  condition  he  was 
employed  for  four  dollars  per  month,  at  grinding 
bark.  With  this  and  some  extra  work,  Mr. 
Lehr  managed  to  exist,  and  by  the  closest  econ- 
omy saved  a  little  money.  A  few  months  after 
his  arrival  at  Pittsburg,  a  cousin,  Catherine  Lehr, 
from  Germany,  joined  him,  and  he  decided  to 
accompany  her  to  the  home  of  her  brother  at 
Beech  Creek,  Clinton  county.  He  spent  about 
two  years  in  that  vicinity  as  a  farm  laborer,  and 
then  went  to  Lock  Haven  where  he  was  em- 
ployed for  a  time  as  hostler  at  the  "Montour 
House,"  and  later  worked  in  a  brick  yard.  On 
leaving  Lock  Haven  he  went  to  Chicago,  and 
there  he  met  and  married  his  first  wife,  Miss 
Amelia  Gronet,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came 
to  the   United    States    when    she    was    a  child. 


742 


VORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Soon  after  this  event  the  young  couple  came  to 
Lock   Haven,  and   Mr    1  und  himself  with 

but  one  cent  in  bis  \  This  he  threw  into 

the  canal  lock,  determining  to  "begin  over  en- 
tirely," as  hi  He  secured  employment  in 
a  brick  yard  belonging  to  a  Mi  an,  and 
afterward  found  work  in  a  sawmill  where  he  re- 
mained twelve  years,  being  able  while  then 
save  quite  a  sum  of  mon<  1  i  some  time  he 
ii  cleaning  out  the  canal,  under 
the  direction  of   Lewis  Walter-,   and   fur  sixt 

e    was   toll    keepn    at   the    Lock    Haven 
bridge,  In-  i  i  vice  in  tlmt  ca- 

pacity being  unequaled  by  that  of  any  other keep- 
er,   as  hi>  Ii  i.i  "f  employment  indical 

In  [885  hi    re ved  to  Clintondale,  having  pur- 
chased  from    Allison    Whiti  perty   u] 
which    he  has  since   made  his  home.     He  has 

atly   improved   the   place,  making  one  of  the 
.  the  Nittany  Valley,  and 
he  is  now  enjoying  in  wi  ed  leisure  the  re- 

ward  ol  former  toil.  Quiet  and  unassuming  in 
manner,  he  has  made  many  friends,  while  no  man 
can  accuse  him  ol  an  unworthy  act  in  any  busi- 

3  deal.      Politically  he  is  a  D       u  rat,  but  he 
has  neithei  sought  nor  held  office. 

During  his  1  in  Lock   Haven  his  first 

wife  died,  leaving  one  daughter.  Lizzie,  who 
married  ol    Lock    11  I  is 

now  1-    Mr.  Leh  !  .1  second  matri- 

monial   union,    this    time    with    Mi  line 

1    wry,  who  was  born  June-  22,  1834,  in  Union 

I    hi.,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mai 
1  M"lu  i  Lowi  in   the   Nit! 

Valley,  her  pan  nts  having  removed  to  that 
lot  ality  when  she  was  but  a  child.  Onedaughtei 
this  marriage,  Miss  Lillie,  who  is  still 
at  home,  and  is  prominent  in  the  social  lifi 
the  place.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  Lehr  is  a  Lu- 
theran, and  foi  six  years  he  was  a  deacon  in  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  at  Lock  Haven.  At 
one  time  he  was  a  men  the  1    0.0    F. . 

Lnit  he  now   1:  ittend  Ii  11 


JA<  I  IB     GOTTSI  11  \I.L.     a     1  itive 

farmer   and    pn  iallagher 

township,  Clint  itj ,  was  born  [anuary 

21,   1831,  mar   Williamsport,  L  inty, 

Penn.,  and  paternal   sidi  nan 

deso  in       His    grandfathi  1 ,    fohn   Gi  ttsi  hall,    a 
native    of    Berks   county.    Penn.,    followed    the 

occupation  of  lumbering,  using  the  old  whip-saw 
the  manufacture  of  -awed  lum- 
ber. Tl  ter  pari  ol  Ins  life  was  passed  in 
his  native  county,  but  he  dnd  m  Lycoming 
county  in   1839  while  visiting  somi    of  his  family. 


11  was  a  Lutheran  in  religious  belief,  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  an  honored  and  valued 
citizen  of  his  community.  During  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  he  aided  the  colonies  in  their  strug- 
gle for  independence.  In  Berks  county  he  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Fouse,  and  to  them  were  born  twelve 
chikb 

One  of  that  number  was  John  Gottschall.  fa- 
thi  r  of  our  subject,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Berks  county,  and  was  educated  in  German, 
but  could  not  read  or  write  English.  Until  he 
attained  his  majority  he  followed  lumbering 
with  his  father,  and  then  spent  a  short  time  in 
New  York  State,  after  which  he  located  near 
Williamsport,  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  where 
he  engaged  in  lumbering  until  1S41.  Coming  to 
dallagher  township.  Clinton  county,  he  bought 
150  timber   land,   which  he  cleared,  cul- 

tivated and  greatly  improved,  and  continued  to 
make  his  home  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in 
J iiiy.  [862,  his  remains  being  interred  in  the 
Caldwell  cemetery.  He  was  a  kind  husband  and 
father,  and  a  true  friend.  With  the  Lutheran 
Church  he  held  membership,  and  gave  his  polit- 
ical support  to  the  Democratic  party. 

John  Gottschall  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Kate  Sherman,  who  was  born  at 
Munc)  Creek,  Lycoming  county,  died  in  (849, 
and  was  buried  in  Caldwell  cemetery.  The  fol- 
lowing children  constituted  their  family:  John, 
now  a  resident  ol  North  Carolina;  three  who  died 
in    infancy;    Thomas,    of    Lock    Haven,    Penn.; 

omon,  a  wagon  manufacturer  of  Williams- 
port; Abram,  who  lives  in  the  West;  Jacob; 
Mrs  (  atharine  Maker,  a  widow  lady;  Samuel,  of 
Tyro  in.;   Rebecca,  wife  of  Frederick    Pi- 

per; and  two  others  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Gottschall's  second  marriage  was  with  Christina 
Hartzock,  v.:  foseph    Fritz,  and  the  moth- 

er of  Henry  Fritz,  of  Gallagher  township,  Clinton 
county. 

As  there  were  no  schools  in  Gallagher  town- 
ship during  the  boyhood  of  our  subject,  his 
education  has  all  been  acquired  outside  of  books. 
At  the  early  age  of  seven  years  he  began  to 
ban. lie  the  axe  in  the  woods,  and  worked  for  his 
fathei  both  at  lumbering  and  farming  in  dallagher 
township  until  he  had  attained  his  majority  in 
1852,  when   he    bought    a    tract   of    1  of 

land  still  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber. 
In  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  he  began  life  for 
himself,  and  as  he  cut  down  the  trees  upon  his 
place    he    manufactured   them    into    shingles  by 

d,  making  1,400,000  for  John  Ram,  of 
Chatham  Run.  When  he  located  upon  his  farm 
the  countrj  roundabout  was  all  wild,  and  the 
"ear.  tmill  and    store    were    twelve    miles 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


743 


distant,  while  no  roads  led  to  his  place,  and  he 
had  to  carry  his  grain  to  mill.  For  almost  a 
half  century  he  has  now  resided  there,  and  in 
that  time  a  wonderful  transformation  has  taken 
place;  where  once  were  unbroken  forests,  fields 
of  grain  now  greet  the  eye,  a  fine  orchard  has 
been  set  out,  and  a  good  residence,  barns  and 
outbuildings  have  been  erected,  making  it  a  most 
desirable  farm.  Although  he  never  kept  books 
of  any  kind,  he  had  an  excellent  memory,  and 
while  extensively  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
and  the  manufacture  of  shingles,  employing  a 
number  of  men,  he  could  give  his  expenditures 
and  receipts  of  the  year  to  a  cent.  At  one  time 
he  was  in  partnership  with  John  Blush,  a  well- 
known  shingle  manufacturer  and  lumberman. 

On  October  2,  1852,  in  Gallagher  township, 
Mr.  Gottschall  married  Miss  Sarah  Fritz,  who 
was  born  in  Lock  Haven,  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Fritz,  and  a  stepdaughter  of  our  subject's  father: 
Their  children  were  as  follows:  Martha  B., 
born  May  21,  1856,  is  the  wife  of  Wesley  Phillips, 
a  farmer  of  Gallagher  township;  Mary  A.,  born 
July  17,  1858,  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Green,  also 
an  agriculturist  of  Gallagher  township;  Ambrose, 
born  November  6,  i860,  a  farmer,  is  married  to 
Ellen  Connoway,  of  Gallagher  township,  by  whom 
he  has  three  children;  George,  born  July  20, 
1864,  also  a  farmer,  married  Emma  Edwards, 
and  has  one  son,  Samuel;  Robert,  born  October 
26,  1866,  wedded  Mary  Manier,  and  operates 
the  home  farm;  Jennie,  born  May  4,  1869,  is  the 
wife  of  Hiram  Myers,  and  has  three  children; 
and  Rosie,  born  March  13,  1877,  is  at  home. 
Mrs.  Gottschall,  who  was  a  devoted  wife  and 
loving  mother,  died  October  26,  1892.  The 
family  belong  to  the  Baptist  Church,  and  are 
widely  and  favorably  known. 

In  1852  Mr.  Gottschall  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Van  Buren,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Presi- 
dent, later  became  a  Whig,  and  now  supports  the 
Republican  party,  casting  his  last  Presidential 
ballot  for  Major  McKinley  in  1896.  Although 
he  had  no  education  to  assist  him  in  his  life 
work,  he  has  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities, 
and  has  not  only  acquired  a  comfortable  compe- 
tence, but  has  also  gained  the  good  will  and  con- 
fidence of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 


J;  ESSE  LAUBACH.  Honored  and  respected 
by  all,  there  is  no  man  in  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  who  occupies  a  more 
enviable  position  in  agricultural  circles  than  Mr. 
Laubach,  not  alone  on  account  of  the  success  that 
he  has  achieved,  but  also  on  account  of  the  honora- 
ble, straightforward   business  policy  he   has  ever 


followed.  He  was  born  January  24,  1831,  in 
North  Whitehall  township,  Lehigh  Co.,  Penn., 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  the 
spring  of  1848. 

Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Dech)  Laubach,  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  were  born,  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Northampton  county,  Penn.  Jacob  Dech, 
the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  on  coming  to  this  country  located  on 
a  wooded  farm  near  Bath,  Penn.  Members  of 
his  family  still  reside  in  Northampton  county, 
and  are  numbered  among  its  wealthy  and  prom- 
inent citizens.  The  paternal  grandparents  of 
our  subject  also  came  from  the  Fatherland,  and 
many  bearing  the  name  of  Laubach  are  leading 
professional  and  business  men  of  Lehigh  county. 
In  the  county  of  his  nativity  Christian  Laubach 
owned  a  good  farm,  which  he  traded  on  a  larger 
tract  in  Lehigh  county,  where  he  afterward  re- 
moved. His  last  years,  however,  were  spent 
with  his  son  Edward  in  Crawford  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  where  he  died  when  almost  ninety 
years  of  age,  while  his  wife  jeached  the  age  of 
ninety-three,  and  their  remains  were  interred  in 
Limestone  township,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.  For 
over  sixty  years  they  had  traveled  life's  journey 
together,  sharing  its  joys  and  sorrows,  and  they 
had  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  them.  The 
father  was  a  man  of  undoubted  integrity  and 
blameless  life,  and  was  a  very  successful  farmer. 
He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  to  which  he  was  a  liberal  con- 
tributor, while  his  wife  was  a  Lutheran  in  relig- 
ious belief.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and 
later  a  Republican. 

To  Christian  and  Elizabeth  Laubach  were 
born  the  following  children:  Elias,  in  his  day  a 
successful  farmer,  who  died  in  Northampton 
county  at  the  age  of  seventy  years;  Julia,  who 
married  Rudolph  Kemmerer,  and  died  in  Summit 
county,  Ohio;  Abraham,  who  was  always  an  in- 
valid, and  died  at  the  old  home  in  Lehigh  coun- 
ty; Eliza,  who  married  Thomas  Seighfried,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  forty  years  in  Lehigh  county; 
Mary,  who  wedded  Conrad  Lerch,  and  died  in 
Crawford  township.  Clinton  county;  Joshua,  who 
is  now  a  stock  dealer  of  Lehigh  county;  Charles, 
a  farmer  of  Lycoming  county;  Edwin,  a  retired 
miller  of  Lehigh  county;  Stephen,  a  farmer  of 
Lycoming  county;  Jesse,  of  this  sketch;  Edward, 
a  resident  of  Crawford  township,  Clinton  county; 
and  James,  a  farmer  of  Lehigh  county. 

Jesse  Laubach  received  a  fair  German  educa- 
tion in  the  country  schools  near  his  boyhood 
home,  but  could  not  speak  English  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  was  naturally 
bright  and  learned  readily,  while  his  memory  was 


711 


(  OMMSMORATIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


remarkable,  though  his  advantages  were  poor. 
He  was  anxious  to  learn  the  English  langua 
but  it  was  spi  iken  but  little  in  his  locality;  through 
his  own  efforts,  however,  he  mastered  that  tongue, 
and  by  reading  and  observation  has  becon 
well-informed  man  <  >n  leaving  home,  Mr.  Lau- 
bacli  went  to  Mauch  Chunk,  Penn.,  where  for 
two  months  he  clerked  in  a  store  for  $6  per 
month  and  his  board.  His  brothei  St<  phen, 
who  had  visited  Clinton  county,  was  at  that  time 
in  Mauch  (hunk  with  a  mule  and  ca  per- 

suaded our  subject  to  accompany  him  on  his  re- 
turn to  Clinton  county,  where  their  brother 
Charles  was  also  living.  On  his  arrival  he  re- 
mained with  the  latti  r  f<>r  a  few  weeks, and 
on  March  22.  1848,  began  working  for  Samuel 
L.  Allison,  of  Lamar  township,  as  a  farm  hand, 
fur  $9  per  month,  receiving  his  wages  onl\ 
the  six  months  when  the  farm  work  was  heaviest, 
while  during  the  other  six  months  he  worked  for 
Ins  board,      As  he  was  industrious  and  proved 

rj    valuable  to  his  employer,   Ins  wages  w 
raised  $1   per   month  each  year  for  three   years, 
and  as  an  inducement  to  have  our  subject  remain 
with  him.   Mr.  Alii-  red  him  the  farm  on 

shares.  He  conducted  the  place  in  that  way  for 
three  years,  and  wishing  to  give  his  attention  to 
other  business  he  refused  a  better  offer  from  his 
employi  1 

W  uli  th'   money  that  he  had  saved,  Mr.  Lau- 
bach  be^an  dealing   in    horses,  cattle  and   sheep, 
which  business  called  him  to  every  section  of  the 
Stati  .    oid  in   his   new  undertaking  he  met  with 
■  llent  success.      Later  he  became  a  huckster 
and    butcher,  with    his    market    in    Lock  Ha\ 
and    he    also   speculated    in    anything    honorable 
whereby   money   could   be    made       In    [862,    in 
partnership  with  Jacob  Bower,  he  opened  a  gen- 
1    Lot  k   Haven,  bul  six  months  later 
Mr.  Bower   sold   his   interest  to  Samuel  Adams, 
and  foi  u m  11  \  years  busmen  was  carried  on  under 
the  firm  name   oi    Laubach   A   Adams       Finally 
selling  out  to  John  E.    burst  and  I 
ner,    Mi      Laubach    embarked    in    the   real-estate 
business  in  the  same  place,  and  in  that  enterp 
also  prospered,  until,  unfortunately,  in  a  busini 
venture  with   unscrupulous    men,    he.    in    [876, 
practically  lost  everything.     Going  to   Fleming- 
ton,  he  d    in   general    merchandising   and 
the  coal  business  (or  .1  year  and   a    half,  and  at 
the  end  oi  that  tune  again  tinned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  with  the  hopes  ol  retrieving 
his  lost  fortune      Aftei  operating  rented  land 
several  was  able  to  purchase,  in  1  ■- 
lu>   present  farm   in    Laid  Eagle  township,  from 
the  A.  ('.  V  :  ite,  .md  two  years  later  took 
up  his  residence  thereon,  devoting  his  energies  to 


its  cultivation  and  improvement  until  1S94,  when 
he  rented  the  place  and  removed  to  his  present 
home,  where  he  is  now  living  practically  retired. 

In  March.  1  S 5 5 .  Mr.  Laubach  married  Miss 
Catharine  L.  Allison,  a  native  of  Porter  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  (Troutman)  Allison.  Six  children 
blessed  this  union:  Ltta  E. ,  who  married  How- 
ard McClintock,  and  died  at  the  home  of  our 
subject;  Ida  A.,  wife  of  Enoch  Bartholomew,  of 
Ridgway,  Penn. ;  Ella  C,  wife  of  James  H.  Huff, 
ol  Laid  Eagle  township;  Nina  A.,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Riter,  of  the  same  township;  Emery  G.,  a 
farmer  of  Laid  Lagle  township;  and  Allison  J., 
a  prosperous  merchant  of  Ridgway. 

The  Republican  party  has  always  found  in 
Mr.  Laubach  a  stanch  supporter,  and  he  has 
been  called  upon  to  serve  as  school  director, 
auditor,  supervisor  and  in  other  township  offices, 
which  he  tilled  with  credit  to  himself  and  satis- 
faction to  his  constituents.  One  of  the  leading 
and  influential  men  of  his  community,  he  takes 
an  active  interest  in  all  public  improvements,  and 
gives  his  support  to  every  enterprise  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  joined  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
but  while  a  resident  of  Lock  Haven  he  became  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  since  coming  to  Bald  Eagle  town- 
ship has  held  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  with  which  he  is  officially  connected. 
He  affiliates  with  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America,  and  at  one  time  belonged  to  the  Odd 
Fellows  Society.  He  is  a  most  progressive,  en- 
terprising farmer,  thoroughly  up  to  date  in  all 
his  methods,  and  is  now  government  correspond- 
ent of  the  agricultural  reports  in  his  locality. 
Besides  his  valuable  farm  of  200  acres,  he  now 
owns  two  resiliences.  In  business  transactions 
his  word  has  ever  been  considered  as  good  as  his 
bond,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  has  been 
found  true  to  every  trust   reposed  in  him.      He 

traveled  extensively  over  man)  of  the  States 
of    the    Union,    and    wherever    he    goes  he   wins 
friends,  and  has,  moreover,  the  happy  faculty  of 
able  to  retain  them. 


Gl  KALI'  is  an  energetic  and 
r  thorough-going  business  man,  now  engaged 
in  general  merchandising  in  Lamar.  Clinton 
nty.  A  so,,  of  George  and  Martha  (Marks) 
ip,  he  was  born  October  13,  1 832.  in  Colum- 
bia county,  Penn.,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a 
farm,  attending  school  only  about  two  months 
through  ntire  boyhood 

In  his  native  county  Mr.  Raup  married   Miss 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


745 


Sarah  Roadarmel,  and  to  them  were  born  the 
following  children:  Christopher  C,  Thomas  J. 
and  W.  S.,  all  farmers  of  Northumberland  coun- 
ty, Penn. ;  W.  K.,  who  is  engaged  in  business 
with  his  father;  U.  S.  Grant,  a  resident  of  Mt. 
Carmel,  Penn.;  Martha,  who  is  married;  and  Ida 
and  Rosa  M.,  both  at  home.  In  Columbia 
county,  Mr.  Raup  conducted  a  sawmill  until 
1 87 1,  when  he  removed  to  Ralpho  township, 
Northumberland  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
lumbering,  and  later  followed  the  same  pursuit  in 
Nittany  Valley,  Clinton  and  Centre  counties, 
meeting  with  a  fair  degree  of  success.  On  Sep- 
tember 23,  1895,  he  bought  his  present  mercan- 
tile business  from  the  assignee  of  R.  Loveland 
Axe  Company  (limited)  at  Lamar,  where,  in 
partnership  with  his  son,  W.  K.,  he  has  since 
successfully  engaged  in  business  under  the  firm 
style  of  G.  M.  Raup  &  Son.  They  have  greatly 
enlarged  the  stock  of  goods,  and  are  now  con- 
ducting one  of  the  best  stores  in   Nittany  Valley. 

In  June,  1863,  Mr.  Raup  enlisted  in  the 
Emergency  Service,  and  was  engaged  in  active 
duty  for  one  month.  In  the  following  year  he 
joined  Company  H,  48th  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt. 
Alfred  Thompson,  and  saw  much  hard  fighting. 
Although  he  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Petersburg,  he  would  not  go  to  the  hospital, 
and  was  never  off  duty,  being  in  all  engagements 
of  his  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After 
ten  months  of  arduous  and  faithful  service  he 
was  honorably  discharged.  He  also  took  part 
in  the  grand  review  at  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia. 

Mr.  Raup's  sterling  integrity  and  general  ur- 
banity of  manner  have  won  for  him  a  large  num- 
ber of  friends  in  Nittany  Valley,  and  his  business 
energy  and  earnestness  a  numerous  and  increas- 
ing patronage.  In  his  new  venture  in  the  mer- 
cantile line  he  is  fast  achieving  a  merited  suc- 
cess, and  has  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  Although 
his  business  interests  are  now  in  Lamar,  his 
family  continues  to  reside  in  Ralpho  township, 
Northumberland  county.  The  Republican  party 
has  always  found  in  him  a  stanch  supporter,  but 
he  has  never  cared  for  official  positions. 


© 


H.  WEST.  Few  men  have  passed  through 
as  many  trying  vicissitudes  as  marked  the 
early  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  a 
wealthy  and  influential  resident  of  Salona,  Clin- 
ton county.  Beginning  his  business  career  as  a 
mere  boy,  without  education,  capital  or  friends, 
his  Yankee  shrewdness  has  served  him  well,  and 
he  has  succeeded  in  many  an  enterprise  of  which 


others  disapproved  as  too  venturesome.  One 
factor  in  his  success  which  cannot  be  too  often  or 
too  strongly  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  am- 
bitious young  man  of  to-day  is  his  "reliability," 
a  quality  that  has  enabled  him  to  gain  and  keep 
the  confidence  of  capitalists  who  have  been  glad 
to  furnish  the  fuDds  for  the  business  operations 
which  his  keen  intellect  designed  and  his  un- 
tiring energy  carried  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

Mr.  West  was  born  March  25.  1833,  in  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  and  his  parents,  Lyman  and  Jerusha 
(Backus)  West,  were  also  natives  of  that  city. 
Lyman  West  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in 
his  youth,  and  followed  it  for  some  years  in  Con- 
necticut; but  in  1837  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Tioga  Center,  N.  Y.,  and  after  continuing  the 
same  business  for  a  time  he  bought  1 50  acres  of 
timber  land  in  that  county,  which  was  then 
sparsely  settled.  He  built  a  log  house  in  the 
woods,  and  lived  in  primitive  style  while  clearing 
his  land  and  bringing  it  under  cultivation,  and 
his  wife,  who  was  an  expert  weaver,  made  the 
flax  from  their  fields  and  the  wool  from  their 
flocks  of  sheep  into  cloth.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig,  later  a  Republican,  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  and 
she  survived  him  many  years,  passing  away  in 
her  seventy-ninth  year,  their  remains  being  in- 
terred at  Tioga  Center,  N.  Y.  They  had  six 
children:  Louisa,  widow  of  Richard  German,  of 
Louisiana;  O.  H.,  our  subject;  Sarah  A.  and 
Mary  A.  (twins),  and  Joseph,  a  cooper,  residing 
in  Chemung  county,  N.  Y.  Sarah  A.  married 
Cyrus  Deeby,  and  they  lived  in  the  city  of  Auburn, 
N.  Y. ,  but  she  died  of  cancer,  at  her  daughter's 
in  Michigan  in  the  fall  of  1896.  Mary  A.  mar- 
ried Orange  Munson,  and  died  in  New  York  State 
from  cancer,  about  1882.  Harriet  (Mrs.  Edwin 
Bradley)  lived  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died 
of  cancer  in   1895. 

As  Mr.  West  was  only  four  years  old  when 
his  parents  settled  in  Tioga  county,  N.  Y. ,  his 
earliest  remembrances  are  of  the  surroundings  in- 
cidental to  pioneer  life.  Being  the  eldest  boy  he 
was  obliged  to  work  hard  at  home,  and  obtained 
only  an  occasional  chance  to  attend  school,  prob- 
ably spending  there  altogether  less  than  a  year. 
His  father's  discipline  seemed  to  him  too  severe, 
and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  ran  away  from  home, 
his  possessions  at  the  time  consisting  of  two  pairs 
of  tow  pants  (worn  and  patched),  two  linen  shirts 
(also  patched),  a  ten -cent  straw  hat,  and  twenty- 
five  cents  in  cash.  He  started  out  bare-footed, 
with  his  few  belongings  tied  in  a  handkerchief, 
and  walked  twenty-five  miles  to  Elmira,  N.  Y. , 
before    getting    anything    to    eat.       On    arriving 


746 


■  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGUM'llKM.  HF.CQRD. 


there  he  invested  ten  cents  in  a  plate  of  beans, 
and  then  went  <>n  bis  way  toward  Tioga  county, 

in.      A    fanner   on    tli  tve   him 

employment  at  ten  dollars  per  month,  and  after 
spending  some  time  at  that  work  Mr.  West  se- 
cured a  situation  in  a  sawmill.  From  "jacking 
logs "  he  was  set  to  other  tasks,  and  finally 
learned  everj  branch  of  the  lumber  business. 
SOine  wars  his  winters  were  spent  in  the 
ids,  while  in  summers  he  found  other  employ- 
ment, three  seasons  being  passed  on  the  Erie, 
Oswego  and  (  hemung  canals,  and  during 
sun  i   fireman  on  a  steamboat 

mi  Seneca  lake,  N.  Y.  He  was  often  employed 
m  driving  logs  and  rafting  square  timber  to  mar- 
ket, and  in  this  work  he  was  noted  for  being  the 
first  to  start  out  in  the  spring,  his  rafts  being  us- 
ually sent  down  the  river  at  a  stage  that  others 
con  us.      In  time   be   won  the  at- 

tention and  confidence  of  capitalists,  who  em- 
ployed him  to  manage  their  interests,  and  no 
matter  how  great  th<  sibility  he  wasm 

rid  wanting      As  time   passed    he   engaged  in 

the  lumber  busil  his   own  account,  and   in 

<and    1S70  he  built   two   mills   in  Clearfield 

inty,  one  ol  them  costing  $5,000.  In  [887  he 
disposed  ol  his  lumber  interests  including  his  saw- 
mills and  1,0cm  acres  of  land  in  Clearfield  coun- 
ty, and  the  following  year  he  removed  to  Salona, 
hoping  to  find  then-  relief  from  the  asthma. 
11  when  ill  he  could  not  refrain  from  business 
entirely,  and  soon  after  going  to  the  pleasant 
little  mountain   town    hi  ed   in    a  busin 

block  and  opened  a  store.  The  people  prophesied 
that  he  would   at    l.i  teeth   cut, 

but  he   suci  ind  a  few  years  later  he  sold 

out  his  business  to   1  W.  Kerr  &  Son.      In 

the  meantime  he  had  purchased  a  business  block 
and  a  dwelling  house  there,  in  addition  to  which 
hi   owns  considerable   land    in  that  vicin  At 

tunes  he  has  bad  large  tracks  of  mountain  land, 
much  of  which  he  has  sold  at  an  advance,  and 
he  now  has  a  fine  farm  of  120  acres  in  Girard 
town -hi  p.  Clearfield  county.  Besides  these  hold- 
ings he  has  money  at  interest,  his  investmi 
being  managed  with  characteristic  ability  and 
foresight.  A  presi  nt  he  1-  .1  stockholder  in 
Salona  creamery.  Although  his  transactions 
have  been  large,  covering   thousands  of  doll 

he  has  always  kept    bis    own    books,  and  was    his 

own  manager.     His  education  is,  oi  course,  self- 

|  .iled,   and  the  extent  and  thoroughness  of  his 

knowledge  of  men  and  affairs  does  credit  to  his 
I"1"  /ation. 

In  mannei  Mr    West  is  quite  unostentatious, 

but  he  is  a  man  of  much  force  of  character,  as 
may  be  interred  from  his  career,  and  at  all  time-. 


and  under  all  circumstances  he  does  his  own 
thinking.  Notwithstanding  the  hardships  of  his 
early  life,  he  is  robust  for  one  of  his  age,  and 
bids  fair  to  enjoy  for  many  years  the  rewards  of 
his  past  efforts.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, his  devotion  to  his  party  being  quite 
from  selfish  considerations,  as  he  has  no  as- 
pirations for  office. 

In  1857  he  was  married  at  Nelson,  Tioga 
Co.,  Penn.,  to  Miss  Jane  A.  Stephens,  who  was 
bin  at  Beecher's  Island,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Eliza  Stephens.  She  died  in  March, 
1885,  leaving  two  children:  Louisa,  wife  of 
Allen  Murray,  who  now  has  charge  of  our  sub- 
ject's farm  in  Clearfield  county;  and  Ella,  wife 
of  William  Seaman,  of  Sand  Lake,  Mich.  Mr. 
West  has  no  sons  of  his  own,  but  he  took  into 
his  home  some  years  ago  two  little  boys,  Oscar 
\V     and  Lewis   Knapp,    brothers,  whom  he  has 

red  and  started  in  business  as  if  they  were 
his  children.  They  have  done  credit  to  his 
training,  and  are  now  prosperous  young  business 
men  of  Salona. 


GEORGE  W.  GARMAN,  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county, 
represents  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  State. 
His  grandfather,  George  Garman,  was  born  either 
in  Lancaster  county  or  in  Dauphin,  and  followed 
farming  and  distilling  in  the  latter  county  where 
he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was 
married  there,  and  had  a  family  of  ten  children: 
Henry,  Michael,  Martin,  Daniel,  George.  Sam- 
uel, Jonathan.  Catharine,  Lyddie  and  John. 
The  grandfather  was  a  Democrat,  and  he  and 
his  family  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  Dauphin  counts', 
and  were  buried  in  Shoops  cemetery. 

John  F.  Garman,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in    Dauphin    county,  and    attended   its  sub- 

ption  schools,  both  English  and  German, 
speaking  and  writing  the  latter  language  as  well 
as  the  former.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  upon 
his  father's  farm  and    in  the  distillery,  and  when 

>ung  man  studied  medicine:  but  on  account 
of  his  health  he  never  practiced  hi--  profession. 
Following  farming  in  Dauphin  county  until  1S40, 
he  then  !  to  Clinton  county,  purchasing 

land  in  Pine  Creek  township,  which  he  trans- 
formed mto  a  tine  farm.  He  erected  a  house  at 
a  cost  of  $;,ooo,  built  good  barns  and  placed  his 

hundred  acres  of  land  under  high  cultivation. 

He    spenl     seven   years   on    that    place,    during 

which  tune  he    taught    school   in   t fie  winter  sea- 

lling   that  property  he  returned   to 

Dauphin  county,  locating  in  Middle  Paxton  town- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


747 


ship,  where  he  operated  a  rented  farm  for  two 
years,  after  which  he  removed  to  the  A.  B. 
Hamilton  farm,  near  Harrisburg,  and  cultivated 
that  land  until  his  death  in  1854.  He  and  his 
family  were  consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  in  political  faith  he  was  a  stalwart 
Democrat.  His  life  was  honorable,  and  he  was 
known  as  a  good  husband  and  father,  a  faithful 
friend  and  a  loyal  citizen. 

In  1840,  John  F.  Garman  was  married  in 
Middle  Paxton  township,  Dauphin  county,  to 
Elizabeth  C.  Fertig,  a  native  of  that  township, 
and  a  daughter  of  Adam  Fertig,  a  farmer,  who 
was  of  German  descent.  Her  death  occurred  in 
her  native  township,  August  19,  1888.  She  was 
a  faithful  mother  and  a  devoted  helpmeet  to  her 
husband.  Her  family  numbered  nine  children: 
George  W. ;  John,  a  blacksmith  of  Kane  county, 
111. ;  Elias,  of  New  Columbia,  Penn. ;  Rebecca 
E.,  wife  of  J.  Bogner,  of  Dauphin  county;  Har- 
ry M.,  who  was  burned  to  death  while  camping 
on  Jack  mountain;  Annie  M.,  wife  of  Eli  Stout, 
of  Middle  Paxton  township,  Dauphin  county; 
Daniel,  deceased  when  a  young  man;  Mary  C, 
wife  of  Jacob  A.  Kline,  of  Pine  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county;  and  one  that  died  in  infancy. 

George  W.  Garman  was  born  in  Pine  Creek 
township,  September  9,  1841,  and  when  six 
years  old  removed  with  his  parents  to  Dauphin 
county,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  in 
the  winter  months,  while  through  the  remainder 
of  the  year  he  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  farm. 
When  a  lad  of  twelve  years,  while  helping  to 
thresh  grain  he  had  his  right  arm  caught  in  the 
machinery,  and  the  injury  necessitated  amputa- 
tion, the  operation  being  performed  by  Dr. 
Weilsling,  of  Harrisburg.  A  year  later  his 
father  died,  leaving  a  large  family  to  be  provided 
for,  and  as  our  subject  was  the  eldest  of  the 
family  the  burden  of  responsibility  fell  upon 
him.  He  learned  to  use  his  left  hand  to  write, 
and  soon  afterward  obtained  a  teacher's  certifi- 
cate. He  taught  school  in  Dauphin  county  be- 
tween the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-one  years, 
and  then  through  the  instrumentality  of  his 
uncle,  Henry  Garman,  who  was  a  school  director 
in  Pine  Creek  township,  Clinton  county,  he  ob- 
tained the  position  of  teacher  in  the  Garman 
school.  Later  he  returned  to  Dauphin  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  until  1861,  when 
he  again  came  to  Clinton  county,  and  served  as 
teacher  in  the  Garman  school  until  1867,  suc- 
cessfully following  that  profession  for  seventeen 
years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing on  the  old  Kissel  place,  and  the  following 
year  was  elected  constable  of  the  township.  He 
has  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace    for  the 


past  twenty-one  years,  and  so  fair  have  been  his 
decisions  that  he  has  never  had  a  case  appealed 
to  a  higher  court.  He  is  a  man  of  talent  and 
scholarly  attainments,  and  what  he  has  accom- 
plished in  life  is  most  creditable  to  his  ability  and 
ambition.  He  made  excellent  improvements 
upon  his  farm,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  valua- 
ble property. 

Mr.  Garman  was  married  in  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  in  September,  1867,  to 
Ellen  B.  Kissel,  who  was  born  in  Oakland, 
Lycoming  county,  June  2,  1833.  Her  father, 
Andrew  Kissel,  was  born  in  Cumberland  county 
in  1772,  a  son  of  John  Kissel,  and  one  of  a  family 
of  nine  children.  His  father  was  of  German 
descent,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Andrew  Kissel  was 
educated  in  the  German  tongue,  and  with  his 
parents  removed  to  Lycoming  county,  where  he 
followed  farming.  He  afterward  purchased  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Pine  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county,  which  he  greatly  improved  and 
later  sold.  He  then  bought  eighty-nine  acres  in 
the  same  township,  which  he  operated  for  a 
number  of  years.  His  last  days,  however,  were 
spent  in  retirement,  and  he  died  in  1868.  His 
wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Bowers, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Madeline 
(Stetzell)  Bowers,  both  of  German  descent. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kissel:  Henry,  deceased;  Sarah,  deceased  wife 
of  Jacob  Kline;  G.  Shriver,  deceased;  Christopher, 
a  farmer  of  Pine  Creek  township;  Elizabeth,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Jane  E.,  deceased  wife  of 
Daniel  Kline;  and  Mrs.  Garman.  The  father  of 
this  family  was  first  a  Whig  and  afterward  a 
Republican  in  political  belief,  and  in  religious 
faith  he  was  a  Lutheran.  He  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  over  ninety  years. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garman  were  born  four 
children:  John  A.,  born  August  17,  1868,  died 
at  the  age  of  seven  years;  Joseph  K. ,  born  May 
12,  1872,  died  in  infancy;  Elias  C. ,  born  October 
12,  1874,  died  in  infancy;  and  Daniel  K.,  born 
July  3,  1876,  now  assists  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  farm.  Mr.  Garman  is  a  member  of  the 
Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  and  of  Chatham 
Run  Council,  of  which  he  was  secretary  and 
president.  He  served  as  supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship for  eighteen  years,  and  discharged  his  duties 
with  marked  fidelity  and  ability.  He  has  steadily 
worked  his  way  upward  in  the  face  of  difficulties 
that  would  have  utterly  discouraged  many  men, 
and  has  achieved  a  success  that  reflects  great 
credit  upon  his  ability.  He  has  won  the  highest 
esteem  of  friends  and  neighbors,  and  all  who 
know  him  entertain  for  him  warm  regard. 


748 


COMMl  VORATITB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


DWARD  GUMM(  l      Prominenl  the 

prosperous  and  pro(  farmers  of  Clin- 

ton county  may   be   named   the  subject  of  this 

graphical  notice,  whose  homestead  is  pli 
antly  located  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  and  who, 
by  enterprise  ami  energy  in  the  direction  ol  his 

3en  industry,  has  given  to  his  work  a  signifi- 
cance and  beauty  of  which  few  deem  it  capable. 
Hi  was  born  February  12,  1844,  on  his  present 
farm,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Nancan 

Gummo,  and  in  an  old   log   school   house  which 
stood  some  distance  from  his  home  he  began  his 
education,  Louisa  Montgomerj  and  Ellen 
being  among  his  first  teai  I 

Mi  Gummo  was  reared  in  much  the  usual 
manner  of  farmer  boys  in  a  pioneer  settlement, 
a<  the  development  of  this  section  was  much  be- 
hind the  others  of  the  county.  He  aided  in  the 
arduous  task  of  clearing  at  least  one-half  of  his 
farm,  and  when  a  young  man  he  also  worked  in 
thelumbei  woodsat  different  times.  After  attain- 
ing his  majority  be  assumed  the  management  of 
rm,  receiving  one-half  the  products, 
and,  later,  two-thirds  until  becoming  sole  owner. 

The  place '■ prises  no  acre-  highly  cultivated 

and  improved  with  excellent  buildings,  and  the 
well-tilled  fields  and  neat  and  thriftj  appearance 
of  the  place  plainly  indicate  the  supervisor  to  be 
a  thorough  and  skillful  farmer  .1-  well  as  a  busi- 

-    man   of  excellent    ability.      In    connection 
with  Ins  property  he  owns  tour  lots  in  the  villi 
of  Flemington,  and   is  justly   numbered   an 

well-to-do    and    substantial    cil  I    his 

community. 

Mr   Gummo  wa  I  February  12,  1S90, 

to  Miss  Ann!.    M    Packer,  a   daughter  of   Roberl 
and  Mary  (Tyler)  Packer,  and  the)    have  an  in- 
tughter,    Marj     Vgnes      The  parents 
both    sii  ..'   members    of    the 

Methodisl  Episcopal  Church  at  Laurel  Run.  Mr. 
Gummo  was  a  member  of  the  building  commit- 
tee at  the  time  erection  of  the  house, ,1 
worship,  and  has  served  as  treasurer  and  tru 
since  the  organization  of  the  Church.  In  his 
political  views  he  1  oim  ides  with  the  Republican 
party,  but  care-  nothing  for  the  honors  or  emol- 
ument-of  public  office.      A-  a  citizen    hi 

ry  requirement,  and  manifests  a  commendable 
interest  in  everything  calculated  to  promote  the 
public  welfare.  In  manner  he  is  pleasant,  genial 
and  approai  hable,  and  all  who  know  him  esteem 
him  highly  for  his  genuine  worth. 


A    I.I  \  \\M  R    K.     II  VMILTON,    a    worthy 
r\.   representative  "f   the  agricultural  interests 
I'l"   '  reek  township,  Clinton  county,  was  I 


there  I uly  1  1.  1835,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Ann 
rrison  Hamilton.  He  belongs  to  a  patriotic 
and  distinguished  family  that  was  early  founded 
in  the  West  Branch  Valley.  His  great-grand- 
father, Capt.  Alexander  Hamilton,  moved  from 
Juniata  Valley  to  what  is  now  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship. Clinton  county,  early  in  the  year  1772,  and 
marked  out  for  himself  a  tract  of  land  one  mile 
square,  which  he  bought  of  the  Indians  with  a 
few  presents.  He  was  killed  by  the  Redmen  in 
the  fall  of  1 78 1.  a  short  distance  above  North- 
umberland on  the  North  branch. 

Robert  Hamilton,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
purchased  of  the  heirs  the  east  half  of  the  tract 
above  mentioned,  and  in  1789  built  the  dwelling 
which  is  yet  standing  on  the  river  bank,  on  the 
public  road  leading  from  Jersey  Shore  to  Lock 
Haven,  and  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  town- 
ship. He  married  Anna  Jackson,  whose  father 
had  come  to  this  section  from  Orange  county. 
N.  V..  and  in  1790  they  began  housekeeping  at 
that  home,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days,  the  grandfather  dying  June  2,  1845. 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  and  his  wife  April  16, 
1862,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  also  a  native  of 
Pine  Creek  township,  and  in  its  subscription 
schools  obtained  his  education.  As  a  boy  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm,  but  afterward 
learned  the  printer's  trade,  and  in  1837  became 
editor  of  The  Watchman,  published  at  Belle- 
fonte,  Centre  county,  Penn. ,  with  which  he 
was  connected  for  several  years.  Later  he  was 
similarly  employed  in  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  and 
was  afterward  editor  of  a  paper  in  Jersey 
Shore.      For    a    number    of    years    he    was  also 

aged  in  piloting  rafts  from  Lock  Haven  to 
Marietta.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land 
in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county,  at  the  foot 
of    Bald    I  Mountain,  the   lumber  and    bark 

from  which  he  sold,  and  after  clearing  170  acres, 
placed  it  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Foi 
many  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  and 
'ul  teachers  of  Pine  Creek  township,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  Duncan  and  McGuire  schools, 
and   having  his  pupils  some  of   the  most 

prominent  citizens  of  this  community  at  the  pres- 
ent day.  While  gathering  bark  upon  his  farm  he 
contracted  a  cold,  which  resulted  in  his  death  in 
1850,  when  our  subject  was  fifteen  years  old. 
II  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  citizens  of  Pine  Creek 
township  At  Big  Meddons,  Tioga  Co.,  Penn., 
In-  had  married  Ann  Morrison,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children:  Robert,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twelve    years;    John,    who   married    Dolly    Arm- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


749 


strong,  and  lives  in  Iowa;  Alexander  K.,  of  this 
sketch;  Jackson,  a  resident  of  Pine  Creek  town- 
ship; Anna  Amanda;  Nancy  Jane  Hayes,  de- 
ceased; Elizabeth,  who  died  in  childhood;  and 
Mary  P.,  who  is  employed  as  a  saleslady  in  Lock 
Haven.  After  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs. 
Hamilton  made  her  home  with  her  children  until 
she,  too,  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1871,  be- 
ing laid  by  his  side  in  the  old  Pine  Creek  ceme- 
tery of  Pine  Creek  township.  Both  were  faith- 
ful members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  had 
many  friends  throughout  the  community. 

Mr.      Hamilton,     whose     name    opens     this 
sketch,    attended     the    schools     in     Pine    Creek 
township    taught    by    his    father,   and   upon   the 
home     farm    was    reared     to     habits    of     indus- 
try.     A   few   years  after    his    father's   death,    he 
accompanied  the  family  on  their  removal   from 
Wayne  to  Pine  Creek  township,  where  he  worked 
on  the  Ridge  farm  until  July,   1861,  when  he  en- 
listed at  Jersey  Shore,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  in 
Company  A,  5th    Pennsylvania    Reserves,    under 
Capt.  Ulman  and  Col.  Simmons,  of  Harrisburg. 
After    being    mustered    into    the    United    States 
service  at  Harrisburg,  the  regiment  was  assigned 
to   the    Fifth    Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
with   that  command    Mr.  Hamilton   participated 
in   the   following   battles:      Gainesville,    June  6, 
1862;    the    seven-days'   fight   at    Mechanicsville; 
Gaines  Hill,  June  27,  1862,  where  he  was  slightly 
wounded    by  a   ball    striking   him  in  the  breast; 
White    Oak    Swamp,   June    30,    1862;    Malvern 
Hill,  July  1 ;  second  battle  of   Bull  Run,  August 
29    and    30;    Chantilly,  Va.,    August   30;    South 
Mountain,    Md.,  September    14;  Antietam,    Md., 
September  16  and  17;  and  Fredericksburg,    Va., 
December  15,  where    he  was  again  wounded,  by 
a  ball  passing  through  his  left    foot  while  trying 
to  rescue  a  superior  officer.      The  regiment  then 
went  into  winter  quarters,  and  the  following  year 
Mr.  Hamilton  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg,   Penn.,    July  2,  3  and   4,  1863;   Williams- 
port,   Md.,   July   7;    Wapping    Heights,   July  9; 
Bristow,  Va.,  October    14;    Rappahannock   Sta- 
tion, Va.,  November   7;   and   Hope  Church  and 
Mine   Run,    both    in    November,    1863.      During 
the  bitter  cold  of   that  winter  he  lost  his  hearing 
in  one  ear,  while   several    of   his   comrades  were 
frozen  to  death.      The  next  year  he  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  6,  7  and  8; 
Spottsylvania,  May  9,   10,   11  and  12;  North  Ann 
River,  May  23    and    24;    and    Bethseda   Church, 
Va.,  May  30.      His  three-years'  term   of   service 
having  expired,  he  was  mustered   out    at  Harris- 
burg, June  14,   1864,  and  returned  home. 

In    Pine  Creek  township,  Mr.  Hamilton  then 
engaged    in   agricultural    pursuits    upon   a  small 


farm,  where  he  now  resides,  and  in  connection 
with  general  farming  he  has  successfully  engaged 
in  tobacco  raising.  In  1880  he  built  a  comfort- 
able residence  upon  his  place,  and  has  also  a 
good  barn,  tobacco  sheds  and  a  fine  orchard. 
He  also  operates  the  Rogers  farm,  and  is  justly 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  skill- 
ful agriculturists  of  the  community.  In  April, 
1879,  in  Pine  Creek  township,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Rogers,  a  native 
of  that  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Mathew 
Rogers.  To  them  were  born  five  children:  Pris- 
'cilla,  born  July  14,  1880;  one  that  died  in  in- 
fancy; Bessie,  born  September  22,  1883;  Mat- 
thew Stanley  Quay,  born  January  7,  1887;  and 
Robert  Bruce,  born  September  27,   1893. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hamilton  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  has  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  for  six  years.  The  success  that  he  has 
achieved  in  life  has  been  due  to  his  own  efforts 
and  the  assistance  of  his  estimable  wife,  who  has 
indeed  proved  a  faithful  helpmeet  to  him,  and  no 
couple  in  Pine  Creek  township  merit  or  receive 
in  a  greater  degree  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the 
entire  community.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  as  loyal  to 
his  country's  interests  in  days  of  peace  as  when 
following  the  old  flag  to  victory  on  Southern 
battle  fields. 


JOSEPH  H.  HAYES,  a  leading  agriculturist 
of  Porter  township,  Clinton  county,  occupies 
a  fine  homestead  near  Parvin,  the  estate 
having  been  purchased  by  his  father  more  than 
half  a  century  ago.  The  Hayes  family,  which  is 
of  Scotch-Irish  stock,  has  been  identified  with 
central  Pennsylvania  from  an  early  period,  our 
subject's  ancestors  being  numbered  among  the 
first  settlers  along  Beech  creek. 

James  Hayes,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  and  reared  in  Bald  Eagle  township,  Clinton 
county,  and  in  his  youth  learned  the  axe-maker's 
trade  with  Harvey  Mann,  of  Bellefonte.  La- 
ter he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  axes  on 
his  own  account  in  his  native  township,  and  for 
seven  years  he  conducted  an  axe-factory  near 
Mackeyville.  In  1839  he  removed  to  Stephen- 
son county.  111.,  and  located  on  a  farm  four 
miles  northwest  of  Freeport;  the  entire  journey 
being  made  by  team.  The  land  was  new,  and 
while  his  time  was  mainly  spent  in  cultivating 
it  he  also  found  time  to  make  a  few  axes  by 
hand.  After  two  years  he  returned  to  the  East 
by  way  of  the  lakes,  and  settled  near  Lamar, 
where  he  and  W.  N.  Hayes  built  an  axe-factory, 
the  first  in   the    vicinity.      This  they  conducted 


C0MM1  VORATIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


for  about  (our  years  when  they  sold  out  to  Reu- 
beo  Loveland.     James  Hayes  then  remove1 

no's  Valley,  Centre  county,  as  he  had  traded 
his   320  acres    ol    land    in    Stephen:  nty, 

III.,  (or  a  tannery  and  a  small  tract  of  land  near 
Woodward.     Hi  ed  in  tanning,  and  con- 

tinued about  twi  but    in  1847  he  sold  the 

perty  and  purchased  the  present  homestead, 
which  was  then  known  as  the  Wilson  farm. 
He  was  an  nt    citizen,    always  ready  to 

lend  Ins  influence  to  any   pi  vement, 

and  for  years  he  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the   Presbyterian    church.      In    politics  he  was 

•  a  Whig  and  later  a  Rebublican.  but  he 
never  sought  orheld  office  Beginning  life  poor, 
he  acquired  a  comfortable  competence  through 
own  efforts.  He  was  a  large  man,  nearly 
six  feet  tall  and  weighing  about  350  pounds,  and 
he  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
Hi-  wife,    Esther      Heverly),   to    whom  he  was 

iried  in  Centre  county,  was  a  native  of  Leb- 
anon county,  Penn.,  but  had  been  taken  to  Centre 

inty,  when  she  was  about  eleven  years  old,  by 
father,  Christopher  Heverly,  who  settled  near 
She  dii  seventy- 

three,  and  her  remains    1  :  beside  those  of 

husband  in   Cedar    Hill  ry.      <  >f  their 

four  children,  tin-  tirst.  Jam-,  died  in  girlhood; 
William  died  in  April,  1896,  at  Mackeyville;  [os- 
eph  II.  is  the  sul  •  tin-   sketch;  Miss  Han- 

nab,  who  is  an  invalid,  own.-  a  -hare  in  the 
id  and  resides  thi 

Mr    Haj  es,  our  sub  I  1       mber 

i''.  1835,  '"  Lamar  township.  Clinton  county, 
a  -boit  distance  below  Mackeyville.  In  the  fall 
of  1841,  after  tin-  return  of  Ins  parents  from  Illi- 

-.    he     I-  attend     school    in    Howard. 

1'' mi  .  Mi--  Lillj  being  his  tirst  teacher.  Later 
he    attended  the    Washington  school  in   1'  1 

•iship,  but  his  opportunities  were  much  infer- 
ior to  those  of  tin-  present  day  in  the  same  local- 
ities lb-  w.i-  reared  to  (arm  work,  not  even 
learning  In-  father's  ti.it  making,  and  al- 

ways remained  at  home  without  any  spei  ial  ar- 
rangements as  t"  wages,  the  care  ol  the  place 
/olving  entire!}  upon  him  during  his  fa- 
ther's 1  is  In  1S74  In-  married  V 
Mary  J.  Pettit,  a  native  "t  1  nty, 
and  a  daughter  oi  Samuel  Pettit  I  1  hil- 
dren  have  blessed  this  un  fames  I 
[ennie   B. .   Samuel,     fosephine   I  •  . 

all  at  home.       Mr     and     Mi  -     II 
are  both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  tided  with   the  ial  circli 

their  locality. 

The  management  of  his  farm,  which  contains 
ir"  acres,  requires  much  attention,  but  in  a  quiet 


way  Mr.  Hayes  takes  an  interest  in  local  affairs, 
and  at  one  time  he  served  as  school  director, 
lb-  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Grange,  but 
is  not  now-  connected  with  it.  While  he  is  by 
no  means  a  politician,  he  keeps  well  informed 
upon  the  questions  of  the  day,  and  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 


Dl  NNIS  M.  MAY,  the  well-known  and  popu- 
lar proprietor  of  the  "  Renovo  House." 
Renovo,  Clinton  county,  was  born  in  Erie  coun- 
ts. Penn.,  in  1*43,  and  is  a  son  of  Wallace  and 
Matilda  (Sloan)  May,  also  natives  of  the  Key- 
stone State.  Throughout  his  active  business 
career  the  father  followed  the  quiet  pursuits  of 
farm  life,  and  now  at  the  age  of  eighty  years 
is   living   retired   in    Erie  counts,    surrounded   by 

comforts  which  his  past  labors  have  brought. 
He  has  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who 
know  him,   and   is  justly    deserving    of  the   high 

.  rd  in  which  he  is  held.      The  mother  of  our 
subject  died   in    1856,    leaving    six    children  v. 
are  yet  living,  namely:      Dennis  M.,  George  II.. 
Thomas   I)..  Edward,    Mis.    Emma    Lurch,  and 
Elizabeth  (wife  of   George  Campbell  1. 

The  country  schools  of  his  native  county 
afforded  our  subject  his  educational  privile^<  -. 
and  upon  the  home  farm  he  was  reared  to  habits 
of  industry  and  thrift.  On  attaining  his  major- 
its'  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  came  to  Renovo, 
when  he  clerked  111  the  "Renovo  Hotel  "  for 
two  nd    also    served    as    constable.      He 

devoted  his  energies  principally  to  the  hotel  busi- 
ness until  January  1,  [885,  when  he  removed  to 
Lock  Haven  to  assume  the  duties  of  sheriff,  to 
which  office  he  had  been  elected  the  pre\  i 
November.  He  most  acceptably  served  in  that 
responsible  position  tor  a  term  of  three  years, 
and  then  took  charge  of  the  "Keller  House"  at 
Lock  Haven,  conducting  that  popular  hostelry 
for  two  years.  (  >u  the  expiration  of  his  lease 
he  became  proprietor  of  the  "  Harmonia  House  " 
in  the  same  city,  but  at  the  end  of  three  years 
returned  to    Renovo   and    has  since   successfully 

ducted  the  ••  Renovo  Hotel,"   which  is  one  of 

the    leading  hotels    in    the    place.      He    is    e\er 

mindful    ol     the    interests    and    comforts    of    his 

tnd   his  house    has    therefore  become  a 

vorite  with    the    traveling   public       1 

nt    and   comfortable,     md   the  cuisine   is 

unexcepl 

Ini87oMr   May  married  Miss  Malissa,  daugh- 

if     Robert    Bridgens,    a    worthy    citizen 

(  linton  county,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five 

children:      William.     Annie     I)  .     Sarah    Helen. 

Edward    11     and    Florence.      The    mother    is  a 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


751 


consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  is  a  most  estimable  lady.  Since  at- 
taining his  majority  Mr.  May  has  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  political  affairs,  and  is  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  local  Democracy.  His 
ambition  has  been  to  acquit  himself  of  life's  du- 
ties honorably  before  all  men,  to  improve  his 
capabilities  and  opportunities  and  to  become  of 
use  in  the  world;  and  it  is  this  spirit  mainly  that 
has  made  him  one  of  the  most  eminent  and 
highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Renovo. 


fARTIN  F.  MURPHY.  A  financial  and 
commercial  history  of  Renovo  would  be 
incomplete  without  a  personal  mention  of  Mr. 
Murphy,  whose  life  is  interwoven  so  closely  with 
its  business  interests.  '  Like  many  of  the  promi- 
nent and  leading  citizens  of  Clinton  count)',  he 
comes  from  across  the  sea,  having  been  born  in 
Ireland  in  1848.  His  parents,  Daniel  and  Mary 
(McMahon)  Murphy,  were  born  in  the  same 
country,  whence,  early  in  the  '50s,  they  emigrated 
to  the  New  World,  taking  up  their  residence  in 
Clinton  county,  where  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  was  passed. 

In  the  schools  of  Lock  Haven  Martin  F. 
Murphy  received  a  good  practical  education  that 
has  well  fitted  him  for  the  responsible  duties  of 
business  life,  and  on  leaving  the  school  room  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  clerking  in  a  mer- 
cantile store  in  Renovo,  which  place  has  since 
been  his  home,  and  he  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  its  business  interests.  After  clerk- 
ing for  some  years  he  opened  a  store  of  his  own 
in  1 88 1,  as  a  dealer  in  clothing  and  gents'  furnish- 
ing goods,  and  has  since  successfully  conducted 
the  same.  His  large  and  commodious  store 
building  is  well  stocked  with  a  fine  and  complete 
assortment  of  everything  found  in  a  first-class 
establishment  of  the  kind,  and  it  is  conveniently 
located  on  the  corner  of  Third  street  and  Erie 
avenue.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  director 
in  both  the  First  National  Bank  and  the  Renovo 
Electric  Light  Company,  and  as  a  thrifty,  pro- 
gressive citizen  he  is  always  identified  with  all 
enterprises  calculated  to  prove  of  benefit  to  the 
town.  He  has  made  good  use  of  his  opportuni- 
ties, has  prospered  from  year  to  year,  and  has 
conducted  all  business  matters  carefully  and  suc- 
cessfully, and  in  all  his  acts  displays  an  aptitude 
for  successful  management.  He  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Catholic  Church,  and  on  political 
questions  usually  coincides  with  the  Democratic 
party.  Political  honors  have  no  attraction  for 
him,  as  he  prefers  to  devote  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  his  extensive  business  interests. 


yfALENTINE  SOHMER.  the  popular  land- 
lord of  the  "Pennsylvania  House"  at  Lock 
Haven,  Clinton  county,  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  in  1850.  Mathias  and  Hermolia  (Smith) 
Sohmer,  his  parents,  were  also  born  in  the  Fa- 
therland, and  there  passed  their  entire  lives. 
Mathias  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  followed  that 
occupation  as  a  means  of  livelihood.  Both  par- 
ents were  industrious,  hardworking  people,  kind 
neighbors  and  good  citizens.  They  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  children,  who  followed  in  their  footsteps 
and  have  proven  worthy  of  the  name  they  bear. 
Six  of  their  children  are  still  living,  namely: 
Brigeter,  Mathias,  Blondina,  Valentine  (our  sub- 
ject), Ferdinand  and  Pauline. 

Valentine  Sohmer  attended  the  schools  of  his 
native  place  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  at  which 
time  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources  and 
became  self-supporting.  On  leaving  school  he 
worked  on  a  farm  until  1868.  He  then  came  to 
America  and  located  at  Lock  Haven,  where  for 
some  ten  or  more  years  he  worked  in  a  brewery. 
After  the  expiration  of  that  time,  having  saved 
his  earnings,  he  was  enabled  to  go  into  business 
for  himself,  and  began  keeping  the  "Pennsyl- 
vania House,"  a  hotel  that  bears  a  great  reputa- 
tion throughout  the  State  for  the  generous  hos- 
pitality dispensed.  The  rooms  are  neat  and  air)', 
the  beds  comfortable  and  easy,  and  the  table 
bountifully  spread.  The  "Pennsylvania  House" 
is  centrally  located,  and  affords  accommodations 
for  seventy-five  guests.  The  landlord  is  popular 
among  the  traveling  public,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  of  our  German  citizens.  Like  the  general 
German,  he  has  made  and  saved  money,  becom- 
ing well-to-do. 

Our  subject  has  been  twice  married,  first  in 
1 87 1  to  Julia  Herman,  a  German  by  birth,  and 
seven  children  were  born  to  them,  namely: 
Emma  (Mrs.  Kert  Shaw),  Frank,  Anna,  Lulu, 
Helen,  Valentine  and  Viola.  The  mother  of 
these  died  in  January,  1892,  and  in  March,  1895, 
Mr.  Sohmer  was  again  married,  this  time  to  Mar- 
guerite Haugh,  of  Pittsburg,  who  presides  with 
an  air  of  good  cheer  at  the  "Pennsylvania 
House."  In  politics  Mr.  Sohmer  is  a  Democrat; 
he  is  a  member  of  the   Roman   Catholic  Church. 


S\AMUEL  L.  and  CHARLES  L.  RICKER, 
_J  comprising  the  firm  of  Ricker  Brothers,  pro- 
prietors of  the  Jersey  Dairy  of  Nittany  Valley, 
are  among  the  most  thrifty,  enterprising  and 
progressive  business  men  of  Lamar  township, 
Clinton  county.  Their  father,  Jacob  Ricker, 
was  born  February  14,  1827,  in  Lehigh  county, 
Penn.,  whence  when   a   boy   he   was   brought  by 


...^ 


<  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  parents  to  Clinton  county.     The  grandfather, 

George  Kick  ;i  cabinet-maker  and  car; 

ter  by  occupation. 

Jacob  Kicker,  the  father,  started  < >ut  in  life 
for  himself  in  limited  circumstances,  but  pros- 
per* '1  in  lus  undertakings  and  1»  .  lite  well- 

lo.  After  his  marriage  he  located  on  a  farm 
in  tl  of  Nittany  Valley,  and  later  re- 

moved to  th  cupied   l>\    I 

[01  som  ontinuing  to  conductj  both  farms. 

1!.-  was  ,m  exi  ellent  judge  of  horses  and  a  very 
skillful  driver,  and  has  owned  some  line  animals. 
He  i-  'till  residing  with  his  sons,  and  is  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  know  him.  On  Sep- 
tember  17,  1849,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Allison, 
whose  latin  '  ,  was  a  cousin  of  Sen- 

ator Allison,  of  Iowa.  She  was  born  July  7,  1830, 
on  the  farmwhere  her  sons  are  still  living,  and  died 
July  7,  [885,  her  remains  being  interred  in  Cedar 
Hill  ry.      In  order   of    birth    her  children 

were  as  follows:  John  .v.  born  April  26,  1850, 
is  a  sawyer  in  West  Virginia;  William  J.,  born 
September  17,  1851,  is  a  traveling  salesman; 
Samuel  I.,  was  born  in  Nittany  Valley,  Decem- 
bei  -1;.  [85  Gi  rge  L..  born  November  13, 
-7,  is  a  butcher  at  Flat  Kock,  Penn.;  H.  L., 
born  September  6,  I  So;,  is  a  butcher  at  Salona, 
Clinton  county;  Arthur  I.  ,  born  July  19,  1869, 
1-   also   a    resident   of    Salona;  and   Charles   L., 

1  November  13,  1873,  completes  the  family. 

Samuel  L.  Kicker  was  reared  upon  his  pres- 
ent   farm,  attended   tin    district   schools   of   the 

ih 1.  and    completed   his    education    in 

iIh  schools  ol  Salona.  In  early  manhood  he 
left  home  and  went  to  Lincoln  county,  Kans., 
where  be  bought  a  tract  of  prairie  land,  built  a 
"  dugout,"  and  kept  bachelor's  hall  for  two  years. 
One  season  he  planted  one  hundred  acres  in 
wheat,  but  the  entire  crop  was  destroyed  by 
drought,   and  In-   never  harvested   a   grain.      Be- 

Ming  discouraged,  ho  and  a  companion  -tarted 
from  that  stat.  t,,  Pennsylvania  in  a  covered 
wagon,  but  on  arriving  at  Atchison.  Kans..  they 

in-, I  employment  for  a  short  time,  which 
suited  m  Mr.  Ricker  remaining  there  for  some 
While  at  that  place  he  married  Anna 
Sheats,  who  was  bom  in  the  east  end  of  Nittany 
Valley,  Clint  m  l  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and   I. cab  (Snydei    Sheats,  and   the)    have 

en  children:     Cora.  Clyde,  Sarah  E.,  S   G 
Bj  r<  in,  1  dna  and  <  ilenn. 

In  Atchison,  Kans.,  Mr.  Kicker  was  em- 
ployed as  a  drivi  months, 
and  then  started  m  the  dairy  business  on  his  own 
mt  He  rented  1 50  acres  of  land  near  that 
place,  prospered  in  his  new  enterprise,  and 
made  money    rapidly;    but   failing    health  caused 


him   to    sell     out     and     return  to    Pennsylvania 
I  five     months     after     his     arrival     here     he 

confined  to  his  bed,  and  on  sufficiently  re- 
ring  to  engage  in  business  he  bought  a  few 
acres  of  land  near  Flat  Kock,  in  Nittany  Valley, 
with  the  intention  of  building  a  store  and  engag- 
ing in  merchandising,  finally,  however,  giving  up 
that  idea.  For  a  few  years  he  was  interested  in 
the  butcher  business,  but  after  the  death  of  his 
mother,  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead  as  his 
father  was  left  without  a  housekeeper.  Here  he 
has  continued  to  reside,  and  since  1887  he  and 
his  brother  Charles  L..  have  engaged  in  the 
dairy  business.  They  began  operations  on  a 
moderate  scale,  but  as  they  prospered  they  have 
added  to  their  business,  and  now  keep  on  hands 
from  forty  to  forty-five  cows.  Their  herd  in- 
cludes many  thoroughbred'  Jersey  and  Holstein 
tie,  some  of  the  finest  in  the  county.  They 
also  own  the  Miles  Hanna  farm  near  Castanea, 
which  they  rent,  besides  the  old  homestead,  and 
are  justly  numbered  among  the  wide-awake, 
straightforward  and  reliable  business  men  of  their 
community,  as  well  as  the  leading  dairymen  of 
Lock  Haven,  in  politics  Samuel  L.  Ricker  is  a 
pronounced  Republican;  in  religious  belief  his 
wife  is  a  Lutheran. 


71  I).  PORTER.  No  more  thrifty  farmer  or 
jtA.  better  citizen  can  be  found  in  Nittany  Val- 
ley than  our  subject,  whose  home  is  in  Porter 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  he  is  descended 
from  honored  old  Revolutionary  stock.  He  was 
born  April  11.  1852,  about  one  mile  southwest 
of  Mackeyville  (then  Hamburg),  in  Lamar  town- 
ship. Clinton  county,  and  is  a  son  of  James  H. 
ami  Elizabeth  Reeseman)  Porter.  The  grand- 
father, James  Porter,  Sr.,  was  a  son  of  Samuel 
I'rter,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  Nittany 
Valley,  who  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestrv. 

[ames    11     Porter,   our   subject's  father,   was 
born  March   22,   1822,  on  the  old   Porter  home- 

1  near  Mackeyville,  and  in  the   primitive   log 
school  house  of   that   early   day   he   acquired    his 

ition,  his  first  t'  ai  h<  1  being  fane  Walters, 
who  afterward  became  the  wife  of  James  Rogers. 
He  was  once  punished  at  school  by  having  a 
pincber  placed  upon  his  nose.  He  remained 
upon  the  home  farm,  aiding  in  the  arduous  task  1  I 
clearing  and  developing  wild  land  until  his  mar- 
riage in  February,  1848,  with  Miss  Klizabeth 
an.      She  was  born  near  Millheim,  in  Cen- 

ounty,  Pi  an. ,  1  ebruarj  22,  [826,  a  daughter 

fohn    and    Christina    iHeltman)    Reeseman. 

the  lir-t  two  years   of  his  married   life    Mr. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


753 


Porter  lived  in  a  tenant  house  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  then  removed  to  another  place  in 
Lamar  township,  where  he  spent  one  year. 
Subsequently  he  bought  fifty-five  acres  in  that 
township  at  $15  per  acre,  cleared  it  and  erected 
good  buildings  thereon,  and  later  sold  the  place 
for  $60,00  per  acre.  For  the  past  forty  years 
he  has  lived  upon  his  present  farm,  which  he  pur- 
chased from  A.  H.  Best,  and  which  was  known 
as  the  old  Thompson  homestead.  Here  he  has 
a  most  comfortable  home,  and  is  practically  liv- 
ing retired,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  former  toil. 
His  early  life  was  one  of  hardship.  As  a  boy 
one  pair  of  shoes  was  furnished  him  each  winter, 
but  they  often  did  not  last  longer  than  February 
at  the  farthest,  and  he  was  obliged  to  go  bare- 
footed all  through  the  cold  days  of  spring.  His 
mother  spun  the  flax  from  which  most  of  the 
clothes  of  the  family  were  made.  But  all  this 
has  been  changed,  and  Mr.  Porter  is  now  num- 
bered among  the  wealthy  and  prosperous  farmers 
of  his  community,  owning  two  valuable  farms, 
one  in  Lamar  township  and  the  other  in  Porter 
township,  aggregating  335  acres  of  rich  and  arable 
land.  Although  he  usually  supports  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  he  is  not  strictly  partisan,  and 
often  votes  the  Prohibition  ticket, as  he  is  a  strong 
temperance  man,  never  using  liquors  or  tobacco 
in  any  form.  His  father  being  such  an  inveterate 
hunter,  mostly  seen  with  dogs  and  guns,  he  be- 
came disgusted  with  the  sport,  and  has  never 
loaded  a  gun  in  his  life.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  valued  and  honored  citizens  of  Clin- 
ton county. 

•To  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  the 
following  children:  Mary,  who  wedded  F.  E. 
Hays,  and  died  in  Lamar  township;  John  R.,  a 
farmer  of  that  township;  Adolphus  D.,  of  this 
review;  Margaret  F  ,  wife  of  Lewis  W.  Dorn- 
blaser,  of  Porter  township;  Jane,  wife  of  Harry 
Snyder,  of  Porter  township;  and  Hays  H.,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Lamar  township.  During  his 
boyhood  and  youth  Adolphus  D.  Porter  attended 
the  public  schools  at  Mackeyville,  and  among  his 
first  teachers  were  Belle  Cofiley,  John  Shoemaker 
and  a  Mr.  Kelderwood,  while  later  he  pursued 
his  studies  under  the  direction  of  Daniel  H.  Hast- 
ings, the  present  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
never  attended  any  higher  institution  of  learning, 
but  is  a  warm  friend  of  better  and  more  advanced 
schools.  Under  the  able  guidance  of  his  father 
he  became  a  thorough  aaid  skillful  farmer,  and 
while  never  learning  any  trade,  he  is  able  to  do 
carpentering  and  horseshoing,  as  he  is  a  natural 
mechanic  and  very  skillful  with  tools  of  all  kinds. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  began  life  for  himself, 

48* 


he  and  his  brother  J.  R.  forming  a  partnership. 
They  bought  stock  and  tools,  and  together  oper- 
ated their  father's  farm  for  nine  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  our  subject  purchased  his  brother's 
interest  and  rented  what  was  known  as  the  Aus- 
tin Brungart  farm,  in  the  east  end  of  Nittany  Val- 
ley, until  the  spring  of  189 1.  He  then  removed 
to  his  present  farm  of  seventy  acres,  known  as 
the  John  Watson  farm,  and  to  its  improvement 
and  cultivation  has  since  devoted  his  attention, 
making  it  one  of  the  most  desirable  and  valuable 
places  in  the  Valley. 

On  March  27,  18S4,  Mr.  Porter  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Sevilla  R.  Shipe,  nee 
Campbell,  who  was  born  in  Shamokin  township, 
Northumberland  Co.,  Penn.,  October  30,  1854, 
and  is  an  only  daughter.  She  first  married  J. 
H.  Shipe,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  born  May 
13,  1882,  and  who  is  now  known  as  Calvin  J. 
Porter.  Politically,  our  subject's  sympathies  are 
with  the  Prohibition  party  as  he  is  an  uncom- 
promising enemy  of  the  liquor  traffic,  but  at 
elections  he  always  endeavors  to  support  the  best 
man  regardless  of  party  affiliations.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Methodist,  is  a  liberal  contributor 
to  all  Church  work,  is  now  serving  as  trustee, 
and  for  a  long  time  was  treasurer  of  his  Church. 
He  is  also  an  active  and  prominent  worker  in  the 
Sabbath-school,  and  gives  a  hearty  support  to  all 
enterprises  calculated  to  advance  the  moral,  in- 
tellectual or  material  welfare  of  his  community. 
His  honesty  and  integrity  are  proverbial,  and  he 
has  the  respect  and  esteem  of  young  and  old, 
rich  and  poor.  He  is  thoroughly  a  self-made 
man,  is  progressive  and  energetic,  believing  in 
keeping  thoroughly  abreast  with  the  times,  and 
in  this  way  has  achieved  a  well-merited  success 
in  his  life  work. 


CHARLES  W.  LOVELAND,  of  Lock  Haven, 
Clinton  county,  who  is  now  serving  his  sec- 
ond term  as  the  obliging  and  painstaking  clerk 
to  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  was  born 
in  i860  at  Lamar,  and  has  thus  far  passed  his 
life  in  the  city. 

Reuben  Loveland,  his  father,  was  born  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  and  some  time  in  the  early 
"40s"  located  at  Lamar,  where  he  engaged  in. 
the  manufacture  of  axes,  conducting  an  axe  fac- 
tory at  that  point  for  years.  He  was  a  Christian 
man  and  a  worker  in  the  Church,  always  inter- 
ested in  religious  matters  in  the  community,  and 
in  every  movement  having  for  its  object  the  ele- 
vation of  his  fellowmen.  He  and  feis  estimable 
wife,  who  was  a  Miss  Nancy  Rossman,  were  both 
identified    with    the   M.    E.    Church,   and   were 


754 


ITIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


among  the  best  of  Lamar's  people.      He  died  in 
tnd  she  on  July  2,    [897. 

Charles  W.  Loveland  attended  the  schools  of 
his  native  town,  and  was  then  sent  to  Allegheny 
College,  Meadville,  Penn.,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  After  returning  home  from  colli 
hi  traveled  for  a  firm,  following  which  he  wis 
foi  thiee  years  1  in  mercantile  busines 

Lamar.      In  1894  he  was  appointed  clerk  to  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  and  in   [897  he 

-  reapp  tinted  t"  I !  in.      He  has 

proven  himself   a    very  competent  clerical  m 
accurate  and  efficient. 

In  1884  Mr.  Loveland  was  married  to  Miss 
Clara  B.  Watson,  a  daughter  oi  John  Watson,  of 
Lamar,  and  to  the  marriage  have  come  the  fol- 
lowing  four  children:  Leslie  L. ,  Stella,  Amy  and 
Miriam.  The  parents  of  these  were  members  of 
the  M.  E.  Church,  and  are  active  in  its  social 
Mr.  Loveland  is  a  member  of  th< 
Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  Lock  Haven  Club. 
In  |M>litics  he  is  a  Republican. 


B\  .  J  \M  ES  SAAS.  Evidently  qualified  and 
.  fitted  for  the  life  and  self-denial,  responsi- 
bility and  trust  to  which  the  priest  is  called,  is 
R<  1     I  -.  the  pastor  of  St.  Agnes  Roman 

tbolic     Church,      at      Lock      Haven,      Clii 

county. 

Father  Saas  was  born  in   Germany,  whi 
he  came  to  America  when  quite  He  re- 

ceived his  theological  and  philosophical  educa- 
tion at  St.  Vincent's  College,  in  Westmoreland 
comity,    Penn.,    and    was   ordained   a    priest   in 

14       He  was  tirst  assistant  priest  of  St.  An- 
thony's Church,  at   Lancaster,  Penn.,  remaining 
in  that  incumbency  a  short  time,   then,  in  M 
1  hi     was  sent   to  his  present   1  at 

Lock  Haven,  of  which  he  h  inci   had  in- 

dependent  chai  Si     Agi  irch   is  in  a 

thriving  condition,  both  financial])  and  spiritu- 
allj       rhere  is  a  large  and  •  1  in 

connection  with  the  parish,  which  is  excellently 

dui  ted.     This  Church  was  organized  at  1. 
Haven,  in  January,   1873,  and   the  1  tion 

has   gradually  increased  until  it   now   numb 

ral   families.     <  onsiderabli   1 
expended   in   1  hurcb   property,   buildings,    etc., 
and  in  improvement        I 

nise,  and  his  life  bids  to  be  one  of  gt< 
fulne 

JOHN    N.     KEMMERER,    on< 
tive     and     enterprising     business    men    of 
Green  township,  Clinton  county,  is  the  senior 
partner    of    the    firm   of    Kem merer   &  Broth 


lumber  manufacturers  and  farmers.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Sugar  Valley,  born  in  the  borough  of 
Loganton.  February  14,  1S66,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Elmira  (Lebo)  Kemmerer,  who  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Lykens  Valley, 
Dauphin  county,  Penn.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents   were    Christian    and (Fisher) 

Kemmerer,  well-known  (arming  people  of  Wash- 
ington township,  that  county,  and    the   maternal 

idfather,  Lebo,  was   also  an   agriculturist  of 
Dauphin  county. 

The  birth  of  Joseph  Kemmerer  occurred  in 
Elizabethville,  and  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
county  he  acquired  a  good  English  and  German 
education,  becoming  especially  proficient  in 
mathematics.  There  he  began  his  business  ca- 
reer as  a  farmer,  but  on  first  coming  to  Logan- 
ton,  Cliiit>n  county,  he  operated  a  pottery,  manu- 
facturing crocks,  etc.,  and  continued  to  follow 
that  occupation  for  several  years.  He  invented 
and  patented  a  washing  machine,  the  first  of  the 
kind  in  central  Pennsylvania,  and  after  engaging 
in  its  manufacture  for  some  time,  he  •  mbarked 
in  the  lumber  business,  buying  a  large  tract  of 
timber  land  in  Green  township,  Sugar  Vail 
where  he  erected  a  fine  steam  sawmill,  and  oper- 
ated the  same  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
purchased  the  Grannelv  farm  of  140  acres, 
which  he  improved  and  cultivated.  While  tak- 
ing logs  mi  Sugar  Vail  -  Mountain,  February  9, 
1  81 13,  one  large  log  jumped  from  the  slide  striking 
Mr.  Kemmerer,  and  he  expired  a  few  seconds 
later  in  the  arms  of  our  subject.  He  was  a  kind 
and  affectionate  husband  and  father,  and  besi 
his  familyhe  left  many  friends  to  mourn  his  death, 
for  he  was  widely  known  and  highly  respect- 
He  began  life  here  in  limited  circumstances,  but 
by  industry,  perseverance  and  good  management 
he  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  comfortable 
competence.  He  v\as  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  was  a  lifelong  Democrat 
in  politics,  a  ed  his  fellow  citizens  in  the 

capacity  of  auditor  of  his  township.      His  widow, 
who   is   a   m  ble   lady,  now  makes  her 

home   with   her  children,    who    are   as   follov 

ih,  wife  of  McClennell  Brungart,  of  Green 
township;  Sybella,  wife  of  John  Reninger,  of 
-  '  ire,  Penn.;  [ohn  N.;  Frank,  who  mar- 
ried Clara  Miller,  and  is  engaged  in  busim 
with  our  subject;  James  L. ,  a  farmer  of  Green 
township,  who  married  Alice  Wolf,  daughter  of 
Eli  Wolf,  of  that  township.  One  child  died  in 
infancy. 

The  education  of  John  N.  Kemmerer  was  such 
as  the  public  schools  of  Green  township  afforded. 
He  began  work  at  lumbering  with  his  father  in 
the    mill,   where   he  remained  until   twenty-two 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


755 


years  of  age;  than  was  employed  as  engineer  in 
the  Jameson  sawmill  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  six 
months  at  lumbering  in  another  part  of  the  town- 
ship. In  1890  he  returned  home  and  worked 
with  his  father  until  his  death,  when  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Frank  he  took  charge  of  the 
business,  which  they  have  since  successfully  con- 
ducted. Besides  making  extensive  improvements 
in  the  mill  and  machinery,  costing  upward  of  one 
thousand  dollars,  the)'  have  erected  a  steam  saw- 
mill in  Logan  township  at  a  cost  $1,200,  and  now 
carry  on  a  large  and  profitable  business.  They  own 
over  one  thousand  acres  of  timber  land  in  Sugar 
Valley,  besides  other  small  tracts,  and  the  old 
homestead  of  140  acres  also  belongs  to  our  sub- 
ject, who  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  most 
reliable,  straightforward  and  progressive  men  of 
Clinton  county. 

Mr.  Kemmerer  was  married  in  1S93  to  Miss 
Anna  V.  Mover,  a  native  of  Penn's  Valley,  Centre 
county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Cath- 
arine (Wagner)  Moyer,  of  Green  township,  Clin- 
ton county,  and  they  have  two  interesting  chil- 
dren— Harry  L.  and  Katie  E.  Politically,  Mr. 
Kemmerer  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  cares  nothing  for  the  honors  or  emolu- 
ments of  public  office.  Although  he  is  a  very 
quiet,  unassuming  man,  he  is  genial  and  well- 
liked,  and  has  a  host  of  warm  friends  throughout 
his  native  county. 


JOSEPH  S.  SMITH,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  wholesale  liquor  business  in 
Renovo,  Clinton  county,  was  born  in  St. 
Mary's,  Penn.,  in  1866,  but  his  parents,  Joseph 
and  Anna  (Krug)  Smith,  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many, whence  in  their  youth  they  came  to  the 
New  World,  taking  up  their  residence  in  this 
State.  As  a  life  work  the  father  engaged  in  the 
butcher  business,  but  for  some  years  previous  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  April  10,  1885,  he 
lived  retired.  His  estimable  wife  still  survives 
him  as  does  also  their  three  sons — John  L.,  Jos- 
seph  S.  and  Sebastian. 

In  the  city  of  his  birth  Joseph  S.  Smith  was 
reared,  acquiring  his  education  in  its  public 
schools.  On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he 
first  worked  in  the  mines,  and  was  later  em- 
ployed as  a  clerk  and  deliverer  of  goods  in  a 
mercantile  establishment.  In  1892  he  began 
business  in  Renovo  as  a  wholesale  liquor  dealer, 
and  has  met  with  excellent  success  in  the  under- 
taking. He  carries  on  business  on  Erie  avenue, 
and  receives  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  pat- 
ronage. 

Mr.   Smith    was    married,   in    1S93,   to    Miss 


Mary  E.  Sullivan,  a  daughter  of  Cornelius  Sulli- 
van, of  Wellsville,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  now  have  an 
interesting  little  daughter,  Marie  Catherine. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  both  communicants  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  his  political  affilia- 
tions he  is  a  Democrat.  A  progressive  and  en- 
terprising citizen,  he  takes  a  deep  and  commend- 
able interest  in  public  affairs,  and  supports  all 
objects  which  he  believes  calculated  to  promote 
the  general  welfare. 


EV.  FRANCIS  P.  MCCARTHY.  Though 
as  yet  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  comparatively 
short  pastorate  at  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  in  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county, 
Father  McCarthy  has  by  his  devout  life,  while 
quietly  working  in  his  appointed  sphere,  so  en- 
deared himself  to  his  congregation,  and  gained 
the  esteem  and  regard  of  all  classes  in  the  com- 
munity, as  to  give  promise  of  great  usefulness  in 
this  field  of  the  vineyard. 

Father  McCarthy  was  born  in  1863,  at  Prov- 
idence, Rhode  Island,  where  the  rudiments  of 
his  education  were  received.  Subsequently,  for 
two  years,  he  attended  the  Christian  Brothers 
school  in  the  same  city,  and  completed  his  col- 
lege course  at  Manhattan  College,  New  York,  in 
1883.  After  his  ordination  he  was  given  his  first 
charge — St.  Vincent  De  Paul,  New  York  City — 
remaining  two  years.  He  next  was  sent  to  Har- 
risburg,  Penn.,  where  for  four  years  he  was  the 
assistant  to  the  priest  in  charge  at  the  Renovo 
Church.  On  May  2,  1895,  he  came  to  his  pres- 
ent field  of  labor,  and  has  since  had  charge  of 
this  parish,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  Central 
Pennsylvania. 

The  Church  at  Lock  Haven  was  established 
in  1S63,  by  Rev.  Father  Gilligin.  The  charge  is 
provided  with  a  very  handsome  brick  church 
edifice,  and  a  commodious  school  building,  the 
former  having  a  seating  capacity  of  500.  The 
school  is  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  The 
congregation  is  growing,  and  the  parish  is  in  ex- 
cellent condition  both  spiritually  and  financially. 


CHARLES  F.  BICKFORD.  The  lumbering 
interests  in  and  about  Lock  Haven,  Clinton 
county,  have  been  one  of  the  important  factors 
in  the  growth  of  that  prosperous  and  flourishing 
little  city.  Since  the  building  of  the  West  Branch 
boom  in  1849  millions  of  feet  of  sawed  logs  have 
annually  been  secured  and  there  manufactured 
into  lumber  and  timber,  giving  employment  to 
hundreds  of  men.     One  of  the  operators  here  for 


766 


'  '0  VMEM0RAT1  VE  BIOGBAPHH  'AL  IiECORD. 


a  lifetime  in  this  important  industry  is   he  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch. 

Our  subject  comes  of  a   family  <>f   lumbermen 
who  came  from  a  lumber  State      Maine.    Samuel 

kford,  his   lather,  was  a  conspicuous  man  in 
lumber  circles  in  this  seel  fa  cen- 

tury, ami  si  followed  in  the  sa 

line,  and  either  are  now,  or  have  been,  identified 
with  thi  A   sketch  of  the  iather 

given  in  that  of  James  A.   Bickford   elsewhere. 
Charles  1      i 

county,  and   here   received   the  rudin  his 

education.       L.r  attended    the    Eastman 

B  5S  College,    Poughkeepsie,    N.  Y.      In    his 

childhood  he  had  heard  the  lumber  intei 
Maine    talked    of,  while  as  he  was    growing   up 
that    subject    was    the    I  ition    at 

home,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  his  mind  should 
be  directed  in  that  channel.      Beginning  in  I 

d  he   was    for    many   years   employed    in   the' 

lumber  yard  as  shipping  clerk  for  his  father,  and 

by  step  he  came  up  in  the  business,  learning 

rtment  thoroughly.      From  1S77  until 

bookkeeper  and  shipping 

clerk  in  the  planing-mill,  and  in  1883  he  became 

engaged  in  the-  sawmill  business,  in  which  he  has 

1    since    continued.      The   mills   and   business 
are  n  by   our   subject   am)   his  b 

I  I  ho  is  a    partner.     The  capacity  of 

this  plant  is   from   two   million    to    three   million 
per   annum.      These    brothers    are    capable 
tie    business   men,    and    are   meeting 
with  the  success  their  efforts  deserve.     In  polil 
our  sub  Republican.     He  is  a  member  of 

the  B    1'    0.  E.,  of   the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  of 
Workmen.      As    a    citizen    he   com- 
mands the  respect  of  the  community. 

On  1875,    Mr.    Bickl 

married  to  Yirgie  T.  Kit.  hie,  and  they  have  three 
children — Clan  rence  and  Mirian.      Mrs. 

Bickford  was  born  in  Clinton  county.  February 

1  J52,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  Ritchie, 

1 .( ck  1  lavec       She  is  a    !  ,,]v, 

and    is    a    men,'  the    Meth  pal 

Church. 


HENRY   T.   HALL.      !    L     k  11    -      1,  Clinton 
county,  who  i>  now  serving  his  second  term 
district   attorney   for  Clinton   county,   hi 

brilliant    .  and  his  -  re- 

ts tin/  more  pon   him   because  it 

obtained  by  his  own  efforts,  notwithstanding  the 
sand  discouragements  which  inevitably  ac- 
pany  limited 
Mr.   Hall  was  born  Octoi  1858,  at  Mill 

Hall.  Clinton  county,  a  son  of   James  and  Julia 


(Zellarsj  Hall.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  came  to  America  when  but  fourteen 
years  old,  and  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his 
life  at  Mill  Hall  and  vicinity,  be mu  engaged  for 
about  twenty-five  years  in  the  occupation  of  axe- 
making.  During  the  Mexican  war  he  ser 
with  honor  as  a  private  soldier,  and  in  all  the 
relations  of  life  he  commanded  the  respect  of  his 
associates.  His  death  occurred  in  18  — ;  his  wife, 
who  was  a  native  of  Clinton  county,  passed  away 
in  1889.  They  had  four  children:  John,  Henry 
T.  and  George  W.  twins  and  Mary  Frances, 
wife  of  Cilery  S.   McNaul,  of  Lock  Haven 

A-  his  parents  were  in  moderate  circum- 
stances, our  subject  was  obliged  to  become  a 
bread  winner  at  an  early  age,  and  for  some  years 
his  educational  opportunities  were  restricted  to 
tin  winter  terms  in  the  Mill  Hall  schools.  How- 
ever, he  made  the  most  of  his  advantages  and 
prepared  himself  to  teach  a  country  school,  the 
proceeds,  together  with  his  savings  from  his  work 
during  summer  in  a  sawmill,  enabling  him  to  take 
a  course  at  the  Mate  Normal  School  in  Lock 
Haven,  entering  in  1878  and  graduating  in  18S0. 
His  ability  and  success  as  a  teacher  may  be  seen 
from  the  fact  that  he  had  charge  of  the  public 
schools  of  I'lemington  one  year  and  those  of  Mill 
Hall  three  years.  After  graduating  from  the 
Normal  School  he  continued  to  teach  foi  two 
years,  spending  his  summers,  as  before,  in  work- 
ing in  a  sawmill.  He  then  entered  the  office  of 
H.  T.  Harvey,  and  began  the  study  of  law. 
Alter  two  and  one-half  years  of  preparatory  read- 
ing he  went  to  Winneld,  Kans.,  where  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  and  established  himself  in 
practice.  Soon,  howevar,  he  was  called  home 
on  account  of  the  serious  illness  of  his  mother, 
decided  to  remain,  an  advantageous  part- 
nership being  formed  with  T.  C.  Hippie.  Four 
years  later  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans 
for  the  office  of  district  attorney,  and.  notwith- 
standing   the    fact    that    Clinton    county   usually 

Democratic  by  about  500  votes,  he  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  288.  At  the  end  of  his 
term  of  three  years  he  was  nominated  unani- 
mously by  his  party,  and  was  again  elected,  his 

ority    being    700.      No    better    testimon) 
popularity  could   be  desired   than   this  endorse- 
ment in  a  community  where  he  has  been  known 

childl d.   and  Ins   able  discharge  of  the 

duties  of  the  position  fully  justifies  the  confidence 

I  i|    Ills   SUppi  '1  I 

far,   Mr    Hall    has  not  joined  the  rani- 
the  happy  Benedicts.      While  he  is  not  a  Church 
member  he    inclines   to   the   Presbyterian  faith, 
and  Ins    sympathies    are    with  every  movement 
thai  -  to  bring  a  benefit  to  the  community 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


757 


S\AMUEL  MILLAR  McCORMICK,  of  Lock 
_!  Haven,  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Clin- 
ton County  Bar,  and  the  story  of  his  successful 
struggle  with  adverse  circumstances  in  early  life 
cannot  fail  to  strengthen  the  purpose  and  stimu- 
late the  energies  of  any  ambitious  youth  who 
reads  these  lines. 

The  McCormick  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
this  section,  and  it  is  supposed  that  its  founders 
came  originally  from  Scotland.  William  Mont- 
gomery McCormick,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  Clinton  county,  and  for  some  years  of  his 
manhood  followed  farming  there.  In  1852  he 
went  to  California  in  search  of  gold,  but  he  was 
probably  killed  by  the  Indians,  as  nothing  definite 
was  ever  learned  concerning  his  fate.  His  wife, 
Ann  Eliza  (Millar),  who  died  in  1889,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  descent. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  1846,  in  Lamar  town- 
ship, Clinton  county,  and  is  now  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  the  family.  He  secured  a 
public-school  education,  but  being  anxious  to 
pursue  his  studies  farther  he  taught  some  four  or' 
five  years  in  order  to  obtain  the  funds  to  carry 
him  through  a  course  in  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Millersville,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1870. 
On  leaving  this  institution  he  resumed  the  work 
of  teaching,  and  continued  until  the  fall  of  1874, 
when  he  entered  the  office  of  C.  S.  McCormick, 
of  Lock  Haven,  and  began  the  study  of  law. 
On  January  1,  1877,  ne  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
and  for  more  than  twenty  years  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  professional  work,  making  a  specialty 
of  cases  in  the  Orphans'  Court,  and  acquiring 
also  a  large  office  business.  He  cherishes  a  firm 
faith  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  is  not  an  aspirant  for  political  honors, 
although  he  has  served  ably  as  United  States 
revenue  collector,  and  has  been  prominent  in 
municipal  affairs  as  a  member  of  the  city  council, 
having  held  the  position  of  clerk  in  that  body- 
almost  continuously  for  ten  years.  In  any  enter- 
prise which  promises  to  benefit  his  locality  he  is 
to  be  found  among  the  leaders,  and  he  is 
especially  interested  in  educational  matters. 
Since  May  1,  1879,  he  has  served  as  a  trustee  of 
the  Central  State  Normal  School  at  Lock  Haven, 
and  during  all  that  period  has  been  secretary  of 
the  board. 

On  March  7,  1877,  Mr.  McCormick  married 
Miss  Henrietta  M.  Holahan,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Holahan,  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Lock 
Haven,  who  served  two  terms  as  superintendent 
of  schools  in  Clinton  county.  Mrs.  McCormick 
died  in  January,  1895,  leaving  two  sons,  Ralph 
W.  and  Clay  M.  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  wife 
united  with  the  Great  Island  Presbyterian  Church 


early  in  their  married  life,  and  since  1880  he  has 
held  the  office  of  treasurer.  For  a  year  past  he 
has  also  served  as  elder  of  the  Church.  He 
belongs  to  Great  Island  Lodge  No.  320,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  in  which  he  is  a  past  grand,  and  to  Clin- 
ton Encampment  No.  27,  in  which  he  is  past 
chief  patriarch,  and  has  been  treasurer  since  1883. 


FREDERICK  W.  KELLER  is  one  of  the  act- 
ive, enterprising  and  popular  business  men 
of  Lock  Haven,  Clinton  county,  a  native  of  that 
city,  in  which  he  was  born  in  the  year  1866. 

Henry  Keller,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Germany,  whence  when  a  young  man  he  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Pine  Creek  township, 
Clinton  county.  Subsequently  he  moved  to  Lock 
Haven,  and  there  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade, 
which  he  worked  at  for  a  time,  and  in  1859  es- 
tablished the  present  business  carried  on  by  Fred- 
erick W. ,  under  the  name  of  Henry  Keller's  Son. 
He  was  thrifty  and  industrious,  and  succeeded  in 
accumulating  a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods. 
He  built  up  a  good  business,  and  played  well  his 
part  as  a  good,  law-abiding  citizen  of  the  county 
seat,  in  the  affairs  of  which  he  was  always  inter- 
ested, and  to  which  he  gave  a  share  of  his  time 
and  counsel.  He  was  a  man  somewhat  retiring 
and  unassuming,  yet  affable  and  easily  approached. 
He  read  and  investigated,  had  good  practical 
ideas,  and  he  served  very  creditably  in  the  city 
council.  His  death  occurred  in  1894.  His 
widow,  who  is  a  respected  resident  of  the  com- 
munity, was  Elizabeth  Knights,  and  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  Their  children  are:  Emma,  Anna, 
Ella,  Frederick  W.  (our  subject),  and  Charles  H. 

Frederick  W.  Keller  was  reared  in  Lock  Ha- 
ven, and  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  city, 
subsequently  taking  a  business  course  of  study. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  began  assisting  his 
father  in  the  store,  and  of  him  learned  the  busi- 
ness. In  a  manner  he  was  reared  in  the  store 
and  to  this  line  of  business.  He  is  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  it,  and  the  success  with  which 
he  has  met  since  the  death  of  his  father  has 
proven  that  he  is  a  worthy  successor  of  that  fa- 
ther. He  is  possessed  of  that  tact  and  manner 
that  are  calculated  to  attract  and  hold  custom. 
He  is  ambitious,  and  has  that  energy  that  will 
win  in  the  course  of  time.  Mr.  Keller  was  reared 
in  the  religious  faith  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church. 


OBERT  H.   IRVINE,  general  manager  and 
secretary    of  the    Lock    Haven    Traction 


Company,  is  a  young  man  who  has  won  an  en- 
I  viable  reputation  in   his  chosen  line   of  effort — 


:•'- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOURAl'IIIVAL  RECORD. 


that  of  civil  ring.     While  he  possesses  a 

thorough  knowledge  of  the  practical  details  of 
his  profession,  he  has  also  a  rare  degree  of  exec- 
utive ability  as  is  shown  in  his  successful  work  in 
superintendine;  lar^e  enterprise 

Mr.  Irvine  is   a   native  of   Lock   Haven,  born 

in  1868,  the  "nly  son  "f  Dr.  Joseph  S.  K.  Ir 

and  his  wife,  Carrie  (Abrams).     The  father  was 

born  in  Cumbei  mnty,   Penn.,   and   when 

twenty-f  rs    old  settled  at    Lock    Haven. 

where  1:  physician,  but  he 

,  at  a  comparatively  early  age.      Our 

ither,  who  was  born  in  W'illiamsport, 

till   living.      When    lour   years  of  age 

our  subject  was  taken  to  Reading,  Penn.,  wh< 

he  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools. 

After  hi:  •.ion  Ir-  was  employed  as  a  civil 

the  Reading  railroad  for  three  years. 

and  then  went  to  South   America   to  assist  in  a 

similar  capacity   in   the   construction  of  the  first 

:  oad  built  in  the   United  Stat 

re  occupied   in  this  work,  and 
hi:-  return  home  he  gave  his  attention  to  the 
a  of  electric  railways,  being  employed 
I  on  a  tin  ndeii,    N.    J.      Later   he   re- 

ock   Haven   to  build   the  road    with 
which  li  1.    and   after  its 

upletion  he  v  I   by  the  company  as 

The  line  is  ti\  e  and  one- 
half  mi!  s  constantly  beii  led, 
that  it  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  leading 

Is  in  this  section. 
In  1890   Mr.    Irvine  was   married    to    Lenon 

I  P.  Shenfelder, 
ially,  Mr.  Irvine  and 
wifi  minent,  and  the  latter  is  a  member 

of  tti'-  Presbyterian  Church.      Mr.  Irvine  beloi 

.  including  the  1 : 
O.  E.,  the  A.  O.  I".    W.,  and   the  Royal  Arcan- 
um.      I; 


J'  '-i-l'Il  r\KN'.N>.  who  for  thirty-five  j 
-  been   an    hi  I    Lock    1 ! 

•1.  Clinton  count)  the   most  in- 

ntial  and  intelligent  citizi  -hat  thru 

town,  ami  for  ten  years  has  1  ted  the  - 

ward  in  the  city  council.      lb  tei  m  of 

the  Civil  war,  and  among  the  vivid  pictures 
which  memorj  hold-  lor  him  1-  the  battle  of  An- 
tietam,  where  the  dead  and  dying  fell  on  all 
ring  the  Ion-  hours  of  the  fight.  Mr. 
Parsons  has  an  interesting  personality,  has  Hi 
ary  gifts,   and  his  in  com- 

man  -teem  of  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Parsons  comes  of  good  Colonial  stock, 
his  grandfather,  Stephei  g  been  a 


soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  William  Par- 
sons, our  subject's  father,  was  a  lifelong  resident 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  as  a  contractor  did  much 
toward  making  public  improvements  of  various 
kinds,  including  canals,  which  in  his  day  fur- 
nished  the  best   means  of  transportation.      He 

!  in  1  s 33  at  Paradise.  Lancaster  Co.t  Penn., 
and  his  wife,  Catherine  (Collins  1,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  passed  away  some  years 
before. 

Squire  Parsons,  who  is  now  the  only  survivor 
of  his  family,  was  born  at  Womelsdorf,  Berks 
Co.,  Penn.,  and  was  reared  after  the  old-fash- 
ioned plan,  receiving  but  limited  schooling. 
Among  his  teachers  was  a  man  in  Harrisburg 
named  Cross,  who  seemed  to  think  that  whip- 
ping was  an  indispensable  aid  to  education;  but 
notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  of  his  en\  ir- 
111  -ubject  became  an  ardent  student, 
and  by  his  own  efforts  has  gained  accurate  infor- 
mation on  a  wide  range  of  topics.  He  pursued  a 
course  of  legal  study,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
early  life,  and  he  is  also  well-read  in  science,  his- 
t'  iry  and  literature.  In  fact,  he  has  wielded  the  pen 
to  ^ood  effect  himself,  some  poetical  gems  hav- 
ittracted  favorable  notice.  Extensive  travel 
has  added  to  his  practical  knowdedge  of  men  and 
affairs,  as  he  has  circumnavigated  the  globe,  Riv- 
ing especial  attention  to  the  interesting  scenes  of 
the  Holy  Land  and  to  the  important  cities  of  the 
Old  World.  About  1861  Squire  Parsons  made 
his  home  at  Lock  Haven.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he 
has  held  his  present  office  continuously  since 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Jeffer- 
sonian  Democrat;  but  in  1896,  believing  that  his 
party  had  deviated  from  its  principles,  he  voted 
the  Republican  ticket. 

In  183S  our  subject  married  Miss  Ann  E. 
Fribley,  oi  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  who  passed 
from  earth  in  February,  1894.  Six  children 
survive:  John  F.,  a  resident  of  Emporium, 
Penn.;  William;  Mary  A.,  widow  of  Dr.  Cantield; 
Edward  K. ;  (hail.-  F.,  and  Georgia,  widow  of 
1  Mr.  Dietrich.  Socially  the  family  is  promi- 
nent, ami  our  subject  is  now  the  oldest  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  Lock  Haven,  having 
joined  the  F.  &  A.  M.  in  1851.  In  religious  faith 
he  is  a  Presbyterian. 


E^LIAS  SNYDER,  a  prominent  agriculturist  of 
t   the  Nittany  Valley,  is  the   owner    of  a   tine 
farm    near  Lock     Haven.  Clinton   county.      His 
residence,  which    was  built    in   1887,  is    without 
doubt  the   best    farm   house   in  the   Valley,  and 
rything    about  the    estate    gives    evidence   of 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


759 


liberal  and  progressive  management.  These 
signs  of  material  prosperity  are  of  less  import- 
ance, however,  than  some  which  point  to  the  ex- 
cellent qualities  of  character  that  mark  a  good 
citizen,  or  to  the  elevated  home  influence  that 
have  prepared  a  family  of  clever  children  for  use- 
ful and  honorable  places  in  the  world. 

Mr.    Snyder  is    of    pioneer  stock,  his    great- 
grandfather   having   come  from   Holland   at    an 
early  day  to  locate    in    Pennsylvania.      Christo- 
pher Snyder,  our  subject's  grandfather,  was  the 
first  of  the  name  to  settle  in  Clinton  county,  and 
the   farm  in  Lamar  township  where  he  located  in 
the  early  part  of  this   century   is  still  in   the  pos- 
session of  his  descendants.      He  was  already  well 
advanced  in  years  when  he  removed  to  the  place, 
and  as  it  was  nearly  in  its  primitive  condition  he 
made  only  a   beginning  toward  its  improvement, 
his  death  occurring  a  few  years  after  his  removal. 
Of   his  seven  children    five' — Benjamin,  Fannie, 
Hannah,    Rachel,    and    Sarah — did     not    live   to 
maturity.      Harmon  settled  in  later  years  in  Clar- 
ion  county,  where  he   died  leaving   several    chil- 
dren.   John,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  about 
1788,  in  what  is  now   Snyder    county,  but   was 
then  a  part  of  Union  county,  and,  when  his  par- 
ents  left  their  old  home  there  to  settle  in  Clin- 
ton county,  he  was   entering  upon  manhood.      At 
his  father's  death  he  came  into  possession  of  the 
homestead,  where  he  continued  to  follow  farming 
until  1833.      He  then  rented  the  place,  and  re- 
moved to  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  subject, 
where    he   made  many    improvements.      As    old 
age  drew  on  he   retired   from    active  work,  and 
having  built  another  residence  upon  the   farm  he 
passed  his  last    days   there.      During   this  period 
he  was  nearly  blind  at  times   from  a  cataract,  as 
operationsseem  to  give  him  only  temporary  relief. 
He  was  of    medium  height    and    build,  but   in  his 
early  days  was  a  great  worker,  acquiring  a  com- 
fortable competence.      As  a  citizen    he  was  held 
in  high  esteem,  and  he  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  New  Mennonnite  Church,  his  religion  being 
illustrated  in  his  daily  life.      At  one  time  he  sup- 
ported the  Democratic  party,  and  later  he  was  a 
Whig;  but  he  finally  became  disgusted   with  pol- 
itics and  politicians,  and   did  not   even  go  to  the 
polls  on  election   day.      He  died  July  4,   1870,  in 
his  eighty-fourth  year,  and  was   buried  in  a  pri- 
vate  cemetery  on  our  subject's  farm.      His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Neff,  was  a  native 
of  Centre  county,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Neff,  a 
well-known   farmer.      She  lived  to   her   seventy- 
fourth  year,  breathing  her  last   on    May  6,  1865. 
They  had  eleven  children:      Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Christian  Sheats,  and  died  in   Lamar   town- 
ship, Clinton  county;  Catherine   (Mrs.  Knights), 


who  died  in  the  same  township;  Nancy,  wife  of 
Jacob  Long,  of  Livingston  county,  N.  Y. ;  Susan, 
wife  of  H.  M,  Bean,  of  the  same  county;  Leah, 
widow  of  William  Sheats,  of  Lamar  township, 
Clinton  county;  John,  who  now  occupies  the  orig- 
inal homestead;  Lucinda,  widow  of  Levi  Zim- 
merman, of  Jewell  county,  Kans. ;  Fannie,  who 
married  Henry  Neff,  and  died  in  Lamar  town- 
ship, Clinton  county;  Hannah,  widow  of  E.  A. 
Hancy,  of  Oregon;  Elias,  our  subject;  and  Char- 
lotte, widow  of  Samuel  P.  Burrell,  of  Lock  Haven. 
Our  subject  was  born  March  9,  1834,  in  a  log 
house  which  stood  about  six  feet  in  front  of  the 
site  of  his  present  residence.  As  the  son  of  a 
busy  farmer  he  was  trained  to  habits  of  industry 
in  his  youth,  and  he  well  recalls  the  tedious  days 
spent  in  threshing  and  other  work  which  is  now 
done  by  machinery.  For  a  few  months  in  each 
winter  he  was  permitted  to  attend  school  in  a  log 
house  near  his  home,  but  everything  was  of  the 
most  primitive  order,  the  seats  being  rough 
benches  arranged  around  thesides  of  the  room.  He 
learned  to  write  with  a  quill  pen,  and  often 
made  his  own  as  he  was  forbidden  to  use  steel 
pens.  His  first  teacher  was  William  Allison, 
and  as  his  instructors  were  changed  nearly  every 
term,  in  accordance  with  old-fashioned  customs, 
his  reminiscences  cover  a  wide  range  of  exper- 
ience in  this  respect.  In  early  manhood  he  went 
to  Lock  Haven  to  engage  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness with  E.  A.  Hancy,  but  since  1869  he  has 
been  in  charge  of  the  homestead,  which  he  rented 
for  a  short  time.  At  his  father's  death,  in  1870, 
it  came  to  him  by  will,  and  the  later  improve- 
ments on  the  place  have  all  been  made  by  him. 
His  beautiful  residence  has  been  already  men- 
tioned, and  in  1893  he  rebuilt  his  barn,  which  is 
now  a  model  structure,  46x90  feet,  with  a  wing 
27x48. 

In  all  his  efforts  Mr.  Snyder  has  had  the  assist- 
ance of  a  good  wife,  that  best  of  blessings,  and 
like  a  true  man  he  delights  in  acknowledging  the 
value  of  her  aid.  He  was  married  in  November, 
1868,  in  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Salinger,  who  was  born  July  12,  1845, 
in  Livonia,  N.  Y. ,  the  daughter  of  Issachar  and 
Catherine  (Weaver)  Salinger.  Her  father,  who 
was  a  wagon  maker  by  trade,  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-four,  leaving  a  home  to  his  widow,  and  with 
the  help  of  the  older  children  she  managed  to 
keep  the  family  together.  She  lived  to  her  eight- 
ieth year,  and  the  remains  of  both  are  interred 
at  Livonia.  They  were  members  of  the  Men- 
nonnite Church,  and  were  much  respected  among 
their  associates  for  their  admirable  qualities  of 
character.  Mrs.  Snyder  was  the  youngest  of  six- 
children.      Of  the  others,  Edward  is  a  farmer  in 


(  OMMBMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Livingston  county,  N.    x  reliant, 

died    in    Wayland,    N.   Y. ;   Issachar   resides   in 
Livonia,  N    V     Theresa  married  Isaac  Havens, 
I  ake,   N.  V  ;   Mary,  the   widow 

•m    \Y Iruff,     i  I         nia.     N.    Y. 

Mrs    Snyder  attended  the  common  schools  i 
her  home  until  she  was  fifteen  when   she  entered 
the    seminary    at     Dansville,   N.    Y.,  whi 

it  four  terms.     Thus  prepared  she  engaged 
in  teaching  in  Livin  iunty,  N.  V..  begin- 

ning at   fifteen   doll.  nth   and    board. 

She  was  successful  in  the  work,  and  taught  nine 
terms  in  the  same  county  before  Mr.  Snyderper- 

ded  her  to  abandon  the  calling.  They  be- 
gan  their  housekeeping  in  the  spring  ol  1869,  in 
the  little  log  house  in  which  our  subject  was 
born.      Four  children  have  •  lnir  union: 

ra  L.whowasgra  from  the  Lock  Haven 

N  11n.1l  School  in  1889,  and  has  taught  several 
terms  of  school  successfully;  Marguerite  M.,  also 
;  the  Lock  Haven  school,  and  a  suc- 
-ful  teacher;  Charles  B  .  born  September  21, 
1876,  is  now  ,1  student  at  Stair  College,  Penn. ; 
and  Florence  E.,  is  still  at  home.  Mr.  Snyder's 
limited  opportunities  in  early  life  have  stimula 
him  ti  1  give  Ins  children  the  best  advantages  with- 
in reach,  and  he  and  his  wife  find  then  lev, 
for  the  :  them   taking   a  place 

ing  the  best   social   and   intellectual  circle 
the  1'  icality. 

While   Mr     Snyder  holds   a    high   rank   as  a 
in,    and    1-    sufficiently    popular    to 
pire  with  confidenci   to  political   office,  he  has 
nevei    I  terest    in   public  af- 

fair-     I  le    bas  11 .    judge    1  il 

.    and    tax    ■  tor,   holding   the   latter 

offi<  years,   and    Ins   sympathies  are 

with  the    D  tic   party  as  a   rul  ugh 

he 

part)  lines  The  familj  is  identified  with  the 
Methodi  rch,    of  which   Mrs.    Snydei 

member.      Dun  Haven 

Mr  Snyder  joined  the  Masonic  fraternity,  but 
after  In-  removal  to  the  farm  he  found  the  dis- 
tan  him    to   continue   the  active 

work  ol  the  order,  and  he  withdrew  from  m 
bei  ship. 

LEX  WDLK   Y.  J(  »N1  the 

••  RenoA  0  Hotel,     Renovo,  Clinton     iunty, 
was  bum  Ocl  - 4-.  m  Ebensburj 

bn.i  (    1  .  Penn  .  and  I     imas  M.  and 

Ann  (Williams)  [ones  The  fathei  was  b  in  in 
Wales,  whence  about  1832,  when  a  young  man, 
he  th(     I  and    spent    the 

rest  of  his  life  111  Pennsylvania  where  ins  death 
occurred  in  1874.      He  was  an  active,  enterpris- 


man,  who  engaged  in  the  manufact- 
f  woolen  goods  and  in  lumbering  through- 

his  business  career,  and  his  straightforward 
honorable  course  won  for  him  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  also 
departed  this  life  in  1874.  Four  children  yet 
survive  them,  as  follows:  Alexander  Y.,  of  this 
review;  Mrs.  Mathew  Griffith,  of  Kane,  Penn.; 
Mr-.  William  P.  Eckles,  of  Smithport,  Penn.  ; 
and  Elmer  E.,  a  resident  of  Ohio. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  attended  the  common  schools,  and 
about  the  time  he  should  have  entered  college 
the  tocsin  of  war  sounded,  so  that  he  laid  aside 
his  text  books  and  responded  to  the  President's 
call  for  troops  to  put  down  the  Rebellion.  He 
joined  Company  1",  123d  P.  V.  I.,  and  on  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  in  that  regi- 
ment he  re-enlisted,  this  time  in  the  209th  P. 
V.  I  ,  with  which  he  served  until  hostilities  had 
ceased,  being  honorably  discharged  March  25, 
\t  Fori  Mr. idman  he  received  a  gunshot 
wound  in  the  head.  On  returning  to  his  home 
in  Ebensburg,  Mr.  Jones  accepted  the  position 
of  bookkeeper  for  A.  A.  Barker,  and  after  ac- 
ceptably filling  that  position  for  four  years,  he 

aged  in  the  woolen  business  for  about  five 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Kane,  where  he 
had  the  management  of  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment until  1892,  when  he  came  to  Renovo  to 
take  charge  of  the  "Renovo  Hotel,"  one  of 
the  largest  hostelries  between  Philadelphia  and 
His  pleasant,  genial  manner  makes  him  a 
most  popular  landlord,  and  he  is  meeting  with 
excellent  success  in  his  new  undertaking. 

In  [866  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to  Permelia 
I  Kinkead,  daughter  of  Harrison  Kinkead,  of 
Ebensburg,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  four  children,  namely:  T.  H..  Linda,  Raj 
and  Eva.  The  parents  and  children  are  con- 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which 
Mi  Jones  is  now  serving  as  elder.  Socially  he  is 
a  Master  Mason,  and  politically  is  an  ardent  Re- 
can.      For  eight  years  he  served  as  justice 

the  peace  in  Kane,  Penn.,  discharging  his 
duties  with  a  promptness  and  fidelity  worthy  of 
all  tii  a,    and     other    official    honors 

would  have  been  conferred  upon  him  had  he  not 
!  He  is  emphatically  a  man  of  enter- 
character,  indomitable  energy, 
strict  integrity  and  liberal  views,  and  is  thor- 
oughly identified  with  the  growth  and  prosperity 
ol   1  ted   city.      In    days  of  peace    as    in 

days  of   war,  he   has   been   found    a    brave    and 
worthy   the   high   regard    in  which 
ly  held. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


761 


BiENJAMIN  K.  FOCHT.  Three  terms  in 
_)  the  Legislature,  each  replete  with  instances 
of  loyalty  to  his  constituents  and  care  for  the 
interests  of  the  entire  State,  up  to  the  present, 
comprise  the  public  career  of  Benjamin  K.  Focht, 
the  subject  of  this  biography.  Mr.  Focht  is 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Saturday  News,  of 
Lewisburg,  and  he  has  not  only  made  his  mark 
in  journalism,  but,  through  his  practical  work 
in  the  political  field,  has  won  a  reputation 
as  one  of  the  best  organizers  in  Pennsylvania. 

Benjamin  K.  Focht  was  born  in  New  Bloom- 
field,  Perry  Co.,  Penn.,  March  12,  1863.  His 
father  was  the  late  Rev.  David  Henlein  Focht,  a 
Lutheran  minister,  who  was  known  as  an  author 
and  who  was  noted  for  his  powers  as  a  pulpit 
orator.  His  mother  was  Susan  Brown  Focht, 
daughter  of  John  Brown,  one  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Lewisburg,  Penn.,  and  one  who  had 
tracts  of  land  there.  On  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, in  1864,  one  year  after  the  son  Benjamin 
was  born,  she  returned  with  her  children  to  her 
native  place.  Mr.  Focht's  ancestry  includes 
many  clergymen,  and  others  who  were  Revolu- 
tionary heroes.  John  George  Focht,  his  great- 
grandfather, emigrated  from  Neustadt.  Franco- 
nia,  Germany,  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
settled  in  Northampton  county,  Penn.  He 
served  under  General  Wayne,  and  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Stony  Point,  Germantown  and 
Trenton,  and  he  also  served  under  General  Sul- 
livan against  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations. 
When  Benjamin  Focht  was  old  enough  to  go  to 
school,  he  was  sent  to  Bucknell  Academy,  Lew- 
isburg, where  he  was  educated,  also  receiving  a 
course  of  instruction  at  State  College  and  Selins- 
grove  Institute.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  en- 
tered a  printing  office  as  an  apprentice,  and  so 
rapid  was  his  progress  in  this  line  that,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  wrote  the  salutatory  for  the 
first  issue  of  the  Lewisburg  Local  News. 

Mr.  Focht  had  a  decided  leaning  to  journal- 
ism, both  in  its  practical  and  theoretical  branches, 
and  he  became  part  owner  of  the  Local  News, 
and  then,  after  one  year,  upon  becoming  sole 
proprietor,  changed  its  name  to  the  Satin-day 
News.  The  difficulties  that  beset  him  in  the 
early  part  of  his  journalistic  career  were  many; 
but  by  his  energy  and  application  to  business  he 
surmounted  all  obstacles,  becoming,  within  the 
space  of  a  few  years,  one  of  the  strongest  edi- 
torial writers  in  Pennsylvania,  and  owner  of  an 
extensive  and  valuable  newspaper  plant.  It  was 
but  a  natural  step  from  the  field  of  journalism 
into  that  of  politics,  and  early  in  his  career  as  a 
publisher  and  editor  Mr.  Focht  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  Republican  party. 


The  victories  which  Mr.  Focht  won  as  a  jour- 
nalist marked  him  as  a  man  of  progress  before 
he  reached  his  majority,  and  it  was  only  a  short 
time  before  he  had  attained  a  prominent  position 
in  his  community  as  a  leader  of  thought.  As 
early  as  1882  he  came  into  the  notice  of  the 
Republican  organization  of  his  district  by  up- 
holding its  course  as  opposed  to  the  "Independ- 
ents," in  which  cause  he  exercised  all  his  influ- 
ence and  his  able  pen.  Mr.  Focht's  first  active 
participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  Republican  par- 
ty occurred  in  1889,  when  he  was  elected  dele- 
gate to  the  State  Convention.  In  1892  he  was 
chosen  and  served  as  a  Congressional  Conferree; 
and  three  times  he  was  elected  delegate  to  the 
Republican  State  League  Convention.  In  1890 
Mr.  Focht  was  a  candidate  for  the  Republican 
nomination  for  Assembly;  but  the  contest  was  a 
three-cornered  one,  and  so  peculiar  were  the  po- 
litical conditions  which  obtained  that  he  met 
with  defeat.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  he  was 
again  a  candidate  in  1892.  Although  bitterly 
opposed,  on  account  of  his  leadership  in  the  bat- 
tle of  the  previous  year,  when  Judge  Bucher,  a 
Democrat,  was  defeated  in  the  Union-Snyder- 
Mifflin  District  by  an  opponent  who,  at  the  time, 
was  not  a  resident  of  the  district,  he  won  at  both 
the  primary  and  general  elections.  The  fact 
that  Benjamin  K.  Focht  was  a  man  of  wonder- 
ful resources  as  a  political  leader  was  indicated 
in  the  contest  which  defeated  Judge  Bucber,  and 
in  which  H.  M.  McClure,  Mr.  Focht's  brother- 
in-law,  was  victorious.  This  triumph  was  a  great 
one,  as  Judge  Bucher  was  reputed  to  be  one  of 
the  most  sagacious  politicians  in  central  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  as  his  supporters  nearly  the 
entire  Bar  of  the  District,  together  with  all  the 
Democratic  papers  and  five  Republican  papers  in 
his  District.  The  fact  that  he  could  so  well  fight 
a  desperate  political  battle  thus  gave  Mr.  Focht 
a  place  among  the  most  resourceful  and  wisest 
leaders  in  the  State. 

In  1894  he  was  re-elected  to  the  State  As- 
sembly, and  again  in  1896,  the  last  time  receiv- 
ing a  majority  of  1,265,  tne  largest  ever  given  a 
Republican  candidate  for  that  office  in  Union 
county.  On  March  5,  1898,  Mr.  Focht,  at  the 
Republican  primary  of  Union  county,  was  again 
nominated  for  the  Assembly. 

In  1887  Mr.  Focht  was  married  to  Florence 
Edith,  daughter  of  H.  G.  Wolf,  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Mifflinburg,  and  president  of  the 
Farmers  Bank.  They  have  two  children,  both 
daughters,  Ellen  Wolf  and  Edith  Virginia  Focht. 
Mr.  Focht  has  three  brothers  and  one  sister: 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.,  George  M.,  Dr.  M.  L.,  and 
Mrs.  H.  M.  McClure.      His  interests  are  centered 


782 


<  OMMEHORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  his  duties  as  a  legislator  and  in  his  capacity  as 
a  newspaper  editor  and  proprietor,  in  both  of 
which  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  the  public. 


BEV.   GEORGE    RIPLEY    BLISS,   D.   D., 
LL.    D.,    was   born  June    20,     1816,    near 

Sherburne,  N.  Y.  His  father,  a  New  England 
farmer  and  school  teacher,  had  migrated  from 
Connecticut  to  that  region,  and  at  a  later  time 
ihed  still  farther  west  in  the  Empire  State. 
The  son,  catching  the  prevailing  impulse  of  that 
generation,  left  home  early  and  made  his  way  to 
the  extreme  front  of  civilization,  then  in  Indiana. 
Bui  after  some  rough  experience  of  life  in  the 
wilderness,  he  returned  to  the  State  of  his  birth. 
He  was  not  yet  twenty-one  years  old  when,  after 
a  brief  period  of  service  as  a  clerk  in  a  country 
termined  to  prepare  himself  for  the 

(  bristii tinistry,  and  i  the  Junior  class 

at  Madison  (now  Colgate)  University,  at  Hamil- 
ton, N.  Y.  He  was  graduated  from  the  college 
with  honor  in  1S3X,  and  two  years  later  from  the 
Theological  School.  For  about  three  years  (in- 
cluding his  own  period  of  study)  he  was  a  tutor 
in  the  University;  but  in  1N42  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
New  Brunswick,  X.  J.,  a  position  which  he  occu- 

1  in  which  his  learning, 
piety  and  winning  personality  made  a  deep  im- 
0  upon  Church  and  community.  In  1S49 
he  was  called  to  the  New  Jersey  chair  of  Greek 
and  Latin  in  tin-  Baptist  University  at  Lewis- 
burg,  Penn.  (now  Bucknell  University  ,  mid 
here,  lor  twenty-live  years,  the  most  active  period 
of  his  life,  he  labi 'led  as  an  educal 

During  a  considerable  part  of  this  period  he 
added  t"  the  duties  of  his  chair  in  the  university 
th'  ;-'i  of  the  Lewisburg  Baptist  Church. 

No  doubt    this  double  activity,  aided  by  his  nat- 
urally   sympathetbii  lament,     helped    to 
n  that  practical  interest  and    influence   in 
the                          uen    which    always  chars 
him.     To  the  last,  notwithstanding  his 
tion  in  his  work,  Dr.  Bliss  remained   a  disinl 
•  1.  but  ii"t  an  uninterested,  observer  and  ad- 
er.      He   was    not   only  learned  in  books;  he 

■  ise  in  his  dealings  with  men. 
In    1874   hi  ppointed   to  the 

Biblical    I  is   in   (  rozer  Theological   Semi- 

nary, at   Upland,  Penn.,  and  ten  years  later  ■ 

igy.      In  this 

nained    until    his  death   in    18 

His    special    fitness  for    this    position    had    been 

demonstrated   by   a   life    largely   devoted   to   the 

studs     of    Biblical    interpretation,    and    the  lan- 

ges   necessary  to  that  study,    and   by  much 


scholarly  work  in  translation,  both  from  the 
Greek  and  from  the  Hebrew,  and  in  exposition. 
To  this  work  much  of  his  time  was  devoted  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Lewisburg.  In  1841,  before 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old,  he  was  engaged 
to  "  carefully  review  and  critically  examine  "  the 
Old  Testament  portion  of  a  version  of  the  Bible 
being  prepared  by  Rev.    David   Bernard.     This 

k  was  published  in  1S42  by  J.  B.  Lippincott, 
and  is  known  as  the  I'.ernard  Bible.  A  few  years 
later  he  was  selected  to  translate  several  books  of 
the  Old  Testament  for  the  American  edition  of 
Lan  :a1  l!ible  Commentary,   published  by 

Charles  Scribner.  His  work  on  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, performed  for  the  American  Bible  Union, 
of  which  the  volume  on  Ruth  was  published  in 
1878,  reflected  the  highest  credit  on  his  critical 
acumen  and  insight.  Indeed,  the  portions  of  the 
American  Bible  Union's  version  of  the  Bible 
which  have  been  published,  compare  very  favor- 
ably with  the  later  and  more  famous  "  Revised 
Version,"  for  many  of  the  inovations  of  which 
they  set  the  example. 

In  the  three  volumes  of  the  International 
Sunday-School  Lessons,  entitled  "Moses  in  Is- 
rael", "Heroes  and  Judges",  "Israel's  Kings 
and  Christ's  Apostles",  the  lessons  covering  the 
first  six  months  of  [874,  1875  and  1876,  Dr. 
I  Hiss  «  as  chosen  to  aid  in  revising  the  text  of  the 
Old  Testament  books  from  Exodus  through  II. 
Kings,  and  the  book  of  the  Acts  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. Much  of  the  work  was  done  alone,  but 
in  parts  of  it  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Conant, 
Dr.  Hackett  and   other  Biblical   scholars  of  like 

itation. 

The    Commentary    on     Luke,   in    the    New 
Testament    series,    published    in     1885    by    the 
American  Baptist   Publication   Society,  Philad 
phia,  is  perhaps  the  best  known  of  Dr.   Bliss'  ex- 

tical  books,  and  exhibits  unusual  scholarly  ac- 
curacy in  translation  and  interpretation. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  his  liter- 
ary or  nis  educational  work  was  the  more  dis- 
tinguished and  important.  Including  three  years 
ervice  as  tutor  in  Madison  University,  he 
it  forty-seven  years  in  teaching,  and  during 
that  time  carried  45  college  classes  through  their 
entire  college  or  seminary   course    in  his  depart- 

nt.      Hundreds  of  his    former   pupils,  now  en- 

ed  in  the  work  for  which  he  trained  them, 
bear  witness  to  his  thoroughness,  skill  and  pa- 
tiem  instructor  and  guide.      But  he  never 

ceased  to  be  himself  a  student.  He  had  a 
natural  bent  towards  linguistic  acquisitions  and 
philosophical  inquiries,  which  he  carried  not 
into  the  classic  tongues  but  also  into  the 
literature   of    modern    Europe.      His  knowledge 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


763 


was  large  yet  precise.  His  candor  was  as  com- 
plete as  his  views  were  clear  and  well  considered. 
It  was  justly  said  of  him  by  an  associate:  "  He 
was  not  ashamed  of  a  truth  because  it  was  old, 
nor  afraid  of  a  truth  because  it  was  new.  " 

Dr.  Bliss  died  at  his  home  on  Seminary  Hill, 
Upland,  on  March  27,  1893.  He  is  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  Lewisburg,  almost  under  the 
shadow  of  the  University,  which  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  he  served  so  faithfully  and  well. 


fON.  PULASKI  F.  HYATT,  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  Commonwealth,  a 
resident  of  Lewisburg,  Union  county,  and  who 
at  this  writing  is  United  States  consul  at  Santia- 
go de  Cuba,  is  of  the  seventh  generation  of  the 
family  in  America.  He  is  descended  from  an 
ancestry  that  have  proven  their  patriotism  in 
nearly  all  the  wars  in  which  this  country  has 
been  engaged. 

The  paternal  lineage  of  Consul  Hyatt  in 
America  begins  with  Thomas  Hyatt,  who  locat- 
ed at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  now  a  part  of  Boston, 
in  1631,  and  who  held  a  squire's  commission  from 
the  crown.  The  intermediate  grandparents  lo- 
cated in  Connecticut,  some  of  whom  took  part, 
in  the  Indian,  and  the  French  and  Indian  wars, 
there  being  record  that  the  citizens  of  Norwalk, 
Conn.,  in  January,  1676,  voted  one  Capt. 
Thomas  Hyatt  a  large  tract  of  land  for  heroic 
services  in  "ye  Indian  warres."  Samuel  Hyatt, 
grandfather  of  Consul  Hyatt,  served  in  the 
Continental  army,  throughout  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  was  chief  of  an  observation 
corps,  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  track  of  and  re- 
port the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  his  nu- 
merous hair-breadth  escapes  are  a  family  legen- 
dary. Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  re- 
moved to  Ostego  county,  New  York. 

Thomas  Hyatt,  father  of  Consul  Hyatt,  en- 
tered the  service  of  his  country  as  a  drummer  boy 
in  the  war  of  181 2.  After  returning  from  the 
war  he  married  Miss  Sabrina  Griffith,  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  daughter  of  a  well-known  tanner, 
and  the  young  couple  settled  on  a  farm  near  the 
old  homestead,  where,  in  due  course  of  time, 
twelve  children  came  to  bless  their  home,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  seventh  son  and 
eleventh  child,  whereupon  the  family  declared 
him  a  doctor,  a  title  he  bore  as  a  child  and  which 
he  afterward  made  good  by  graduating  in  phar- 
macy, dentistry  and  medicine. 

Consul  Hyatt  was  born  in  Otsego  county, 
N.  Y.,  June  4,  1836.  His  early  scholastic  op- 
portunities did  not  extend  beyond  the  academic 
degree,  but  being  of  studious  habits  he  acquired 


a  liberal  education,  and  taught  school  four  terms, 
three  of  which  were  in  Beech  Creek,  Clinton 
Co.,  Penn.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Margaret  Elizabeth  Allen,  daughter  of 
William  Allen,  Esq.,  member  of  an  old  and 
honored  family  of  Williamsport,  Penn.,  the 
young  couple  settling  in  Lock  Haven,  but  their 
housekeeping  honeymoon  was  cut  short,  for  the 
war  cry  of  secession  was  already  ringing  through- 
out the  land.  Although  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
his  ancestral  blood  would  not  let  him  keep 
quiet  when  our  flag  was  assailed,  and  in  1S61  he 
entered  the  old  nth  P.  V.  I.,  as  a  private,  al- 
though offered  a  commission  by  Gov.  Curtin. 
He  was  at  once  made  hospital  steward  of  the 
regiment,  and  after  a  year's  service  in  the  field, 
was  transferred  to  the  regular  army  and  stationed 
at  Carver  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C,  where 
he  was  soon  promoted  to  be  surgeon,  and  re- 
mained as  such  until  six  months  after  the  close 
of  the  war. 

During  the  war  a  strong  friendship  grew  up 
between  Dr.  Hyatt  and  Czar  Dunning,  and  the 
two  agreed  to  enter  the  drug  business  together 
after  the  war,  the  Doctor  giving  his  attention  to 
the  practice  of  medicine,  and  Mr.  Dunning  to 
the  store,  an  agreement  which  was  carried  out 
by  the  subject  of  this  sketch  buying  a  property 
at  Bordentown,  N.  J.,  where  a  successful  prac- 
tice and  business  was  carried  on  for  eighteen 
years,  when  the  Doctor  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  located  at  Lewisburg,  stopping,  how- 
ever, long  enough  in  Philadelphia  to  take  a 
post-graduate  course  at  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege. 

The  Doctor  always  found  time  to  take  upon 
himself  the  duties  of  citizenship  as  well  as  those 
of  a  physician.  While  at  Bordentown  he  served 
fifteen  years  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  public  schools,  and  as  secretary  of  the 
Bordentown  Female  College.  He  declined  the 
nomination  as  mayor  of  the  city,  and  also  a 
nomination  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature,  when  a  nomination 
was  equivalent  to  an  election.  In  1876,  during 
the  disputed  Presidential  election,  Samuel  J. 
Tilden  sent  him  as  confidential  commissioner  to 
Florida  to  investigate  the  returns  of  the  election 
boards  of  that  State.  In  Lewisburg  he  served 
for  several  years  on  the  board  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation of  Bucknell  University,  and  as  deacon  in 
the  Baptist  Church  from  almost  the  time  of 
making  that  place  his  home  to  the  present.  He 
is  one  of  the  few  men  who  never  divorce  politics 
and  religion,  and  could  never  see  why  a  man 
should  abandon  the  latter  if  active  in  the  former. 
In    politics    he    has    always    been    a   Democrat, 


i  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


although  not   of  the   violent   type,  and   for  two 
successive  term-  count)    chairman  of  his 

party.  Following  this,  he  was  for  three  suc- 
cessive terms  selected  Democratic  chairman  of 
the  Sixth  Division  of  Pennsylvania,  inclu*! 
l'"tter,  Tioga,  Clinton,  Lycoming,  Union  and 
Snyder  counties,  and  in  1K91  was  prominently 
mentioned  throughout  the  Commonwealth  for  the 
Democratic  State  chairmanship. 

While  Division  chairman,  Consul  Hyatt 
early  felt  the  public  pulse  beating  favorably  for 
the  nomination  of  Robert  E.  Pattison  as  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Commonwealth,  and  he  consulted 
with  the  late  Ho».  Charles  S.  Wolfe  concerning 
the  advisability  of  bringing  Mr.  Pattison  out  as  a 
candidate.  Mr.  Wolfe  replied  that  in  a  political 
sense  he  owed  the  ex-Governor  nothing,  but  as 
he  believed  Mr.  Pattison  an  upright,  fearless  and 
able  man.  peculiarly  suited  to  the  times,  he 
would  support  the  ex-Governor  if  a  candidate. 
Joi  1  Hen.  Esq  .  of  Clinton  county,  a  prominent 
Republican  and  Granger,  and  many  others  of  like 
kind,  informed  the  chairman  to  the  same  effect. 
Armed  with  this  knowledge  he  wrote  Mr.  Patti- 
son  of  the  situation  in  centra!  Pennsylvania,  and 
Mr.  Pattison  consulted  with  Hon.  William  F. 
Harrity,  then  postmaster  at  Philadelphia.  Mr. 
Harrity  then  informed  Chairman  Hyatt  that  if 
the  sentiment  elsewhere  in  the  State  should 
crystalize  in  favor  of  Mr.  Pattison,  the  ex-Gov- 
r  would  enter  the  field  as  a  candidate. 
Circumstances  favorable  to  the  accomplishment 
of  this  end  came  thick  and  fast.  It  was  thought 
if  the  Republicans  put  forth  Delamater  there 
would  be  enough  defection  from  the  Republican 

ks  to  elect  Mr.  Pattison.  The  Division  Chair- 
men, nine  in  all,  controlled  the  place  and  date 
of  tli'  (  ^mention.  Excluding  the  vote  of  Chair- 
man Hyatt,  there  was  a  deadlock  as  to  the 
arrangements.  His  vote  decided  that  the  Nomi- 
native Convention  of  1S90  should  be  held  after 
the  Republican  State  Convention,  and  at  Scran- 
ton,  a  Pattison  stronghold,  instead  of  Harris- 
burg,  where  the  Wallace  men  wanted  it.  After 
Mr.  P  tti  n's  nomination  and  election,  to  secure 
which  Chairman  Hyatt  worked  with  tireless 
energy,  no  recognition  was  asked  of  the  Governor 
for  himself,  but  he  did  ask  tl  rnorthat  the 

services  of  his  Division  Secretary,  T.  Kit' 
Van  Dyke.  Esq.,  and  of  the  Hon.  Charles  F. 
Wolfe,  be  properly  recognized.  Mr  Van  Dyke 
was  made  chief  clerk  in  the  corporation  depart- 
ment in  the  State  administration,  and  Mr.  Wolfe 
was  appointed  director-general  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair,  Chic  > 
although  he  did  not  live  to  assume  the  duties  of 
his  appointment. 


Gov.  Pattison  having  declined  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  ex-President  Cleveland's  nomination  at 
Chicago,  and  Mr.  Harrity  becoming  Democratic 
National  Chairman  in  the  meanwhile,  both  gen- 
tlemen were  in  a  position  to  be  heard  by  Mr 
Cleveland  after  his  election,  and  they  made  it  a 
personal  matter  to  urge  Dr.  Hyatt  for  a  foreign 
appointment.  Letters  of  endorsement  were  also 
addressed  to  Mr.  Cleveland  by  ex-Govs.  Curtin 
and  Beaver;  Congressmen  Wolverton,  McAleer, 
Mutchler.  Kribbs.  Beltzhoover,  Reilly  and  Hines; 
Democratic  State  Chairman  James  Kerr;  Presi- 
dent Judges  ( >rvis.  McClure.  Savage,  Peek,  Metz- 
ger  and  others.  The  result  was  his  appointment 
on  June  8,  1893,  as  United  States  Consul  at  San- 
tiago de  Cuba,  with  sub-offices  at  Daiguiri,  Guan- 
tanamo,  Santa  Cruz  del  Sur  and  Manzanille — a 
jurisdiction  in  which  over  $17,000,000  of  Ameri- 
can capital  are  invested,  and  which  ships  over 
1,000,000,000  pounds  of  freight  monthly  to  the 
United  States.  The  commercial  side  of  this  ap- 
pointment, however,  was  soon  dwarfed  in  impor- 
tance by  the  diplomatic  duties  which  arose  be- 
cause of  the  outbreak  in  Cuba  of  the  present 
desolating  insurrection,  the  first  official  informa- 
tion of  which  was  given  our  government  by  Con- 
sul Hyatt  in  his  dispatch  N'o.  95,  of  Irebruary  2  J, 
lays  before  the  formal  birth  of  the 
war.  This  dispatch,  together  with  others  relat- 
ing to  subsequent  "Affairs  in  Cuba,''  were  pub- 
lished in  a  message  from  President  Cleveland  "  in 
response  to  House  resolution  of  December  28, 
1895,"  making  a  document  of  206  pages,  about 
one-half  of  which  were  written  by  Consul  Hyatt, 
and  concerning  which  ex-Minister  Mont,  the 
greatest  Spanish  authority  on  international  law, 
said  in  a  speech  in  the  national  cortes:  "When 
the  work  was  published  for  the  first  time  some- 
body well  versed  in  diplomatic  affairs  told  me 
that  it  was  an  admirable  paper,  in  which  were 
reflected  the  his;  the   insurrection  and  the 

character  it  bore  at  its  beginning.  After  I  read 
it  I  found  that  the  aforesaid  opinion  was  well 
grounded,  and  I  am  constrained  to  believe  that 
when  you  shall  hear  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you, 
you  will  agree  with  me,  at  least  as  far  as  regards 
the  importance  of  the  revelations  it  contain- 

The  frequent  arrests  and  arbitrary  trial 
American  citizens  contrary  to  law  within  his  jur- 
isdiction; assaults  of  Spanish  men-of-war  on 
American  vessels  in  these  waters;  the  flagrant 
menaces  and  injuries  to  American  estates  from 
both    Cuban    and    Spanish    sources — sometimes 

n  under  cover  of  law;  amidst  prejudices  and 
passions   a   general    disregard   for   the   right- 
neutrals;    together   demanded    in   this    position, 
during  such  critical  times,  rare  intelligence,  tact 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


765 


and  a  firm  hand;  and  Consul  Hyatt,  seconded 
by  his  son,  Hon.  John  T.  Hyatt,  as  Vice  Consul, 
had  such  signal  success  in  the  discharge  of  their 
official  duties  as  to  receive  an  unbroken  line  of 
approvals  from  the  Department  of  State.  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  although  early  informed  of  a 
readiness  to  vacate,  lias  not  deemed  it  wise  to 
make  any  change  in  this  office. 

To  the  marriage  of  Consul  Hyatt  and  Miss 
Margaret  Elizabeth  Allen  there  came  to  make 
happy  their  home  children  as  follows:  Margaret, 
Paul  Allen,  John  Thomas,  and  Fred  Pulaski 
Hyatt,  all  being  now  deceased  except  John 
Thomas  Hyatt. 


[ON.  JOHN  THOMAS  HYATT,  of  Lewis- 
JLTA.  burg,  Union  county,  who  has  recently  re- 
tired from  the  United  States  Diplomatic  Service 
as  Vice  and  Deputy  Consul  at  Santiago  de  Cuba, 
and  who  for  some  years  has  been  engaged  in  lit- 
erary lines  of  work,  is  the  son  of  Hon.  Pulaski  F. 
Hyatt  and  Margaret  (Allen)  Hyatt,  the  former 
being,  at  this  writing,  the  U.  S.  Consul  at  Santi- 
ago de  Cuba. 

The  younger  Mr.  Hyatt  was  born  at  Borden- 
town,  N.  J.,  September  12,  1868.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  of  that  city  from  187610  1882, 
when  he  entered  the  Bordentown  Military  Acad- 
emy, under  command  of  Col.  Samuel  E.  Rusk, 
remaining  there  two  years.  He  was  employed 
from  the  fall  of  1882  until  that  of  1885  in  the 
home  office  of  the  Standard  Insurance  Company 
of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  when  he  entered  the  academy 
connected  with  Bucknell  University,  Lewisburg. 
In  1 891  he  graduated  with  honors  from  the  col- 
lege of  the  university,  with  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Philosophy.  While  in  college  Air.  Hyatt, 
at  one  time  or  another,  was  chosen  to  fill  about 
all  the  highest  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  stu- 
dent body.  He  was  elected  censor,  secretary, 
vice-president  and  president,  respectively,  of  the 
Theta  Alpha  Literary  Society.  He  was  made  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Ath- 
letic Association;  was  afterward  selected  as  treas- 
urer, and  then  as  president.  In  company  with 
Messrs.  Truman,  Purdy  and  William  C.  Gretzin- 
ger,  he  was  appointed  on  the  committee  which 
formulated  the  official  cry  of  the  University  stu- 
dents. In  1 S89  he  was  elected  business  manager 
of  the  Bucknell  Mirror,  at  that  time  the  only 
publication  of  the  university,  and  through  his 
business  ability  more  improvements  were  made 
in  the  periodical  than  under  any  predecessor,  and 
the  income  of  the  paper  was  more  than  doubled 
in  a  single  year.      He   refused   to  accept  a  unan- 


imous re-election  to  the  managership.  He  was 
appointed  editor-in-chief  of  the  Daily  Commence- 
ment News  for  the  year  1890-91,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Sigma  Chi  fraternity  while  in  col- 
lege. 

During  the  Pattison-Delamater  Presidential 
campaign  of  1S90  in  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Hyatt 
made  political  addresses  at  New  Berlin,  Allen- 
wood,  New  Columbia  and  Laurelton.  He  was 
invited  by  State  Chairman  Wright  to  be  one  of 
the  State  speakers  during  the  Presidential  cam- 
paign of  1892,  and  on  Memorial  Day,  1893,  he 
was  orator  of  the  day  at  Milton — delivering  his 
address  in  the  evening  at  the  opera  house — ex- 
Governor  Beaver  having  been  the  orator  the 
year  previous.  After  his  graduation  he  spent 
from  September,  1S91,  to  May,  1892,  doing 
special  newspaper  work  and  traveling  through 
the  States  of  the  South  and  West,  at  the  expi- 
ration of  which  time  he  took  up  the  study  of  law 
at  Lewisburg  with  Hon.  Samuel  H.  Orwig.  Be- 
fore the  completion  of  his  course,  however,  he 
was  on  September  12,  1893,  appointed  United 
States  Vice  and  Deputy  Consul  at  Santiago  de 
Cuba,  which  office,  because  of  his  excellent  prep- 
aration, natural  diplomatic  talent,  and  ac- 
quaintance with  the  ways  of  the  world,  he  filled 
with  distinction  until  he  resigned  in  August,  1897. 
Two  years  before  this  resignation  he  was  elected 
honorary  member  of  the  "  Press  Association  "  of 
Bucknell  University.  Mr.  Hyatt  is  a  writer  of 
ability.  The  Cosmopolitan  Magazine,  of  Sep- 
tember, 1S95,  contained  a  very  interesting  eight- 
page  article  by  him,  entitled  "  The  Ancient  Capi- 
tal of  Cuba,"  which  article  received  very  high 
encomiums  from  the  leading  American  newspa- 
pers, and  was  copied  at  large  by  the  Reviezv  of 
Reviews.  On  June  11,  1894,  Mr.  Hyatt  was 
unanimously  elected  to  full  membership  in  the 
Union  Ibero-Americana  Society,  of  Madrid, 
Spain. 

On  December  16,  1895,  M'r.  Hyatt  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  McLaughlin,  of  Lewisburg, 
daughter  of  George  Yencer  and  Margaret  (Glass) 
McLaughlin.  On  December  2,  of  the  following 
year,  a  daughter  — Margarita  Allen — was  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyatt  at  Santiago  de  Cuba,  she 
being  the  only  child  born  in  Cuba  to  native 
Americans  after  the  outbreak  of  the  now  famous 
insurrection.  On  April  4,  1S97,  Mr.  Hyatt's 
child  died  in  Cuba,  which  sad  event  was  followed 
three  days  late  by  the  death  of  his  wife. 

Possessing  rare  ability,  with  a  liberal  educa- 
tion and  the  broad  experience  that  travel  and 
contact  with  the  world  has  given  him,  and  as 
yet  but  at  the  threshold  of  life,  we  predict  for 
Mr.  Hyatt  a  brilliant  and  useful  career. 


766 


VMBAfORATITB  BIOGRAPHICAL  REl  ORD. 


LINCOLN.  Lindum  Colonia  was  the  ancient 
Roman  or  Latin  name  for  the  city  of  Lin- 
coln, in  the  county  of  that  name  in  England, 
which  was  founded  about  the  year  100  of  the 
Christian  Era;  and  by  the  custom  of  R 
writers  in  abbreviating  proper  names,  the  transi- 
tion is  easy  fron  Lindum  Colonia.  to  Lin  Colon, 
or  Lincoln.  Tin.-  name  was  very  common  in 
I        and  hund  years  before  the  discovery 

ol  America,  Between  1635  and  1645,  or  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  years  after  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims  from  the  "Mayflower  'at  Plymouth, 
then  the  infant  settlement  at  Hingham, 

in  Massachusi  it  men  from  England  of  the 

name    of    Lincoln.       Three    of    these — Samuel, 
I>.iiiiel  and  Thomas     were  brothers;  the  others 
first  and  second  cousins  of  the  tirst  named. 
(mm   the  neighborhood  of  Hing- 
ham, in  the  county  of   Norfolk.     Two  of  these 
three    brothers   « i i « - < i    without    heirs,  but  Samuel 
family  1  eleven  children  ,  including 
w  to  manhood,  viz.  :     Samuel, 
cai  and    1  His  descendants 

are  numerous  and  widely  scattered,  while  many 
of  them  have  occupied  conspicuous  posit 
public  and  private  life.  Two  of  them  wen 
ernors  oi  Massachusetts,  and  one  of  them  a  gov- 
ernor of  Man  i  been  members  of 
1  ress  and  occupied  other  high  offices  under 
the  United  States  and  State  governments;  and 
one  of  them  has  made  In-  name  immortal  as  the 
great  "  War  President "  and  tl  ncipator  of 
millions  of  human   beings   from  chattel  si 

The  genealogy  is  traced  as  follows:     Richard 

V.  B.  Lincoln   is  the  son  of  John   Lincoln,  who 

the   son    of    Mishael,    who  was  the  son  of 

Thomas,    who   was   the  son   of    Mordecai,    who 

ol    Mordecai,  who  was  tl 
Samuel,  who  ram.-   from  England  in    1637  aged 
seventeen   \.  Abraham    Lincoln, 

the  President,  was  the  son  of  Thomas,  who  was 
the  son  of  Abraham,  who  was  the  son  of  [ohn, 
who  was  the  son  ol  Mordecai,  who  was  the  son 
of  Mi  who  was  the  son  ol  Samuel,  who 

came    from    I  ngland    in    1637  nteen 

igular  fact  that  among  the  Lin- 
colns  mentioned  1  nerations  from  Samuel 

Lincoln,  the   immigrant   in    1057.  down  to  near 
later,  t1  not    one  who  does 

n  t  beat  a  S  riptural  name,  and  that  for  six 
rations  nearly  all  were  pioneers  in  the  set- 
tlement of  new  countries,  viz.:  tts, 
New  [ersey,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Kentucky, 
Indiana.   Illinois,   Missouri,  etc 

nuel  Lincoln,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Sam- 
uel aforementiom  participator 
in  King  Philip's  war,  which  began  in  p  ;;      An- 


other descendant  of  his  was  one  of  the  party 
who,   disguised    as  Indians,    threw  the  tea  into 

ston  harbor,  and  helped  to  precipitate  the 
war  of  the  Revolution:  many  others  served  as 
officers  and  privates  in  that  war  until  it  ended. 

Gen.  Benjamin  Lincoln,  of  the  Revolution, 
though  not  a  descendant  of  Samuel,  was  a  Hing- 
ham man.  descended  from  Thomas  Lincoln,  a 
relative  of  Samuel.  He  served  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end  of  the  war.  and  at  the  surrender 

the  British  at  Yorktown  was  appointed  by 
Gen.  Washington  to  receive  the  sword  of  Lord 
Cornwallis.  the  British  commander. 

The  descendants  of  Samuel  Lincoln  have,  in 
the  main,  been  active,  well-to-do  citizens  of 
Massachusetts.    New  Pennsylvania,  Vir- 

ginia, Kentucky,  etc.  ;  men  who  everywhere 
played  their  parts  well,  and  who  were  endowed 
with  the  spirit  of  adventure,  patriotism  and 
thrift. 

Mordecai  Lincoln,  the  third  son  of  Samuel, 
the  immigrant,  was  born  at  Hingham,  Mass., 
Jun<    1  ,.    [657;    married,  for   his  tirst  wife,  Sarah 

ies,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Whit- 
man) Jones,  (here  is  the  origin  of  the  name 
Abraham  in  the  Lincoln  family,  which  has  been 
kept  up  for  more  than  200  years),  and  for  his  sec- 
ond wife,  wedded  the  widow,  Mary  Gannett,  of 
Scituate,  Mass.  She  died  April  19,  1745,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  He  died  November  8,  1  727, 
in  his  seventy-first  year.  He  had  four  sons: 
lecai,   Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  two 

,'hters.  In  his  will  of  May  5. 1  727,  he  provides 
liberally  for  his  wife  Mary,  gives  to  "  son  Mor- 
decai no  pounds  in  lawful  bills  of  credit;  to 
Abraham  sixty  pounds  in  money  or  good 
bills  of  credit,  besides  what  he  has  already  re- 
ceived; to  son  Isaac,  the  home  he  now  dwells  in 
in  Hingham,  mill  property,  etc.;  to  son  Jacob, 
my  homestead  in  Scituate,  also  lands,  mills,  and 
other  valuables;  also  to  the  oldest  sons  of  Mor- 

li  and  Abraham,  ten  pounds  each  when  they 
become  of   age."     Provision   is  also    made    for 

ling  three  ol  his  >ns  to  college  should 

they  desire  a  liberal  education.  Before  the  date 
ol  this  will,  his  two  sons.  Mordecai  and  Abra- 
ham, had  removed  to  Monmouth  county,  N.  J., 
and  (<>r  this  reason  all  of  the  real  estate  of  the 
111  Hingham  and  Scituate,  including  his 
interest  in  ironworks,  sawmills  and  gristmills  was 
be.pieatli.il  to  his  younger  sons,  I  1  Jacob, 

while   to  the  two  older  sons  the  sum  of  money 

■re  named  was  given,  in  addition  to  what 
they  had  before  rei  eived. 

Mordecai.  tl  ol    Mordecai,    the   son  of 

Samuel,  was  born   in    Hingham.  April    24,    1686. 
removed  from  there  to  Monmouth  county,  N.  J. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


767 


He  married  Hannah  Bowne  Salter,  of  Freehod, 
N.  J.,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Bowne) 
Salter.  (Richard  Salter  was  a  leading  lawyer 
of  that  place,  member  of  the  Assembly,  and 
Judge).  His  wife  Hannah  died  in  1 7 17.  About 
1720  he  removed  to  Amity  township,  Philadel- 
phia county,  Penn.  (now  Exeter  township, 
Berks  county),  and  bought  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  there,  some  of  which  remained  in 
the  possession  of  the  family  over  one  hundred  and 
twentyyears.  He  married  a  second  time,  and  after 
his  death  his  widow  married  Roger  Rodgers.  He 
died  in  1735  or  '36,  and  was  interred  in  the 
Friends  burying  ground  in  Exeter  township,  Berks 
county.  His  will  is  dated  February  22,  1735, 
and  recorded  June  7,  1736.  He  had  one  son 
and  four  daughters  by  his  first  marriage,  and 
three  sons  by  his  second.  The  names  of  the 
sons  are:  John,  Mordecai,  Thomas  and  Abra- 
ham. The  following  are  some  extracts  from  his 
will:  "  I  give  and  bequeathe  to  my  son  Mordecai 
Lincoln  the  half  of  my  land  situate  in  Amity,  and 
to  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  I  give  and  be- 
queathe to  my  son,  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  half  of 
my  land  aforesaid,  with  this  proviso,  that  if  my 
wife  Mary  should  prove  enceinte  at  my  decease 
and  bring  forth  a  son,  then  I  order  that  the  said 
land  be  divided  into  three  equal  parts."  (A  post- 
humous child  was  born,  was  a  male,  and  named 
Abraham).  "I  give  and  bequeathe  to  m}'  daugh- 
ters Hannah  and  Mary,  a  certain  piece  of  land 
at  Matjaponix,  N.  J.,  already  settled  on  them  by 
deed  or  gift,  f  give  and  bequeathe  to  my  two 
daughters  Anna  and  Sarah,  and  to  their  heirs 
and  assigns  forever,  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
lying  at  Matjaponix  in  the  Jerseys. "  He  also 
provides  liberally  for  his  wife  Mary,  and  desires 
"  my  loving  and  trusting  friends  and  neighbors 
Jonathan  Robeson  and  George  Boone,  trustees, 
to  assist  my  wife  as  executrix."  "I  give  and  be- 
queathe unto  my  son  John  Lincoln  a  certain 
piece  of  land  lying  in  the  Jerseys  containing 
three  hundred  acres,  and  to  his  heirs  and  assigns 
forever."  This  John  Lincoln  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  President; 
he  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  as  is  shown  by 
the  above  quoted  clause  of  his  father's  will  re- 
ceived three  hundred  acres  of  land  there.  This 
land  he  sold,  and  bought  a  farm  near  Birdsboro, 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  where  he  lived  until  1760, 
when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Virginia  to  what 
is  now  Rockingham  county,  Va.  His  will  was  on 
file  at  the  probate  office  in  Harrisonburg  in  that 
county,  but  was  destroyed  by  fire  along  with 
other  papers  on  file  there;  it  is  known,  however, 
that  he  had  sons,  John,  Thomas,  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  daughters.      One  of  these 


sons,  Abraham,  the  grandfather  of  the  President, 
in  1780  sold  his  Virginia  possessions,  and  re- 
moved to  Jefferson  county,  Ky.,  where  he  en- 
tered seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  three 
different  localities.  He  undertook  to  clear  and 
farm  one  of  these  tracts  not  far  from  the  present 
city  of  Louisville,  and  while  thus  employed  work- 
ing on  his  clearing  with  three  sons,  an  unexpect- 
ed shot  from  a  skulking  Indian  killed  him.  He 
left  three  sons:  Mordecai,  Josiah  and  Thomas, 
and  two  daughters:  Mary  and  Nancy.  Thomas, 
the  youngest  of  these  sons,  was  born  in  1778  in 
North  Carolina,  where  his  father  was  at 
that  time  living,  and  died  in  185 1  in  Macon 
county,  Illinois.  On  June  12,  1806,  he  married 
Nancy  Hanks,  by  whom  he  had  three  children  — 
two  sons  and  one  daughter — viz. :  Abraham  (the 
President);  Thomas,  who  died  in  infancy;  and 
Sarah,  who*  married  Aaron  Grigsby,  and  died  in 
1826.  The  ancestors  of  Nancy  Hanks  were 
neighbors  of  the  Lincolns  in  Berks  county,  and 
went  with  or  followed  them  to  Virginia. 

The  name  of  the  second  son  of  the  Mordecai 
Lincoln  who  settled  in  Berks  county  was  also 
Mordecai;  he  had  two  sons,  Benjamin  and  John, 
both  of  whom  removed  long  ago  to  Fayette 
county,  Penn.  His  descendants  are  still  to  be 
found  in  that  county,  and  in  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties of  Pennsylvania. 

Thomas,  the  third  son  of  Mordecai  the  first 
of  Pennsylvania,  was  the  second  sheriff  of 
Berks  county,  and  had  two  sons,  Hananiah  and 
Mishael,  and  one  daughter,  Sarah.  Hananiah 
was  a  lieutenant  in  Col.  William  Cooke's 
Twelfth  Penn.  Regiment  of  the  Continental 
line.  He  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army 
soon  after  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  and  went 
to  Daniel  Boones's  settlement  in  Kentucky. 
(The  Boones  and  Lincons  were  neighbors  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  two  families  were  very 
much  mixed  in  marriages). 

Mishael  Lincoln,  the  other  son  of  Thomas 
Lincoln,  the  sheriff,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  for  six  months;  he  served  in  Gen- 
eral Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  Indians  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
which  was  sent  out  by  Washington  to  revenge 
the  infamous  massacre  of  Wyoming.  He  was 
also  at  Fort  Freeland,  on  the  West  branch  when 
Captain  Brady  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in 
1779.  and  assisted  in  carrying  him  into  the  fort. 
Having  by  his  experience  and  observation  in  the 
war  become  somewhat  familiar  with  the  West 
branch  country,  he,  immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  war,  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in 
Buffalo  Valley,  about  one  mile  east  of  Mifrlin- 
burg,  to  which  he  removed  in  1783  with  his  wife 


768 


VMEMORA  TTVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Rachel   Thompson,    and   son,   an   infant,  a  j 
old       From    [817  to    1  the 

imissioners  "f  the  county  ol   Union,  and  he 

I  August  ghty-eighth  j 

his  wife   Rachel   had  died   the 
pre  1  in  her  eighty-eighth  year.    They  are 

both  interred   in   the   Lewis   graveyard  in   Lime- 

!■•  township,  where  many  of  the  early  settlers 
oi  that  neighborhood  are  buried.     M  Lin- 

coln and    Rachel   Thompson,  his   wife,   had  two 
|ohn    and    Thomas,   and    one    daughter, 
h      Sarah   married   Michael  Roush,  of  Mif- 
Hinb  1   mi. ,  and   none   of  their  posterity  re- 

main in  Pennsylvania.  Thomas,  the  younger  of 
the    two    sons,  removed    in    [840    to    Pickaway 

mty,  Ohio,  where  he  died   after  a   few  years. 

One  of  his  daughters  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  M    r- 

ns.  the  cashier  of  the  Third    National   Bank  of 

lie,  Ohio.      His  sons,  Solomon  and  John, 

I  daughter,  Sarah,  reside  at  Mount  Pulaski, 
I        :      1      ,    111       John   is  the  president   of  the 

I  National  Bank  of  that  place,  and  his  son, 
C.  W.  Lincoln,    is  cashier. 

[ohn  Lincoln  the  eldest  son   of  Michael  and 

hel  (Thompson    Lincoln,  was  horn  in   Berks 
mty,    l'ciin..  June   30,  1 782,  was   brought   by 
his  pari  uffal     Valley  (then  Northumber- 

land, now  I'mi'ii  count)  I,  the  year  following;  re- 
hool  education  he  had  at 
Mifflinburg  in  the  subscription  schools  in  vogue 
at  that  day.  and  by  vocation  was  a  farmer.  On 
June  13,  1819,  he  married  Hannah  Van  Boskirk, 
tin-  daughter  of  Richard  and  Hannah  (Kelly) 
-kirk,  of  Mifflinburg,  Penn  She  was 
horn  March  20,  1801.  After  his  marriage  he 
owned  and  resid  farm    about   three   miles 

:  Mifflinburg,  now  owned  by  the  1. 

Dr,  J.   R.   Lotz.     In    1826    his  father-in-law 

e  him  the  farm  in  Hartley  township,  now 
owned  by  John  Lincoln  Knight,  on  which  he 
made    his    home    until    his    death    on    August   19, 

His  wife  survived  him  until  March  21 
dying    m  the  79th  anniversary  of  her  birth.     For 

ilv  half  a  century  they  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  cozy  church 
building,  with  the  cemeterj  d,  known 

the  Lincoln  M    E   '  hurch,  or  "  Lincoln  Chapi 
was  named  in  his  honor,  it  1-  md 

■     I  by   him   for    thai  3e.      Their    chil- 

n  were:     >i    Richard  Van  P">kirk.  bom    I 

.lier    is,   1822;    (2)    Rachel  Thompson,    I 
January    13,   1825,  and  (3)  Catharim  th. 

born  Ocl  <  H  these,    Rai  he!  n 

ried  I>r  Samuel  H.  Knight,  and  had  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom.  John  Lincoln  Knight,  sur- 
vives his  parents,  and  owns  the  old  Lincoln 
hoi  ni    Hartley    township.     His   mother 


died    October   17.  [875,  his  father   a   few   years 
rward.      Catharine   E.    married  \Y.  R.  Half- 
penny.      Their    children    are:     Hannah     Mary. 
John  Lincoln  and  James  Milton. 

Richard  Van  Boskirk  Lincoln,  the  only  son 
h:i  and  Hannah  (Van  Boskirkj  Lincoln,  was 
born  in  Buffalo  township.  Union  county,  a  few 
miles  east  of  Mifflinburg,  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Hartley  township,  when  irs  old; 
attended  the  subscription  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood when  opportunity  afforded,  until  he  was 
nine  years  old,  when  he  was  sent  to  the  Mifflin- 
burg Academy,  then  in  charge  of  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Presbyterian  minister.  He  remained  at 
the  Academy  with  some  intermissions,  until  his 
sixteenth  year,  when  he  entered  the  Sophomore 
class  at  Pickinson  College,  at  Carlisle,  Penn., 
where  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
July,  1841,  standing  second  in  a  class  of  twenty- 
three.  After  leaving  college  he  taught  school 
i  terms  of  three  months  each,  when,  having 
iled  to  follow  farming  as  his  business,  he 
commenced,  in  1845,  to  work  on  the  farm  which 
has  been  his  home  from  that  time  until  now 
1  [897)  a  period  of  fifty-two  years. 

Cumberland  county  was  erected  out  of  Lan- 
caster on  the  27th  of  January,  1750,  and  was  to 
embrace  all  of  the  lands  within  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania,  west  of  the  Susquehanna  river, 
and  north  and  northwest  of  York  county.  The 
country  north  of  the  Kittatinny  or  Blue  Mountains 
was  not  then  purchased  from  the  Indians.  On 
July  6.  1754.  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  by 
treaty  made  with  Thomas  and  Richard  Penn. 
conveyed  to  the  Penns  "all  that  country  lying 
west  and  south  of  a  line  commencing  at  the  Blue 
Hills  on  the  Susquehanna  river;  thence  by  said 
river  to  a  point  one  mile  above  the  mouth  of  a 
certain  creek  called  Kaarondinhah  (now  Penns 
Creek);  thence  northwest  and  by  west  as  far 
the  province  of  Pennsylvania  extends,  to  the  west- 
ern line  or  boundary.  "  This  line  wasmarked  on  the 
maps  as  running  from  a  mile  above  the  mouth 
i  Penns  Creek  north  45  degrees  west  crossing 
the  West  branch,  a  little  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Sinnemahoning  and  striking  Lake  Erie  a  few 
miles  north  of  the  present  city  of  Erie.  Within 
alley  it  crossed  Penns  creek  near  New  Ber- 
lin, the  present  turnpike  near  Ray's  church, 
thence  over  Buffalo  Creek  and  the  mountains  be- 

Tbe  Indians  alleged  that    they  were  cheated. 

they   .lid   not     understand    the   points  of  the 

.  and  that  if  the   line  was  to  run  so  as  to 

include   the   West    branch    of    the   Susquehanna 

they  would  never  agree  to   it,  as  it  would  be  de- 

pri\  heir  best  hunting-grounds.     Not- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


769 


withstanding  this  dispute,  the  Proprietaries  made 
surveys  along  Penns  creek  as  early  as  February 
1 3,  1755.  The  farm  to  which  Richard  V.  B. 
Lincoln  went  in  1845  was  included  in  the  dis- 
puted territory,  and  one  John  Turner  had  made 
an  improvement  where  Lincoln  now  lives,  which 
in  1755,  just  ninety  years  earlier,  Turner  had 
sold  to  John  Harris. 

Braddock's  defeat  took  place  July  9.  of  that 
year,  and  the  Indians,  emboldened  by  that  suc- 
cess, in  October,  swooped  down  upon  the  few 
settlers  along  Penn's  creek,  and  captured  or 
killed  all  who  did  not  escape;  and  no  settlers 
ventured  again  upon  the  bloody  ground  until  a 
new  treaty  and  survey  had  been  made  in  1768. 
The  farm  of  Richard  V.  B.  Lincoln  will  thus  be 
seen  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county.  In 
1 78 1  it  was  owned  by  John  Shively,  who  was 
taken  captive  by  a  band  of  Indians  in  that  year 
while  making  hay  in  the  meadow  in  the  rear  of 
the  house,  and  was  never  heard  from  afterward. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  early  life  a 
Whig,  and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote,  for 
Henry  Clay.  On  the  formation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  at  once  became  and  has  ever  since 
been  an  active  and  prominent  member  thereof. 
In  1S51  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  continued  in  that  office  for  twenty  years  by 
successive  re-elections,  until  he  declined  to  serve 
any  longer;  and  now,  after  having  been  out  of 
office  for  more  than  twenty-five  years,  the  ap- 
pellation of" 'Squire"  still  clings  to  him,  and  his 
advice  is  sought  by  nearly  all  the  community  in 
matters  of  a  legal  nature.  He  was  elected  coun- 
ty commissioner  in  1855,  ar,d  re-elected  in  1S57 
for  another  three  years.  He  has  served  as  school 
director  thirty  years,  and  has  many  times  filled 
other  township  offices,  such  as  assessor,  overseer 
of  the  poor,  etc.  The  Republicans  of  his  county 
at  one  time  presented  his  name  as  their  choice 
for  State  Senator;  and  in  1876  the  Republicans 
in  his  Congressional  district  made  him  their 
standard-bearer  in  the  election  of  that  year.  The 
district  being  largely  Democratic,  he  failed  of  an 
election,  though  he  received  the  full  party  vote, 
and  in  his  own  county  ran  several  hundred  votes 
ahead  of  his  ticket.  In  1890  he  was  again  the 
unanimous  nominee  of  the  Republicans  of  his 
county  for  Congress,  but  failed  to  receive  the 
district  nomination.  In  his  whole  career  he  never 
solicited  or  canvassed  for  votes,  in  this  respect 
being  different  from  most  of  his  contemporaries. 

On  August  iS,  1852,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Maria  Pellman,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Wolfe)  Pellman.  She  was  born  May 
24,  1 83 1,  in  Berks  county,  Penn.  Their  chil- 
dren   are:      (1)  John   W.,    born   May   24,    1 S 5 3, 

49* 


married  Gertrude  Reed,  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio, 
on  October  7,  1880;  they  have  one  daughter — 
Marie  Reed,  born  July  19,  1885.  (2)  Samuel 
P.,  born  October  5,  1856,  died  July  29,  1866. 
(3)  Mark  H.,  born  September  13,  i860,  gradu- 
ated in  1885  from  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania;  on  April  14,  1886, 
he  married  Carrie  Pearce;  he  is  practicing  his 
profession  in  Philadelphia.  (4)  Hannah  Mary, 
born  September  7,  1863,  graduated  from  Dick- 
inson Seminary,  Williamsport,  in  1884,  with  the 
degree  of  B.  S.  ;  on  September  7,  1887,  she  mar- 
ried Rev.  S.  B.  Evans,  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  for  the  last  ten  years  stationed  at 
Lock  Haven  and  Williamsport;  their  children 
are — Lucile,  born  June  2,  1889;  Vincent  Good- 
sell,  July  11,  1890;  Grace  Winifred,  November 
1 8,  1893;  and  Marion  Gray  and  Miriam  Gertrude 
(twins),  November  6,  1895.  (5)  Louis  P.,  born 
August  8,  1866,  married  December  24,  1896,  to 
Celesta  J.  Albright,  of  Mifflinburg,  Penn. ;  he  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Carnegie  Steel  Company  at 
Homestead.  (6)  Rufus  V.  B.,  born  April  17, 
1 87 1,  graduated  from  Dickinson  College  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  in  1895,  and  from  the  Dickinson 
School  of  Law  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in 
1896;  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Cumberland 
County,  Penn.,  in  June,  1896,  and  in  December, 
1897,  to  the  Bar  of  Northumberland  County, 
Penn. ,  in  which  county  he  is  located  at  Shamo- 
kin.  (7)  Anna  Rebecca,  born  February  16, 
l^73<  graduated  from  Dickinson  Seminary  in 
1893,  with  the  degree  of  M.  E.  L. 


BB.  HARRIS  has  served  as  Collector  of 
Taxes  for  the  Borough  of  Lewisburg,  Union 
county,  ever  since  the  law  of  1886  went  into 
force,  and  his  efficiency  and  ability  had  been  pre- 
viously tested  by  a  long  period  in  a  similar 
capacity  in  two  of  the  wards,  under  the  old  law. 
The  history  of  this  popular  and  public-spirited 
citizen  is  of  unusual  interest,  his  war  records  of 
two  wars  and  his  experiences  in  the  West  in  the 
early  days  recalling  scenes  now  historic. 

A  native  of  Union  county,  born  May  3,  1839, 
he  was  taken  to  Lewisburg  in  1850,  and  there 
acquired  his  education  in  what  is  now  known  as 
Bucknell  Academy.  In  1854  he  went  to  Free- 
port,  111.,  to  find  a  brother,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  the  Pike's  Peak  excitement  set  in 
and  led  him  with  hosts  of  others  to  cross  the 
Plains.  Although  he  paid  his  passage  he  drove  a 
wagon  load  of  shoes  from  Freeport  to  Omaha, 
Neb.,  where  the  owner  traded  the  shoes  for  fif- 
teen head  of  milch  cows,  which  Mr.  Harris  drove 
to  Denver,  riding  all  the  way  on  an  Indian    pony 


770 


COMMEMORATIVE  IiWGRM'HK  AL  RECORD. 


Those  were  wonderful  days,  but  many  failed  to 
realize  the  ambition  which  had  taken  them  upon 
the  Ion;;  and  toilsome  journey,  and   Mr.    Harris 

-  one  of  those  upon  whom  fortune  failed  to 
smile.      He  first  located  on  Clear  creek  at  Boul- 

City,  but  soon  found  that  the  man  with 
whom  he  had  crossed  the  Plains,  and  for  wli 
he  had  endured  many  hardships,  could  not 
furnish  him  employment,  and  nothing  remained 
but  to  return  to  Denver  as  best  he  could.  He 
shouldered  his  trunk  and  carried  it  to  a  po 
where  he  could  await  a  wagon  train  bound  to 
that  city,  and  on  Ins  arrival  met  a  cousin  from 
I        |   ■',[,    111.,    in  whom  the  gold-hunting  fever 

-  at  its  height.      Joining  the   Rocky    Mountain 

mpany,    Mr.  Harris  soon  bec,< 
a    favorite    among    them.       Retiring    from    the 
services    oi    the     Rocky    Mountain    Prospecting 
mpany,   he  returned   to   Denver,  packing  the 
y  Range  ol  the  Rocky  Mountains  alone. 

Denver  was  but  little  more  than  a  gambler's 
camp  at  that  time,  affording  but   little   choice  of 

i)  pat  ion  to  a  needy  man.  and  Mr.  Harris 
"roughed  it"  for  a  time  in  a  manner  truly  Bo- 
hemian, washing  dishes  in  rant  for  his 
meals,  and  finding  his  bed  where  he  best  could. 
After  a  tew  weeks,  however,  he  was  offered  the 
pla.                 I  waiter,  the  former  incumbent  hav- 

been  killed  in  a  brawl.      The  salary  of  $50  a 

nth  seem  nuine  bonanza.     He  remai 

i  and   then    joined    tin-    army  for  the 
Mormon  war,  participating  in  the  battle  at   I  i 
Man's  Gulch,  the    s> 
Alter  sis    months    in    this    service    hi 
rancher  or  cowboy,  and,  taking  the  Platte  fever, 
he  finally  turned  his  face  homeward,  making  the 
trip  to  Nebraska  City  in  a  wagon.      From   there 
Mr.   Harris  made  his  wa)  by  railroad  to  1  reeporl. 
111.,  wh  red  employment  and  remained 

until  a  brother,  J,  S.  Harris,  came  from 
nia   and    took    him    home    to    Lewisburg.      This 
was  in  i860,  and  Mr.  Harris  decided  nd- 

ing  some  time  at  home  to  visit  the  oil  fields  on 
tin-   Allegheny  river,   which  were  then    creating 

inn  h   excitemenl       While    at    New    Pennsyl- 
vania  on   his  way    by  boat    to   <  >il    City,    pa] 
were  put  on   board  which   told  the   story  of    the 

ck  upon  Fort  Sumter,  and  the    boat    at     ■ 
turned  back   to    Pittsburg   where   thej  lound  the 

pie  wrought  up  to  a  high  state  of  feeling. 
Mr.  Harris  started  on  his  return  home,  going  by 
railway  to  Lewistown,  and  walking  from  that 
point  to  Harrisburg  where  he  found  a  brother-in- 
law  F.  P.  Green  ;  accompanying  him  to  Belle- 
fonte,  he  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Lewis- 
bur;,'.  He  was  among  the  first  to  enlist  for  the 
three-months'  service  when  our   Civil  war   broke 


out,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  re-enlisted 
three  years  in  Company  E,  51st  P.  V.  I.,  which 
was  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Corps  of  the  Burnside 
expedition.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Roanoke  Island,  Newberne,  Camden,  Cold  Har- 
bor, and  numerous  other  engagements;  his  health 
not  being  equal  to  the  strain,  he  was  discharged 
at  Newberne,  N.  C,  June  17,  [862.  While  on 
tin-  frontier  he  was  wounded  by  a  Indian  arrow 
and  spear  in  the  shoulder  and  groin. 

After   hi  irge  from  the  United  States 

service  he  returned  home,  and  as  he  regained  his 
health  refused  to  remain  inactive  while  the  na- 
tion's life  was  imperiled,  and,  on  November  28, 

13,  he  rejoined   the   army.      But  his   patriotic 
ardor  was  again  balked   by  illness,  and   he  v 
discharged  a  second  time,  February    1,   1864,  on 
surgeon's  certificate  of   disability.     Having   pre- 
viously become  proficient  in  dentistry  he  enga. 
in    that    calling    in    Seymour,    Conn.,    New  Y  irk 
City,  Philadelphia,    Lewistown   and    Lewisburg, 
but  later  gave  up  the   business   to  follow  that   of 
steam-fitting,  plumbing  and  gas-fitting.     In  1 
he  was  appointed  tax  collector  for  a  portion  of  the 
City  of  Lewisburg,  and  after  the  new  law  was  put 
in   force  in  iS,S6  he  was  elected  collector  for  the 
city.      Since  that  time  he  has  made  the  work  his 
chief    interest,    gradually    withdrawing    from   his 
other  business. 

On  July  4.  1869,  Mr.  Harris  was  married  to 
Miss  Jennie  E.  Diefenderfer,  who  was  born  in 
Lewisburg,  June  8,  1S45.  and  has  always  had 
her  home  there.  Her  father,  Joel  Diefenderfer, 
a  native  of  White  Deer  Valley,  Union  county. 
was  born  March  17,  1S24,  and  died  June  [5,1846. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Dentler,  was  born  December  31,  1824,  and  is  still 
living,  surviving  a  second  husband,  the  late  S  S 
Hess.  Both  families  were  of  high  English  and 
high  German  descendants.  On  the  paternal  side 
Mrs.  Harris'  grandfather  was  John  Diefenderfer, 
a  native  of  Bucks  county,  who  spent  his  last 
in  Union  county.  Her  maternal  grand- 
father, John  Dentler,  was  born  in  Philadelphia 
county,  and  died  in  Lewisburg,  in  [854,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  At  one  time  he  was  wealthy, 
but  s  came    and    in    his    later    years    he 

worked  as  a  laborer. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  have  had  four  children, 
of  whom  three  are  living:  William  Laird,  born 
May  3,  1S70,  was  educated  in  the  Lewisburg 
High  Scho  il,  and  is  now  employed  in  the  Maine 
and  Ear  Infirmary  of  Portland,  Maine.  He 
married  Gertrude  Tinsman,  and  has  one  living 
chil  Mae;   two  others,  Ralph  and  Jean- 

in     infancy.      (Mrs.    W     L.    Harris' 
brother.  Wm.   H.  Tinsman.  Jr..  was  one  of  the 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


m 


ill-fated  Maine's  crew,  who  lost  his  life  when  our 
battle  ship  "  Maine  "  was  blown  up  in  the  harbor 
of  Havana).      (2)     Harry  Elsworth,  born  March 

16,  1873,  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Lovel  Excel 
Bicycle  Works  in  Portland,  Maine.  (3)  James 
S.,  born  January  3,  1875,  is  a  stenographer  and 
typewriter  at  Lewisburg.  (4)  Frank  G.,  born 
October  6,  1884,  died  on  the  same  day. 

In  political  affiliations  Mr.  Harris  is  a  Re- 
publican. Socially,  he  is  prominent  and  various 
fraternal  orders  in  his  locality  owe  much  to  his 
active  support.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  Post  No.  52,  of  Lewisburg,  and  his 
family  are  identified  with  the  Associated  branches, 
the  two  eldest  sons  (one  a  lieutenant)  as  mem- 
bers of  the  society  of  Sons  of  Veterans,  Port- 
land, Maine,  and  his  wife  and  daughter-in-law 
(president)  as  members  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society 
and  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps.  Mr.  Harris  also 
belongs  to  the  B.  P.  O.  E. ;  to  the  Protected 
Home  Circle,  and  to  the  Ancient  and  Illustrious 
Order  of  Knights  of  Malta,  being  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Mount  Carmel  Commandery  No.  22,  Mt. 
Carmel,  Penn. ,  and  of  the  College  of  the  Ancients, 
an  affiliated  body.  He  was  the  organizer  of  Red 
Cross  Commandery  at  Lewisburg,  founded   May 

17,  1888,  and  re-organized  February  13,  1891. 
His  eldest  son,  W.  L.  Harris,  of  Portland, 
Maine,  is  connected  with  the  A.  P.  A.,  and  is  one 
of  the  youngest  members  of  the  Order  of  Knights 
of  Malta,  having  entered  it  when  but  one  day 
over  eighteen. 

The  Harris  family  is  well  known  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  one  of  its  members,  John  Harris,  was 
the  founder  of  its  capital  city.  Our  subject  is 
of  the  fourth  generation  in  descent  from  William 
Harris,  who  came  from  Wales  and  located  in 
Paxton  township  (then  Lancaster  county,  Penn.). 
He  died  there  in  1763.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Kathrin  Douglass,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  a  relative  of  Sir  Robert  Douglass. 
They  had  six  children:  James,  born  January  16, 
1739,  died  1786;  Sarah,  born  March  20,  1741 
(nodateof  death  preserved);  John,  November  20, 
1746  (no  date  of  death  preserved);  William, 
November  20,  1749,  died  in  1763;  Mary,  July  22, 
1752  (no  date  of  death  preserved);  and  Robert, 
March,  1755.  The  last  named  served  as  sur- 
geon's mate  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  the 
medicine  chest  that  he  carried  is  still  in  the 
family.  He  died  March  4,  1785,  and  is  interred 
in  the  churchyard  attached  to  the  Chester  Valley 
Presbyterian  Church,  near  Berwyn,  Chester  Co. , 
Pennsylvania. 

James  Harris,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  a  soldier  in  Washington's  forces  during  the 
struggle  for  independence,  and  took  part  in  the 


battle  on  Brandywine  Creek.  He  was  married 
June  2,  1768,  to  Miss  Mary  Laird,  born  May  10, 
1750  (her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catharine 
Spencer,  from  Scotland),  and  had  ten  children, 
whose  names  with  dates  of  birth  and  death  are 
as  follows:  William,  April  28,  1769,  February 
2,  1785;  Elizabeth,  July  18,  1770,  May  20,  1842, 
married  Thomas  Howard  and  settled  in  Buffalo 
Valley;  Catharine,  April  2,  1772,  December  28, 
1784;  Jean,  January  6,  1774,  December  5,  1839, 
never  married,  was  buried  at  Lewisburg,  as  were 
also  Laird,  February  22,  1776,  June  30,  1704; 
Robert,  November  22,  1777,  about  1813;  Sarah, 
September  4,  1779,  December  30,  1827;  James, 
June  13,  17S1,  July  1,  1 868;  Martha,  August  13, 
1784,  February  13,  1873;  William  L.,  May  17, 
1786,  November  11,   1845. 

William  L.  Harris  was  a  prominent  politician, 
a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  a  member  of 
the  convention  which  assembled  at  the  State 
Capital  in  Harrisburg,  May  2,  1837,  to  alter  and 
amend  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  died  from  the  effects  of  a  surgical 
operation.  The  father  of  this  family  died  in 
1  786,  his  remains  being  interred  in  Derry  grave- 
yard in  Dauphin  county.  His  widow  survived 
him  and  brought  her  children  to  Union  county 
about  1794,  locating  in  (then)  Buffalo  township, 
on  land  which  has  been  in  the  family  ever  since. 
She  held  the  title  until  1818,  when  she  deeded  it 
to  two  of  her  sons,  James  (2),  our  subject's 
father,  and  William  L.,  and  she  continued  to 
reside  there  until  her  death,  December  13,  1842, 
from  old  age.  Her  remains  now  rest  in  the 
cemetery  at  Lewisburg.  The  portion  of  the 
farm  which  she  gave  to  William  L.  Harris  is  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  a  brother  of  our  subject, 
William  L.  Harris  (son  of  James  Harris). 

James  Harris  (2),  the  father  of  our  subject, 
had  not  yet  attained  his  majority  when  he  came 
to  Union  county,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  there  in  farming.  In  his  later  years  he 
bought  property  in  Lewisburg  where  he  passed 
away.  He  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  and  of  slender 
build,  and  in  disposition  he  was  active,  making 
a  success  of  his  own  business  affairs  and  taking 
an  influential  part  in  the  local  movements  of  his 
time.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and  later 
a  Republican,  and  he  served  ably  in  various 
township  offices.  He  and  his  wife  were  both  de- 
vout members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
were  highly  esteemed  among  their  associates. 
They  were  married  October  19,  18 19.  and  Mrs. 
Harris  passed  away  April  13,  1879.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Sarah  Bell  and  she  was  born  in 
Dauphin  county  on  Sweet  Arrow  creek,  in  1  794. 
They  had  nine  children,   of    whom   our   subject, 


772 


VOBATJVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  11EC0RD. 


Berryhill   B.  Harris,  is  thi  st:     |  i  i  Will- 

1:1  tn    L. .    born   August    24  3  a   farmer   in 

East  Buffalo  township,  Union  1  1  mnty,  and  is  also 
engaged  in  bankii  |  S.,  born    April 

i.(.   1  ind  was  buried 

in  Mt-  Verm  ml  ry,  Philadelphia      1 1 

a  physician  and  s]  st,  the 

first  cabin    at    Neva.];.  ;    al.,     ha\ 

built  by  him.    He  married  Miss  Emma  E.  Whar- 
tenby,  <  >ct  >ber  12,   1  -  52 

September   2,    [824,    resided  at    I  [11., 

married  Anna  E.  VanDyke,  June  11,1 
March  8,   1 897,  in   Beloit,  Wis 

'  I   ry  L. .  born  Novembi 
Wilson  E 
Mifflinburg.     1 5 1    Ri  ibet  t  D.,  born 
ruar)  1,  died  at  Granada  City,  Nicai 

<  >ctol  lieutenant 

in  Walki  r's  ] 

.'4,   1831,  resides  in  Bellefonte. 
born  June    1 ;.    18  53,    married    I      P.    ! 

line   1  >  .  bi  >rn  Januai 
i  14,  buried   in  I  .ew- 

isburg  ■  ryhill  B.,  born  May  3, 

• 


J  I  -  I  IN  R<  'I. I'll  L(  '<  »MIS,  l  I     I).,  for  man) 
d  nt  ol  1  '•!;,  knell  (  ollege,  and  the 
whom,  more  than   :  ithei    m- 

dividual,  is  due  the  credit  (or  it 

int    Of  J  \  :  I  1  i    1  - 

mntj    "t  England, 

in  1638,  and  after  a  short  1  in  Mas 

I,   in    11  ,   to  Wii 

■ 
1  'i     I  ai  in  Bennington,  \Y  . 

N.  Y..  Ai  His  pn 

tion  i  m  Univi 

York,    and,  ntered 

n    I  Inn  Providence,    R.    I  . 

which  he  graduated  w  ith  the  1  He 

iltural 
I  -land,  and  thi  tutor, 

and  soon   after   pi  Natural   S 

Wa-tervill  Iby    I'm 

Maine.     Th<  1 
until  He  then 

ia  and  Peru,  South  Ami  1  1  v.  hii  h  he 

came  to  Li  w  tered  the  university  as 

;    of  Natural  S 

mad'  it  of  the  university, 

■  in.  and  remained  in  that   n 
for  twentj  -tw  mtil  1  879, 

when  !.    and   was    succei  d(  d    b)    1  >r 

David   •  Hill.    During  his  presidency  h 

«  harged  the   dutii  t    [ntell 


Philosophy  and  Metaphysics.  In  1S65,  Dr. 
1.  imis  was  successful  in  raising  $100,000  addi- 
tional endowment  for  the  College.  He  has 
traveled  much.  In  1S71  he  was  absent  from  the 
university  on  a  trip  to  Europe,  touching  also 
Africa  and  Asia,  and  returning  by  way  of  San 
Francisco.  He  made  visits  to  Europe  again,  in 
in   1K73  and  1879,  and  in   1SS2  sojourned  in  Cal- 

nia.     He  has  written  much  for  the  press,  and 
in    1S51  published   a    work  on    Geology,    and    in 
I  Iutiiui  Physiology. 

Dr.   Loom  is  was  married  on  January  16,  1838, 

sarah   Anne   Freeman,    of   Richfield   Spin 
N.    V.,    who    died    March    3,    [852.      The  eldest 

by  t  his  marriage   is   Freeman    Loomis,   now 

ol  M' idem  I  an  □  the  university. 

On  January    17.    1854.    Dr.    Loomis   married  his 

second   wife,  Mary  Gilbert.      Carrie   Loomis,  for 

four  years  teacher  of  Modern   Languages  in   the 

iale  Institute  of  the  university,  is  a  daugl 
of  this  marriage.      The   Doctor's  third  wife,  now 
living,  to  whom  he  was  married  A  >.   [873, 

Miss  Augusta  Tucker.     A  son  by  this  mar- 

-.  Andrew  Gi  g  Loomis,  graduated  from 
the  college  in  1  895,  and  is  n  lent 

of  law  in  Columbia  University,  New  York. 

In  closing  this  brief  sketch  of  Dr.  Loomis, 
we  cannot  do  better  than  to  use  a  few  words  of 
characterization  from  one  who  knows  him  and 
his  work  intimately:  "For  more  than  twenty 
year-  Di     I  ood  as  the  leading  represent- 

ative of  higher  education  among  the  Ba| 
Pennsylvania.  His  broad  and  deep  scholarship. 
his  large  knowledgi  derived  from  extensive  for- 
eign travel  and  careful  observation  of  men,  his 
1  hristian  faith  and  his  indomitable  reso- 
lution combined  to  fit  him  for  leadership.      Hun- 

liini  with  grati- 
tude, and  confess  that  to  him,  more  than  to  any 
other  man.  they  owe   thi  ine  of   mind  and 

force  of  character  that   have  made  them  success- 
ful in  tlie  world.      The  Lewisburg  Baptist  church 
edifice  stands  not  only  as  a  monument  to  ins  su- 
'  hitectural  taste,  but  also  to  his  remark- 
If-sacrifice   in   toiling   and   giving   for 

It  has  been  the    characteristic   ol 
his  life  t  h  that  which   he  undert 

and  he  I  a  long  careei  ti  1  the  real 

ds    111    the    elevation    and    eii- 
lighteniiu 


[ON,    JAMES  R.    Kl  1  I  ER       I  nion  county 
A  A  I '.erks  county  for  some  of  hei 

■  tits   of   her   first    setl 
having  taken  a   prominent  part  in  the  develop- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


773 


The  Ritter  family,  which  is  of  German  ex- 
traction, became  identified  with  Berks  county  at 
an  early  date,  and  the  first  of  the  name  to  leave 
it  for  the  less  thickly  populated  lands  of  central 
Pennsylvania  was  Jeremiah  Ritter,  our  subject's 
father,  who  came  to  Union  county  in  early  man- 
hood, and  after  a  short  residence  near  Lochiel, 
settled  near  Vicksburg,  where  he  lived  to  the 
good  old  age  of  seventy-two.  He  was  an  intelli- 
gent man,  highly  educated,  and  possessed  much 
influence  in  the  community.  For  several  years 
he  was  an  officer  in  the  State  militia,  and  during 
the  Rebellion  he  went  to  Harrisburg  with  the 
' '  Home  Guards. "  He  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  but  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Ruhl), 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy,  was  a  Lutheran 
in  faith.  She  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing pioneer  families  of  Union  county,  and  her 
father,  Hon.  Philip  Ruhl,  who  lived  and  died 
near  Buffalo  Cross  Roads,  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature  and  an  associate  judge  of  the 
county.  Our  subject  was  the  elder  of  two  sons, 
and  the  younger,  William  P. ,  is  now  a  resident 
of   Lewisburg. 

James  R.  Ritter  was  born  June  11,  1852,  in 
East  Buffalo  township.  Union  county.  His  force- 
ful character  was  displayed  at  an  early  age  in  a 
most  worthy  cause,  as  he  left  home  when  but 
twelve  years  old  in  order  to  find  better  educa- 
tional facilities  than  the  local  schools  afforded. 
Going  to  Mifflinburg,  he  worked  as  a  hostler  for 
his  board  while  attending  school,  thus  securing 
an  education  much  beyond  that  of  the  average 
youth  of  his  day.  On  leaving  school  he  clerked 
in  a  store  for  three  years,  but  after  his  marriage 
in  1876  he  rented  a  farm,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  managing  by  industry  and  economy  to  lay 
aside  a  small  sum  of  money.  With  this  he  be- 
gan buying  poultry  for  the  city  markets,  and, 
finding  the  business  profitable,  he  extended  his 
operations  to  cattle  and  anything  that  could  be 
sold  to  advantage. 

For  fifteen  years  past  Mr.  Ritter  has  made  a 
specialty  of  dealing  in  carriages,  and  as  his  cap- 
ital now  permits  him  to  give  credit  he  commands 
a  large  trade,  his  sales  amounting  to  150  in  one 
year.  His  manly  bearing  and  upright  character 
have  won  him  friends  far  and  near  wherever  his 
business  operations  have  taken  him.  and  as  he 
is  both  active  and  influential  in  the  councils  of 
the  Republican  party,  he  was  recognized  as  an 
available  candidate  and  one  who  could  add 
strength  to  the  ticket.  In  1S90  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature,  and  during  his  term  he 
became  well  acquainted  with  the  leaders  of  both 
parties  throughout  the  State.  His  purse,  his 
time,  and  his  talents  are  always  at  the  disposal 


of  the  Republican  party,  and  no  man  is  more 
looked  to  than  he  for  advice  on  important  move- 
ments. Mr.  Ritter  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  gives  liberally  to  that  and  other 
religious  societies.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  a 
member  of  Mifflinburg  Lodge. 

His  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mary  J.  Watson,  was 
a  native  of  West  Buffalo  township,  Union  coun- 
ty, born  March  4,  1845,  died  June  15,  1S95. 
Two  sons  blessed  their  union:  Clarence,  who 
died  when  two  years  old;  and  Charles  W. ,  born 
January  1,  1S76,  who  was  educated  at  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  College,  and  is  now  a  traveling 
salesman  for  a  wholesale  paint  and  oil  house. 


WILLIAM  H.  SLIFER  (deceased).  Sud- 
denly called  from  earth  before  manhood's 
prime  had  been  attained,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  had  established  a  name  in  which  his 
children  may  take  honorable  pride,  and  the  fol- 
lowing record  is  given  in  loving  remembrance  of 
his  life  and  character. 

Mr.  Slifer  was  of  German  descent,  but  the 
family  has  been  located  in  this  country  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years,  his  great-great-grandfather 
having  crossed  the  Atlantic  about  1700  to  make 
his  home  in  Bucks  county,  Penn.  There  a  son 
Abraham  was  born,  whose  son  of  the  same  name 
became  the  father  of  the  late  Hon.  Eli  Slifer, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  and  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  distinguished  men  that  this  Common- 
wealth has  produced.  He  was  born  in  Coven- 
try township,  Chester  Co.,  Penn.,  in  18 18,  the 
third  in  a  family  of  five  children.  His  parents, 
who  belonged  to  the  sect  of  German  Baptists, 
commonly  known  as  Dunkards,  died  when  the 
children  were  quite  young,  and  although  Eli  re- 
ceived some  kindly  help  from  Samuel  Harley,  a 
member  of  the  same  religious  community,  the 
boy  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  an 
early  age.  In  1834  he  began  to  learn  the  hat- 
ter's trade  in  Lewisburg,  and  while  serving  his 
apprenticeship  he  passed  through  an  experience 
which,  though  unpleasant  at  the  time,  proved  to 
be  of  lasting  benefit.  He  naturally  desired  the 
friendship  of  boys  of  his  own  age,  but  it  so  hap- 
pened that  the  youths  of  Lewisburg  found  some- 
thing to  ridicule  in  his  country  manners  and 
garb,  and,  humiliated  by  his  reception,  young  Eli 
avoided  them,  and  devoted  his  spare  time  to 
books  instead  of  the  amusements  which  would 
otherwise  have  held  his  attention.  A  bright 
mind  thus  turned  exclusively  to  study  enabled 
him  to  acquire  an  excellent  education,  while  his 
powers  of  judgment  were  developed  by  his  inde- 


771 


VOBATIVS  BIOQIiAPMCAT.  UECORD. 


pendent  course  as  they  could  have  been  in  no 
i  it  her  way. 

In  1841,  Eli  Slifer  went  to  Northumberland 
county,  Penn.,  to  engage  in  boat-building,  but 
in  1S45  he  returned  to  Lewisburg,  and  in  part- 
nership with  William  Frick,  established  a  similar 
business,  to  which  they  afterward  added  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  The  firm  of  Frick  & 
Slift-r  had  an  extensive  trade,  employing  over  a 
hundred  nun,  and  their  profits  wereso  large  that 
in  a  few  year.-  Mr.  Slifer  retired  with  a  fair  com- 
petence. Business  life  is  not  readily  given  up, 
however,  by  one  who  has  decided  talents  as  a 
manager,  and  as  Mr.  Slifer  was  still  in  the  prime 
of  his  powers,    he  again   bei  lively  inter- 

ested in  affairs  as  a  member  of  a  company,  which 
owned  a  foundry  and  a  shop  for  the  manufacture 
of  agricultural  it  nts. 

Thi  lie    slavery   question, 

which  was  then  for-  the  front  as  an 

issue,  aroused  his  earnest  sympathy,  and,  not- 
withstanding th  d  attitude  j  1  by 
ds  toward  all  political  movements,  he 
joii  Whigs  al  |X.  his  abilities  and 
forceful  charactei  dily  bringing  him  into 
prominence.  In  [849  he  was  nominated  unani- 
mously for                  islature   in   the  district  com- 

iniata  and  Union  counties,  the  la 
then  comprising  also  what  is  now  known  as  Sny- 
dei  1  ount)        He  was  elected,  and  served  so  suc- 

sfully    that    he    was    re-elected    bj    an   over- 
whelming  majority.      In  1851  he  was  a  compro- 
ididate  for  the  State  Sen;  h  county 

in  his  district  having  presented  a  "  favorite  son," 
and  he  was  chosen  to  the  office  without  opposi- 
tion, although  the  Democrats  carried  the  district 

In    1 8 55  he  became 
but  in  the  following  year  hi 
ts   having  come  into  power. 
In  60   he  was  chi 

that  office,  but  in  January,  l86l,  four  months 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  post  of  Secretary  of  State,  under 
Gov.  Curtin.  This  office,  which  is  second  only 
to  that  of  the  governor  in  importance,  he  1 
during  the  war,  and  only  resigned  in  1867,  when 
impaired  health  compelled  him  to  lay  aside  his 
can 

As  has  been  said  in  recognition  of  his  w 
"The  services  he  rendered   his  State  during  the 
Rebellion  were  ting  and 

untiring,   and   all   w  ed  with  notable 

unselfishness  and  a  ]  ition  to  the  pub- 

lic weal."     After  his  retirement   he  spent  nearly 
-  ar  in   Europe,  going  on  a  government  vessel 
by    invitation  of    the    national    authorities.      His 
remaining  years  were   spent   upon  his  farm   near 


Lewisburg,  his  influence  being  used  in  effective, 
though  quiet,  ways,  to  promote  progress  in  Vari- 
ous lines.  Of  him  it  may  be  truly  said  that  he 
never  sought  distinction  and  honor,  and  respon- 
sibility came  to  him  through  a  recognition  by  the 
people  of  his  worth. 

In  1840  Eli  Slifer  was  married  to  Miss  Cath- 
erine Frick,  a  sister  of  his  business  partner,  and 
eight  children  were  born  to  the  union:  John 
Frick  died  in  infancy;  Samuel  H.  is  a  resident  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind.;  Catherine  married  Andrew 
H.  Dill,  of  Lewisburg;  Clara  is  the  wife  of  Rob- 
ert Green,  of  Muncy,  Penn.;  William  H.  and 
John  were  accidentally  killed;  Eli  resides  in  In- 
dianapolis, Ind.;  Anna  Frick  married  William 
Wall-,  oi    Lewisburg. 

The  late  W.  H.  Slifer  was  born  at  Lewisburg, 
January  1,  1848,  and  was  educated  mainly  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place.  He  had 
the  advantage  of  one  year  of  study  at  Bucknell 
College,  and  he  always  retained  his  membership 
in  the  Sigma  Chi  fraternity  of  that  institution. 
Having  both  inclination  and  ability  for  mechanics, 
he  learned  the  machinist's  trade,  serving  his  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  Central  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany at  Lewisburg,  of  which  he  became  foreman 
after  a  few  years. 

On  September  1.  1X70,  he  was  married  at 
Lewisburg,  to  Miss  Charitv  Voris  Conard,  who 
proved  a  true  helpmeet.  In  1S70  failing  health 
caused  Mr.  Slifer  to  remove  to  the  country, 
where  outdoor  life  might  restore  the  vigor  which 
too  much  confinement  had  impaired,  and  he  lo- 
cated upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  widow 
and  the  family.  His  death  occurred  there  Sep- 
tember 22,  [879,  while  he  was  overseeing  the 
work  in  a  stone  quarry  on  the  estate,  the  earth 
caving  in  upon  him  and  killing  him  instantly. 
Six  children  were  left  to   comfort   the  1"  1 

wife  and   mother.      Edith  is  now  the  wife  of  J. 
W.  Meixell;  A.  Conard  is  at    home;  Robert   G. 
and    Grace    are  students    at    Bucknell    Colli 
William  H.  attends  the  academy;  and  Clara  J.  is 
pursuing  her  studies  in  the  seminary. 

Mrs.  Si  u  i.k  was  born  at  Pottsgrove,  Nor- 
thumberland Co.,  Penn.,  the  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Elizabeth  (Jones)  Conard,  who  were  both 
natives  of  Montgomery  county,  Penn.,  where 
they  were  married.  Later  they  moved  to  Potts- 
luiv    Mr.  Conard  was   engaged    in  m 

tile  business,  and  in  (865  they  made  their 
home  at  Lewisburg,  Mr.  Conard  conducting  a 
confectionery  establishment.  His  last  years 
wen  spent  m  retirement  at  Montandon,  where 
he  breathed  his   last   December  3,   1884,  at    the 

of  eighty-two  years,  seven  months  and  four 
days.       I  i  hi  of  prominence  in  business 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


775 


and  social  life,  and  in  religion  was  a  Quaker.  His 
widow,  who  still  resides  at  Montandon,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren: Mary  A.,  wife  of  M.  V.  Andrews,  who  is 
in  the  insurance  business  at  Montandon;  William 
K. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one;  Charity 
V.,  Mrs.  Slifer;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  John 
H.  Egolf,  a  general  merchant  at  Douglasville, 
Berks  Co.,  Pennsylvania. 


FRANCIS  C.  HARRISON,  M.  D.  (deceased), 
was  one  of  Lewisburg's  most  prominent  citi- 
zens, and  was  for  many  years  a  leader  in  finan- 
cial circles,  as  well  as  in  the  social,  religious  and 
political  movements  which  furnish  a  cohesive 
force  in  a  community  and  develop  the  public 
spirit  that  brings  practical  unity. 

Dr.  Harrison  was  born  in  1823,  in  Ireland, 
whence  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  seven  years  old.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood at  Castleton,  Vt.,  and  was  educated  at  a 
college  there,  adding  to  his  literary  studies  a 
course  in  medicine.  Coming  to  Pennsylvania,  he 
located  first  at  Bloomsburg,  where  he  practiced 
successfully  for  some  time.  In  1866  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Jane  Cameron,  daughter  of  William 
Cameron,  and  not  long  afterward  removed  to 
Lewisburg.  where  he  turned  his  attention  to 
finance,  taking  the  position  of  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  the  duties  of  which  responsi- 
ble post  he  discharged  ably  and  faithfully  until 
his  retirement  from  active  business.  While  he 
was  a  politician  he  gave  hearty  support  to  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party;  in  religious 
faith  he  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  died  December  28,  1893,  leaving  a  widow, 
and  one  daughter,  Eleanor,  who  resides  with  her 
mother  at  Lewisburg.  Three  children  died  in 
infancy:  William  ,(i)  at  the  age  of  ten  months; 
William  (2)  when  about  a  year  old,  and    Hugh. 

The  Cameron  family  has  long  been  prom- 
inent in  this  State,  many  of  its  members  having 
won  distinction  in  public  life.  The  head  of  this 
branch  was  Simon  Cameron,  who  came  from 
Inverness,  Scotland,  in  1755,  with  his  family,  his 
minister,  Colin  MacFarquhar,  being  the  leader  of 
the  party  of  voyagers.  They  located  at  Donegal 
Church,  in  Lancaster  county,  where  Simon  Cam- 
eron purchased  a  farm  now  owned  by  Gen. 
Simon  Cameron.  Charles  Cameron,  a  son  of 
Simon,  was  five  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  re- 
moval to  the  new  home,  where  he  remained  until 
after  his  marriage.  In  1808  he  removed  to  Sun- 
bury,  then  to  Washingtonville,  and  in  18 10  to 
Lewisburg,  where  he  is  mentioned  in  the  assess- 
ment lists  as  a  tailor.      He  died  January  16,  18 14, 


at  his  home  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  St.  John 
streets,  now  a  vacant  lot,  belonging  to  the  estate 
of  William  Cameron.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Martha 
Cameron,  died  November  10,  1830,  while  on  a 
visit  to  her  son,  Col.  James  Cameron.  Their 
children  were:  William,  John,  Simon,  James, 
Daniel,  Eliza,  Jane  and  Catherine. 

William  Cameron,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Har- 
rison, was  born  at  Maytown,  Penn.,  October  15, 
1795,  and  became  a  tailor  by  trade.  When 
business  was  dull  he  would  engage  in  other  occu- 
pations, often  joining  the  rivermen  in  their  work 
of  carrying  produce  to  market  at  the  time  of 
high  water,  frequently  making  the  return  journey 
on  foot.  In  September,  18 14,  he  volunteered 
as  a  private  in  the  "Northumberland  County 
Blues,"  attached  to  Col.  George  Weirick's  regi- 
ment, and  marched  to  Marcus  Hook.  This 
regiment  was  discharged  at  Philadelphia  in  the 
latter  part  of  December,  18 14,  and  his  account 
of  their  muster  is  interesting  as  showing  the 
limits  of  the  city  at  that  time,  as  they  are  said 
to  have  marched  out  of  the  city  about  Fourth 
street,  to  the  old  "Brick  Tavern"  to  encamp  on 
Union  Green. 

On  January  5,  1820,  he  was  married  at  Lew- 
isburg, by  Rev.  Thomas  Hood,  to  Miss  Eleanor 
McLaughlin,  who  was  born  June  20,  1803.  Her 
father,  Hugh  McLaughlin,  owned  several  lots  in 
Lewisburg,  and  for  some  time  lived  in  a  log 
house  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Fourth 
streets.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  181 5,  he 
had  traded  this  property  for  seventy  acres  of 
land  in  Kelly  township,  Union  county,  but  it 
had  not  been  entirely  paid  for,  and  the  busi- 
ness of  settling  the  estate  was  further  complicated 
by  the  long  minorities  of  some  of  the  children. 
They  were  six  in  number:  James,  Eleanor, 
Mary  (who  died  at  twenty),  Catherine  (wife  of 
the  late  Col.  Jackson  McFaddin),  Hugh  and 
Margaret.  During  the  first  years  of  their  mar- 
ried life  William  Cameron  and  his  young  wife 
occupied  rented  rooms  in  the  upper  stories  of 
business  buildings.  One  spring  morning  Mrs. 
Cameron  remarked  that  they  might  be  able  to 
buy  a  place  near  by  upon  favorable  terms — an 
old  hatter's  shop  which  stood  there  having  been 
partially  burned.  The  prospect  was  not  bright, 
but  Mr.  Cameron,  who  was  about  to  start  upon 
a  trip  down  the  river,  said  that  his  energetic  and 
clever  spouse  might  try  leasing  the  place.  By 
the  time  he  returned  her  industry  had  made  the 
place  a  clean  and  comfortable  dwelling,  and  their 
hope  of  ownership,  though  in  the  future,  made 
the  place  seem  indeed  a  home.  They  bought  it 
as  means  permitted,  built  a  better  residence,  and 
from  this  starting  point  may  be  dated  their  pros- 


776 


I  OMMEMOBATIVE  BlOGUM'lIUAL  RECORD. 


perity.  Later  Mr.  Cameron  purchased  all  the 
places  dear  to  him  by  early  associations,  the 
home  of  his  father,  the  old  home  of  his  hc-loved 
"  Nellie,"  and  the  grounds  on  both  I   the 

creek  where  he  had  wooed  and  won  her,  a  touch- 
ing evidence  of  the  sensitiveness  which  underlay 
Ins  somewhat  stern  exterior.      At  the  time  of  his 
mi.   I  a  1  'iint  of  the  best  prop- 

erty in    Lewisburg,   while   his  country  lands   ex- 
ti  nded   north   from   the  east   end    of  the   Lime- 
stone Ridge  across  the  heart  ol   Buffalo  Val 
and  along  the  east   hank    of   the  West  branch  of 
the  Susquehanna  to  the  border  of  Milt 
prising    many  of  the  best    (arms  of  that   fertile 

■  n. 

His  business  enterprises  were  varied  and  ex- 
tensive, the  first  of  note  being  the  construction, 
under  contract,  of  portions  oi  the  Pennsylvania 
canal,  by  which  he  cleared  about  ten  thousand 
dollars.  While  engaged  in  this  work  Mrs.  Cam- 
eron moved  into  a  log  cabin  upon  a  farm  which 
they  bought  near  the  scene  of  operations.  It 
was  rlorn   looking  place,  but   by  hard  work 

and  good   mana  transformed  into  a 

vntable   garden,      Othi  rprises   were  the 

tunnel  of  Elizabethtown,  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Eiarrisburg  on  the  Cumberland  Valley  K.  K., 
and  the  dams  at  Columbia  and  Lewisburg.  In 
1831  1  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods  busi- 

Philadelphia,    under   the   firm    name  of 
Welsh,    I    ttneron    S    Co.,   and  ci  ml  bout 

three  years  He  was  also  a  leading  member  of 
a  firm  that  successfully  operated  the  railroad 
fron  mbia   to    Philadelphia.      It  had  been 

managed  for  one  year  by  the  Department  of  Pub- 
lic Works,  but  was  falling  deeper  and  deeper  in 
debt,  when  Mi  <  imeron  1  10I  chargi  ol  it.  In 
I  in  banking,  assisting  in  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Lewisburg  Institution, 
winch  la  State  bank, 
then,  under  the  National  Banking  Act,  was  in- 
corporated as  the  Lewisburg  National  Bank.     On 

occasion,  when  ind,  hegi 

•  ■  baiikm.  occupation. 

In  speaking  of  his  life,  in  bis  | 
he  never  failed  \  redit  to  Ins  .  her 

share  in  the  1  Sorts  which  bad  gained  his  wealth, 
and  at  his  death,  which  occurred  Se]  10, 

1877,  he    left    almost   all    his   possessions   to   her 
for  her  lifetime       It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that 
his  work  tended  to  the  improvement  and  devel- 
opment of    the    localities   in  which    he  was  in' 
ested,  dilapidated  buildings  being]  imp 

lands  drained,  or  avenues  of 

\\  hile  he  did  not  make  a  name  m  public  lib;  like 
his  brother,  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  or  lu->  brother 
Jamt  -.  who    fell    in    the    first  battle    of    the  Civil 


1  while  serving  as  colonel  of  the  79th  High- 
landers ol  New  York,  his  influence  was  no  less  a 
power  for  good  wherever  he  was  known.  Never 
ostentatious  in  gifts,  he  still  made  generous  do- 
nations when  a  worthy  cause  was  recognized.  A 
steam  fire-engine,  costing  over  $10, 000,  was  given 
to  the  '  it]  il  I.  wisburg,  and  twice  a  year  he 
gave  orders  to  the  coal  dealers  to  see  that  none 
were  suffering  from  cold,  while  the  gifts  quietly 
sent  from  his  own  store  houses  cannot  be  esti- 
mated. He  was  familiarly  known  in  the  com- 
munity as  "the  Squire,"  the  title  having  first 
been  acquired  through  his  commission  from  Gov. 
Schultz,  February  19,  [827,  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  but  it  was  continued  as  a  tribute  of  re- 
spect to  his  character  and  standing. 

His  willow.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Cameron,  and 
two  daughters  survive  him.  Of  the  latter,  Mary 
is  tb.  wit.  of  Hon.  John  B.  Packer,  and  Jane 
married  Dr.  Harrison,  of  this  sketch;  another 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  married  John  A.  Green, 
and  1  iving  two   children,  Martha  and  Mar- 

garet; and  a  son,  William,  ]r..  whose  death  in 
1  '  1  cut  short  a  promising  career  at  the  Bar, 
left  two  children — William  and  Nellie  mow  Mrs. 
Harrv  Mai 


JAMES  MERRILL  LINN.  William  Linn, 
the  great-great-grandfather  of  James  Merrill 
Linn,  emigated  from  the  North  of  Ireland  in 
1 73 J.  and  settled,  originally,  in  New  Jersey,  op- 
posite Bristol,  Penn.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
stock,  a  man  of  giant  frame  and  of  immense  mus- 
cular strength.  His  only  son,  William,  so  the 
family  tradition  runs,  was  in  Philadelphia  with 
his  team  when  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  great 
quartermaster,  impressed  him  into  the  baggage 
train  service  of  Gen.  Braddqck's  army,  and  he 
was  compelled  to  wagon  it  out  to  Pittsburg. 
Both  going  and  returning,  he  stopped  to  water 
his  horses  at  a  spring  at  the  base  of  North  mount- 
ain, a  few  miles  north  of  Shippensburi/.  a  place 
that  delighted  him.  On  his  return  and  discharge 
he  purchased  the  place. 

James  Merrill  Linn,  the  fourth  child  of  James 

F.  and  Margaret   I.  Linn,  was  born  October   17, 

J,  in   the    house    in    Lewisburg   in    which    he 

bout   his   life.      His  early  education 

was  !  in  the  Lewisburg  Academy.     When 

nrst  session  of    the   university  commenced   in 

1*46,    he    entered    what    was    then 

called  tb.   senior  academic  class.     The  next  j 

In     entered    college,   and    graduated    August  20, 

185  I,  with  the  salutatory,  bein^  not  quite  eighteen 

II e  was  a  member  of  the  Gamma 


.    '/fa^nt/^f^,. 


^-^z-*-r 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


777 


Chapter  of  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi  fraternity,  and 
during  the  early  history  of  this  Chapter  took  an 
active  interest  in  its  affairs.  In  1852  he  went  to 
Lancaster  to  read  law  with  James  Black,  a 
former  student  of  his  father.  In  the  same  year 
he  was  appointed  a  tutor  in  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall college  in  that  city,  teaching  Greek  and 
Latin.  This  was  for  two  years;  then  he  returned 
to  Lewisburg,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
September,  1854.  For  six  months  he  practiced 
in  Phoenixville;  then  returned  to  Lewisburg,  and 
in  1858  became  a  partner  of  his  father,  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  F.  &  J.  M.  Linn. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  in  1 861 ,  and 
the  call  for  75,000  troops  was  issued,  he  was  at 
a  law  suit  in  Snyder  county.  The  suit  came  to 
an  end  at  once.  He  hastened  home,  enlisted 
and  served  as  second  lieutenant  in  Company  G, 
4th  P.  V.  I.,  for  three  months.  Then  he  aided 
in  recruiting  a  company,  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned captain — Company  H,  51st  P.  V.  I., 
in  which  he  served  from  November  16,  1861,  un- 
til April  14,  1864,  when  he  resigned  on  account 
of  greatly  impaired  health.  During  his  last  en- 
listment he  served  as  a  staff  officer  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time,  and  particularly  as  judge  advo- 
cate of  the  division,  on  account  of  his  legal  train- 
ing and  equipment.  After  his  return  from  serv- 
ice it  was  several  years  before  he  resumed  his 
profession.  His  father  dying  in  1869,  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  Andrew  H.  Dill,  which  con- 
tinued for  ten  years.  The  partnership  being  dis- 
solved, he  then  practiced  his  profession  alone. 

An  old  soldier  Mr.  Linn  ever  manifested  the 
utmost  interest  in  anything  that  pertained  to  the 
Civil  war,  being  especially  concerned  in  collect- 
ing and  publishing  reliable  history  of  the  strug- 
gle. One  great  desire  and  ambition  of  his  life 
was  to  see  a  becoming  soldiers'  monument 
erected  in  Lewisburg  as  a  testimonial  of  respect 
and  regard,  and  in  honor  of  the  soldiers  of  Union 
county.  As  a  citizen  it  was  simply  just  to  speak 
of  him  in  high  praise.  His  public  spirit  and 
civic  pride  kept  him  always  to  the  front  of  enter- 
prise, ready  to  lend  his  willing  assistance  and  to 
create  in  others  something  of  his  own  enthusiasm. 
In  his  social  life  he  was  highly  esteemed,  and  his 
friends  found  him  a  most  interesting  companion. 
His  gentle  nature,  stimulated  by  his  love  for  all  that 
is  chaste  and  beautiful  in  literature  and  art,  made 
him  a  gentleman  always  agreeable  and  entertain- 
ing. Well  educated  in  his  youth,  he  added  to 
his  college  training  a  great  fund  of  knowledge  by 
a  wide  range  of  study  in  history  and  literature, 
He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  local   papers. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  local  Bar  of  Lewisburg, 
to  present  appropriate   resolutions   on  the  death 


of  Mr.  Linn,  Hon.  Harold  M.  McClure,  the  pre- 
sident judge,  on  taking  the  Bench  to  preside, 
thus  spoke:  "  We  have  met  to-day  in  memory 
of  one  of  a  long  line  of  eminent  men,  whose  eru- 
dition, scholarly  attainments,  gentlemanly  de- 
portment, thorough  knowledge  of  the  science  of 
law,  and  skill  and  faithfulness  in  its  practice, 
have  kept  this  Bar  in  the  front  rank  of  the  pro- 
fession. Mr.  Linn  was  a  worthy  descendant  of 
an  illustrious  sire;  a  conspicuous  example  of  the 
hereditary  transmission  of  the  physical  qualities 
of  parents  to  their  children. 

' '  There  are  those  who  hold  that  preachers  are 
rarely  made  in  one  generation.  If  this  be  true 
analogy  will  account  for  his  intuitive  perception 
of  the  underlying  principle  that  controlled  every 
case.  The  lamp  lit  by  the  father  was  not  dimmed 
when  held  by  the  son;  the  mantle  that  fell  from 
his  shoulders  never  reached  the  earth.  He  came 
early  to  the  law,  and  for  nearly  half  a  century 
bore  evidence  of  her  jealousy  as  a  mistress. 
From  Brown  vs.  White  Deer  Township,  3  Casey, 
where  his  contention  that  an  appeal  from  the 
township  auditors  was  the  exclusive  remedy  to 
recover  money  expended  by  a  supervisor  on  be- 
half of  the  township,  was  sustained,  down  to  the 
current  volume,  the  reports  of  the  Supreme 
Court  bear  unquestioned  and  unimpeachable  tes- 
timony to  his  legal  acumen,  his  untiring  energy 
and  midnight  labors  in  behalf  of  those  whose 
cause  he  advocated.  A  lawyer  of  the  old  school, 
his  loyalty  to  his  clients  was  only  exceeded  by  his 
zeal  in  their  cause.  Without  fee,  reward  or 
hope  thereof,  he  protected  the  weak  and  de- 
fended the  poor.  Of  weak  physical  constitution, 
his  mental  endurance  was  without  limit.  That 
he  should  have  been  chosen  by  so  many  to  cham- 
pion their  cause,  is  pregnant  proof  of  the  ad- 
vancement of  our  civilization.  A  poor  cham- 
pion he  would  have  been  with  staves  and  leather 
target  in  the  lists  of  the  Norman  invader,  to  wage 
the  battles  of  his  clients.  In  the  modern  forum 
he  quailed  before  no  antagonist,  nor  asked  for 
quarter.  He  was  a  living  witness  of  the  power 
of  mind  and  the  weakness  of  matter  in  the  strug- 
gle for  supremacy  in  the  closing  years  of  this 
nineteenth  century.  Advancing  years  impaired 
his  health,  but  did  not  enfeeble  his  mind  or  di- 
minish his  energy.  He  was  kind  and  generous, 
affable  and  courteous,  and  of  all  the  illustrious 
men  who  have  passed  before  him  not  one  has 
left  a  better  name,  none  were  more  sorely  missed. 
In  the  garland  to  his  memory  we  twine  this  leaf, 
a  small  testimonial  of  his  worth  as  a  man,  his  abil- 
ity as  a  lawyer,  his  patriotism  as  a  citizen,  his 
attainments  as  a  scholar,  his  love  and  tenderness 
as  a    husband    and    father',  and    his    loyalty  as  a 


77- 


<  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


friend.      '  Woe  unto   us,  nut    him;  for    he  sleeps 
well."' 

On   December   26,    1867,  Mr.  Linn   was  mar- 
!   to   Mar)     Ellen,    eldest  daughter    of   Philip 
Billmeyer,  and    they  ha-  son   Philip    1  >i  1 1  - 

meyer  Linn,  who  was  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  practice  of  the  law,  under  the  firm  name 
I  I  M.  &  P.  B.  Linn.  Mr.  Linn  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  died  sud- 
denly February  j.;.  1897,  of  paralysis  oi 
heart. 

His  son,  Philip  Billmeyer   Linn,  was  born 
at   Lewisburg,  Mas  ■      He  graduated  at 

Harvard  Universit)    in   [890,    rend    law    with   his 
father,  and    was    admitted    to    the    Bar    in    I  i 
from  which  tune  up  to  the  death  ol  his  lather  he 
prai  tii  ed  with  him. 


WILLIAM  SPOTTS   (  RISWELL 
ing  representative  of  the  agricultural  in- 
i   tin-  sei  tion,  is  a  member  of  a  family 
which  has  for  many  years  been  prominentl)  iden- 
tified with    Union    county.      His  grandparents, 
ph  and   Elizabeth  (Hutchinson)  Criswell,  lo- 
in pioneer  til  1  reared  a  family 
of  seven  children,  namely:     Jan  1  August 
51,   1    1  6     rhomas  11  .  March  28,   181  -■ .  Hannah 
B.  1  Mrs.  John  Huntington  .  March  ~:.  i8io;John 
II.                                               M  ty  7,  1814;  M 
\,  June  jo.   [816;  and    Elizabeth  (Mrs.  William 
5potts),Auf               '  •  1  8.      t  m  tin-  familythe  last 
nly  survivor. 
Th>                in  H    (  riswell,  the   father  ol  our 
was  a  man  ol  unusual  force  of  character, 
and,   although   he  never    attendi  1   more 
than  eleven  days  in  his  life,  he  -                 fair  ed- 
tion   through               ition  and  private  study. 
He  followed  farming  and  shoemaking  during  his 
active  life,  and  gained  thereby  a  comfortable  live- 
lihood.     As                            vas    prominent  in  local 

andidate  ol  the  Re- 
publican partv    for  township  offices,  his  faithful 
vice  in  any    position   of  trust   having  won  for 
him  the  confidence  of  all 

On  April  16  |ohn  H.  Ci  iswell  married 

Mi-- Jane  Mathers,  who  was  horn  in   Mazeppa, 
I'enn.,  June  24,  1  s  1  1 ,  the  daughter  of  James  and  I 
bella  (Oliver)   Mathers.     The  following  children 
bli  ssi  d  this   union:     Joseph,  born    I 

15,isa  tailor  of  Chattam       1,  renn. ; James, born 
April  [6,   1837,  died    Septembei   27,   1853;  Will- 
Spotts,  oui  subject,  ismentioned  more  fully 
below;     Elizabeth,  born  Sep  24,   1841,  is 

the  wife  of  Daniel  Kuhns,  of  Kelly  township. 
Union  county;  Marj  V.  born  July  15,  1843,  re- 
sides at  the  old  home*stead    in   Kelly  township. 


Union  county;  Isabella  M. ,  born  July  21,  1S45, 
died  September  5,  1853;  Rachel,  born  April  21, 
1848,  died  August  26,  1853;  Sarah  M..  born  Oc- 
tober 10,  1852,  died  October  11,  1 S 53 ;  Thomas 
O.,  born  September  2,  1853,  is  a  farmer  near 
r  i\  loisville.  Penn.;  and  John,  born  May  5,  1S50, 
died  April  16,   1866.      The  father   died  April  17, 

14,  and  the  mother  September  4,  1884,  both 
having  attained  an  advanced  age,  and  so  univer- 
sally beloved  were  they  that  they  were  known  by 
young  and  old  in  their  locality  as  "Uncle  "  and 
■  ■  Auntie     I  riswell. 

William  Spotts  Criswell  was  born  April  12, 
1839,  in  Kelly  township,  and  was  reared  to  ag- 
ricultural pursuits,  his  work  apon  his  fathi 
farm  during  his  boyhood  alternating  with  his 
attendance  at  the  local  schools.  In  1862  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  131st  P.  V.  I.,  under  Capt. 
Jacob  Moyer,  whose  place  was  taken  a  tew 
months  later  by  Capt.  Joseph  K.  Orwig.  Dur- 
ing his  term  of  service  Mr.  Criswell  was  detailed 
for  a  time  on  ambulance  duty,  hut  he  saw  some 
severe  fighting,  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville.  He  was 
never  wounded;  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  he 
urned  home,  receiving  his  discharge  at  Harris- 
burg,  Penn.,  May  23,    1S63. 

On  1  >>  icember  21,  1865.  Mr.  Criswell  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Wagner,  and  shortly 
afterward  he  established  his  home  at  I 
Hill,  Union  county,  when'  he  was  employed  for 
u.  He  then  returned  to  his  native  township 
and  rented  one  of  his  father's  farms,  remaining 
n  years.  Since  that  time  he 
has  resided  upon  his  present  farm  near  Kelly 
Cross  Koads,  which  he  at  first  rented  from  his 
i, itlier.  but  afterward  acquired  by  inheritance. 
Mr.  Criswell    is   identified   with   all   of   the   pro- 

sive  movements  of  his  locality,  and  while 
he  :s  not  a  politician,  he  is  an  influential  sup- 
porter  of  the  Republican  party.      He  is  a  mi 

lie  Grand  Army  1'  I  No.  52,  of  Lewis- 
burg, and  is  active  in  religious  work  as  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  and    Mrs.  Criswell    have    had    nine   chil- 

.  whom  all  but  one  are  living:   (1)  James, 

who  resides   in   Kellv    township,  Union   county, 

rried  Miss  Anna  Machmer,  and  has  five  chil- 
dren—J.  Roy,  William  D.,  Mary  E.,  Sarah  M. 
and  Milton  M.  (2)  Emma  died  at  the  age  of 
John  W  .  a  I. inner  of  Kelly 
township,  married  Miss  Susan  M.  Hafer.  14) 
Edith  married  W.  H.  Showers,  a  farmer  in 
White  Peri  township,  Union  county,  and  has 
hid  two  children— Russell  H.  and  Lei 
Willi, mi  manages  the  farm  of  his  aunt,  Miss 
Mary    C.    Criswell,    in    Kelly    township,     Union 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


779 


county.  (6)  Joseph  0.  is  in  the  meat  business 
at  Milton,  Penn.  (7)  Caroline  E.,  (8)  Paul  W. 
and  (9)  David  A.  are  at  home. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Criswell  is  a  descendant  of  an 
old  Lancaster  county  family;  her  grandfather, 
Thomas  Wagner,  passed  his  life  in  that  locality. 
Her  father,  Daniel  Wagner,  was  born  there  in 
1799,  but  in  early  manhood  moved  to  Centre 
county,  where  he  met  and  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Rote,  a  native  of  that  county.  In  1832 
he  went  to  Lewisburg,  where  he  operated  a  mill 
for  a  few  years,  but  he  finally  located  in  East 
Buffalo  township,  Union  county,  and  operated  a 
gristmill  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
August  26,  1S60,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one.  He 
was  a  Republican  from  the  time  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  party,  and  in  religious  faith  he  was  a 
devout  Lutheran.  His  estimable  wife  survived 
him,  and  breathed  her  last  July  12,   1877. 

Mrs.  Criswell  was  born  in  East  Buffalo  town- 
ship, Union  county,  May  29,  1836,  and  was  the 
second  in  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Of  the 
others,  John  is  a  farmer  and  cattle  dealer  in 
Iowa;  Daniel  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one;  Thom- 
as died  at  forty-four;  Sarah,  deceased,  was  for- 
merly the  wife  of  John  Kerstetter,  of  Milton, 
Penn. ;  Margaret  married  Alfred  Dehl,  a  baker  of 
Watsontown,  Penn.;  Emma  is  the  wife  of  N.  C. 
Freck,  a  contractor  in  Millersburg,  Penn.  ;  Har- 
riet married  E.  K.  Spotts,  a  farmer  of  Kelly 
township,  Union  county;  Katherine  married 
Phineas  Bly,  a  miller  of  White  Deer  Mills;  Sam- 
uel is  in  the  milling  business  at  Forest  Hill, 
Union  county;  and  William  died  in  1895,  at  the 
age  of  forty-four. 


PETER  HAUSE,  of  White  Deer  township, 
Union  county,  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
near  New  Columbia,  and  is  also  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  an  agent  for  the  Champion  Implement 
Company,  and  the  Clark's  Cove  Fertilizer  Com- 
pany, of  New  York.  As  Mr.  Hause  has  made 
his  way  in  the  world  against  heavy  odds,  his 
struggle  for  a  livelihood  having  begun  when  he 
was  a  mere  child,  his  history  is  of  more  than  or- 
dinary interest. 

Mr.  Hause  was  born  April  7,  1853,  in  North- 
umberland county,  Penn.,  and  his  father,  George 
Hause,  who  was  also  a  native  of  that  county, 
was  a  resident  of  Chillisquaque  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  having  engaged  first  in  the  butch- 
ering business,  then  in  the  hotel  business,  and, 
finally,  in  mercantile  enterprises.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Miss  Mary  Reefer,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children:  Mary  A. ,  wife  of  William 
Galbrath,  an  insurance   agent   at  Milton,  Penn.; 


Elizabeth,  widow  of  Robert  Martin,  of  Northum- 
erland  county;  Lida,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife 
of  John  Harmon,  a  farmer  in  Michigan;  Hannah, 
wife  of  Charles  Sanders,  of  White  Deer  town- 
ship, Union  county;  Sarah  and  John,  who  died 
before  reaching  adult  age;  and  George,  a  farmer 
in  California.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in 
1848,  and  the  father  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Reefer,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  was  a  na- 
tive of  Union  county,  where  their  marriage  oc- 
curred. There  were  two  children  by  this  union: 
Peter,  our  subject;  and  Frank,  who  is  now  in  the 
livery  business  at  Corning,  N.  Y.  Both  parents 
were  identified  with  the  United  Evangelical 
Church.  The  father  died  in  1856  at  the  age  of 
thirty- five,  but  the  mother  survived  many  years, 
passing  away  at  the  home  of  our  subject,  March 
3,   1894,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

As  Peter  Hause  was  left  fatherless  at  the  age 
of  three  years  without  adequate  provision  for  his 
support,  the  serious  business  of  life  was  taken  up 
as  soon  as  his  labor  became  of  value.  He  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  he  was  ten  years 
old,  when  he  spent  eight  months  in  work  for  an 
uncle,  David  Reefer.  He  then  returned  home 
and  attended  school  during  the  winter,  and  in  the 
following  spring  he  was  hired  by  Ellis  Miller, 
with  whom  he  spent  one  year.  Until  he  was  six- 
teen he  continued  to  work  on  farms  in  summer, 
attending  school  in  winter,  and  then  for  some 
years  he  took  whatever  employment  he  could  find. 

On  June  18,  1874,  our  subject  was  married 
to  Miss  Rebecca  C.  High,  who  has  proved  a  true 
helpmeet,  and  they  made  their  home  at  their 
present  farm,  which  Mr.  Hause  worked  for  half 
the  proceeds  of  the  farm  for  seven  years  before 
increasing  prosperity  enabled  him  to  purchase  it. 
Industrious  and  thrifty,  he  has  won  a  high  repu- 
tation as  a  manager,  and  is  a  leading  member  of 
the  Farmers  Alliance.  He  is  also  prominent  in 
the  various  activities  of  the  community,  and  in 
the  local  Republican  organization,  having  been 
tax  collector  for  one  year,  and  supervisor  for  two 
years. 

Seven  children  make  his  home  merry:  Frank 
M.,  George  W.,  Florence,  James  C,  Percy, 
Amy  V.  and  Mary  J.  Mrs.  Hause  is  a  native  of 
White  Deer  township,  Union  county,  and  was 
born  February  22,  1848,  the  daughter  of  Aaron 
C.  High,  a  native  of  Berks  county,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Pott)  High, 
who  settled  in  Union  county  at  an  early  day  to 
spend  their  remaining  years,  both  being  interred 
in  the  Rlapp  graveyard. 

Aaron  C.  High  died  in  White  Deer  township, 
Union  county,  in  June,  1894,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty,  his  last  years  having  been  spent  in  retire- 


780 


COMMK.VnJtATlVE  BIOORAPSIi  AL   /.'/."'  <>IiD. 


nt  on  ac<  illness.      He  was  married  in 

White  Deer  township,  t'>  Miss  Mary  Rank,  who 
LMirn  in  Berks  county,  November  22,  1822,  and 
whose  parents,  John  and  Nancy  (Luthers)  Rank, 

loved  from  that  locality  to  Union  comity. 
where  they  breathed  their  last,  their  remains  be- 
in^-  laid  to  rest  in  Klapp  graveyard.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  horn  to  Aaron  C.  and  Mary 
High:     Robert,  now  rnment  surveyor  in 

Nebraska;  Anna  M.,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife 
of  Elias  [ngleman,  who  is  living  in  retirement  at 
White  Pigeon,  Mich.;  Rebecca  C.  (Mrs.   II 
Barbara,  wife  of  James  Bernan,  an  employee  in 

car  works  at  Mill  I  Alford,  a  farmer  in 

Texas.  The  mother  has  contracted  a  second 
marriage,  being  now  the  wife  of  William  Miller, 
a  farmer  residing  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan. 


W 


II.I.IAM    DA\  ID    HIMMELREN  1! 
born     in     Kell)     township,    Union    Co., 
Penn.,  September    11,   1842,  the   ninth   child   of 
Peter  Himmelreich  and  Elizabeth     nie  Charles). 
Petei   -  father   ei  I    from   Germany  in  the 

iteenth  century,  and  settled  in  Buffalo  town- 
ship,   Union    county.     Going   one    step    farther  ! 

i.,   the   grandmothei    ol    the   subject  of   this 

sketch   was  a    Within  ne   of   whom  came 

'and   at   an   early  date   to   this  country, 

and    carried    on    a    successful    business   at    clock 

making,  in  Mifflinburg,  under  style  of   Withing- 

ton  &  Son,  for  many  years.     Capt.  Peter  With- 

i   the  heroes  of  the  Revolution, 

having  commanded   a   company  in   the  Twelfth 

Pennsylvania  Regiment  of  the  Continental  Line. 

ied  m  1 :' 

When  scarcely  tall  enough   to  peep  over  the 

counter,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  began  hisbusi- 

-  career  in  a  country  store  near  home.     Close 

b) .  on  the  same  fat  1  an  old  scl 

in  which  he  received  his  early  education.      Tin 

of  clerking  found  the  little  fellow  grown  a 
head  taller,  and  possessed  of  an  ambition  that 
could  no   longer   find    scope   in    the   old   environ- 

I  b-    be'  ami     a   cierk   for   Capt.  Cr 
postmaster,  at  Lewisburg.      Several  ventures  in 

mtile  business,  ippan  ml}'  not  I 
liking,  followed,  and  finally  he  attracted  the 
favorable  attention  of  John  1 1.  P  kei  ^presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Sunbury.  He 
became  a  clerk  in  that  institution,  and  here  his 
business  ability  w  ied.      Through    faithful 

attention  to  every  detail    of    his    work 
the  confidence  of  Mr.   Packer,  an  eminent  lawyer 
and  financier — a  circumstance  which    had    much 

with   later  successes.      Mr.  Packer  wi 
undemonstrative    man,  but   he    had  his  own  way 


of  showing  his  appreciation  of  fidelity  in  an  em- 
ployee.  A  hard  worker  himself,  he  knew  the 
value  of  industry,  while  his  own  strict  integrity 
served  as  a  touch-stone  in    his    judgment  of  oth- 

The  fact  that  Mr.  Himmelreich  reman 
with  him  ten  years,  and  during  the  latter  part  of 
his  service  was  entrusted  with  the  most  delicate 
and  intricate  business,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  his 
worth.  It  may  be  noted,  also,  that  throughout 
the  remainder  of  Mr.  Packer's  life  he  retained  a 
firm  friendship  for  Mr.  I limmelreich,  and  showed 
his  undiminished  confidence  in  substantial  ways. 

The  arduous  work  of  the  bank  proved  to  be 
too  great  a  strain  upon  Mr.  Hinunelreich's  health, 
and  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  firm  of  Bill- 
meyer,  Dill  &  Company,  boat  builders  and  man- 
ufacturers of  lumber,  at  Lewisburg,  in  1872, 
This  was  a  prosperous  enterprise  with  a  n 
capable  head,  Philip  Billmeyer,  who  was  an  au- 
thority on  all  matters  relating  to  lumber.  The 
firm  name  was  subsequently  changed  to  P.  Bill- 
meyer &  Co.,  the  other  partners  being  George  S. 
Matlack  and    Henry  C.   Wolfe,   who  ■  eci- 

ally  efficient  workers  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments— and  to  this  harmonious  combination  Mr. 
Himmelreich  added  new  force  and  energy.  Mr. 
Billmeyer  died  in  I S S 5 ,  but  the  business  was 
continued  by  the  other  partners  under  the  firm 
name  of  W.  D.  Himmelreich  &  Co.,  which  re- 
mained unchanged  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Matlack 
in  1893,  leaving  but  two  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Him- 
melreich's  quarter  of  a  century  in  this  branch  of 
business  was  an  unusually  successful  one,  and  he 
enjoyed  a  reputation  for  honesty  and  business  in- 

ity  that  but  few  can   attain,  especially  in  the 
great  commercial  centres. 

1  hiring     all     this    time     Mr.     Himmelreich's 
busy  brain  and  energy  were  concerned  in  the  ad- 
vancement of   the    welfare     of     Lewisburg,    and 
lopment  of  its  industrial  interests.      He, 
along  with  George  S.   Matlack.  was  instrumental 
in  having   the   Buffalo  Mills  located  here,  backed 
by   Judge   Hoffa,    and    was  one   of  its  principal 
stockholders.      He  was  connected  as  stockholdii 
and  director  in  the  Nail  Works,  Furniture  Works, 
Water,  Coal.  Light  and  Teleph 
panies.      In  addition  to  giving  these  various 
interests   a  portion  of  his   time,    he   assumed,   in 
March,     [895,    the    duties    of    president    of  the 
Union     National     Bank.      As    its    executive    he 
avenues  of  business  by  his  strong 

Bonality,  and  under  his  direction  the  institu- 
h.is  certainly  been  a  prosperous  one. 

Hi-   latest    and    most    extensive    project  was 
the  tract  of   virgin   forest 

in  West  Virginia.  After  tramways  had  been 
built,  mills  established   and    the  difficulties  sur- 


/ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


781 


mounted,  he  associated  with  him  Congressman 
Dayton,  of  West  Virginia.  Hon.  S.  T.  Foresman, 
of  Williamsport,  W.  R.  Kramer,  of  Milton,  and 
H.  C.  Wolfe,  of  Lewisburg.  The  new  firm  had 
just  entered  the  markets  with  the  brightest 
possible  prospects  of  success,  when  suddenly 
the  brain  that  conceived  it  all  was  stricken  in 
death. 

Mr.  Himmelreich  took  an  interest  in  public 
affairs.  His  political  affiliations  were  with  the 
Democrats,  but  he  had  due  consideration  for 
the  opinions  of  others,  and  was  far  from  being 
a  politician.  In  1888  he  was  a  Presidential 
elector,  and  subsequently  made  postmaster  at 
Lewisburg  by  President  Cleveland.  As  a  trustee 
of  the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Danville, 
he  served  for  a  number  of  years,  faithfully  and 
conscientiously. 

"Perhaps  in  no  place  will  his  loss  be  more 
keenly  felt  than  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
Sunday-school.  As  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  he  was  a  tower  of  strength  in  solving 
the  questions  and  difficulties  that  regularly  pre- 
sented themselves.  His  wise  counsels  and  feas- 
ible plans  were  backed  by  a  generous  purse,  and 
his  example  of  itself  was  an  incentive  to  spur 
others  on  to  more  earnest  activity.  For  over 
four  years  he  conducted  the  Bible  studies  of  a 
class  of  young  ladies  in  the  Sunday-school.  His 
teaching  had  the  merit  of  being  from  the  heart, 
and  he  implicitly  believed  what  he  taught — that 
the  religion  of  Jesus  was  to  be  made  a  part  and 
study  of  our  daily  life.  Faithful  and  earnest  in 
attendance,  always  coming  prepared,  it  was  little 
wonder  that  he  taught  with  a  force  that  comes 
to  but  few.  In  his  hasty  business  trips  from 
city  to  city  he  spent  many  an  hour  on  the  train 
with  Bible  and  lesson  book,  seeking  out  the  hid- 
den truths. "      [Lewisburg   Journal,  October  29, 

1897.] 

Mr.  Himmelreich  amassed  a  substantial  for- 
tune, and,  what  is  still  better,  made  good  use  of 
it.  While  there  is  no  loss  through  methods  or 
careless  good  nature,  he  delighted  in  lending  a 
helping  hand  in  an  effective  way  wherever  there 
was  need.  It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate 
his  private  charities,  the  straightened  circum- 
stances eased  by  his  timely  aid,  the  hearts  he  has 
comforted.  In  his  business  dealings  he  strove  to 
be  just,  and  while  he  never  allowed  an  oppor- 
tunity for  a  profitable  venture  to  pass  unim- 
proved, no  one  has  ever  come  out  of  a  bargain 
blaming  him  for  dishonest  methods.  In  fact, 
Mr.  Himmelreich  was  much  more  than  a  busi- 
ness man.  Reading  and  travel  had  added  men- 
tal cultivation,  and  developed  his  companionable 
qualities,  while    a   sympathy    for   his  fellow  men 


had    prevented    any   crusting   over  of  his  kindly 
heart. 

An  enduring  monument  to  his  memory  is  the 
W.  D.  Himmelreich  Library  of  the  Presbyterian 
Sunday-school,  a  gift  of  about  four  thousand 
volumes.  It  was  his  pride  and  care  during  life, 
and  by  his  will  he  made  ample  provision  to  per- 
petuate it  by  placing  apart  funds  to  the  amount 
of  $30,000  (which  sum  may  be  materially  in- 
creased) for  a  library  building  and  for  endowing 
it.  His  death  occurred  suddenly  in  New  York 
City,  October  23,   1897,  from  heart  failure. 


I  BRAHAM  W.  FARLEY.     This  age  is  not 


JMi  wholly  utilitarian.  On  all  sides  we  see 
some  earnest  souls  laboring  devotedly  to  bring 
about  a  recognition  of  some  higher  principle  in 
life  than  selfish  greed,  and  stimulating  in  the 
hearts  of  others  a  desire  for  spiritual  progress. 
The  friends  of  Abraham  W.  Farley,  a  prominent 
agriculturist  residing  in  East  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county,  will  see  in  his  years  of  faithful 
work  in  all  forms  of  religious  endeavor,  a  source 
of  present  good  to  the  community,  and  long  after 
he  has  entered  into  his  final  rest  his  influence  will 
continue  in  ever  widening  circles. 

Mr.  Farley  comes  of  honorable  ancestry. 
When  the  colonies  gathered  their  forces  for  the 
war  against  the  mother  country,  his  grandfather, 
Caleb  Farley,  then  a  young  man,  entered  the 
ranks  of  the  patriots.  He  was  a  representative 
of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected 
families  of  New  Jersey,  pioneers  of  Tewksbury 
township,  Hunterdon  county,  and  proved  him- 
self a  gallant  fighter,  remaining  in  service  until 
peace  was  declared  and  gaining  a  commission  as 
first  lieutenant.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war 
he  married  Miss  Charity  Pickle,  and  came  to 
Pennsylvania,  locating  in  Union  county,  where 
he  cleared  and  improved  several  farms.  Through 
legal  complications  over  prior  entries  he  lost 
his  first  claims,  but  afterward  purchased  what 
was  known  as  the  David  Cupples  tract, 
on  White  Deer  Mountain,  comprising  120 
acres,  and  there  made  his  permanent  home.  He 
attained  the  age  of  eighty-four,  his  death  oc- 
curring previous  to  1840,  and  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  only  a  few  years,  having  attained 
the  age  of  ninety-four.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren: Charity,  John,  Jacob,  Barbara,  Cather- 
ine, Elizabeth,  Abraham  and  Sarah. 

Abraham  Farley,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  in  1 791 ,  in  White  Deer  township,  Union 
county,  and  died  in  1S75,  in  East  Buffalo  town- 
ship, at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and  always 
followed  farming  as  an   occupation.      On   March 


782 


COMXKM'iliMIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


29,  1S24,  he  married  Rebecca  Wolfe,  born  March 
19,  1S04,  the  daughter  of  Michael  and  Catherine 
1  Smith  1  Wolfe,  who  reared  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, six  daughters  and  four  sons.  After  his 
marriage  Abraham  Farley  bought  the  farm  on 
tin-  Furnace  road,  in  East  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county,  which  is  now  owned  by  our  sub- 
ujd  there  in  1875,  and  his  wife  passed 
away  August  27,  1878,  at  the  home  of  her 

ther  was  a  devout  member  of  the 

iical    Church,    and   their  large   famil)     of 

children   received   faithful    training    in    Christian 

principles,      Of  these  the    first    born,  Catharine, 

died   in    infancy;  Caroline,   now   residing  in   the 

te  "l  [owa,  married  Daniel  Wolfe,  and  reared 
a  famil\-;  Michael  married  Hannah  Hoy,  and  had 
ral  children;  Abraham  W.  is  mentioned  more 
fully  below;  Charity  died  in   infancy;  Sarah  mar- 
David    Voneida     ind    reared   a  family;  |i>hn 

ried  Mary  Brown,  by  whom  he  had  several 
children;  facob  married  Mary  E.  Brown,  and  had 
a  family;  Elizabeth  and   Wilson  died  in  infani 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1834,  at  the  present  homestead.  When 
he   began    his   education    the  -vstem 

had  nol  been  adopted,  his  first  teacher,  Aaron 
Smith,  being  employed  on  the  su  11  plan. 

The  events  of  that  time  are   still  clearly  defined 
in  his  memory,  even  to  the  learning  of  the  alpha- 
bet, letti  ttended  the 
first  free  school  organized  in  his  district,  the  Ml 
Vernon  si  hool,  taught  by  Squire  Tharp,  of   Mil- 
ton, Penn.      He  learned   rapidly,  grasping  ideas 
far  more  readily  and  accurately  than  the  avera 
boj   of  his  age,   and  only  the  lack  of  opportunity 
studies  prevented  him  from  pre- 
iome    profession.      Being    reared 
farming,  with  no  knowledge  of  other  occupations, 
he  naturally  engaged  in  it  in  early  manhood,  and 
has  continued  it  th ghout  his  life. 

Onjanuary  r 5,  [857,  in  his  native  township, 
Mr.    Farle)  was   married   to   Mi  nab   B 

who  was  born  near  Lochiel,  Union 
county.  Alien, t  6,  1838  Her  parents,  David 
and   Molly  (Gel      S  hrack,  well-know  -its 

of  thai  lo  ality,  had  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
I  rlej  was  the  eldest.  The  others,  Angeline, 
now  Mrs.  John  Shaffer,  Franklin  and  William 
H  .  all  reside  in  Lewisburg.  David  Schrack 
was  a  carpenter  in  his  early  years  and  afterward 
a    farmer,    but    f  years    previous   to   his 

th  lie  lived  m  retirement  at  Lewisburg.  He 
was  between  sixty  and  seventy  years  old  when 
he  died,  and  his  wife  survived  him  a  few  years, 
the  remains  of  both  being  now  at  rest  in  Lewis- 
burg cemetery. 

ar  after  his  marriage   Mr    I  arl< 


mained  at  the  homestead,  taking  charge  of  the 
place  for  his  father,  and  then,  after  living  one 
r  on  a  rented  farm,  he  moved  to  the  Schrack 
homestead,  where  he  spent  a  year.  The  first 
home  that  he  ever  owned  was  a  small  place  in 
Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  gardening  from  i860  to  1864.  The 
war  making  labor  scarce,  he  returned  to  the  old 
home  to  assist  his  father  for  a  year,  and  the  next 
thirteen  years  were  spent  on  the  Jonathan 
Wolfe  farm  in  East  Buffalo  township. 

fn  1878  Mr.  Farley  purchased  his  present 
home  from  his  father's  estate,  his  brother  Mich- 
ael buying  the  western  part  of  the  farm.  The 
place  contains  150  acres  of  excellent  land,  and 
ranks  among  the  best  in  the  township.  Mr. 
Farley  gives  his  personal  attention  to  its  man- 
nent.  Although  his  health  is  somewhat 
impaired  he  remains  active.  In  1892  he  I 
the  use  of  his  left  ej  result   of  an  attack 

ivsipelas,  and  hi>  hearing  is  now  defective. 
but  these  ailments  do  not  interfere  as  much  as 
one  would  suppose,  with  his  accustomed  inter- 
ests. Many  years  ago  he  joined  the  United 
Evangelical  Church,  and  he  has  always  taken  a 
leading  part  in  its  work,  serving  in  various 
Church  offices,  including  that  of  trustee,  which 
he  still  holds.  He  has  been  especially  active  in 
Sunday-school  work,  and  since  1858  has  been 
superintendent  in  different  localities  where  he 
has  resided,  and  during  five  years  of  this  time 
he  was  at  the  head  of  two  schools.  In  the 
township  Sunday-School  Association  he  has  been 
an  influential  worker,  and  at  different  times  he 
has   served  lent   or  secretary.      His 

wife  is  also  a  devout  member  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church,  ami  their  family,  taught  by 
both  precept  and  example,  are  following  in  their 
I  eps. 
<  >ur  subject  and  his  wife  may  well  look  1 
their  children  with  pride,  in  the  consciousness 
that  their  successful  training  brings  far  greaf 
and  more  lasting  honor  than  accumulation  of 
riches.  The  eldest  son,  John  C,  born  March 
[5,  [859,  is  engaged  in  teaching,  and  also  works 
on  a  farm  in  Kelly  township.  Union  county. 
James  A.,  born  March  4,  1861,  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Bohner,  of  Northumberland  county,  re- 
sides in  Lewisburg,  and  is  a  traveling  salesman  for 
a  wholesale  dry-goods  house  in  Philadelphia.  Anna 
M.,  born  February  22,  1863,  married  Rev.  W. 
B    Cox,  a   minis!  the    United    Evangelical 

Church,  located    at  Glen  Rock,  York  Co.,  Penn. 
David  F.,    born   June  2,   [865,    married    to    M 
Liberty  Taylor,  of  Mifflinburg,  a  teacher,  resides 
in    Buffalo   township,     Union    county.      He    is  a 
n,  and   is  active  in  religious 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


783 


work  as  superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school,  and 
president  of  the  Sunday-School  Association  of 
his  township.  William  H.,  born  July  14,  1867, 
lives  at  the  homestead,  and  is  engaged  in  opera- 
ting a  steam  thresher.  He  is  also  prominent  in 
religious  work,  being  a  trustee  and  steward  in  the 
Church,  and  the  superintendent  of  a  Sunday- 
school.  Molly  R.,  born  November  n,  1869, 
married  Rev.  J.  H.  Gamber,  a  clergyman 
of  the  United  Evangelical  Church,  now  re- 
siding at  Reddick,  Kankakee  Co.,  111.  Eman- 
uel P.,  born  October  8,  1871,  resides  in  Illinois, 
and  is  bookkeeper  in  a  large  brick  establishment 
at  LaSalle.  Hiram  C,  born  March  7,  1874,  isa 
teacher  by  profession  and  resides  at  home.  Su- 
sannah B.,  born  June  11,  1875,  Angeline  M. , 
October  17,  1877,  Clarence  B.,  January  19, 
1879,  and  Maggie  E.  July  25,  1882,  are  all  at 
home. 

Our  subject  is  interested  in  all  local  move- 
ments that  tend  to  progress,  and  has  for  years 
been  identified  with  the  Grange  or  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  He  is  no  politician  but  keeps  well- 
informed  upon  the  issues  of  the  day,  and,  al- 
though he  gave  his  support  in  early  years  to  the 
Democratic  party,  his  uncompromising  enmity  to 
the  liquor  traffic  led  him  some  time  ago  to  unite 
with  the  Prohibitionists. 


J 


OHN  JEFFERSON  BROWN.  Among  the 
honored  pioneers  of  this  section  who  still 
remain  with  us,  linking  by  their  recollections 
the  stirring  scenes  of  our  modern  civilization  to 
the  time  when  unbroken  forests  covered  the  sites 
of  many  of  our  thriving  towns  and  villages,  none 
are  more  highly  esteemed  than  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Brown,  of  Kelly  township,  Union  county, 
who  are  now  nearing  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
their  marriage,  which  took  place  October  9,  1 8  5  1 . 
Mr.  Brown,  who,  though  now  retired  from 
active  business,  has  been  for  many  years  a  lead- 
ing agriculturist  of  that  locality,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1824,  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  an  old 
Pennsylvania  family.  His  grandparents  were 
residents  of  Schuylkill  county,  where  for  many 
years  the  grandfather,  Adam  Brown,  was  occu- 
pied with  the  management  of  a  gristmill  and  an 
extensive  farm.      His  wife  was  an  Ohlrick. 

The  late  George  Brown,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Berks  county,  and  there  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sallie  Bartlett,  a  native  of  that 
locality,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Dorothy 
(Huttenstein)  Bartlett,  and  for  some  time  made 
his  home  in  the  county.  In  1839  he  removed  to 
a  farm  in  White  Deer  township.    Union  county, 


where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  remaining 
years,  the  latter  passing  away  in  1845,  at  the 
age  of  forty-eight.  The  father  had  attained  his 
eightieth  year  when  he  was  called  away  in  1874, 
and  during  his  long  life  he  had  held  a  prominent 
place  in  the  community,  holding  the  office  of 
supervisor,  and  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  the  Reformed  Church,  of  which  he  was 
a  deacon  and  elder  for  many  years. 

Of  the  children  of  this  estimable  couple, 
Elizabeth  died  in  her  youth;  Katie  married  Israel 
Guyer,  both  now  deceased;  John  J.  is  the  sub- 
ject proper  of  this  sketch;  George  is  a  retired 
farmer  in  White  Deer  township,  Union  county; 
Sarah  married  Simon  Benage,  a  farmer  in  the 
same  township;  Rebecca  married  Daniel  Moyer, 
and  both  are  now  deceased;  and  Elizabeth,  sec- 
ond wife  of  Daniel  Moyer,  mentioned  above, 
survives  him,  and  resides  in  'Buffalo  township, 
Union  county. 

John  Jefferson  Brown's  early  surroundings 
were  not  favorable  to  rapid  educational  advance- 
ment, farm  work  often  interfering  with  such 
opportunities  as  the  local  schools  of  the  day 
afforded.  He  remained  with  his  father  until 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  when  he  found  employ- 
ment in  a  brickyard  and  worked  for  two  seasons, 
and  then,  after  a  short  visit  at  the  old  home,  he 
went  to  White  Deer  and  engaged  in  teaming, 
receiving  $180  per  year.  After  six  years  in  this 
occupation  he  took  a  farm,  which  he  worked  for 
one-half  of  the  proceeds,  but  the  sale  of  the 
place  eight  years  later  caused  him  to  leave  it, 
and  in  1865  he  purchased  a  farm  in  White  Deer 
township,  Union  county,  in  partnership  with 
W.  P.  Sheller.  Four  months  later  he  traded  his 
interest  for  another  farm  near  West  Milton, 
which  he  sold  after  occupying  it  four  years,  the 
sale  realizing  him  a  profit  of  $4,600.  The  next 
three  years  were  spent  upon  a  rented  farm,  and 
he  then  bought  fifty-five  acres  of  choice  land  near 
Kelly  Point  at  $ r . 75  per  acre,  and,  making  many 
substantial  improvements  which  show  both  taste 
and  judgment,  he  established  his  permanent 
home  there. 

Though  not  an  active  worker  in  political 
lines,  Mr.  Brown  is  among  the  influential  Demo- 
crats of  his  locality.  He  and  his  wife  are  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  Their 
pleasant  home  has  been  brightened  by  two  chil- 
dren: William,  born  January  10,  1853,  lived 
only  six  months;  and  Mary  E.,  born  June  10, 
1854,  married  Joseph  Burke,  a  successful  farmer 
and  butcher,  and  now  resides  at  the  homestead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  took  to  their  home  and 
hearts  a  boy,  James  Brown,  and  cared  for  him 
from  his  birth.      He  remained    with  them   until 


784 


wnUORATIYB  BIOGRAPHICAL  BSOORD. 


.,„.  aEe   0f   twenty-six,    when    1  ied    and 

Sov2etoBloomington.in.,.whereh(  aler 

'" ''\I,-     Brown,   wh 

mty,   lanuar)  --•  ■  '  '  ', 

,  Jonathan  Ranck,  havin, 

ount\  at  an  i  li,r  u"' 

minent  agriculturist  then        H,    hew 
[supervisor,  and  was  active  mloca 

I   nine  m 
married  thr.  •    first  to   Miss   Kal 

^second  I        Vnna   M 

lauehtei  whose    lf* 

nt  in  thai  "1U-";1;1'-; 

.    „Wemberoi   the   Rel  Chu,  ■  1.  -1  died 

in  that  -    n.  1846,   ...   tl, 

fifty-two  years  and  I  iths.      tfhe  third*  f< 

was  Mi 

ose    v.  dl6din 

dren    namely:   £  "ho  married  Daniel  Ben- 

Mo  ,  rpenterin 

on.  well-  Earm- 

wp.  i  ,n :nty; 

Williamsport,    Perm  ;M 
wif,  el,    ol    Danville.    Perm., 

Jonathan,   now  living  n 

Hurtz   ahardv,  it  at  Van  Wert.  Ohio. 


J  HI   |   \M'I  R    Bl  I  HER   is   th« 

Rey    |oh  Bucher,  D    D     His 

n    in   Dauphin  county,  Penn., 

.   to 

tin 

,  andFr. 

H 

red  the  istry  of  the  Re- 

I  hurch,  in  which   I  I  jo,    all 

3ixt\  years.      He  was  prominent   in    I  ncils 

of   the    Church,  and   a    pre;  »ous 

He  wasa    resident  ministei     .1   th    Re 
(  hurch   at   Middletown,    Frederic 
\M.  on  the  28th  of  January.  .836,  when  his  son 
pe,  Bucher,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 

was  burn. 


When  the  son  was  six  y,  "r         h 

accepted  the  pastorate  of  the   Reformed  Church 
'       '  nere   he  remained  a   num- 

',,...  Whilst  at  1  \th,esonVTnaf 

I      lv,  ;ln  ex-Cathohc  priest    of 

1  .,.,■  =.«  a  teacher       Upon  th<    n  movaTl 
some  celebrity  as  a  teacner.         1 

f    the     [ather    to   Mercersburg,    Franklin    Co 

entered  the  prepa,  depart- 

iu,nt    Qi  (u     College  located     there       In 

^853.  during   his   collegiate  course,   the   institu- 

dto  Lancaster  Penn.,  and  united 

with  Franklin  Colleg  the  name  of  Fr ank- 

lin    and    Marshall.       There     the     subject    of    this 

sket(  h  completed  his  collegiate  course  and  grad- 

5,  with  one  of  the  highest  honors  of 

J".  ,,„.  ,aledi  ration  was   assigned 

to  him,  and  his  address,  delivered  on  commen^ 

ment    day,  bore  ample  testimony  that  he   was 

worthy   olth  '   vv,th;i 

,„,,  that  raised  the  enthusiasm 

uatio  .enta  year  as  principal  of   an  ... ad- 

Ln     Maryland,  and    then    commenced    the 
Zdy  of    th,,' law    in    the    office  of  Hon.  I 

Berlin,  Union  Co.    Penn.     » 

was  admitted  to  the  Union  County  Bar  in  1858, 

went   into   partnership    with   his    £»«*<* 

Mr    Slenker  eminent  lawyer   and   had  an 

the  confidence  of  his 

d  the  communit) 

l83oto ,1835  .and 

a  member  of  the  ''Yi     T, 

In    ,86,    he  was   the   D. 

Pre  rwentieth  Judic, 

I       At  the  general  Q  be  received  a  ma- 

,  of  the  h e  vote,  but  was  defeated  bj  an 

.tenotth.  >d   bylaw.     He  Ad 

not  .  ^  the  reason   that  th, 

washostili   I     I  ■■'■> 

iecting    the  army   vote.     In 

,      Slenker    was  elected  Auditor-General 

ontl      .        ocratic  ticket.      With  °d 

[oseph  C  Buche, 

upon  bis  professi.  eei    under   most  favora- 

ISpiceS.  ,    ,         ,v  ,     Ul     , 

In  f850he  «  'd  for  District  At 

„  county,  on  the  Democratic  tic! 
,f  thai   yea. 
ing  h.s  1  [ohn    Blan    Linn,    1  5q.,  a 

leading  lawy.  1   majority  0    257   votes    al- 

though the  Republican  majority  in  the  county  on 

the    Mate   ticket  was    523-      He   discharged   the 

ties  of  th,  1     delitj  and  ability.     On 

November,  1861,  he  was  married    0 

Ma]  !    Hon.    John  Walls,  and 

riddaugl n.   Abbot   Green.      He  was 

lte  in  this  alliance.     His  wife  is  a  woman 


% 


&<£t^_ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


785 


of  culture  and  refinement,  and  her  tastes  are  con- 
genial to  his  own.  She  presides  over  his  hos- 
pitable home  with  dignity  and  grace,  and  has 
contributed  largely  by  the  force  of  her  character  to 
the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  her  husband. 
He  has  three  sons — John  W. ,  Joseph  Casper  and 
Abbot  Green — and  one  daughter — Miriam  A. 
Bucher. 

When  Mr.  Slenker  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
auditor-general,  the  partnership  of  Slenker  and 
Bucher  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Bucher  removed 
to  Lewisburg,  where  he  opened  a  law  office.  His 
practice  u  as  extensive  and  varied,  but  was  con- 
fined principally  to  the  counties  of  Union  and 
Snyder,  although  he  frequently  tried  causes  else- 
where. In  his  profession  he  was  singularly  suc- 
cessful, having  very  many  of  the  best  traits  of  an 
advocate.  He  attained  a  superficial  knowledge 
of  the  German  language  whilst  at  college,  and 
during  his  residence  at  New  Berlin  acquired  the 
habit  of  speaking  it  with  fluency,  and  that  was 
the  "  patois  "  of  Snyder  county,  especially  of  the 
west  end.  His  manner  was  hearty  and  cordial. 
He  was  easy  of  access;  had  a  quick,  bright  ap- 
prehension, and  a  very  retentive  memory;  had 
the  faculty  of  gathering  facts  and  spreading 
them  in  narration,  grouped  with  graphic  power. 
His  voice  was  loud  and  clear;  his  expression 
without  hesitation,  and  of  such  confidence  that 
it  would  carry  conviction.  Then,  besides,  he 
mingled  freely  with  the  people.  He  knew  al- 
most every  one  in  the  counties,  their  history, 
character,  foibles  and  idiosyncrasies,  so  that  his 
selection  of  jurors  and  his  knowledge  of  how  to 
touch  them  was  rarely  amiss. 

In  1 87 1  he  was  made  the  Democratic  can- 
didate for  president  judge  of  the  Twentieth  Ju- 
dicial District,  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Union,  Snyder  and  Mifflin,  against  Hon.  Samuel 
S.  Woods,  of  Mifflin  county,  the  incumbent 
of  the  office.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  an 
active  Democrat;  his  voice  has  been  heard  with 
no  uncertain  sound  in  support  of  the  principles 
of  his  party,  in  almost  every  school  house  in  the 
counties  of  Union  and  Snyder.  The  political 
passions  engendered  by  the  war  had  not  yet  had 
time  to  cool.  He  was  on  terms  of  social  inter- 
course with  many  of  the  Republican  leaders,  who, 
whilst  friendly  to  him  personally,  differed  widely 
from  him  in  his  political  opinions.  The  contest 
was  waged  with  unexampled  bitterness;  it  as- 
sumed the  fierce  heat  of  a  Presidential  struggle. 
The  political  organization  to  which  he  was  at- 
tached stood  around  him  in  one  unbroken,  com- 
pact mass.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Republican 
organization  could  not  be  held  together.  His  in- 
timate   acquaintance    with    the   people,    his    ad- 

50* 


mitted  ability  and  integrity,  together  with  the 
active  and  open  support  of  a  large  majority  of 
the  Republican  lawyers  of  the  District,  was 
more  than  his  opponent  could  withstand,  and  he 
was  elected  in  the  face  of  a  large  adverse  polit- 
ical majority.  The  vote  was  exceedingly  close 
in  so  large  a  poll.  In  Union  the  majority  for 
his  competitor  was  278;  in  Mifflin  the  majority 
for  him  was  278,  and  Snyder  gave  him  a  ma- 
jority. Thus  the  counties  in  which  the  candi- 
dates resided  were  a  tie,  and  Snyder  county 
decided  the  result  by  the  slender  majority  of 
nine  votes. 

He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  in  De- 
cember, 1 87 1,  and  carried  with  him  to  the  Bench 
the  same  energy,  quick  and  ready  apprehension, 
incisive,  yet  full  way  of  expression,  that  had 
characterized  him  as  a  lawyer.  After  a  few  years 
he  got  rid  of  the  ways  of  an  advocate,  and  be- 
came an  able  judge.  Jurors  could  hear  and  un- 
derstand every  word  he  said.  He  had  great  ad- 
ministrative powers,  and  conducted  the  business 
of  the  court  with  dispatch.  He  grappled  every 
question  of  law  as  it  presented  itself,  and  it  was 
clearly  put  on  the  notes  of  trial,  and  every  bill 
of  exception  cheerfully  signed  and  sealed,  so  that 
if  a  case  went  to  the  Supreme  Court,  the  record 
plainly  disclosed  what  had  been  decided.  His 
decisions  were  well  sustained  by  the  Supreme 
Court.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  had  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Bar  as  well  as  of  the  people. 

He  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  in  -1881, 
and  defeated  his  competitor,  J.  Merrill  Linn, 
Esq.,  by  a  decisive  vote  in  every  county  of  the 
district,  having  received  1, 189  majority  in  Mifflin 
county,  867  in  Snyder,  and  183  in  Union — ag- 
gregating 2,239.  The  adverse  majority  in  the 
Presidential  contest  of  the  previous  year  was 
upwards  of  1,400.  This  vote  was  a  just  tribute 
to  an  able,  capable  and  upright  judge.  At  the 
end  of  his  second  term  of  ten  years  he  was  again 
the  nominee  of  his  party  in  1891.  Party  spirit 
was  at  high-tide  at  this  time.  During  the  cam- 
paign Governor  Pattison  convened  the  State 
Senate  in  extraordinary  session  to  try  the  State 
Treasurer  and  Auditor-General  on  charges  of 
malfeasance,  connected  with  the  defalcation  of 
John  Bardsley,  city  treasurer  of  Philadelphia. 
Republican  and  Democrats  were  on  their  mettle, 
and  party  nominees  were  mere  targets  to  the 
enemy's  fire.  Judge  Bucher  was  defeated  by 
Harold  M.  McClure  by  the  meagre  majority  of 
406,  whilst  the  Republican's  State  ticket,  at  the 
same  time  and  in  the  same  counties,  had  a  ma- 
jority of  1,618.  Learning,  ability,  experience  and 
every  other  qualification  for  the  high  office  was 
to  some  measure   lost  to  sight  and   reason,  and 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


one  of  the  ablest  judges  in  the  State  was  sacrificed 
to  political  strifi  irtisan   b  rhe 

second  term  of  ten  years  ended  on  the  tirst  M 
1  January,    i 

In   his   twenty-years'  service   on  the    Bench, 
Judge  Bucher  not  only  id  the  dutii 

his  high  "Hire  with  promptness  and  fidelity  in  his 
own  district,  but   was  called   specially   to  pn 
in   man}-   "I    the   other   judi  the 

by  the  Supn 

irt    in    any    criminal    case,    and    | 
trii  him  for  aim  n  to 

the  law.      A>  a  chancellor  on  the  Equity  sidi 

the  CoUl  I 

partments   of   the  law.    !                             ite-wide 

0  putation  fi  lity. 
His  retii  the 
judiciary  "I  the  S  ci  illy  ti 

if  the  Twentieth  Judicial  District,  bul 
lly. 
Immedi  thi 

I   ■nil., 
■  ining  In  nee  and 

of  law  ii 
criminal  and  civil.      In   | 

Hi  'ii.  John  B    l'.i<  i.  :  fi  >r  the 

nsylvania  railroad,    the    X.  C.  R.  K.,    Phila- 
delphia &  Erie  R.  R.,  Pennsylvania   I 

iy,  the  D.  H.  &  W.  K.  R.,  The  M  Rail- 

id  and    Minin  her  affilii 

lies.     On  the  27th  da  |  the 

te  Convention  met  at  Han 

i  her 
Mate    <>ii  Jud        1  of    Unii 

Hannibal  K.  Sloan, 
nat 

!  the 
tion  iiim  ng  the  \ 

01  his  nominati  it  did,  a 

time  when 

lied  onlj  bling  thi 

tion,  he  was  indu 
can 

ti    Committee.      In  1 
!.  and  ui 

Judge  Buchi  ned,  an  1  1  th  ol 

id  nomi- 
nati d    I'll,  mias  ( ',,!!]  ■ 

I  H    K    Sloan,  d 
Jud 

ami  in  the  fl  lod-tide  ol  pn  1 
I  ! 
md  he   is  singul  ■  >th 

the  court  and  the  jury, 
he  has 


of  twenty  years,  instead  of  diminishing  hiscapacity 
as  a  trial  lawyer,  has  only  increased  it. 

Judge  Bucher  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  always  ready  and  willing  I 

dy    and  deserving.      He    has    given    the 
ght  of  his  influence  and  contributed  la: 

incement  of  the  material  interests  of  the 
town  and  county  in  which  he  resides.  He  is  now 
the  last  surviving   member  of  the  original  hoard 

f  the   Lewisbur-    R.   R.  and  \\ 
Brii  pany;  he  is  a   director   of  the  Lewis- 

I    ink.  and  a  member  of  the  board 
i|  the  Lewisburg  Presbyterian  Church 


NDREW  ALBRIGHT  LEISER,  born  July 


1.    at 


I  .I'.' 


Penn.,    1-  the 

son   "f  the    late  Dr.  Will  1     ;ser  and 

Maria    Louisa    Leiser    /.•  lit  .   whose   only 

children    were    the    subject    of    this    sketch   and 
William    1  •   ser,  Jr.,  M.  D.,  whose  biograpln 
i  elsewhere  111  this  volume, 
lb-  was  prepared  for  college   in  the  public 
I  iurgh     and     the     University 

ud  enteri     I        I  reshman  class  of  the 
University    at   Lewisburgh    (now  Bucknell   Uni- 
versity) in  the  fall  of  [865,    takn;  fohn    M. 
Finn     first    prize    for   the    best    preparation    for 
college       His  career  at  the  University  disclosed 
natural  abilities  and  literary  tastes,  combined 
with  thoroughly  studious  mid  moral  habits.      He 
luated  with  distinction,  being   the   lust  in  his 
,  and  was  selected  to  deliver  tin   valedicl 

mencement  exercises  in  July. 
ng   his  classmates   ware  Charles  Hill 
Anderson,    of    Philadelphia.    Ri  v.     Francis     M. 
Dauphin;    George    \Y.    Bliss. 

i    the   New   York 
I  lartin   Hell,     of    Hollidaysburi 

n. ;  Frederick    Evaus   Bower,    Esq.,   of  Mid- 
i  -1111.  ;  Rev.  Dr.  John  Howard  11. u  1 

knell  University;  Rev.  Frederick 
Kohlei    Fowler,  of   Olean,  N     Y. ;  Rev.  Edmund 
Wells,  of  Charleston,  S    (     ;  Andrew  B.  Laris 
M     D. ,  ol  Lambertville,  N.   [..  and  otl 
Air 

ter   in  Ken 
Brighton,  P  -  in- 

structor m  the  University  I 

then   in  Preparal 

Lewisburgl 
ar. 

ful  in  th  mal  em- 

inent, he  soon  r<  law  as 

ifter  ■  •  lea. hi  pre- 

■1.  with  a  brief  I  -  in 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


787 


the  law  department  of  the  Univerity  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, at  Philadelphia,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  County  Bar  at  May  Term,  1874.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1876,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Court, 
District  Attorney  for  the  county  of  Union  for  the 
unexpired  term  of  Alfred  Hayes,  Esq.  (who  had 
been  elected  to  the  Legislature), and  the  same  fall 
was  elected  to  that  office  for  the  full  term. 

From  the  first  Mr.  Leiser's  grasp  of  legal 
principles  and  careful  application  thereof  to  the 
case  in  hand  showed  he  had  carried  into  his  pro- 
sessional  work  the  same  habits  of  study  and 
thoroughness  that  characterized  his  work  in  the 
college;  and,  in  consequence,  early  in  his  career 
he  received  many  appointments  as  Auditor  and 
Master  in  Chancery  in  cases  involving  large  in- 
terests and  intricate  and  difficult  questions  of 
law  and  fact  and  the  application  of  one  to  the 
other.  In  18S1  he  formed  a  legal  partnership 
with  the  late  Hon.  Charles  S.  Wolfe  and  James 
Dale  Wilson,  Esq.,  under  the  firm  style  of  Wolfe, 
Leiser  &  Wilson.  Mr.  Wilson  removed  to  Phil- 
adelphia in  1882,  but  the  firm  continued,  un- 
der the  style  of  Wolfe  &  Leiser,  until  Mr.  Wolfe's 
untimely  death,  August  13,  1 891 .  In  the  in- 
terim they  had  established  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion as  a  strong  firm,  and  had  acquired  a  large 
clientage.  Since  Mr.  Wolfe's  death  Mr.  Leiser's 
practiced  has  widened  and  extended  in  many 
directions,  before  both  State  and  Federal  courts, 
and  he  is  frequently  called  upon  to  conduct 
cases  in  many  another  than  his  local  forum. 

Mr.  Leiser  may  emphatically  be  termed  a 
busy  lawyer,  and  a  credit  both  as  a  scholar  and 
as  a  gentleman  to  a  profession,  which,  although 
grounded  on  conventional  and  conservative  rules, 
is,  more  than  any  other  human  institution,  the 
basis  of  our  freedom  and  civilization.  His  work 
at  the  Bar  is  marked  by  clearness,  precision, 
care,  strength  and  thoroughness.  As 
lor  he  is  careful  and  conservative; 
lawyer  thoroughly  prepared,  alert  and  ready; 
strong  in  the  presentation  of  his  own  side  of  the 
case;  quick  to  see  the  points  of  his  adversary, 
and  to  parry  them  or  turn  them  against  him; 
skillful  in  the  marshaling  of  facts  and  evidence; 
and  in  the  appellate  courts  his  work  is  of  the 
best,  his  briefs  of  law  and  fact  and  argument  be- 
ing masterly,  clear,  logical  and  exhaustive.  In 
all  that  he  undertakes  he  is  an  indefatigable 
worker,  subjecting  everything  to  an  ultimate 
analysis,  so  that  there  is  no  detail  so  small  as  to 
be  overlooked,  no  possible  contingency  unpro- 
vided for.  With  a  large  law  library  stocked  with 
the  best  books  as  his  working-tools,  he  never 
rests  content  until  he  has  exhausted  the  subject 
in  hand.      He  exemplifies  his  belief  that  there  is 


a  counse- 
as  a   trial 


no  genius  like  hard  work,  and   that  in  thorough 
work  lies  the  secret  of  success. 

Mr.  Leiser  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Bar  Association,  and  for  several 
years  has  been  on  the  Executive  Committee. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Political  and  Social  Science,  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Statistical  Association.  In  1865,  while  a 
student,  he  joined  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi  (college) 
fraternity,  with  which  he  has  kept  in  close 
touch  ever  since — being  the  presiding  officer  at 
the  Grand  Arch  Council  held  in  Philadelphia  in 
1876,  and  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the 
removal  of  the  iron-clad  pledge  against  college 
fraternities  at  the  University  at  Lewisburgh. 

The  ancestral  stock  to  which  Mr.  Leiser  be- 
longs goes  back  on  both  sides  to  the  original  set- 
tlement of  the  State  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  last 
century.  His  family  connections  are  in  conse- 
quence numerous  and  widely  spread. 

His  father,  Dr.  William  Leiser,  was  the 
youngest  son  of  Jacob  Leiser,  who  was  born  in 
(Little)  York,  York  Co. ,  Penn. ,  October  4,  1779, 
and  Mary  Leiser,  nee  Shettley,  who  was  born  at 
the  same  place  December  3,   1780. 

Jacob  Leiser  came  to  Milltown,  now  Milton, 
toward  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
directly  afterward  moved  across  the  river  into 
White  Deer  township  (now  Kelly  township),  near 
what  is  now  West  Milton.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  master  builder,  and  as  such  erected  many  of 
the  most  substantial  buildings  in  Milton  and 
neighborhood.  In  1S15  he  purchased  a  large 
farm  located  about  a  mile  west  from  Datesman's 
— now  West  Milton — from  James  Patterson, 
which  farm  is  still  in  the  ownership  of  his  de- 
scendants. Here  he  afterward  made  his  home, 
and  died  May  26,  1862,  his  wife  having  preceded 
him  on  the  13th  of  May,  1855.  Their  children 
were:  (1)  John  Leiser,  born  January  3,  1802, 
died  in  infancy.  (2)  Elizabeth  Leiser,  born  Sep- 
tember 2,  1803;  married  to  Isaac  High.  Her 
children:  Jacob  High;  Mary,  married  to  Benne- 
ville  Bickel,  and  Susan,  married  to  Samuel  F. 
Gundy,  all  living  in  this  county.  (3)  George 
Leiser,  born  November  6,  1806;  his  children: 
Susanna,  married  to  John  Schreck;  Mary  Ann 
(deceased;,  married  to  George  Adam  Stahl; 
Lydia,  married  to  John  Hummel;  Jacob  (de- 
ceased), and  John — all  making  their  homes  here- 
abouts. (4)  Susanna  Leiser,  married  to  Abra- 
ham Grove;  her  children:  John  L.  Grove;  Nancy. 
married  to  Henry  Ruhl;  Mary,  married  to  Jacob 
Ruhl,  Jr.;  Jacob  (deceased).  (5)  John  Leiser, 
born  July  4,  1S10;  his  children:  David  (deceased); 
Abraham;  Jacob;  Emeline,  married  to  John  H. 
Bishop;     Lovina    (deceased)    and    Benjam.n    F. 


788 


(  OMMEMORATIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL  11F.C0IID. 


All  these  childri  pi  Jacob  located  in  Mich- 

igan,  where  the  fal  I  I  facob, 

April    i1',   1813;  In-  children:  Wilson;   Cordelia, 

.  William    Augustus; 
Phineas;    |  M.  D.;  Han  it" 

Dr.  I.  M.  lv  ickefelli  1  .   I  I);  Eliza 

M      K 
<  Hiver,  M.  D  \.  and  Phil 

who  live  in  Watsontown,  all  the  abi  re- 

ini". 

[8 16,     l: 

bom  .  [818;  uni 

1 1      v\  aub- 

li.      Hi'  was  born  in  Kelly  town- 
ship,   Union    county.    October  21,    1821. 

:i    in     the    country    scho 
Mifflinburg  Academy  and    Pennsylvania   Colli 

Then  hing 

foi     1    short   1 1 1 1 1  ■  ine  with 

1  >i .  Samuel  L.  B  raduated  M.  D. 

in  1S4S,  by  the  Medical  Departmenl    if  Pennsyl- 
van      1  it   Philadelphia,    wh         I      ulty 

•  in    men:     William 
I'm.:     M     I  '  .   [ohn   Wiltbank,  M.  D.,  II 
S    P  :  .    M.   I)..  William  R.  (.rant.  M.  I ).', 

David  Gilbert,  M.  D.,  and  Washington  L  At 
M.   D 

I  i'  Maj  3 1  Maria  Lou- 

1    Andrew    Albright  and 
Agn<  s   Albi  ighl  Duni  rectly  thei 

after    removed    from    New  1  he 

first  began  to  practice,  to  I.<  h    where  he 

ntinuously  resided  and  |  I  until  his  death. 

April  12,  1878.      He  was   1  man  ol    superior  cul- 
ture  and   attainments,   a   lover  of   b 

it    friend    and  promoter   of    the    "Common 
Sch  for  a  numbei  icre- 

tary  ol  the  board  ol  il   th(    I 

'     wisburgh.      In  his  profession   he 
learned,   able,  skillfu  minentlj  sful, 

ind    died    !  lamented   bj    a   hi  isl  of 

Irien 

Maria  Loi  isa  Albrighi  was  born  March  1 1, 
1  827,  in  M township  1,  North- 

ampton Co.,  I       isburgh  Novem- 

1 ,      She  I      ited  mother,  and 

a  woman  ol  great  inl  e  and  very  many  su- 

perior qualities.      Hei  mother  was  Vgnes  1 1  >unn) 
Albright,  daughl  |    mes    I  'mm   and   Esther 

Dunn   1  /.-,',  Willi  1':  I  Dunn   emigrated 

to  the  United  Sta  u  Lon- 

donderry, Ireland.      He  was  a    S    itch-Irishn 
•  md  1   the  "Irish  Settlement "  in  North- 

pton  county.  In  [832  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Union  county,  remaining  there  for  sev- 
eral years,  when  he  removed  to  Delaware  town- 
ship, near  \\  N    rthumberland  county, 


wlnre  he  died  in  1849.  He  had  three  brothers, 
William  and  Thomas,  who,  like  himself,  emi- 
grated t'>  the  United  Mat.  s  Thomas  settling  at 
Waterford,  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  and  William  in 
at,  Mo. — and  David,  who  was  with 
1      i    in    I  >evonshire, 

[land,     in     May,     1861,    an    Admiral     and    a 
Knight. 

Albright,     the    fath  I     Maria 

Louisa  (Albright)  Leiser,  was  the  son  of  John 
Henry  Albright,  who  was  the  son  of  Andrew 
Albrighi       \  Albrecht — the   first     of     the 

line  in    this  country.      ANDREAS    ALBREi  hi    was 

n  April  J,  1718,  at   '/a  11a,  near  Sahl,  in  Thnr- 

i.       In   1741    when    the   war    of    the    Austrian 
hi  broke  out  (Frederick  the   Great  being 
King  1  if  Pru  rer  of  a  i 

.  .    in    Silesia.     From    1744  to  1746  he 
with  hi-  hernia.      In  1748  he  pi 

lischarge  from  th  ind 

joined  the  Moravians,  having    been  deeply  inter- 
1    :  in  the  preai  :    •  I    iunt  Zinzendi irf.      In 

1  he  came   to  America,  and   engaged    in 

nufacture   of  guns  at    Christian-Spring,    n 
Nazareth.      Here  his  guns    became    famous,  and 
they  were  among  the  first,  if  not    the   very  first, 

le  in   the  province.      Later  in  the  st  1 
the  Moravian   Church,  he  became   an    instrui 
in  music  in  Nazareth  Hall,  and  in  1766   landlord 
of  thi  11    Inn  "  at    Bethlehem,  the    property 

of  the  Church,  where  he  remained  four  and  one- 
half  years,   1766   1771.    In  1766  he  married  Eliz- 

th   Orth,  daughter   of   Balthasar   (or   Bal 
Orth     born    1704,  in    Germany;   married    1729, 
and  died  October  19,    1789,  in  Lebanon  county), 
and  Anna  Catharina  Orth  {nee  Roehmei  .  ol  I 
anon.      In  1771    they  removed  to   Lititz,  where 
he  resun  ture  of  guns,  a  brisk  de- 

mand developing  in  consequence  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  He  died  at  Lititz  April  19,  1S02. 
He  had  issue:  (1)  John  Albright,  born  March 
12,  1768;  died  July  .5,  1768.  (J)  fohn  Andrew 
Albright,  born  28  February,  1770,  at  Bethlehem, 
Penn.,  cami  to  I  ewisburgh  in  1 798 ;  was  elected 
sheriff  of  N  berland   county,  when    hi 

moved  to  Sunbury,  the  county  seat.  In  1 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and  111 
1 8 1 3  was  appointed  Associate  [udge  by  Gover- 
nor Snyder;  was  ted  Mate  Senator  just  be- 
bis  death,  26th  November,  [822.  W  - 
twice  married,  but  had  no  children.  (4)  Jacob 
Albright,  born  March  20,  1775,  at  Lititz,  Penn. 
He  1  1  to  the  West  at  an  early  period, 
married  and  left  descendants.  (5)  Susan  Eliza- 
beth Albright,  born  November  2,  1778,  at  Lititz; 
married  John  Philip  Bachman,  a  pioneer  organ- 
builder;   left    descendants,    one    of    whom    was 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


789 


Cyrus  Bachman,  late  of  Sunbury,  and  Watson- 
town.  (6)  Gottfried,  born  June  19,  1782,  at  Li- 
titz;  served  in  the  war  of  18 12;  married  but  left 
no  descendants;  died  March   25,   1835. 

John  Henry  Albright,  the  great-grandfa- 
ther of  Andrew  Albright  Leiser,  was  born  August 
5,  1772,  at  Lititz,  Penn.,  died  January  27,  1845, 
a,t  Nazareth,  Penn.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Moravian  parochial  school  at  Lititz,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  gunsmith  with  his  father.  Later  he 
was  with  William  Henry,  who  had  been  an  ap- 
prentice of  his  father  and  the  founder  of  the  gun 
works  at  Bolton,  Northampton  county.  He  was 
married  twice,  first  to  Anna  Barbara  Hubley,  and 
secondly  to  Louisa  Beck  (nee  Clewell) .  He  lived 
at  Lititz,  Lancaster,  Chambersburgh  and  Ship- 
pensburgh,  besides  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth, 
Penn.,  and  at  Gnadenhuetten,  Ohio. 

Anna  Barbara  Hubley,  daughter  of  Bern- 
hard  Hubley,  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Penn., 
March  21,  1773,  and  died  February  25,  1830,  at 
Nazareth,  Penn.  Her  father,  Bernhard  Hubley, 
was  born  at  Maulbrun,  German)-,  October  18, 
1 7 19,  came  to  America  in  company  with  his  fa- 
ther, George,  and  brother,  Michael,  in  1732,  and 
settled  in  Lancaster,  where  he  died  January  4, 
1803.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Associated  Burgesses  of  Lancaster, 
Penn. — twice  chief  burgess,  and  for  some  years 
commissioner  of  the  county.  During  the  Revo- 
lution he  was  an  active  Whig.  He  was  appointed 
barrackmaster,  with  the  rank  of  captain,  Decem- 
ber 18,  1777.  He  was  twice  married  and  had 
twenty-one  children.  Bernhard,  Jr.,  his  son, 
was  a  captain  in  the  German  regiment  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  promoted  to  lieutenant- 
colonel  on  February  24,  1778.  He  retired  from 
the  army  in  1781;  removed  to  Northumberland; 
was  brigade-inspector;  in  1807  published  the  first 
volume  of  a  "History  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion." The  work  was  never  completed  as  he  died 
at  Northumberland,  in  1808. 

John  Henry  Albright  and  Anna  Barbara,  his 
wife,  had  issue:  (1)  Maria  Eliza,  born  February 
27,  1796,  at  Lancaster,  died  September  6,  1842, 
at  Bethlehem;  married  Rev.  John  Peter  Kluge, 
a  Moravian  missionary  to  the  West  Indies,  and 
left  issue — John  P.  Kluge,  M.  D.,  for  many  years 
chief  physician  for  the  Panama  Railroad  Com- 
pany, stationed  at  Panama,  in  whose  service  he 
died  April  28,  1869,  at  sea.  (2)  Susan,  born 
August  28,  1797,  at  Chambersburgh,  died  March 
18,  1887,  at  Chester,  Penn.;  married.  John 
Deemer,  of  Bath,  Penn.,  and  left  issue,  whose 
numerous  descendants  reside  in  Chester,  Penn., 
and  other  parts  of  the  United  States.  (3)  Bern- 
hard  died  in   infancy.      (4)   Maria  Barbara,  born 


June  21,  1799,  at  Shippensburgh,  died  March  5, 
1842,  at  Hyde  Park,  Penn.  On  March  23,  1817, 
she  married  William  Henry,  grandson  of  Judge 
William  Henry,  of  Lancaster,  prominent  in  the 
Revolution,  and  son  of  William  Henry,  proprie- 
tor of  the  Bolton  Gun  Works,  Northampton  Co., 
Penn.  William  Henry,  husband  of  Maria  Al- 
bright, formed  the  first  company  to  develop  the 
iron  and  coal  beds  of  the  Lackawanna  Valley, 
and  two  of  their  daughters  married  two  brothers, 
Selden  and  Charles  Scranton,  who,  with  others, 
founded  the  city  of  Scranton.  (5)  Andrew  [see 
below.]  (6)  James,  born  August  29,  1806,  at 
Shippensburgh,  died  September  13,  1827,  at 
Nazareth,  Penn.  (7)  Thomas  John,  born  July 
5,  1808,  at  Gnadenhuetten,  Ohio,  died  February 
9,  1890,  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  carried  on  an 
extensive  gun  trade;  married  twice:  (1)  Elizabeth 
Broadhead,  of  the  Delaware  Water  Gap;  (2) 
Ann  Frances  Hassell,  of  Montgomery,  Alabama. 
His  children  and  descendants  reside  chiefly  in 
the  western  States.  (8)  Ann  Sophia,  born  June 
25,  1 8 10,  at  Lititz,  died  September  2,  1873,  at 
Nazareth.  She  married  the  Rev.  John  Christo- 
pher Brickenstein,  a  Moravian  minister  and  edu- 
cator, descended  from  a  Dutch  family,  originally 
called  Broistidt,  who  emigrated  to  Germany  from 
Lyden,  and  finally  settled  in  Magdeburg  in  con- 
sequence of  the  Spanish  oppression  in  Holland 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  They  left  surviving 
issue — Laurence  C.  Brickenstein,  now  (1898)  a 
professor  at  Bethlehem,  Penn. ;  the  late  Rev. 
Hermann  Albright  Brickenstein,  formerly  princi- 
pal of  Linden  Hall  Seminary  at  Lititz,  Penn. ; 
Anna  Louisa,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Edward  T.  Kluge, 
Bethlehem,  Penn.;  Ellen,  now  a  resident  of  New 
York,  and  Susan  Matilda,  the  wife  of  Andrew 
Albright  Leiser,  the  subject  of  this  notice.  (9) 
Joseph  Jacob,  born  September  23,  181 1,  at  War- 
wick, Lancaster  county,  died  January  12,  1888, 
at  Scranton.  He  was  an  early  iron-master  in 
Northampton  county,  Penn.,  and  afterward  in 
Botetourt  county,  Virginia.  Later  he  .removed 
to  Scranton,  Penn.,  and  became  sales  agent  for 
the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Company,  presi- 
dent of  a  national  bank,  and  a  pioneer  in  the 
anthracite  coal  trade  to  the  West.  His  children 
have  erected  in  his  memory  and  presented  to  the 
city  of  Scranton  the  Albright  Memorial  Library 
Building.  (10)  Aquila  Ernest,  born  July  6,  181  3, 
at  Warwick,  Penn.,  died  January  28,  1S71,  at 
Livonia,  N.  Y. ;   married  twice. 

Andrew  Albright  (son  of  John  Henry  Al- 
bright and  Anna  Barbara  Hubley)  was  born 
March  28,  1802,  at  Shippensburgh,  Penn.,  and 
died  February  23,  1837,  at  Mooretown,  near 
Nazareth,     Penn.       He     was     married     October 


VJfEMORATIVS  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


r  .  1823,  at  Moore  town,  Northampton  Co., 
Penn.,  to  Agnes  Dunn,  daughter  of  James 
Dunn  and  his  wife,  Esther  Williams. 
Dunn     was    born    August    2,     1S03,    in 


Agnes 

North- 


ampton county,  Penn.,  and  ptember  20, 

1849,    at    Warrior    Run,     Northumberland    Co., 

m.    They  had  issue:    (1)  LaFayette  Albright, 
born  September  6,  1  s - 4 .  at  town,  North- 

ampton Co.,  Penn.;  married  (October  27,  1847, 
to  Amelia  Eliza  Christ,  Nazareth,  Penn. ;  died 
March;  it  Lewisburgh,  Penn.     Was  thrice 

elected  sheriff  of  Union  county.  Surviving  chil- 
dren, Maria  Louisa,  married  to  Frederic 
lette,  Esq.,  of  Mauch  Chunk;  Emma  fane;  An- 
drew Jacob;  Florence  Matilda,  married  to  Will- 
iam Wensel,  and  Henry  Chi  Maria 
ISA  Ai  .  m  March  11,  i  >:;,  at 
Mooretown,  Penn.,  married  to  Dr.  Willian 
Leiser,  May  31.  1849;  died  November  12.  1- 
at  Lewisburgh,]  |  5  Henry  Albright, 
l>om  August  1  1 ,  [829,  at  nn. ; 
married  Ocl  Anna  Trump;  living 
nburgh,  Union  Co.,  Penn.  Sur- 
viving children:  Sarah  Agnes;  Henry  Aquila; 
David (  larence;  Emerson  Deemei  ;  Daniel  Trump; 
Margaret     Isabella;    Ellen    May;    Celeste    fane; 

ben  Albright,  M.   D.. 
.  t    21,    183 1,    at  nn.  ; 

married  Ocl  ;.  to  Ann  Robb  Webster; 

livi  I    Muncy,  Lycoming    Co..  Penn. 

Children:      Joseph     Webster.     M.     D. ;     Chester 
[r.;  William    Leiser;   Andrew  Curtin  1 
race  Lino  iln  ;   Anna  I ,  mi   1    man 
t  1  I  Hubley 

Dunn  Albright,  born  July  25,  1834.  at  Moore- 
town, Penn. ;    marn 

II   len  I  Owen,  living    (1898)   at    Laurel- 

ton,  Union  Co.,  Pennsylvania. 

Andrew    Albright    Leiser,  the   subjei 
sketch,  was   married   >t  Bethlehem,  Penn.,  April 
17,  an  Matilda  Brickenstein  (daugh- 

ter of  Rev,  r  Brii  k 

Ann    >..|>hu     Brickenstein,  Albright) 

ve],  who   was    born    at    Bethlehem,    Penn., 
May  22,  [85 1.     Thi  children, 

son,  Andrew  Albright  Leiser,  Jr.,  born  at  Lewis- 
burgh, Penn.,  February  6,  1  member  of 
the  class  of  icknell  University;  a: 
daughter,  Marie  Louise  Lei  \is- 
burgh,  Penn  .  m  February  14,  1883,  a  member 
of  the  class  of    1899,  at  Bucknell  Institute. 


JOHN     K.     KREMER,   cashier  of  the   Union 
National  Bank,  at  Lewisburg,  Union  county, 
is  recognized  as  its  most  capable  finan- 

ciers.     He  was  born   February  21,   183S,  in   the 


thriving  city  in  which  he  now  resides,  and 
is  of  pioneer  ancestry,  his  grandparents,  George 
and  Sophia  (Kline)  Kremcr.  having  come  from 
New  Jersey  about  1797  to  settle  in  Union  coun- 
ts The  grandmother  lived  to  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-five. Particulars  concerning  the  grandfa- 
ther's death  are  not  now  obtainable. 

Abraham  Kremer,  the   father  of  our  sub 
was  born  in   Columbia  county,  Penn.,  in  1791, 
and  was  married  there   to    Miss  Elizabeth  Whit- 
aker,    a  native    of    Danville,    Penn.,    where  her 
father,  Thomas  Whitaker,  first  located  on  his  ar- 
rival from    Ireland,    his  native  land.      After  his 
marriage  Abraham  Kremer  moved  to  LewisL 
where  for  years  he  acted  as  salesman  forGed  ' 
Marsh  &  Co.      He  was   a    Methodist  in  his  r< 
ious  md  a  Democrat   in  politics.      Hi- 

timable   wife,   who    was     born    in    1 800,  died   in 
id  he  survived  her  only  five  years.      T! 
the     following    children:     Mary   Jane,  the 
of  Joseph  Y.   Derr,  of   Lewisburg;  Fran< 
widow  of  James  S.  Marsh,  of  Philadelphia;  Anna 
ibeth,  who   married  Joseph   W.    Shriner,  of 
Lewisburg;  William,  who   died    when    two  years 
and  seven  months  old ;  Julia  H.,  widow  of  George 
W.  Forest,  of  Philadelphia;  Joseph  A.,  a  tinner 
by  occupation,  who  died  at  Lewisburg,  February 
3,   1  1  sixty-one  years;  John  K.,  our  sub- 

ject; and  Margaret  M.,  who  died  at  an  early  aj 

The   Lewisburg    schools  furnished    Mr. 
mer  his  early   education.      When    he    was  fifteen 

rs  old  he  removed  to  Winfield,  Union  county, 
and  there  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as 
a  clerk  in   a    store.      At   seventeen    he  became  a 
.keeper,  and  held  the  position  for  twenty-t 
Later  hi  to  Lewisburg  to  engage 

with  his  brother  in  a  flour,  feed  and  coal  busin- 
but  in  1878  he  was   elected   cashier  of  th> 
National  Bank,  and    entered    upon   the  duties  of 
that  responsible  post.      As   the  active  busil 
the    institution    he    has   shown     marked     ability 
1,  winning  a   high  reputation  in  finan- 
cial circles.      Mr.  Kremer    was    at    one    timi 

ninent  member  of  the  Republican  party  Alt- 
er removal  to  Lewisburg  he  was  elected  chief 
burgess  of  the  town  lor  one  term.  In  1859  he 
was  mai  Vliss   Margaret   E.  Leaver,  a  na- 

tive of  Millerstown,  Terry  Co.,  Penn., born  Febru- 
ary 1  and  to  this  union  seven  children  w 
born:  in  Arthur  B. ,  August  [8,  i860,  married 
Miss  Regina  Kishel,  and  has  one  child,  Jessie; 
2  Jesse  1!.,  June  24,  1863.  (3)  Fannie,  Sep- 
tember 11,   1865,    married   F.    S.    Beckley,   and 

iter,    Katharine;  (4)  Charles    S 
October  is.  Margaret     W.,  April    21. 

187'  izabeth,    April    6,   1879;  ha 

\\  ishington,  July  4. 1876.  who  died  April  8.  iS- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


791 


WILLIAM  HENRY  DENNIS,  deceased. 
The  Dennis  family  of  Union  county 
traces  its  descent  from  one  Daniel  Dennis,  of 
Irish  parentage,  who,  with  a  brother  Anthony, 
came  from  England,  about  seventy  miles  from 
London,  in  1776,  and  joined  the  Continental 
army,  one  as  a  fifer  and  the  other  as  a  drummer, 
their  stirring  music,  perhaps,  awakening  on  many 
an  emergency  the  nerve  and  daring  of  hearts 
which  might  otherwise  have  faltered  at  the 
deadly  task  which  lay  before  them.  At  the 
close  of  the  struggle  for  independence  Daniel 
Dennis,  who  was  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
gentleman  to  whose  honored  memory  this  memoir 
is  written,  settled  near  Philadelphia.  In  the 
next  generation  we  find  that  his  son  Anthony, 
our  subject's  grandfather,  located  for  a  time  in 
Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  later  moved  to  Union 
county,  where  he  made  his  home  in  White  Deer 
township. 

George  Dennis,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Berks  county,  but  his  life  was  mainly 
spent  in  Union  county,  where  he  combined  the 
shoemaker's  trade  with  the  work  of  cultivating  a 
small  farm.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  was  always  mterested  in  political 
questions,  espousing  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  on  its  organization.  He  died  Febru- 
ary 26,  1868,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of 
fifty-eight.  He  was  twice  married,  (first)  to 
Mary  Diffenderfer,  and  (second)  to  her  sister 
Catherine.  They  were  members  of  a  well-known 
Union  county  family,  and  their  father,  John 
Diffenderfer,  died  in  White  Deer  township.  He 
was  a  tall  man  with  black  hair  and  fair  com- 
plexion.     His  wife  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Masters. 

To  George  and  Mary  Dennis  four  children 
were  born:  Pharos,  a  coach-maker  at  Flat 
Rock,  Ohio;  Aaron,  who  conducts  a  boarding 
house  at  Williamsport,  Penn. ;  Sarah,  who  died 
in  infancy,  and  Levi,  an  agriculturist  of  near 
Marseilles,  Mich.  Mrs.  Catherine  Dennis  sur- 
vived her  husband  many  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring on  April  10,  1S94,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
Of  the  six  children  of  the  second  marriage  our 
subject  was  the  eldest.  Charles  T.  is  a  resident 
of  New  Columbia,  Penn. ;  Ellen  died  at  the  age 
of  fourteen;  Alfred  is  a  farmer  in  Kelly  township, 
Union  county;  Alda  resides  in  New  Columbia 
with  her  sister,  Emeline  Baker;  and  Emeline  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Baker,  a  farmer  in  Kelly 
township. 

William  Henry  Dennis,  who  during  his  brief 
career  had  established  a.  high  reputation  among 
the  business  men  of  New  Columbia,  and  was 
also  widely  known  and  respected  for  his  estima- 
ble character  as  a  man   and  citizen,  was  born   in 


White  Deer  township,  Union  county,  October 
10,  1851,  and  passed  to  the  unseen  life  Decem- 
ber 10,  1894.  His  early  life  upon  the  farm  gave 
him  excellent  training  in  thrifty  management 
of  resources,  and  also  established  habits  of  in- 
dustry. When  twenty  years  old  he  began  to 
sell  Bibles  for  A.  J.  Holman  &  Co.,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and,  after  three  years  in  this  occupation, 
he  followed  huckstering  for  one  year,  with  the 
exception  of  the  fall  season,  which  he  spent  in 
threshing. 

On  August  21,  1875,  Mr.  Dennis  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  J.  Bell,  and  made  his  home  upon 
a  small  farm  in  his  native  township,  which  he 
cultivated  for  two  years,  taking  charge  also  of  his 
widowed  mother's  farm  (moved  on  another  farm, 
same  township,  third  year).  The  next  four 
years  were  spent  upon  another  farm  which  he 
bought  from  the  Engleman  estate  near  White 
Deer,  where  he  began  his  business  career  by  sell- 
ing farm  implements,  and  in  April,  1884,  he  re- 
moved to  New  Columbia  and  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  his  stock  at  first  consisting  of 
implements  only.  As  time  passed  his  growing 
success  encouraged  him  to  enlarge  his  store,  and 
he  added  to  his  departments  until  finally  he  had 
on  hand  a  full  stock  of  hardware  and  general 
merchandise,  and  controlled  a  large  and  profit- 
able trade.  It  was  the  largest  implement  store 
in  the  county.  He  gave  strict  attention  to  his 
own  affairs,  taking  no  active  part  in  political 
work  although  he  was  always  a  strong  Repub- 
lican in  belief.  Religious  matters,  however, 
claimed  more  of  his  active  sympathy,  and  from 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Reformed  Church. 

Mrs.  Dennis  survives  him  with  three  sons: 
Hary  G.,  born  April  4,  1877,  now  with  his  fa- 
ther's successor;  DueyZ. ,  born  January  15,  1879, 
is  a  telegraph  operator  at  Montgomery;  and 
Floyd  B.,  born  May  24,  1885.  Mrs.  Dennis  is  a 
native  of  White  Deer  township,  Union  county, 
and  is  also  of  patiotic  stock,  her  paternal  grand- 
father, John  Bell,  having  been  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  He  resided  in  Juniata  county,  Penn., 
where  he  and  his  wife,  Mary  Evans,  died  at  an 
advanced  age. 

Their  son  Zachariah,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Den- 
nis, was  born  there,  November  21,  1820,  the 
next  to  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren. As  a  young;  man  he  came  to  Union  county 
and  located  in  Kelly  township,  where  he  followed 
the  cooper's  trade,  for  a  time.  On  November  3, 
1848,  he  was  married  in  Lewisburg,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Ranck,  who  was  born  in  White  Deer 
township,  Union  county,  June  3,  1825,  the  sec- 
ond daughter  and  child  in  a  family  of  six  daugh- 


792 


COMMEMORATIVE  B10CUAl'lll<  AL  RECORD. 


and  two  sons  of  Adam  and  Jane  (Johnson) 
K.mck.     They  were  natives  of  Lancaster  county, 

in.,  but  removed  t>>  Union  county,  where  the 
father  became  a  prominent  citizen  of  White  Deer 
township,  By  occupation  he  was  a  blacksmith 
an. I  farmer.  After  his  death  his  widow  removed 
to  Lewisbur-  where  she  died,  and  both  now  rest 
in  the  cemetery  t  h 

time   alter   his   marriage    Mi.  Hell 
lived    m  Whit.  ownship,    Union  county, 

and  then  removed  t<>  Montour  county,  Penn., 
and  was  employed  in  the  vicinity  of  Danville  as 
a  lime   burner.       Later  he  came  back   to    Union 

inty,  and  rented  the  farm  where  his  wife  ' 
born  and  reared.  For  twenty-eight  years  he 
bate,  and  then  after  two  \  ears  in 
Limestone  township,  in  the  same  county,  he 
tied  in  Initial.,  township,  where  he  died  Sep- 
tember 2  i ,  [891.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican,  and   wa  a  leading  mem- 

ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  hold 

mams   were    interred   at 
White   Deei   Church,      Mrs.    Bell,    who  now  re- 
sides with  her  son,  Miles  S.,  is  a  devout  Methi 
dist.  and  is  held  in  high  regard   by  all  who  know 
hei . 

There  w  en   children   born   to  our  sub- 

and    his    wife,    namely:      Martha    E.,    born 
August   ?,    '849,  man  led    Ad, mi    G  1  farmer 

in  Whit.  Deei  township;  Mar}  |  ,  Mrs  Dennis, 
was  born  October  4.  1851;  Emmet,  born  Sep- 
tembi  '853,  died   m   infancy;  Charles    li., 

n  March  ;.  1856,  1-  a  farmer  in  Buffalo  Val- 
ley; Ranck  A.,  born  August  ,s.  1863,  is  an  en- 
ginei  iwmill  in  Buffalo  Valley;   Harrj   I'.. 

born   November  3,    1865,  died  at   eight  years  of 
and    Miles    S..    born    April    28,     1868,    1-    a 
fanner  in  Buffalo  township,  Union  county. 


HON.    HAROLD   M.    M<  I  l.i  RE,   ol    I 
bur-.   I  unty.  w  ho  h 

trict  since  1  ine  of  thi  -  in 

the    State,    but    his    acute    and    well-disciplined 

mind  places  him  a ig  the  Lest  oi  ourablejudi- 

ry,   and   his   decisions  are    marked   by  sound 

and  a  thori iugh  km iwledj 
Judge   McClure  is  a  nal  nion  county. 

lie  was  bom  m  Lewisburg,  Augusl  8,  1859,  but 
his  boyhood  was  mainl)  -pent  in  Northumber- 
land, and  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  that 
town.      In  [871  he   returned   to    I  and 

took  a  course  in  Bucknell  University,  graduating 
in  1 S77  with  the  degree  of  A.  I'..,  !.•  which  he 
M  an 

iiit    in    athletic    sports     whih 


student  at  the  University,  his  unusual  skill  as  a 
ball  player  attracted  the  attention  of  the  man- 
's of  professional  teams,  and  brought  to  him 
temptin  to  accept  engagements       At  this 

time  an  inviting  salary  was  of  great  considera- 
.  promising  the  means  of  aiding  him  in  his 
law  studies.  He  entered  the  professional  ranks 
with  [ohn  M.  Ward,  playing  with  the  Athletics  of 
Philadelphia,  the  Binghamton,  Syracuse,  R  - 
chest.  1.  and  Boston  clubs.  He  was  at  the  time 
1  as  one  of  the  best  catchers  and  most 
accurate  throwers  in  the  country,  always  remain- 
ing cool  and  deliberate  in  the  most  exciting 
Aftei  traveling  over  a  large  part  of  the 
United  States,  including  the  Pacific  coast,  he  left 
the  field  and  commenced  his  preliminary  course 
of  reading  at  Sunbury,  Penn.,  and  in  June.  1SS1. 
w  as  admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  at  once  began  the 
practice    of    law  at   Sunbury,    three 

t   with  his  preceptor,    before  he  opened  an 
office  of  his  own       His  abilities  commanded  rec- 
1     m  the  first,  and  in  1891,  as  has  been 
said,    he   was  elected    President    Judge,    a    , 
which  he  fills  efficiently.    The  admiration  gamed 
by   his  mental  ability   is  augmented  by  his  high 
character  as  a  man  of  .pure  life  and  correct  ideals, 
and  In-  popularity  is  not  limited  to  any  class. 
The    contest    preceding    hi-    election    t..   the 
ich  was  in  many  respects  a  most    remarkable 
Called    from    Northumberland  county,    in 
iher  district,  to  fill  a  place  on  the  Republican 
ticket  made  vacant  by  the  withdrawal   of  a  can- 
didate, facing  discouragement  on  all  sides  from 
the  active  politicians,  and    an  almost    unanimous 
partisan  press,  both  Democratic  and  Republican, 
duet.,   the   belief  that    the   task   was   a    hopeless 
.  Judge  McClure  entered  the  field,  placing  his 
sole  reliance  upon   hi-   faith   in   the  people   who 
i  they  wanted  a  candidate.    The  result  demon- 
ted  how  skillfully  he  managed  his  campaign, 
and   how   well   his  confidence   had  been  plai 
After  a  contest  that  has  bei  1  ime  part  of  the  polit- 
ical i  1  .mill  Pennsylvania,  hi   defeated 
Ins  opponent  and  reversed  a  1  ritj 
in  tl               al  district  0(2.199,  received  b\   |i 

tier  ten  years  before,  to  a  majoril  for 

himsell        The  faith  the  people  had  in  Judge  Mc- 

i  the  polls  in  this  memorable 

a    \  indicated    in   the   most  sal 

ind  gratifying  manner.    They  have  found 

in    him    a   dignified    and     upright    man.    though 

i,,i   imp  ali.il 

decisions  and  prompt  dispatch  ol 

and  aiost 

at  in  th  .    I  . 

was    married    in   June,    1S90,    to 
Mis-  Mai -a:  of  Lewisburg,      Two  chil- 


/&.  ~z#,  -Tu.  <£& 


6*>^i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


793 


dren,  James  F.  and  Margaret,  make  their  home 
merry. 

The  McClure  family  became  identified  with 
the  Virginia  colony  at  a  very  early  period,  but 
the  Judge's  great-grandfather,  Roan  McClure, 
left  the  Old  Dominion  in  1790,  and  settled 
in  what  is  now  Union  county,  Penn.,  on  Buffalo 
creek,  two  miles  from  Lewisburg,  where  his  re- 
maining years  were  spent  in  farming.  His  son, 
James,  the  Judge's  grandfather,  married  a  widow, 
Mrs.  Maria  Flanagan  Lyndall,  who  already  had 
four  children  —  Stephen,  Henry,  Joseph  and 
Sarah.  James  and  Maria  McClure  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children:  (1)  Roan,  (2)  Richard  and 
(3)  Edward,  all  of  whom  went  to  California  in 
the  early  days.  Roan  returned,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing near  Ames,  Iowa.  Richard  and  Edward  died 
there.  (4)  James  C.  is  our  subject's  father.  (5) 
Elizabeth,  now  deceased,  intermarried  with  Og- 
den  Vorse,  of  Lewisburg;  and  (6)  Maria,  who 
married  Horace  Nichols,  resides  near  Ames 
Iowa. 

James  C.  McClure  was  born  March  22,  1S30. 
He  early  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business, 
changed  to  lumbering,  and  is  now  an  anthracite- 
coal  operator  in  the  Lackawanna  region.  His 
wife,  Glorvina  (Elder),  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Joshua  D.  Elder  and  Eliza  (Murray),  former 
residents  of  Harrisburg,  Penn.,  died  in  Scranton, 
May  22,  ;898,.at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  and 
was  buried  in  Lewisburg  Cemetery.  She  was  a 
brilliant,  gifted  and  charming  woman,  with  rare 
musical  talent,  of  broad  culture  and  great  intel- 
lectual attainments.  Of  the  two  children  who 
survived,  the  Judge  is  the  elder.  The  young- 
er, Maria  Flanagan,  married  Frank  B.  Garvin, 
of  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  and  has  two  daughters, 
Ella  and  Edna. 


TON.  ALFRED  HAYES,  of  Lewisburg,  is 
XTX  one  of  the  distinguished  members  of  the 
Union  County  Bar,  and  with  marked  ability  has 
represented  his  locality  in  the  State  Legislature 
during  three  sessions.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a 
pioneer  family,  his  ancestors,  in  both  paternal 
and  maternal  lines,  being  prominent  among  the 
settlers  of  the  State. 

John  Hayes,  the  great-great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  came  with  his  wife,  Jane  (maiden 
name  Love),  and  four  children,  from  London- 
derry, Ireland,  to  America  in  1735  or  1736,  and 
settled  in  Chester  county,  Penn.  After  the  burn- 
ing of  his  house  in  this  place  he  removed  to 
Northampton  county,  where  he  kept  a  public 
house  and  store.      During  the  Indian  troubles  he 


used  to  beat  a  drum  upon  a  hill-top  near  his  home 
to  warn  the  settlers  of  approaching  danger.  John 
Hayes  died  about  1789,  aged  eighty-five  years, 
and  was  buried  near  Allentown,  Penn.  His 
widow,  Jane,  died  in  Derry,  Northumberland 
Co.,  Penn.,  about  1806,  aged  about  ninety-four 
years.  As  stated,  four  children  were  born  in 
Ireland,  namely.  Capt.  John,  who  was  born  in 
1726,  died  near  Meadville,  Penn.,  November  17, 
1796;  William,  who  removed  to  Virginia;  Isa- 
bella (Mrs.  Patton),  whose  descendants  live  near 
Bellefonte,  Penn. ;  and  Mary,  who  married  Mr. 
Gray,  and  afterward  Mr.  Steel.  Five  children 
were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  namely:  Elizabeth, 
who  was  married  in  1760  to. Thomas  Wilson, 
grandfather  of  the  late  Francis  Wilson,  of  Buf- 
falo township,  Union  county,  and  died  in  Beaver 
county,  Penn.,  August  30,  181 2,  aged  seventy- 
five  years;  James;  Robert,  who  was  born  in  North- 
ampton county,  Penn.,  in  1742;  Francis,  who  re- 
moved to  Tennessee;  and  Jane,  who  married  a 
Mr.  Brown,  and  settled  first  in  Virginia,  but  aft- 
erward returned  to  Pennsylvania. 

Robert  Hayes,  the  seventh  child  above  named, 
married  Mary  Allison.  He  was  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  Associators  in  the  Revolutionary  war 
[2nd  Series  Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  XV, 
page  62],  and  moved  to  Northumberland  county 
in  1790.  For  nine  years  he  lived  on  a  farm  near 
Warrior  Run  Church,  for  seven  years  at  Derry, 
and  in  1806  removed  to  a  farm  in  Delaware  town- 
ship, near  what  is  now  Dewart.  Although  this 
farm  was  a  large  one,  containing  more  than  200 
acres,  there  were  but  seven  or  eight  acres  cleared 
when  he  came  to  it,  and  the  work  of  cutting  off 
and  burning  the  pine  timber,  which  grew  on  the 
place,  was  a  burdensome  one.  There  were  then 
two  huts  on  the  premises,  used  respectively  as  a 
dwelling  and  a  school  house.  Robert  Hayes  died 
in  1 8 19;  his  wife  attained  the  age  of  eighty. 
They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  the  following 
account  is  given:  John,  whose  descendants  live 
at  Waterford,  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  died  in  1803. 
Jane,  born  in  1774,  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine; 
she  married  Moses  Laird,  who  died  in  18 16  in 
Derry  township,  aged  about  forty-five  years  (the 
father  of  R.  H.  Laird,  Esq.,  late  of  Lewisburg, 
born  June  22,  1796,  and  who  recollected  seeing 
his  great-grandmother,  Jane,  wife  of  John  Hayes). 
William,  born  May  23,  1776.  died  February  17, 
1843.  James,  born  in  1778,  died  in  1855. 
Joseph,  born  August  1,  1780,  died  March  7, 
1S70.  Mary,  who  was  born  in  1782,  and  died 
aged  eighty-four,  married  a  Mr.  Walker.  Sarah 
(Mrs.  Shipman)  died  in  Michigan  between  sixty 
and  seventy  years  of  age.  Elizabeth,  who  inter- 
married with  her  cousin,  a  Mr.  Brown,  was  born 


794 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPMCAL  RECORD. 


in  1789,  and  died  near  Franklin,  Penn. ,  at  a  very 
advanced 

William  I!  married  October  4,  1803, 

to    Mary  Wilson,  who  was    born   April  14. 
the  daughter  of  William  Wilson,  of  Kelly  town- 
ship, Union  county,  who  was  born  June  4,  1743. 
1   April    9,    [824.      His   wife,    Elizabeth 
1.  to  whom   he  was   married  in  her  six- 
th year,  rn   in    [758,  and    died  April 
n.   [815.     William  Hayes  was   prominent   in  the 

ltd  was  the  second 
ter    thei  ..luring  the 

icy  of  James  Madison.      In    1797  he  v 
I    afterward   he  c 
duct  rs  the  principal  store  in  Buf- 

1   referred    to   in   Fla 
nd    m    Linn's  Annals.      1 1 
y  17,   1843,  and   his  wile   Mary  died    De- 

;  whom 
all  I  to  adult  rt,  born 

July  7,  1  I  Emily  Field.  May  2$ 

was    m  arj    7, 

roline   Gi  !  in  Phila- 

h.  born 
hi    Chamberlin, 

iam    \\Y  m    July   21, 

1:1  Xo\ 
i  more  fully  below.        ; 
i'.'.  r8i2,  married  1  >r.  Christ 

I  in  Harrisburg, 
5,  born  May 
14,   to  M 
I    Mary    Huh 

|S45. 
ently  he   married   Jane   (  he 

died  I  his  wid 

Jam 

Murray,  j,    Penn.,    March    28, 

and   died    A  her   husband    is  still 

- 
:.  married  Sarah    Hepburn,  of  Williamsport, 
4  1.    and    has    practii 
r    many   years;   h  in   Mm 

Penn.  1 uary  14.   1821,    I 

March  17 

Hon.    Thomas    Hayes,     iur  -  father, 

a   tanner  by  trade,  and  followed   that   occu- 
n    for    a    number    of    years    in    Lewisbu 
rs,    how.  ter   his  man 

I  out  that   business  to  II.  W.  Fi  en- 

gaged in  merchandising  with  Peter  Beaver,  un 

•■  of  Hayes  .\  Beaver.     He  also  car- 
ried on  busim  r.  Hayes  &  I  After  some 
years  his  brother  James  took  the  store,  and  ear- 
on   the  same  for  many  years  with  various 


partners,  and   Thomas   Hayes  continued  in  the 

in  trade,  sending  wheat,  flour,  etc.,  to  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore  and  the  North  Branch  re: 
by  canal,  and  dealing  also  in  salt,  coal,  plaster 
and  similar  commodities.  He  afterward  engaged 
in  the  milling  business,  which,  however,  was  not 
successful,  the  first  mill  being  destroyed  by  fire, 
while  poor  crops  on  account  of  weevil  produced 
much  loss  during  several  years. 

Hon.  Thomas  Hayes  was  one  of  the  original 
corporators  and  trustees  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Lewisburg  in  1842,  and  was  actively 
interested  in  the  founding  of  the  university,  in 
the  building  of  the  court  house  and  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  edifice  now  used  by  the  congre- 
gation. During  the  years  1  0  and  1861 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  for  the  Rep- 
resentative District  of  Union,  Juniata  and  Snyder 
counties,  and  in  1861  he  removed  with  his  fan 
to  Philadelpnia,  at  which  place  he  served  as  an 
inspector  in  the  custom  house  for  a  number  of 
died   at    Philadelphia,    December  1, 

6,  and  now  rests  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  Mary 
(Hulme),  and  near  the  grave  of  his  father,  Will- 
Hayes,  in  the  family  burial  lot  in  Lewis- 
burg cemetery.  Mary  Hulme,  to  whom  he 
was  married  October  8,  1854,  was  born  in 
Hulmeville,  Bucks  Co.,  Penn.,  October  4,  1812, 
and    died    in    Winona,    Minn.,     September 

\.      She   was  of  Quaker   ancestry,  the    1. 
her  father,  Joseph  Hulme,  to  her  mother, 

ilah    Canby,  who  was  born   in   August.    1; 

being    authorized    by    the    Middletown    Monthly 

Meetings,  on  October  [6,   1806,  as  appears  in   !  I 

Pennsylvania  Archives,  Vol.  IX,  pae,e  22;. 

Their  children  were  born   in   Hulmeville,  Bucks 

Penn.,  namely:    Thomas  Canby,  born  S 
tember   26,    1S07,    died    in     1S5G;    Edward   was 

1     June    21,     1S10;     Mary    married    Thoi 
Hayes,    the    father    of    our    subject;     Elizabeth 
married    Samuel    J.     Pott>.    ol    Reading,    Penn., 

e  deceased.  The  father  of  Joseph  Hulme 
John  Hulme,  Jr.,  the  founder  of  Hulme- 
ville, a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and  a  man 
much  ability  and  influence  in  the  county,  whose 
marriage  with  Rebecca  Milner  was  authorized 
by  Falls  Meeting,  May  23,  1770.  [See  2d  Series 
Pennsylvania  Archives,   Vol.  IX,  page  242.] 

The  children  of  Thomas  Hayes  and  Mary, 
his  wife,  were  as  follows:  William.  Jr..  b  in 
December  28,  1835,  died  October  27,  1837;  Al- 
fred is  tl  ct  proper  of  this  sketch:  Emma 
Beulah,  irch  11,  1839,  married  Matthew 
I  Winona,  Minn.,  August  30,  1866; 
Mary  Elizabeth,  born  August  25,  1S42.  married 
Matthew  A.  Cowden.  of  Philadelphia,  November 
11,  [869,  and  died  February  11,   1889;  and  Will- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


795 


iam,  born  November  27,  1846,  is  unmarried  and 
resides  in  Winona,  Minnesota. 

Alfred  Hayes,  the  second  child  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  Hayes,  was  born  July  17,  1837,  and 
was  educated  at  Lewisburg,  graduating  from  the 
university  on  August  iS,  1855.  After  nine 
months'  service  in  the  institution,  which  after- 
ward became  the  Lewisburg  National  Bank,  he 
began  the  study  of  law  under  G.  F.  Miller,  Esq. , 
continuing  his  course  at  the  Harvard  Law  School, 
and  finally  completing  his  work  as  a  student  under 
the  direction  of  John  C.  Bullitt,  Esq.,  of  Phila- 
delphia. He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the 
District  Court  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Courts  of 
Common  Pleas  and  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  same 
city  and  county  on  May  12,  i860,  after  which, 
on  account  of  failure  of  health,  he  returned  to 
Lewisburg.  In  1861  he  practiced  law  in  com- 
pany with  S.  H.  Orwig,  Esq.,  in  Union  county. 
In  August,  1S62,  he  enlisted  as  first  sergeant  in 
Company  E,  43d  P.  V.  I.,  in  the  Civil  war,  but 
was  discharged  in  November  of  the  same  year  on 
account  of  sickness.  Having  been  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  of  Union  county  in  the  autumn  of 
1862,  he  continued  in  that  office  from  term  to 
term  until  1876,  when  he  resigned  to  become  a 
member  of  the  Assembly.  He  served  in  the  latter 
capacity  during  the  sessions  of  1877  and  187S, 
and  during  a  subsequent  session  in  18S9.  Since 
his  retirement  from  that  post  of  duty  he  has  been 
in  the  continuous  practice  of  law  at   Lewisburg. 

On  September  11,  1862,  Mr.  Hayes  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  M.  Van  Valzah,  of  Buffalo  Cross 
Roads,  Union  Co.,  Penn.,  who  was  born  August 
II,  1840,  and  is  the  great-granddaughter  of 
Lieut. -Col.  Thomas  Sutherland  [See  Pennsylvania 
Archives,  2nd  Series,  Vol.  XIV.,  page  341],  who 
died  October  15,  18 16,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year 
of  his  age,  and  of  Jane  Sutherland,  his  wife, 
who  died  February  9,  1S19,  in  her  eighty-second 
year.  Mrs.  Hayes  is  the  granddaughter  of  Dr. 
Robert  Van  Valzah,  who  was  born  April  17, 
1764  [See  Linn's  Annals,  page  551],  who  died 
April  iS,  1850,  aged  eighty-six  years,  and  of 
Elizabeth  Sutherland,  his  wife,  daughter  of 
Lieut. -Col.  Thomas  Sutherland,  born  April  4, 
1768,  who  died  March  30,   1840. 

William  W.  Van  Valzah,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Hayes,  died  October  13,  1S57,  aged  forty-eight 
years;  Sarah  L.  (Forster),  the  mother,  who  was 
born  May  8,  1817,  died  November  16,  1862. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Miles) 
Forster,  of  Aaronsburg,  Penn.,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  son  of  Capt.  John  Forster,  an  offi- 
cer of  the  Revolutionary  army  [See  Linn's  An- 
nals, page  243],  and  Jane,  his  wife.  The  chil- 
dren of   William  and   Sarah  L.  Van  Valzah  were 


as  follows:  John  Forster,  born  October  6,  1835; 
Elizabeth  S.,  born  November  12,  1837,  married 
Charles  H.  Shriner,  and  died  August  23,  1871; 
Mary  M.  (now  Mrs.  Hayes);  Sarah,  born  Novem- 
ber 19,  1842,  died  May  10,  1853;  Dr.  Robert  T. , 
born  April  15,  1845,  died  October  8,  1877;  Dr. 
William  W.,  born  December  11,  1848,  is  now 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  City 
of  New  York;  and  Thomas  Howard,  born  July 
14,  1852,  is  now  residing  in  Leadville,  Colorado. 
Of  the  six  children  of  Alfred  and  Mary  M. 
(Van  Valzah)  Hayes,  five  are  living.  (1)  Charles 
Harold,  born  January  7,  1S64,  married  October 
18,  1892,  to  Maud  Smith,  of  Tacoma,  Wash., 
who  was  born  October  15,  1866,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Mary  Louise,  born  March  12,  1897;  he 
was  educated  at  Lewisburg,  and  September  22, 
1880,  entered  the  United  States  Naval  Academy 
at  Annapolis,  from  which  he  graduated,  and  he 
is  at  the  present  time  a  passed  assistant  engineer 
in  the  United  States  navy  on  the  battle  ship 
"Massachusetts."  (2)  William  Van  Valzah, 
born  September  22,  1867,  was  educated  at  Lewis- 
burg, graduating  from  Bucknell  University  in 
1888;  after  spending  a  year  in  study  in  Europe, 
he  studied  medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  New  York  City,  graduating 
therefrom,  and  has  been  connected  with  the 
New  York  Hospital,  the  Sloane  Maternity  Hos- 
pital, and  the  New  York  Foundling  Hospital;  he 
practices  his  profession  in  New  York.  (3) 
Thomas,  born  April  23,  1872,  died  May  20, 
1872.  (4)  Alfred  Jr.,  born  October  15,  1873, 
was  educated  at  Bucknell  University  and  at 
Princeton,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1895. 
After  his  graduation  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
study  of  law,  and  is  now  engaged  in  fitting  him- 
self for  that  profession.  (5)  Emma  Beulah,  born 
October  7,  1876,  graduated  from  Bucknell  Insti- 
tute in  1895.  (6)  Matthew  Cowden,  born  Sep- 
ber  8,  1885,  is  at  present  attending  the  public 
schools  at  Lewisburg. 


\  EV.  PHINEAS  B.  MARR.  It  is  now  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century  since  there  ended, 
upon  the  earthly  plane,  a  life  of  such  singular 
beauty  and  usefulness  that  its  influence  is  still 
felt  as  an  inspiration  to  right  living  among  all 
who  were  privileged  to  view  it,  and  to  see  within 
it  the  reflection  of  the  high  and  steadfast  pur- 
pose which  guided  its  activities.  While,  with 
those  who  knew  the  Rev.  Mr.  Marr,  his  Chris- 
tian character  and  saintly  life  is  indelibly  im- 
pressed beyond  the  power  of  words  to  aid  or 
intensify,  it  is  well  to  place   here  a  record  which 


796 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


will  extend  the  memory  of  that  helpful  influence 
throughout  the  coming  years. 

Mr.  Man  was  born  January  20,  1808,  in  Mil- 
ton, Penn.,  and  at  an  early  age   made  choir 
the  ministry.     Aftei  eting  a  literary  course 

1  son  College    he    entered    upon    his  theo- 
ical  studies  at   Princeton,  and   on  his  gradua- 
n    was    ordained.       At    twenty-three    Ik    was 
ed    at    Williamsport,    Perm.,    where    he 
ched   for  two   years,  and   at   twenty-five  he 
became  pastor  of   the   Presbyterian   Church   at 
Lewisburg.      Twenty  years  of  earnest,  effective 
labci  were  spent   in    that    position,  and    then   he 
resigned,    remaining,  however,  in    Lewisburg   to 
bis   family.      He  occasionally   preached 
in    neighoring    towns,  but    accepted   no    regular 
his  life   flowing   peacefully   and   quietl) 
on  to   the    end,  which  came  January   27,   1 S 7 4 . 
mpathy   with  phase    ol  nee, 

d  his  keen  perception    ol   the   peculiar  difficul- 
and  hindrani  et  each  person,  m 

him    a   valued    ad\  is<  1     to    th<  I.  and  a 

1  rowful.      1  [is    versatility  was 
ukable,   enabling    him    1  pi    himself  to 

any  condition  of  thought  or  brim-.  His  dwn 
ni.il  culture  and  abilitj  fitted  him  for  com- 
lionship  with  I  intellects,  and  his  m 

■  Hi  doubtless  thi ise  iii  which 

he    '  I  with  bis  peers  in  education  and  re- 

menl  and  the  lofty  conceptions  of  the  n 
human   thought,  the   poets  and  phib 

phers  of  the  past.  He  was  an  interested  ob- 
server ol  currenl  evi  I  in  polities  was  an 
adherent  ol  the  Democratic  party. 

In  1835  he  mai  1  1  iraham,  who 

was  born  September  24,  1  s  1 4 ,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 24,  1890.  Their  children  were:  Mary,  Will- 
iam, Henry.  James,  Addison,  Margaret,  Helen, 
Henriel  ind  twi  1  who  dud  in  infancy. 

James  and  G  ted  at  Pi  im  eti  m,  and 

were  ordained  as  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian 
<  hurch,  but  the  latter  is  now    |  id. 


GEORGE    SMED1  I  vi     MATLACK,    born   in 
West  (  hester,   I  hestei   Co.,   Penn.,  August 
19,  1851,  in   his   bi  13  hoi  wis- 

burg  and  entered  the  academj  of  the  University, 
luating   at   the  college  June   28,  1870. 
ation    was    furthered    by  his  wide    reading, 
which  he  continued  as  [01  I  i 

a  son  oi    George  and   Lettia  Matlack. 

u   after  graduating  he  I 
as  a  partner  with  the  firm  of  P.  Billmeyer  &  1 
and    \  28,    \^J7.    was    married    to    Miss 

Emma  J.  Billmeyer,  a  daughter  of  the  head  of 
firm,  the   lab    Philip   billmeyer.     This  union 


was  blessed  with  one  child,  a  daughter.  Mary, 
born  December  9,  1877.  During  the  next 
Mr.  Matlack  became  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Lewisburg,  and  in  the  succeed- 
ing years  became  its  treasurer,  a  trustee,  an  el- 
der, and  clerk  ol  the  Session;  a  teacher  in  the 
Sunday-school,  he  was  elected  superitn 
and  sang  in  the  choir- — in  fact,  active  in  Church 
wi  irk  all  his  life. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Matlack  settled  per- 
manently in  Lewisburg.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr 
Billmeyer,  September  5,  [885,  the  firm  remained 
practically  the  same,  only  the  name  was  changed 
to  that  of  W.  D.  Himmelreich  &  Co.  The  place 
of  business  of  the  firm  was  long  known  as  the 
'•  Boat-Yard."  which  was  established  in  Lewis- 
burg in  1850.  The  firm  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  bill  timber,  and  in  the 
building  of  boats,  in  which  they  have  been  most 
successful.  Mr.  Matlack  continued  to  be  an  bu- 
rnt factor  in  the  business  until  the  day  of  his 
death,  fune  14,  1893,  and  was  identified,  be- 
sides,  for  years  with  the  Buffalo  Milling  Com- 
pany,  Lim.,  he  being  one  of  the  organizers  of 
that  corporation  in  1883,  and  a  director  and  sec- 

ry,  He  was  a  director  of  the  Union  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  the  Lewisburg  Gas  Company. 
and  intimately  connected  with  all  that  pertained 
to  local  pride  and  improvement. 

"  When  death  comes  the  community  sums  up 
its  estimate  of  the  one  he  strikes.  It  is  never 
far  wrong,  and  in  a  few  choice  expressions  the  re- 
sult is  declared.  Some  are  spoken  of  as  promi- 
nent, implying  something  against  which  the  pop- 
ular current  has  always  been  striking,  and  is  seen 
e  it.  There  is  more  of  appreciation  when 
the  community  shows  by  its  expression  that  they 
feel  that  a  vital  force  has  been  taken  away. 

"In  the  quiet  current  of  our  existence  here 
there  was  one  w  ho  was  a  part  1  'I  it  in  all  its  parts, 
not  exclusively  as  a  business  man — although 
tin  1  I  and  competent 

an.l  ful,   which  is   the  criterion— not  ex- 

clusively  in  his  own   business,  although  that  was 
ting  one,  for  he   gave   his  hand  to   many 
;  in   hospitalit)    he  lind- 

ane! he  ga\  e  just  as  nd  careb 

the  requirements  of  society  as  he  did  to 
what   would  seem  to  be  weightier  matters;  be  V 
a  member  of  the  Church,  illustral 
tion  of   Paul  1   not   refuse  to  mingle  with 

and  concern  himself  in  the  mi  nt; 

he  bee;;;  lier  that   he  might  acquaint  him- 

with  his  duties;  in  every  walk  of  life  of  the 
citizen  hi  himself  acquainted  and  took  part. 

lb    was  neat  in  person  ami  in  dress,  and  just 
same  neatness  which  is  shown  in  his  outward  ap- 


-       i 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


797 


pearance  could  be  seen  in  his  inward  conduct 
and  private  life.  Nothing  which  bore  any  rela- 
tion to  man  was  profane  to  him.  He  sat  at  his 
table,  he  lifted  his  rich  voice  in  the  choir,  he 
mingled  in  all  entertainments  of  society,  with 
the  same  grace  with  which  he  bore  the  chalice 
at  the  communion. 

"  Were  it  not  that  we  see  that  he  has  done 
everything  his  hand  found  to  do  every  day,  so 
completely,  we  would  wonder  that  his  life  was 
so  short,  but  no  doubt  his  essential  character  was 
ripened,  in  longer  years  there  might  have  been 
decay.  We  cannot  question  Heaven.  We  simply 
accept."  \Lewisburg  Saturday  News,  June  17, 
iS93] 

JEROME  B.  DERSHEM.  The  Dershem 
homestead  in  White  Deer  township,  Union 
county,  is  now  occupied  by  the  fifth  genera- 
tion in  direct  descent  from  the  first  settler  of  that 
name,  its  well-kept  acres  and  substantial  im- 
provements speaking  better  than  words  could  do 
of  the  thrifty,  industrious  race  which  has  long 
had  it  in  charge.  It  was  purchased  by  Jacob 
Dershem,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  gentleman 
whose  name  opens  this  review,  and  his  grand- 
parents, Samuel  and  Susan  Dershem,  lived  there, 
but  died  on  a  farm  in  White  Deer  township,  now 
known  as  the  W.  D.  Williams  farm,  and  their 
remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  White  Deer 
graveyard. 

Jacob  Dershem,  our  subject's  father,  was 
born  there  August  15,  1S15,  and  still  resides 
upon  the  place,  although  as  he  began  to  feel  the 
encroachments  of  age  he  turned  the  management 
over  to  his  sons.  Although  he  has  thus  with- 
drawn at  present  from  his  accustomed  activities, 
he  has  by  no  means  lost  the  important  place  in 
the  community  which  his  ability  and  character 
won  for  him  in  earlier  years,  and  he  takes  much 
interest  in  the  problems  of  the  time,  being  a 
warm  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  held  offices  at  times,  serv- 
ing as  supervisor  and  overseer  of  the  poor,  and 
has  long  been  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church.  His  lamented  wife,  Eve  Reed,  who 
passed  to  her  eternal  reward  February  10,  1892, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  nine  months  and 
twenty-seven  days,  was  also  a  devout  member  of 
the  Church,  and  was  greatly  beloved  for  her 
Christian  character.  In  her  youth  she  accom- 
panied her  parents,  John  and  Catherine  Reed, 
from  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.,  the  old  home  of 
her  family,  to  her  new  home  in  Union  county. 
John  Reed  became  one  of  the  leading  agricultur- 
ists of  his  locality,  and  he  and  his  wife  breathed 
their  last  there,  and  were  buried  side  by  side  in 


the  White  Deer  cemetery,  the  last  resting  place 
of  many  of  our  old  pioneers. 

To  Jacob  and  Eve  Dershem  the  following  chil- 
dred  were  born:  Mary,  deceased,  formerly  the 
wife  of  Moses  Kostenbader,  who  resides  at  Kelly 
Cross  Roads;  John,  who  lost  his  life  as  a  soldier 
in  defense  of  the  Union;  Susan,  wife  of  Isaac 
Bingerman,  of  East  Buffalo  township,  Union 
county;  Jerome  B. ,  our  subject;  Catherine,  wife 
of  Josiah  Weikel,  of  Newberry,  Penn.,  a  car  in- 
spector on  the  Reading  railroad;  George,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Eva  A.,  wife  of 
John  Guyer,  a  farmer  in  West  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county;  Louisa,  who  married  Franklin 
Deitrick,  a  farmer  of  White  Deer  township,  Union 
county;  Jacob  F. ,  a  farmer  at  the  old  home- 
stead; Verdilla,  wife  of  Charles  Leinbach,  a 
farmer  in  Buffalo  township,  Union  county;  and 
Clara,  who  married  Levi  Hafer,  a  farmer  in 
Kelly  township,  the  same  county. 

The  birth  of  our  subject  occurred  September 
24,  1845,  and  his  life  has  been  mainly  spent  at 
the  old  homestead,  his  early  education  being 
gained  in  the  neighboring  schools.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  having  acquired  by  practical  work 
a  complete  knowledge  of  farm  management, 
he  took  the  place  on  shares,  but  two  years  later 
he  moved  to  Kelly  township.  Union  county,  and 
occupied  the  Jacob  Reed  (now  Eisenhauer)  farm 
for  one  "year.  He  then,  in  1873,  removed  to  his 
present  home  in  White  Deer  township,  where  he 
built  a  handsome  frame  house  in  1896,  choosing 
for  it  a  beautiful  location  on  a  sloping  hill  near  Sus- 
quehanna river,  commanding  an  extensive  view, 
overlooking  other  buildings  on  neighboring  farms, 
while  both  the  Pennsylvania  and  Reading  rail- 
roads are  easily  seen. 

Mr.  Dershem  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but, 
although  he  wields  great  influence  in  the  local 
councils  of  the  party  and  has  served  one  year  as 
supervisor,  he  is  not  known  as  an  office  seeker. 
He  is  a  Lutheran  in  religion,  and  is  an  active 
sympathizer  with  progress  in  all  lines. 

On  January  19,  1869,  Mr.  Dershem  was  mar- 
ried at  Milton  to  Miss  Ellen  Smith,  by  whomhe  has 
had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living:  (1)  Ber- 
tha A.  married  Henry  C.  Bennage,  a  farmer  in 
White  Deer  township,  Union  county,  and  has  had 
two  children — Wilber  E.  and  Susie  E.  (2) 
Lulu  E.  married  Kelly  A.  Rank,  an  operator  at 
White  Deer  Mills,  has  one  daughter,  Mildred  E. 
(4)  Eucharius  W.  married  Elizabeth  L.  Moyer, 
and  now  resides  at  the  home.  (4)  Quay  A.  and 
(■5)  Etha  E.  are  at  home. 

Mrs.  Dershem  is  a  native  of  Clinton  town- 
ship, Lycoming  Co.,  Penn.,  and  was  born  March 
11,  1848,  the  daughter  of  Ezekiel  and  Catherine 


798 


(  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Metzger)  Smith,  who  passed  their  entire  livi 
that  locality.  Her  paternal  grandfather,  John 
smith,  died  in  Centre  county,  but  her  grand- 
mother, Sarah  S.  Smith,  passed  away  at  the  old 
home  in  Lycoming  county,  and  is  buried  there. 
On  the  maternal  sid 

and  Susan    (Deitrick)   M  natives  of 

Pennsylvania.     Her    great-grandfather,    Ge 
Metzger,    was  born   in    Germany,   and    came  to 
America  accompanied   by    his  brother,  who  died 
on  tin  1  was  buried  .<t 

Ezekiel  Smith  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  but  his 

r  years  were  spent  in  farming.  Politically, 
he  was  a   Democrat,  and  he  and    his  wife 

Lutheran   Church.      She 

i    January    i  age   of   seventy- 

three,  and  Mr.  Smith  did  not  long  survive,  pass- 
ing away   September   15.    [896,    in   his  seventy- 

'1  year.      They   had  seven  children,  nam 
Harriet,  wife  ol  !    Weigle,   of   Williams- 

,  Penn. ;  Carolim  married  Samuel  B 

1,  a  lumberman  at  Williamsport;  Ellen,    Mrs 

;hem;  Hervey,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  township, 
i  ty,    now    holding   the    office   of 

:i\    comi  1  ;  Sarah   J.,  wife   of  John  J. 

achmaker  at  New   Columbia,  Penn.; 

■11  A.,  deceased,  formerly  the  wife  of  John 
App,  a  lumberman  ol  Williamsport;  and  Anna 
M.,  who  marrii   1   Pierce  Ap|  rmer  in  Clin- 

township,    Lycoming   county,  and  now  owns 
:  5mith  homestead. 


JOHN   F.    MILLER    stands  t    among 

the  pi  riculturists  of  Lii 

township,     :  nty.       His     practical 

notwith- 
nding   the    disadvant  straightened  cir- 

Stanci  s  in  \  substantial  for- 

tune.     Nor  has  he  n  ;  his  tint;   -  citi- 

■  >e  in  his  community 
iving  In  >m  him 
sup] 

rhi 
sub  ler  havin 

m  this  country       John  Miller,  tin 
lather    ol   our  ind 

married  in  1 1 
chili  in  the  lii 

ent.      M'  is<  s  Millei 
30,    1807,   and.   in    1  '   to 

Mary  I  hip, 

0  u  n  t  y , 

Huguenol  ime    having 

fanner]  ixth 

mily  in  this   countrj 
fath  1 n   in    1781 .  and 


became  one  of  the  leading  residents  of  Oley 
township,  Berks  county,  owning  two  farms,  a 
gristmill,  and  a  sawmill.      He  and    his  wife,  Mary 

ismer,  who  was  also  born  in    [781,  reared  a 
family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  and  c 
tinued   to   reside  at    their   homestead    in    Berks 
county  throughout  their  lives. 

In  the  spring  of  1  S3 5    Moses  Miller  rem 
to  Union  county,  locating  first    in  West  Buffalo 

nship.  Later  he  purchased  from  Mr.  Pan- 
coast  the  farm  in  Limestone  township  which  is 
occupied  by  our  subject  as  a  homestead.  On  May 
1,   1844,  the  family   took  possession,  and  a  : 

ks  afterward,  on  May  30,  the  husband  and 
father  passed  away.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character,  much  esteemed  among  his  associates. 

for  many  years  was  a  class  leader  in  the 
Evangelical  Church.  His  sympathies  in  national 
affairs  were  with  the  Whig  party,  but  he  was 
not  especially  active  in  political  work,  although 
he  at  one    time    held   the   office    of  supervi- 

rtly  before    his    death    he    had    lost 
through  going  bail    for   friends,  and   his  property 
was  by  no  means  free  from    debt.      As  the  se 
children  were  all  too  small  to  be  of  any  assistan 
his  widow  had   a    difficult   task    to  complete   the 

ments  and  keep  the  family  together;  but  in 
her  nature  strong,  motherly  affection  was  c 
bined  with  fine  mental  abilities  and  a  firm  will, 
and  she  succeeded  notably.  For  about  six 
years  she  rented  the  farm  to  tenants,  and  then 
as  hi  jew  old   enough,  each   in  turn  took 

charge  of   it  nine.      In  1S73,  having   won 

by  her  judicious  management  a  comfortab 
petence,  she  built  a  house  in  Mifllmburg.  in  which 
to  spend  her  declining  years,  and   her   death 
curred  thee  March    2,  1S92.      Her   reman 
repose  beside  those  of  her  husband   in  the  New 
Seven  children    were   born  to 
this  estimable  couple:      Sarah,  born  January   30, 
irn   April    7.    1  rn 

Novi  [osej  Noven    h  r  1 7, 

rn  1  >ea  ml  er  21,  1  839;  John 
F. ,  born  January  \2\  and  Gee;  | 

January  21,    1 

Mr.  Mill 

tune.  nlj    the 

near    th 
rite  with   a  quill   pen,  and  the  other 
methods    of    teaching    were    also    far    from    1 

lard       As  he  was  a  mere  child  when 
his  father  died   !.  recollection   of  hi 

but  the  watchful  id   training   of   his  noble 

fatl 
struction  in  early  life.      Our  subject  w  nly 

one  of   the  bi  lid  not    learn    ;<    I  aid 

he  1;  '    in    agriculture,  re- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


maining  at  home  except  for  one  season  when  he 
was  employed  by  a  brother-in-law,  Henry  Maize. 
After  he  reached  his  majority  he  worked  for  his 
mother,  and  by  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had 
about  $600  saved.  On  his  mother's  removal  to 
Mifflinburg,  he  rented  the  homestead.  In  188S 
he  purchased  the  place  which  he  has  improved  in 
many  ways.  He  now  owns  two  farms  in  Lime- 
stone township,  containing  altogether  more  than 
200  acres  of  excellent  land.  He  is  a  man  of  more 
than  average  intelligence,  a  constant  reader  of 
newspapers,  magazines  and  other  literature,  and 
his  sterling  qualities  of  character  and  friendly, 
courteous  manners,  give  him  great  influence  in 
the  community.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Gov.  Curtin  the  sec- 
ond term,  and  his  first  ballot  for  President  was 
given  to  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a  candidate  for 
re-election.  He  has  been  school  director  for 
nine  years,  and  auditor  twenty  years,  other  offi- 
ces having  been  declined. 

On  October  26,  1S71,  Mr.  Miller  married  Miss 
Margaret  Klose,  a  former  schoolmate,  who  was 
born  in  Limestone  township,  September  20, 
1845,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Musser) 
Klose,  highly  respected  residents  of  that  locality. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  by  seven  children: 
Cora  M.,  born  October  1,  1S72;  Harry  A., 
born  October  4,  1874,  now  a  farmer  in  Lime- 
stone township;  Sarah  A.,  born  September  20, 
1876;  John  J.,  born  September  5,  1878;  D.  Ber- 
tolette,  born  August  11,  1881;  Mary  E.,  born 
July  23,  1883,  and  Paul  T. ,  born  November  17, 
1887.  Sarah  and  Mary  both  received  good  music- 
al educations.  Mr.  Miller  and  his  wife  are  active 
workers  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  in  which  he  held 
the  office  of  trustee,  and  both  have  been  teachers 
in  the  Sunday-school.  During  the  war  Mr.  Miller 
was  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  and  he  now 
belongs  to  that  well-known  organization,  the  Pa- 
trons of  Husbandrv. 


JOHN  McCALL  (deceased),  who  in  his  life- 
time was  a  very  active  business  man  of  Union 
county,  extensively  engaged  in  lumbering, 
was  born  in  1809,  in  County  Armagh,  Ireland. 
John  McCall  (1),  his  grandfather,  was  de- 
scended from  Robert  Bruce,  king  of  Scotland, 
through  the  marriage  of  George  McCall  with 
Lady  Dundas,  a  granddaughter.  He  migrated 
from  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  to  County  Ar- 
magh, Ireland,  prior  to  1777.  He  had  married 
a  Miss  Hamilton,  whose  brother  emigrated  to  the 
West  Indies,  where  was  born  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, who  subsequently  became  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  the  United  States  Government,  serving 
in   President   Washington's  cabinet  as  Secretary 


of  the  Treasury,  and  was  killed  in  a  duel  with 
Aaron  Burr.  Alexander  McCall,  a  son  of  John 
Mc  Call  (I),  was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ire- 
land, in  1777,  and  in  1805  was  married  in  the 
same  county  to  Elizabeth  Graham.  They  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1828,  locating  in  Phila- 
delphia, but  soon  afterward  settled  in  Delaware 
county,  N.  V..  where  Mr.  McCall  purchased  a 
large  farm,  on  which  he  resided  up  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Kortright  on  October  6,  1  S  5  7 , 
when  he  was  aged  eighty-one  years.  Elizabeth 
(Graham)  McCall,  his  wife,  was  also  of  Scotch 
descent;  her  mother,  who  was  a  Stuart,  came 
from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  The  children 
of  Alexander  McCall  and  wife  were:  (1)  James, 
born  in  1807,  and  died  in  1895,  at  Cowan,  Penn., 
aged  eighty-seven  years;  he  left  two  sons — James, 
who  served  three  years  in  the  Civil  war  as .  a 
member  of  the  144th  N.  Y.  V.  I.,  and  was  badly 
wounded  in  the  head  at  Port  Royal  in  1862;  and 
John,  who  married  a  Miss  Shamp.  (2)  John, 
born  in  1809,  is  our  subject,  and  is  referred  to 
more  at  length  farther  on.  (3)  George  was  born 
in  1810.  (4)  Hamilton,  who  was  born  in  1812, 
is  now  residing  in  Philadelphia,  aged  eighty-five 
years.  (5)  Elizabeth  was  born  in  1815.  (6) 
Jones  was  born  in  1820.  (7)  Alexander  was 
born  in  1823.  (8)  Joseph  Graham,  who  was 
born  in  1827,  is  a  resident  of  Wichita,  Kans. , 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He 
was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Judge  Hakes,  of 
Delaware  county,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  have  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Lyman  Hakes,  George,  Har- 
low, Florence  (married  to  a  Mr.  Mounts),  Vienna 
(married  to  a  Mr.  Comstock)  and  Elizabeth. 

John  McCall,  whose  name  opeus  this  review, 
on  his  father's  moving  to  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. , 
in  1830,  remained  in  Philadelphia,  where,  in 
1830,  he  was  married  to  Annie  Baird,  who  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  her  family  coming  into  Ire- 
land from  Scotland  with  Prince  William  of 
Orange,  and  locating  at  Londonderry.  To  the 
marriage  of  John  McCall  and  Annie  Baird  six 
children  were  born,  namely:  John,  born  in  1834, 
died  in  November,  1864;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1S36, 
died  in  childhood;  Joseph  Hamilton,  born  in 
1S3S;  William  Henry  Harrison,  bor.n  in  1841, 
died  in  May,  1886;  fames,  born  in  1843, 
died  in  childhood;  Annie,  burn  in  1845,  married 
Frank  S.  Schaffle.  and  died  at  Wilkesbarre, 
Perm.,  in  February,  1897,  leaving  one  son.  The 
father  of  these,  in  1S51,  moved  to  Union  county, 
and  located  on  White  Deer  creek;  his  brothers, 
Hamilton  and  Joseph,  remained  in  business  with 
him  until  1S57,  when  his  sons,  John,  Joseph 
and  William,  were  taken  into  the  firm.  They 
purchased    5,800    acres    of    timber    land.      Here 


Boo 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   lU.rnRD. 


they  w   :  ged  in   the  lumber  business  until 

the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war. 

The  fathei     lied  in   June.    1863,  and  his  wife 
in  Septembi 

William    Henry   Harrison  (nami  lent 

Han  is  a   private   in  < 

;th   Pennsylvan  ps,    in    the  Civil 

war,  and  at  th<  years  was  must 

n.      On 

de  lieutenant 
the  200th  P.  V.  I.      He  missioned   colo- 

nel of    the   regiment,    March    25,   1  Sr .5 ,    and  on 
\|.i  il  .'.  tme  year,   h  ned 

illanl  sei  ■  1  his 

.utry  at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  which  captured 
vick  and  Steadman.      At  the  timi 

than  twenty-three  j  age, 

and  was  probabl)  the  youngest  I  eral 

in  the   volu  Vfter   the  capture  of 

the  t    Lincoln,  Gi  n    McCall 

i    by    President  Johnson    and    Gen. 
Hancock  to   take  direct  chai  the  trial  and 

the    execution.      He    and     Ins    staff    had    their 
Iquartei  Arsenal,  Washington,  I> 

1.  McCall  died  in  tt,  Ariz<  ma, 

and  was  there  buried.      A    move   is  on  foot  look- 
in  the   removal  of  his  remains  to  the  cei 
teiy.it    Lewisburg,  Penn.     (1  A.  McCall, 

who    was   the    I  mmander    of  the    Penn- 

sylvania Reserve  Corps,  was  of  the  same  descent  . 
1     1  in  11.  Mi  Cm  l,  s  'ii  of  John    and  A 
rd)  Mc<  'all,  ol   Lewisbui  n  ci  mntj 

the   only  survivor  of  the  immediate  family.      He 
was  bom   in    [838,  at   Philadelphia,    and   in    I' 

r,  1865,  was  married  to  Celestia  |.  Bright, 
whose  mother  was  a   Schreyer,  and  of  tl 
family  of  that  name  of  which  Ji  r,  of 

visburg,    and    W.    A.    Schreyer,    of    Milton, 
Penn.,  are  1  I        1  hildren  born  to  the 

marriage  were:  Harry  Bright,  \A 
intermarried  with  Nellie  Benson  Kauffma 
I  eph  Clyde.  John,  Jesse  Schreyer,  Lorrania 
I  in  1882),  and  Edward  Ammons.  The  fa- 
ther of  these  was  stationed  at  Morris  Island, 
S  C,  during  the  war,  in  charge  of  the  Govern- 
ment shipping.  He  was  captain  of  the  Lewisburg 
Artillery  from  1866  to  1871;  then  he  entered 
the  I  S  Railway  Mad  Service,  as  head  clerk, 
which  position  he  occupied  fifteen  years;  was 
also  connected  with  the   U.  S.  R  Service, 

during    the     administration     of    President     H 


r:-<  -n. 


COLLMAN  K.  SOBER,  a  prosperous  lumber- 
man of  Union    and    surrounding    counties, 
nember  of  the    Glen    Union   Lumber  Co.,  is 
the  subject  of  this  biographical  notice. 


Mr.  Sober  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
ier  24,  1842,  at  the  old  homestead  of 
his  parents,  some  seven  miles  distant  from 
Shamokin,  Northumberland  county.  Isaac 
ber,  his  father,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Keystone 
born  in  the  same  county  February  23, 
1N14.  where  he  resided  all  his  life,  a  wealthy 
and  influential  agriculturist,  dying  June  12. 
[882.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Krighbaum,  also 
ol   Northumberland  county  birth,   and  ten  chil- 

a  were   born    to    this    union,  namely:      1  1 
man  W.,  a    fanner   in    Virginia;  Harriet,  wife  of 
Swinehart,    of  Northumberland   county, 
Penn  ;  »  k\,  the   subject   proper    of  this 

sketch;  Clinton  I).,  a  farmer  and  dairyman  t 
Northumberland  county,  a  great  shot  with  the 
gun,  Isabella,  wife   of    F.     W.    Gilder,    of   Phila- 

h  in.  Penn.;  Barbara  Ann.  wife  of  Mahlon  I 
Moyer,    of  Shamokin;    Amanda,  wife  of  Geoi 
Shamokin;  Adeline,  deceased  wifi 
A.J.Camphell;Martin  Luther,  another  phenomenal 
shot  in  the  family,  and  in   whom  Mr.  Sober  says 
he  finds  the  nearest  approach    to  a  rival  in  game 
1  Clara,  wife  of  ex-County  Treasurer 
1»   S.   Hollibaugh,  M.  D.,  a  prominent  physician 
of  Shamokin,  Penn.      The    mother   of  this  inter- 
esting family  was  not  only  an  excellent  rifleshot, 
but  was  also   an  expert    mechanic,    many  a  time 
in  her  girlhood  assisting   her   father   in  his  shop, 
he  being  a  gun    maker   by   occupation.      In  fact, 
so  skilled  was  she  that    with  her   own   hands 
manufactured  a  -mi  that  became  the  property    ■[ 
her  future  husband. 

Up  to  the  age  of  eighteen  our  subject  re- 
mained at  home,  his  summers  being  spent  in 
farm  work,  and  his  winters  devoted  to  study 
in  the  neighboring  schools.  So  well  did  he 
improve  these  educati  >nal  opportunities  that 
he  prepared  himself  for  teaching,  and  on  leaving 
lion  0  lie  1  ngaged  in  that  profession  with 

such  success  that  he  continued  it  through  eight- 

terms  with  increasing  reputation.  His  vaca- 
tions were  spent  in  study  at  higher  schools,  or  in 
various  occupations,  such  as  pumping  oil  in  the 
oil  1  il  tin--  Mate,  working  in  a  sawmill,  in 

blast  furnaces,  or  in  the  rolling  mills  at  Danville, 
Penn.  His  industry  knew  no  bounds,  and  when 
he  had  a  ••  night  turn  "  he  would  take  contracts 

unload  coal  boats  or  draw  board  rafts  during 
lay. 

Among  the  higher  schools  he  attended  was 
the  Danville  Academy,  and,  in  [854,  at  the  close 
of  his  term  there,  he  found  himself  obliged  to 
look  around  for  work  of  some  kind,  his  circum- 
stances, financially,  not  being  the  best,  whilst, 
moreover,  he  was  too  proud  to  accept  any  as- 
nce  from  his  father.      It  so  happened   that 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


801 


one  of  his  schoolmates,  a  lad  by  the  name  of  C. 
R.  Savage  (now  judge  of  Northumberland  coun- 
ty), having  exhausted  all  his  means,  was  obliged 
to  seek  some  kind  of  employment  before  the  term 
of  school  came  to  a  close,  and  procured  work  at 
corn-husking  with  a  farmer  named  Fox.  Through 
this  old  school  "chum,"  young  Sober,  now 
twenty-two  years  old,  and  of  slight  build  made 
application  to  William  Fox  for  similar  work. 
The  latter,  however,  having  "sized  up  "  the 
youthful  applicant,  remarked  that  he  was  too 
light  for  such  a  task,  and  that  his  earnings  there- 
at would  be  very  meagre.  (The  corn  shocks 
were  7x9,  or  sixty-three  hills).  Nevertheless 
the  lad's  application  being  favorably  received,  he 
began  work  on  the  following  morning,  and  when 
night  came  it  was  found  he  had  husked  no  less  than 
eighty-six  shocTs!  Mr.  Fox  having  left  the  farm 
for  a  few  days,  a  report  was  made  to  Mrs.  Fox 
by  some  of  the  hands,  of  the  rapid  work  of  the 
new  man,  whereupon  she  immediately  sent  for 
Mr.  Sober  and  informed  him  that  he  was  dis- 
charged for  the  reason  that  he  "  would  break 
her  husband  up!"  He  thereupon  demanded  set- 
tlement and  his  pay;  but,  Mrs.  Fox  being  unpro- 
vided with  necessary  funds,  young  Sober  was 
permitted  to  remain  at  work  until  her  husband's 
return.  On  the  latter's  arrival  home,  and  on  his 
learning  of  this  phenomenal  record  in  husking, 
he  at  once  set  about  to  investigate  whether  or 
not  the  work  was  well  done.  In  his  examination 
he  failed  to  find  a  single  stalk  with  an  ear  re- 
maining unhusked.  All  this  might  be  counted  a 
mystery  were  it  not  explained  away  by  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Sober  accomplished  with  two  motions 
what  others  required  four  to  do. 

Another  anecdote,  bearing  on  Mr.  Sober's  in- 
nate skill  and  natural  adaptability  to  existing 
circumstances,  is  recorded  of  him  in  quite  a  dif- 
ferent trend.  "The  hammer  in  the  hand  above 
all  the  arts  doth  stand  "  is  a  well-known  adage, 
and  Mr.  Sober's  present  expertness  with  the  an- 
vil is  better  known  than  is  his  boyhood  expe- 
rience with  one,  as  here  related:  When  he  was 
a  sixteen-year-old  lad  he  had  a  long  distance  to 
tramp  to  school,  and  about  midway  between  his 
home  and  the  school  house  was  a  blacksmith 
shop  or  "smithy,"  where  on  cold  days  he  would 
stop  to  warm  himself  and  watch  the  smith  forg- 
ing horse-shoe  nails,  etc.  One  day  young  Sober 
asked  permission  of  this  son  of  Vulcan  to  make 
a  horse-shoe  nail,  whereupon  the  latter  laugh- 
ingly asked  the  lad  if  he  was  aware  that  to  learn 
to  do  such  a  job  properly  required  usually  a  full 
year's  apprenticeship.  Nevertheless,  the  un- 
daunted stripling  insisted  upon  being  allowed  to 
try  his  hand,  at  least,  and  after  but  five  attempts 

51* 


he  presented  to  the  astonished  blacksmith  a  per- 
fect nail,  ready  for  use! 

In  1880  our  subject  was  employed,  by  the 
day,  by  Beecher  &  Zimmerman,  lumbermen, 
who,  quickly  recognizing  his  ability,  at  the  end  of 
a  month  offered  to  receive  him  into  the  firm. 
He  accordingly  purchased  a  one-third  interest, 
and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Zimmerman,  a  year  or 
two  later,  Mr.  Sober  bought  one-half  of  the  de- 
ceased's interest,  thus  becoming  a  half  owner  of 
the  entire  business.  The  firm,  which  is  one  of 
the  largest  lumbering  concerns  in  the  State,  their 
offices  and  freight  depot  being  situated  at  Glen 
Union,  in  Clinton  county,  now  owns  over  45,000 
acres  of  the  best  timber  lands  in  Pennsylvania,  em- 
ployment being  given  to  a  small  army  of  one  hun- 
dred men.  Their  sawmills  turn  out,  each  month, 
one  and  one-half  million  feet  of  sawed  lumber, 
and  at  least  125  car-loads  of  prop  timber,  per 
month.  In  this  connection  it  might  not  be  out 
of  place  to  cite  an  illustration  of  Mr.  Sober's 
business  acumen  and  foresight.  His  first  pur- 
chase of  prop  timber  was  1,100  acres  bought 
"on  the  stump,"  and  by  the  ton,  at  fifty  cents 
per  ton,  and  he  immediately  arranged  for  its 
transportation  by  rail,  securing  a  reduction  of 
fifty  cents  per  ton  (just  the  sum  the  timber  cost 
him)  from  the  regular  rate;  thus  his  purchase  in 
reality  cost  him  nothing,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  was  the  first  to  buy,  sell  and  transport  timber 
by  the  pound. 

Mr.  Sober  was  the  head  and  front  of  this 
concern,  everything  being  under  his  supervision, 
he  giving  his  attention  mainly  to  the  field  work 
of  the  company,  his  special  province  being 
the  examination  of  timber  land,  and'  the  direc- 
tion of  operations  in  the  woods.  Independent  of 
the  Glen  Union  plant,  he  conducts  an  extensive 
personal  business;  his  shipments  for  the  year 
1897  aggregating  1,542  car-loads  of  prop-timber, 
pulp-wood,  lumber  and  hay.  His  administra- 
tive and  executive  ability  is  well  exemplified  in 
the  generalship  he  displays  in  handling  and  con- 
trolling his  many  employees,  something  that  in 
the  lumber  woods  requires  no  little  tact  and  dis- 
cretion. He  is  a  master  of  every  detail  of  his 
business,  and  has  never  had  a  mechanic  in  his 
employ  to  whom  he  could  not  teach  something, 
while  he  often  finds  points  in  the  machinery  of 
his  plant  upon  which,  perfect  though  it  may 
seem,  he  could  suggest  some  improvement.  This 
comprehensive  grasp  of  detail  is  characteristic  of 
the  man;  and  it  is  also  said  of  him  that  wherever 
and  whenever  he  sees  an  effect  he  is  sure  to  find 
the  cause — that  is  in  anything  that  may  interest 
him.  He  is  so  thorough  a  business  man,  and  so 
prominent  as  a  citizen,  that  it  would  be  injustice 


COMMEMORATIVE  DIOGliM'llKM.  JtEroRD. 


to  him  to  give  undue  prominence  even  to  his 
marvelous  feats  with  the  shotgun,  which  will  be 
fullv  spoken  of  farther  on.  He  has  made  his  own 
way  in  the  world  with  a  clear-eyed  singleness  of 
purpose   which  i  one  of   his  unerring  aim 

at  a  target.  In  all  his  enterprises,  great  and 
small,  he  is  precise  and  painstaking,  and  tin- 
strictest  integrity  marks  his  business  dealings, 
every  obligation  being  met  promptly  and  fully. 
While  he  would  not  take  an  unfair  advantage  of 
an  opponent  in  a  shooting  contest  or  an   athletic 

and  wi  tuld  n<  >t  accept  a  penny  thai 
did  nol  consider  his  due.  neither  would  he 
smother  his  sense  of  right  and  yield  tamely  to  an 
infringement  upon  his  own  just  claims.  Thor- 
ry thing  is  one  of  his  strong  points, 
and  he  will  never  allow  himself  to  be  excelled  in 
t,  if  earnest,  persistent  thought  and 
labor  will  win. 

Mr.  Sober  is  not  only  a   marvel   of   ambidex- 
terity with  the  shotgun,  as    the  reader  will  pi 
ently   d  and    an    expert   in  work   on   the 

anvil,  as  above  recorded,  but  he  is  also  highly 
skilled  in  taxidermy,  an  art  that  cannot  be 
learned  in  a  da) ,  yel  one  that  came  to  linn  natur- 
ally and  without  any  instruction.  Some  fine 
i  his  skill  in  mounting  birds,  etc.,  in- 
cluding an  eagle  shot  by  N.  B  Grugan,  of 
Gl  ii  Union,  and  which  measured  seven  I 
from  tip  to  tip  of  wings  (prepared  for  Dr.  B.  II. 
Warren,  the  State  Zoologist),  were  exhibited  at 
the  World's  Fair  held  in  Chicago  in  [893,  and  at- 

racted  much  attention  and   man)    encon ns  ol 

praise;  while  among  other  specimens,  he  has  in 

possession  some  five    deer  heads,  taken  from 
nol'i  ils   of  his   own    slaying,  and  mounted 

by  himsell 

I  hen  also,  as  an  engraver  on  gold  and  other 
metaU.  he  excels,  in  this  respeel  being  not  1 
whit  behind  professionals,  though  he  never  re- 
ceived  instruction  in  the  art.  his  designing  and 
engraving  of  horses,  dogs,  violins,  locomotives, 
etc.  (from  tools  of  his   own  making),  being  sur- 

ngly  ele'. 

Socially,  Mr.  Soberis  looked  upon  as  a  prince 
anion-  men,  exceedingly  pleasant  and  affable, 
and  he  is  a  perfect  gentleman,  hospitable  and 
liberal — in  short,  "  a  royal  good  fellow, 
called  b\  bis  closest  acquaintances,  and  he  alv 
carries  under  his  vest  a  big  heart.  He  is  a  man 
pro]  .    active,  strong  and 

quick,  in  height  about  five  feel  ten  inches,  and 
weighing  some  175  pounds;  his  complexion  is 
Bandy,  much  tanned  by  his  out-door 
life;  possessed  of  the  bright  blue  eyes  of  a  sure 
shot — in  fact  what  you  might  expect  in  the  maki  - 
up  of  a  sportsman;  and  although  in  age  he  is  now 


midway  between  the  half-century  and  the  three- 
score mark,  he  only  shows  a  better  developed 
maturity  of  vigorous  manhood.  In  his  habits  he 
is  very  abstemious,  using  neither  tobacco  nor 
liquor  in  any  shape.  In  his  political  predilec- 
tions he  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  but  has 
never  found  time  to  seek  official  preferment  or 
recognition,  save  that  in  May,  1 884,  he  was  com- 
missioned, by  Postmaster-General  Walter  Q, 
Gresham,  postmas'tcr  at  Sober  (Centre  county  1. 
which  office  was  named  in  his  honor,  and  of  which 
he  was  the  first  postmaster.  He  was  also  post- 
master at  Glen  Union.  Clinton  county,  from  1892 
to  1897.  In  1870  he  was  appointed,  by  Gov. 
[ohn  W.  Geary,  coal  and  iron  policeman  for  the 

te  of  Pennsylvania,  he  being  one  of  six,  and 
clothed  with  all  the  authority  of  the  city 
police.  In  1S7S  he  was  appointed  mercantile 
appraiser  of  Northumberland  county,  Penn..  he- 
me, chosen  from  among  twelve-  applicants.  On 
November  17,  1896,  he  was  appointed,  by  Gov. 
1).  H.  Hastings.  State  game  commissioner,  which 
office  he  still  holds. 

In  1  No(  Coleman  K.  Sober  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Bernetta  Anderson,  of  North- 
umberland county,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Phebe  Anderson,  and  four  children  blessed  their 
union,  two  of  whom  are  deceased;  those  living 
are:  (ij  Mary  B.  has  been  twice  married,  first 
time  to  Harry  drove,  by  whom  she  had 
child.  Helen  Mary;  after  Mr.  Gro\  •■  s  decease  his 
widow  wedded  Martin  I.esher,  and  they  have  - 
child,  Bernetta  Edna;  Mrs.  Lesher  is  skilled  in 
oil,  pastel  and  crayon  work,  and  excels  in  free- 
hand drawing.  (2)  Waldron  Bland  married  Miss 
K.  Elizabeth  Bright;  although  yet  a  young  man. 
he  has  acquired  marvelous  skill  as  a  trap-shot, 
and  as  a  sportsman  few  of  the  old  hunters 
"bt  game      in  a  day  than  he.      Our  sub- 

ject's residence  .at  present  is  at  Lewisburg,  Union 
Penn.,  where  he  has  a  pleasant  home,  in 
which  he  enjoys  himself  as  the  result  ol  years  of 
energetic  business  life.  His  attention  to  detail 
is  shown  in  the  perfect  appointments  ol  Ins  home. 
Every  part  of  the  premises  shows  his  careful 
mar  \   and  his  stables,   in  which    he  keeps 

some  fine  horses,  some   of   them  beine.   last  trot- 
ters, are  sufficiently  neat  and  comfortable  for  the 
1    human  beings. 

We  now  pass  from  Coleman  K.  Sober,  the 
business  man,  the  blacksmith,  the   engraver,  the 

idermist,  the  private  gentleman,  to  Coleman 
K.  Sober,  the  champion  shot-gun  shot  of  the 
world,  the  "Wizard  of   the  Gun;"  and  only  in  a 

I-  what  limited  manner  can  we  speak  of  his 
marvelous  skill,  for  his  wonderful  gun-feats  num- 
ber at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  he  can  en- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


803 


tertain  a  multitude  of  spectators  three  full  hours 
with  his  fancy  shooting  alone.  It  is  but  just  to 
say  of  him  that  he  is  not  only  the  champion  trick 
(or  trap)  shot  of  the  world,  but  the  champion 
all-round  shot  of  the  universe.  We  have  here 
used  the  word  "trick"  as  a  sort  of  colloquialism, 
but  it  is  not  the  correct  term,  as,  in  truth,  Mr. 
Sober's  feats  with  the  gun  are  not  mere  "tricks," 
but  the  effect  or  result  of  scientific  and  skillful 
calculation.  He  says  he  does  not  know  how  he 
acquired  his  expertness,  but  "guesses  it  was 
born  in  him."  Indeed,  inheritance,  as  has  al- 
ready been  mentioned,  has  not  a  little  to  do  with 
this  astounding  skill  of  his,  in  which  he  has  no 
rival  the  world  over;  and  this  same  inheritance 
has  clung  to  him  from  early  boyhood,  through 
every  change  in  occupation  and  fortune. 

When  as  a  boy  Mr.  Sober  began  to  handle 
a  gun,  he  determined  to  excel  in  its  use,  and 
often  he  would  do  his  farm  "chores"  at  night 
in  order  to  gain  time  for  practice  in  the  woods 
by  daylight.  Many  an  hour  he  has  also  spent  at 
night  in  practicing  some  difficult  feat,  or  some 
new  method  of  handling  his  weapon.  With 
such  persistent  exercise  in  rapid  and  accurate  use 
it  is  no  wonder  that  he  does  marvels,  and  his 
constant  travel  in  the  forest  in  connection  with 
his  business  enables  him  to  continue  his  favorite 
sport  almost  constantly. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  1875  he  was  but  little 
more  than  a  boy,  and,  to  show  that  he  has  from 
early  boyhood  been  a  prodigy,  we  cite  some  re- 
markable local  sweepstake  exhibitions  given  by 
him  between  September,  1875,  and  August,  1877. 
During  this  time  he  participated  in  various  contests 
— shooting  at  481  live  pigeons,  and  killing  440, 
an  astounding  record  of  more  than  91  per  cent! 
It  must  be  remembered,  also,  that  these  birds  were 
killed  at  twenty-one  yards  rise  —  and  with  the 
use  of  only  one  barrel;  excepting  that  out  of 
this  number  he  shot  nineteen  doubles  standing 
midway  between  the  traps  forty-one  yards  apart. 

For  several  years  past  Mr.  Sober  has  hunted 
Ruffed  Grouse  only,  as  that  is  the  quickest  bird 
in  America  to  get  into  full  flight  upon  discovery, 
and  gives  him  the  rapid  work  which  he  enjoys. 
During  the  fall  of  1890  he  shot  thirty-two  of 
these  birds  without  a  miss,  and  in  the  last  fifty 
that  he  killed  that  year  he  shot  at  fifty-five  only. 
The  press  of  this  and  other  States  has  often 
made  extended  mention  of  his  wonderful  feats, 
and  from  the  American  Field  of  January  9, 
1892,  we  glean  the  following: 

"In  the  spring  of  1880,  he  shot  537  wild 
pigeons  in  three  days  at  Kane,  Penn.,  while  the 
birds  were  flying  to  and  from  their  feeding- 
grounds,  and  at  no  time  did  he  kill  more  than 


one  bird  at  a  shot.  For  a  number  of  years, 
however,  the  increased  pressure  of  business 
cares  has  prevented  Mr.  Sober  from  attending 
trap  shoots,  from  which  fact  some  people  think 
he  cannot  shoot  over  a  trap,  but  his  scores  on 
record  show  he  had  no  difficulty  in  winning 
when  he  did  attend.  He  never  broke  100  King- 
birds straight,  but  has  broken  100  out  of  101. 
He  has  never  killed  100  live  pigeons  straight, 
but  he  killed  ninety-six  out  of  100,  at  twenty- 
one  yards  rise,  using  one  barrel  only.  At  a 
match  at  twelve  live  bats  to  each  man,  in  which 
seventeen  shooters  contested,  Mr.  Sober  won 
with  a  score  of  eleven  killed,  it  being  the  only 
match  at  bats  in  which  he  had  contested. 

"When  he  attended  trap  shoots  he  often  made 
clean  scores  at  glass  balls.  King-birds  and  live 
pigeons,  often  making  from  fourteen  to  thirty 
straight  kills,  and  readily  defeated  all  who  shot 
against  him.  The  most  remarkable  exhibitions 
of  Mr.  Sober's  skill,  however,  are  in  trick  shoot- 
ing, or  as  he  terms  it  '  rough  and  tumble  shoot- 
ing,'  in  which  he  handicaps  himself  in  many 
different  ways,  shooting  from  all  sorts  of  posi- 
tions at  King-birds,  glass  balls  or  live  pigeons 
sprung  from  a  trap,  in  which  his  scores  are  fully 
equal  to  those  made  by  many  trap  shooters  who 
shoot  from  the  shoulder  and  are  not  in  any  way 
handicapped.  Through  long  practice  of  these 
feats — many  of  which  he  originated — Mr.  Sober 
has  become  so  expert  that  he  can  perform  more 
unique  shots  with  the  double-barreled  shotgun  than 
any  other  living  man.  He  performs  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feats,  each  shot  being  more 
marvelous  than  the  preceding  one,  all  from 
different  positions  or  under  new  forms  of  handi- 
cap. He  breaks  glass  balls  or  Kjng-birds_from 
either  shoulder,  with  handkerchiefs  tied  around 
both  barrels  of  his  gun,  with  the  barrels 
thrust  through  objects  of  different  sizes,  varying 
from  a  cigar-box  up  to  a  flour  barrel,  with  his 
gun  either  side  up,  and 
with  wonderful  accuracy, 
own  target  (single  or  double),  and  then  breaks 
the  targets.  He  shoots  from  almost  every  con- 
ceivable position,  standing  and  lying,  holding  the 
gun  over  his  head,  between  his  legs,  at  his  neck 
or  breast,  etc. 

"Mr.  Sober  commences  with  simple  shots, 
single  and  double,  and  goes  from  one  feat  to  an- 
other, handicapping  himself,  not  only  as  we  have 
described,  but  in  many  other  ways.  At  Lewis- 
burg,  Penn.,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  he  gave  his 
fourth  public  exhibition,  when  he  shot  at  130 
glass  balls  from  fifty-one  different  positions,  and 
missed  but  eight.  At  the  tournament  of  the 
Elmk-a  (N.    Y.)  Gun  Club,   in  July,    18S7,    Mr. 


a 

in   many   other    ways, 
He  even   springs  his 


MM 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGUA  I'/fH  A  L   RECORD. 


Sober  made  a  phenomenal  record.      He  shot  at 
ios  ills,    from  seventy-nine  very  difficult 

positions,  an<!  missed  hut  fourteen. 

"The  most   difficult  of  Mr.  Sober's  shooting 
I"-  photographed  for  the  purpos 
illustrate  placing  his  gun  on  the  ground 

at  a  distance   of    ei  spring   his  own 

running  and  picking  up  his  gun, 
breaking  single  or  double  targets-   King-bin 
glass  balls.       In  man)   ol    the  (cats  which  In-    \ 

r  can  turn  back  to  the  trap,  call 
■pull,'  pick   up  his  gun    with  the  box,  keg  <>r  bar- 
rel on  it.  as  ■•   may   be,  turn   around  and 
scori-  ther  singles  Mes. 
"He  can   break  double  King-birds,  one  with 

his  gun  overhead  ami  theotherfr his  shoulder, 

or  one  from  between  his  legs  ami  the  other  from 
the  shoulder.      Scoring  doubles,   one  from  each 
i,  is  to  him  hut  a  simple  pastime.      The 
\h    Sobei  performs  in  shooting  with  boxes, 
barrels,    tables  and  obstructions   around 

:un   ban  idered  successful  only  by 

>f  the  nicety  of  calculation  which  he  has 
acquired  by  long  practice.  Many  who  see  the 
King-birds  glass  balls,  or  live  pigeons  fall  before 
his  unerring  aim  wonder  how  he  hail  got  si^ht 
i  or  under  such  obstructions.  He  does  not 
take  sight,  for  that  would  be  impossible.  His 
success  is  due  to  remarkably  accurate  calcula- 
tions. When  it  is  remembered  that  there  are  at 
least  one  hundred  ami  titty  different  trick  sh  its 
mi   his  list,  m. in  in  more  difficult  than  we 

havi  I    and  the  fact   is  considered  that 

Mr  N>ber's  challenge  to  the  world  m  his  line  of 
shooting  remained  open  two  years,  ami  that  he 
has  never  been  defeated  in  that  line  in  a  match, 
it  is  not  strange  that  he  is  called  the  champion  of 
the  world  by  many  admirers  in  his  native  Mate. " 
There  is  hardly  a  sportsman  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  who  has  not  seen  him  shoot,  and 
few  in  the  United  Mates  who  have  not  read  of 
his  accomplishments  with  the  gun.  He  takes 
pleasure  in  showing  the  world  what  perfection 
can  be  attained  in    tl  lling  of   the  shot-gun. 

and  there  is  scarcely  an  exhibition  of  importance 
in  the  State  to  which  he  is  not  invited.  To  give 
a  full  detailed  account  of  all  his  exhibitions  would 
be  unnecessary  in  this  article;  but  his  achieve- 
nts  cannot  by  an)  means  be  passed  lightly 
over. 

Mr.  Sober  has  proved  him-   If  to  be,  beyond  a 
peradventure,    the  <  n    ill-round   shot-gun 

shot  of  the  world,  a  title  he  does  not  assume,  but 
which  belongs  to  him  by  right,  ami  by  virtue  of 
his  challenge  to  the  whole  world  to  enter  the 
lists  with  him.  This  challenge  has  never  been 
accepted;    but    a    critical    view    of    Mr.    Sober's 


marvelous  shots  will  remove  all  doubt  as  to  his 
ability  to  vanquish  any  other  specialist  in  his  line. 
The  case  stands  as  follows:  In  the  American 
Field  of  February  23,  1889,  Mr.  Sober  "issued 
a  challenge  to  any  man  in  the  world — Dr.  \Y.  F. 

.  er  preferred — to  shoot  an  exhibition  match 

nst  him  with  a  double-barrel  shot-gun  for  a 
of  five  hundred  dollars  a  side;  and  he  offered 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  any  one  who  would  meet 
him  and  shoot  at  Sunbury,  Penn. ,  the  following 
May."  Previously  Mr.  Sober  ami  Dr.  Carver 
had  correspondence  through  the  columns  of  the 
American  Field,  ami  tin  former  had  de] 
fifty  dollars  forfeit  as  an  earnest  of  his  sincerity. 
Subsequently  H.  C.  Fuller  ami  Mr.  Sober  had 
some  correspondence  through  the  same  medium, 
but  in  neither  case  was  a  match  made,  and  Mr. 
Sobers  money  was  returned  to  him  after  the 
1  couple  ol  years.       In  tin-  i  ait 

must  be  borne   in    mind  that  he  is   not  a  prot 
sional  shot,  nor  has  he  ever  posed  as  such,  n 
withstanding  his  well-known    ability;  and.  more- 
over,  he   never   perform-,   tor   money,  his  public 
exhibitions  being  for  the  benefit  of    some   public 
charity,  or  to  aid   in  the  attraction  to  State  and 

nty  fairs,  Grange  picnics,  Grand  Army  re- 
unions,  01  such  like,  and  he  is  always  sure  to  be 
a  "drawing  card,'*  as  the  wonder  shot  of  the 
world,  thousands  of  delighted  spectators  witness- 
ing with  interest  his  bewildering  ('.its.  What 
adds  a  charm  to  the  occasion  is  his  modest,  un- 
assuming manner.  He  comes  on  the  scene  with 
a  calmness  and  unobtrusiveness  that  at  once  wins 
the  attention  of  his  audience;  then  what  he  does 
is  square  business,  with  nothing  to  attract  but 
the  merits  of  the  very  tine  work  he  does  with  the 
shotgun.  An  article  in  the  Meadville  Republican, 
ol  September  ro,  1S04.  written  by  an  eyewitness 
of  one  of  these  exhibitions,  covers  in  a  few  words 
what  might  be  said  of  all  Mr.  Sober's  perform- 
ances, and  we  quote  therefrom  in  part:  "The 
members  of  our  Gun  Club  visited  him  in  large 
numbers,  and  got  from  him  many  points  of  m- 

iction,  which  hi  ery  much  pleased  to 

impart.  His  skill  with  the  gun  wis  even  more 
than  advertised.  He  shot  with  effect  in  almost 
every  conceivable  position,  and  the  gun  in  every 
variety  of  grasp — under  him,  over  him,  to  right, 
to  left,  sittme,.  standing,  lying,  with  gun  al 
his  head,  between  his  feet,  upside  down,  thrust 
through  barrels,  boxes  and  tables,  and  in  ever) 
position  except  with  the  muzzle  in  his  hands. 
I  on, 1  applause  greeted  his  numerous  wonderful 
shot-  Indeed,  we  might  quote  page  after  page 
of  similar  encomiums,  did  space  permit;  yet  a 
just  tribute  to  "Creation's  greatest  shot,''  we 
plead  as  excuse,  were  such   necessary,  for  dwell- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


805 


ing  longer  on  this  highly  interesting  subject.  In 
addition  to  newspaper  and  other  extracts  in  this 
article,  we  quote  the  following: 

"At  Centre  Hall,  in  1889,  when  Mr.  Sober 
commenced  shooting,  the  wind  was  blowing  a 
regular  gale,  and  no  one  of  the  ten  thousand  vis- 
itors expected  to  see  more  than  a  few  plain  shots. 
But  Mr.  Sober  is  not  built  that  way.  He  be- 
lieves in  giving  every  piece  on  the  programme, 
gale  or  no  gale.  All  the  fancy  shots  were  made, 
and  in  all  his  shooting  he  missed  but  one  King- 
bird, which  was  caught  by  the  wind  and  darted 
down  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  impossible 
to  hit  it.  Everybody  expressed  astonishment  at 
the  remarkable  work,  no  one  having  any  idea 
that  it  was  possible  under  the  circumstances; 
and  no  one  will  believe  hereafter  that  there  is  a 
man  on  the  face  of  the  earth  than  can  compete 
with  C.  K.  Sober,  when  it  comes  to  fancy  wing 
shooting."  [Mifflinburg  Telegram.}  "  Dr.  Car- 
ver, Buffalo  Bill,  Capt,  Bogardus,  and  many 
other  renowned  marksmen  have  given  exhibitions, 
but  none  have  ever  excelled  Mr.  Sober's. "  [El- 
mira  Daily  Advertiser,  July  2,  1887.]  "He 
handles  a  shotgun  as  a  boy  would  a  tin  rattle — 
is  as  quick  as  lightning,  and  as  sure  as  fate.  He 
accomplishes  all — even  the  most  difficult — shots 
with  the  greatest  ease  and  grace,  and  by  the 
time  the  ordinary  marksmen  get  through  aiming, 
Mr.  Sober  will  have  broken  a  barrel  of  King-birds. " 
[Middleburg  (Snyder  county)  Post,  September 
24,  1 89 1.]  "  But  the  greatest  feature  of  the  day 
was  the  shooting  of  Mr.  C.  K.  Sober  and  his  son. 
This  was  a  revelation  to  the  visitors  to  the  fair. 
Mr.  Sober  is  a  wonderful  marksman.  He  shot 
at  147  targets  yesterday  from  a  great  number  of 
different  positions,  and  at  all  sorts  of  disadvanta- 
ges, yet  he  did  not  miss  a  single  one.  This  is, 
perhaps,  the  greatest  exhibition  Mr.  Sober  ever 
gave,  and  this  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  the 
York  County  Fair  grounds  have  been  the  scene  of 
the  greatest  shooting  ever  done  in  the  world. 
Nothing  can  prevent  him  from  scoring.  He 
shoots  just  as  accurately  with  the  gun  turned  up- 
side down  and  thrust  through  a  flour  barrel  as 
he  does  with  the  gun  in  the  usual  position." 
[York  Gazette,  October,   1894.] 

We  will  conclude  our  description  of  Mr.  So- 
ber's trap-shooting  with  the  account  of  a  couple 
of  amazing  and  almost  incredible  shots  that  he 
makes:  A  bird  is  thrown  from  the  trap  thirty 
yards  away  from  the  shooter,  who  stands  with 
his  side  toward  the  trap,  gun  inverted,  the  barrel 
of  which  is  passed  right  through  a  wooden  box 
14x16  inches  in  size,  and  gun  (with  barrel  in 
the  box  as  described)  held  at  arm's  length  di- 
rectly  above   his  head.      Thus  handicapped,  the 


marksman  pulls  the  trigger,  and  the  bird  drops 
to  the  ground !  This  feat  has  been  accom- 
plished by  no  other  human  being,  and  reads  like 
one  of  Baron  Munchausen's  fictions,  but  it  is 
nevertheless  true  in  every  particular.  Another  re- 
markable feat  Mr.  Sober  accomplishes  with  ease 
is  to  spring  two  King-birds  from  a  trap,  shoot 
one  of  them  from  between  his  legs  while  standing 
with  his  back  toward  the  trap,  then  turn  quickly 
and  drop  the  second  King-bird.  We  cannot  avoid 
giving  special  emphasis  to  the  four  exhibitions 
given  by  Mr.  Sober  at  the  York  County  Fair, 
before  a  multitude  of  fifty  thousand  people, 
where  he  shot  at  588  targets  with  but  five  misses, 
two  of  which  were  made  on  his  first  day's  trial, 
three  being  lost  on  the  fourth  day,  toward  the 
close  of  his  final  exhibition.  A  representative  of 
the  publishers  of  this  work  by  invitation  attended 
one  of  Mr.  Sober's  shooting  entertainments  given 
at  Brooke  Park  (Lewisburg)  in  October,  1897, 
where  was  witnessed  the  killing  of  sixty-five  pig- 
eons without  a  miss,  and  the  breaking  of  200 
targets  without  an  error  !  And  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  not  a  shot  was  made  without  some 
form  of  handicap — shooting  from  both  shoulders; 
gun  inverted,  and  above  his  head;  with  gun 
thrust  through  powder  kegs,  flour  barrels,  boxes, 
etc. — yet  he  seemed  to  experience  neither  hin- 
drance nor  inconvenience.  It  was  like  the  leg- 
erdemain of  some  great  wizard. 

For  several  years  past  Mr.  Sober  has  passed 
most  of  his  time  in  the  forest,  hunting  out  tim- 
ber lands  and  superintending  lumber  operations. 
These  pursuits  have  rendered  it  possible  for  him 
to  follow  his  favorite  sport  of  shooting  Ruffed 
Grouse  (Bonasa  umbellus)  almost  uninterruptedly 
during  the  proper  season,  and  a  gentleman  who 
has  accompanied  him  on  such  expeditions  says 
that,  although  he  has  hunted  with  many  expert 
wing  shots,  it  has  never  been  his  privilege  to 
meet  any  one  in  field  or  cover  who  was  able  to 
demonstrate  the  phenomenal  skill  which  Mr. 
Sober  displays  at  different  times  when  grouse- 
shooting  in  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Sober,  it  would  seem,  shoots  by  instinct 
rather  than  by  sight.  The  number  of  Ruffed 
Grouse,  alone,  killed  by  him  during  the  past  few 
years  is  astonishing.  In  1884  he  shot  95;  in 
1885.  87;  in  1886,  108;  in  1887,  40;  in  1888,  1  17; 
in  1889,  116;  to  December  15,  1890,  148;  to  De- 
cember 21,  1891,  103;  in  1S92,  105;  in  1893, 
79;  in  1894,  97;in  1895,  84;  in  1896,  92;  and  in 
1897,  106 — a  total  for  the  fourteen  years  of 
1,377  birds,  or  an  average  of  over  ninety-eight 
each  season.  On  November  5,  1897,  he  killed 
seven  Ruffed  Grouse  out  of  eight  fired  at,  and 
many  a  day  he  has  shot  at  and  killed  every  grouse 


MOIIATIVK  BIOQRAPHIOAL  RECORD. 


he  would  see.  In  a  two-days'  hunt  in  December, 
1880,  at  the  foot  of  Shade  Mountain,  near 
Adamsburg,  Perm.,  he  shot  sixteen  pheasants 
(Ruffed  G  twelve  rabbits,  four  wild  turkeys 

and  one  graj  squirrel.     [See  illustration.  ] 

Mr.  Sol  thai  most  of  these  birds  were 

killed  on  his  own  lands  'luring  his  bush 
tramps,  and  that  one  of  the  best  shots  he  ever 
made  at  Ruffed  Grouse  was  as  follows:  He  had 
been  on  the  mountains  chestnutting,  and  was  re- 
turning  home  with  a  bag  ol  chestnuts  on  one 
should)  1.  his  gun  with  a  basket  hanging  from  the 
barrels  slung  over  the  same  shoulder,  ami  an  axe 
in  the  other  hand,  while  walking  along  a  lumber 
road  a  Ruffed  Grouse  suddenly  flushed  from  the 
side  of  the  road,  and  Mr.  Sober  d  the  axe, 

the  bag  and  the  basket  in  time  to  shoot  the  bird. 
He  has  never  met  any  one  who  had  the  requisite 
endurance  to  stay  with  him  an  entire  day  in  field 
or  cover  shooting  when  he  traveled  at  the 
he  11-11, oU  takes  while  hunting  alone.  To  still 
more  fully  set  forth  the  wonderful  ingenuity  of  our 
subject,  it  is  proper  here  to  speak  of  a  simple  de- 
he  invented  and  always  carries  with  him  on  1 
his  hunting  expeditions.  It  is  an  implement  for 
eviscerating  game  birds,  and  whenever  he  kills 
one.  he  immediately,  oi  as  soon  after  as  he  maj 
have  op;  this  little  instrument.      It 

is  vi  pie,  merely  a  little  twig,  sharpened  at 

end  with  .1  small  spur  near  the  pointed  end. 
This    hi  iiinler    the  tail  of    the  bird,   then 

gi\ '  I  the  entrails 

jected.  The  larger  part  of  the 
gun.  hi  kills  goes  to  the  tables  of  his  friends  and 
the  bedside  of  the  sick.  In  hunting  the  Ruffed 
Grouse  which,  by  the  way,  he  claims  is  the 
gamiest  bird  in  America,  he  uses  pointer  dogs 
trained  by  himself  to  such  a  marvelous  deg 
ol  pi  rfection  that  their  intelligence  seems  almost 
human.  He  has  no  use  [or  setters  in  that  pur- 
suit, for,  as  he  says,  they  are  too  headstrong  and 
fast  and  not  sufficiently  cautious. 

About  his  guns  we  must  also  say  something. 
The  first  one  he  used  was,  when  he  was  a  lad. 
an  old  "  flint-lock  owned  by  an  elder  brother, 
and  with  that  the  boy  killed  squirrels  and  rabbits 

by  the  hundred-  was  plentiful  in  Pennsyl- 

vania thru  ,  and  with  it  he  downed  quails,  occa- 
sionally, on  the  wing  as  well.      The  first  gun   he 

owned  he    I ght  foi    one  dollar  and  a  half,    and 

it  was    a    28-inch,  20-gauge,  sim  I.  which 

he  says    was    made    ir pol    metal   for  all  he 

knows;  but  with  it  he  did  great  work  on  quails 
and  pheasants  (Ruffed  Grouse]  on  the  wing,  and 
he  still  has  that  old  gun.  Next  he  had  another 
single  28-inch,  [4-gauge  gun  made  to  order,  with 
which  he  did  fineshooting  also.    His  third  gun  was 


adoubled-barreled,  30-inch  barrels,  14-gauge,  that 
weighed  eight  pounds,  and  with  it  he  defeated 
the  best  shots  in  Pennsylvania  at  the  trap  in 
pigeon  shooting.  The  next  gun  he  bought  was  a 
Parker  Brothers  make.  He  still  uses  their  guns, 
and  says  he  will  do  so  until  he  rinds  a  better  arm; 
for  shooting  game  he  uses  a  cylinder-bore,  28- 
inch  barrels,  of  either  10-gauge  or  12-gauge.  In 
his  "den,"  as  he  calls  it,  a  room  which  he  has 
appropriated  to  his  exclusive  use  in  his  beautiful 
home  in  Lewisburg,  there  are  suggestions,  from 
the  number  and  variety  of  guns,  of  a  small  arse- 
nal. But  after  long  experience  with  various 
makes  of  shotguns  he  has  arrived  at  the  conclu- 
sion that  American-made  arms  are  equally  as 
good  as,  and  he  believes  superior  to,  those  of 
foreign  manufacture,  for  shooting  in  the  field  and 
cover. 

For  many  years  past,  Mr.  Sober  has 
ceedingly  energetic  in  his  endeavors  to  propagate 
game  and    fish.  -    purchased    large    num- 

bers of  birds,  particularly  quail,  and  liberated 
them  in  different  localities  in  the  various  fertile 
valleys  of  the  Susquehanna.  His  love  for  trout 
fishing  has  led  him  to  stock  numerous  streams  in 
Centre,  Clinton  and  Lycoming  counties  with 
brook  and  other  varities  of  trout. 

Sui  h  is  thi  life  history  of  this  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  phenomenal  marksman.  Of  the 
success  in  life  which  America  affords  to  an  ener- 
getic, persevering  and  industrious  man,  no  mat- 
ter how  humble  his  origin,  Mr.  Sober  is  a  fair  ex- 
ample. He  is,  withal,  a  typical  self-made  man. 
the  mainspring  of  whose  character  has  in  his  busy 
life  been  the  qualities  of  energy  and  persistence, 
coupled  with  the  strictest  integrity  of  purpose, 
unflinching  firmness  and  characteristic  love  of  (air 
play. 


i  NTHONY  ARMSTRONG  is  a  hading  fac- 
TL  tor  in  the  public  life  of  Allenwood,  Union 
county,  as  carrying  on  general  merchandising. 
He  has  back  of  him  an  honorable  ancestry,  prom- 
inently connected  with  the  history  of  the  Mate. 
ami  he  wears  worthily  the  untarnished  name  which 
i  to  him. 
His  randfather,  James  Armstrong,  was 

born  in  County  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  and  on  May 
30,     1786,    landed    in    A  He    located  in 

Philadelphia,  and  soon  secured  a  position  as  pro- 
lessor  of  mathematics  in  Pennsylvania  Academy. 
He  married  Eleanor  Pollock,  a  lady  of  superior 
culture  and  womanly  graces,  belonging  to  one  of 
the  distinguished  families  of  the  State.  At  an 
.  day  thej  removed  to  Northumberland  coun- 
ty, Penn..  where  James  Armstrong  purchased  a 


GamP  k,l]  p  H   i        n  ;VK  U^pAKALLELED  EeCORD  ! 

ofTAfilt^^lZ^1^  C^amP—  Ground   Snot-g.n  Slxof 
Mountain  ne^ L™  i  Y    ^Unf  ml)eGei^ei  1880,  at  foot  of  Shade 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


807 


large  farm.  He  died  September  20,  1829,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  his  wife  died  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1823.  Their  youngest  son,  Richard, 
was  the  father  of  Gen.  Samuel  Armstrong,  who 
commanded  a  battalion  of  colored  troops  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Freedman's  Academy  at  Hampton  Roads,  near 
Norfolk,  Virginia. 

Capt.  Anthony  Armstrong,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  September  6,  1788,  and 
won  his  title  by  commanding  a  militia  company. 
He  died  on  the  old  homestead  near  Milton,  Penn. , 
in  1S66.  He  had  one  sister,  Mary,  nowdeceascl, 
and  two  brothers,  James,  a  surveyor  of  McEwens- 
ville,  Penn.,  and  Richard,  previously  mentioned. 
Capt.  Armstrong  married  Elizabeth  Guffy,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  Guffy,  and  their  children  were: 
Jane,  wife  of  Edward  Derickson;  Matilda,  who 
became  the  wife  of  John  F.  Dentler,  and  had  ten 
children;  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Sloan;  Andrew; 
James  P.,  who  married  Margaret  Guffy;  and 
George  W.,  who  married  Elizabeth  Witter.  He 
served  in  the  Mexican  war,  was  a  general  of  the 
State  militia  before  the  Civil  war,  and  is  now  a 
retired  merchant  of  McEwensville,  Pennsylvania. 

The  maternal  great-grandparents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  John  and  Mary  (Curry)  Watson,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ireland,  whence  he  emigrated 
to  Chester  county,  Penn.  Watsontown  was 
named  in  his  honor,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  buried  in  the  cemetery  there.  He  owned 
1,000  acres  of  land  at  that  place,  and  was  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  community.  The 
grandparents,  George  and  Elizabeth  (Vincent) 
Watson,  were  farming  people  of  Northumberland 
county,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives. 

Andrew  Armstrong,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  North- 
umberland county,  October  27,  181 5,  and 
throughout  his  business  career  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  last  eight  years  were 
spent  in  retirement  from  business  cares.  He 
held  a  number  of  township  offices,  and  was  highly 
esteemed  for  his  sterling  worth.  He  married 
Angeline  Watson,  who  was  born  on  the  Watson 
farmstead  December  15,  181 5.  His  death 
occurred  April  10,  1888,  and  his  wife,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  died  May 
20,  1865.  Their  marriage,  which  was  celebrated 
January  26,  1838,  was  blessed  with  the  following 
children:  George  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years;  Elizabeth  J.,  wife  of  H.  P.  Allen, 
who  founded  the  town  of  Allenwood,  where  he 
now  follows  general  merchandising;  Emma,  of 
Watsontown;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Fred  Gosh,  and  died  leaving  three  children; 
James  D.,  who  married  Anna  Zeigler,  and  oper- 


ates the  old  Armstrong  farm;  Seth,  who  died  in 
childhood;  Anthony;  David  W.,  who  married 
Jane  McWilliams,  and  is  also  living  on  the  old 
Armstrong  farm. 

Anthony  Armstrong,  of  this  review,  was  born 
in  Turbut  township,  Northumberland  county, 
August  17,  1852,  and  attended  the  high  school  in 
Watsontown.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began 
clerking  for  H.  P.  Allen,  of  Allenwood,  in  whose 
employ  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  went 
to  Lock  Haven,  Penn.,  where  for  four  years  he 
was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  the  general  store 
of  J.  W.  Bridgins.  On  February  1,  1877,  he 
went  to  Black  Hills,  Dakota,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Philadelphia  Mining  Company,  operating 
on  Rapid  creek.  During  that  time  he  repre- 
sented the  Camp  Crook  district  in  convention  on 
new  Territory,  held  in  Deadwood,  Dakota, 
September  29,  1877,  which  convened  for  the 
purpose  of  electing  a  representative  to  Congress, 
who  could  secure  the  independence  of  that  Terri- 
tory. He  left  Dakota  October  29,  1877,  and 
returning  to  Allenwood  was  again  employed  by 
Mr.  Allen  until  1889.  He  was  then  for  two 
years  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Allenwood 
planing-mill,  and  on  August  1,  1893,  he  embarked 
in  general  merchandising.  Here  he  has  secured 
a  good  patronage,  and  is  meeting  with  excellent 
success. 

On  January  6,  1881,  Mr.  Armstrong  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Kate  Griffey,  who  was  born  in  Gregg 
township.  Union  county,  March  19,  i860,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Margaret  (McCor- 
mick)  Griffey.  Her  father  was  a  railroad  con- 
tractor, bridge  builder  and  miller.  He  at  one 
time  part  owned  and  operated  the  largest 
woolen-mills  in  Pennsylvania,  the  machinery  in 
the  same  costing  $110,000;  the  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  He  built  the  high  bridge  at 
Sandy  Hook,  Conn.,  and  a  number  of  others. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  now  deceased.  They 
were  members  of  the  Washington  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  in  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
Their  children  were:  Martha,  wife  of  C.  L. 
Gudykunst,  a  farmer  and  tax  collector  of  Gregg 
township.  Union  county;  Robert,  a  miller  of 
White  Deer  Mills,  who  married  Laura  Bower, 
whose  father  is  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Watsontown;  Clara,  wife  of  W.  C.  Fore- 
man, a  farmer  and  live-stock  dealer  of  Alvira, 
Penn. ;  and  Mrs.  Armstrong. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  have  three  interest- 
ing children:  Elizabeth,  born  in  1 88 1 ;  Robert,  in 
1885,  and  Richard,  March  12,  1898.  The  family 
is  prominent,  and  well-known  people  of  the  com- 
munity, and  its  members  have  a  large  circle  of 
warm   friends    throughout    Union    county.      Mr. 


808 


<  "MMEMOUATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Armstrong  served  as  postmaster,  which  office  he 
filled  from  1 888  until  1S91.  and  to  which  In-  was 
re-appointed  on  August  1,  1893,  serving  to  July 
14,  1897.  His  business  ability  has  brought  him 
success  in  his  undertakings,  and  by  Ins  honorable 
methods  he  has  won  the  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  corne  in  contact. 


GEORGE  CALVIN  MOHN,  M.  D.  To  the 
professional  or  commercial  man  whose  suc- 
cess has  been  worthily  achieved,  who  has  ac- 
quired a  high  reputation  in  his  chosen  calling, 
and  whose  social  prominence  is  not  less  the  result 
an  irreproachable  life  than  of  recognized  natural 
gifts,  the  world  at  large  instinctively  pays  defer- 
ence. Many  a  man  mistakes  his  life-work,  yet  by 
earnest  application  makes  a  partial  success;  but  it 
is  only  when  natural  tact  is  coupled  with  proper 
ambition  to  succeed  that  anything  like  eminence 
is  reached  in  any  vocation.  Dr.  Mohn  has  not 
only  gained  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  ranks 
of  the  medical  fraternity,  but  also  stands  high  in 
business  and  fraternal  circles. 

A  native  of  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born 
May  24,  1X5S,  in  Centreville,  Snyder  county,  our 
subject  is  descended  on  both  sidi  old  fam- 

ilies prominent  amoi  loneers  of  the  State. 

Peter  Mohn.  his  great-grandfather,  was  the 
third  son  of  Ludwig  Mohn,  who  was  born  in 
1730  at  Hanovei  Germany,  whence  he  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1753,  and  n  Berks 
county.  Penn. ,  at  or  near  where  the  city  of  Read- 
ing now  stands.  Peter  Mohn  died  in  that  county 
in  [832. 

John  Mohn,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Mohn,  was 
bom  September  23,  [788,  near  Reading,  Penn., 
and  was  there  married  to  Elizabeth  Reppard,  of 
that  county,  born  May  15,  1793.  Here  their 
family  of  six  children  were  born,  as  follows: 
I      ih,  who  married  Thomas  Hartley;  Peter,  who 

I   a    bachelor    in     181  who    married 

N  ah  Kei  ter,  and  moved  to  Ohio;  [ulian,  mar- 
ried to  1'  11  Markle;  Vmelia,  wife  of  Isaac  Culp; 
and  John,  who  is  the  only  one  of  this  family  now 
living,  and  will  be  spoken  of  farther  on.  In  1 
Grandfather  John  Mohn  moved  with  his  family 
fron  i'.  t  ,  Union  (now  Snyder)  coun- 

ty, and  passed  the  n  si  of  his  days  there,  dying 
March  2,  1861,  at  Centreville.  His  wife  passed 
from  earth  at  the  same  pi;         \     '\vs\  29,  1 

John  Mohn.  the  father  of  our  su!>ject.  was 
bom  in  1831,  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and.  as 
will  be  seen,   was    about   live  1  when    the 

family  moved  to  what  i^  now  Snyder  county. 
For  a  time  he  followed  carpentry,  but  later  has 
de\  1  mie  and  attention  mainly  to  the  saw- 


mill business.  As  one  of  the  leading  Republicans 
I  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  he  has  filled 
various  public  offices  in  Snyder  county,  such  as 
constable  of  his  township  some  eighteen  years, 
and  for  a  time  was  county  commissioner  of  Sny- 
der county.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Lutheran. 
In  1S52  he  married  Miss  Barbara  Stun,  who  was 
born  in  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  in  1829,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Alice,  now  the  wife  of  William  Hartman,  of  Cen- 
treville; Henry,  who  is  in  business  with  his  fa- 
ther; George  C,  the  subject  proper  of  this  re- 
view; Charles,  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  who 
is  now  successfully  engaged  in  practice  at  Jersey 
Shore,  Penn.;  John  E.,  a  graduate  of  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy,  and  now  the  owner 
of  two  drug  stores  at  Jersey  Shore;  William,  who 
is  in  business  with  his  father  at  Centreville;  James 
O.,  a  physician  of  St.  Mary's,  Elk  Co.,  Penn., 
who  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College  in 
;:  and  Thomas  E.,  a  railroad  agent  at  Muncy 
Valley,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  George  C.  Mohn  received  his  earlier  edu- 
cation at  Centreville  and  Selins  Grove,  Snyder 
Co.,  Penn.,  and  completed  his  literary  studies  at 
Valparaiso,  Ind.,  after  which  he  taught  school 
for  three  winters.  After  reading  medicine  for  a 
time  at  Centreville  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Baltimore,  Md., 
graduating  there  with  the  class  of  '82,  and  on 
the  13th  of  April,  same  year,  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at  Laurelton, 
Union  county,  where  his  ability  soon  won  him 
recognition,  and  where  he  has  built  up  for  him- 
self an  enviable  record  as  an  eminently  success- 
ful physician.  Possessed  of  a  kindly  and  sym- 
pathetic nature,  a  keen  sense  of  discrimination, 
a  natural  taste  for  the  various  branches  of  the 
medical  profession,  coupled  with  quick  intuition 
and  consummate  skill,  his  success  ami  popularity 
are  no  surprise  to  his  many  friends.  For  about 
eight  years  the  Doctor  was  also  engaged  in  the 
drug  business  at  Laurelton,  and,  being  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  business  acumen,  he  soon 
red    considerable    capital.      Desiring   to   ex- 

d  his  business  relations  and  possibilities,  he, 
in  1892,  became  a  member  of  the  Laurelton 
Lumber  Co.,  which  concern    is    now   remarkable 

having  at    its   head  three  of  the  most  enter- 
prism  n  of  the  county.      He  is  also  a 
Stockholder  in  and  a  director  of  the  Linden   Hall 
Lumber  Co.,  of    Linden    Hall,    Penn.,  of    which 
also  superintendent, 

In  1883  Dr.  Mohn  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Laura  A  Showers,  a  native  of  Centre- 
ville, Snyder  county,  and  a   daughter,  Ruth  B., 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


809 


born  March  18,  1892,  brightens  their  home.  Fra- 
ternally the  Doctor  is  one  of  the  highest,  most 
prominent  and  zealous  Freemasons  in  the  State, 
having  taken  all  the  degrees  to  and  including  the 
32nd,  Scottish  Rite,  and  being  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  Lu  Lu  Temple,  Philadelphia. 
Politically  he  is  an  ardent  worker  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Republican  party,  having  served  as  a  com- 
mitteeman continuously  since  1884.  For  four 
years,  during  President  Harrison's  administra- 
tion, he  acceptably  served  as  postmaster  at  Lau- 
relton. 

The  Doctor  is  one  who,  outside  of  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  for  his  scientific  knowledge 
and  business  capacity,  enjoys  the  admiration  of 
all  for  his  kindliness  of  disposition  and  amiability 
of  heart.  In  manner  he  is  social  and  friendly, 
and  possesses  qualities  that  readily  win  popu- 
larity and  respect.  In  private  life  that  true  man- 
liness of  deportment,  that  genial  and  kindly  na- 
ture, which  have  always  characterized  him  in 
public,  find  still  more  adequate  and  complete  ex- 
pression, and  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  he  ever 
finds  his  highest  happiness. 


D\ERR  FAMILY,  of  Lewisburg,  is  descended 
__'  from  that  well-known  pioneer,  Ludwig 
Derr,  the  founder  of  Lewisburg,  which  was  for- 
merly known  as  Derrtown.  The  first  record 
dates  back  to  1756,  when  Ludwig  Derr  is  named 
among  the  residents  of  Heidelberg  township, 
Berks  county.  In  1769  he  came  to  Buffalo  Val- 
ley to  find  a  suitable  location  for  a  new  home, 
and  is  mentioned  in  the  notes  of  Charles  Luk- 
ens,  who  made  a  survey  along  the  river  from 
the  mouth  of  White  Deer  creek  in  October,  of 
that  year.  He  was  perhaps  the  first  settler  in 
the  Valley,  and  Charles  Wilson,  who  surveyed 
the  tract  next  below  that  of  Lukens,  mentions  in 
his  field  notes  for  September  20,  1770.  that  Lud- 
wig Derr  was  then  living  on  "  the  proprietaries' 
tract." 

Where  Lewisburg  now  stands  this  enter- 
prising pioneer  established  a  trading-post,  a 
house  of  one  story  and  a  half  built  of  heavy 
logs,  with  its  roof  half-sloped,  like  the  modern 
mansard,  and  containing  a  dormer  window.  On 
the  lower  floor  were  small,  square  windows  and 
one  heavy  battened  door.  This  building  was 
completed  as  early  as  1770,  and  his  next  enter- 
prise was  the  construction  of  a  mill,  which  was 
running  in  1772.  In  June,  1772,  he  purchased 
from  John  Coxe,  merchant,  of  Philadelphia,  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  the  same  vicinity  for  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds.  Two  years 
later  it   seems   that   he  wanted   to   borrow  some 


money,  and  Robert  Fruit  and  Thomas  Hewitt, 
the  county  commisioners,  valued  the  tract,  on 
which  the  said  Derr  now  lives,  having  a  grist  and 
saw  mill,  dwelling  house  and  barn,  clear  upland 
and  meadow,  at  one  thousand  pounds  Pennsyl- 
vania currency — about  $2,666.60.  On  July  31, 
1773,  he  purchased  a  sixth  of  a  tract  of 
eleven  thousand  and  fifty  acres  which  Walter 
Clark  had  bought  for  himself  and  others  in 
November,  1 77 r .  Northumberland  county  was 
organized  in  1772,  and  the  name  of  Ludwig  Derr 
appears  among  the  first  grand  jurors  of  the  first 
session  of  court.  He  was  without  doubt  a  man 
of  great  force  of  character,  courageous,  and  of 
unusual  discretion.  His  mill  and  trading-post 
were  known  throughout  this  region,  travelers 
making  the  point  a  regular  stopping-place.  Many 
meetings  were  held  there  by  the  patriots  during 
the  Revolutionary  period,  yet  so  kindly  and  justly 
had  he  treated  the  Indians  that  when  nearly  every 
structure  built  by  white  men  between  the  Wy- 
oming and  the  Mahantango  was  destroyed  by  the 
Indians,  his  stood  and  he  remained  with  them 
unharmed.  In  March,  1785,  he  laid  out  his 
town,  Samuel  Weiser  making  the  plot.  A  few 
lots  were  sold,  and  in  September  of  that  year 
he  went  to  Philadelphia  where  he  disposed  of  a 
few  more,  how  many  is  not  known  exactly,  the 
price  averaging  about  twenty-five  pounds.  Time 
passed  with  no  word  from  him,  and  his  son, 
George,  becoming  alarmed  went  to  Philadelphia 
to  find  him,  but  neither  in  his  boarding  house  nor 
among  business  men  could  anything  definite  be' 
learned  as  to  his  whereabouts.  He  left  a  widow, 
Catherine,  and  an  only  son,  George,  who  inher- 
ited all  the  property.  The  name  was  spelled  ir- 
regularly. Ludwig  signed  himself  Ludwig  Duer, 
his  wife's  signature  was  Catherine  Darr,  and 
"Tarr's  mill  "  is  spoken  of  in  various  accounts 
of  the  time.  The  Encyclopaedia  Americana  of 
1790  speaks  of  "  Lewisburgh,  or  Tarstown." 

George  Derr  was  but  a  boy  when  his  father 
located  on  the  present  site  of  Lewisburg,  where 
he  grew  up  amidst  pioneer  surroundings,  and  be- 
came a  farmer  and  miller  by  occupation.  He 
died  in  1S29,  and  his  wife,  Fannie  Yentzer,  passed 
away  in  1842.  They  had  eleven  children:  Cath- 
arine, Susan,  Louis,  George,  John,  Jacob,  Fannie, 
Benjamin,  Joseph,  Elizabeth  and  Henry,  all  of 
whom  except  the  youngest  lived  to  adult  age. 

Joseph  Yentzer  Derr,  the  ninth  child  of  George 
Derr  and  Fannie  Yentzer,  was  born  in  Buffalo 
township,  Union  county,  October  10,  18 10.  He 
was  reared  in  Lewisburg,  and  had  more  than  or- 
dinary educational  advantages,  but  his  fine  mind 
could  easily  have  absorbed  even  a  higher  course 
of   study.      He  spent  his  earlier   days   in   a  drug 


810 


I  OMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


store,  and  was  remarkable  for  his  aptness  in 
Heine,  and  in  later  years,  when  he  had  retired 
to  his  farm—  the  estate  upon  which  his  family 
now  lives — he  would  quit  work  to  visit  any  sick 
hbor  and  alleviate  distress  wherever  it  was 
found.      He  always  had  an  ambition  fur  the  study 

nedicine,  and  felt  that  his  life  would  have  I' 
mi  si  replete  «  itfa  satisfaction  to  himself  and  good 
results  to  humanity  had  he  been  thoroughly  trained 
in  that   ''  He  was  burn  in  Buffalo  town- 

ship, Union  county,  October  10,  1S10,  and  died 
in  Lewisburg  |ul)  21,  1864.  A  progressive  and 
independent  thinker,  he  took  keen  interest  in  all 
the  questions  of  his  day.  In  early  years  he  was 
a  Whii;  politically,  and  later  a  Republican,  and, 
while  he  was  not  a  politician,  his  influence  was 
widely  felt.      Hi  1    Mi->  Mary  J.   Kren 

who  was  born  in  [819,  and  lived  near  Winlield 
until  the  age  of  ten  years,  and  afterward  in  Lew- 
isburg. She  was  fond  of  literary  pursuits,  in 
which  she  showed  much  talent,  and  was  a  teacher 
in  the  public  >chools  about  four  years.  Their 
children  were:  Elizabi  th  and  Clara  are  at  home. 
Pattison  is  in  the  iron  business  in  Maine. 
Josi  phi  at  hi  imi        1  ranees  married   D.  L. 

'   coal   dealer  at    Harrisburg,  Penn.,  and 
has  had  lour  children     Mary  died  Maj   1  1,  1884, 
Susan  at  home.  Fannie    who  married    Dr.  I 
K.  Garber,  and   has  one  child.  Mary  |ane),  and 
lie  (who  married   [ohn  Nestor,  ol  Harrisburg, 
hild,  Francis).   John  I>.  is  a  machinist 
in  the  steel worksat  Steelton,  Penn.;  he  married 
hild,  from  Chillisquaque,  Penn., 
and    has    three    children— Hannah,    [oseph  and 
Margaret.     Augustus   S.  is  engaged   in  the  iron 
-  in  Maine;  he  married  Miss  Mary  Moyer, 
and    has  three  children     George  William,  How- 
ard   Wilson  and    Mariam     Kamona.       |ames    M., 
now  of  Wichita,   Kans. ,   married    Miss  Klda  Rob- 
on,   and    has   one    child,    Mary    Klda.       Austin 
tig,     a     farmer    in    Northumberland     county, 
Pi  mi.,  married  Sophia  Reber,  and  has  one  child, 
Edna.       Louisa    K.    married    Isora    Pontius,    of 
I  ewisburg,   and    has    six    children — Horace    1'.. 
Anna    J.,    Fannie    Belle,    Channing,    Mane    | 
and    Clara    M       Horace    W.    died    January    22, 
(888,  at   the  age  of   twenty-seven  years.      Marj 
is  at  home. 

Mrs.  Mary  Kremer)  Derrhasnow  attained  the 
-.om, -what  uncommon  age  of  seventy-eight,  and 
pite  this  fai  1  is  still  vigorous,  physically  and 
mentally.  Her  large  family  received  during 
former  years  her  devoted  attention,  and  aovi  she 
has  the  satisfaction  ol  seeing  them  filling  useful 
and  honorable  stations  in  life.  She  is  tall  with  a 
\  proportioned  frame,  and  must  have  been 
endowed  with  great  physical  strength  and  endur- 


ance, while  intellectually  she  is  brilliant,  and  in 
no  way  indicating  her  advanced  age.  She  visits 
her  neighbors  and  attends  to  business  as  in 
younger  days,  and  her  conversation  is  full  of  in- 
terest. Her  memory  runs  back  to  the  time  when 
all  freight  was  hauled  by  wagons,  and  passenger 
transportation  was  entirely  by  stage.  There  was 
then  no  canal  in  this  part  of  the  State,  but  later 
she  saw  the  overland  system  give  way  to  the 
water  routes,  and  this  in  turn  supplanted  by  the 
railroad. 

Mrs.  Derr  is  a  granddaughter  of  George 
Kremer,  who  came  from  New  Jersey  and  settled 
in  Union  county,  Penn.,  about  1797.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Sophia  Kline,  who  died  at  seventy-five 
yeai  ;  the  date  of  his  death  is  not  known. 

Abraham  Kremer,  Mrs.  Derr's  father,  was  born 
in  1  791,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Union  counts. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Whittaker,  who  was  born 
in  1  Soo,  and  died  in  December,  1  s 4 2 ,  and  bis  own 
death  occurred  in  1847.  He  was  a  Whig  politic- 
ally, and  both  were  devout  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church.  Their  children  were:  Mary  Jane  (widow 
of  Joseph  Derr),  Frances  widow  of  James  S. 
Marsh,  and  lives  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.i,  Anna 
E.  (the  widow  of  Joseph  Shriner,  of  Lewis- 
burg), William  (died  when  two  years  and  seven 
nths  old),  Julia  M.  widow  of  George  Forrest, 
des  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.),  Joseph  A.  died 
in  Lewisburg  February  3,  1893,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one  years),  John  K.  (the  cashier  of  the 
Union  National  Bank  of  Lewisburg),  and  Margaret 
M .  1  died  at  an  early  .1. 


THOMPS*  IN    BAKER,    A.     M.,  promim  nt 

mg  the  native  sons  of  Union  county, 
Penn.,  was  born  in  Buffalo  township,  in 
[847, 'of  German,  Scotch-Irish,  and  French- 
Huguenot  parentage.      His  a  rs   wen    pio- 

rs  in  the  settlement  of  Buffalo  Valley,  being 
Wendel  Baker,  born  1730,  Henry  Rockey,  bom 
1744,  John  Pontius,  born  17  iS,  and  John  Thump- 
son,  born  1720,  all  of  whom  lived  and  died  in 
Buffalo  Valley,  Union  county,  Pennsylvania. 

J.  Thompson  Raker  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  district  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood of    his    home,  and   completed  his  studies  at 

.nell  University,  in  Lewisburg.  He  purs 
his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Judge  Bucher,  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1870,  and  immediately 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
won  a  high  place  iii  the  legal  world,  and  the 
faithful  discharge  of  his  duties,  his  fidelity  to  his 
clients,     and    his    repudiation    of    unprincip 

I  hods  to  win  unjust  causes,  has  given  to  him 
the  true  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


811 


In  1874,  Mr.  Baker  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Margaret  E.  Bordner,  and  by  this 
union  he  has  five  children — one  son  and  four 
daughters:  Frederick  Thompson,  Margaret  Stuart, 
Katharine  Pontius,  Frances  Moore  and  Mary 
Howard.  Our  subject  has  been  closely  identified 
with  all  the  material  interests  of  the  county,  and 
has  contributed  liberally  of  both  his  time 
and  means  to  aid  in  its  advancement.  He 
is  president  of  The  Union  National  Bank  of 
Lewisburg,  Penn.,  the  Lewisburg  Water  Com- 
pany, the  Home  Telephone  Company,  the  trus- 
tees and  corporation  of  Beaver  Memorial  M.  E. 
Church,  and,  in  fact,  wherever  and  whenever  any 
enterprise  that  tends  to  the  benefit  of  the  com- 
munity, is  to  be  encouraged  Mr.  Baker  is  found 
to  be  actively  engaged  therein.  He  has  also 
been  instrumental  in  establishing  a  successful 
granite  business  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and  in 
founding  and  building  the  borough  of  Wildwood, 
New  Jersey. 


m 


C.  STEADMAN,  M.  D.  The  faithful 
physician  has  an  unequaled  opportunity 
for  doing  good,  and  only  one  who  has  stood  by 
the  open  grave  of  such  a  one  and  witnessed  the 
heartfelt  mourning  of  the  entire  community  gath- 
ered to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect  and 
gratitude,  can  realize  how  strong  has  been  his 
hold  upon  the  affections  of  rich  and  poor,  high 
and  low,  ignorant  and  learned,  to  whom  in  some 
trying  moment  his  presence  has  brought  relief 
and  hope. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir,  formerly  a  prom- 
inent physician  and  surgeon  of  Mifflinburg,  Union 
county,  was  a  man  to  whom  professional  fees  were 
a  secondary  matter.  To  all  his  patients  he  was 
the  same,  answering  with  as  much  alacrity  a  call 
to  the  home  of  the  poor  and  humble  as  to  the 
wealthy  and  influential,  and  tending  a  stranger 
with  the  same  kindly  devotion  that  he  gave  to 
a  neighbor.  Wholly  regardless  of  self,  he  often 
discharged  the  duties  of  nurse  as  well  as  those 
more  strictly  in  the  lines  of  his  profession,  his 
only  thought  being  to  serve  and  save  others. 

It  is  most  fitting  and  appropriate  that  the  his- 
tory of  this  noble  man,  dearly  beloved  by  the 
people  of  his  day,  should  be  kept  in  memory 
by  the  descendants  of  those  among  whom  his 
life  was  spent,  and  for  that  reason  the  following 
brief  record  is  inserted  here. 

Dr.  Steadman  was  born  July  12,  1832,  in 
Lewisburg,  but  his  youth  was  mainly  spent  in 
Juniata  county,  Penn.,  where  he  obtained  his 
literary  education.  His  inclination  for  the  med- 
ical profession  was  manifested  at  an  early  day, 


and  as  soon  as  prepared  he  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1861.  He  then  locat- 
ed at  Buffalo  Cross  Roads,  and  August  2,  1862, 
was  mustered  into  the  army  as  assistant  surgeon, 
87th  P.  V.  I.,  was  honorably  discharged,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1S64,  for  physical  disabilities.  After 
his  return  from  the  army  he  located  in  Mifflin- 
burg, of  which  place  he  was  appointed  post- 
master, January,  1868,  holding  this  office  until 
his  death.   May  22,  1876. 

His  widow,  Mrs.  Julia  Bound  Steadman,  still 
survives  with  two  sons:  William  H.,  merchant 
and  manufacturer,  who  married  Miss  Gertrude 
Moss,  and  resides  in  Mifflinburg;  and  Merrill  Linn, 
a  pharmacist,  who  is  single.  Those  deceased  are: 
Joseph  Bound,  Sarah  McClellan  and  Franklin 
Bound,  Mrs.  Steadman,  to  whom  the  Doctor  was 
married  March  24,  1863,  at  Milton,  Penn.,  is  a  na- 
tive of  that  town,  born  October  17,  1836.  Her 
fine  native  abilities  were  developed  by  careful 
education,  and  the  refinements  of  a  cultured  home 
made  a  lasting  impression  upon  a  nature  admirably 
adapted  to  receive  their  subtle  benefits.  At  the 
death  of  her  husband  she  was  appointed  post- 
mistress of  Mifflinburg,  serving  in  that  capacity 
until  1887.  Her  father,  Joseph  Bound,  who  was 
of  English  descent,  was  born  in  Chester  county, 
Penn.,  but  became  a  resident  of  Milton,  where  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He  was  a  Pres- 
byterian in  religion,  an  elder  for  forty-one  years, 
an'd  was  said  to  be  "the  friend  of  everything 
good."  He  took  an  active  part  in  local  affairs, 
serving  for  some  time  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  wife,  Mary  Ann  Housel,  died  in  1869,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-nine.  They  had  six  children: 
Sarah  Jane  (deceased);  Margaretta  (deceased); 
William  H.,  a  physician,  died  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands;  Franklin  is  a  lawyer  and  ex-congress- 
man; Charles  A.  died  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war  in  the  War  Department;  and  Julia  B.  (Mrs. 
Steadman). 


P)ETER  HAGENBUCH  (deceased;.  Al- 
though the  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  did 
not  attain  the  limited  age  allotted  to  the  average 
man,  he  left  an  enviable  record,  in  which  kindly 
thought  for  his  fellows  is  clearly  seen  although 
it  was  expressed  in  helpful  deeds  rather  than  in 
words.  As  a  citizen,  a  politician,  and  a  man  of 
affairs,  he  stood  the  peer  of  any  in  his  section, 
but  it  was  not  in  these  phases  of  his  well-rounded 
character  that  he  will  remain  longest  in  the  mem- 
ory and  the  affection  of  those  who  knew  him 
best.  Rather  will  he  be  recalled  as  the  helper  of 
the  helpless,  for  though  childless  himself,  he  be- 


812 


COMME.VORA  TlYE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


came  a  father  to    those  who   had  been  bereft  of 
ital  care. 

Mr.  Hagenbuch's  ancestors  were  earl)1  settlers 
in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  his  parents.  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Weikel)  Hagenbuch,  both  being  natives 
ol  that  county.  They  came  to  Union  county, 
thenColumbia  county,  shortly  after  their  marria 
and  located  on  a  farm  in  East  Buffalo  township, 
where  both  died  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six,  the  same  illness  affecting  them,  and  the  wife 
sun  r  husband  but  a   few  days.      Of  their 

four  children  none  ard  now  living.      Aaron  was  a 
farmer  and   banker  in   Michigan;    Elizabeth  ■■ 
the  wife  of  Charles  ck,  whose  death  oc- 

curred a  few  months  from   her   own.  Peter,  oui 
subject,    was   the    third    in   order    of    birth;  and 
Henry   Lightstreet   was  a   farmer    in   Columbia 
county.  Penn.,  for  many  years,  but    at  the  ti 
of  his  death  he  had  retired  from  active  business. 

Mr.  Hagenbuch  was  born  in  Union  count)  in 
iSji,  and  in  earl]  manhood  engaged  in  agricult- 
ure and  in  speculating,  his  efforts  in  both  lines 
being  attended  with  success.  His  ability  and 
nee  made  him  a  leader  in  local  politics, 
and  he  was  a  valued  adviser  in  the  Republican 
organization.     On   Deci  1^50,    he   was 

rried  at  Berwick,  Columbia  county,  Penn.,  to 
Miss  Julia  A.  Landbach,  and  in  1854  they  settled 
at  the  present  homestead  near  West  Milton, 
where  a  beautiful  and  commodious  residence  was 
built. 

Mr,  1  fagenbuch's  death  occurred  in  (  olumbia 
county  in  1875,  cutting  short  his  useful  life  at 
the  1       itive  early  age  of  fifty-four.      As  has 

been  said,  he  had  no  children  of  his  own,  but  he 
and  his  kind-hearted  wife  took  into  their  pleasant 
home  seven  children  to  rear  and  train  for  honor- 
isitions  in  life.  One,  Elmira  A.,  died  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years;  | < ■  1 1 1 1  Allward  grew  to 
manhood,    married,    and    is   now    a  t   of 

Johnstown.  Penn.  ;  Emma  Ferguson  married 
Henry  Lewallen,  and  lives  in  the  West;  William 
Stutzman  is  married,  but  his  present  residence  is 
not    known,  and   his   brother,  Judson,    who 

d  for  a  time  with    Mr.   and   Mrs.  Hagenbuch, 

red;    I  lai  1  \  Mi  Call  married,  and  now 

resides  in   St.   Paul,  Minn.;   Isabella    Whatmore 

iw  the  w  ife  of  I  hinist  at 

Milton,  Pennsylvania. 

Mrs.  Hagenbuch  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Lewisburg,  to  which 
been  a  liberal  contributor,  and  her  gen- 
erosity 1^  1  potent  factor  in  many  philanthropic 
enterprises.  she  was  born  on  Briai  en 
Columbia  county,  July  10.  1824,  and  was  the 
only  child  of  George  B.  and  Elizabeth  \\ 
Landbach,  who  were  natives  1  if  Lancaster  Ci  lunty, 


Penn.  Her  father  was  a  well-known  contractor 
and  builder,  and  held  a  high  place  in  business 
and  social  life,  being  identified  with  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  locality.  He  died  in  Columbia 
county  in  1 831,  at  the  age  of  forty,  and  the 
mother,  who  was  never  separated  from  her 
daughter,  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-six,  passing 
away  in   1 


DANIEL  R.  SMITH,  the  popular  and  effi- 
nt  treasurer  of  Union  count}',  was  born 
in  Hartley  township.  May  t8,  1853,  a  son  of 
J<.lm  and  Mary  (Rockey)  Smith,  the  former  of 
whom  was  of  the  same  nativity,  born  in  1809, 
and  died  in  Hartley  township,  in  1889.  He  was 
a  son  of  Leonard  Smith,  also  a  native  of  Union 
county,  who  married  and  reared  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters:  John,  Leonard,  Peter, 
Jacob,  Susanna  (who  became  the  wife  of  John 
Dii  lil  Mary  1  who  wedded  Jacob  Weirick),  and 
1  >i  t  -1  •>  1  wife  of  Jacob  Shively),  all  now  deceased. 
The  entire  family  were  devout  Christians,  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

John  Smith,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 
lifelong  farmer,  and  passed  his  entire  life  in 
Hartlej  township.  By  his  wife  Mary  (Rocl 
he  had  a  family  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Will- 
iam, who  lost  his  life  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
having  enlisted  during  the  Civil  war  in  Company 
E,  3 1  st  P.  V.  I.:  Isaiah,  who  also  served  in  the 
51st  Regiment,  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
and  died  of  starvation  in  Andersonville  prison; 
Mary  |ane,  who  married  J.  W.  Showalter,  a 
farmer  of  near  Hartleton.  Union  county,  and  has 
six  children — Newton.  John,  Daniel,  William, 
Hannah  and  Esther;  Samuel,  who  wedded  Miss 
11    Knape,  and    took    up   farming    in    Centre 

nty,  but  lost  his  life  February  17,  1SS0, 
through  an  attack  made  on  him  by  a  vicious  cow 
he  left  a  widow  and  one  son);  and  Catherine 
and  Daniel  R.  1  twins),  the  former  of  whom  mar- 
ried Isaac  Walker,  a  farmer  of  Centre  county, 
Penn.,  mar  Tyrone,  by  whom  she  has  eight 
sons. 

On  the  home  farm  Daniel  R,  Smith  was 
reared   to   h  industry  and   economy,  at- 

ling  during  the   winter   seasons    the    common 

iols  of  the  neighborhood.  Building  upon 
these  good  loundations,  he  made  the  best  use  of 
such  opportunities  as  he  could  find  for  study, 
and  himself    to   be     an    earnest,  diligent 

and  apt  scholar.  Thus  qualifying  himself,  he  at 
the  age  1  >i  se>  enteen  commenced  teaching  school, 
first  in  Centre  county,  later  in  Hartley  town- 
ship, Union  county — one  term  each  ;  after  which, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


813 


with  laudable  ambition,  he  attended  the  Normal 
School  at  Shippensburg  one  term.  Returning 
to  his  old  home,  he  again  took  up  the  profession 
of  teaching,  and  taught  in  Lewis  township, 
Union  county,  three  terms,  atthe  ending  of  which 
time,  being  desirous  of  further  advancing  his 
studies,  he  attended  school  at  State  College, 
Centre  county,  two  terms.  For  two  years 
thereafter  he  taught  school  in  Buffalo  and  Kelly 
townships,  Union  county,  some  two  years. 

In  i  S8 1  Mr.  Smith  engaged  with  a  surveying 
party  to  locate  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad, 
crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains  between  Bozeman, 
Mont.,  and  Portland,  Ore.,  Helena,  Mont.,  being 
headquarters,  and  was  thus  employed  one  year, 
being  associated  in  the  exploit  with  "Buffalo 
Bill"  and  other  early  border  celebrities.  He 
then  returned  to  Union  county  (having  during  his 
absence  purchased  the  old  farmstead  near  Laurel- 
ton),  and  in  1882  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Laurelton,  in  which  village  he  established  the 
first  drug  store,  which  he  conducted  some  four 
years,  when  his  stock  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr. 
Smith's  next  employment  was  as  traveling  sales- 
man for  Kline,  Heitz  &  Co.,  of  Millersburg, 
Penn. ,  manufacturers  of  carpets,  rugs,  etc.,  and 
in  that  capacity  he  remained  two  years;  then  en- 
gaged with  S.  Lynd  Fox,  a  grocery  man  of  Phil- 
adelphia, continuing  with  him  some  three  years, 
in  all  of  which  positions  he  earned  for  himself  a 
well-merited  confidence. 

On  February  15,  1896,  he  was  nominated  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  treasurer  of  Union 
county,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  on  No- 
vember 6,  he  was  elected  by  the  flattering  ma- 
jority of  1,064  votes,  defeating  a  candidate  who 
had  been  solidly  endorsed  at  the  Democratic 
convention.  On  January  7,  1897,  Mr.  Smith 
took  charge  of  the  office,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to 
add  that  his  short  term  therein  has  already 
strengthened  his  unquestioned  popularity  through- 
out his  native  county.  He  is  an  active  worker, 
doing  his  duty  to  his  constituents  in  a  manner 
that  has  won  him  both  applause  and  honor. 

On  September  12,  1S83.  Mr.  Smith  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  with  Miss  Fannie  Kate  Barnitz, 
daughter  of  Rev.  A.  M.  and  Sarah  Barnitz,  and 
three  children — two  daughters  and  one  son — 
have  come  to  gladden  their  home:  Nellie,  Annie 
and  McClain.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  hold  membership  with  the  M.  E.  Church, 
with  which  denomination  he  identified  himself 
when  eighteen  years  of  age.  Socially,  he  affili- 
ates with  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  P.  O.  S.  of 
A.,  of  which  latter  he  was,  in  1895,  appointed 
district  president.  In  1895,  by  special  appoint- 
ment   of   Gov.  Hastings,  he  was   made  one  of  a 


committee  of  ten  to  investigate  all  the  public 
institutions  of  refuge  throughout  the  State,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  exact  number  of 
linns  quartered  in  such  institutions,  and  which 
investigation  resulted  in  the  passage  of  the 
"Alien  Bill,"  which  provides  for  the  removal 
from  the  public  institutions  of  Pennsylvania  all 
unnaturalized  foreigners  to  the  States  and  coun- 
tries from  whence  they  came.  This  measure 
will  result  in  a  saving  of  over  one  million  dollars 
per  year  to  the  Commonwealth. 

Mr.  Smith  is  the  owner  of  the  old  Smith 
homestead  in  Hartley  township,  embodying  181 
acres  of  highly-improved  land,  and  considered 
one  of  the  finest  and  most  fertile  farms  in  Union 
county,  in  addition  to  which  he  owns  valuable 
property  in  Laurelton.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
popular  men  in  the  county,  strong  in  his  polit- 
ical party,  and  the  longer  he  is  known  the  more 
he  is  esteemed,  respected  and  admired.  In  the 
heyday  of  mature  manhood,  possessed  of  a  host 
of  friends  and  a  deserved  prosperity,  he  is  as- 
suredly  a  man  to  be  contented  and  to  be  envied. 


HARRISON  HAFER.  Among  the  pleasantest 
rural  homes  of  this  section  is  that  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harrison  Hafer,  of  Kelly  township, 
Union  county,  the  culture  and  artistic  taste  of  its 
occupants  being  reflected  in  its  appointments, 
while  a  gracious  hospitality  adds  a  charm  to  its 
material  comforts.  Mr.  Hafer  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  bears  an  honorable  record  for 
brave  service  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  union, 
and  in  the  paths  of  peace  he  has  also  won  an  en- 
viable reputation  through  the  sterling  qualities 
which  go  to  the  making  of  a  good  citizen. 

The  Hafer  family  has  been  identified  with 
Union  county  since  1806,  when  our  subject's 
grandparents,  Michael  Hafer  and  wife,  came 
from  Berks  county,  Penn.,  and  located  upon  the 
Henning  farm  near  Lewisburg,  the  grandfather 
following  agricultural  pursuits.  Later  they  set- 
tled in  Buffalo  township,  near  Lochiel,  but  their 
last  years  were  spent  upon  a  farm  in  Kelly  town- 
ship. Their  remains  now  repose  in  the  burial 
ground  at  Driesbach  Church. 

Jacob  Hafer,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Berks  county,  and  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  their  new  home,  where  he  spent  his  life, 
engaging  in  farming  as  an  occupation,  and  also, 
to  some  extent,  in  weaving.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  for  many  years  he  served  as  con- 
stable in  his  township.  He  was  married  in 
Union  county  to  Miss  Rebecca  Gilbert,  daughter 
of  Henry  Gilbert,  and  a  native  of  Schuylkill 
county,  where  his  parents  were  both   born   and 


MORATIVE  BlotSRM'lIK  AL  UECOUD. 


where  they  passed  their  lives  with  the  exception 

few    years    in  Union  county  in  early  d 
Jacob  Hater  and  his  wife  wi  .t  Lutherans 

■  !  died  in  that  faith,  the  former  in  1874,  .it  the 
oty-nine  years  and   four  months,  and 
the  latter  in  1  885,  aged  eighty-four. 

They  had  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  lived 
to  maturity:     1    William,  who  died  in  r88i,  was 
.1  physician  .it   Marshallville,  Ga.      He  had  two 
children,  one  ol   whom,    Herbert,  is  living. 
Hi  nry,  a  n  tired  agriculturist  residing  near  Kelly 
3,  Union  county,  was  born  March  30, 
iwnship,  of  the  same  county. 
11     is   1  well-known  Republican,  ami  a  prominent 
membei  of  the  Lutheran  Church.      On  December 
1;.   [850,  he  was   married   to    Miss    Mary  Yost,  a 
1     German    descent,   and    a    daughter   of 
Michael  Yo  irthumberland  county,  Penn. 

Three  children  were  born  to  them:        a    William 
1       a   farmer  bj  ition,    married   Elizabeth 

lv  nn<  i.  and  has  five  children,      (b    Levi  F.  rriar- 
herman,   and   has  had  tw 
Amnion    E.    died   January  28,  1886,    and   his 
remains  rest    in  White    1'  ry.        3)    | 

ised,   was    a    soldier  in   the   Civil    w 
ipation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  the  greater 
life  was    -pent   in    Michigan. 
H>-  left  a  family,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Michigan 
1  daughter,  who  married   Paterson   Meix- 
ell,    son    of    Martin    Meixell.    and    lives  in   Kan- 
41  Andrew  was  married  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y., 
to  Miss  Nancy  Barnhart,  of  Union  county,  Penn., 
and  settled  in  Ouray  county,  Colo.,  where  h 
now  engaged   in   agriculture.      He  was  formerly 
inti  ■  .  the  mining  of  gold  and  silver,  be- 

longing I  Ithy  syn  in  New 

^  :k  as  the  Colorado  Mining  &  Land  Company, 
winch  opened    a    number  of    mines   at    a 

000      Andrew    11. iter  and  two  men  by  the 
name  <■(  Mclntyre,  brothers,  who  were  also  mi 
bers  impany,  sold  their  prior   individual 

interests  in  the  mines  to  the  compan 
000,  tal.  k  in  the  tion  in  paymi 

Henry    Hater,    mentioned   above,   als  ted 

heavily,   but  later  ti  any  became  embar- 

ind  the  entire  property  was  sold  for  $15,- 
000.  th(  \.  J.  S.  Buell,  of  New  York  City, 

eth  died  at  the 
nd  the  next  three  in 
der   of   birth   died    in   infant  \ 
sen  ier  in  the  "late  unpleasantni 

has  been  for  some  time  engaged  in  teaming  in 
Lewisburg,  but  was  formerl)  a  farmer.  He 
married  tfirst'  Miss  Matilda  Noll,  and  (second) 
Miss  Mary  Kinmv  By  the  first  marriage  there 
wet'  bildren:     Jacob,    Samuel.   Margaret, 

Iwin.      1 10)  Jonas,  a  farmer  in  Kelly 


township,  Union  county,  married  (first)  Miss  Mary 
Hollenbach,  and  (second)  Laura  Gusler,  and  has 

hail  two  children:  Isaac  and  Anna.  Isaac,  a 
farmer  in  Kansas,  married  Miss  Jane  Lisenhauer. 
ill!  Harrison  is  mentioned  more  fully  below. 
a  married  William  Kauch,  of  White 
Deer  township.  Union  county,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming,  ami.  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
Peter,  carries  on  a  large  milling   business. 

The  birth  ot  Harrison  Hater,  our  subject, 
curred    |anuary    27,    1841,    in    Kelly    township, 
Union  county,  and  his   youth  was    passed   in   the 
wholesome  surroundings  of  farm  life.     Whih 
sisting    his    father    on    the    farm    he   learned   the 

per's  trade,  but  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
caused  him  to  forego  his  plans  for  business  life, 
and  offer  his  services  to  his  country.      August   6, 

p2,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A.  1  ;t-t  P.  V.  I., 
under  Capt.  J.   R.  Orwig.  with  the  rank  of  fourth 

poral.      He  was  mustered  out   May  23,   1 
but   re-enlisted   in   Company    I.  [92nd  P.  V.  I  . 
and  served  until    the  close   of   the  war,  receiving 
his  final  discharge  in  August,    1865.      Among  the 
important  engagements  through  which  he  passed 
were  the  battles  of  Antietam.  September  1,".  1 
and   Fredericksburg,  and   the   live-days'  stru. 
at  Chancellorsville,  beginning  May  1,   1863.     On 
bis  return  1;  again  engaged  in   farm  work 

with  his  father,  but  in  the  spring  of  1 867  he 
rented  a  farm  and  began  work  on  his  own  ac- 
.nt.  In  1875  hi'  purchased  a  place  in  Kelly 
township,  which  he  still  owns  and  now  re- 
there.  In  1879  he  removed  to  Northumberland 
county,  but  after  thn  returned   to   his  old 

farm,  where    he    remained    until    his   removal,  in 

2,  to  his  present  home  in  the  same  township. 

Kelly  Point.      Alwaysan  industrious  worker 

and  thrifty  manager.  Mr.    Hafer  d  his  suc- 

He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  an  active 


member   of    the    Grand    Army    Post    No. 


of 


Lewisburg. 


He  and   his    amiable  wife  are    both 
connected  with  the  Reformed  Church. 

Mr.  Hafer  has  been  twic  d.      His  first 

i  Gi  ive,  to  whom    be  was  united 

in  1  laughter  of  Abraham  and  Susanna 

Leiser)   Grove,    well-known  I   Kelly 

nship,  Union  county.      She  passed  to  the  un- 

tv    22,   [875,  aged  thirty  ye 

eight  months  and  eleven  days,  leaving  twodaugh- 

S  irah,    now   the   wife   of    :  Smith,  a 

farmer  in  Kelly  township;   and  Susanna  M..  who 

married    John  \Y     Crisswell,  a   carpenter   in  the 

same    locality       On    December    28,     1876,    Mr. 

Hafer    was    married    to    his    present    wi: 

Mary  C.   Hottenstein,  and  three  children  —  Lettie 

V.,   Rebecca  E    and  Frances  C. — brighten   their 

home. 


COil  SI  ESI')  HA  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mrs.  Hafer  was  born  January  9,  1849,  >n 
Northumberland  county,  Penn.,  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  Charles  C.  Hottenstein,  and  a  granddaugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Catherine  1  Spohn,  Hottenstein. 
of  Berks  county.  Mrs.  Hafer's  father,  who  died 
March  8,  1 891 ,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine,  was 
a  man  of  great  ability,  and  held  a  prominent 
place  in  public  life.  He  was  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  Penn..  where  he  married  Miss  Veron 
Kaufman,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  D. 
(Whitenheimer)  Kauffman,  both  lifelong  resi- 
dents of  the  same  county,  where  Mr.  Kaufman 
was  a  leading  agricultur; 

Soon  after  their  marriage,  Mr.  Hafer's  par- 
ents moved  to  a  farm  in  Northumberland  county 
and  established  their  home.  Mr.  Hottenstein 
followed  surveying  as  an  occupation,  and  his  su- 
perior judgment  in  affairs  was  recognized  by  his 
fellow  citizens  in  many  ways.  For  about  thirty 
years  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  in 
which  he  was  serving  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic 
Convention,  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  in  i860,  and 
represented  his  county  in  the  State  Legislature 
in  1859.  His  wife  died  in  May,  1877,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-seven  years  and  fifteen  <i? 

They  had  the  following  children:  Allen  S., 
an  attorney  at  Milton.  Penn.;  Henry  K..  a  re- 
tired farmer  residing  in  Northumberland  county; 
Daniel,  a  resident  of  Paradise,  Northumberland 
county,  who  was  appointed  at  his  father's  death 
by  Gov.  Pattison,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  since  retained  that 
office  by  the  election  of  the  people;  Mars'  C, 
Mrs.  Hafer;  Sarah  E.,  deceased,  formerly  the 
wife  of  Jacob  K.  Stahl.  who  is  mentioned  farther 
on;  Susannah  E.,  who  married  Thomas  Long, 
the  proprietor  of  a  sawmill  at  Williamsport, 
Penn.;  Clara  V.,  wife  of  Daniel  Raup,  of  North- 
umberland county:  Abraham  C.  and  William  P.. 
farmers  in  the  same  county:  and  Clarissa  and 
Catherine,  who  died  in  their  youth. 

Jacob    K.    Stahl,    a    brother-in-law    of 
Hafer,  was  for  many  years  a  successful  farmer  in 
Kelly  township.  Union   county,  and  is  now  living 
retired    at    Mazeppa.      While    there  eral 

families  of  the  name  in  the  county,  the  branch  to 
which  he  belongs  was  the  first  to  be  represented 
in  Kelly  township,  his  grandfather,  Adam  Stahl. 
coming  from  Schuylkill  county,  Penn  ,  about 
1820,  and  making  his  permanent  home  upon  a 
farm.  He  was  a  prosperous  citizen,  influential 
in  local  affairs,  and  standing  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  neighbors.  He  had  eleven  children,  among 
whom  were  seven  stalwart  sons,  each  over  six 
feet  tall. 

John  Stahl,  the  father  of  the  gentleman  men- 


tioned, was  a  man  of  note  in  his  locality,  and, 
although  he  attended  school  but  very  little,  about 
four  months  in  all,  he  acquired  through  his  own 
efforts  a  fair  education.      His  skill  in  mechanics 

•tinted  to  positive  genius,  an  examination  of  a 
piece  of  machinery  enabling  him  to  duplicate  it. 
He  received  some  regular  training  as  a  carpenter, 
but  did  not  complete  a  term  of  apprenticeship, 
and  he  was  equally  competent  as  a  worker  in  iron 
with  no  special  instruction.  In  the  shop  which 
he  built  upon  his  farm  he  made  wagons,  drills 
and  various  kinds  of  tools,  and  did  all  his  own 
,1  and  iron.  His  robust  constitution 
was  equal  to  severe  and  long  continued  toil,  and 
and  until  the  hour  of  his  death,  from  heart  dis- 
ease, he  was  actively  engaged  in  business  and 
other  cares.     A  deep  thinker,  he  was  not  much 

■n  to  talking,  and  in  the  management  of  busi- 
he  displayed  the  rar  tive  ability  which 

keeps  others  employed  without  friction  or  ; 
plexing  complications.  He  made  his  home 
throughout  life  upon  the  farm  where  he  was  born, 
from  which  he  was  seldom  absent  except  when 
business  called  him.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, but  while  he  attended  elections  regu- 
larly, he  never  sought  office,  his  quiet  disposition 
finding  private  life  more  congenial.  He  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  his 
locality.  At  his  death,  which  occurred  February 
16.  1884,  a  large  estate  was  left,  including  four 
farms  and  considerable  cash.  His  first  wife,  for- 
merly Miss  Catherine  Kauffman,  to  whom  he  was 
united  in  the  latter  40s.  was  a  native  of  Buffalo 
township,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Kauffman.  a 
well-known  citizen.  She  was  a  devout  Christian 
and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Church.  On  Oc- 
tober 18,  1850,  she  passed  to  the  better  world, 
leaving  one  son,  Jacob  K.  Stahl.  By  a  second 
marriage,  this  time  with  Miss  Amelia  Kauffman, 
there  was  also  one  son.  Aaron  O,  born  Decem- 
ber 10.  1856.  now  a  resident  of  Buff  a! 
ship.    Union    county.      Mrs.   Amelia   Stahl,    who 

ies  with  her  son,    was  a  native  of  Buffalo 

nship.  born  in  December,  18 16.      Her  fat: 
John  Kauffman,  was  born  in  Berk 
July  11.    1764.  and  her  mother.  Catherine  Wan- 
wilier,  also  a  native  of  that  county,  was  born  in 
Ole  township.  December  26.    1772.    They  reared 
a  familv  a  daughters. 


HON.   JACOB  HOWEF: 
ing  city  >burg.  Union  county,  is  one 

of  the  successful  business   men  of   that   local 
having  been  for  many  years  a   leading    furniture 
dealer  and  undertaker.      He  served  with  distinc- 
tion in  the  Civil  war.  entering  Company  A.  1 3 


B16 


(  OMMBMORATIVE  BIOGUM'IW  AI.  RECORD. 


P.  V.  I.  on   August  6,   1862.      At  the   expiration 
lis  term  in  fune,   [863,  here-enlisted  in  Com- 
panj   F,   1  25th  P.  V.  I.,  and  remained  1  m  dul 

long  as  hostilities  lasted,  receiving   his  disch; 
Ma)    -?.   1865.      He  took  part   in   a   nui 
important  battli         I  cksburg,  Chancellors- 

ville,  and  otl  I  was  promoted  for  bra\ 

to  the  rank  of  first  sergeant. 

Mayor  I  lower  w  Decen  s4'  • 

in   Hartley   township,    I  >unty,  where   his 

grandfather,  Gi   >rgi    II  >wer,  settled  at  an  earl}' 

day  upon  a  [arm  where  he  lived   to  the  ripe  old 

eighty-three.     The  family   is  of  German 

[in,  and  it  is  probable  that  George  Hower  was 
a  native  of  the  Fatherland,  but  he  had  resided 
for  some  time  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  before 
coming  to  this  section.  His  children  were  John, 
George,  Samuel,  Elizabeth,  and  Cathi 
whom  the  only  survivor  is  Samuel. 

The  late  J  >lm  Hower,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  fune  13,  1806,  and  passed  his  life 
m  Union  counts  in  agricultural  pursuits,  his 
death  occurring  September   25,   1892.      His  wife, 

anah  Spigelmyer,  was  born  January  23,  1810, 
and  died  March  27,  1880.  They  had  nine  chil- 
eased;  Mary,  who  has  never 
married,  resides  in  Kansas;  John,  who  resides  in 
Michigan;  Catherine,  Mrs.  Henry  Catherman; 
1  resident  of  Kansas;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Henry  Huffman,  of  Hartleton,  Penn. ; Jacob,  our 
subject;  Susan,  now  Mrs.  Cox,  of  Kansas;  and 
Henry,  who  lives  in  Oklahoma. 

The  schools  of  his  Dative  township] 
Ma.  r    with    an   education    of    which  his 

tical  mind  has  made  good  use  as  a  founda- 
observation  and  reading.  At  an  early 
age  he  learned  the  business  of  cabinet  making 
and  undertaking,  but  his  military  service  in  the 
defense  of  his  country  interfered  for  a  time  with 
his  business  career.  On  his  return  from  the 
army  he  established  himself  in  Lewisburg  where 
In-  speedily  gained  a  large  trade,  ami  an  honor- 
able standing.  As  a  funeral  director  he  per- 
forms his  delicate  and  important  duties  with  rare 
tact  and  discretion. 

In  1866  oiu  was  married  to  Miss  Jen- 

nie Lerkley,  a  native  of  I.'  wisburg,  born  January 
15,  1 84 1,  and  five  children  have  blessed  the 
union:  Margaret  was  married  to  C.  E.  Stein,  of 
Lewisbur-;  F.  A.  is  a  resident  of  Chicago,  111.; 
C.  W.,  now  in  business  with  his  fathei  al  I  ■  wis- 
burg; Warren  E.,  a  trawling  salesman,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Lewisburg;  and  Nellie  E.,  who  is  attend- 
ing school. 

In  1894  the  people  of  Lewisburg  chose  Mr. 
Hower  as  their  first  burgess  under  the  new  law, 
and    his   administration   has   full}'   justified    their 


confidence.      Mayor   Hower  is  prominent  in  all 
local  movements,  and  is  identified,  socially,  with 
the  <■    A.   R.,  and   the    I.  O.  O.  F.;  he  has  1 
treasurer  of  the   latter   organization   for    twenty- 
tlm  He  is  a  member  of   the  Encamp- 

r.  and  has  passed  through  all  the  chairs. 


W1LLARD     '  >.    SHAFFER,  who    is  now 
his  fifth  consecutive  term   as  pro- 
thonotary  of  Union  county,  is  deservedly   popu- 
lar, few    men    in   any    public   position    display 
the  unwearying  devotion  to  duty  which  has  char- 
his  official  life. 

Mr.  Shaffer,  unlike  many  of  his  fellow  work- 
ers in  the  county  administration,  is  a  native  of 
Lewisburg,  where  he  was  born  March  18,  1847. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  David  Shaffer,  a  native 

Northampton  county,  settled  in  Union  coun- 
ty in  early  manhood,  and  became  a  well-known 
farmer  of  ••  ye  olden  time."  Daniel  Shaffer,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Union  county, 
Februarv  ;.  [821,  and  was  a  prominent  resident 
of  Lewisburg,  where  for  many  years  he  had  been 

iged  in  business  as  a  marble  dealer.  II 
died  January  5.  1897.  He  was  married  in  1 
to  Miss  Mary  Ogden,  a  native  of  Northumber- 
land county,  born  August  15,  1824,  and  they 
passed  more  than  half  a  century  in  loving  union. 
Our  subject  is  the  elder  of  two  sons:  C.  F. 
Shaffer,  the  younger,  is  also  in  the  public  serv- 
ice as  deputy  prothonotary  of  the  county,  which 
office  he  has  filled  for  twenty-one  years. 

The  schools  of  Lewisburg  provided  our  sub- 
ject with  excellent  educational  advantages  which 
he  was  not  slow  to  improve,  and  in  1872  he 
was    graduated     from     Bucknell     College.       He 

ght  for  one  term  in  the  academy  at  Mc- 
Ewensville,  Penn.,  and  then  returned  to  Lewis- 
burg  and  began  the  study  of  law.  On  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  T>ar  in  [875,  he  engaged  in  prac- 
tice, but  since  1883,  when  he  was  first  elected  to 
the  office  of  prothonotary,  his  time  has  been 
fully  taken  up  with  the  responsible  duties  of  that 
post.      He  is  a  director  of  the   Home  Telephone 

npany,  a  director  in   the  Lewisburg  National 

k,  and  is  active  in  the  promotion  of  various 
movements  which  are  beneficial  to  the  commu- 
nity. Since  1882  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Fire  Department,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  organiza- 
tion. 

In    188C     Mr.    Shaffer    married     Miss    Anna 

Srhreyer,  a  native  of  Lewisburg,  born  August  6, 

1,  and  three  children — Harold  A.,  Mildred  J. 

and   Helen   L. — brighten   their  home.      Mr.  and 

Mrs.    Shaffer  are     prominent    socially,    and  are 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


817 


leading  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
Mrs.  Shaffer  being  an  active  worker  in  the  Mis- 
sionary Society. 


FREDERIC  EVANS  BOWER,  attorney  at 
law,  Lewisburgh,  Union  county,  and  Mid- 
dleburgh,  Snyder  county,  was  born  January  21, 
1846,  in  Selins  Grove,  Snyder  county  (then  a 
part  of  Union  county),  Penn.,  where  his  father, 
Hon.  Thomas  Bower,  was  then  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business. 

On  his  father's  side  our  subject  is  of  German, 
Scotch  and  Welsh  descent.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Philip  Bower,  came  to  America  with  his 
brother  Lewis  at  an  early  day,  a  German  emi- 
grant. After  landing,  the  brothers  "  hired  out," 
not  improbably  at  farm  labor,  to  pay  their  pass- 
age across  the  seas.  Having  faithfully  performed 
their  contract  of  service,  they  enlisted  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
served  their  adopted  country  as  faithfully  as  they 
had  their  employer,  and  were  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Philadelphia.  Their  company  and 
regiment  have  not  yet  been  traced,  but  a  grand- 
son of  Philip,  Rev.  Frederick  Bower,  a  retired 
Baptist  minister,  now  nearly  eighty  years  of  age, 
has  frequently  donned  the  "  roundabout"  worn 
by  Caspar  while  in  the  service. 

Lewis  remained  in  Philadelphia,  acquiring 
considerable  real  estate,  part,  at  least,  on  Walnut 
street.      So  far  as  known,  he  never  married. 

Philip  came  up  the  Susquehanna  and  located 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Sunbury,  at  Shamokin 
Dam,  where  some  of  his  descendants  still  reside. 
He  married  and  became  the  father  of  several 
children,  among  them  being  John  Bower,  a  man 
of  great  energy  and  thrift.  He  served  a  term  of 
three  years  as  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Union 
county.  His  wife,  a  Miss  Barton,  was  a  lady 
of  Scotch  and  Welsh  extraction,  by  whom  he 
had  sons  and  daughters  as  follows:  Thomas 
Bower  (who  died  November  3,  1893),  the  father 
of  Frederic  E.  Bower;  William  Bower,  who 
died  while  a  young  man;  Dr.  Charles  Bower, 
who  was  assistant-surgeon  during  the  Mexican 
war,  also  brigade-surgeon  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  who  died  in  1867;  Rev.  Frederick  Bower, 
still  surviving;  Sabra,  married  to  the  late  Dr. 
Baird,  of  Huntingdon  county;  and  Harriet,  mar- 
ried to  the  late  Maj.  John  Cummings,  of  Selins 
Grove.  Both  the  sisters  are  deceased.  Thom- 
as Bower  was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  high 
character,  well  known,  personally  and  polit- 
ically, throughout  Snyder  and  Union  counties. 
When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  served  as  deputy 
sheriff  of   Union  county,  during  the  official  term 

52* 


of  Maj.  John  Cummings.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  at  the  general  election 
of  1856,  in  the  district  composed  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Union,  Snyder  and  Juniata,  over  a  large 
adverse  majority.  While  in  the  House  he  was 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Currency  and 
Banking,  and  as  such  favored  the  granting  of  a 
charter  to  the  State  Bank  at  Lewisburgh,  which 
practically  became  the  predecessor  of  the  present 
Lewisburg  National  Bank.  From  1866  to  1870 
he  was  deputy  assessor  of  Internal  Revenue,  for 
the  County  of  Snyder,  Pennsylvania. 

Hon.  Thomas  Bower  married  Miss  Catharine 
Kremer,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  George  Kremer, 
a  man  of  powerful  memory,  a  constant  reader  of 
the  best  literature  of  his  day,  a  fluent  speaker, 
and,  withal,  of  superior  business  qualifications, 
and  of  the  highest  standing  in  the  community.  He 
was  born  November  21,  1775.  His  father,  Jacob 
Kremer,  was  a  half  brother  of  Gov.  Simon  Sny- 
der, and  came  from  the  Palatinate  in  his  child- 
hood, with  his  parents,  the  father  dying  on  the 
passage.  His  mother,  Eliza  (Fleming)  Kremer, 
was  of  Irish  parentage.  Mr.  Kremer  was,  from 
early  youth  until  well  past  middle  age,  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  residing  for  many  years  at 
Lewisburgh,  Penn.  He  represented  his  District  in 
Congress  during  the  memorable  contest  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States  before  the  Na- 
tional House  of  Representatives  between  Gen. 
Jackson,  Henry  Clay  and  John  Quincy  Adams,  in 
which  contest  he  was  a  prominent  and  ardent 
friend  of  Jackson's.  His  old  age  was  spent  at 
his  hospitable  mansion  near  Middleburgh,  Penn. 
On  her  mother's  side  Mrs.  Bower  descended  by 
two  strains  from  Roger  North,  an  emigrant  from 
Ireland,  of  high  family  standing  in  his  native 
land,  of  English  origin,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Pro- 
vincial service  of  1748,  and  the  father  of  thirteen 
children — eight  sons  and  five  daughters.  Accord- 
ing to  family  tradition,  the  eight  brothers  all 
served  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revo- 
lution, and  recent  searches  of  historical  records 
have  already  confirmed  this  tradition  as  to  five 
of  these  brothers.  One  of  them,  Caleb,  who 
died  November  7,  i860,  aged  eighty-seven  years, 
held  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Line,  was  the  last  field  officer  of  the  Revolution- 
ary army,  and  was  president  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

Elizabeth  North,  one  of  the  daughters,  mar- 
ried George  Evans,  Jr.,  of  Welsh  lineage,  and 
became  the  mother  of  Captain  Frederick  Evans 
(born  March  30,  1766,  died  December  16,  1844), 
who  was  deputy  surveyor-general  for  Northum- 
berland county,  Penn.,  and  surveyed  thousands 
of  acres  of  wild  land  for  applicants  in  the  central 


M.« 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL   RE'VRD. 


part  of  the  State.  He  was  also  captain  of  an 
artillery  company  in  the  wai  ol  1812,  and  engaged 
in  the  defence  of  Fort  Mc Henry,  Baltimore,  dur- 
ing its  bombardment  by  the  British.      Capt.  I 

.  on  April  2,  1791,  married  his  cousin,  Ann 
North,  daughter  of  John  North,  one  of  the  eight 
brothers  already  referred  to,  and  one  of  the  hve 
whose  Revolutionary  records  bavi  been  found. 
These  two,  on  his  mother's  side,  were  the  great- 
grandparents  of  Frederic  Evans  Bower,  who  v 
named  after  his  great-grandfather. 

Mr.  Bower,  our  subject,  was  educated  at  the 
University  at  Lewisburg,  Penn.  (now  Bucknell 
University),  when  he  graduated  with  credit  in 
1869  ll<  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John 
1'  1  ronmiller,  at  Middleburgh,  Penn.,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  in  May,  1878.  In  1882  he 
was  elected  district  attorney  of  Snyder  county 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  re-elected  in  1885. 
both  times  by  good-sized  majorities  in  the  face 
of  a  large  adverse  party  majority.  He  is  Secre- 
tary  of  the  Board  of  Examiners  for  admission  to 
the  Bar  ol  Snyder  County,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Legal  Biography  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Har  Association. 

Mr.  Bower  is  an  active,  energetic  practitioner, 
nil  since  his  admission  has  been  concerned  in  a 
large  proportion  of  the  most  important  Civil  and 
Criminal  cases  tried  in  Snyder  county.  In  (893 
In  moved  his  residence  to  Lewisburgh,  Penn.,  I  1 
educational  purposes,  where  he  has  since  opened 

office,  retaining  also  his  Middleburgh  office. 
He  has  been  prominent  politically  as  well  as 
professionally,  giving  active  support  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic part)  and  its  candidates  until  the  Presi- 
dential election  of  1896,  when  the  party  went 
estrayonthe  "  free-silver  issue, "  and  he  thereupon 
refused  to  support  the  platform  or  the  candidal 
Mr.  Bower  is  one  of  the  Directors  in  the  First 
National  Bank  ol  Middleburgh,  Pennsylvania. 

He  was  a  member  of  Compan)  A.  28th  Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Militia,  in  [863, dur- 
ing the  war  ol  the  Rebellion,  and  is  a  member  of 
Andrew  ( rregg  Tinker  Pi  >st  No.  52,  at  Lewisburgh, 
Penn.  He  is  also  a  member  ol  the  Masonic  Lodge 
of  Selins  Grove,  Penn. ,  and  a  pa  I  1  by  serv- 

ice Mr  Bower  has  brothers  now  living  as  follows: 
Charles  1  ,  a  prominent  physician  of  Elkhart.  Ind  ; 
William  H.,  of  Cumberland,  Md  .  assistant  general 
managi  r  1  if  the  W  esl  \  S    Pitts- 

burgh Railroad  Compan)  ;  and  Edwin,  chief  clerk 
in  the  offi  e  ol  the  Philadelpl  (  rie  Railroad 

Companj  al  Ren  vo,  Penn.  Besides  these  he 
had  a  brothei ,  Gei  >i  ge  Kreim  1  B  r,  an  ensign 
in  the  United  States  Navy,  who  was  lost  on  the 
"Oneida  "  in  Yokohama  Bay,  fanuary  24,  1870, 
through  the  collision  of  that  vessel  with  the  Brit- 


ish ironclad  "Bombay;"  and  one  sister,  Flor- 
ence, who  died  while  in  attendance  at  school  at 
the  University  Female  Institute,  at  Lewisburgh, 
in  1868. 

Mr.  Bower,  on  March  31,  1875,  married  Miss 
Harriet  K.  Harris,  of  Indiana  county,  Penn.,  a 
sister  of  Rev.  John  Howard  Harris,  LL.  D., 
president  of  Bucknell  University.  They  have 
eight  children — five  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Their  eldest  son,  II.  Harris  Bower,  graduated  at 
knell  University  in  [896,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  teaching  and  in  the  study  of  the  law. 
The  second  son,  Bryant  E.,  is  a  member  of  Corn- 
pan}- A,  1 2th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunl 
Infantry,  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  Their 
eldest  daughter,  Catharine  Ruth,  recently  grad- 
uated from  the  classical  department  of  the  Sem- 
inary of  Bucknell  University.  Their  other  chil- 
dren are  attending  school  or  college.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bower,  with  their  entire  family,  except 
the  youngest,  are  members  of  the  Lewisburgh 
Baptist  Church. 


^EIT.R  BROWN,  a  successful  agriculturist 
[[  and  business  man  of  East  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county,  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm 
near  Lewisburg,  and  in  its  management  much  of 
his  time  is  spent.  Although  the  snows  of  sev- 
enty winters  have  passed  over  his  head,  time  has 
dealt  gently  with  him,  and  mentally  and  physic- 
ally he  is  as  vigorous  as  many  men  who  are  much 
youngei . 

His  family  is  well  known  in  Union  count),  its 
founder,  John  Brown,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
having  settled  there  at  an  early  day.  His  early 
home  was  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.,  on  Sw 
Arrow  creek,  and  his  son  Christian,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  there,  the  removal  to  Union 
county  taking  place  a  few  years  later. 

Christian  Brown  began  farming  in  a  humble 
way  with  thirty  acres  of  land,  but  later  he  re- 
ceived a  few  acres  from  his  father's  estate.  He 
was  at  one  time  engaged  in  distilling  whiskey, 
and  by  industry  and  judicious  management  he 
secured  a  fine  property.  He  was  a  stout  man. 
with  large  fists,  but  was  not  quarrelsome.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  Whig,  and  later  a  Republican, 
and  he  took  an  active  part  in  all  progressive 
movements  in  his  locality,  contributing  gener- 
ously to  the  Church  ol  which  he  was  a  member. 
He  was  married  in  Union  count)  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Wolfe,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Wolfe,  and  a 
member  of  a  prominent  family.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight,  and  he  followed  her  at  seventy- 
six  years  ol  agi  .  both  being  interred  in  the  Dreis- 
bach  cemetery. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


819 


Our  subject,  who  was  the  only  child  of  his 
parents,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead,  August 
8,  1826.  He  attended  different  schools  in  the 
neighborhood  during  his  youth,  the  Pike  schools, 
Gundy  school  and  Shrock  school  furnishing  him 
his  chief  educational  advantages.  As  a  farmer's 
son  he  became  well  acquainted  with  all  kinds  of 
agricultural  work,  but  he  never  learned  a  trade, 
the  management  of  the  homestead  devolving 
upon  him  as  he  grew  to  manhood.  The  distill- 
ery was  abandoned  while  he  was  still  a  young 
boy.  During  the  life  of  his  parents  he  remained 
at  the  farm,  but  since  their  death  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Smoketown,  while  still  continuing  to 
oversee  his  estate,  which  he  rents  to  other  par- 
ties. 

Inheriting  a  fair  fortune,  Mr.  Brown  has  added 
to  it  by  wise  investments,  and  is  doubtless  one 
of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  county,  being  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  loaning  money  at  interest. 
His  dealings  are  marked  by  strict  honesty,  and 
the  better  one  knows  him  the  more  he  is  esteemed. 
He  is  of  a  retiring  disposition,  never  much  away 
from  home,  and  seldom  conversing  to  any  extent 
with  his  acquaintances,  and,  despite  his  wealth, 
his  expenditures  for  personal  comfort  are  very 
small.  A  kindly  heart  beats  under  the  rough 
exterior,  however,  and-  he  is  credited  with  gen- 
erous sympathy  for  the  needy.  In  his  business 
he  never  was  known  to  foreclose  if  a  debtor 
seemed  in  the  least  inclined  to  help  himself,  and, 
although  unmarried  and  childless,  he  favors  the 
best  schools  obtainable  for  the  children  of  his 
district,  and  cheerfully  pays  enlarged  taxes  to 
secure  better  educational  privileges  for  them. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  early 
years  he  was  a  Whig,  but,  while  as  an  individual 
he  supports  his  principles  steadfastly,  he  has 
never  taken  an  active  share  in  party  management 
or  sought  official   distinction. 


JOHN  LILLEY.  Among  the  skilled  artisans 
whose  work  in  the  material  development  of 
this  section  will  furnish  an  enduring  monu- 
ment to  them,  is  the  well-known  iron-molder, 
John  Lilley,  of  Lewisburg,  who  is  now,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  enjoying  the  leisure  which  a 
life  of  industry  and  thrift  has  gained.  Mr.  Lil- 
ley was  born  in  Robinson  township,  Berks  Co., 
Penn.,  April  14,  1821,  the  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Almond)  Lilley,  and  grandson  of  Walter 
Lilley  and  his  wife  (who  was  a  member  of  the 
old  Depew  family). 

The  father  of  Mr.  Lilley,  who  was  a  suc- 
cessful molder,  died  in  Pottsville,  Penn.,  in  1858, 
at  the  age   of  sixty-four,  from  the    effects  of  a 


rupture,  while  on  a  visit,  and  his  remains  were 
interred  there.  He  was  a  native  of  Berks  coun- 
ty, as  was  his  wife,  whose  parents,  George  and 
Mary  (Mingus)  Almond,  were  born  in  America  of 
German  ancestry.  She  died  in  1872,  aged  sev- 
enty-nine years,  eleven  months  and  twenty- 
eight  days.  Our  subject  is  now  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  a  family  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  widow  of  the  late  Thomas 
Fair;  Samuel;  Anna,  who  married  Peter  Cox, 
now  deceased;  John;  Henry;  Caroline,  widow  of 
the  late  Henry  Green;  and  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  H. 
Worthington,  also  deceased. 

John  Lilley's  aptitude  for  mechanial  work 
was  displayed  at  a  remarkably  early  age.  When 
only  twelve  years  old  he  would  prepare  the 
molds  for  a  tin-plate  cook  stove  in  a  day,  but, 
as  he  was  not  then  permitted  to  handle  the 
hot  iron,  his  father  would  do  the  casting  in  the 
evening.  At  fifteen  he  was  fully  competent  to 
take  a  place  in  the  molding  room,  and  do  a  full 
day's  work.  Until  the  age  of  twenty  he  re- 
mained with  his  parents,  then  started  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world. 

On  February  23,  1840,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  Heckman,  the  daughter  of 
John  J.  Heckman,  a  native  of  Berks  county, 
Penn..  where  Mrs.  Lilley  was  born  December 
22,  18 19.  Mr.  Lilley's  financial  outlook  was 
dark  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  times  being  very 
hard;  so  hard  that  between  1838  and  1840  he 
received  $1  per  day  instead  of  $1.30,  as  before, 
and,  in  fact,  he  was  glad  to  get  work  at  any 
price.  He  and  his  devoted  wife  kept  in  good 
cheer,  however,  sustained  by  their  mutual  af- 
fection. 

In  1853  Mr.  Lilley  formed  a  partnership  with 
Henry  Frick  in  a  foundry  business  at  Lewis- 
burg, the  firm  continuing  until  1857,  when  the 
plant  was  sold  at  a  loss  of  $4,000.  Mr.  Lilley 
resumed  his  work  as  a  molder,  which  he  followed 
seven  years,  but  in  1864  he  entered  the  employ 
of  James  S.  Marsh,  with  whom  he  spent  four- 
teen years  selling  agricultural  implements.  From 
1878  to  1890  he  was  engaged  in  molding,  his 
last  work  of  that  kind  being  done  on  the  last 
three  spans  of  the  Lewisburg  bridge.  In  1890 
he  retired  from  business,  and  has  since  been  ex- 
empt from  the  cares  which  for  so  many  years 
occupied  his  time. 

His  faithful  wife  passed  away  on  April  1, 
1892,  and  of  their  six  children,  one  has  been 
taken  away.  Samuel,  the  eldest,  is  a  well-to- 
do  farmer  in  Dakota;  Sarah  J.  married  A.  M. 
Pearce,  a  retired  farmer  now  living  in  Lewis- 
burg; Alford,  a  plasterer,  resides  in  Fremont, 
Ohio;   Mary  E.,  widow  of  Amos  Powman,    lives 


820 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


at   Linntown,    Penn. ;   Henry,    deceased,    was    a 
shoemaker  at   Lewisburg,  where  his  son  Walter 
P.  is  now  a  successful  business  man;  and  John 
-  a  fanner  in  Union  county. 

Mr.    Lill  rvedly  popular    ai lg  a 

:e  circle  ol   acquaintances,  his  genial   nature 

ment  making  an  attractive  com- 

y,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in 

relig  th  is  a   Lutheran.      He  formerly  be- 

I  the  United 
Or<1  American     Mechanics,     but   withdrew 


GU.YIX   MOHN,    M.    D.      To  the 
ifessiona  man  whose  suc- 

has  ac- 
quired a  high  reputation  in  his  ch<  mg, 
and  whi                                                             the  result 
i  irrepn                   fe  than  i                      I  natural 
i    I                      tinctivel)              efer- 
his  life-work,  yet  1>> 
eai  nest  ap|                                                    s;  but  it 
nly  when  natural                      pled  with   pr  per 
ambition  to                            nything   like  eminence 
n    any  V                        I  >r.    Mohn    has  not 

i  inks 
it  also  stands  high  in 
business  and  I 

A  Ivania,  having  been 

Ma)  24  •  county,  oni- 

on both  sill  fam- 

ilies prominent  among  I  ite. 

grandfather,    was  the 

thii  :    Ludwi  n,    who  was   born   in 

I  i  ■  man) ,    w  he    emi- 

I  ■  near  whi  I  Read- 

ing now  stands.     1'  t(  1  Mohn  died  in  that  county 

hn   Mohi  Di     Mi  bn 

ptembei  inn,, 

and  pard,  of 

unty,    horn   May    15.    1793.      Here  their 

six    children   were    horn,    as    follows: 

■ 
S  illie,    whi  1    mai 
Noah  1 

P    i !    M  irkle;  Amelia,  «  il  ulp; 

d  |ohn,  who  is  th  nily  now 

livii  I  will  1  n.      In  1 

ither  John   M  ihn  '  w  ith   his  family 

1  now  Snydei  1  coun- 

of  Ins  days  there,  dying 

March  -,   1  His  w  ife  passed 

from  plai       '■      ust  29,    1 

n    Mohn,    the    lather  of    our  subject,  was 


born  in  1831,  in  Berks  county,  Penn.,  ami,  as 
will  be  seen,  was  about  five  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  to  what  is  now  Snyder  county, 
For  a  time  he  followed  carpentry,  but  later  has 
devi  'ted  his  time  and  attention  mainly  t(  1  the  saw- 
mill business.  As  one  of  the  leading  Republicans 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  he  has  tilled 
various  public  offices  in  Snyder  county,  such  as 
constable  of  his  township  some  eighteen  years, 
and  for  a  time  was  county  c nissioner  of  Sny- 
der county.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Lutheran. 
In  1852  he  married  Mi-s  Barbara  Stine.wbowas 
born  in  Snyder  county,  Penn.,  in  1829,  and  tl 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Alice,  now  the  wife  of  William  Hart  man,  of  Cen- 
treville;  Henry,  who  is  in  business  with  his 
ther;  George  C. ,  the  sul>ieet  proper  I  this  re- 
view; Charle  luate  of  the  College  oi  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  who 
is  now  successfully  engaged  in  practice  at  |ei 
Shore,  Penn.  ;  John  E  .    1    graduati    of  the  Phila- 

phia  toll,  gi  ol  Pharmacy,  and  now  the  ownei 
of  two  drug  stores  at  Jerse)  Shore;  William,  who 
is  in  business  with  his  father  at  Centreville;  James 
O.,  a  physician  of  Si  M  try's.  Elk  Co  .  Penn  . 
who  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College  in 

14;  and  Thomas  E.,  a  railroad  agent  at  Munc) 
Valley,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  George  C.  Mohn  received  his  earliei 

cati  otreville  and  Selins  (ir"\<.  Snyder 

Co.,  Penn.,  and  completed  his  literary  studies  at 

Valparaiso,  Ind.,  after  which   he    taught   school 

(or  three  winters       After   reading  medicine  for  a 

time    at    Centreville    he  entered    the   Collegi 

Physicians    and    Surgeons    at    Baltimore,    Md., 

luating   there  with   the    class  of   '82,  and  on 

the  13th  o|  April,  same  year,  h<-  commenced  the 

practice  of   his  chosen    1  a  at  1    turelton, 

Union  county,  where  his  abi  m   won   him 

and  wheie  hi    has  built  up  lor  him- 

sell  an  enviable   record  as   an  eminently  succ. 

fill  1  11.      Poss'  I    a   kindly  and   sym- 

nature,  a  keen  sense  1  'l  discrimination, 

itural  taste    for   the    various    bran  the 

ion,  coupled  with  quick  intuif 

and  mate  skill,  hi  I  p  pulai  it\ 

to  his   many  friends.      I  <  ir  about 

eighl  years  tin    D01  toi    was  also  I   in  the 

dm.  ;   Laurelton,  anil,  being  a  man  of 

irdinary   business   acumen.    1 

ipital.      Desiring  t" 

I  hi--   business  relations  and  possibilities,  he, 

in  member   of    the    I   turelton 

I. umbei  1  ■   which   he  1-  1    sid<  nt,  and 

win  rn  is  now  remarkable  for  having  at 

its    head     threi      ol    the    n  g    )"illlf; 

men  mI  the  county.      He    i-~   also    1    lar^e   stock- 


. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


821 


holder  in  and  a  director  of  the  Linden  Hall  Lum- 
ber Co.,  of  Linden  Hall,  Penn.,  of  which  con- 
cern he  is  also  superintendent. 

Laurelton  Lumber  Company,  manufactur- 
ers of  lumber,  shingles  and  lath,  shippers  of  prop 
timber  and  ties,  with  general  office  at  Sunbury, 
Penn.,  is  one  of  the  largest  concerns  in  that  line 
of  business  in  Pennsylvania.  The  firm  owns 
some  25,000  acres  of  timber  land,  and  the  ex- 
ecutive department  at  present  (1898)  consists  of 
S.  W.  Rutherford,  president;  Dr.  G.  C.  Mohn, 
vice-president;  and  Charles  Steele,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  Laurelton  Lumber  Company  is 
remarkable  for  having  at  its  head  three  of  the 
most  enterprising  young  men  of  the  county,  and 
own  and  control  seventeen  miles  of  narrow-gauge 
railroad,  called  the  Laurelton  &  Pine  Creek  rail- 
road. The  business  was  built  up  from  the  small 
portable  sawmill  to  the  present  mammoth  con- 
cern. Their  product  is  mainly  virgin-growth 
white  and  yellow  pine,  and  goes  to  the  largest 
consumers  in  the  country.  They  trade  largely 
with  the  anthracite  mines,  and  are  noted  for 
quick  shipments,  their  plant  at  Laurelton,  Penn., 
being  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  only 
forty-nine  miles  from  Shamokin.  They  have  the 
largest  body  of  white  pine,  yellow  pine,  and  hem- 
lock in  the  central  part  of  the  State.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  company,  who  have  a  paid-up  capital 
of  $100,000,  has  been  due  to  the  energetic  efforts 
of  its  officers,  who  personally  conduct  the  busi- 
ness and  look  after  its  every  detail. 

Linden  Hall  Lumber  Company,  manufac- 
turers of  lumber,  shingles,  and  lath,  shippers  of 
prop  timber  and  ties,  with  general  offices  at  Sun- 
bury,  Penn.,  ranks  among  the  most  extensive 
concerns  in  their  line  of  business  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  firm  own  some  10,000  acres  of  timber  land 
in  Centre  and  Huntington  counties,  and  the  ex- 
ecutive department  at  present  (1898)  consists  of 
M.  F.  Nagle,  of  Shamokin,  Penn.,  president; 
Chas.  A.  Meek,  vice-president;  Dr.  G.  C.  Mohn, 
superintendent;  and  Chas.  Steele,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Their  plant  at  Linden  Hall,  Penn., 
is  bus)  twelve  months  in  the  year,  and  their  cus- 
tomers are  the  largest  buyers  of  railroad  and 
mining  timbers  in  the  country.  G.  C.  Mohn  and 
S.  W.  Rutherford  are  large  stock  holders  in  the 
company.  They  have  a  narrow-gauge  railroad 
fifteen  miles  long. 

In  1883  Dr.  Mohn  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Laura  A.  Showers,  a  native  of  Centre- 
ville,  Snyder  county,  and  a  daughter,  Ruth  B., 
born  March  18,  1892,  brightens  their  home.  Fra- 
ternally the  Doctor  is  one  of  the  highest,  most 
prominent  and  zealous  Freemasons  in  the  State, 
having  taken  all  the  degrees  to  and  including  the 


32nd,  Scottish  Rite,  and  being  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  Lu  Lu .  Temple,  Philadelphia. 
Politically  he  is  an  ardent  worker  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Republican  party,  having  served  as  a  com- 
mitteeman continuously  since  18S4.  For  four 
years,  during  President  Harrison's  administra- 
tion, he  acceptably  served  as  postmaster  at  Lau- 
relton. 

The  Doctor  is  one  who,  outside  of  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  for  his  scientific  knowledge 
and  business  capacity,  enjoys  the  admiration  of 
all  for  his  kindUfiess  of  disposition  and  amiability 
of  heart.  In  manner  he  is  social  and  friendly, 
and  possesses  qualities  that  readily  win  popu- 
larity and  respect.  In  private  life  that  true  man- 
liness of  deportment,  that  genial  and  kindly  na- 
ture, which  have  always  characterized  him  in 
public,  find  still  more  adequate  and  complete  ex- 
pression, and  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  he  ever 
finds  his  highest  happiness. 


JOHN  B.  ZEIGLER,  the  popular  and  well- 
known  postmaster  of  Swengel,  Union  coun- 
ty, is  a  native  of  Centre  county,  Penn. ,  born 
November  1  1,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Lydia  (Gephart)  Zeigler.  He  is  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  the  family  of  eleven  children,  . 
the  others  being  as  follows:  Daniel,  now  a  sad- 
dler living  in  Millheim,  Centre  county;  Sarah  J., 
wife  of  Andrew  Reesman,  a  tinsmith,  of  Centre 
Hall,  Centre  county;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Arney,  a  farmer  living  near  Centre  Hall;  Emma 
R.,  wife  of  Geary  Van  Pelt,  a  manufacturer  re- 
siding in  New  York;  James,  a  resident  of  Union 
county;  Alice  E.,  who  died  in  childhood;  and 
four  died  in  infancy. 

To  a  limited  extent,  Mr.  Zeigler  attended  the 
public  schools,  but  he  is  almost  wholly  self-edu- 
cated. Until  seventeen  years  of  age,  his  early 
life  was  mainly  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  farm, 
but  at  that  time  he  left  the  parental  roof  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  In  1862,  when  only 
nineteen,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  148th  P.  V. 
I.,  and  participated  in  all  the  important  battles 
in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged,  including 
those  of  Reams  Station,  Chancellorsville,  the 
Wilderness  and  Gettysburg.  He  belonged  to 
General  Beaver's  command,  and  when  the  war 
had  ended  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
Throughout  the  principal  part  of  his  active  busi- 
ness career  he  has  followed  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  is  a  skillful,  painstaking  workman. 

In  1867  Mr.  Zeigler  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.'Yarger,  who  was  born  January  1,  1849, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  Yar- 
ger.     To  them  was  born  one  son,  Edward  Grant, 


'  OMMEMORATIVB  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Grant,  but   he   died   at 
the  age  of  seven  years. 

On  October  31,  1894,  Mr.  Zeigler  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Swengel,  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  has  since  discharged  in  a  most  capable 
manner.  Well  posted  on  the  leading  issues  and 
questions  of  the  day,  he  has  become  a  stanch  bi- 
metalist,  and  as  an  intelligent,  honorable  and 
patriotic  citizen,  he  has  gained  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  be  has  come  in  con- 
tact in  either  business  or  social  life. 


SW.  RUTHERFORD,  P.  O.  Laurelton. 
Pennsylvania,  is  president  of  the  Laurelton 
Lumber  Company,  with  general  office  at  Sun- 
bury,  Penn.  [See  description  of  business  on 
e  821.]  He  is  also  a  large  stockholder  in 
the  Linden  Hall  Lumber  Company.  [See  de- 
scription of  business  on  page  821.] 


JOHN  H.  MAl'CK,  as  a  nurse,  and  as  a  vet- 
erinary surgeon,  has  become  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  Union  county, 
where  he  has  spent  his  entire  life,  his  birth  oc- 
curring in  New  Berlin,  July  13,  1837. 

His  paternal  grandparents,  Conrad  and  Cath- 
arine Mauck,  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century  came  to  this  section  of  the  State,  and  lo- 
cated 111  what  was  then  a  part  of  Union  countv, 
but  is  now  Snyder  county.  There  the  grand- 
father followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  reared 
his  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters: 
John  and  Jacob  both  died  in  New  Berlin.  Da- 
vid, the  father  of  our  subject,  is  next  in  order 
of  birth.  George  died  in  Montgomery  county, 
Penn.  Jesse  died  in  Millheim,  Centre  Co., 
Penn.,  where  his  descendants  still  live.  Thomas 
died  near  New  Berlin,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three.  Polly  married  John  Siple,  and  removed 
to  Illinois,  where  his  death  occurred.  She  then 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  became  the  wife 
of  Feldy  Eiawes,  but  died  in  Pekin,  111.  Eliza- 
beth married  Abram  Frederick,  and  died  in 
Aaronsburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  Sally  married 
Samuel  Wilson,  and  died  in  New  Berlin,  The 
grandparents  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery 
at  New  Berlin. 

David  Mauck,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Penn.,  in    1799,    was   quite  young  when 

ight  by  his  parents  to  Union  county,  where 
he  later  learned  the  sadler's  trade.  On  reach- 
ing  manhood  he  was  married,  near  N<  w  Berlin, 
to  Nancy  Shrayer,  who  was  born  December  23, 
1804,  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  and  was  a 
daughd -r  of  Conrad  and  Catharine  (Hokelander) 


Shrayer.  The  following  children  were  born  to 
this  union:  Sally,  now  the  widow  of  Charles  L. 
Nicholson,  of  Yicksburg,  Union  countv;  James, 
a  saddler  of  Lock  Haven.  Penn.;  Mary  J.,  wife 
of  Isaac  King,  of  New  Berlin;  Catharine,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two;  John  H.,  of  this 
sketch;  Anna,  wife  of  Jacob  Cassel,  of  Philadel- 
phia; Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 

rs;  and  one  son  and  two  daughters  who  died 
in  infancy. 

After  his  marriage,  David  Mauck  located  near 
New  Berlin,  in  Snyder  county,  but  later  removed 
to  that  village,  where  his  death  occurred  in  181 
and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest.  Throughout  life 
he  continued  to  follow  the  saddler's  trade,  but 
also  gave  some  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  became  quite  well-to-do.  He  was  of  or- 
dinary height  and  well  built,  and  in  politics  was 
first  a  Whig,  and,  later,  a  Republican.  He  and 
his  wife  both  held  membership  in  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  had  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  them.  She  continued  to  live  at  the 
old  home  in  New  Berlin,  which  he  had  erected 
in  1827,  until  called  to  her  final  rest  on  March 
3,  1887.      Although  almost  eighty-three  years  of 

.  she  retained  her  faculties  to  the  last,  and 
was  not  even  gray,  her  hair  being  still  jet  black 
at  the  time  of  her  death.  Her  body  was  interred 
by  the  side  of  her  husband  in  the  New  Berlin 
cemetery. 

The  educational  advantages  of  John  H.  Mauck 
were  such  as  the  public  schools  of  his  day  af- 
forded. His  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent 
under  the  parental  roof,  and  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een he  began  learning  the  tanner's  trade,  receiv- 
ing  no  wages  during  his  two-years  apprenticeship, 
but  was  allowed  two  weeks  time  in  the  harvest 
and  hay-making  seasons  to  earn  some  moi 
for  himself.  When  he  had  mastered  the  busi- 
ness he  obtained  employment  in  a  steam  tannery 
in  McAlisterville,  Penn.,  but  as  he  suffered  from 
rheumatism  his  work  was  often  interrupted. 

During  the  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr. 
Mauck  joined  Company  D,  Sixth  Pennsylvania 
Reserves,  under  Capt.  Dickson,  and  with  his  com- 
mand was  sent  to  Virginia.  While  stationed  at 
Smoky  Hollow,  inflamed  eyes  compelled  him  to 
give  up  regular  duty,  and  for  some  time  he  drove 
a  team.  He  also  served  as  officer's  cook  for  a 
time.      Later  he  was  at  home   for  a  while,  but  in 

;  he  went  to  Harrisburg,  where  he  enlisted 
in  March  of  that  year  in  Company  ('.  101st  P. 
\  I.,  joining  the  command  in  North  Carolina, 
and  remaining  at  the  front  until  hostilities  ceased. 
In  August,  1865,  it  Harrisburg  be  was  honorably 
discharged  and  returned  home. 

Mr.   Mauck  continued  to  reside  with   his  par- 


5^7 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


823 


ents  in  New  Berlin  until  1S70.  since  which  time 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Vicksburg.  Before  his 
enlistment  he  had  taken  considerable  interest  in 
the  anatomy  of  the  horse,  and  had  studied  under 
Conrad  Mitchell,  a  skilled  veterinary  surgeon  of 
New  Berlin.  Gradually  he  began  practice,  and 
for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  successfully 
followed  that  profession.  As  an  excellent  nurse 
his  services  are  always  in  demand  in  his  locality, 
and  while  in  the  army  he  also  exercised  his 
ability  along  that  line.  He  has  had  much  ex- 
perience in  laying  out  the  dead,  people  coming 
from  miles  around  to  secure  his  services. 

On  August  16,  1893,  in  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county,  Mr.  Mauck  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  Weller,  a  native  of  Snyder  county.  As 
he  has  no  children  of  his  own,  he  has  adopted 
Verna  M.,  the  daughter  of  Al  and  Sarah  Wittis. 
She  was  born  in  March,  1887,  and  has  practic- 
ally made  her  home  with  him  since  three  weeks 
old.  He  has  occupied  his  present  comfortable 
home  in  Vicksburg  since  1887,  having  erected 
the  same  in  that  year.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  but  since  Lincoln's  second 
election,  in  1864,  he  has  been  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican. Genial  and  full  of  fun,  he  makes  friends 
wherever  he  goes,  and  has  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact 
either  in  business  or  social  life. 


WILLIAM  STROHECKER.  The  banks  of 
the  Susquehanna  present  a  beautiful  pan- 
orama with  their  well-kept  fields  interspersed 
among  wilder  scenes,  and  with  the  clustering 
farm  houses  here  and  there  adding  charming 
glimpses  of  home  life.  Among  the  best  of  these 
estates  is  that  of  Mr.  Strohecker,  of  East  Buffalo 
township,  Union  county,  and  his  home  is  one 
where  culture  and  refinement  unite  with  the  sim- 
ple and  wholesome  surroundings  of  rural  life  to 
make  an  ideal  abode. 

It  was  at  this  pleasant  spot  that  William 
Strohecker,  on  November  14,  1832,  was  born, 
and  he  has  always  made  his  home  there.  His 
grandparents,  Daniel  and  Leah  (Garber)  Stro- 
hecker, were  both  natives  of  Reading,  Penn., 
and  remained  in  Berks  county,  a  large  family  be- 
ing reared  by  them  to  lives  of  usefulness,  namely: 
Samuel,  who  became  a  prominent  physician  of 
Brush  Valley,  was  at  one  time  a  representative 
from  Centre  county  in  the  State  Legislature;  Da- 
vid (deceased)  was  a  farmer  in  Illinois;  William 
died  in  Sugar  Valley,  near  Booneville;  Jacob  died 
in  East  Buffalo  township,  Union  county;  Robert 
H.  (deceased)  was  a  resident  of  Rebersburg, 
Penn.;   Daniel,    Jr.,    died  at  the  age  of  sixteen; 


Charles  (deceased)  was  a  physician  at  Buena 
Vista,  111.  ;  Sarah  (Mrs.  Samuel  Fix)  died  in 
Reading;  Mary  (Mrs.  David  Miller)  died  in  North- 
umberland county,  Penn.;-  John  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Tunis  Fisher) 
died  in  Lewisburg;  and  Susan  (twin  of  Elizabeth) 
died  in  infancy. 

John  Strohecker,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Berks  county,  in  August,  1803,  and, 
on  starting  out  from  the  parental  roof  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  located  for  a  short 
time  in  Northumberland  county  before  settling 
at  the  present  homestead.  He  was  a  short  man, 
heavy  set,  and  possessed  a  fine  constitution, 
never  knowing  what  sickness  was  until  that  which 
terminated  his  life  fastened  upon  him.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  October,  1885,  he  had 
nearly  all  his  teeth,  and  showed  but  few  signs  of 
age.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  Friedley,  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years, 
and  both  were  interred  at  Lewisburg.  She  was 
born  in  1804,  in  Lewisburg,  the  daughter  of 
John  Friedley,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Layman, 
a  native  of  Lebanon  county,  Penn.  Mrs.  Stro- 
hecker became  blind  in  1837,  and,  as  is  often  the 
case  with  those  so  afflicted,  her  other  senses 
gained  acuteness,  and  she  could  recognize  by  the 
voice  alone  friends  from  whom  she  had  been 
separated  for  years. 

Both  of  our  subject's  parents  were  devout 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  the  father 
held  the  office  of  elder  for  many  years.  He  was 
prominent  also  in  local  affairs,  and  in  the  Repub- 
lican organization,  of  which  he  was  at  all  times 
an  outspoken  champion,  although  he  never 
sought  office.  While  he  had  but  little  schooling 
in  youth,  his  fine  intellect  enabled  him  to  gain 
information  from  observation  and  reading,  and 
his  judgment  in  business  affairs  was  unusually 
good.  By  trade  he  was  a  bricklayer,  and  in 
1856  he  built  the  handsome  residence  at  the 
homestead,  but  he  did  not  follow  the  business 
regularly  except  for  a  few  years  in  early  life. 
He  was  a  natural  mechanic,  and  besides  repair- 
ing all  his  farm  tools,  he  used  to  make  rakes, 
single  trees,  and  do  other  work  in  iron  and  wood. 
For  years  previous  to  his  death  he  was  a  director 
in  the  National  Bank  of  Lewisburg,  and  his  ad- 
vice was  valued  in  all  movements  of  im- 
portance. As  a  self-made  man,  the  comfortable 
competence  left  by  him  reflects  great  credit  upon 
him,  especially  as  it  was  acquired  without  undue 
economy.  Anything  that  he  wanted  he  bought, 
always  choosing  the  best,  and  he  spent  much 
time  and  money  in  traveling  in  all  parts  of  this 
country.  His  home,  however,  was  the  dearest 
place  on  earth    to  him.      His  business  in  town 


824 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


during  later  years  was  always  transacted  on  cer- 
tain days,  and  in  the  intervals  he  was  always  to 
be  found  at  home.      Our  subject  was  the  elder  of 

two  children;  the  young •.  widow  of  Dr. 

Washii  '  Lewisburg. 

William  Strohecker  attended  the  Gundy 
School,  in  his  native  township,  in  boyhood,  but 
nol  beii  nature  he  did  not  1  i  k. < 

ing   ti     scho   I,  and   did    not  go  oftener  than  he 
■  compf  I  was  very  fond  of  horses, 

in  which  he  differed  from  his  father,  who  stood 
in    I  them.      As  he  grew  to  manhood,  Mr. 

Str  lined  a  responsible  place 

I  nn. 
On  was    married   to 

Miss   |  nei  itive   of   the   same  town- 

ship, born  Jul}  i,  1843,  t  he  eldest  of  a  family  of 
six  nd  four  sons.      Her   father,  Isaac 

1  irn  in  the  township,  was 
in  early  life  a  tanner  and  later  a  butcher.  He 
marrii  '  ]  h  tnna  Kelly,  who  was  born  in  Lewis- 
bin.  I  1  848  they  i  d  to  that  city, 
where    they  now    reside   at    advanced   ages,  Mr. 

n  years  old  and  his 
wife  seventy-four.  They  have  two  great-grand- 
children, William  F  Strohecker  and  Leo  Rice. 
Mrs.  S-  r  is  a  lady  of   rare  mental  gifts, 

\,  she  rei  xcellent   instruc- 

tion in  youth  at  Lewisburg,  in  the  public  schools 
and  unary,  tl  spent  in  the 

r  institul 
Aft  our  subject  began  house- 

keeping in  I  where  he  was  born,  from 

which  I:  parents  had  removed  on  the  completion 
of  the  brick  residence  In  the  spring  of  1886  he 
of  the  brick  house,  and  has  since 
occupied  it.  His  lour  children  were  all  born 
during  his  residence  in  the  old  house:  (1)  John 
G.,  born  July  30,  18C4.  now  occupies  it  in  his 
turn,  and  assists  in  the  management  of  the  estate. 
II  Miss  Minnie   M.   Fisher,  and  has  one 

son,  William  F. ,  who  is   of   the  third  generation 
in  that  house.      (2)  Emma  S.,  born  June 
iteof  the  Lewisburg  High  5 
■    fine   musii  tan       Foi    -  tveral  years  she 
pianist  in  th-school.      She  married 

George  I'  Bertollette,  and  resides  in  Lewisburg. 
(3)  1  arrii  I  .  bom  April  30,  [869,  married  Will- 
iam A  Kut'  1.  I  I  wisburg.  (4  Anna  11,  born 
Man  li  7,  1878,  is  at  home.  The  family  is  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  Lutheran  Church,  and 
Mrs  Strohecker  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
I  ilics  Aid  Society,  the  Missionary  S  o<  iety  and  1 
the  Christian  I  ndeavor  Society,  and  for  more 
than  fifteen  years  she  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. 

While  Mr.  Strohecker  meets  fully  all  the  re-  ' 


quirements  of  good  citizenship,  as  befits  a  man  of 
his  high  standing  in  the  community. he  has  never 
sought  or  held  office,  having  enough  to  do  to  at- 
1  to  his  own  business.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Republican. 


STEANS   FAMILY.      In  the   pioneer  days  of 
Union   county,  no   name  was  more   widely 
known    or    more    highly   respected    than   that  of 


Will 


lam  and  Catharine  Steans  resided 
of  Leicester,  Leicestershire,  Eng- 
they  reared  their  family,  among 
three    sons,    John,    William    and 


ns 
in    the   town 
land,    where 
whom    were 
Thomas. 

John  Steans  was  born  in  1773,  and  was  the 
only  member  of  the  family  to  come  to  America. 
He  bade  farewell  to  childhood  scenes  in  1S01, 
and,  alone,  set  forth  to  find  a  new  home  and 
fortune  in  the  New  World.  On  arriving  in  this 
country,  he  purchased  300  acres  of  land  near 
Cowan,  in  Union  county,  Penn.  No  clearing 
had  been  done  on  this  tract  111  fact,  there  were 
no  traces  of  human  habitation  on  all  this  land, 
save  a  rude  cabin,  that  was  scarcely  fit  for  occu- 
pancy. This  afforded  him  shelter  for  a  time, 
until  he  had  made  his  first  clearing.  This  farm 
he  cultivated  and  improved,  and  here  he  died 
May  27.  1851.  He  married  Agnes  Bovard,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  (Beatty) 
Bovard   (they    had    five   children:     Agnes   (Mrs. 

ins),  Robert,  Mary.  Jane  and  Alexander). 
To  John  Steans  and  his  wife  came  children  as 
follows:  (1)  Hannah  became  the  wife  of  David 
Kauffman,  and  died  May  31,  1S73.  (2)  Mary 
wedded  William  Mather,  and  died  May  1  1,  1  S 5 j . 
(3)  Catharine  was  the  wife  of  James  Mather,  and 
she  died  in  1834.  (4)  Jane  died  unmarried  Feb- 
ruary S,  1850.  (5)  Sarah  A.,  a  maiden  lady,  re- 
sides in  New  Berlin,  Penn.  (6)  William  (of 
whom  an  extended  mention  will  follow)  died  Oc- 
tober 24,  1891.  71  Nancy  married  Henry  T. 
Cook,  and  died  April  25,  1XS9.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  April  26,  1S63.  John  Steans 
becaim  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States 
August  25,  1S08.  In  his  religious  belief  he  v 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  con- 
scientiously practicing  the  religion  he  professed. 
Though  an  earnest   advocate   of  all  -ive 

movements,  he  was  modest  and  retiring  in  dis- 
position, and  never  accepted  office.  His  wife 
and  children  were  all  members  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  The  old  "Steans  Manor"  is  yet 
in  the  possession  of  the  family. 

William  Steans  was  born  April  18,  1 8  1 8 ,  and 
spent  his  entire  life  on  a  farm.  He  married 
Caroline  Irvin,  and  they  reared  a  family  of  seven 


^^777 


*<£ 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


825 


children:  (i)  Harriet,  who  died  in  girlhood.  (2) 
J.  Charlton.  (3)  Rev.  W.  Irvin,  pastor  of  the 
Mahoning  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Dan- 
ville, Penn. ;  he  married  Miss  Wells,  of  Scranton. 
(4)  Agnes,  who  died  in  girlhood.  (5)  Jennie  R., 
who  resides  with  her  mother  at  Mifflinburg, 
Penn.  (6)  Annie,  who  died  in  childhood;  and 
(7)  Ralph.  After  an  honorable  and  useful  life 
the  father  of  this  family  passed  away  October 
24,  1 89 1.  He  was  active  in  public  work,  taking 
an  especial  interest  in  educational  matters.  For 
one  term  he  held  the  office  of  county  commis- 
sioner, and  was  school  director  and  justice  of 
the  peace  almost  continuously  from  the  time  he 
arrived  at  man's  estate  until  his  death.  In  re- 
ligious matters  he  was  very  devout,  for  thirty 
years  serving  as  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
His  widow  resides  at  Mifflinburg. 

Dr.  J.  Charlton  Steans  was  born  Septem- 
ber 20,  1852,  and  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  schools  of  Union  county.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  he  entered  Central  Pennsylvania  College 
at  New  Berlin,  Penn.,  and  at  the  end  of  one 
year  entered  the  academy  at  Mifflinburg.  Dur- 
ing the  following  two  years  he  was  under  private 
instructors  at  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  after 
which  he  himself  taught  for  three  years.  The 
study  of  medicine  seemed  to  hold  out  to  the 
young  man  alluring  possibilities,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  become  a  follower  of  .Esculapius.  He 
began  reading  medicine  with  Dr.  S.  L.  Van  Val- 
zah,  of  Mifflinburg,  and  then  attended  a  course 
of  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1876.  On 
March  23,  of  that  year,  he  opened  an  office  at 
Cowan,  Union  county,  but  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year  he  bought  the  practice,  goodwill,  etc.,  of  his 
former  preceptor,  and  located  at  Mifflinburg, 
forming  a  co-partnership  with  Dr.  George  S. 
Kemble,  a  very  distinguished  physician  and  sur- 
geon. After  three  years  of  pleasant  association, 
this  partnership  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of 
Dr.  Kemble,  and  until  1891  Dr.  Steans  contin- 
ued to  practice  without  an  associate,  when  he 
was  joined  by  his  brother  Ralph,  and  the  firm  is 
now  known  as  J.  Charlton  Steans  &  Bro.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  Dr.  J.  Charlton  established  a 
drug  store  at  Mifflinburg,  with  a  complete  line 
of  goods.  This  is  a  model  store,  furnace  heat- 
ed, with  three  large  consultation  and  operating 
rooms  on  the  second  floor.  For  his  prescription 
clerk  the  Doctor  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
the  invaluable  services  of  Merill  Linn  Steadman, 
a  courteous  gentleman,  and  a  careful  and  com- 
petent druggist. 

On  February  5,  1884,  Dr.  }.  Charlton  Steans 
was  married  to  Miss  Elsie  C.  Foster,  daughter  of 


Robert  and  Helen  (Chambers)  Foster,  of  Mifflin- 
burg, where  the  former  still  resides;  the  latter 
died  April  17,  1887.  To  Dr.  Steans  and  his 
wife  have  come  four  interesting  children:  Sarah 
Foster,  born  December  21,  1884,  now  a  student 
at  the  preparatory  school  of  Lewisburg,  Penn. ; 
Robert  Espy,  born  May  14,  1888;  William  Bo- 
vard,  born  December  10,  1890;  and  John  Charl- 
ton, Jr.,  born  May  28,  1895.  For  sixteen  years 
the  Doctor  has  been  a  member  of  the  Lycoming 
County  Medical  Society,  and  regularly  attends 
the  meetings  at  Williamsport;  he  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Medical  Association.  In  his  re- 
ligious belief  he  inclines  to  the  faith  of  his  father, 
and  has  long  been  an  earnest  instructor  in  the 
Sunday-school.  Kindly  and  charitably  inclined, 
he  has  long  been  looked  upon  as  one  of  the 
benevolent  men  of  the  place,  and  his  honorable 
business  principles  have  won  for  him  a  place 
among  that  class  of  men  whose  traits  of  character 
are  most  exemplary,  tending  to  the  spreading  of 
the  beneficent  lights  of  broader  Christianity. 

Dr.  Ralph  Steans  obtained  his  literary 
education  at  LaFayette  College,  class  of  '87, 
and  his  medical  education  was  secured  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1891.  After  spending  early  summer 
in  Mifflinburg  he  went  to  Garfield  Memorial  Hos- 
pital, Washington,  D.  C. ,  in  September.  Re- 
turning to  Mifflinburg  in  1892,  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed medicine  with  his  brother,  and  has  greatly 
distinguished  himself  in  his  chosen  profession. 
In  the  comparatively  short  time  he  has  been 
practicing  he  has  taken  high  rank,  especially  as 
a  diagnostician. 

On  October  10,  1895,  Dr.  Ralph  Steans  was 
wedded  to  Miss  Carrie  Lall  Hoffa,  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  Cyrus  Hoffa.  Dr.  Ralph  has  always  been 
an  active  Church  worker,  and  succeeded  his  fa- 
ther as  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
is  conscientious  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of 
every  duty,  and  the  unfortunate  never  fail  to  find 
in  him  a  helping  friend. 

The  firm  of  Steans  Bros,  enjoys  a  most  ex- 
tended practice,  proving  alike  their  ability  as 
physicians  and   their  worth  as  men. 


J'ACOB  H.  SMITH.  A  true  educator  leaves 
upon  the  plastic  material  with  which  he  deals 
an  impress  which  is  none  the  less  powerful 
because  its  results  are  intangible  and  may,  indeed, 
be  unrecognized  by  those  who  are  most  benefited 
by  his  labors.  The  late  Jacob  H.  Smith,  of 
Kelly  township,  Union  county,  who  was  for 
twenty  years  a  teacher  in  that  locality,  is  held  in 
grateful   remembrance   by    many    for    whom    he 


B26 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


smoothed  the  path  of  knowledge,  but  no  one  can 
fully  estimate  the  good  which  he  accomplished 
during  his  career. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  [836,  in  Hartleton 
township,  Union  county,  and  was  the  son  of  a 
well  known  farmer,  George  Smith,  who  with  his 
wife,  Catherine  Hoff,  came  from  their  birthplace 
in  Berks  county.  Penn.,  to  this  section  early  in 
their  married  life.  At  that  time  they  had  one 
child,  Benneball  (now  deceased),  and  eight  "thers 
were  born  to  them  at  the  old  homestead  at  Hart- 
leton, namely:  John  (deceased),  Rachel  (widow 
of  Jonathan  Clingman,  a  noted  lime  manufac- 
turer, of  Buffalo  township.  Union  county,  where 
she  still  resides),  George  (deceased),  Sarah  who 
married  Aaron  Miller,  both  now  deceased),  Jacob 
H.  (our  subject),  Henry  (deceased),  Hannah 
(now  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  widow  of  John  Smith,  who 
was  no  relation),  and  Frank,  an  extensive  land 
owner  and  agriculturist  of  Clay  county,  Kans. 
The  father  of  this  family  died  at  Hartleton,  in 
1X70,  having  then  attained  the  allotted  limit  of 
three-score  years  and  ten.  The  mother  survived 
him  and  spent  her  last  days  at  the  home  of  our 
subject,  where  her  death  occurred  in  1SS4,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one. 

Jacob  H.  Smith  became  familiar  with  the 
details  of  farm  work  in  his  youth,  and  was  always 
mon  or  less  engaged  in  agriculture.  He  began 
teaching  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  so  marked 
was  his  success  that  his  services  were  always  in 
demand,  nine  years  being  spent  in  one  school  at 
Black  Run.  After  leaving  the  profession  he  con- 
tinued to  show  a  keen  interest  in  educational 
progress,  and  lor  six  years  he  served  as  a 
school  director  in  his  district.  He  was  a 
man  whose  influence  was  felt  in  public  affairs, 
and  he  was  twice  elected  supervisor,  and 
also  held  the  office  of  tax  collector  for  two  terms. 
Financially  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  township,  and  at  his  death 
he  left  a  fine  estate. 

In  the  fall  ol  [856  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Miller,  with  whom  he  passed 
nearly  forty  years  oi  wedded  life  before  he  was 
called  from  earth,  his  death  occurring  Januar) 
22,  1894,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years,  eight 
months  and  twenty-two  days.  Mrs.  Smith  now 
resides  at  Taylorville  I  Dion  county,  and  four 
children  of  their  union  also  survive:  Allen  M. 
lives  in  Colorado,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  trucking;  Franklin  Linn,  nowol  Los  Vngi 
Cal.,  is  a  for  a  mineral  spring  company; 

George  E.  manages  the  old   I  ead.  in  Kellj 

township,  Union  county;  and  Margaret  E.  res 
with  her  mother. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  a  native  of  Buffalo  township, 


Union  county,  born  January  y,  [836,  and  her 
.  parents,  George  and  Sarah  (Marts)  Miller,  were 
lifelong  residents  of  that  county.  Her  ancestors 
on  both  sides  came  to  this  section  at  an  early 
,  period,  and  her  paternal  grandfather,  George 
Miller,  Sr. ,  lived  and  died  upon  a  farm  which 
lay  on  the  line  between  Union  and  Snyder  coun- 
ties, while  her  maternal  grandfather,  Peter  Marts, 
had  his  home  in  Snyder  county.  Her  father 
owned  and  operated  a  distillery  in  Buffalo  town- 
ship during  his  early  manhood,  but  later  located 
on  a  farm  in  Buffalo  township,  Union  county, 
where  he  died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one 
years  and  three  months.  Her  mother  survived 
him  until  1S64,  when  she  breathed  her  last  at 
seventy  years  of  a: 

Thirteen  children  were  born  to  their  union: 
George  (a  farmer,  died  in  Ohio),  Catherine  (mar- 
ried Samuel  Bickel,  both  now  deceased),  Peter 
1  who  died  in  Union  county,  was  a  farmer  until 
his  retirement  from  active  business),  John  (de- 
ceased, was  a  farmer  in  Union  county),  Henry 
(is  now  deceased),  Aaron  (deceased,  was  a  car- 
penter in  Union  county),  Sarah  (deceased,  was 
the  wife  of  Howard  Anderson,  the  owner  of  a 
chopmill  at  Taylorville),  Edward, a  retired  farmer 
of  Kelly  township,  Union  county),  Levi  (de- 
ceased), Mary  P.  (married  Richard  Bickel,  a 
farmer  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio),  Elias  (a  farmer 
in  Buffalo  township,  Union  county),  Elizabeth 
1  Mrs.  Smith,  was  the  twelfth  in  order  of  birth  , 
and  Benjamin  (an  engineer  in  a  sawmill  at  Fre- 
mont, Ohio). 


JE.  GROVE,  freight  and  ticket  agent.  Penn- 
L    sylvania     Railroad     Company.     Millmont, 
Union  County,  Pennsylvania. 


SOLOMON  K.  UREISBACH  (deceased),  who 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  oldest  male 
representative  of  the  honored  pioneer  family  of 
that  name,  was  born  September  17,  1825,  on  the 
old  Dreisbach  homestead  in  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county. 

The  estate  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
family  before  the  Revolutionary  war.  having  been 
purchased  in  1773  from  Dr.  William  l'lunkett  by 
our  subject's  great-grandfather,  Martin  D] 
bach.  This  pioneer  was  born  in  Weisbaden, 
German\.  about  1717,  and  came  to  America 
in  1752.  locating  first  in  the  vicinity  of  Reading, 
Penn.  About  twenty  years  later  he  removed  to 
his  new  home,  in  what  is  now  Buffalo  township, 
Union  county,  and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


327 


spent  there  in  the  care  of  his  extensive  estate. 
In  1788  he  donated  seven  and  one-half  acres  of 
land,  near  his  home,  in  order  to  encourage  the 
building  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  the  log 
structure  then  erected  became  a  historic  land- 
mark. The  site  has  ever  been  sacred  to  relig- 
ious uses,  and  Dreisbach  Church  will  doubtless 
serve  as  a  memorial  to  its  founder  through  all 
future  time.  He  was  one  of  the  first  elders,  and 
at  his  death,  February  18,  1799,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years,  he  left  a  large  family.  Of  the 
four  sons,  Henry  went  to  Ohio  in  1804,  and  laid 
out  the  town  of  Circleville;  Jacob  died  in  Union 
county,  Penn. ;  John  lived  and  died  in  Mifflin- 
burg;  Martin,  Jr.,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
is  mentioned  more  fully  farther  on.  There  were 
two  daughters,  Mrs.  Henry  Aurand  and  Mrs. 
Peter  Fisher. 

Martin  Dreisbach  was  born  about  1764,  and 
was  but  a  child  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Union  county,  where  he  remained,  agricult- 
ural pursuits  occupying  his  attention.  He  died 
at  the  old  farm  on  October  20,  1831. 

Among  his  children  was  Martin  Dreisbach 
(our  subject's  father),  who  was  born  December 
6,  1800,  and  attained  a  position  of  marked  influ- 
ence in  the  political,  social,  and  business  affairs 
of  the  community.  On  February  3,  1865,  he 
was  appointed,  by  Gov.  Curtin,  to  the  office  of 
associate  judge  of  the  county,  and  a  few  months 
later  he  was  elected  to  succeed  himself,  his  term 
beginning  November  6,  1865,  and  expiring  in 
December,  1870.  He  was  a  Democrat  until  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  gave  allegiance  to  the  Repub- 
lican party.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life  being  spent  on  the 
homestead,  although  he  resided  for  a  time  on  a 
farm  just  south  of  it;  but  his  last  days  were 
passed  in  Lewisburg,  his  death  occurring  March 
15,  1880.  On  October  14,  1824,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kleckner,  who  was  born 
in  Union  county  about  1802,  the  daughter  of 
Solomon  Kleckner,  and  his  wife,  a  Miss  Hoover. 
Mrs.  Dreisbach  passed  away  October  2,  1875, 
and  the  remains  of  both  parents  now  rest  in  the 
churchyard  where  so  many  of  the  name  sleep. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  this  honored  couple, 
namely:  (1)  Solomon  K.,  our  subject;  (2)  Cy- 
rus, who  followed  farming  for  some  years,  and 
then  removed  to  Lewisburg  to  engage  in  the 
hardware  business;  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years;  (3)  Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years,  at  Vicksburg,  Penn.,  where  he 
was  building  a  large  hotel;  (4)  Hiram,  who  owns 
and  operates  a  planing-mill  at  Sunbury,  Penn.; 
(5)  William,  a  manufacturer  of  shoes  and  shoe 
findings,  with  residence  at  Philadelphia;  (6)  Mar- 


tin, a  resident  of  Wilkes  Barre,  Penn.,  who  was 
formerly  a  coal  operator,  and  is  now  a  clerk  in 
the  office  of  the  commissioners  of  Luzerne  coun- 
ty;  (7)   Miriam,  who  died  in  Lewisburg. 

The  venerable  subject  of  this  sketch  was  an 
eye  witness  to  great  changes  in  the  locality  where 
his  youth  was  spent.  He  was  reared  as  a  farmer 
boy,  and  attended  a  subscription  school  in  a  log 
cabin  on  the  homestead,  Daniel  Breyfogle  being 
his  first  teacher.  On  leaving  the  parental  roof 
he  took  charge  of  a  farm  in  Hartley  township, 
Union  county,  belonging  to  his  father,  and  on 
March  18,  1849,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susan- 
nah Shoemaker,  who  was  born  March  2,  1827, 
near  Vicksburg,  Penn.,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Susannah  (Ludwig)  Shoemaker.  The  first 
year  of  their  wedded  life  was  passed  at  the  farm 
in  Hartley  township,  but  in  the  spring  of  1850 
Mr.  Dreisbach  formed  a  partnership  with  Joseph 
Forey,  and  became  the  owner  of  the  mill  and 
part  of  the  machinery.  After  four  years  in  this 
business  he  gave  it  up  and  engaged  in  preparing 
sumach  for  market;  but  after  a  time  the  repeated 
cutting  of  the  plant  brought  about  its  extinction, 
and  he  found  his  occupation  gone.  His  factory 
near  Laurelton  had  fine  water  power,  which  he 
used  in  various  profitable  ways,  and  at  one  time 
he  manufactured  farmers'  supplies  of  different 
kinds.  In  1863  he  moved  to  New  Berlin,  and 
began  the  manufacture  of  blasting  powder  in 
partnership  with  B.  F.  Potts,  their  establishment 
being  the  only  one  of  the  sort  ever  founded  in 
the  country.  On  abandoning  this  business  a  few 
years  later,  our  subject  embarked  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Sunbury  with  his  brother  Hiram, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Dreisbach  Bros.,  and 
continued  for  about  twenty-five  years.  From 
the  year  1893  he  lived  in  retirement  in  New  Ber- 
lin, where  he  owned  a  comfortable  and  handsome 
home  recently  remodeled.  He  had  other  valu- 
able real  estate  in  New  Berlin,  with  other  prop- 
erty in  Sunbury,  Lewiston  and  Laurelton,  includ- 
ing some  business  blocks.  He  also  owned  a  farm 
in  West  Perry  township,  Snyder  county,  and  the 
care  of  his  investments  kept  him  in  touch  with 
the  business  world  in  which  he  was  so  long  an 
active  figure.  Of  his  two  children,  Charles  W., 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Agnes  married 
William  Davenport,  and  died  near  Beach  Haven, 
Luzerne  Co.,  Penn.,  leaving  one  daughter,  Ella, 
who  is  now  attending  school  at  New  Berlin.  Mr. 
Dreisbach  was  called  from  earth  March  20,  1898. 

Our  subject  never  entered  the  political  arena 
as  an  office-seeker,  but  he  took  keen  interest  in 
the  various  issues  which  came  up  for  discussion 
and  settled  during  his  long  life.  In  his  early 
days  he  gave  his  support  to  the  Democratic  party, 


-'- 


'  OXMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  his  anti-slavery  sent  led   him  to    j 

the  Republican  organization   a~  -  it  was 

formed. 


H.    R<  (THERMEL,  de:  -  and 

shoes,    Kelly  Cross   Roads,    Union   Co., 
Pennsylvania. 


JEREMIAH  MUSSER,  v  I  Jaid  aside 

the  cares  and  n  business,  is 

numbered    among    the    ■ 
Mifflinburg,  Union   county,  h;  e  he 

is  held  in  that  reverence  and  respect  tacitly  ac- 
corded  those  whose  lives  have  been  distinguished 
by  integrity  and  usefulness. 

Mr.  Musser  was  born  Marcl  in  Sny- 

ounty,  Penn.,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part 
of  Union  county,  and  he  is  a  son  of  John  and  De- 
bora  (Stetler)  Musser,  native  ks  and  Sny- 
der counties,  Penn.,  respectively.     The  paternal 

idparents  spent  their  entire   lives    in    Berks 
county.     The  parents   of  cur  subject  were  mar- 
in  Snyder  county  and  reared  a  family  of  ten 
children,  namely:     Henry,  I  .■  \.l;un,    Jere- 

h,   Reuben,    Sarah,    Lydia,    Amelia,    Matilda 
all  of  whom  grew  to    maturity  and 

ime  heads  of  families  with    t  u  of 

the  youngest — Sophia,  who  died  in  childhood. 

On   reaching   manhood   Jeremiah  Mi 

rving  a  i 
nticeship,  and   he  continued  to  - 

lullv  follow  that  occupation  until  [858,  when 
he  pun  h  ised  a  farm  and  turned  his  attentioi 

icultural  pursuits.      Upon   that   place  he  1 
tinned  to   reside   until    the  spring   oi   1873,  when 
he  retired  from   active  labor,  and  has  ved 

in  Mifflinburg,  occupying  a  comfortable  and  pleas- 
ant home. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four,    Mr.    Musser 

married  to    Miss    Mary  Dennis,  who  was  born  in 

Berks  county,    November    8,   iSjj.  and    when  a 

mere  child  was   brought  to  Union  county,  by  her 

nts,   [ohn  and  Elizabeth  nis,  na- 

5  of    Berks  county.     The  who  wa 

lri>h  origin,  died  at  the  ight)  years,  and 

the  mother,  who  was  of   English  di  scent,  at  the 
age  of  nghty-eight.  both   passing  away  in  Ur 
county,  and  their  remains  were  interred  at   R 
Church  in  Lewis  township 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Musser  have  six  children,  who 
in  order  of  birth  are  as  follow-;  John,  a  resident 
of  Mifflinburg,  is  married  and  follows  the  occu- 
pations of  fanning  and  burning  lime;  Robert,  who 
was  a  Union   soldier,  laid  down   his   life  on  the 


altar  of  his  country  during  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion; Matilda  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Rudy,  a  car- 
penter and  builder  ol  Mifflinburg;  Elizabeth  is 
the  wife  of  Harry  De  Long,  a  carpenter  residing 
in  Philadelphia;  Daniel  is  married,  and  is  engaged 
in  the  lime  business  in  Mifflinburg;  and  Chi  1 
is  married,  and  operates  his  father's  farm  in  West 
Buffelo  township. 

1  st    toil   and  habits  of  economy,  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  Musser  have  accumulated  considerable 

-  on  starting  upon  their  married   life 

they  had  very  little  of  this  world's  goods.     She 

le  their  carp  flax  which  they  raised, 

and  the  seen  t   -  f  their  success  was  their  ability 

tacture  with  their  own  hand-  everything 

necessary  for  thi  tnce  of  their  family.    It  is 

:  opinion  that  the  inability  of  the  young  peo- 

he  present  day  to  acquire  homes  of  their 

may    be    laid    to  the  fact  that  they  are  not 

satisfied  in  life  as  their  parents  did.      Al- 

Mr.    Musser  is   now  eighty  years  of  age 

and  his  wife  seventy-five,  they  are  still  well  pre- 

ed  and  active,  doing  their  own  work  without 

I    help.       They    are    widel}    and    favorably 

ughout    Union    county,    where  they 

have  so  long  made  their  home,  and  no  couple  is 

mention    in   a  work   of  this 

character  than  Jeremiah  Musser  and  his  estima- 


HENRY  BROWN.      The  Brown  family  is  an 
old  and  numerous  one  in  Union  county,  and 
has  contributed  many  prominent  and  worthy  citi- 
zens to  this  section  of  the  State,  among  whom  is 
■  ntirely  deserving  of  all  the 
m  invariably  tendi  red  the  name. 
The  family,  while  not  the  oldest,  or  even  among 
the  oldest,  has   ever  since  its  advent   in   Union 
nty,    in    the    spring    of     1S04,   been   actively 
identified    with   the   development  of   this  region, 
and    been    instrumental    in  placing  the  county   in 
the  '    fty   position  it  occupies  in  the  magnificent 
ixy  of  Pennsylvania's  counties. 

ild  home  in  Pine  Grove  township, 
Berl     1  Penn.,  John   Brown,  the  grandfather 

subject,  came  to  Union  county,  in    1  i 
and  located  in  Buffalo  Valley.      He  was  born  in 
1756,  in    this    State,  of   German    parentage,  and 
m  their  st  1  r  independ- 

ence. Near  what  is  now  Smoketown,  he  pur- 
chased what  was  known  as  the  Andrew  Edge 
r  eight  pounds  per  acre,  and  about 
the  only  improvement  upon  the  farm  was  an  old 
cabin.  Hi  dud  December  13,  1838,  his  wife 
in  1806,  and  both  were  buried  in  the  Dreisbach 
cemeterv.      In  their  familv  were  nine  children, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


829 


namely:  John,  who  migrated  to  Ohio;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Simon  Crist,  and  moved  to 
Ohio;  Christina,  wife  of  Philip  Frederick;  Peter, 
who  became  a  resident  of  Ohio;  Abraham,  of 
Pennsylvania;  William,  father  of  our  subject; 
Christian,  of  Pennsylvania;  Michael  (deceased), 
who  at  one  time  served  as  county  commissioner 
of  Union  county;  and  Jacob. 

William  Brown  was  born  in  Berks  county  in 
1792,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age  took  up  his 
residence  in  Union  county,  where  he  later  mar- 
ried Barbara,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Getz.  They 
began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  part  of  his  fa- 
ther's land  in  East  Buffalo  township,  and,  in  con- 
nection with  its  operation,  he  also  engaged  in 
the  distilling  business  for  some  time  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Abraham.  Later  he  pur- 
chased fifty  acres,  which  forms  a  part  of  our 
subject's  farm,  and  gave  his  entire  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  robust  man  ami 
did  considerable  hard  work.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig,  and  later  a  Republican,  and  took 
quite  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  while, 
religiously,  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  in  which  he  was  serving  as 
elder  at  the  time  of  his  death,  September  29, 
1S75.  He  was  at  that  time  eighty-four  years  of 
age;  his  wife  had  died  at  the  age  of  sixty,  and  the 
remains  of  both  were  interred  in  the  Lewisburg 
cemetery. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  this  worthy 
couple,  namely:  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two;  Peter,  who  died  in  childhood;  Will- 
iam, who  died  in  Kansas;  Henry,  of  this  sketch; 
Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Charles  Yoder, 
and  died  in  Wichita,  Kans. ;  Abram,  a  resident  of 
East  Buffalo  township,  Union  Co.,  Penn.  ;  Ma- 
tilda, wife  of  Jonas  Hoy,  of  Buffalo  township, 
the  same  county;  and  Isaac,  a  minister  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  who  died  in  Wichita,  Kansas. 

During  his  boyhood  Henry  Brown  attended 
the  Turtle  Creek  school,  which  was  conducted 
on  the  subscription  plan,  but  at  that  time  one 
month's  schooling  a  year  was  considered  suffi- 
cient. His  training  at  farm  work,  however,  was 
not  so  limited,  and,  with  the  exception  of  five 
years,  his  entire  life  has  been  passed  on  the  old 
homestead,  where  his  birth  occurred  September 
25,    1820. 

In  East  Buffalo  township,  Mr.  Brown  was 
married  December  22,  1846,  to  Miss  Rachel 
Gundy,  who  was  born  in  that  township,  October 
16,  1 829,  and  is  the  oldest  of  the  four  children  of 
George  and  Catharine  (Zentmeyer)  Gundy,  hav- 
ing two  brothers  and  one  sister.  For  four  years 
after  his  marriage  Mr.  Brown  operated  rented 
land,  but  in  the  spring  of  1S5 1  he  returned  to  the 


old  homestead,  having  purchased  fifty-six  acres 
of  land  from  his  father.  Eight  years  later  the 
old  one-story-and-a-half  house  was  replaced  by 
his  present  substantial  brick  residence,  and  he 
has  made  many  other  valuable  and  useful  im- 
provements upon  the  place.  He  has  also  en- 
larged the  boundaries  of  his  farm,  which  now 
include  eighty-four  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land. 

For  over  half  a  century  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown  have  now  traveled  life's  journey  together, 
sharing  with  each  other  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its 
adversity  and  prosperity.  Their  home  has  been 
brightened  by  six  children:  William  George, 
born  January  1,  1848,  died  July  12,  1S70; 
Franklin  W. ,  born  December  31,  1849,  is  now 
the  minister  of  the  Reformed  Church  at  Aarons- 
burg,  Penn.;  John  E.,  born  August  30,  1852,  is 
a  resident  of  Snyder  county,  Penn.;  Simon  P., 
born  June  5,  1S55,  is  a  farmer  of  Freeport,  111.; 
James  S.,  born  October  21,  1859,  is  a  photogra- 
pher of  Lewisburg,  Penn.;  and  Isaac  C. ,  born 
May  31,  1862,  is  at  home.  He  married  Miss 
Marsche  Wetzel,  and  has  two  children — Rue  E. 
and  Charles  W. 

Mr.  Brown  has  lost  considerable  by  going  secu- 
rity for  others,  but  has  mainly  prospered  and  his 
word  is  considered  as  good  as  his  bond.  Asa  stanch 
Republican  he  has  been  elected  to  a  number  of 
official  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  including 
those  of  school  director  and  supervisor.  He  is 
an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  elder  for 
about  twelve  years,  while  his  estimable  wife  holds 
membership  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 


DAM  MUSSER.  There  are  few  men  more 
3L  worthy  of  representation  in  a  work  of  this 
kind  than  the  subject  of  this  biography,  who  is 
passing  the  later  years  of  his  life  in  retirement 
at  his  pleasant  home  in  Laurelton,  Union  coun- 
ty. His  has  been  a  long  and  busy  career,  rich 
with  experience,  and  in  which  he  has  established 
himself  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who 
know  him. 

Of  German  descent,  Mr.  Musser  was  born  in 
Snyder  county,  Penn.,  April  3,  1S15,  a  son  of 
John  and  Deborah  (Stetler)  Musser.  His  father 
and  grandfather  both  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
that  county.  In  the  family  of  the  former  were 
ten  children:  Henry,  who  died  in  Juniata  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years;  George, 
who,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  was  killed  at 
Franklin,  Snyder  county,  left  a  family;  Adam,  of 
this  sketch;  Jeremiah,  who  is  married  and  lives 
in  Mifflinburg,  Penn.;  Sarah,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Jacob  Gloss,  died  several  years  ago;  Ly- 


580 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dia,  who  lives  in  the  West;  Amelia,  a  resident  of 
Mifflinburg,  Penn.  ,  Reuben,  who  makes  his  home 
in  <  Hit  >  Matilda,  deceased  wife  of  John  Miller, 
of  Buffalo  Valley,  Penn. ;  and  Sophia,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  two  years. 

The  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  Adam  Mus- 
ser  spent  upon  the  home  farm,  and  then  began 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  success- 
fully followed  for  many  years,  being  a  thorough 
and  skillful  workman  whose  services  were  always 
in  demand.  He  was  also  interested  in  [arming, 
and  he  is  still  the  owner  of  considerable  real  es- 
tate in  Hartley  township.  In  the  common 
schools  he  received  a  good  practical  education, 
which  well  fitted  him  for  the  responsible  duties 
of  business  life,  and  his  career  has  been  charac- 
:ed  by  habits  of  industry  and  frugality, 
which  have  been  important  factors  in  his  sue- 
On  September  20,  1835,  Mr.  Musser  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Solomon  Gloss. 
I  n  children  graced  their  union:  Hugh,  born 
April  22,  1836,  lives  in  Ohio;  Reuben,  born 
June  28,  1838,  is  married  and  lives  in  Toledo, 
the  same  State;  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Long,  of  Centre  county,  Penn. :  Lydia  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  Rearick,  of  Lewis  township.  Union 
county;  Levina  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Teighman; 
Delilah  is  the  wife  of  George  Yonada,  of  Hart- 
ley township,  Union  county;  Deilma,  who  mar- 
ried   George    Zimmerman,   died    at  the    age  of 


thirtv-five,  leaving   rive  children;  Isaiah 


is  mar- 
wife  of 
and  he 
mother 


ried,  and  lives  in  Ohio;  Amelia  is  the 
Samuel  Long;  and  Nathan  is  married, 
lives  in  Bellevue,  Ohio.  The  wife  and 
passed  away  December  26,  1888,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  in  the  Dunkard  cemetery,  near  Mifflin- 
burg, Pennsylvania. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Musser  was  a  member  of 
the  Dunkard  Church,  but  at  present  is  connected 
with  no  religious  organization.  Politically,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  part}',  but  has 
never  desired  official  honors.  He  enjoys  the 
friendship  and  acquaintance  of  a  large  number  of 
the  best  people  of  Laurelton   and  vicinity. 


BRAHAM  G.  BROWN.  If  one  desires  to 
m  a  vivid  realization  of  the  rapid  ad- 
vance in  civilization  which  the  last  few  dec 
have  brought  about,  he  can  listen  to  the  stories 
that  men,  who  are  still  living  among  us,  and  by 
no  means  overburdened  with  years,  can  tell  of 
their  boyhood.  The  log  cabin  home  in  the 
clearing,  the  still  ruder  school  house  with  its 
rough  seats  made  of  slabs,  its  limited  range  of 
studies  and   its  brief    terms  arranged  on  the  sub- 


scription plan*;  the  routine  of  work  at  home  un- 
relieved by  any  of  the  modern  devices  by  which 
machinery  is  made  to  do  in  a  short  time  what 
formerly  occupied  the  entire  year;  these  and  sim- 
ilar descriptions  will  bring  up  in  sharp  contrast 
the  advantages  of  to-day. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  venerable  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Union  county,  residing 
near  Lewisburg,  has  many  interesting  reminis- 
cences of  this  sort.  In  his  boyhood,  threshing 
was  done  by  the  old-fashioned  method  of  tread- 
ing out  the  grain  on  a  floor,  and  it  became  his 
regular  winter's  work  to  ride  the  horses  at  this 
task,  as  he  could  thus  save  a  man's  time.  His 
father,  who  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  prepared  the 
cloth  for  the  family,  and  his  mother  made  it  up 
without  the  aid  of  Paris  fashion  plates. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  an  old  and  now 
numerous  family.  He  was  the  fourth  son  and 
fifth  child  of  John  and  Barbara  (Getz)  Brown, 
well-known  residents  of  East  Buffalo  township. 
Union  county,  and  was  born  June  10,  1823, 
His  early  education  was  mainly  acquired  in  the 
old  Turtle  Creek  School,  near  his  home,  but 
farm  work  ever  interfered  sadly  with  his  attend- 
ance there,  a  few  months  in  winter  being  all  that 
he  could  secure.  He  had  always  lived  at  the 
old  homestead  (an  addition  being  built  to  the 
house  on  his  marriage  in  order  that  he  might  re- 
main and  conduct  the  farm).  Until  the  death 
of  his  father  he  managed  the  place  on  shares, 
but  he  then  acquired  the  title  by  will.  It  is  a 
fine  estate  of  120  acres,  situated  less  than  a  mile 
from  Lewisburg  borough,  and  under  his  manage- 
ment it  has  been  greatly  improved,  all  the  build- 
ings, except  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead,  hav- 
ing been  erected  by  him.  In  addition  to  this 
fine  property  he  owns  fifty  acres  of  timber  land. 

On  June  1,  1 S 5 4 ,  in  White  Deer  township, 
Union  county,  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Miss 
Susanna  Heverling,  who  has  proved  herself  one 
of  the  best  of  helpmeets,  assisting  him  in  every 
way.  She  is  of  an  old  "  Pennsylvania-Dutch  " 
family,  and  as  a  girl  worked  in  the  harvest  field, 
doing  thi'  work  of  a  regular  hand.  Her  parents, 
John  and  Susan  (Barrier)  Heverling,  were  both 
natives  of  Schuylkill  county,  Penn.,  and  she  was 
born  there  on  June  1,  1830,  the  fourth  child  and 
tirst  daughter  in  a  family  of  eight  children;  but 
while  she  was  still  an  infant  her  parents  removed 
to  Union  county,  and  settled  upon  a  farm.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Brown  have  two  sons,  both  of  whom 
reside  at  the  homestead:  (1)  John  W..  born 
May  31,  [855,  married  to  Miss  Emma  Biddle, 
and  has  one  son,  Raymond  W.  (2)  James  C 
born  December  21.    1859,  is   not  married. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  man  of  influence  in  his  local- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


831 


ity,  and  his  manner,  though  quiet  and  unassum- 
ing, conveys  the  impression  of  a  strong  character. 
He  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Reformed  Church, 
in  which  he  held  at  one  time  the  office  of  deacon. 
Politically,  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and,  later,  a 
Republican,  and  while  an  earnest  supporter  of 
his  principles,  he  does  not  confuse  national  with 
local  issues,  and  in  township  and  county  elections 
votes  for  "  the  best  man."  He  is  not  a  man  to 
seek  office  for  the  honor  of  it;  as  school  director 
he  has  shown  himself  a  firm  friend  of  education, 
seeking  to  improve  the  facilities  for  the  rising 
generation  of  his  locality. 


HARVEY  E.  FRANTZ,  a  general  farmer  re- 
siding at  Spring  Garden,  in  Gregg  township, 
Union  county,  was  born  August  12,  1850,  in  Penn 
township,  Lycoming  Co.,  Penn. ,  and  is  of  German 
descent,  his  paternal  grandparents,  Peter  and 
Elizabeth  (Beaver)  Frantz,  having  come  to  Amer- 
ica at  an  early  day  and  taken  up  their  residence 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  former  was  accompanied 
by  his  two  brothers,  John  and  David,  all  of  whom 
spelled  the  name  Frantz,  but  the  descendants  of 
John  have  changed  the  spelling  to  Frontz.  The 
maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  Daniel  and 
his  wife,  were  also  natives  of  the  Fatherland, 
where  the  grandmother  died,  but  the  grandfather 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  spent  his  last 
days  upon  a  farm  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Good)  Frantz,  the  par- 
ents of  our  subject,  were  natives  of  Lycoming 
county,  Penn.,  and  Germany,  respectively,  and 
were  married  at  the  former  place,  where  the 
father  died  in  March,  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  nine  months  and  seven  days.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and,  as  an  ardent 
Democrat,  he  took  quite  a  prominent  part  in 
local  affairs,  serving  in  several  township  offices  of 
honor  and  trust.  In  religious  belief,  he  was  a 
Lutheran,  to  which  Church  his  wife  also  belongs. 
She  was  born  in  November,  1820,  and  now  re- 
sides with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Amanda  Vander- 
vilt,  in  Lycoming  county. 

In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  six 
children,  namely:  Peter,  now  a  farmer  of  Muncy 
Creek  township,  Lycoming  county;  Daniel  G.,  a 
farmer  of  the  same  county;  Amanda,  widow  of 
John  Vandervilt,  of  Lycoming  county;  Harvey 
E.,  of  this  sketch;  William  B.,  an  agriculturist 
of  Lycoming  county;  and  Elias,  who  was  killed 
by  a  runaway  horse. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth,  Harvey  E. 
Frantz  attended  the  local  schools  and  worked  on 
his  father's  farm    or   at    teaming.      On    attaining 


his  majority  he  left  the  parental  roof,  and  for  two 
years  boarded  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Vandervilt, 
while  he  operated  her  farm.  He  then  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  a  mile  and  one-half  from  that 
place,  in  Muncy  Creek  township,  Lycoming  coun- 
ty, buying  eighty  acres  at  $120  per  acre.  There 
he  made  his  home  from  1876  until  the  spring  of 

1886,  when  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Brown  coun- 
ty, S.  Dak.,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  also 
took  up  some  government  land,  which  he  im- 
proved with  new  buildings.  In  the  fall  of  1889, 
however,  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
a  few  months  spent  in  Northumberland  county 
while  looking  up  a  location,  he  bought  his  present 
farm  of  seventy-eight  acres  at  $80  per  acre.  In- 
dustrious and  persevering,  he  has  placed  the  land 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  made  many 
excellent  improvements  thereon,  which  stand  as 
monuments  to  his  thrift  and  enterprise. 

Mr.  Frantz  was  married  in  Lycoming  county, 
December  23,  1873,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Miss  Alice  Beaber,  who  was  born  in  Wolf  town- 
ship, that  county,  February  14,  1854,  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Charlotte  (Shipman)  Beaber,  of 
Lycoming  county,  where  the  father  followed 
farming  and  the  tanning  business  throughout 
life.  In  his  younger  years  he  also  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  he  was  called  upon  to  fill  a  number 
of  township  offices.  He  died  May  14,  1888, 
aged  sixty-two  years,  his  wife  on  November   13, 

1887,  aged  fifty-nine.  His  parents  were  John 
and  Hannah  (Shaffer)  Beaber,  natives  of  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  who  removed  to  Lycoming  coun- 
ty, at  an  early  day.  There  the  grandfather  fol- 
fowed  farming  until  his  death.  The  maternal 
grandparents  of  Mrs.  Frantz,  Jacob  and  Caroline 
(Britton)  Shipman,  were  born  in  New  Jersey, 
but  died  in  Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  where  the 
former  followed  agricultural  pursuits  for  many 
years. 

Mrs.  Frantz  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  seven  children,  the  others  being: 
Thomas  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 
years;  Mary  J.,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age 
of  forty-one;  M.  Alice,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
John  J.,  a  farmer  of  Northumberland  county, 
Penn.;  George  M.,  a  dealer  in  wire  fences  at 
Potts  Grove,  Penn.;  Margaret  E.,  the  wife  of 
I.  V.  Sudam,  a  farmer  of  Michigan;  and  Amon 
B.,  an  agriculturist  of  Lycoming  county. 

Eight  children  graced  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Frantz,  namely:  Charles  D.,  born  Octo- 
ber 1,  1874,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years; 
Cyrus  B.,  born  January  8,  1876,  is  at  home; 
Jacob  M.,  born  October  9,  1878,  is  a  saddler  re- 
siding in  Milton,  Penn.;  George  S.,  born  July 
28,   1 88 1 ,  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;   Edward 


B82 


COMMEMnUATlVE  BIUGRAl'llKAL  RECORD. 


L.,  born  August  25,  1883,  and  Ralph,  born  Jan- 
uary 21,  1890,  are  at  home;  and  Harvey  D.  and 
Emma  A.  twins)  were  born  October  27,  1892, 
the  former  dying  in  infancy. 

Our  subject  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
success  of  the  Democratic  party,  with  which  he 
has  always  been  identified,  and  on  that  ticket 
was  recently  elected  supervisor  of  his  township. 
He  is  also  si  ceptabl)  I  the 

poor,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  representa- 
tive and  valued  1  itizi  ns  of  Gregg  township. 
Prior  to  coming  to  the  county,  he  and  his  es- 
timable wife  held  membership  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  They  are  widely  and  favorably  known, 
enjoying  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  they  come  in  contact. 


A 


,    DAM  KIMl'i  1.  has  now  laid  aside  business 
\.   cares,  and  is  enjoying  a  well-earned  re 
,1  pari  of  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Wesl  Buffa- 
lo township,   where    his  birth  occurred  January 
1,  1S20. 

The   family  was    early   established    in    I 
county,  Ins  paternal  grandparents  locating  tl 
when  11  11s  an   unbroken   wild,  mess,  in- 

habited   mainly    by   the    Redmen.      The  heavy 

its  were  the   hn  imes    ol   many    wild  anin 
and  game  of  all  kinds  could   be  found   in   abund- 
ance,      rhe     randfather,    Henry   Kimpel,  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  while   his    wife   was  born   in 
l-n-land.      Their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  v 
Jersey,  where  they  continued  to  maki 

1  numbei    >l  ind  on  coming  h    Union 

county  were  accompanied  by  their  sons,  Philip 
and  John.  The  former,  who  was  the  father  of 
our  sub  i  mie  one  rous  farmers 

"I  this  1  egii  in,  where  he  died  many  yi  re- 

spected by  all  who  knew  him.      His  wife  passed 
away  in  [823,  our  subject  thus  being deprivi 
a  mother's  tender  care  at  the  age  of  thn 
The  other  children  were:     John,  Sarah.  S 
Philip,  Rebecca  and  Peter. 

Amid  rural  scenes  Adam    Kimpel  was  reared, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  subscription  schi 
near  hi   hi  1  h  he  be- 

i   in    the   work    of   the   farm,  and  he 
never  left  the  old  h  id,  but  contin 

us  time  and  attention  to  its  cultivation 
and  improvement  throughout  his  active  business 
career.      1  ral   sears  he  has  now  lived  re- 

tired, leaving  the  management  of  the  farm  to  his 
only  child,  Henrj  Philip,  In  [867,  Mr.  Kimpel 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Susanna  Noll,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Noll,  an  agriculturist  ol  \\ 
Buffalo  township.  Shediedin  1880,  leaving 
son,  Henry  Philip,  who  was  born  January  10, 
1869,  on  the  old  home   farm    where   he   and  his 


lather  still  reside.  On  March  14,  1889,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Emma  Nickel,  who  was  born 
March  2,  1^70,  a  daughter  of  George  A.  Nickel, 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  West  Buffalo  township, 
child  graces  their  union — Charles  Elmer, 
horn  July   1  2,  IS<J4. 

Mr.  Kimpel  has  always  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  take  a  deep  and  c  >m- 
mendable  interest  in  public  affairs.  Altl 
believer  in  Christianity  he  is  a  member  of  no  par- 
ticular Church,  but  he  has  led  an  honorable,  up- 
ri'^ht  and  conscientious  life,  never  wronging  any 
one  to  ite    his    own  selfish    interests.      He 

has  traveled  in  six  different  States  of  the  Union. 


r>EORGE  W.  SCHOCH,  editor  and  proprie- 
VJ    tor  ol    The   Mifflinburg    Telegraph,  Mifflin- 

■.  Union    county,   was    born    in    Mifflinb 
Union  Co.,  Penn.,  May  I,   [842,  and    is  a  son  of 
George    Schoch,    who   was    a    son    of     Michael 
of  Mathias  Schoch. 

The  latter,  with  his  brothers,  John  and  Ge 
and  two  sisters,  came  to  this  country  from  G 
many    in    the    eighteenth     century,    locating    in 
. ,  Penn.      The  sisters  married — one 
a  Mr.  Spangler,  the  other  a  Mr.  Saltzgever,  b 
of  Tulpehocken,  Berks  Co.,  Penn.      Mat!, 
born  in  Germany,   December    16,    173 
in  America,   May    [2,   (8l2.      He  was  twice  mar- 
nldren  as  follows:    John,  Henry. 
I,  Jacob,  Peter  and  Catharine,  by  his 
wife;  an  .    Daniel   and   Rebecca,  by  his 

second  wife. 

Michael  Schoch,  son  of  Mathias,  was  born 
[une  20,   17-  twice  married:  first  to  Miss 

Ann    Bi  I    after    her  death    he   wi 

widow  named  Dreese.  By  his  first  wife  he  had 
the  following  children:  Catherine,  born  Sep- 
tember [4,  1796,  married  a  Mr.  Kocher,  of  Cir- 
cleville,   Ohio;   Leah,  born  July    14.    [800,  mar- 

i   fohn  Craft,  of   Circleville,  Ohio;    Elizabeth, 

born  November  24,   1S01,  married  Adam  Dover, 

ircleville,    Ohio;     George,  born   January     1, 

1804,  died   March   28.   [888;   Samuel,  born    j 

14,  1801''.  died  May  1;,   [892;   Susan,  born  Janu- 

I  homas  Craft,  of  Circle- 
ville l  Lydia,  born  May  31,  [811, 
married   Samuel  ing    citizen,  and 

is  each,  jus- 
tice   of  the    peace   of    Mifflinburg,    Penn.      She 
J82.      Michael    had    no  chil- 

n  by  his  sec  »nd  wife.  He  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade,  was  one  of  the   builders  of   the  old  St. 

is  Church  in  Mifflinburg,  used  conjointly  by 
the  Lutheran  and  Reformed  congregations  for 
man\  years,  hi  being  an  ardent  Lutheran.  He 
also  followed   (arming,  and   at   his   death,  which 


/K  /&Z^L<rC*K, 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


833 


occurred  March  19,  1853,  when  he  was  aged 
eighty-three  years,  eight  months,  twenty-nine 
days,  he  left  an  estate  of  considerable  acreage  the 
proceeds  of  the  sale  of  same  being  divided  equit- 
ably among  his  surviving  children,  in  accordance 
with  his  will.  His  remains  and  those  of  his  two 
w.ves  are  buried  in  the  old  graveyard  in  Mifflin- 
burg. H1S  hrst  wife  died  October  4,  1823  a-ed 
fifty-four  years  and  three  months 

George  Schoch,  son  of  Michael  and  grandson 
of   Mathias,    was    united   in    marriage  April    23 

1826  with  Harriet  Warley,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary   Warley,  of  Philadelphia.      Their  chil 
dren  were  as  follows:    Mary  Ann,  born  March  3  r 

1827  died    October    27,   1882;   Catharine,    born 
October  27,   1828,  intermarried  with  Dr.  Andrew 

Ju2"0t^r,fShe  d'ed  March  8'  l85L  having  one 
child— William  Herbert  Crotzer,  who  was  born 
February  28,  185 1,  died  January  13,  ,S98,  and 
buried  in  Laurel  Hill  cemetery,  Philadelphia)- 
Henry  M  born  August  3.  1830,  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Danville,  Penn. ;  Harriet,  born  Oc- 
tober 17,  1832,  intermarried  with  John  Neyhart 
residing  at  Lewisburg,  Penn. ;  Elizabeth,  born 
J«y    3,  1835,  died   June   29,   1887;  Gilbert,  born 

UL-  I1'    l837'    a  leading    merchant    tailor    of 
Mifflinburg,  Penn.;  John  Calvin,  born  March  17 
ij>39,  residing  in   Edwardsburg,    Mich.,  of  which 
place  he  was  postmaster  during   Cleveland's  first 
term   as  president;    Emeline,  born    February    7 
1841,    residing  in   Lewisburg,  Penn.;  George  w' 
(the  subject  of  this  biography),  born  May  1,  184^ 
and  Milton    M.,  born  December  24,   1849    fore- 
man of  the  Telegraph  printing  office,  Mifflinburg 
Penn      The  father  of  the  children  just  named 
was  born  January  1,  1804,  as  before  stated,  and 
died   March   28,    1888.      The   mother  was   born 
August  io,   1S05,  and  died  June  7,  1870.      Both 
are  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Lewisburg,  Penn 
as  are  their  children— Mary  Ann,  Catharine  and 
Elizabeth. 

Henry  Warley,  hereinbefore    mentioned    was 
born  September  4,   1775,  and  his  wife  Catharine 
(Ffiegor)  was  born  in  1785.      Their  children  were 
as  follows:   Mary,  born  December  2,  iSc-   Har- 
riet (wife   of   George   Schoch,  as   before  stated) 
born  August    10,   1805;  Ann  (wife  of  E.  Gilbert 
Oiles),  born  July  26,   1808;   Samuel   (married  to 
Kebecca    Pflegor),    born     December    24,     181  i- 
Reuben,  born  June  27,   18 14;   Henry,  born    No- 
vember 22,  1816;   Rebecca,  born  July  15,  1819- 
Catherine     born   May    1,   1823;   George  (married 
to  Emma  Miller),  born  June  9,    1826;  and  John, 
born  June  5,  1832. 

Accordingly,  from  what  has  been  written  it 
will  be  noticed  that  George  W.  Schoch  was  a 
great-grandson  of  Mathias  Schoch,  grandson  of 


Michael  Schoch,  and  son  of  George  Schoch.    His 
education  was  solely  acquired  in  the  free  or  pub- 
lic schools   of  his  birthplace,  supplemented  with 
a    few    terms    in    the    Mifflinburg    academy,    his 
teachers    in    the     latter    institution    being     suc- 
cessively, Henry   G.    McGuire,  Aaron  C.  Fisher, 
Kobert  C.  Allison  and   the  latter's  assistant    Mr 
Hartman       His  tuition  under  teacher  Fisher  was 
paid    for   by    his   personal    services   as   janitor- 
making  the  fire,    sweeping  the  school  room   and 
ringing   the   bell   at   school   time.      Shortly  after 
arriving  at  the  age  of   thirteen  years   he   entered 
the  printing  office  of  the  Union  County  Star,  then 
published  in  Mifflinburg.  to  learn  the  art  of  print- 
ing.     Here  he  worked  a  few  months,  when  the 
offlce  passed  by   sale  from    the   owners— Drs    A 
J.    Crotzer   (his   brother-in-law)    and    Chesselden 
tMsner— into   the   possession  of   Reuben   G.  and 
1  nomas  G.  Orwig,  brothers,  for  whom,   also    he 
worked  a  short  time.      Subsequently  he  went  to 
Lew.sburg,    Penn.,    to   which   place  his    parents 
had    removed   shortly   after   the   division   of   the 
county     which    took    place    in    1855,    his   father 
having  been  chosen  one   of  the  county  commis- 
sioners      Here    he   secured    employment    in    the 
office    of    the    Lewisburg  Argus,    published    by 
hrankhn    Ziebach,  working   there    for  about  six 
months,    when   Mr.   Ziebach   removed   to   Sioux 
Uty,  Iowa,  taking  the  material  of  the  office  with 
him       Shortly  thereafter  he  secured  employment 
in  the  office  of  the  Lewisburg  Chronicle,  published 
by  O.  N    Worden  &  J.  R.    Cornelius,  where  he 
remained  until  the  Civil  war  broke  out  in  iS6r 
when  he  "ran  away  from  home,"  and  on  August 
\2,  that  year,  enlisted  in  Company  D,  5th  Regt 
Penn.  Res.    Corps,   serving  with   said  command 
until  its  discharge  on  June   11,    1864.      He  par- 
ticipated   in    the    following    battles:    Mechanics- 
ville,    Va.,    June  26,    1862;    Gaines'    Mill     Va 
June  27,   1862;   New    Market  Cross  Roads    Va  ' 
June    30,     1862— (McClellan's   campaign)-    Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  28,  29  and  30,  1862— (Pope's 
campaign);   South  Mountain.  Md.,  September  14 
1862;    Antietam,    Md.,    September    16    and    17' 
1862— (McClellan's  campaign)  ;  Fredericksburg' 
Va.,  December  13,  1862— (Burnside's  campaign): 
Gettysburg,  Penn.,  July  2,  3   and  4,   1863;   Bris- 
toe  Station,  Va. ,  October    14,   1863;   Mine   Run 
Va.,    November  27^30,    1863;   Wilderness,    Va  ' 
May    5,    1864— during    Grant's    campaign,    with 
Meade  as  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
1  his  (the  Wilderness)  was  the  last  engagement 
he  took  part   in,  being  unable  to  endure  further 
marching  on   account   of  an  injury  to   his  knee 
which  he  incurred  at  Miner's   Hill,  Va.,    a  few 
months  previous,  and  was  obliged  to  go  to  the 
ar,  being  so  ordered  by  his  captain,  William 


884 


cu.UMKMtiliATIVE  BIOGRAPU!'  Al.  RECORD. 


H.  H.  McCall.  About  a  month  later,  June  n. 
1864.  he  was  discharged  with  his  regiment  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Schoch   then   returned  to  Lewisburg,  re- 
suming his   position   in   the  Chronicle  office,  re- 
maining   there    until    January  1,    1873,  at   which 
date  he   purchased    The  Miffiinburg  Telegraph, 
which  he  has  conducted  ever  since.      On  Ma\    1. 
1892,  he  also  became  the  owner  of  The  Lett 
Chronicle,  which  has   been   published   under  his 
supervision  up  to  the  present  time.      Both  publi- 
cations  are    ardently    Republican.       He   has   la- 
bored faithfully  for  the  success  of  the  party;  was 
delegate    to     State     Conventions    a    number    of 
times,  and  served  as  secretary  of  the  Repubh 
County  Committee  for  twelve  consecutive  yea 
In  [885  he  was  assistant  sergeant-at-arms,  and, 
in  1S87,  messenger  of   the  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  Pennsylvania;  also  postmaster  of  Mifflin 
burg  under  President  Harrison,  and  re-appoiri 
by  President    Mckinley,  under  the    latter  taking 
charge  of  the  office  i ni  February  15,   1898.      For 
these   respective   official    positions    he    was  very 
strongly  endorsed  by  his  home  people  and  others. 

With  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  Mr. 
Schoch  has  been  connected  since  the  year  1 
—  first  as  charter  member  of  Andrew  Gregg 
Tucker  Post  No.  52,  of  Lewisburg,  Penn.,  with 
which  he  continued  membership  until  the  organ- 
ization of  William  R.  Forster  Post  No.  247,  .if 
Miffiinburg,  Penn.,  of  which,  also,  he  is  a  charter 
member,  being  at  this  writing  its  adjutant — a  po- 
sition he  has  occupied  many  years.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  the  State  Encampments  of  the  or- 
der scry  many  times,  als lelegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Encampment.  For  the  welfare  of  the  old 
soldier  he  has  ever  manifested  the  utmost  inl 
est,  both  in  his  newspaper  and  by  personal  ef- 
fort, especially  in  the  securement  ol  pensions  for 
worthy  comrades,  for  which  service  he  never 
would  accept  pay.  Every  public  enterprise  for 
the  good  of  his  town  and  county  found  in  him  an 
ardent  supporter.  Tins  he  notably  demonstral 
in  his  zealous  advocacy  of  the  water-works  for 
the  borough,  the  expense  to  be  equitably  bo 
by  the  taxpayers.  The  question  was  submitted 
to  a  vote  of  the  people,  (he  result  of  said  vote 
being  largely  in  favor  of  borough  construction 
and  ownership  ol  said  plant;  accordingly,  Coun- 
cils by  ordinance  resolved  to  have  the  plant  con- 
structed in  the  spring  and  summer  of   1S98. 

On  April  2S,  1S70,  George  W.  Schoch  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Isabella  Derr  Kelly,  who 
was  born  November  1.  iS  50,  a  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Frances  Yentzer  (Derr)  Kelly.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schoch  were  born  two  children,  namely: 
Harriet     Mae,    born    February     17,     1S71.    and 


George  Warley,  born  October  17,  1 S7 3.  The 
daughter  was  married  May  2j,  1896,  to  Franklin 
McCreary  Earnest,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
John  A.  Earnest,  and  they  have  one  child,  Frank- 
lin McCreary  Earnest,  Jr.,  born  April  25,  iv  " 
The  son,  George  Warley,  was  joined  in  marriage 
March  17,  1898,  with  Emma  Brown  Cook,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs  John  H.  Cook.  Josiah 
Kelly,  father  of  Mrs.  George  W.  Schoch.  was  a 
son  of  James  Kelly,  who  was  noted  in  the  olden 
time  as  an  earnest,  radical  Abolitionist — a  h 
of  human  slavery — and  a  zealous  advocate  of 
temperance.  His  son,  Josiah,  inherited  and  en- 
tertained the  same  principles,  and  was  a  faithful 
soldier  in  the  war  for  the  Union.  He  died  De- 
cember 13,  [895,  aged  seventy-five  years,  nine 
months  and  twenty-five  days.  Frances  Yentzer 
(Derr  1  Kelly,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  George  W. 
Schoch,  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Charlotte 
(Stoner)  Derr,  granddaughter  of  George  Derr, 
and  great-granddaughter  of  Ludwig  Derr,  the 
founder  of  Lewisburg.  Penn.  She  died  April  25, 
1895,  aged  sixty-nine  years,  eleven  months  and 
three  days.  Both  Mr.  Josiah  Kelly  and  wife  are 
buried  in  the  Lewisburg  cemeter} 

Mr.  Schoch  is  a  man  of  fine  as  well  as  1 
ble  intellectual  qualities,  an  extensive  reader  and 
close  thinker.      In  manner  he  is  social  and  friend- 
ly, and   possesses  qualities  that    readily  win   ad- 
miration and  respect. 


GW.    FOOTE,  the  able  and  courteous  editor 
of  The   Times.    Miffiinburg,    Union   county, 
was  born  in  that  borough  October  5,  1840,  a  son 
and  now  the  only  survivor  of  the  family  of  Asa 
and  Hannah  I  Reichle)    Foote,  the  latter  of  whom 
1  daughter  of  Christian  Reichley. 

ote,  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  son  of 
Oliton  Cushman  Foote,  who  was  a  son  of 
Ephraim  Foote,  No.  250  in  line  of  descent  from 
Nathaniel  Foote,  who  was  born  in  England. 
came  to  this  country,  and  in  1633  took  the  oath 
ol  Freeman  in  the  Colom  of  Massachusetts B 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native  village, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  quit- 
ting school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.      In  June. 

aine  a  ' '  printer's  devil  "  and 
the  •  ■  ai  i  itive  of  all  a  During  thi 

Civil   war   he   first   enlisted   in  Company  G.  4th 
1'     V.    I.,    servjng    three    months,    and   then  re- 
enlisted,  this  time  as  a   member   of   Company  1 
and   Company   II    respectively),    51st   P.    V,  V. 
foi    tin  ars;    participated    in    the  battles   of 

Roanoke  Island.  N.  C,   February  8,   [862;  New- 
bern,  N.    C,  March  14/1862;   Camden,    N 
April  19,   1862;  was  in  the  skirmishes  along  tl 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


535 


Rappahannock  with  General  Pope,  where  for 
twenty-six  days  the  command  and  men  were 
sleeping  under  arms  and  not  given  time  to  change 
their  clothes;  Second  Bull  Run,  August  30,  1862; 
Chantilly,  September  1,  1862;  South  Mountain, 
September  14,  1862;  Antietam,  September  17, 
1862;  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864;  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  May  12,  1864.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  head  and  face  at  Antietam,  and  in  the 
right  forearm  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House. 
He  was  with  Company  C,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Franklin,  12th  United  States  Infantry, 
through  the  draft  riots  in  New  York  Citv  in  July, 
1863. 

On  September  10,  1867,  he  married  Augusta 
P.  Coy,  of  Sinclairsville,  N.  Y. ,  and  two  daugh- 
ters were  the  result  of  this  union:  Alice,  born 
August  14,  1868,  and  Amy  Louisa,  born  Febru- 
ary 12,   1872,  died  August  27,   1873. 

In  May,  1885,  Mr.  Foote  established  The 
Times  in  Mifflinburg,  and  conducted  it  as  a 
Democratic  journal  until  1896,  when  it  became 
independent,  and  now  advocates  the  cause  of 
honesty  and  morality  in  government.  Under 
Mr.  Foote's  able  management  the  paper  has 
prospered,  and  is  regarded  as  a  wholesome, 
clean,  newsy  sheet. 


WILLIAM  S.  RAUCH.  The  ancestors 
of  this  gentleman  settled  in  eastern 
Pennsylvania  in  pioneer  times,  and  his  grand- 
parents, Peter  and  Mary  (Sipe)  Ranch,  were 
both  natives  of  Lehigh  county,  the  birth  of  the 
former  occurring  about  1793.  Like  many  of  the 
immediate  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  State,  they  desired  in  turn  to  open  up  new 
lands  on  the  frontier,  and  in  1820  they  removed 
to  Union  county,  where  the  grandmother  died  in 
1827.  In  1836,  Peter  Rauch,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  miller  by  occupation,  removed  to  Williams- 
port,  Penn.,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1877, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried three  times,  but  the  second  wife,  Mrs.  Eliz- 
abeth Geyer,  and  the  third,  Mrs.  Tray,  who 
now  resides  at  Williamsport.  bore  him  no  chil- 
dren. Three  sons  and  one  daughter  blessed  the 
first  union:  Jonas,  who  is  mentioned  more  fully 
below;  Tilman,  a  miller  and  farmer,  now  de- 
ceased; John,  deceased,  formerly  a  carpenter  in 
Missouri;  and  Mary,  who  married  Robert  Hom- 
ier, a  farmer  of  Clinton  county,  Penn.,  and  died 
there  some  years  ago. 

Jonas  Rauch,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Lehigh  county,  July  5,  1815,  but  has 
been  identified  with  this  section  from  early  child- 
hood.     Despite  his  advanced  age  he  enjoys  good 


health,  and  all  who  have  come  within  his  cheery 
influence  can  but  wish  that  he  will  be  spared 
for  many  years  and  show  to  other  generations 
what  manner  of  men  were  bred  in  pioneer  days. 
He  has  always  been  engaged  in  milling,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  began  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  in  the  roller  and  chop  mill  near 
Kelly  Cross  Roads,  White  Deer  township,  Union 
county,  which  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  his 
sons.  For  some  time  he  lived  in  Clinton  county, 
but  in  1856  he  settled  at  White  Deer  Mills, 
Union  county,  and  remained  nine  years,  when 
he  removed  to  the  present  homestead.  In  1862 
he  purchased  the  plant  which  is  adapted  to  either 
water  or  steam  power,  and  has  a  capacity  of 
twenty-five  barrels  per  day.  He  also  owned  and 
operated  a  farm,  and  still  resides  there  with  his 
sons,  although  he  has  delegated  the  business  to 
their  hands.  Public  affairs  are  watched  by  him 
with  intelligent  interest,  and  he  is  a  steadfast  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Methodist. 

In  1856  Jonas  Rauch  was  married,  in  Clinton 
county,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Shaw,  a  native  of  Ly- 
coming county,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Jane  (Moyer)  Shaw.  She  passed  to  her  eternal 
rest  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  while  on 
a  visit  to  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Bennage,  of 
White  Deer  township,  Union  county,  and  her 
remains  were  interred  in  the  White  Deer  ceme- 
tery. Five  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
(1)  Mary,  wife  of  David  Bennage,  a  farmer  of 
White  Deer  township,  Union  county,  has  had 
four  children.  (2)  William  S.,  our  subject,  will 
be  mentioned  at  length  below.  (3)  Peter  H.. 
who  is  in  partnership  with  our  subject,  married 
Miss  Izora  Gemberling,  and  has  had  two  children 
— Myron  and  Carrie.  (4)  John  R.  died  at  an 
early  age.  (5)  Agnes,  deceased,  was  formerly 
the  wife  of  William  Stutzman,  who  is  married 
again  and  resides  in  Philadelphia. 

William  S.  Rauch  was  born  November  18, 
1844,  at  Rauch  Gap,  Clinton  county,  and  much 
of  his  time  in  youth  was  spent  in  assisting  his 
father  in  the  mill  and  on  the  farm,  as  business 
might  require.  His  educational  opportunities 
were  hardly  such  as  to  be  satisfactory  to  a  clever 
and  ambitious  lad,  and  he  soon  passed  beyond 
the  help  of  the  local  schools.  In  October,  1864, 
he  left  home  to  enter  the  service  of  the  govern- 
ment as  a  member  of  the  1st  Pennsylvania  Light 
Artillery,  under  Capt.  L.  B.  Richardson  and 
Lieut.  Cameron.  He  went  to  the  front,  and, 
although  he  was  never  wounded,  the  privations 
and  exposure  to  which  he  was  subjected  brought 
on  an  attack  of  yellow  jaundice,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  spend  eight  weeks  in   a  hospital  near 


B86 


-  OMMEMORATIVE  lU(i(SUM'lW\\L  RECORD. 


Washington.  As  long  as  there  was  any  prospect 
of  fighting  he  remained  in  the  army,  but  on  be- 
ing mustered  out,  June  13,  [8(  returned 
home  and  resumed  his  studies,  attending  Buck- 
nell  Academy  one  term. 

In  [867  Mr.  Rauch  taught  school  at  Kelly 
Cross  Roads,  but  one  term  convinced  him  that 
the  occupation  was  too  confining  l"t  one  of  his 
stat.-  oi  health,  and  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
father  at  a  salary.  Later  he  and  his  brother 
purchased  the  mill,  as  has  been  said,  and  it  is 
now  operated  under  the  firm  name  of  1'.  II. 
Rauch  &  Brother.  While  Mr.  Rauch  is  well 
known  as  a  substantial  business  man,  he  is  no 
prominent  in  local  affairs,  being  especially 
active  in  edui  ati  at.      Since    1 

he  has  been  a  school  director,  having  been  re- 
elected at  the  end  oi  his  first  term  of  three  years, 
and,  in  1896,  he  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the 
school  board.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  md  has  held  the  office  of  el- 
der fur  three  years,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the 
Grand  Army  Post  No.  52     it  I     wisburg. 

On  November  2-,  [873,  Mr.  Rauch  was  uni- 
ted  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rebecca  Hafer,  and 
two  children,  Annie  B  and  Gilbert  W. ,  brighten 
their  home.  Mrs.  Rauch  was  horn  in  Kelly 
township,  Union  county,  May  16,  1843,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Rel i  (Gilbert    Hater.      Her 

adparents,  Jacob  and  Rebecca  Hafer,  came 
from  Berks  county.  Penn. ,  at  an  early  day,  and 
located  upon  a  farm  near  Lewisburg.  Her  fa- 
ther was  bom  in  Berks  count}',  but  coming  to 
this  section  in  childhood,  remained,  and  engaged 
in  farming,  and  for  some  time  in  weaving.  He 
was  prominent  in  local  affairs,  and  in  politics 
was  a  steadfast  Republican.  He  and  his  wife, 
wlii  1  was  born    in    Schuylkill  county,  were   inem- 

5  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Both  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  the  former  dying  in  1 N74,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  four  months,  and 
the  latter  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 
They  had  the  following  children:  William,  de- 
ceased, formerly  a  physician  at  Marshalh  ille, 
Ga. ;  Henry,  a  retin  1  oi   Kelly  township, 

Union  county;  Andrew,  a  farmer  of  Ouray  coun- 
ty, Colo. ;  Daniel,  of  Lewisburg,  Penn. ;  Jonas  and 
Harrison,  who  are  both  fanners  in  Kelly  town- 
ship. Union  county;  and   Rebecca,  Mrs.  Rauch. 


CHARLES  SEEBOLD  (deceased).  Among 
the  early  settlers  of  Union  county  was 
Christopher  Seebold,  a  native  of  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  who  located  in  1793  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  west  of  New  Berlin,  purchasing  a 
mill  and  a  tract  of  farming  land. 


Mr.  Seebold  had  come  to  this  country  when 
but  seven  years  ..Id,  and  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  Lebanon  county,  Penn.,  where  he  was  married 
to  a  Miss  Spade,  and  remained  some  years,  sev- 
eral children  being  born  there.  1 1  is  death 
occurred  about   1806,  and  he  was  buried   at   New 

lin,  in  a  lot  which   has  since  I  nidoned 

ry  and  laid  out  as  a  portion  of  the 
town,  an  alley  running  across  the  spot  where  his 
grave  was  made.  His  wife  survived  him,  and 
was  also  interred  at  New  Berlin.  They  had 
three  sons:  Christopher.  Jr.,  who  is  mentioned 
more  fully  below;  John,  who  succeeded  to  his 
lather's  mill ;    Michael,  who  died    unmarried;  and 

nil  daughters,  among  whom  were:  Otilia. 
who  married  Michael  Greenhoe,  and  died  in 
Ohio;  Maria,  Mrs.  Henry  Hassenplug,  whodiedin 
Mifflinburg;  Barbara,  Mrs.  Auble,  ol  Mifflinburg, 
who  was  blind  for  many  years  before  her  death; 
and  Margaret,  wife  of  Andrew  Wagner,  at 
time  a  hotel  keeper  in  New  Berlin. 

Christopher  Seebold,  jr.,  the  grandfather  oi 
the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  born  September 
;.  1763,  in  Lebanon  county,  and  was  married  111 
Lancaster  county,  April  8,  1788,  to  Miss  Anna 
Eva  Hochlander.  of  Manheim,  who  was  born 
August  29,  [769.  After  the  removal  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Union  county,  he  assisted  his*  father  in  the 
mill  for  a  time,  but  in  1795  or  '96  he  settled  at 
New  Berlin,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  the  growing  town.  He  followed  boating 
as  an  occupation  at  first,  running  a  small  boat 
between  New  Berlin  and  various  points  on  the 
Susquehanna  river  and  Penn's  creek,  which  was 
found  to  be  navigable  for  such  craft,  horses  hem^ 
i-niployed  to  pull  them  up  stream.  He  carried 
produce  to  the  markets  down  the  river,  and  on 
his  return  trip  brought  up  articles  of  merchan- 
dise. Later  he  kept  a  tavern,  and  as  the  town 
developed,  certain  real-estate  investments  became 
profitable.  When  Union  county  was  organized, 
New  Berlin  was  made  the  county  seat,  and  the 
court  house  and  county  offices  were  built  upon 
his  land,  his  donation  towards  the  cost  of  erec- 
tion being  $200.  In  1813  he  was  appointed 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  1820  he  was  elected 
county  treasurer.  Politically  he  favored  the 
Democratic  party  until  the  anti-Masonic  agita- 
tion, and  in  religious  faith  he  was  a  Lutheran 
He  died  May  6,  [839,  his  wife  surviving  him  un- 
til November  3,  1  S 57 .  Of  their  nine  children, 
our  subject's  father,  Philip  Seebold,  was  the  eld- 
est. Elizabeth,  born  December  2,  1 79 1 ,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Long,  and  died  in  Perry  county,  Ohio, 
March  29,  1880;  Christopher,  born  August  2;, 
1704,  was  a  carder  and  manufacturer  of  linseed 
oil    near    New    Berlin,    and    his    death  occur 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


837 


in  that  vicinity  April  3,  1870;  Catherine,  born 
March  3,  1797,  married  Thomas  Hummel,  and 
died  at  Homer,  Ohio,  July  1,  1882;  Mary,  born 
January  15,  1800,  married  Conrad  Pontius,  and 
died  in  May,  1877,  in  Ross  county,  Ohio;  John 
H.,  born  June  14,  1802,  is  still  living  (1897)  in 
New  Berlin,  where  he  has  spent  his  entire  life. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  leading  hotel  keeper 
and  druggist,  and  notwithstanding  his  advanced 
age,  he  is  well-preserved  and  has  the  full  use  of 
his  faculties;  Nancy,  born  May  4,  1806,  died 
April  27,  1828,  unmarried;  Sally,  born  Novem- 
ber 3,  1808,  married  John  Dieffenbacher,  and 
died  at  Selins  Grove,  Penn.,  February  19,  1828, 
she  was  buried  at  New  Berlin;  Hannah,  born 
November  14,  181 5,  married  Abraham  Schoch, 
and  died  at  New  Berlin.  December  9.   1875. 

Philip  Seebold,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  January  19,  1789,  in  Lebanon  county, 
and  was  but  a  child  when  he  was  taken  to  the 
new  home  near  New  Berlin.  He  learned  the 
potter's  trade  with  Adam  Maize,  of  that  place, 
and  followed  that  business  for  many  years,  but 
in  later  life  he  moved  to  a  country  home  in  the 
same  township,  where  he  died  July  25,  1874. 
He  was  a  well-known  citizen,  highly  respect- 
ed and  influential,  and  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  early  years  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  later  a  Know-Nothing,  but  the 
anti-slavery  controversy  led  him  to  become  a 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  His  first 
wife,  Rachel  De  Haas,  of  New  Columbia,  Penn., 
died  at  New  Berlin,  where  the  remains  of  both 
now  rest.  His  second  wife  was  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Stuck,  of  Selins  Grove,  who  died  in  Limestone 
township,  Union  county.  He  had  eight  children, 
all  by  the  first  marriage:  Polly,  wife  of  Samuel 
Weirick,  an  attorney  at  New  Berlin,  died  at 
Middleburg,  but  was  buried  at  her  home;  Anna 
married  (first)  Daniel  Holt,  and,  after  his  death, 
Allen  Dorsey,  resides  at  Baltimore,  Md. ;  John  is 
a  resident  of  Yellow  Creek,  Stephenson  county, 
111. ;  Charles,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch, 
■was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth;  William  lives  at 
Hartleton,  Penn.;  Sarah,  widow  of  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son, resides  in  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Harriet,  Mrs. 
Thomas  Hassenplug,  lives  at  Mifflinburg;  Lizzie 
(deceased)  never  married. 

The  late  Charles  Seebold  was  a  man  of  keen 
judgment  and  strong  character,  one  who  could 
plan  and  carry  to  successful  completion  business 
plans  of  more  than  ordinary  scope.  As  a  pioneer 
in  the  business  of  tomato  canning,  now  a  leading 
industry  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  his  name  became 
widely  known.  He  was  born  Nov.  20,  18 14,  at 
New  Berlin,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to  learn 
the   printer's    trade,    his  parents   being   then    in 


comfortable  but  not  affluent  circumstances.  For 
some  time  he  conducted  a  printing  office  of  his 
own  and  published  the  Anti-Masonic  Star,  but 
in  the  early  '50s  he  sold  the  business  and  moved 
to  Baltimore  to  engage  in  the  canning  trade. 
The  idea  occurred  to  him  during  the  visit  of  a 
brother-in-law,  Daniel  Holt,  an  oyster  merchant 
of  Baltimore,  who,  while  eating  some  canned 
tomatoes  at  our  subject's  table,  remarked  upon 
their  excellence  and  spoke  of  the  prolific  growth 
of  that  crop  near  Baltimore.  Mr.  Seebold  saw 
at  once  an  opening  for  a  new  and  profitable  ven- 
ture, and  going  to  Baltimore  he  purchased  twelve 
acres  of  land  which  he  devoted  to  tomato  grow- 
ing, the  entire  crop  being  canned  for  market. 
The  experiment  proving  a  success  from  the  start, 
he  continued  and  rapidly  enlarged  the  scope  of 
his  operations  buying  from  other  growers  to  meet 
the  demands  of  the  trade.  He  took  his  brother, 
Henry,  into  partnership,  and  some  years  after- 
ward, having  acquired  a  handsome  fortune,  he 
sold  out  his  interest  in  the  business  to  this  broth- 
er who  still  conducts  it.  Returning  to  his  na- 
tive place,  Mr.  Seebold  passed  his  remaining 
years  in  well-earned  leisure,  and  in  1882  he  built 
there  the  most  substantial,  artistic  and  expensive 
residence  to  be  found  in  the  locality.  He  also 
invested  largely  in  real  estate,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  owned  two  farms  in  Union  township, 
Union  county.  He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  while  never 
a  politician  was  interested  in  the  issues  of  the  day. 
On  February  1,  1836,  Mr.  Seebold  was  mar- 
ried at  New  Berlin  to  Miss  Mary  Franck,  a  na- 
tive of  that  town,  born  May  9,  181 8.  Her  fa- 
ther was  born  near  Hagerstown,  Md. ,  but  the 
family  came  at  an  early  period  to  Union  county, 
meeting  with  some  losses  from  Indian  raids  in 
the  pioneer  days.  Philip  Franck,  who  was  a 
clock  maker  by  trade,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one,  and  his  wife,  Salome  Schreffler,  passed 
away  at  eighty-five,  both  being  buried  at  New 
Berlin.  They  were  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  them,  and  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Of  their  twelve  children  the 
following  lived  to  adult  age:  Margaret,  widow  of 
John  Teats,  of  Bellefonte;  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried Jacob  Hubler,  and  died  at  Pittston,  Penn., 
in  December,  1896;  Mary,  Mrs.  Seebold;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  John  Burkert,  and  died  in 
December,  1896,  at  Indianapolis;  Sarah,  Mrs. 
Henry  Heckman,  who  died  at  Annville,  Penn. ; 
Permilla,  who  married  Dr.  Harshberger,  and 
died  at  New  Albany,  Penn. ;  Jane,  widow  of 
Michael  Fetterhoff,  of  Huntingdon,  Penn. ;  Har- 
riet, widow  of  John  Freet,  of  Reading,  Penn., 
and  Miss  Anna,  a  resident  of  New  Berlin. 


*:;> 


I  OMMBMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Seebold  passed  to  the  unseen  world  July 
5,  18S6,  his  death  causing  sincere  grief  through- 
out the  community  where  his  family  has  so  long 
been  known,  and  where  so  many  years  of  his  own 
life  were  spent.  His  widow  still  lives  in  the  ele- 
gant home  which  his  thoughtful  affection  provid- 
ed. She  takes  much  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  of  which  her  husband  was 
also  an  active  member,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
esteemed  residents  of  the  city.  A  family  of 
which  any  parent  might  be  proud  attests  the 
loving  care  bestowed  upon  them.  Of  nine  chil- 
dren, the  eldest,  Rachel  A.,  born  January  20, 
1837,  married  Henry  Vogler,  and  died  in  Balti- 
more April  24,  [887;  Philip  U.,  born  May  28, 
1839,  died  at  Washington,  D.  C. ,  October  9, 
Sarah  A.,  born  May  20,  1841,  died  Janu- 
ary 2,  [844;  Mary  1...  born  June  30,  1844,  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  Pearson,  of  Washington,  1». 
C. ;  Henry  F.,  August  10,  1S45,  resides  in  San 
Diego,  Cal. ;  Samuel  W. ,  born  May  14,  1848, 
■  In  '1  October  24,  1849;  Charles  S  .  born  Decem- 
5,    1850,   is   a   dentist    at    Baltimore,    Md. ; 

ma,  January  17,  1853,  married  Judge  J.  J. 
Dobler,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Baltimore;  Franck, 
November  26,  1859,  is  a  dentist  in  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia. 


MKs  <  ARRIE  1  STROHECKEF  1  BARR, 
of  Lewisburg,  Union  county,  widow  of  the 
late  Dr.  Washington  Barr,  is  a  member  of  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  families  of 
that  section,  and  her  own  personality  has  won 
for  her  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  her  large 
circle  of  acquaintances.  She  was  born  in  July, 
[830,  on  the  old  Stroheckei  homestead,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  in  East  Buffalo 
township,  Union  county,  and  was  the  eldest  child 
and  only  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  1  Fried- 
ley)  Stroheckcr. 

Mrs.  Barr  gave  early  signs  of  the  mi 
ability  which  has  since  made  her  prominent  in 
social  circles,  and  after  pursuing  her  studies  as 
far  as  the  local  schools  would  permit,  attended 
school  for  a  time  in  Lewisburg.  In  1867  she 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Dr.  Parr,  and  went 
to  Harrisburg,  Penn  .  to   reside,  their  home  be- 


L.  KURTZ,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Lewisburg    Journal,    Lewisburg,    Union 
nty,    was   born    in    Centre   county,  Penn.,  in 
1  S62;  graduated  from   Bucknell  College  in  1885; 
purchased  the    Lewisburg    journal  in  1895,  and 
fully  continued  its  publication  to  tin- 
lit  time. 


ing  situated  at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Locust 
streets. 

The  Doctor  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary intellect,  and  was  widely  known,  not  only 
in  professional  life,  but  in  social  movements,  be- 
ing an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Sons  of  Temperance, 
and  the  Good  Templars  (Washington  Lodge). 
In  political  faith  he  was  a  Republican.  His 
death  occurred  April  30,  1876,  at  Harrisburg, 
where  his  remains  were  interred. 

After  the  Doctor's  death,  Mrs.  Barr  returned 
to  the  home  of  her  childhood  and  remained  there 
until  May.  1886,  when  she  moved  to  her  home 
in  Lewisburg,  a  pleasant  residence,  located  on 
Brown  street.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  her  comfortable  com- 
petence enables  her  to  carry  out  the  plans  for 
intellectual  and  social  activities  which  appeal 
most  strongly  to  her  refined  taste. 


LEVI  ROOKE,  M.  D.  This  name  is  a  fa- 
miliar one  in  this  section,  having  been  asso- 
ciated for  years  past  with  many  of  the  leading 
business  enterprises  of  the  time.  In  finance, 
commerce,  and  the  various  industrial  movements 
which  have  served  to  develop  resources.  Dr. 
Ro<  >ke  has  easily  held  a  foremost  rank.  He  was  the 
first  to  carry  on  the  iron  business  successfully  for 
any  considerable  time  in  Union  and  Snyder  counties. 
Others  had  attempted  it  as  far  back  as  1824,  but 
failure  and  disappointment  had  inevitably  result- 
ed, and  at  the  time  that  Dr.  Brooke  engaged  in 
it  but  few  would  have  dared  to  hazard  the  neces- 
sary capital.  Difficult  as  was  the  enterprise,  he 
succeeded  notably,  and  in  this  connection  we 
may  mention  the  significant  fact  that  he  gave 
constant  personal  supervision  to  the  work  of  his 
furnaces,  while  the  same  is  true  of  his  other  lines 
of  effort.  Our  subject  comes  of  good  old  Colo- 
nial stock,  the  first  of  the  line  beine;  Rev.  George 
Rooke,  an  Irish  clergyman,  who  came  to  America 
about  1700.  Of  the  next  in  order  of  descent 
nothing  is  now  known,  but  the  third  generation 
is  represented  by  Thomas  Rooke,  our  subject's 
grandfather,  who  resided  in  Chestercounty,  Penn., 
first  in  Last  N'antmeal  township,  and  later  in 
East  Vincent  township,  where  he  died. 

James  Rooke,  father  of  Dr.  Rooke,  was  born 
in  the  former  locality,  and  married  Miss  Mary 
Murray,  daughter  of  a  prominent  agriculturist 
there,  whowasol  English  descent.  Of  their  four 
children  the  Doctor  was  the  youngest,  and  was 
the  only  one  to  establish  his  home  outside  of 
East  N'antmeal  township,  Chester  county.     Eliz- 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


839 


abeth,  widow  of  Thomas  Frickland,  now  resides 
there.  Catherine  (who  married  Edwin  Morris) 
and  Jonathan"  both  died  there,  the  latter  at  the 
old  family  homestead. 

Dr.  Levi  Rooke  was  born  July  22,  1826,  and 
was  reared  at  the  old  farm,  receiving  the  best 
educational  advantages  that  the  locality  afforded. 
After  attending  a  grammer  school  conducted  by 
Benjamin  Tucker,  he  pursued  a  course  in  Union- 
ville  Academy  under  John  Gause,  and  then 
taught  for  two  years.  His  medical  studies  were 
begun  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Stephen  M.  Meredith, 
and  completed  in  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  where  he  received  his  degree  in  the 
spring  of  1848.  For  three  years  he  practiced 
his  profession,  but  finding  it  less  congenial  than 
he  had  hoped  he  decided  to  give  it  up.  He  then 
removed  to  Union  county  and  engaged  in  man- 
ufacturing iron  at  the  Berlin  Iron  Works  on 
Penn's  creek,  four  miles  west  of  Hartleton. 
Later  he  formed  a  partnership,  and  built  a  large 
anthracite  furnace,  known  as  the  Union  furnace, 
situated  on  the  Susquehanna  river  four  miles 
from  Lewisburg,  and  here  he  acted  as  manager 
and  superintendent  from  1853  to  1 891 ,  when  the 
furnace  was  abandoned.  During  this  time  he 
was  also  engaged  in  the  iron  business  in  Snyder 
county,  and  had  an  interest  in  similar  works  at 
various  points.  In  1896  he  purchased  the  inter- 
ests of  James  S.  Marsh  and  Peter  Beaver  (his 
partners)  in  the  furnace  and  lands,  but  has  now 
retired  from  this  business.  The  Doctor's  ability 
as  an  organizer  and  manager  of  large  enterprises 
was  speedily  recognized  in  business  circles,  and  he 
has  been  constantly  urged  to  lend  his  aid  to  new 
undertakings.  In  this  way  he  has  become  finan- 
cially interested  in  many  companies,  especially  in 
a  number  of  incorporated  banking  firms,  in  which 
he  is  a  director.  He  was  one  of  the  first  sub- 
scribers to  the  stock  of  the  Union  National  Bank 
of  Lewisburg,  and  is  now  one  of  the  largest 
stockholders.  In  1892  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  institution,  and  served  until  1895.  In 
1893  he  purchased  a  general  store  at  Winfield, 
including  all  the  personal  property  of  said  firm, 
which  he  still  conducts  in  addition  to  his  exten- 
sive coal  yards  there,  and  he  is  heavily  interested 
in  the  firm  of  C.  M.  Rooke  &  Co.,  known  as  the 
Dry  Valley  Lime  Manufacturing  Co.,  located  at 
Winfield.  He  built  his  first  kiln  there  in  1875, 
and  the  firm  now  has  seventeen  in  steady  oper- 
ation. He  has  also  been  extensively  interested 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  owning  more  than 
700  acres  of  land  in  Union  county.  In  1868  he 
purchased  the  old  homestead  in  Chester  county. 
As  an  employer  Dr.  Rooke  has  always  been  popu- 
lar, and  some  of  his  workmen  have  been  in  his  serv- 


ice for  forty-three  years.  He  is  not  a  politician,  of- 
fice having  no  charms  for  him.  In  early  life  he 
was  a  Whig,  and  warmly  advocated  a  protective 
tariff  and  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Naturally  he 
joined  the  Republican  party  on  its  organization, 
and  has  since  been  its  steadfast  supporter.  In 
1872  he  was  elected  to  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  this  State. 

Dr.  Rooke  has  a  handsome  brick  residence  on 
the  main  road  from  Lewisburg,  which  he  built  at 
a  spot  that  would  give  him  a  view  of  his  furnace. 
This  location  was  objected  to  by  some  of  his 
neighbors,  but  a  lawsuit  settled  the  matter  in  the 
Doctor's  favor.  In  1849  he  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth H.  Church,  of  Churchtown,  Lancaster  Co. , 
Penn.,  by  whom  he  had  four  children:  Mary  R. 
(Mrs.  Morris  Reagan),  now  residing  with  her 
father;  Frances  A.,  married  to  J.  Russell  Young- 
man,  an  attorney  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn.;  Laura, 
married  to  William  Vance,  of  Kearney,  Neb. ; 
and  Charles  M.,  a  resident  of  Winfield,  in  part- 
nership with  his  father  in  the  lime  business.  The 
mother  of  this  family  died  in  1879,  and  August 
31,  1882,  Dr.  Rooke  married  Miss  Anna  E. 
Kreamer,  of  Winfield.  She  is  an  active  worker 
in  the  Evangelical  Church,  and  the  Doctor,  though 
not  a  member,  is  in  sympathy  with  her  generous 
efforts. 

Mrs.  Rooke  is  a  daughter  of  Illis  Kreamer,  a 
well-known  agriculturist  and  dairyman,  who 
owns  a  fine  farm  in  Union  township,  Union  coun- 
ty. The  Kreamer  family  in  that  section  is  de- 
scended from  Daniel  Kreamer,  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  Penn.,  who  settled  in  Centre  county  when 
a  young  man  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  and  his  wife  (formerly  a 
Miss  Kern)  passed  away  within  two  weeks  of  his 
death.  Their  son,  Col.  Daniel  Kreamer  (the 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Rooke),  was  born  in  Centre 
county,  and  remained  there,  following  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  His  title  of  colonel  was  derived 
from  a  militia  regiment  which  he  commanded. 
He  married  Miss  Catherine  Neece,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Neece,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Centre 
county.  Col.  Kreamer  was  a  religious  man,  but 
made  several  changes  in  Church  membership, 
being  a  Lutheran  first,  then  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Church,  finally  joining  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Church  all  her  days;  she  died  in 
1847,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1885  when  he  was  eighty-six  years  old, 
and  of  their  eight  children  only  three  are  now 
living.  Jacob  (now  deceased)  settled  in  Nebras- 
ka; John,  an  Evangelical  minister,  lived  in  Kan- 
sas during  the  latter  part  of  his  life;  William 
died  at  his  home  in  Iowa;  Jonathan  died  in  Cen- 


S}|) 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tre  county,  Penn. ;  Daniel,  a  minister  of  the 
United  Evangelical  Church,  resides  at  Shannon, 
111.;  Elizabeth  (deceased)  was  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Gertillius,  a  painter  of  Mifflinburg;  Elias  is 
mentioned  more  fully  below;  and  Henry  is  a 
farmer  and  painter  residing  near  Brooklyn,  Illi- 

Elias  Kreami  i  was  born  January  28,  1 83 1,  in 
Penn  township,  Centre  county,  and  his  education 
v  1-  obtained  in  the  local  schools,  while  he  as- 
sisted his  father  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  rented  the  place,  but  after  five 
years  he  moved  to  Snyder  county,  purchasing  a 
farm  of  236  acres  for  $8,000.  Eight  years  later 
he  sold  this  for  $13,000,  and  purchased  114! 
acres  in  Buffalo  Valley,  Union  county,  at  $129.  50 
per  acre.  Six  years  later  he  sold  this  and  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead,  which  he  rented  for 
six  years.  Since  then  he  has  made  his  home  on 
his  present  farm  of  179  acres,  which  he  bought 
at  $150  per  acre.  For  the  past  thirteen  years 
he  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  dairy  work 
in  connection  with  general  farming,  and  at 
various  times  he  has  been  identified  with  im- 
portant business  ventures.  In  1871  he  united 
with  John  C.  Moots,  |ohn  Keene  and  Albert 
\\  alker   in   organizing  the  Millheim   Bank,    but 

1    his  interest   before   moving   to   his   present 

lion  Politically   he  is  a  Democrat,  and 

held  several  township  offices.      He  is  a  lead- 

ing  member  of  the   United   Evangelical  Church, 

and  at  present  is  a  trustee. 

On    October    13,    1 S 5 3 ,   Elias    Kreamer   was 

married   in    Union    township,    Union    county,    to 

innie  I.  Ever,  a  native  of  Winfield,  born 

January  6,   1831.      Her  father,  Isaac  Eyer,  who 

-  also  born  in  Winfield.  died  in  that  vicinity  in 
1878,  his  wife.  Elizabeth  1  Kleinfelter),  passing 
away  at    Mr.  Kreamer's   home  in    1887.      Their 

rtship  was  a  peculiar  one.  Mr.  Eyer  had 
heard  of  the  charms  ol  Miss  Kleinfelter,  then  re- 
siding in  York,  York  county,  their  native  State, 
and  being  fascinated  with  the  account,  went  to 
see  her.      The  result  was  that  soon  alter  his 

1  to  Winfield  he  made  another  journej 
that  place  and  brought  home  ins  bride,  the  trip 
being  made  on  horseback.  It  is  proper  to  add 
that,  notwithstanding  their  limited  acquaintance, 
they  proved  well  adapted  to  each  other  and 
'•  lived  happily  ever  after.  "  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren: Abiaui.  a  retired  farmer  of  Kansas;  Cath- 
erine, wife  of  Martin  Dunkle,  a  fanner  of  Buffalo 

nship,  Union  county;  Isaac  and  [acob  (both 
deceased  ;  Miss  Elizabeth,  who  resides  at  the 
Kreamer  home;  Fannie  I.  (Mrs    Kreamer);  Su 

1      formerly  the  wife  of  George  Smith, 
a  farmer  of  Elkhart   county,    Ind.;  Jonathan,  a 


;  a  farmer  of  Buffalo  Valley.  Union  county;  and 

;  Joseph  (deceased). 

To  Sir.  and  Mrs.  Kreamer  eight  children  were 
born:  Isaac,  a  contractor  in  Chicago;  Anna  E., 
wife  of  Dr.  Rooke;  Daniel,  who  died  September 
12,  1  ;  Westley,  who  is  in  partnership  with 
his  brother  Isaac;  Abram,  who  married  Rose 
Couser,  and  resides  at  the  homestead;  Ada,  wife 
\lford  Reed,  a  merchant  of  Call  county,  Neb. ; 
Olive,  who  married  Charles  M.  Rooke.  of  Win- 
field; and  W.  Charles,  a  dentist  in  Chicago. 


HON.  HORACE  P.  GLOVER,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Mifflinburg,  Union  county,  is 
only  a  successful  lawyer,  but  he  has  been  for 
many  years  prominently  identified  with  The 
Mifflinburg  Bank,  of  which  he  is  now  the  presi- 
dent, having  succeeded  his  father,  the  late 
Robert  V.  Glover. 

The  Glover  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  this 
section,  our  subject's  great-grandfather.  John 
Glover,  Sr. ,  having  settled  in  what  is  now  Hart- 
lev  township,  Union  county  (then  Buffalo  town- 
ship, Northumberland  county ),  in  1772,  locating 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Hartleton 
to  the  south  of  the  turnpike,  where  some  of  his 
descendants  still  reside.  His  ancestor-  migrated 
from  England  to  the  North  of  Ireland  in  the 
days  of  Cromwell,  during  the  seventeenth  centu- 
ry, and  the  above  named  American  pioneer  was 
always  proud  of  the  fact  that  in  his  veins  flowed 
the  blood  of  sturdy  Protestant  stock  which,  two 
generations  before  him,  had  taken  part  in  the 
defense  of  Londonderry  and  had  survived  that 
famous  siege. 

Born  in  Ireland,  December  25,  1744  (O.  S.), 
John  Glover,  Sr.,  came  to  America  in  1 7 
landing  at  Baltimore  and  locating  near  Winches- 
ter, Va.  He  was  accompanied  by  two  nephews 
whose  names  are  not  certainly  known,  but  it  is 
family  tradition  that  one  of  them  settled  in 
Kentucky  and  the  other  in  New  York  He  was 
married  to  Sophia  Duncan,  born  February  13, 
[749    i'     S    .   with  whom    he  w  ibly  ac- 

quainted before  leaving  Ireland,  and  who  share. 1 
with  him  all   the  privations   of  early  frontier  life 
in    this  country.       In     177S   occurred    the    "big 
runaway,"  when  the  Indians  drove   all   the  - 
tiers  out    of  Buffalo   Valley,    and  John   Glover. 
Sr.,  took  his  family  back  to  Virginia  lor  safi 
returning  to    Hartley  township   in    1789,    where 
his  subsequent  life  as  a  farmer  was  without  spe- 
cial incident.      He  1-  taxed  with  one  slave  in  the 
assessment  books  of   1804       His  death  occun 
in  1825.  and  his  remains,  together  with  those  of 
his  wife,  are  buri'  I    mrelton. 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


841 


John  Glover,  Jr.,  son  of  the  preceding,  who 
was  born  in  1782,  near  Winchester,  Va.,  inher- 
ited the  homestead  in  Hartley,  and  became  a 
man  of  influence  in  his  locality.  In  1822  he 
was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace  by  Gov. 
Hiester,  holding  that  office  until  1838,  when  the 
constitution  of  that  date  went  into  effect;  and  in 
the  following  year  was  elected  register  and  re- 
corder of  Union  county.  In  1806  he  married 
Elizabeth  Gray  (b.  1785,  d.  1856),  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  America  when  about  nine 
years  of  age.  They  had  eight  children:  One 
daughter,  Sophia,  wife  of  Dr.  Uriah  Reed,  of 
Jersey  Shore.  Penn.,  and  seven  sons,  to  wit: 
William,  who  was  sheriff  of  Union  county  from 
1837  to  1840;  Andrew;  John  (3d),  a  farmer  of 
near  Hartleton;  George  Gray,  who  remained  on 
the  old  Glover  homestead,  where  he  died  in  1885, 
and  on  which  his  descendants  still  reside;  Thomas; 
Robert  V.,  mentioned  more  fully  below;  and 
James,  a  farmer  of  near  Laurelton,  holding  the 
southern  portion  of  the  old  farm.  John  Glover, 
Jr.,  died  in  1862,  and  is  buried  at  Hartleton. 

The  late  Robert  V.  Glover,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  December  1,  1821,  at  the 
old  homestead,  and  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools  and  at  Mifflinburg  Academy.  After 
teaching  school  for  a  few  years  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  atHartleton,  continuing  forty- 
five  years.  He  was  also  identified  with  other 
business  enterprises,  notably  The  Mifflinburg 
Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  first  cashier  and  after- 
ward president.  In  religious  faith  he  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  for  thirty  years  held  the  office 
of  ruling  elder  in  the  Church  at  Hartleton.  He 
was  married  in  Union  county  to  Miss  Helen  Pell- 
man,  a  native  of  Berks  county,  Penn.,  born  May 
3,  1827.  She  died  November  13,  1893,  and  his 
death  occurred  on  December  8  of  the  same  year. 
Our  subject  was  the  eldest  of  their  six  children; 
James  Oliver  resides  at  State  College,  Penn. ; 
Mary  married  James  C.  Hayes,  of  Polk  county, 
Minn. ;  Samuel  P.  is  a  physician  in  Altoona, 
Penn. ;  John  Newton  is  a  farmer  in  Union  counts': 
and  David  L. ,  now  district  attorney  of  Union 
county,  is  in  partnership  with  our  subject. 

On  the  maternal  side  Mr.  Glover  is  descended 
from  Arnold  Pellman,  who  was  born  near  Maast- 
richt, Holland,  and  his  wife,  Maria  Van  den  Vaero, 
a  native  of  Grubben  Vorst,  Gelderland,  both  of 
whom  lie  buried  at  Meerloe.  Theirson,  Conrad, 
was  born  February  2,  175  1,  in  Vankum,  Holland, 
studied  medicine  at  Amsterdam,  and  during  the 
American  Revolution  came  to  this  country  as  a 
surgeon  in  the  Anspach  regiment  of  Hessian 
troops.  He  was  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  was 
noted  in  his  profession  as  is  shown  by  memorials 


and  certificates  written  by  men  high  in  authority 
in  the  English  government.  It  seems  that  he 
had  thought  of  settling  in  Nova  Scotia,  but  in 
1783  he  returned  to  Holland  and  two  years  later 
came  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  in  Berks  county, 
where  he  continued  in  practice  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  December  29,  1803.  He  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance  in  Oley  township,  October 
10,  17S6.  On  the  19th  of  September,  of  the 
same  year,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Kline,  who  was 
born  in  Amity  township,  Berks  county,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1763,  and  died  in  Union  county,  January 
29,  1850.  Their  children  were  John,  Jacob, 
David,  Samuel,  George  K.,  Charles,  Maria,  Cor- 
nelius and  Rebecca,  the  last  named  being  the 
wife  of  the  late  Michael  K.  Boyer,  of  Reading, 
Penn.  David  served  in  the  United  States  navy 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  1815  shipped  in  the 
merchant  marine,  and  was  never  heard  from  aft- 
erward. 

Samuel  Pellman,  fourth  son  of  Conrad,  was 
born  September  23,  1794,  in  Amity  township, 
Berks  county,  and,  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
resided  with  an  uncle,  Abraham  Kline.  During 
boyhood  he  attended  the  district  schools,  and, 
after  attaining  his  majority,  studied  for  some 
time  in  the  schools  of  Reading,  thus  acquiring  a 
good  education  for  that  day.  He  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  and  followed  it  for  a  few 
years  in  his  native  township,  but  later  settled 
upon  a  farm  there,  where  he  remained  until 
1832.  He  then  moved  to  Union  county,  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Limestone  township,  where  he 
made  his  permanent  home.  He  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  held  in  high  esteem;  industry  and 
integrity  being  marked  elements  in  his  character. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church;  in 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

On  February  5,  1825,  Samuel  Pellman  mar- 
ried Mary  Wolff,  who  was  born  August  19,  1806, 
the  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Rebecca  (Shatz) 
Wolff,  prominent  residents  of  Hamburg,  Berks 
county,  where  the  ancestors  of  both  had  settled 
on  coming  from  Germany.  Mr.  Pellman  died 
July  25,  1875,  his  wife  in  1S87,  and  both  are 
buried  at  Mifflinburg.  They  had  six  children: 
Helen,  who  married  Robert  V.  Glover;  David 
Wolff;  Anna,  who  married  Richard  V.  B.  Lin- 
coln; Rebecca,  who  married  James  Glover;  Lewis 
Conrad;  and   Oliver  Kline. 

Horace  Pellman  Glover  was  born  December 
10,  1852,  at  Hartleton,  Penn.,  the  eldest  son  of 
Robert  V.  and  Helen  (Pellman)  Glover.  After 
an  attendance  at  the  common  schools  of  his  town 
and  at  the  old  Union  Seminary  at  New  Berlin, 
he  entered  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Penn., 
graduating  with  the   class  of    1871.      In  the   fol- 


B42 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOORAPni'M.  RECORD. 


lowing  year  he  became  cashier  of  the  Mifflinburg 
Bank,  and  while  there,  having  decided  upon  the 
legal  profession,  he  pursued  the  required  course 
of  study  under  the  direction  of  the  late  J.  Merrill 
Linn,  of  Lewisburg,  and  at  the  March  term, 
1878,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  then  opened 
an  office  in  Mifflinburg,  where  he  won  prompt 
recognition,  and  four  years  later  was  admitted  to 
practice  before  the  supreme  court.  On  entering 
the  profession  he  relinquished  his  position  as 
cashier,  became  a  director,  and  in  1893  suc- 
ceeded his  father  as  president  of  the  bank.  Mr. 
Glover  has  always  taken  a  moderate  interest  in 
politics,  and  in  1886  was  elected  from  Union 
county,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  to  the  legisla- 
ture, serving  one  term.  He  was  delegate  from 
his  county  to  the  Republican  State  Conventions 
ol  1877  and   1 

On  November  30.  1886,  he  married  George 
Anna  Kemble,  daughter  of  George  S.  Kemble, 
M  D.,  a  noted  physician  and  surgeon  of  Mifflin- 
bur^.  Penn.,  who  had  served  with  distinction 
during  the  Civil  war,  holding  the  rank  of  corps 
surgeon  and  medical  director  Mr.  (ilover  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  affiliated 
with  Mifflinburg  Lodge  No.  370.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
linburg.  He  has  one  son,  Robert  Van  Val- 
born  Si  . 

lover,  youngest  son  of  Robert  V.. 
-  born  December  17,  r866,  at  Hartleton,  and 
after  a  preparation  at  Bloomsburg,  Perm.,  he  en- 
tered Lafayette  College,  where  be  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1S90.  Having  studied  law  with  his 
brother,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Union 
county  at  the  September  term,  1S93,  and  in  [895 
i  district  att  >rneyof  the  county,  which 
office  he  still  holds,  and  is  enjoving  a  successful 
practice  of  the  law  in  association  with  his  brother. 
Horace  P.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Glover  & 
Glover,  at  Mifflinburg. 


WILLIAM  MIIKLDS.Registerand  Recorder 
of  Union  county,  is  an  able  official,  whose 
faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  has 
won  appreciation  from  the  public,  as  is  shown 
by  his  recent  re-election  to  his  post  at  the  ex- 
piration of  his  first  term  of  three  years.  He  is  a 
ran  of  the  Civil  war,  and  is  also  a  prominent 
business  man,  having  been  engaged  in  wagon- 
making  in  Kelly  township.  Union  county,  foi 
many  years  previous  to  his  election  as  above,  and 
consequent  removal  to  Lewisburg. 

Mr.  Shields  is  a  native  of  Union  county,  hav- 
ing been  born  June  23,  1841,  and  is  of  Irish  de- 
scent. His  grandfather,  William  Shields,  was 
born  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  in  1776,  and  was 


married  in  the  Old  Country  to  Mary  Thompson, 
also  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  the  same  year, 
She  was  a  sister  of  James  Thompson,  a  noted 
scholar,  who  was  at  one  time  president  of  Bel- 
fast Institution,  now  known  as  Queen's  College, 
Belfast.  William  Shields  and  his  wife  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  1 805,  and  settled  in  Buffalo  Valley, 
Union  Co. ,  Penn. ,  where  he  followed  the  weaver's 
trade  for  many  vears,  his  death  occurring  in  1858. 
His  wife  died  March  6,  1853.  They  had  a  large 
family,  of  whom  only  three  survived  infancy, 
viz.:  James,  our  subject's  father;  Ellen,  married 
to  Andrew  Magee,  who  died  in  1876;  and  Cath- 
erine, who  married  Robert  Strayhorn,  and  is  at 
present  residing  in  California.  The  last  two  were 
born  in  America,  but  James  Shields,  who  was 
born  in  1804,  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was 
reared  in  Buffalo  Valley,  attending  first  the  local 
schools,  later  the  academy  at  Mifflinburg.  and 
then  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the  blacksmith's 
trade.  An  injury  which  crippled  his  arm  caused 
that  work  to  be  abandoned,  and  after  a  course 
at  Mifflinburg  Academy  he  engaged  in  teaching. 
Having  a  natural  talent  for  mechanics  he  later  be- 
came a  gunsmith,  then  a  chairmaker,  and  finally 
a  cabinetmaker,  and  he  also  followed'  wagonmak- 
ing  successfully.  In  religion  he  was  a  Presbyte- 
rian, while  politically  he  affiliated  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  was  married  in  Union  county 
to  Miss  Esther  Lucas,  who  was  born  September 
20,  1807,  and  died  September  6,  1853;  his  own 
death  occurred  March  24,  1864.  Of  six  children, 
four  lived  to  adult  age:  ( 1  )  William,  our  subject; 
12  1  Mary  Ann.  who  married  John  Irvin,  and  died 
February  2.  1892.  leaving  two  children — Jennie 
G.  and  William  L. ;  (3)  Nancy  E.,  born  January 
27.  1845,  married  R.  Wesley  Harris;  and  (4) 
Hannah  C. ,  born  March  20,  1847,  died  single 
November   12,    1891. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent  at  the 
old  home  in  Kelly  township,  Union  county,  where 
he  attended  the  district  school.  Through  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  wagon  shop,  he  became  fa- 
miliar with  all  branches  of  the  trade,  and  had 
already  engaged  in  it  as  a  workman  when  he  at- 
tained his  majority.  The  Rebellion  was  then  in 
progress,  the  need  of  soldiers  becoming  more  and 
more  urgent  as  the  resources  of  the  enemy  were 
realized.  Mr.  Shields  enlisted,  in  1862,  in  Com- 
pany E,  142nd  P.  V,  I.,  and  remained  in  serv- 
ice until  after  hostilities  ceased,  being  mustered 
out  June  26,  1865.  He  saw  much  severe  fight- 
ing at  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  the  Wil- 
derness, Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor,  Bethesda 
Church,  Petersburg  and  other  places  which  are 
made  forever  memorable  by  that  struggle.  On 
March   1  1,    1S64.  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


843 


sergeant  major,  and  on  February  6,  1865,  he  re- 
ceived a  wound,  a  token  of  courage  and  gallantry 
which  was  even  more  distinctive,  though  less 
agreeable,  than  the  other.  On  his  return  to  the 
paths  of  peace,  Mr.  Shields  resumed  his  business, 
and  continued  it  until  elected  to  his  present  office 
in  1894;  his  re-election  coming  in  1896,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  second  term  in  January,  1897. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and,  socially,  with 
the  G.  A.  R.  As  a  citizen  he  has  always  been 
prompt  to  aid  in  local  advancement. 

On  December  26,  1867,  Mr.  Shields  married 
Miss  Katherine  Angeny,  a  native  of  Bucks  coun- 
ty, Penn.,  born  September  18,  1844,  and  seven 
children  have  blessed  their  union,  their  names 
with  dates  of  birth  being  as  follows:  Esther  L. , 
December  26,  1868,  a  graduate  of  Blockley  Hos- 
pital, Philadelphia,  is  a  trained  nurse  by  occu- 
pation, and  now  in  the  Royal  Hospital  in  Seoul, 
Korea,  having  been  sent  in  August,  1897,  by  the 
Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church;  the  others — Lillian,  December  12,  1870; 
Ellen,  January  31,  1873;  William  Scott,  April 
11,  1875;  Edgar  Thomson,  September  24,  1877; 
Charlotte  E.,  May  4,  1880;  and  James  Leigh, 
January  27,   1885,  are  all  at  home. 


HON.  D.  F.  GUTELIUS.  In  the  early  days 
of  Mifflinburg  there  appeared  in  her  busi- 
ness life  an  energetic,  progressive  young  man, 
Fredrick  Gutelius  by  name,  who  came  from 
Lancaster  county,  Penn.,  and  established  his 
permanent  home  in  this  then  thriving  village. 
He  married  Miss  Goodyear,  and  by  h.er  became 
the  father  of  twelve  children:  Frederick,  William, 
Israel,  John,  Henry,  Joseph,  George,  Andrew, 
Rev.  Samuel,  Elizabeth  Catharine  and  Sarah. 

Fredrick  Gutelius,  the  eldest  in  the  above 
mentioned  family,  and  the  grandfather  of  the 
worthy  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the 
opening  of  this  review,  was  born  in  1796,  and  died 
in  1865.  He  was.  one  of  those  versatile  men 
who  find  their  work  in  various  lines  of  effort 
crowned  with  equal  success.  His  list  of  occupa- 
tions were  varied,  including  the  weaving  of  a  fine 
grade  of  linen  and  carpets,  then  for  a  time  he 
followed  butchering  in  Milton,  Penn.,  later 
returning  to  his  native  city.  He  married  Miss 
Lydia  Crotzer,  also  a  native  of  Mifflinburg,  and 
had  ten  children.  (1)  Thomas  is  a  retired  car- 
riage maker  in  Mifflinburg.  (2)  William  is  a 
painter  and  paper  hanger  in  the  same  city.  (3) 
John,  our  subject's  father,  is  mentioned  be- 
low. (4)  Caroline  is  the  widow  of  William, 
Shriner  (her  daughter,  now   Mrs.    Chambers,    of 


Denver,  Colo. ,  is  a  writer  of  unusual  merit,  and 
received  the  national  prize  for  the  best  poem  on 
Pike's  Peak).  (5)  Catherine,  widow  of  Samuel 
Faust,  resides  at  Renovo,  Penn.  (6)  Jacob,  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  the  coach-building  business  at 
Mifflinburg,  died  in  1897.  (7)  Samuel,  a  den- 
tist at  Millheim,  Penn.,  died  in  1896.  (8) 
Charles  Henry  is  a  dentist  of  Mifflinburg.  (9) 
Joseph,  a  soldier  of  Company  D,  150th  P.  V.  I., 
the  famous  "  Bucktail  Regiment,"  was  killed  at 
Gettysburg  on  the  first  day  of  the  fight;  he  was 
in  command  of  the  color  guard,  and  after  all  the 
others  had  been  shot  he  clung  to  the  flag,  though 
wounded;  when  our  forces  were  driven  into  the 
town  of  Gettysburg,  he  sat  down  on  a  door  step, 
weary  and  faint  from  loss  of  blood,  and  was 
there  bayoneted  by  a  Rebel  soldier,  and  the 
flag  taken  from  his  body.  (10)  Miss  Lydia  re- 
sides at  the  old  home  in  Mifflinburg. 

John  Gutelius,  our  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  1826,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Mifflinburg. 
He  married  Miss  Catherine  Kenn,  a  native  of 
Penn's  Valley,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.,  born  in  1828, 
and  after  residing  for  a  time  in  Millheim,  Penn., 
located  in  his  native  city.  By  trade  he  was  a 
millwright,  but  for  eleven  years  he  assisted  his 
brother  Jacob  in  the  wagon  and  carriage-making 
business,  and  in  1875  he  opened  a  shop  of  his 
own,  in  which  he  has  since  manufactured  car- 
riages, sleighs,  wagons  and  all  kinds  of  light  vehi- 
cles. He  now  has  an  extensive  trade  and  em- 
ploys twenty-five  hands,  most  of  his  stock  being 
sold  in  this  State.  Since  1881  our  subject  has 
been  in  partnership  with  him.  The  following 
ten  children  were  born  to  John  Gutelius: 
(1)  Thomas  O.,  who  is  employed  in  the  shop, 
married  Miss  Jemima  Thompson,  and  has  three 
children— Clark,  Katie  and  Anna.  (2)  H.  L. 
(died  in  1896)  married  Miss  Alice  Moyer,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  five  children — Wells,  Merrill, 
Florence,  Horace  and  Warren.  (3)  David  Fred- 
rick. (4)  Charles  A.  married  Miss  Ella  Badger, 
and  has  ten  children — Charles  L. ,  Anna  M. ,  Eva, 
Harry,  Vernie,  Stella,  Grace,  Edna,  Susa  and 
one  unnamed.  (5)  Joseph,  who  works  in  his 
father's  shop,  married  Miss  Minnie  Hough,  and 
has  two  children — Clarence  and  Sarah.  (6) 
John,  Jr.,  who  is  also  employed  in  the  shop. 
(7)  Annie  married  F.  E.  Leitzel,  of  Scottsdale, 
Penn.  (8)  Sarah  Jane,  (9)  Ida  and  (10)  Lillian 
are  at  home. 

D.  F.  Gutelius,  the  subject  proper  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  January  17,  1855,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  When  quite  young 
he  entered  his  father's  employ,  and  soon  had  ac- 
quired a  complete  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
business.      On  coming  of  age  he  was  made  man- 


Ml 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ager,  and  later  accepted  as  a  partner.  He  is  re- 
garded as  an  able  business  man,  and  by  close 
application  to  Ms  work  he  has  well  earned  tin- 
respect  and  admiration  of  the  entire  community. 
In  1894  he  was  nominated  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  for  burgess,  and,  in  spite  of  the  customary 
Republican  majority,  he  was  elected.  A  thor- 
ough acquaintance  with  the  people  in  whose 
company  his  whole  life  has  been  passed  has 
served  to  strengthen  the  confidence  in  his  ability 
to  discharge  any  duty  that  might  become  his. 
That  he  has  fully  met  the  expectations  of  his 
constituents  is  a  well-known  and  indisputable 
fact  evidenced  by  his  popularity  with  all  classes, 
irrespective  of  party. 

On  February  27,  1879,  Mr.  Gutelius  was 
marrjed  to  Miss  Clara  Zimmerman,  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  Zimmerman,  a  well-known  residem 
Mifflinburg.  Three  children  —  Edythe,  Lucy  and 
Nelson — have  lint  their  cheering  presence  to  this 
happy  borne  On  Julj  19,  1888,  the  wife  and 
mother  was  called  from   earthly  cares  and  joys, 

1  for  a  time  the  bereaved  father  and  children 
boardfd  with  Mr.  Jacob  Zimmerman;  but  as  the 
children  became  older.  Mr.  Gutelius  moved  into 
his  beautiful  residence,  where,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  housekeeper,  the  little  family  arc  passing  a 
contented  home  life.  The  eldest  daughter, 
Edythe,  graduated  from  the  Dickinson  Seminary 
port,  Penn.,  in  June,  1898,  and  the 
two  younger  children  are  in  school.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Gutelius  1-  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M., 
.  in  which  In*  1--  past  master,  and  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  S  illy, 
Mr.  Gutelius  and  family  are  prominent  fact 
and  in  their  abundant  In  >spitality  often  open  wide 
their  doors  to  their  mam  friends. 


J'  >HN    HOW  \K1>    HARRIS,  LL.   D.,  was  in- 
augurated president  >>f  Bucknell  University  in 
June,   1889,      He  entered  upon  the  lab<>: 
\    eminent  and  devoted  men,   who  laid  the 
foundations   wisely,  and   t'>   whose   services   and 
merits  the  new    president  always  rous 

recognition.  One  part  <>(  his  work,  not  the  1: 
important,  has  been  the  rallying  of  old  friends  to 
the  institution.  He  has  spoken  in  over  [30  dif- 
ferent Churches  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey; 
has  lectured  in  all  of  the  Normal  Scho  lis  ol  the 
Si, tie  except  two,  and  has  brought  main-  acade- 
and  high  schools  mm  close  affiliation  with 
the  college.  In  all  his  efforts,  the  president  has 
been  ably  and  cordially  aided  by  tie  Board  of 
Trustees,  the  Faculty  and  the  Alumni.  Two 
buildings,  the  gymnasium  and  laboratory,  I 
been  erected  during  his  adnmnsti  Ltion;    nearly 


$100,000  added  to  the  endowment;  the  library 
increased  from  9,000  to  iS.ooo  volumes,  the 
number  of  courses  from  fifty-one  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two:  and  the  attendance  in  the  college 
from  seventy  to  two  hundred  and  forty-seven, 
and  to  four  hundred  and  thirty  in  all  depart- 
ments. 

Dr.  Harris  was  born  in  Bufnngton,  Indiana 
Co.,  Penn.,  April  24,  [847.  On  the  paternal 
side,  he  is  of  Welsh  descent,  his  father,  Reese 
Harris,  born  in  1804.  having  come  to  America  in 
1830,  and  served  as  mine  superintendent  until 
1844,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Indiana 
count\-  from  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  his  Welsh 
freehold,  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  father. 
On  the  maternal  side  Dr.  Harris  is  partly  of 
English  descent,  his  ancestor,  James  Coleman, 
having  been  an  officer  with  Capt.  Brady  in  the 
old  French  war.  On  another  side  he  is  of  Ger- 
man descent  from  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

Dr.  Harris  spent  the  first  years  of  his  life  at- 
tending the  public  and  subscription  schools  of  the 
neighborhood,  evincing  at  the  age  of  nine  an  ap- 
petite for  historical  reading  which  in  the  four 
succeeding  years  led  to  the  reading  of  all  the  his- 
tories which  were  to  be  had  from  the  scant  pri- 
vate libraries  of  the  neighborhood.  In  i860  he 
entered  a  local  academy  to  prepare  for  college, 
and  continued  his  studies  in  that  direction  till 
the  school  was  broken  up  by  the  enlistment  of 
the  principal.  A.  J.  Bolar  (afterward  Major 
Bolar),  and  aboul  all  oi  the  students  who  were 
old  enough  for  service  Dr.  Harris  was  among 
those  who  volunteered;  but  was  rejected  on  ac- 
count of  age.  Ilis  tirst  public  speech  aside  from 
efforts  in  the  debating  societies  was  one  in  favor 
of  the  Union  at  the  fall  of  Sumter.  His  studies 
nil  interrupted,  in  1862,  by  the  head 
teacher  and  most  of  the  pupils  responding  to  the 
call  of  President  Lincoln.  Dr.  Harris  again 
volunteered,  but  was  again  rejected.  In  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1862-63.  he  taught  his  first  school. 
In  1863,  he  had  his  experience  repeated  in  the 
breaking  up  of  the  school,  but  was  himself  ac- 
cepted among  the  volunteers,  serving  as  a  prn 
in  the  Second  Battalion,  P.  V..  in  West  Virginia. 
Alter  his  discharge,  he  continued  his  college 
paration,  and  had  all  arrangements  made  to 
er  Bucknell  College  in  1864,  but  the  call  of 
the  Presides:  ilunteers  again  led  to  his  offer- 

ing himself,  and  he  ser\e,l  i-  sergeant  in  the 
th  P.  Y.  P.  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
;  he  entered  Bucknell  College,  and  graduated 
in  the  course  in  Arts  in  1  S69.  He  has  received 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  trim  Bucknell.  that 
of   Doctor  of    Philosophy    from    Lafayette,    and 


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COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


845 


that  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  Dickinson  College, 
Penn.,  and  also  from  Colgate  University,  New 
York. 

Dr.  Harris  intended  almost  from  childhood 
to  follow  the  legal  profession,  and  in  1863  was 
enrolled  as  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Hugh 
W.  Wier,  of  the  Indiana  Bar.  He  completed  all 
the  course  except  the  office  work,  but  from  lack 
of  funds  after  graduation  he  entered  upon  the 
work  of  teaching.  He  took  charge  of  a  subscrip- 
tion school  in  Factoryville,  near  Scranton, 
which  he  developed  into  Keystone  Academy,  an 
institution,  when  he  left  it,  with  fine  campus  of 
twenty  acres,  three  large  buildings,  costing  $75,- 
000,  a  good  library,  and  over  200  students, 
three-fourths  of  them  being  boarders.  In  1869 
he  decided  to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  and  teaching.  He  followed  closely  the 
course  of  study  laid  down  in  Crozer  Theological 
Seminary,  doing  all  of  the  work  of  the  course  ex- 
cept Hebrew.  He  has  devoted  special  attention 
to  New  Testament  study  having  read  it  all  in 
Greek  ten  times,  and  most  of  it  thirty  times. 
In  1872  Dr.  Harris  was  ordained,  and  served  the 
West  Abington  Church  nine  years  as  pastor.  In 
that  time  the  Church  increased  its  benevolent 
contributions,  enlarged  its  edifice  and  nearly 
doubled  its  membership. 

His  first  wife,  Miss  Mary  Mace,  who  was 
born  in  Wyoming  county,  Penn.,  August  24, 
1855,  died  leaving  two  children,  Mary  and  Her- 
bert. By  a  second  marriage,  with  Miss  Lucy 
Bailey,  born  in  1858,  he  has  seven  sons:  Reese, 
George,  Spencer,  John,  James,  Walter  and 
Stanley. 


|FILLIAM  C.  BARTOL,  Ph.  D.,  was  born 
ml  in  Huntingdon,  Penn.,  November  24, 
1847.  He  was  prepared  for  college  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  entered  the  University  at  Lewisburg, 
now  Bucknell,  and  was  graduated  with  honor  in 
1872.  He  immediately  entered  upon  educa- 
tional work.  His  first  five  years  as  teacher  gave 
him  an  experimental  knowledge  of  almost  every 
phase  of  school  instruction.  During  this  period 
he  was  successively  professor  of  mathematics  in 
the  Salisbury  Academy,  Conn;  principal  of  the 
Centre  Hall  high  school,  Penn. :  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools  of  Union  Grove,  Wis.;  and 
principal  of  the  Huntingdon  Academy,  Penn. 
Thus  he  gained  a  most  valuable  experience  and 
training  for  his  work  as  a  public  teacher.  After- 
ward he  became  professor  of  mathematics  in  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Normal  School  at  Mansfield. 
During  his  stay  of   four  years  at   Mansfield,  he 


gained  such  a  reputation  as  a  mathematical  in- 
structor that,  upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  George 
M.  Philips  from  the  chair  of  mathematics  and 
astronomy  in  Bucknell  University,  August,  1881, 
he  was  immediately  chosen  his  successor.  Dr. 
Bartol  entered  upon  his  duties  as  professor  of 
mathematics  and  astronomy  in  Bucknell  Univer- 
sity, Septembers,  1881.  Some  years  later  the 
college  astronomical  observatory  was  built, 
largely  through  his  efforts.  He  was  then  made 
its  director,  though  retaining  his  former  duties 
as  a  professor.  He  is  an  assiduous  worker,  and 
has  found  time  to  publish  a  number  of  brief 
studies  in  the  science  of  perspective  and  of  the 
culculus.  He  assisted  Dr.  French  in  the  revis- 
ion of  his  mathematical  works,  published  by 
Harper  &  Brothers.  He  is  also  the  author  of  a 
solid  geometry  which  has  had  a  large  sale. 

The  ancestors  of  Dr.  William  C.  Bartol  were 
German.  His  grandfather,  John  Barthold,  was 
born,  where  he  spent  his  entire  life  and  died,  on 
a  farm  near  Klecknersville,  Northampton  Co., 
Penn.  The  farm  was  located  about  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  village,  north  toward  the 
Blue  mountains,  and  about  three-eighths  of  a 
mile  nearly  northeast  from  the  site  of  the  old 
Indian  defense  called  Peter  Doll's  block  house. 
John's  father  had  lived  upon  and  owned  this 
farm  for  many  years.  He  died  here  probably  in 
the  year  1783,  at  which  date  John  was  sixteen 
years  old.  John  Barthold  was  accustomed  to  re- 
late that  his  father  had  been  a  German  soldier 
for  five  years,  and  that  upon  being  discharged 
from  military  duties  he  and  his  younger  brother, 
not  yet  of  age.  came  to  this  country,  landing  in 
New  York.  Both  were  unmarried.  Shortly 
after  landing  the  brothers  became  separated,  and 
since  have  had  no  knowledge  of  each  other,  nor 
have  their  families  ever  had  knowledge  of  each 
other.  This  could  not  have  occurred  later  than 
1750,  and  possibly  ten  years  earlier.  The  chil- 
dren of  John  Barthold  by  his  first  wife  were 
Peter,  Paul,  John,  Abraham,  Jacob,  Johnstine, 
Christina,  Catharine  and  Barbara.  He  married, 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  a  Mrs.  Beer,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Staley.  Their  children  were 
Simon,  Henry,  Elizabeth,  and  Elias,  who  was 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  John, 
Sr. ,  died  in  1843,  when  he  was  about  seventy-five 
years  old. 

When  Elias  was  nineteen  years  old  he  left 
home  with  his  brother  Henry,  and  located  in 
Boalsburg,  Centre  Co.,  Penn.  About  this  time 
he  began  writing  his  name  Bartold,  and  a  few 
years  later  the  brothers  in  Boalsburg  changed 
their  name  to  Bartol,  dropping  the  h  and  the  d, 
because,  as  they  said,  they  were  silent  letters  as 


846 


'  OMMBMOBATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  name  was  pronounced.  All  other  members 
of  the  family  retain  the  original  spelling.  Elias 
Bartol  married  Bathsheba  Wieland,  of  Boalsburg, 
August  19.  1 84 1 .  Their  children  were  Sarah, 
Lilia,  William  Cyrus,  Anna  and  Thomas  Edgar. 

The  mother  of  I  »r  Bartol  traces  her  ancestry 
to  Michael  Weyland,  the  pioneer  in  this  country, 
who  came  from  near  Stuttgart  in  Wurtemburg, 
or  from  the  city  itself,  about  the  year  1737,  per- 
haps  a  few  years  earlier  or  later.  In  1754  we 
find  Michael  Weyland  in  Bethel,  the  northwest 
township  of  Berks  county,  Penn. ,  and  by  the 
same  authority  (J.  B.  Linn's  Annals  of  Buffalo 
Valley)  we  find  him,  in  1769,  settled  in  Buffalo 
Valley,  Union  county,  on  what  is  now  D.  B. 
Miller's  farm.  This  was  the  site  of  the  old  Indian 
town,  Shikellimy,  near  West  Milton.  Michael 
W(  viand  was  married  to  Magdalena  Baker. 
Their  children  were  Michael,  Jr.,  Jacob,  George, 
John.  Samuel,  Mary,  Margaret,  Catharine  and 
Magdaline.  Michael,  Sr. ,  died  in  1771,  and  was 
buried  on  the  place,  in  an  old  graveyard,  a  little 
wis  up  the  road  running  from  the  river.  John 
in  some  way  changed  the  name  to  Wheland.  He 
married  Christina  Oberlin,  whose  father  was 
Michael  Oberlin.  Her  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Zwei  1  Michael  Oberlin  lived  in  Earl 
township,  Lancaster  Co.,  Penn.,  and  was  one  of 
the  original  members  of  the  old  Bergstrass  Lu- 
theran  Church  there.  John  Wheland  and  his 
wife,  Christina,  lived  in  this  neighborhood 
some  years.  They  afterward,  in  [800,  moved  to 
Lycoming  county,  Penn.,  and  later  to  a  farm 
near Tussey ville,  Penn.  Their  children  were:  Mi- 
chael, Hannah,  John,  Christina,  Frederick  and 
Lydia  John,  Sr.,  died  near  Tusseyville.  and  is 
buiied  in  the  old  churchyard  their.  His  wife 
died  in  1845,  and  is  buried  at  Boalsburg. 

The  oldest  chilil  of  John  and  Christina  Whe- 
land was  Michael,  born  in  Lancaster  county, 
Penn.,  about  six  miles  from  the  village  of  New 
Holland.  At  the  early  age  of  eight  or  nine  years, 
Michael  was  accustomed  t<>  attend  divine  serv- 
ices m  New  Holland,  traveling  the  six  miles  often 
alone  and  on  foot,  running  at  times  for  fear  oi 
missing  the  musii  "I  the  organ  which  was  then 
in  the  church.  Michael  Oberlin,  the  gi. nidi. ither 
of  Michael  Wheland.  gave  his  little  namesake 
some  silver  buckles  in. I  1  si  1\  #-i  spoon  when  the 
grandson  was  perhaps  two  years  old;  some  of 
these  keepsakes  are  yet  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants.  Michael  Wheland  married  Sarah 
Becht.  They  were  taken  or  confirmed  into  the 
Old-school  Lutheran  Church  by  the  Rev.  Fred- 
erick Haas,  somewhere  in  Mifflin  county,  Penn. 
Sarah  Becht  was  born  January  23,  1793,  and  died 
July  24,   1836.      Her  husband   Michael  died  Sep- 


tember 1 '1.  [871.  They  are  both  buried  at  Boals- 
burg, Penn.  The  children  of  Michael  Wheland 
were:  Hannah,  Lydia,  Benjamin,  Rebecca, 
William,  Bathsheba,  Sarah,  Lucy,  Washington, 
Anna,  Drusilla  Christina,  and  Daniel. 

Elias  Bartol  married  Bathsheba,  at  Spruce 
Creek,  Penn.,  and  directly  they  moved  to  Pine 
Grove  Mills,  Centre  counts,  and  after  a  short 
stay  here,  they  moved  to  Manor  Hill,  from  which 
place  they  came  to  Huntingdon  in  1  844.  Here 
they  settled;  and  spent  the  remaining  years  of 
their  lives.  Their  oldest  son,  William  Cyrus, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Martha  Belle 
Africa.  The  paternal  ancestor  of  Mrs.  Bartol, 
pioneer  in  this  country,  was  Christopher  Africa. 
He  was  (according  to  the  family  tradition)  born 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  yet  a  young  man.  He  was  by  trade  a 
miller.  He  settled  at  Germantown,  Penn.,  and 
there  married  an  "English  woman  '*  fbut  we  are 
to  bear  in  mind  that,  at  that  time,  every  person 
not  born  in  the  Fatherland,  was  regarded  by  the 
German  as  English).  At  least  two  of  their  sev- 
eral children  were  born  at  Germantown — John 
Michael  and  Jacob. 

Before  the    breaking    out     of  the    American 
Revolution,    Christopher    Africa    and    his   family 
moved   to    the    vicinity   of    Hanover,    York   t 
Penn.      While  residing  there  the   two   sons  and 
two  or   more   of    the  daughters  married.      John 
Michael  married  Catherine  Grafnus,  of  York,  born 
October    23,     1  r ' '  5  •    died     February    12,     1830. 
Jacob  married  Catherine  Geiger.      One  daughter 
married    George    Louckert.       Another,    Rosina, 
died  unmarried  about  1807,  and  was  interred   in 
the  German    Lutheran   Church-yard    in    the  1 
ough  of  Hanover.      When  the  church  was  about 
toll'      nl  ir|  ed,  about  fifteen  years  ago.  it  became 
necessary  to  remove  the  remains  to  another  part 
of   the   yard.      The   grave    was    marked    by    n 
head  and   foot   stones    in   excellent  preservation, 
and     the    inscription     was    remarkably    distinct. 
John  Michael's  eldest  child,  Elizabeth,  was  born 
in  1790.      In  1791    he   removed   to   Huntingdon, 
having  purchased    the   lots   of  ground,  Nos.  320 
and  322  Penn  and   Nos.   521  and   323  Alleghany 
street,  whereon  he    resided    until  his  death,  June 
30,  1S22,  when  he  was- aged  sixty-five  years.     Ja- 
cob's  eldest  children,  John  and  Jacob  were  born  in 
Hanover.    Jacob.  Sr.,  moved  to  Huntingdon  a  few 
years  alter  Michael  had  become  a  resident  there. 
Christopher  remained  in   York  county  until  after 
the  death   of  his   daughter   Rosina,  when  he  fol- 
lowed  his  sons   to    Huntingdon,    where    he   died 
and  was  interred  in   the    Lutheran  Church-yard, 
northeast  corner  of   Fourth   and  Church  street 
Michael  dropped  the  prefix   John  about  the  time 


COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


847 


he  was  married.  From  descriptions  of  his  per- 
sonal appearance  given  by  old  citizens  who 
knew  him,  he  was  six  feet  in  height;  had  blue 
eyes;  was  neither  corpulent  nor  lean,  and  wore 
his  dark  hair  in  a  queue.  Jacob  was  shorter  in 
stature,  and  more  corpulent  than  his  brother 
Michael.  His  children  were:  John,  Jacob, 
David,  Samuel,  Mary,  Catherine,  Elizabeth, 
Margaret,  Harry  and  Daniel. 

Christopher  Africa  had  charge  of  a  gristmill 
at  or  near  Germantown,  and  his  two  sons  were 
employed  in  the  mill.  On  going  to  York  county 
he  bought  a  mill  and  paid  some  money  thereon. 
The  title  proving  defective,  he  lost  the  property 
and  his  investment  therein.  After  this  misfortune 
Michael  became  a  brickmaker,  to  which  he  added 
a  winter  occupation,  that  of  dyer.  His  brick- 
yard in  Huntingdon  extended  eastward  from 
Sixth  street  three  lots,  of  fifty  feet  each,  and 
northward  from  Mifflin  street  to  Moore  street. 
There  the  brick  for  all  the  brick  houses  erected 
in  Huntingdon  for  over  two-score  years  were 
made.  Hon.  J.  Simpson  Africa,  from  whom 
these  narrated  facts  were  obtained,  says  "  at  one 
time  I  was  inclined  to  believe  the  family  name 
we  bear  was  an  English  corruption  of  a  German 
patronym,  but  I  since  learned  from  four  different 
German  immigrants  that  they  knew  the  name  in 
Germany.  One  mentioned  the  city  of  Coblentz 
on  the  Rhine,  another  Augsburg  in  Bavaria,  an- 
other Berlin,  and  the  locality  mentioned  by  the 
fourth  has  escaped  my  recollection."  Jacob  Af- 
rica, Jr.,  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Zimmerman, 
December  7,  1819.  They  had  a  number  of  chil- 
dren— William  Stevens,  Eliza  Ann,  Andrew  Jack- 
son, John  H.,  Letitia  M.,  Robert  Wesley,  Eunice 
M.  and  Anderson.  Andrew  Jackson  Africa  mar- 
ried Maria  King,  and  their  children  were:  Martha 
Belle  (Mrs.  Bartol),  William  Carey,  Thomas  Ed- 
gar and  Vinton  Zimmerman. 

Mrs.  Bartol  traces  her  ancestry  on  the  mater- 
nal side  to  Alexander  King,  who  is  described  by 
those  who  knew  him  as  a  Scotch-Irishman;  a 
strict  Scotch  Presbyterian;  in  personal  appear- 
ance a  man  of  medium  height  and  weight.  He 
came  from  Ireland  to  America  probably  in  the 
year  1774.  About  two  years  later,  on  January 
10,  1776,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  under  Capt.  Henry  Darby  in  the 
Delaware  regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  Has- 
lett.  He  was  then  a  young  man,  presumably 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  served  under  these 
officers  for  one  year,  during  which  time  he  was 
in  the  disastrous  battle  of  Long  Island,  after 
which,  retreating  with  his  regiment,  he  fought  at 
White  Plains  under  Washington.  Here  he  re- 
ceived   a  slight   wound   from   a    bayonet  in  the 


hands  of  a  Hessian.  He  continued  with  his  regi- 
ment in  the  perilous  flight  through  New  Jersey, 
and  was  at  the  taking  of  the  Hessians  at  Tren- 
ton, after  the  famous  crossing  of  the  ice-drifted 
Delaware.  The  time  of  his  enlistment  having 
expired,  Alexander  King  remained  at  home  for 
a  few  months  and  then  re-enlisted  in  Capt.  Ben- 
jamin Fishborne's  company  of  the  Fourth  Penn- 
sylvania Regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  William 
Butler.  His  re-enlistment  was  probably  from 
New  London,  Chester  Co.,  Penn.  Under  Fish- 
borne  he  served  with  some  distinction,  being  pro- 
moted from  corporal  to  sergeant  of  his  company. 
He  fought  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine  and  Ger- 
mantown, and  afterward  at  Monmouth  on  the 
memorable  sultry  day  in  June.  Marching  with 
his  regiment  to  Schoharie,  where  the  winter  was 
passed,  he  was  ordered  the  following  summer  to 
join  the  expedition  under  General  Sullivan  against 
the  Indians  in  the  Genesee  country,  and  upon  his 
return  he,  together  with  his  company,  joined  the 
main  army.  He  remained  in  the  service  until 
the  month  of  January,  1781,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  sickness  and  returned 
home. 

Alexander  King  made  an  application  for  a 
pension  on  April  14,  1818,  at  which  time  he  was 
residing  in  Huntingdon  county,  Penn.,  and  was 
sixty-four  years  of  age.  His  pension  was  allowed 
for  five  years  actual  service  as  corporal  and  ser- 
geant in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  came  to 
Huntingdon  not  later  than  1796.  This  we  may 
safely  conclude  from  the  fact  that  the  county 
records  give  Alexander  King,  of  Huntingdon,  as 
the  purchaser  of  lot  181  on  January  30,  1797. 
He  probably  came  direct  from  Chester  county  to 
Huntingdon.  He  died  August  8,  1826,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Riverview  cemetery,  Huntingdon. 
He  was  admitted  to  membership  in  Lodge  No. 
55,  Free  and  Accepted  Ancient  York  Masons  at 
Huntingdon  June  24,  1800,  and  was  buried  with 
the  usual  Masonic  honors.  Alexander  King 
married  Nancy  Jackson  probably  before  coming 
to  America.  Their  children  were  John  and 
Thomas.  John  married  Christine  Berkstresser. 
They  settled  in  Bedford  county,  Penn.  Their 
children  were  William  R. ,  James,  Harry  S., 
Caroline,  John,  Margaret,  Thomas,  Nancy, 
Alexander  and  Elizabeth.  Thomas  King,  Sr. , 
spent  his  life  in  Huntingdon,  Penn.,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  of  his  father  Alexander, 
that  of  a  tailor.  He  was  also,  like  his  father,  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  there.  He  served 
for  a  short  time  ("three  months)  in  the  war  of 
1 8 1 2  under  Captain  Robert  Allison. 

Thomas  King  was  married  in  Huntingdon,  in 
1803,  by  the    Rev.    John  Johnston,  to    Martha 


848 


CO.V.V/-:.Vt>i;.[  TIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ris,  and  their  children  were  William  II..  Ann, 
Margaret,  Catherine,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Sarah  and 
Maria.     Thomas  King  died  March  9,  [83 
fifty-sevi  rs,   his    wife,    Martha    Norris.   on 

June  22,    1  s 3 5 ,  /enty-five  sears.     Their 

daughter  Maria  was  married  to  A.  Jackson  Africa. 
in    Huntingdon,    by    the     K         ]  Willi  1 

Octobei     28,     1  Their     oldest     daughter, 

Martha  Belle,  married  William  (  Bartol,  April 
[3,  1875.  Their  children  are  Mary,  Belle, 
William    V  and  Helen  Kii 


BE(  K   FAMILY.      A  he  German  immi- 

uits  who  left  theii  along  the  Rhine 

during  the  great  migration  of  German  Protestants 
to  Pennsylvania  in  the  tury  was  Johann 

■  mas  Beck.  He  came  from  tin  Duchy  of 
Hanau,  and  embarked  from  the  port  of  Rotter- 
dam. 111  Holland,  in  the  year  1752.  with  his  wife 
ther,  his  son  Henry  and  his  daughter  Margaret. 
He  did  not  live   to  see   the   New  World,  for  he 

1  on  the  and   the  Atlantic  became   his 

burying  place.  His  widow  and  children  reached 
Philadelphia,  from  whence  they  went  to  Berks 
county.  Penn.,  where  they  settled,  and  where  the 
widow  subsequently  married  one  McMullen. 

Hi  nry  Beck,  the  son  of  [obann  Thomas  Beck, 
was  born  in  the  Duchy  of  Hanau  about  the  year 
174S,  and  was  lour  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Pennsylvania  with  his  mother.  He  grew  up 
in  Berks  county,  and  in  the  year  1775  married 
Margaret  Wolfgang.  Like  almost  all  the  Penn- 
sylvania Germans,  he  was  engaged  in  farming, 
which  he  varied  occasionally  by  superintending 
the  wood-cutting  for  one  of  the  local  furnaces. 
The  Revolutionary  war  came  on  shortly  after  his 
marriage.  In  the  militia  companies  which  were 
formed  from  time  to  time  for  short  terms  as  the 
war  progressed,  and  were  composed  chiefly  of 
the  farming  population  who  attended  to  their 
farms  in  the  summer  and  went  into  the  army  in 
the  winter,  he  went  out  three  different  times, 
first  as  orderly  sergeant  and  subsequently  as 
lieutenant,  and  was  in  one  of  the  commands  that 
failed  to  cross  the  Delaware  at  the  time  when 
Washington  captured  the  Hessians  at  Trenton. 
He  remained  upon  his  farm  in  Berks  county  until 
his  removal  to  a  farm  near  Pottsgrove.  in  North- 
umberland county,  Penn.,  where  he  died  in  the 
year  1S24.  Both  he  and  his  wife  Margaret  are 
buried  in  the  old  Lutheran  graveyard  at  Milton, 
Pennsylvania. 

Henry  Beck,  by  his  wife,  Margaret,  had  seven 

<    children,  all  of  whom  were  born  and  reared  in 

Berks  county,  on  their  father's  farm.     They  were 


Henry,  George,  Thomas,  Sophia,  Elizabeth,  Mary 
and  Catharine.  Henry  Beck,  the  eldest  s